WA
RR
AN
TY.....Top Flite M
odels guarantees this kit to be free of defects in bothm
aterials and workmanship at the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover any com
ponent partsdam
aged by use or modification. In no case shall Top Flites liability exceed the original cost of the
purchased kit. Further, Top Flite reserves the right to change or modify this warranty without notice.
In that Top Flite has no control over the final assembly or m
aterial used for final assembly, no
liability shall be assumed nor accepted for any dam
age resulting from the use by the user of the final
use
r-asse
mbled product. By the act of using the user-assem
bled product the user accepts all re
sulting liability.
If the buyer is not prepared to accept the liability associated with the use of this product, the
buyer is advised to imm
ediately return this kit in new and unused condition to the place of purchase.
Top Flite Models
P.O
. B
ox 788
Urbana, IL 61803
Technical Assistance - Call (217) 398-8970w
ww
.top-flite.co
m
CES6P03V1.3
READ
THRO
UGH THIS INSTRUCTIO
N BOO
K FIRST. IT CONTAINS IM
PORTANT INSTRUCTIO
NS AND WARNING
S CONCERNING
THE ASSEMBLY AND USE O
F THIS M
ODEL.
Entire Contents Copyright 2002
USA
MA
DE
IN
INTRO
DUCTION
...........................................3
PRECAUTIO
NS.............................................4
DECISIO
NS YOU M
UST MAKE EARLY
IN TH
E BUILDING SEQ
UENCE...................4
Engine Selection...........................................4
Flaps.............................................................4
Operational Lighting
.....................................5
Notes fo
r Competition-M
inded Modelers
......5
Docum
entation.............................................5
Other Item
s Required ..................................5
Suggested Supplies and Tools
.....................5
Comm
on Abbreviations
................................6
Metric Con
versions
.......................................6
Types of Wood
..............................................6
DIE-CUT PATTER
NS.................................7&8
Get Ready to Build
.......................................9
BUILD THE TAIL SURFACES
......................9
Build the Horizontal Stabilize
r.......................9
Tips for M
aking Wing & Stab Skins
.............10
Build the Elevators
.......................................12
Build the Fin.................................................14
Build the Rudder..........................................15
BUILD THE WING
........................................16
Build the Center Section..............................16
Build Outer W
ing Panels
.............................18
Prepare the Polyhedral Bra
ces
....................20
Join the Wing P
anels
...................................21
Sheet the Bottom of the W
ing......................22
Prepare the Wing P
anels fo
r the Flaps........24
Sheet the Top of the Wing
...........................24
Wing Com
pletion.........................................25
Build the Flaps.............................................27
Fit the Flaps.................................................27
BUILD THE FUSELAGE
..............................28
Build the Fuselage Bottom F
ram
e...............28
Sheet the Fuselage Bottom F
ram
e..............31
Fuel Proof and Paint the interior
..................33
Install Pushrods and Servos
........................33
Fra
me the Fuselage Top
..............................33
Install Nose G
ear Steering..........................35
Install the Engine and Tank
.........................36
1.20 Engine Servo O
ption...........................37
Attach the Stab and Fin...............................37
Tips for Silve
r Soldering..............................39
Complete the Fuse Top
...............................39
Mount the W
ing to the Fuselage..................41
HING
E THE CONTRO
L SURFACES...........42
Hinge the Ele
vator, R
udder & Ailerons........42
FUSELAGE FINISHING
TOUCHES
............43
Assemble the Co
wl......................................44
Fit the Cow
l to the Fuse and Engine...........44
Assemble and Install W
heel Pants
..............45
Install Wing Struts and F
airings...................47
FINISHING
...................................................47
Final Sanding...............................................47
Fuel Proofing...............................................47
Balance the Airplane Laterally.....................47
Cove
r the Structure w
ith MonoK
ote
...........48
Painting
........................................................49
Dra
w D
oor and Hatch Outlines
....................49
Apply the Decals..........................................49
Cockpit Finishing.........................................50
Install Control Surface
Corrugations............50
FINA
L HOO
KUPS AND CHECKS...............51
Flap and Aileron Control Hookup................51
Install Receive
r, Battery
, a
nd Antenna.........51
Control Surface
Throw
s...............................52
Balance your M
odel.....................................52
PRE-FLIG
HT................................................53
AM
A SAFETY CO
DE...................................54
FLYING.........................................................54
Balance the Propeller..................................54
Takeoff
.........................................................55
Flying...........................................................55
Landing........................................................55
TWO
-VIEW DRAW
ING.................B
ack Cover
2
TAB
LE OF CO
NTENTS AND BUILDING SEQ
UENCE
You
r Cessna 182 Skylane is not a toy, b
utrather a sophisticated, w
orking m
odel that func-tions ve
ry m
uch like
an a
ctual airplane.
Because of its realistic perform
an
ce, the
Skylane, if not assem
bled and operated correct-ly
, co
uld possibly cause injury to yo
urself or
spectators and damage property
.
To m
ake you
r R/C modeling e
xperiencetotally
enjoyable, w
e recom
mend that yo
u g
ete
xperienced, know
ledge
able help with
assembly
and during you
r first flights. Yo
ull
learn faster and a
void risking your model before
youre truly ready to solo. Your local hobby
shophas info
rmation about flying clubs in yo
ur a
rea
whose mem
bership includes qualified instructors.
You can also contact the national Academy of
Model Aeronautics (AMA), which has more than
2,500 chartered clubs across the country.
Instructor training programs and insured new
com-
er training are available through any one of them.
Contact the AMA at the address or toll-free
phone num
ber below
.
Academy of M
odel Aeron
autics5151 East M
emorial D
riveM
uncie, IN
47302(800) 435-9262
Thank you
for purchasing the
Top Flite GO
LDEDITIO
NCessna 182 Skylane
.
The Top Flite 182 Skylane make
s an e
xcel-lent sport scale com
petition aircraft. Its largesize
and accurate scale outline affo
rd the oppor-tunity fo
r the scale builder togo all out
with the
surfa
ce details and finish. W
ith the abundance of
Cessna 182s in airports around the world, find-
ing a full-scale plane to document and duplicate
for co
mpetition shouldnt present a problem
.
The Top Flite Cessna 182 has demonstrated
flight characteristics ra
rely fou
nd in any scalem
odel. Anyone w
ho has mastered a trainer w
ithailerons should be able to fly this m
odel w
ith a high level of proficiency from
the first flight. It handles ve
ry m
uch like
a full-size
Cessna
smooth and predictable
. O
ur 11 poundprototype w
as
flow
n w
ith an O. S
. .61SF
2-stroke a
nd 12 x 6 prop throughout much of its
flight testing. This combination pro
vided more
than ample po
wer fo
r all normal flight m
aneuvers
and aerobatics
.
