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52.
Coil up the excess length in the leads and insert them (along with the electronic elevon
mixer if used) into the recess you made next to the receiver. Slice off an appropriate
thickness from the top of the remains of this foam plug to form a lid and glue it in place
flush with the top surface of the wing.
53.
Glue the battery recess’ lid in place over the battery pack so it’s flush with the top surface of
the wing.
54.
If you chose to embed your receiver below the wing surface, glue in the top slice from your
receiver’s foam plug now so that it is flush with the top surface of the wing.
55.
Cut and/or sand off any excess glue from around the foam plugs so that they’re all flush
with the surface of the wing.
TAPING & COVERING
These instructions are based on using 48mm (2”) wide strapping tape with cross-woven fiberglass
filaments (running both length-wise and width-wise), hereto referred to simply as “filament tape”.
The instructions outline the process of covering with 48mm (2”) wide coloured polypropylene tape
due to its simplicity and low cost. Those who wish to spend a little extra money and take a little
extra care can use a variety of other covering materials such as Ultracote, Oracover and Profilm.
These iron-on coverings provide a much nicer finish and a little more strength but are a bit trickier
to apply correctly. If using an iron-on covering be sure not to use too high a heat or it may deform
(melt) the foam. Also be careful not to introduce any warps or twists into the wing when shrinking
the covering. 3M Super 77 (“multi-purpose”) spray adhesive is required regardless of the covering
method used and is hereto referred to simply as “spray adhesive”.
56.
Thoroughly remove all dust from the glider and your work area.
57.
Use masking tape to mask off any exposed radio equipment that you don’t want to get
sprayed with glue.
58.
Go outside and spray the entire bottom surface of the wing with spray adhesive and then
place it upside down on a cardboard box (or anything else to keep it up off your work
surface). Let the spray adhesive dry for about 5 to 10 minutes (or until aggressively tacky).
59.
Now it’s time to apply the filament tape. This provides essential tensile strength to the EPP
foam wing and helps to keep the glider rigid during flight. For each piece of tape applied
overhang the wing by 25mm to 50mm (1” to 2”) and wrap around to the opposite surface of
the wing. When a piece ends at the balsa trailing edge you can just cut if off flush with the
edge (don’t wrap around). Rub each piece that is laid down with some fine sandpaper to
remove the release agent from the tape’s backing for better adhesion of subsequent layers of
filament tape, spray adhesive and/or covering. Thoroughly wipe off the dust that is created
each time.
60.
Working on the bottom surface of the wing (that you just sprayed), apply filament tape
following the spar locations as per the following illustration.
