8
Section 2: Installing the Horizontal Stabilizer
Step 4
Use a felt-tipped pen to trace the outline of the
fuselage on the stab.
Step 5
Remove the stab and use a hobby knife with a
brand new blade to remove the covering 1/16"
inside the lines just drawn.
Note
: Use care not to cut into the underlying
wood and weaken the structure. Doing so will
almost guarantee stab failure in flight, which is
not a good thing.
Step 6
Place the elevator joiner wire into the slot for the stab.
Reposition the stab into the fuselage. It may be
necessary to trim the opening at the rear to allow for
clearance for the joiner wire.
Cool Tip
: Use a little rubbing alcohol and a
paper towel to remove those nasty felt-tipped
marker lines once they are no longer needed.
Step 7
Double-check the alignment, to verify it’s correct.
Apply thin CA to the top and bottom of the joint
between the fuselage and stab. Allow the CA to cure
naturally; do not use accelerator. After a couple of
minutes, apply a thin bead of medium CA to the joint
to fill any gaps and to fuel-proof the joint.
Cool Tip
: Use a little masking tape to keep the
joiner wire from flopping around until it’s time
to install the elevators.