Because of its 81 wingspan, the Top Flite
Cessna 182 is eligible to be entered at IMAA
*
eve
nts. In order to be IM
AA-legal,
som
e of the
control com
ponents and hardware
may need to
be replaced to conform
to Giant Scale rules
eve
n though this m
odel does not require heavy
duty hookups.
The cockpit interior has been engineered tobe free of obstru
ctions, se
rvos a
nd pushrods.
This feature pro
vides the modeler with the space
to build a scale interior with front and rear seats
,
baggage compartm
ent, and full figure pilot.
Simulated F
ow
ler Flaps allow
beautifully slow
approaches and landings. H
alf flap takeoffs
require less gro
und roll to rotate and allo
w a
fair-ly steep clim
b ove
r obstacles.
The nose of this model has been engineered
to allow
you
to completely hide m
ost 2-strokeengines in the recom
mended ra
nge. A Top Flite
2-stroke m
uffler with headers to fit seve
ral of there
com
me
nded engines have
been specificallydesigned fo
r and tested in the Skylane and other
Top Flite models
. This m
uffler provides good
sou
nd reduction while fitting entirely inside theco
wling. M
ore inform
ation on the recomm
endede
ngines and related items can be fo
und in the
Engine Selection Section on page 4.
*IM
AA is the International M
iniature AircraftAssociation
, a
n o
rganization that promotes
non-co
mpetitive
flying of giant scale models
.
IMA
AIntern
ational Miniature Aircraft Association
205 S. H
illdale RoadSalina, KS 67401
Please inspect all parts carefully before
starting to build! If any parts are m
issing,broken or defective
, o
r if you
have any ques-
tions about building or flying this m
odel,please call us at (217) 398-8970 and well beglad to help. If yo
u a
re c
alling for replace-
ment parts, please look up the part n
um
bersa
nd the kit identification nu
mber (stamped
on
the end of the carton) and hav
e them
ready when calling.
INTRO
DUCTION
PROTECT YO
UR MO
DEL,YO
URSELF & OTHERS
FOLLOW
THIS IMPO
R-TANT
SAFETY PRECAUTION
3
1. You
mu
st build the plane a
cc
ording to the
plans and instructions.Do not alter or m
odifythe m
odel, as doing so may result in an unsafe
or u
nflyable model. In a fe
w c
as
es
the plansand instructions m
ay differ slightly from
thephotos. In those instances y
ou
shoulda
ss
um
e the plans and w
ritten instructionsare co
rrect.
2. You m
ust take
time to b
uild straight, trueand
strong
.
3. You
mu
st use a proper R/C radiothat is in
first-class condition, a correctly-sized engine
and correct c
om
ponents(fuel tank, wheels
,
etc.) throughout your building process
.
4. You
mu
st properly installall R/C and other
com
ponents so that the model operates properly
on the g
round and in the air
.
5. Yo
u m
ust test
the operation of the model
before
the first and each successive flight to
ensu
re that all equipm
ent is operating, and you
must m
ake ce
rtain that the model has rem
ainedstru
cturally sound. Be sure to check extern
alnylon cle
vises often and replace them if they
show
signs of wear.
6. You must fly
the model o
nly with the com
pe-tent help
of a well experienced R/C pilot if you are
not already an experienced R/C pilot at this time.
Rem
ember: Take yo
ur tim
e and follow
direc-tions to end up w
ith a well-b
uilt model that is
straight and true.
The prototype Skylane that weighed 11
pounds with all of the options, including flaps
and operational lighting, w
as flo
wn w
ith an OS
.61 SF. This engine pro
vided excellent per-
form
an
ce
and m
ore than enough pow
er,
even
in gusty winds.Although larger engines
can
be used to pow
er this m
odel, the extra
horsepow
er is n
otneeded.
The included adjustable engine mount will
hold a range of engines from
.60 2-strokethrough 1.20 4-stroke
.
A special Top Flite header and muffler are
available that w
ill fit inside your co
wling. They
are
primarily designed fo
r 2-stroke e
nginesm
ounted horizontally, as used on our prototype
.
Header fo
r O.S .61SF (TO
PQ7920)H
eader for SuperTig
re S61K & S75K
(TOPQ7925)
Muffler fo
r above
(TOPQ7916)
OPTIO
NAL FLAPS
This model is designed to incorporate
scale flaps; how
eve
r, be assured that flaps are
optionala
nd not necessary
for a
n e
xcellentflying e
xperience. The only diffe
rence
is, w
ith-o
ut flaps the takeoff roll is a little longer and
the landing speed is slightly faster
.
The flaps are not difficult to assemble
, but
they do require good craftsmanship if they are
to fit well. They add nicely to the m
odels flight
characteristics and scale appeara
nce
while
causing no bad effects. O
nly slight trim correc-
tion is needed when they are used with the rec-
omm
ended throw
s. The flaps add drag and lift
to the model on landing approaches
, w
hichgives the plane a ve
ry steady
, locked-in feel.
ENGINE SELECTIO
N
The recomm
ended engine size range is as
follow
s:
.60 to .91 cu. in. 2-stroke.90 to 1.20 cu. in. 4-stroke
The Cessna 182 Skylane will flyw
ellw
itha
ny of the recomm
ended engines. The
4-stroke
engines and m
ost .90 2-stroke
engines will turn
a larger prop at lo
we
r rpm.
This is often desirable for scale realism
. Many
.60 2-stroke e
ngines produce about as mu
chhorsepo
we
r as
the popular .90 2-stroke
engines
. Both are fine choices fo
r the Skylane.
If you
use
a .60 2-stroke
, a
Schnu
erle-ported
engine is prefe
rred.
DECISIO
NS YOU M
USTM
AK
E EAR
LY IN TH
EBUILDING
SEQUENCE
NOTE: W
e, a
s the kit man
ufacturer
, ca
n pro-
vide yo
u w
ith a top quality kit and gre
atinstru
ctions, but ultim
ately the quality and flya-
bility of you
r finished model depends on ho
wyo
ubuild it; therefo
re, w
e ca
nn
ot in any way
guarantee the perfo
rmance
of your co
mpleted
model, and no representations are e
xpressedo
r implied as to the perfo
rma
nce
or safety of
your co
mpleted m
odel.
