c) Hold the nylon clamp piece in place on the top side of
the elevator and feed the bolts into the clamp.
d) Secure the control horn and clamp in place with the M2
nuts. Be sure they are tight but do not crush the balsa
surface. Apply a small amount of blue Loctite
®
to the nut
and bolt.
❑
16) After the stabilizer joint is completely dry, glue the fin in
place on the fuselage.
a) Start by pulling the fin and rudder apart. Set the rudder
and hinges aside for now. Test fit the fin in place on top
of the stabilizer. Check to see that the fin sits flush and
perpendicular to the stabilizer. Check the fit of the fin's
bottom surface, where it contacts the stab and fuselage.
It should contact these surfaces from front to rear. If
necessary, trim or sand the bottom of the fin for the
best fit.
b) When satisfied with the fit, glue the fin in place using
slow drying epoxy glue. Apply a coat of glue to the
bottom of the fin and to the bottom of the vertical fin,
including the tab that fits into the top of the stab. Put a
coat of glue on the exposed wood on the stab. Press the
fin in place into the stab slot and firmly onto the stab and
fuselage.
c) With the fin in place, sight the model from the front to
make sure the fin is absolutely 90 degrees upright to the
stab, without tilting one way or the other. If needed, use
masking tape to hold it in alignment until dry. Wipe off
any excess glue rubbing alcohol and a soft paper towel.
Let dry.
❑
17) The elevators are now hinged to the horizontal
stabilizer. The hinging method is exactly the same as used with
the aileron hinges (back in Step 1).
❑
18) Before hinging the rudder to the vertical stab it is best to
attach the control horns to the rudder. Locate the pre-drilled
holes near the bottom leading edge of the rudder and make
sure they are clean all the way through. If needed run a 1/16"
drill bit through to clean out the holes. Push three M2 x 20mm
bolts through one of the control horns and then slide the bolts
through the 3 holes in the rudder. Slide the other control horn
onto the bolts, and then add the three M2 hex nuts. Be sure to
tighten the nuts to securely. Do not crush the wood.
❑
19) Mount the 3-arm Rudder Horn to the bottom of the
rudder. Locate the horn on the bottom of the rudder about 1/4"
back from the leading edge.
a) Use a 1/16" drill bit to make pilot holes in the hardwood
built into the bottom of the rudder.
b) Use the M2.8 x 15mm screws to mount the 3-arm
rudder horn to the rudder.
c) After you mount the horn the first time, take it back off
the rudder and reinforce the threads in the rudder with
thin CA. Carefully add a few drops of thin CA into
each hole. Let dry. This will harden the threads in the
wood. Once the CA has dried, screw the rudder
horn back in place.
10