spacewalker SIGRC61, Building And Flying Instructions

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Wing Straps
Two pieces of 1/64"x5/8"x48" plywood are provided for optional wing straps to
simulate the aluminum straps used by Maxey Hester on his fullscale
Spacewalker. (Jesse Anglin did not install wing straps on the prototype airplane.)
The straps may be omitted from the model, but you will probably find that they
help cover-up any inaccuracies or gaps at the wing joints. After covering the
outer wing panels, the straps may be glued in place so that half of their width is
left to overhang past the end ribs. Wrap the strips of plywood completely around
the leading edge and cut off any excess at the trailing edge. Make sure that the
straps won't interfere with the center section when the outer panels are slid into
place.
Fuel Cap Cover And Compass Assembly
The teardrop-shaped fuel cap cover should be trimmed from the plastic sheet leaving a 1/16" to 3/32" flange around its
perimeter. The flange gives plenty of gluing surface and is scale. For best appearance, paint the cover separately and glue
it to the finished fuselage with C/A. The molded plastic compass is assembled in a fashion similar to the plastic shock
springs. Cut out the halves as close to the base as possible, then sand each piece until they match and the compass
assembly appears round when the halves are held together. Glue the halves together using C/A, dope thinner, or MEK as
you did before. The "bulge" at the bottom of the compass was necessary for molding purposes and must be trimmed off
after assembly. Paint the compass flat black before gluing it to the painted fuselage.
RADIO INSTALLATION
It is generally easiest to mount all of your radio equipment and pushrods in the model before covering and painting. Once
the initial installation has been made and all the bugs worked but, you can remove the radio system and then reinstall it
when the airplane is finished.
Mounting Servos in the Fuselage
The fore and aft location of the servos is generally not critical for balancing purposes.
The servos in the photo model were
mounted towards the rear of the radio
compartment to help keep the pushrod
lengths as short as possible. Use wood
screws to mount your servos directly to
the hardwood servo rails. Cut two servo
rails from the 3/8" sq. spruce provided in
the kit and epoxy them across the inside
of the fuselage with the proper spacing
for your servos. Glue scrap pieces of
balsa to the fuselage sides around the
ends of the servo rails so that they can
never come loose in flight.
Elevator Hookup
Instructions for assembling the fiberglass elevator pushrod are on the plans (Plate
2). Use 3/32" dia. music wire and a 4-40 solder clevis (supplied in the kit) at the
servo end of the pushrod. Notice that after the fuselage is covered, a pushrod exit
slot will have to be cut into the fabric. We suggest that you duplicate the full-scale
practice of reinforcing around a cutout in the fabric using a thin plastic
reinforcement cut from scrap ABS. Use the pattern shown here and apply it to the
covering by brushing clear dope on the fabric and pushing the reinforcement onto
the wet paint. When dry, the plastic should be firmly bonded and the fabric inside the ring can be cut out with a sharp knife.