PRECAUTIO
NS
4
If you plan to com
pete with the trim schem
esho
wn
on
the box
, here are a few
things to consider:
The full-size
Cessna 182 Q
Skylane,
N735PE, that w
as m
odeled for this kit is hang-
ered near Birm
ingham, Alabam
a. The 182Q ver-
sion was m
anufa
ctured from 1977 through 1980.
During this tim
e 2,540 were
built. We designed
our m
odel from Cessnas o
wn 1979 3-vie
w dra
w-
ings for a
ccurate scale outline
.
If you plan to enter yo
ur Skylane in com
peti-tion, this kit w
ill qualify for the Sport Scale cate-
gory without any changes
. Alw
ays wo
rk from
photos of a full-size aircraft when finishing yo
ur
model because that is w
hat you
will need fo
rjudging documentation. F
or dim
ensional accura-
cy, the Top Flite Cessna 182 is e
xactly 1:5
13
scale.
4 to 6 channel radio with 5 to 7 servo
s.
Engine (see page 4)
P
ropellers (see engine instructions fo
r re
com
mended size
s).
1 or 2 Pilot figures (1/5 scale recommended)
Fuel Tank (Great Planes
12 oz. GPM
Q4105re
com
mended)
3-1/4 M
ain Wheels (2) (Dubro 325T)
2-3/4 Nose wheel (1) (Dubro 275T)
(2) 3/16 W
heel Collars (Great PlanesG
PMQ4308 recom
mended)
Top Flite Super M
onoKote
(3-4 rolls, See
Finishingse
ction)
Paint (see Finishing
section)
24 Silicone Fuel T
ubing (Great PlanesG
PMQ4131 recom
mended)
1/2 Late
x F
oam
Rubber P
adding (Hobbico
HCAQ1050 recomm
ended)
2-1/4 Spinner(Top Flite TO
PQ5405 recomm
ended)
Optional:
Fuel Filler V
alve (Great Planes GPMQ4160
reco
mm
ended)
(6) Large Hinge P
oints (for flaps) (Robart
#309 recomm
ended)
Top Flite Header & In-C
ow
l Muffler(See
page 4 for m
ore
inform
ation)
Ram
#03 Landing Lights (RAMQ2303)
Ram
#04 Rotating Beacon (RAMQ2304)
Ram
#14 Big Airplane Na
vigation Lights(RAMQ2314)
R
obart Robostrut N
osegear (ROBQ1707) o
r
Robart Front W
heel Strut Cover (RO
BQ2703)
We
rec
om
me
nd Top Flite Suprem
e
CAs
and Epoxies
(2) 2 oz. CA (Thin) (TOPR1003)
(2) 2 oz. CA+(Medium) (TO
PR1008)
1 oz. CA- (Thick) (TOPR1011)
6-M
inute Epo
xy (TOPR1040)
30-M
inute Epo
xy (TOPR1043)
Titebond
Wood G
lue (optional)
Hand or Electric D
rill
Drill Bits: 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16,
13/64, 1/4, 15/64
Soldering Iron and Silver Solder
Sealing Iron (Top Flite)
H
eat Gun (Top Flite)
H
obby Sa
w (X-AC
TOR
azor Sa
w)
Hobby
Knife, #11 Blades
R
azor Plane (Master Airscre
w)
Pliers
Screwdrive
rs (Phillips and flatblade)
Round file (or similar tool)
T-Pins (short & long)
String
Straightedge with scale
SUGG
ESTED SUPPLIES AND TOO
LS
OTH
ER ITEM
S REQUIRED
DOCUM
ENTATION
Three-view
draw
ings and photo packs ofN
735PE and other Cessna 182s are
available
from:
Scale Model Research
,
3114 Yuko
n A
ve, Costa M
esa, CA 92626(714) 979-8058
NOTES FO
R COM
PETITION
MIN
DED
MO
DELERS
The flaps require one extra
channel, a Y-harness
, and tw
o standard servos. They are
a highly recomm
ended fun optionfor those who
wish to install them
. More info
rmation on the
use
of the flaps may be fo
und in the Flying
section.
OPERATIO
NAL LIGHTING
We installed an operational lighting system
for added realism
and scale appearance
. If yo
uplan to use a sim
ilar system yo
u should route
the wiring befo
re enclosing the wing and fin. In
lieu of installing the actual wires, string can be
taped into position for u
se in pulling the wires
through the structure after co
vering. W
e u
seda separate servo
connected to the retract
cir-cuit of the radio (instead of Y
-ing into the flapse
rvo) to operate the landing lights. The rotat-
ing beacon and position lights were
connected
to a hidden toggle sw
itch. (SeeO
ptionalLighting
in the next section)
5
Nylon Strapping Tape(required fo
r bending sheeting)
Masking Tape (required fo
r constru
ction)
Sandpaper (coarse, m
edium, fine g
rit)*
T-Bar Sanding Block (or similar)
Chalk Stick (local drug store)
W
axed P
aper
Thin Cardstock or a File Folder
Lightw
eight Balsa Filler, su
ch as Hobbico
HobbyLite
1/4-20 and 8-32 Taps and Tap W
rench
Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol (70%)
Auto Body Filler (Bondo
or sim
ilar)
Drem
el Moto-To
ol or sim
ilar (optional)
*NOTE: O
n our wo
rkbench, we
have
fou
r 11 T-Bar sanders
, equipped w
ith #50, #80, #150and #220-g
rit sandpaper. This setup is all that is
required for alm
ost any sanding task. Customsa
nding blocks can be made from
balsa for
sanding hard to reach spots
. W
e also ke
epso
me
#320-grit w
et-or-dry sandpaper handy for
finish sanding before
cove
ring.
CO
MM
ON
AB
BR
EVIATION
S USED
IN TH
ISBO
OK AND O
N THE PLANS:
Deg = Deg
rees
Elev =
Elevator
Fuse = FuselageLE = Leading Edge (front)LG
= Landing Gear
Lt = LeftPly = Plyw
ood
Rt = R
ightStab = Stabilize
rTE = Trailing Edge (rear)
= Inches
TYPES OF W
OO
D
BALSA BASSW
OO
D PLYWO
OD
Metric Con
version ChartInches x 25.4 = m
m (conversion factor)
1/64 =
.4 mm
1/32 =
.8 mm
1/16 =
1.6 mm
3/32=
2.4 mm
1/8=
3.2 mm
5/32=
4.0 mm
3/16=
4.8 mm
1/4=
6.4 mm
3/8=
9.5 mm
1/2=
12.7 mm
5/8=
15.9 mm
3/4=
19.0 mm
1=
25.4 mm
2=
50.8 mm
3=
76.2 mm
6=
152.4 mm
12=
304.8 mm
18=
457.2 mm
21=
533.4 mm
24=
609.6 mm
30=
762.0 mm
36=
914.4 mm
6
7SERVOTR
AY
WIN
DOW
FRA
ME
CABIN SIDE BO
TTOM
HORIZO
NTAL STA
BR
IBS Ss
FIN D
RILL
GUIDE
INSTRUMENT PA
NEL
STAB
SADDLE
STAB
TESTA
B TE
FIN TE
HORN
REIN
FORCEM
ENT
FUSE KEEL
WING
SADDLE BRACE
TAN
K RO
OF
NOSE G
EARDO
UBLER
CABIN SIDETO
P
DORSAL FIN
FORM
ERS
FIREW
ALL
SIDE SUPPORTS
2 REQ
.
