11
BUILD THE FUSELAGE
❏
1. Temporarily install the horizontal stabilizer into the
horizontal stabilizer slot. Stand back 5-6 ft [1.5 - 1.8m] and
view the model from behind. Confi rm that the stab and wing are
parallel. If not, sand the slot as necessary until they are parallel.
Before beginning step 2, have some paper towels, denatured
alcohol, and a tape measure or length of string with some
masking tape on hand and ready to use. When gluing the stab
into the slot, it is recommended to coat both the stab itself and
the slot with epoxy. Doing so will require additional cleaning of
excess epoxy from one side of the stab. However, a better glue
joint is achieved when both mating sides have epoxy applied
to them. We also suggest dry fi tting the stab with the elevator
joiner in place to confi rm that the joiner wire rotates smoothly.
❏
2. Insert the
elevator joiner wire
into the aft end of the
stab slot. Coat the exposed wood on the top and bottom of the
stab with 30-minute epoxy as well as the mating edges of the
stab slot. Insert the stab into the slot and center it left and right.
Measure from the wing tips to the stab tips and make those
distances equal. Wipe away excess epoxy with paper towels
dampened with denatured alcohol. Confi rm that the stab and
wing are still parallel. A weight can be added to one side of the
stab to make any small corrections. Allow the epoxy to cure
undisturbed. The wing can now be removed from the fuselage
and set aside.
❏
3. Test fi t the elevator halves onto the stab with CA hinges.
The elevator joiner wire ends fi t into the pre-drilled holes and
slots at the LE of the elevators. Make any adjustments to the
slots as necessary for a good fi t. When satisfi ed, roughen the
ends of the elevator joiner wire with sandpaper and clean them
with denatured alcohol. Mix up a small amount of epoxy and
coat the ends of the joiner wire. Install the elevator halves onto
the stab with CA hinges as you did the ailerons, being sure that
there are even gaps between the stab tips and elevators on each
side. Wipe away any excess epoxy with denatured alcohol. The
CA hinges will hold the elevators in place while the epoxy on
the joiner wire cures.
❏
4. The balsa supporting block at the aft end of the vertical
fi n slot must be cut away. A razor saw works well for this, but a
hobby knife will also suffi ce.
