.
b. The wires are held in the grooved blocks with the four Nylon Landing Gear Straps provided. The straps should be
installed all the way to the ends of the grooved blocks, right up against the wire where it exits the block. This is done to
insure the landing gear cannot shift sideways in a rough landing. Mark the location of the holes on the grooved blocks.
Then, use a 3/64" bit to drill a pilot hole for the # 2 x3/8" Sheet Metal Screws.
134a.
Bind the ends of the Main Landing Gear, the L.G. Rear Brace, and the 1/8" Bottom Shock Strut together near the axle
with the soft copper wire supplied. It’s easiest to first tack glue them together with Medium CA to hold them in alignment
while you wrap them. If the wires don’t line up exactly right with each other, rebend as necessary to get them to fit
properly. Make the copper wire wrapping as tight as you can, with each strand of copper wire right next to the previous
one. There should be no gaps between the strands of copper wire. Don’t worry about running out of copper wire, as we
have included extra to help insure that you can make these bindings very strong.
b.
Next bind the 1/8" dia.Top Shock Strut wire in place at the top of the Main Landing Gear wire. Position this wire carefully
(see front view plan). The middle bend of this Top Shock Strut should contact the middle bend of the Bottom Shock Strut.
For flying, the Top and Bottom Shock Struts will be bound together at this spot by rubber bands, which will serve as an
effective shock absorber.
c.
When you have all the wires bound together in proper alignment, solder the
bindings securely with normal rosin core solder. Be sure to use a soldering iron
or torch with enough heat output to get the wires and bindings hot enough for
the solder to flow smoothly. Also, use plenty of solder paste to help the solder
flow completely around and thru the bindings. Protect the fuselage during the
soldering operation with a cloth so that dripping solder or paste will not fall on
the wood. After both axles are soldered and cooled off, carefully remove the
wires from the grooved blocks.
135.
After all the solder joints are cool, file and sand them to smooth out any
prominent bulges in the bindings. Clean all the wires and joints with dope thinner
or other suitable solvent.
136a.
A sheet of 3/16"x6"x8" balsa is provided for fairing in the sides of the Main Gear. Cut out a right and left fairing to fit
between the gear wires. Note proper grain on the plan. Epoxy the balsa fairings in place and allow to dry.
b.
Using a sanding block, sand the balsa
fairings flush with the wires if they are
sticking out. Also, sand the top edge of
the fairings round.
b.
Fill in any voids in the landing gear
fairings with extra epoxy glue or epoxy
putty.
137.
Solder a #6 Flat Metal Washer on each of the axle wires, right up against the bend in the wire, to keep the wheels from
binding on the bend.
Attaching The Tail Surfaces
138a.
With the wings and struts mounted to the fuselage, place the stabilizer in position. Secure it lightly in place with a couple
pins.
b.
CHECK TOP VIEW ALIGNMENT: Use a measuring tape to check the distance from one stab trailing edge tip straight
ahead to the wing trailing edge. Now make the same measurement on the other side of the model. The two
measurements should be the same! If not, adjust the stab accordingly. Once the alignment is correct, put in some more
pins to keep it from moving. Use a pencil to mark the location of the fuselage sides on the bottom of the stab.
c.
CHECK FRONT VIEW ALIGNMENT: Step back a few feet and use your eyeballs to make sure the stab is lined up with
the wings. If not, you’ll need to adjust the top of the fuselage sides until it does.