1 REQ
.
1 REQ
.
2 REQ
.
2 REQ
.1 R
EQ.
1 REQ
.
1 REQ
.
2 REQ
.
CES6F03
CES6F04
CES6S02
CES6F02
CES6F01CES6F05
CES6F06
CES6F07
CES6F08
3/32" X 3" X 21" BALSA
1/8" X 6-5/8" X 19" PLY
1/4" X 2-3/4" X 15" BALSA
1/8" X 6-5/8" X 19" PLY
3/32" X 3" X 18" BALSA
1/8" X 5-3/4" X 19" PLY
1/8" X 5-3/4" X 19" PLY
1/8" X 5-3/4" X 19" PLY
1/8" X 5-3/4" X 19" PLY
DIE-CUT PATTER
NS
8CENTER AFT SPAR
AILERO
NH
ATCHFLA
PH
ATCH
AFT
AFT
INN
ERSPA
R
SPAR
OUTER
FLAP HO
RN
UPPER SPAR
JOINER
LOW
ER SPA
RJO
INERM
AIN
WH
EEL PAN
TA
XLE SUPPORT
STAB
GUSSET
GUSSET
GUSSETS
FING
USSET
RUDDERR
IBS Rs
OUTER DIHEDRALB
RACE PA
RTS
STAB
JOINER (SJ)
COW
L RING
TOP BO
TTOM
FLAP D
RILL
GUIDE PA
RTS
POLYH
EDR
AL
BR
ACE PARTS
WING
JIGPA
RTS
DIH
EDR
AL
GAUG
E
CENTER LE
VERTICAL FINR
IBS Vs
MA
IN W
HEEL
PAN
T SPACERS
FLAP D
RILL
GUIDE PA
RTS
WING
BOLT
PLATES
ELEVATOR
RIBS E
s
1 REQ
.2 R
EQ.
2 REQ
.
2 REQ
.
2 REQ
.
2 REQ
.
2 REQ
.
1 REQ
.
2 REQ
.
1 REQ
.
CES6W07
CES6W01
CES6W02
CES6W03
CES6W04
CES6W05
CES6W08
CES6W09
CES6W10
CES6W06
CES6S01
1/8" X 2-3/4" X 21" BALSA
1/8" X 2-3/4" X 21" BALSA
1/8" X 3-3/4" X 19" PLY
1/8" X 3-3/4" X 19" PLY
1/16" X 3-3/4" X 11-3/4" PLY
3/32" X 3" X 30" BALSA
3/32" X 3" X 30" BALSA
3/32" X 3" X 30" BALSA
3/32" X 3" X 21" BALSA
3/32" X 3" X 24" BALSA
1/8" X 2-3/4" X 21" BALSA
DIE-CUT PATTER
NS
1. Unroll the plan sheets
. R
e-roll the plansinside-out to m
ake them
lie flat.
2. Remove
all parts from the box. As you do
, fig-
ure
out the nam
e of each part by co
mparing it
with the plans and the parts list included with thiskit. Using a felt tip or ball point pen, lightly writethe part n
am
eo
r sizeo
n e
ach piece to a
voidco
nfusion later. Use the die-cut pattern
s show
non pages 7 and 8 to identify the die-cut parts andm
ark them
before
rem
oving them
from the
sheet. Save
all scraps. If any of the die-cut parts
are
difficult to punch out, do not force
them!
Instead, cut around the parts with a hobby knife
.
After punching out the die-cut parts, use your T
-
Bar or sanding block to lightlysand the edges to
remove
any die-cutting irregularities.
3. As you identify and m
ark the parts, separate
them into g
roups
, su
ch as fuse(fuselage), wing
,
fin, stab(stabilize
r), and hardw
are.
1. Work
on a
flat surface
ove
r the plans cove
redw
ith waxed paper
. R
efer to the plans to identify
the parts and their locations. The plans m
ay becut apart if space is a problem
.
2. Punch out both sets of the die-cut 3/32 balsaribs S-1
through S-7. There is a jig tab on the
bottom edge of each of these ribs
. If any of
these break off, ca
refully glue them back on w
itha
drop of thin CA. Lightly sand any imperfe
c-tions
. Yo
u m
ay need to finish cutting the notch inthe fo
rwa
rd portion ofS-1fo
r the Stab Joiner(SJ) with a knife
. Use a pen to m
ark the e
xten-sions of the bottom
edge of the ribs across thefo
re a
nd aft ends of the jig tabs. These m
arksw
ill help when you trim
off the jig tabs later.
3. The stab Trailing Edges(S) are die-cut from
1/4 balsa. Since some cru
shing may occur dur-
ing die-cutting wo
od of this thickness, they
are
supplied slightly long and can be trimm
ed. True
up all edges of these pieces with a T-bar
.
4. Cut the stab Leading Edges
(LEs) to
length from the 1/4 x 15 tapered balsa stock.
They should be about 1/4 longer than the length
show
n on the plans for the stab LE.
5. Center the 1/2 x 5/8 x 9-3/4 balsa TECenter Brace
ove
r the plans and pin it in place.
Use a triangle and pen to mark
the inboard endsof the Stab TE. Rem
ove
the TE Center Brace
from the building board.
6. Apply thick CA to one half of the TECenter Bra
ce, then align the inboard end of a
Stab TEw
ith the refere
nce
line you
just drew
.
Glue the TE Center Bra
ce in position. The TE
Center Brace mu
st be centered on the StabTE. R
epeat this operation for the other half of
the TE, then use long T-pins to pin the assem
blyove
r the plans.
NOTE: P
osition the outboard ends of the
TE about 1/2 abo
ve
the board. The TE
Center Brace should be raised about 3/8.
