Sportsman Aviation F-20 TIGERSHARK 40, Instructions For Final Assembly

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When satisfied with the fit, remove the torque rod from the stabilizer and set it aside for now.
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IMPORTANT
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Do not glue the torque rod into the stabilizer at this time. If you glue it into place now, you won't be able
to mount the stabilizer.
❑
Push the vertical stabilizer down into its mounting slot. To
align it properly, it should be pushed down firmly and there
should be about a 1/8" wide gap between the trailing edge and
the back of the mounting slot. The vertical stabilizer should be
perpendicular to the horizontal stabilizer, too.
❑
While holding the vertical stabilizer firmly in place, use a
pencil to draw a line on each side of the vertical stabilizer where
it meets the top of the fuselage.
❑
Remove the vertical stabilizer and use a modeling knife to
carefully cut away and remove the covering material from
below the lines you drew.
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✦ ✦
✦
WARNING
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✦
When cutting through the covering to remove
it, cut with only enough pressure to cut through only the
covering itself. Cutting down into the balsa structure could
weaken the stabilizer and cause it to fail during flight.
❑
Mix and apply a generous amount of 30 minute epoxy to the gluing surfaces of both the vertical stabilizer and the
vertical stabilizer mounting slot in the top of the fuselage.
❑
Push the vertical stabilizer down into place and realign it, double-checking all of your measurements once more before
the epoxy sets up. Quickly remove the excess epoxy and use pieces of masking tape to hold the vertical stabilizer in place
until the epoxy has fully cured.
☞
Don't forget to double-check that the vertical stabilizer is perpendicular to the horizontal stabilizer.
STEP 6: INSTALLING THE RUDDER TORQUE ROD
❑
Install the rudder torque rod into the vertical stabilizer,
using the same techniques as when you installed the elevator
torque rods into the horizontal stabilizer.
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
IMPORTANT
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
The threaded portion of the torque rod fits
down through the precut slot in the horizontal stabilizer and
into the control system hatch. Double-check that the torque
rod does not bind against the precut slot.
STEP 5: MOUNTING THE VERTICAL STABILIZER