Sequoia Aircraft Corporation F.8L Falco, Construction Manual

Page: 170 / 423

l
F.8L Falco Construction Manual 21–7 Revision 4, March 1, 2002
❏
Glue the remaining ribs in place on the forward fin spar and the main fin spar. Do not
glue the ribs for Sta. 1 at this time. Scuff-sand the plywood before gluing.
❏
Glue the optional piece of 1mm birch plywood to the upper end of the forward fin spar.
This is to cover the end grain of the wood to protect it. Scuff-sand the plywood before
gluing.
❏
Glue the leading edge strip to the ribs (but not to the Sta. 1 rib).
❏
Fit and glue the fin tip bow, P/N 415-1, at the end of the fin to the spar and to the leading
edge strip. This piece may be of solid spruce or a lamination. See Figure 10.
Figure 10
❏
The fin may now be removed from the jig.
❏
Float sand the entire fin. The leading edge strip must be sanded to a smooth radius. The
fin tip bow does not need to be sanded to an exact radius. It should be tapered for the skin
to make a blunt wedge shape in cross-section. After the skin is glued down, the ends may
be sanded to a smooth radius.
❏
Fit the skins to the fin. The skins will extend from the top of the fin to the rib at Sta. 2.
See Figure 12. Leave extra material at the tip of the fin for bending. Use small nails as
alignment pins.
❏
Scarf the skins at Sta. 2 for the lower fin skins that will be installed after the fin is installed
on the fuselage (see Drawing No. 410).
❏
Soak the skins in water and bend around the leading edge strip. Use a steam iron and pull
the plywood down at the fin tip bow to get a smooth compound bend in the plywood. Do
this for both the left and right skins.
Note: Remember the importance of the moisture content of the skins. See the note in the
section on skinning the stabilizer.