(See next photo.) FIN
/ STAB LE
Build the horizontal stabilizer
BUILD THE TAIL SURFACES
Zipper-top food storage bags are a handy
way to store yo
ur sm
all parts as you so
rt, iden-tify
, a
nd separate them into sub-assem
blies.
Get ready to b
uild
9
7. Pin the left and rightS-3and
S-6ribs to
the building board o
ver their locations on the
plans. Adjust the height of the Stab TE to align it
eve
nly with the aft edge of the ribs. G
lue the ribsto the Stab TE and to the TE Center Bra
ce w
iththin CA.
8. Align and glue all of the remaining Stab
ribs to the TE.
9. Glue the tw
o die-cut 3/32 balsa Stab
Gussets
into the junction of S-6 and the StabTE. The G
ussets should be centered betwe
en
the top and bottom of the ribs and Stab TE. G
luethe die-cut 1/8 ply Forw
ard Stab Braceinto the
slots in the S-1 ribs and to the inside edges ofthe S-2 ribs
.
10. Sand one end of two
shaped balsaStab LEs to e
xactly m
atch the angle at the cen-ter of the Stab
. Lea
ve the outboard ends long fo
rthe tim
e being. Center the LE (vertically) on the
front of the ribs, then tack glue the Stab LEs to
the forw
ard edge of ribs S-1 and S-6 and to the
Forw
ard Stab Bra
ce (this will align the LE). Glue
the remaining ribs to the LE
, checking for
straightness as you proceed.
11. Glue both S-7 ribs to the Stab LE.
12. Glue the 1/4 x 1/2 x 7/8 balsa Stab
Sub TEto the aft edge of S-7 and to the side of
S-6. Make
sure
that the Stab Sub TE is posi-tioned e
xactly 90 deg
rees to S-6.
13. Trim the Stab LEs flush with the S-7s
.
Reinfo
rce
all of the joints with medium CA.Sand the tips of the LE, sub TE, and TE flushw
ith S-7 and S-6.
14. Rem
ove
the pins, then lightly sand the
top surface
of the stab fram
e to blend all parts
and rem
ove
any e
xcess CA. Take care not to
change the shape of the airfoil.
HOW
TO M
AK
E WING
AND STAB
SKINS
A. W
hereve
r practical, pre-join the balsa
sheets to make
a skin befo
re attaching them
to the structure
.
B. M
any modelers like
to sort the w
ood so they
can
put the bestw
ood w
ith the most e
ven
grain stru
cture on the top of the wing and stab.
C. M
ake yo
ur skin larger than needed to allo
w
Lightly sand a bevel along the front edge of
the Stab ribsto m
atch the sweep angle of the
LE. This will give
you a
better fit and a strongerglue joint.
10
15. Make
two
6x 30
stab skin planksfrom
fou
r 1/16 x 3 x 30 balsa sheets. F
rom
these planks, cut fo
ur stab skins
. See the sketch
for the proper layo
ut on the wo
od. Refer to the
plans for the e
xa
ct shapes and size
s, b
utre
mem
ber to make
the skins slightly ove
rsize.
16. Pin the stab structure to yo
ur building
surfa
ce u
sing pins only at the tips and diagonallyunder the LE & TE. M
ake sure that the jig tabsare flat on the b
uilding surface.D
ont hide thepins under the skin.
17. Use the off-cut 1/16 material from
theskin planks to m
ake a
1 wide cross-g
rain strip tofit betw
een the S-1s from
the LE to the TE. Glue
the strip in place between the ribs
, flush with the
top edge.
18. Test-fit the skins o
ver the stab fra
me.
Make
sure
the skins meet flush at the center
.
Adjust them with a sanding block if necessary
.
Apply an eve
n bead of m
edium or thick CA to
the upwa
rd-facing edges on one side of the
fram
e. Place a skin in its proper position and
press it firmly do
wn
until the glue has set.
Repeat this step fo
r the other top skin. Trim off
the exce
ss balsa, but sa
ve a
ny big scraps for
use
when m
aking the elevators
.
19. Remove
the stab from the building board.
Trim off the jig tabs with a sharp knife
. Trim
andblend the LE and TE to the ribs as you did before
.
Check all glue joints, adding glue as necessary
.
20. Cut another 1 wide cross-grain strip
from 1/16 x 6 off-cut balsa sheeting and glue it
between the tw
o S-1 ribs flush with their bottom
edges
.
21. Its important to get a good glue bond
betwe
en
the stab fram
e a
nd the bottom stab
skins. Apply a hea
vy bead of medium
or thick
STAB SKIN
12-1/8"13"
13"12-1/8"
3"STAB SKIN
for m
isalignment. O
n a large surface
such as
the wing, 3/8 e
xtra is suggested.
D. T
o m
ake skins, the follow
ing stepsare sugg
ested:
1. True up the edges of the sheets with a
metal straightedge and a sharp knife
or a
T
-Bar sanding block.
2. Test-fit the sheets together to m
ake su
rethey
match w
ell.
3. METH
OD
A: Edge glue the sheetstogether with thin CA, o
ver a
flat surface
cov-
ered w
ith wa
xed paper. A quick
wipe of the
joint with a fresh paper tow
el will rem
ove
exce
ss glue and make
sanding easier
. M
arkthe poorest surfa
ce to identify it as the inside
surfa
ce.
ME
THO
D B: Edge glue the sheets
together with Titebond
wo
od glue. (Titebond
is easier to sand and wont lea
ve a
ridge at these
am
, as CA is prone to do
.) Smear the gluelightly along an edge with yo
ur finger
, then join
the sheets ove
r a flat (w
axed paper co
vered)
building board. Pin the sheets to the board tohold them
together. W
ipe off any exce
ss gluebefo
re it dries
.
4. Place the skin on a large flat surface
and sand it with a large flat sanding block and
fresh, sharp 220 paper. Use light pressure and
a brisk
circular
motion.
5. Trim the perim
eter of the sheet to eve
nthings out.
11
CA to all of the upward facing
edges on one sideof the stab fra
me. Place a skin on the fra
me a
ndhold it in place with yo
ur hands until the glue
sets. R
epeat this for the other bottom
skin. Be
ca
reful not to bend or twist the stab during
this step.
22. Trim off the e
xcess balsa from
aroundthe perim
eter of the stab. Tru
e up the ends of
the stab with a sanding block. Round the LE of
the stab to match the cro
ss sectionon the plan.
1.Cut tw
o 1/16 x 3 x 36 balsa sheets tom
ake four 15 long sheets. Refer to the sketch and
the elevator plans
, then glue the lefto
ver balsa
wedges that you cut from
the stab skins to the 15sheets
. These joined sheets will be used to make
the top and bottom Elevator skins
.
