GREAT PLANES Super Decathlon 40, Instruction Book

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D 18. Glue the top rear sheeting to the top edge of the
formers and stringers, beginning at the front of F-4T and
running to the aft edge of F-7T. Sand the edges of the top
sheeting at a 45-degree angle to blend with the triangular
stringers (see the cross-sections on the fuse plan).
MOUNT THE WING TO THE FUSE
D 1. Sand the entire wing saddle area lightly until the
wing saddle doublers and cabin sides are flush.
D 2. Apply six layers of masking tape onto the wing
saddle to hold the wing off the saddle slightly. (This will
simulate the thickness of the covering material and wing
seating tape).
D 3. Make fuselage centerline marks on the top of F-2D
and at the front edge of the top rear sheeting. Also mark the
wing centerline on the front and rear edges of the wing.
D 4. Hold the die-cut 1/8" ply wing dowel plate in place
against the front of the wing (do not glue).
D 5. Insert the 1/4" wing dowels through the dowel plate
and into the wing until they are flush with the front surface of
the dowel plate. The dowels should insert easily, but be held
in the wing by a friction fit. If necessary, use a 1/4" round file
to enlarge the holes slightly.
D 6. Trial fit the wing into the wing saddle. If the wing
is slightly too large (front to rear) to fit into the saddle, sand
the rear edge of the saddle and the wing trailing edge slightly
until it fits.
D 7. Center the wing, side to side, by aligning the center-
line marks you previously made. Now tack glue the wing
dowel plate to the upper comers of F-2D, using a couple drops
of thick CA and CA accelerator spray (spray first, then apply
a drop of glue, to prevent the glue from running down
between the plates.
D 8. Gently remove the wing, leaving the dowel plate at-
tached to F-2D. Then drill 1/4" holes through F-2D using
the holes in the dowel plate as a guide. Note: Drill only to a
depth of 3/8", and try not to drill through F-2T.
D 9. Use a razor saw to separate the dowel plate from
F-2D.
D 10. Use a pliers to grasp the ends of the wing dowels and
pull them out. Now you may slightly round (or chamfer) the
ends of the dowels for easier insertion into F-2D. Mix up a
batch of 30-minute epoxy, spread it on the front surface of the
wing and press the dowel plate in place. Use a long stick to
work some of the epoxy into the dowel holes, smear epoxy on
the dowels, then re-insert the dowels into the wing, leaving
them protrude approximately 5/16". Wipe away all excess
epoxy, then allow the epoxy to fully harden. Sand the dowel
plate to blend smoothly with the top and bottom sheeting.
D 11. Place the wing back in the saddle and carefully align
it according to the above sketch. While holding the wing in
its proper position, make alignment marks on the wing TE
and the front of the fuse top sheeting so you may easily re-
align the wing later.
D 12. Study the wing plan and the sketch at the top of the
next page to determine where the wing bolt holes are to be
drilled. By measuring, transfer the locations to the wing bolt
plate on the top of the wing. After marking the bolt locations,
replace the wing in the saddle.
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