2. Use thepattern on the plans to cut fo
ur
Elevator skins
. Sort the skins so that the best
surfa
ces w
ill be facing outw
ard, and on the top
.
3. Co
ver the ele
vator plan with w
axed
paper, then pin a skin in position. Use the tic
ma
rks on the plan to draw
the rib locations onthe skin.
4. Dra
w a
line along the length of the skinsTE 3/8 in from
the edge. R
emove
the skin fromthe b
uilding board, then holding it along theedge of yo
ur w
ork
bench, sand a taper from the
line tow
ards the TE
so that the TE w
ill beappro
ximately 1/32 thick.
5. Locate the 3/8 x 3/4 x 11-5/8 shapedbalsa Ele
vator LE. D
raw
two lines
, 1/32 in from
ea
ch edge, o
n o
ne side of the LE as sho
wn in
the photo. Use the lines as a refe
rence
to taperthe top and bottom
of the LE tow
ard the ele
vatorTE w
ith a T-bar sander
. Pro
ce
ed carefully,
checking yo
ur progress against the height of
the elevator ribs at each
location.
6. Glue the LE to the inside surface of the the
elevator skin, flush with the forw
ard edge of theskin. Glue the 3/32 die-cut balsa ribs (E-1
throughE-7) to the skin and to the LE with thin CA.
7. Test fit a 1/2 x 1 x 1-5/8 balsa To
rqueR
odblock betw
een ribs E-1 and E-2. Sand the
ends
, if necessary
, fo
r a good fit. Sand a slight
angle on the fo
rwa
rd edge of the Torque Rod
3/8"1/32"
3"SCRAP
15"
ELEVATOR SKIN
Build the elevators
12
block (the one that will contact the elevators LE)
to match the angle of the LE. G
lue the Torque
Rod block in position when yo
u a
re satisfied with
the fit.
8. Carefully sand the top of the Torque Rod
block flush with the taper of the ribs.
9. Mark and sand the inside TE of an ele-
vator skin as you did in step 4. Apply a bead of
thick CA to LE, TE, and all ribs, then glue the top
skin into position. Hold the assembly flat until the
CA cures.
10. Tru
e up all edges w
ith a T-bar or
sanding block.
11. Test fit the Stab
, Ele
vator, 5/8 x 7/8 x
6-1/2 shaped balsaStab Tip
, a
nd the 5/8 x27/32 x 1-9/16 balsa Ele
vator Balance Tab
together. M
ake a
ny adjustments with light sand-ing. M
ark the break betw
een the Stab and the
Elevator on the Stab Tip
. Cut the Stab Tip apart
along this line.
12. Glue the fo
rwa
rd balsaStab Tips
in position.
13. Glue the Ele
vator Balance Tab flushw
ith the Elevator Tip
. Center
the Stab Tip on theoutboard end of the Ele
vator, befo
re u
sing thickCA to glue in place
. M
ake su
re that both the
Elevator LE and TE are centered befo
re the
CA cures.
14. Tape the elevator assem
bly to the Stab.
Mak
e s
ure
that the Stab Tip and Elevator
Balance Tab are flush along the outside edge.
There should be a 1/32-1/16 gap between the
Elevator Balance Tab and the Stab
. If not, use
you
r T-bar sander to correct the problem
byaltern
ately sanding the inside edges of theEle
vator Balance Tab and the Stab.
15. When satisfied with the fit, use a ra
zor
plane and sanding block to shape the Stab Tipto blend with the Ele
vator and Stab.
16. Sand a radius around the Balance Tabas sho
wn in the photo
.
17. Sand a radius around the outboardedges of the Stab and Ele
vator Tip.
13
18. Tape the Ele
vators to the Stab making
sure
that you ha
ve the correct cleara
nce
aro
und
the Balance Tabs. H
old the bent 1/8Ele
vatorJoiner W
irea
ndH
ornup to the Ele
vator andm
ark the location of the Joiner W
ire holes thatw
ill be perpendicular to the hinge line (see theplans fo
r the joiner location).
NO
TE: The E
lev
ator Horn is off-center
.
When looking at the top surface of the
Stab, the Horn w
ill be to the right of Stab center
.
19. D
rill 9/64 holes in the elevators fo
r theJoiner w
ire. Cut slots inboard of the holes to
allow
the wire to be inset into the ele
vators, flush
with the LE. Sand the Ele
vator LE
to a V
shape to allow
for Ele
vator travel
refer to the
plans for the correct angle
.
20. Te
st-fit, but do not glue the joiner wire intothe Ele
vators. Check to see that the Ele
vatorsalign with each other properly and that they fitthe Stab without binding. M
ake adjustments by
remo
ving the Joiner Wire and then bending it,
if required.
1. Co
ver the Fin/Rudder section of the plans
with w
axed paper
.
2. Punch out the die-cut 3/32 balsa ribs V-1
through V-6. Be sure to preserve
their jig tabs.
NOTE: If yo
u plan to install an operational
beacon light on top of the Fin drill a 3/16
hole through the center (fro
nt to back, topto bottom) of each rib. This hole w
ill pro-
vide a passage fo
r the wiring.
3. Cut a 15 length of the tapered 1/4 balsa
Stabilizer/Fin LE
stock to match the plans
exactly
, a
s the length of the LE sets the angle ofthe fin. Notice that the Fin LE fits into a notch ontop of F-8.
4. Punch out the die-cut 1/4 balsa
Fin TEa
nd lightly sand the edges to touch them up
.
Sand (or cut) the tips to match the sweep angle
as sho
wn o
n the plans
.
5. Sand an angle on the ends of each rib to
match the sw
eep angle of the LE and TE. Pin
ribsV
-1 and V
-6 to the building board ove
r theirproper locations
. Center the LE on the front of
the ribs and glue it in place. Center the Fin TE
on the aft edge of the ribs and glue it in place
.
6. Put ribs
V-2through
V-5 into their places
and glue them
to the LE and TE. Rem
ember
, alljig tabs should contact the w
ork surface
.
7. G
lue the die-cut 3/32 balsaFin G
ussetinto the corn
er of V
-6 and the Trailing Edge.
8. Apply e
xtra CA+ glue to any joints that do
not appear to be w
ell glued.
9. Blend the LE to m
atch the ribs on theupw
ard fa
cing (left) fin side. Sand the TE, if nec-
essa
ry, to blend sm
oothly with the ribs.
10. M
ake a
skin for e
ach side of the fin using
1/16 x 3 x 30 balsa sheet. Leave
exce
ss balsao
n o
ne
edge of the skin so it ov
erhangs past
V-1 about 5/8
; this will allo
w fitting to the stab
later. W
ith the structure flat on the table
, glue on
the left (upward-fa
cing) skin.
30"
3"
FIN SKIN
Build the fin
14
11. R
emove
the fin from the b
uilding boardand trim
off the jig tabs. Blend the LE and TE to
the ribs on the right side of the fin.NO
TE: If you
plan to route w
iring for a bea-
con
through the fin, install a 15
length of
outer pushrod tube (not supplied) thro
ughthe 3/16
holes yo
u drilled in step #2. Glue it
in position with m
edium CA, lea
ving theexcess tube protruding fro
m V
-1.
12. Use m
edium or thick CA to glue on the
right side skin. Be sure to get a good bondbetw
een the ribs and the skin.
13. Tru
e up the edges of the fin sheeting with
a sa
nding block. Shape the LE to match the
cross se
ction on the plans. D
ont trim the bottom
edge of the sheeting at this time.
14. G
lue the shaped 3/4 balsa Fin Tipto the
top of the fin. Shaping should be done later, w
iththe fin taped to the rudder
.
NOTE: If adding a beacon light, drill a hole
through the top of the Fin Tip that aligns with
the wiring tube befo
re you
glue it in place.
1. U
se one 1/16 x 3 x 30 balsa sheet tom
ake tw
o rudder skins
, u
sing the rudder skinpattern
on the w
ing plan. You w
ill need to edgeglue a sm
all wedge shaped piece of sheeting to
the TE of the skin to provide the correct width.
You should have
more than enough m
aterial leftover from
the previous assemblies to accom
plishthis step
.
2. Pin one of the rudder skins to the (w
ax
paper cove
red) plans and draw
the location ofeach rib using the tic m
arks as a guide. D
raw
aline the length of the rudder skin, 3/8 in from
theaft edge
, a
s you did with the ele
vators. R
emove
the rudder skin from the board and taper the aft
edge to 1/32. Taper the aft edge of the otherrudder skin to 1/32. (See ne
xt photo.)
3. Locate the 3/8 x 3/4 x 12 tapered balsa
rudder LE. C
ut the tips to match the sw
eep
angle of the rudder
. Lightly sand both sides of
the rudder LE to match the angle to
ward the aft
edge of the rudder.
4. R
e-pin the rudder skin ove
r the plans. G
luethe rudder LE to the surfa
ce of the rudder skin,
flush with the front edge, u
sing medium
CA. Thew
ide end of the rudder LE is at the bottom end
of the rudder.
5. Slightly taper the forw
ard edge of the rudderribs
R-1through R-6
to match the sw
eep angle ofthe rudder LE, then glue them
in position ove
rthe location lines that you dre
w in step #2.
6. Shape one end of the 1/4 x 1/2 x 1-1/4
balsa rudder Torque Block
to match the angle
at the intersection of the rudder LE and R-1.
Glue the To
rque Block in position when satisfiedw
ith the fit.
7. Rem
ove the rudder assem
bly from the board,
then lightly sand the frame to blend all joints
. Glue
the second rudder skin to the frame with thick CA.
To prevent twists
, be sure that the assem
bly is heldon a flat surface while the CA cures
.
EXCESS
30"
3"
Build the rudder
15
8. True up all rudder edges with a sanding block.
9. P
osition the rudder against the TE of the fin
with the top of the rudder 1/32
abo
ve the topof the m
ain body of the fin. Tape the fin and
rudder securely together with masking tape
.
NOTE: B
efore pro
ceeding, study the photoat step 15 to see w
hat you
will accom
plishin the ne
xt six steps.
10. Te
st fit the 3/4 shaped balsa Rudder Tip
on
top of the rudder. It should b
utt against theFin Tip squarely
, a
nd have
a cleara
nce
gap of1/32 abo
ve the fin. M
ake adjustments with a
sanding block if needed.
11. Use thick CA to glue the Rudder Tip to the
rudder. B
e sure that eve
rything is centeredbefo
re the CA cures
.
12. D
raw
a ce
nter refere
nce
line across thetop of the rudder and fin blocks
. A piece of
masking tape stretched across the center of the
blocks will help yo
u dra
w a
fairly straight line.
13. Use a ra
zor plane and sanding block to
shape the top of the fin and rudder. F
or
sc
alere
alism, the R
udder Tip should be slightlyw
iderthan the rudder. Apply 4 laye
rs of masking
tape to each side of the rudder to preve
nt you
from rem
oving too m
uch m
aterial. The Fin Tipm
ay be sanded flush with the fin. Round off thetop 3/8 of both the Fin and Rudder Tips
. W
henthe top is shaped and sanded, rem
ove
all mask-
ing tape.
14. D
raw
a ce
nterline on the rudders LE.Sand a V be
vel along this line with refere
nce
tothe plans fo
r the correct angle. H
inging andinstallation of the torque rod will com
e later inthe assem
bly process.
15. Sand a radius around the fo
rward edge of
the Rudder Tip
. H
old the fin and rudder togetherto check the cleara
nce
between the R
udder Tipa
nd the Fin Tip. Contin
ue
sanding the Rudder
Tip radius until there is a 1/32 gap between the
two parts
.
Okay
, the tail fe
athers are more or less com
-plete
, so
by n
ow
you
are
on
a roll. The stab
looks like the wing for a .20-size model, doesnt
it? Well build the wing next so youll really
have
som
ething to impress yo
ur buddies when they
drop in to see how
the ol Cessna is doing.
NOTE: The w
ing panels are built
UPSIDE-
DO
WN
o
n the plans. The jig tabs are
attached to what is, in the end, the TO
P sur-face of the w
ing. Since it is the standard con-v
ention to sho
w the Top Vie
w of the w
ing,a
nd the wing panels are b
uilt upside-dow
n,
the LEFT wing panel is b
uilt over the R
IGHT
Wing Top Vie
w and vice-versa. This does not
present any problems
just be sure to b
uilda left and a right w
ing.
1. Punch out all the die-cut 3/32 and 1/8
balsa wing Ribs. Sm
ooth out any imperfe
ctionsw
ith sandpaper. Be sure to ke
ep the jig tabsattached to the ribs
.
2. Punch out the 1/8 ply
Doublers
and
Wing
Bolt Plates
.
Build the center section
BUILD THE WING
16
3. Lay out both sets
of balsa Ribs W-2
andW
-3
, ply D
oublersW
-2Ba
nd W-2C
, a
nd the plyW
ing Bolt Plates exactly as show
n in the photo
.
This way you w
ont assemble tw
o right or two left
sides. G
lue the Doublers to the Ribs and laminate
the two
pairs of Wing Bolt Plates w
ith 30-M
inute Epoxy. After the epoxy has cured, test
fit the Wing Bolt Plates into the slots at the aft end
of W-2 and W
-3. Make
slight adjustments to theslots if required, but dont m
ake the fit too looseas this is a critical area for a nice tight bond.
4. Attach the w
ing plan (the part show
ing thece
nter section) to a flat building board and cove
rit w
ith waxed paper
. Cutting apart the wing panelsections of the plan m
akes handling easier.
5. Locate the 3/8 x 3/8 x 20 bassw
ood
Center Spar. Cut tw
o 9-1/4 pieces from
it. Pinone of the 3/8 x 3/8 x 9-1/4 bassw
ood Center
Sparsto the plan using the m
ethod show
n in the
sketch. The Center Spar is a little longer thanactually needed to allo
w fo
r the dihedral angle atW
-3. It will be trimm
ed to size later
.
6. P
osition rib
W-1
and rib assem
blies W-2
and
W-3
on
the Center Spar with the jig tabstouching the plan
. Be sure that the ply doublers
are
facing the correct direction.
7. Insert
(without gluing) the die-cut 1/8 balsaCenter Aft Sparinto the slots abo
ve the jig tabs
.
Insert the second basswo
od Center Spar intothe fo
rwa
rd rib notches. M
ake su
re that both
Spars are flush with the upper edge of the ribs.
8. Interlock the 1/8 die-cut ply Center LE w
iththe tabs on the LE of ribs W
-3 and W-1.
9. Study the stru
cture. Are all parts o
ver their
respective
locations on the plans and in align-m
ent? If not, lightly
use
fine grit sandpaper to
adjust the fit. Dont reach fo
r the CA yet!
10. M
ake su
re the W
-3 ribs are flush with theAft Spar and the Center LE. Use the 1/8 die-cutply D
ihedral Gaug
e o
n the inside of the W
-3ribs at the fo
rward Spars to set the ribs angle at
this location. Hold a straightedge alongside the
W-3s to check fo
r straightness.
11. W
hen you
are
sure
that eve
rything isstraight and tru
e (sight do
wn
the TE and shimany lo
w ribs with folded paper under the jig tabs)
wick thin CA into e
very joint. H
old the LE andW
-3s in tight contact for a
few
seco
nds to allow
the CA to work
. F
ollow
the initial gluing by apply-
ing a fillet of medium
CA around the joints.
Isnt interlocking construction great?!
NOTE: D
o notu
se any CA until step 11.
17
12. Check the fit of the
1/4 x 1-7/8 Dow
elsand the W
ing Bolt Plates. M
ix up a small batch of
6-Minute Epoxy
, then glue these parts in position.
NOTE:The W
ing Bolt Plates mu
st be flushw
ith the outside surface of the W-3
s.
13. Trim
and sand only the basswood Center
Spar ends flush with the W-3s
. Be sure to lea
vethe tips
of the Center Aft Spar and the CenterLE in place
as they will be used when joining
the center section to the outer wing panels
.
14. Cut a 9-1/4 length from
a 3/32 x 1/2 x30 tapered balsa TE
stick. Look at the crossse
ction on the fuse plan for the angle of the TE.
Center the TE on the aft edge of the center sec-tion ribs
, then glue it in place w
ith thin CA.
Carefully sand the ends flush with the W-3s
.
15. Trim
four of the pre-cut 1/16 x 2-3/4 x 1-
1/2 Shear Webs
to fit between the W
-1 and W-
2 ribs at the forw
ard Center Spars
. G
lue theShear W
ebs to both sidesof the Center Spars
with m
edium CA
This completes the wing center section fra
me,
so, zipping right along, lets m
ove
on to the outerwing panels
.
HINT:
You will speed up the building process ifyo
u prepare tw
o w
ing panel kits before
you
start gluing. We also suggest that you assem
bleall fo
ur spars e
ven
though you
may only be
building one half of the wing at a time.
1. Place a
wing panel plan on yo
ur b
uildingboard and co
ver it w
ith waxed paper
.
2. Cut fou
r 1/8 x 3/8 x 24 hard balsaO
uter Spar Doublersto 22-3/4. Sand a chisel
point ono
ne end
of each piece starting2 from
the end.
3. Use medium
CA to glue the Outer Spar
Doublers to the 1/4 x 3/8 x 36 balsa
Outer
Spars. The un-tapered end of the O
uter SparD
oubler mu
st be flush with one end of the
Outer Spar
.
4. Pin an Outer Spar assem
blyto the
building board at three or fo
ur locations using
the cross-pinning technique.
NOTE: D
o notapply glue to Ribs until Step 7.
5. Position the die-cut 3/32 balsa ribs W
-4through W
-14on the spar
. These should be ve
r-tical and aligned o
ver their appropriate locations
as indicated on the plans
. The jig tabs
locatednear the aft end of the ribs should all co
ntactthe w
ork surface
.
OUTER SPAR
SPAR DOUBLER
2"
Build outer wing panels
WING
TE
18
6. NO
TE: Com
plete this step only ifyo
ure adding operational flaps. Slide tw
o lay-
ers of w
axed paper betw
een ribs W
-6 and W-7
from the TE to just fo
rward of the Aft Inner Spar
notch. The w
axed paper w
ill help preve
nt theribs from
sticking together when yo
u cut the
Flaps free later on.
7. Fit the die-cut 1/8 balsa Aft Inner Sparand
Aft Outer Spar
into the aft notches of ribsW
-4 through W-6 and W
-7 through W-14 respec-
tively. The upw
ard fa
cing edge of the Aft InnerSpar protrudes abo
ve the ribs
. M
ake a
me
ntalnote of the protruding angle
, then, after rem
ov-
ing the Aft Inner Spar from the fra
me
, sa
nd abe
vel on this edge so that it will be flush with theribs
. Although yo
u co
uld sand it in place, yo
uw
ould run the risk of deform
ing the wing ribs.
8. Sight dow
n the TE of the wing from
thero
ot end making sure all ribs are aligned. Use
paper to shim under the jig tabs of any ribs that
are
low
.
9. Check that the upwa
rd-facing edges of
the ribs and the top surface
of the Aft Spars areeve
n a
nd that all of the jig tabs are touching thew
ork
su
rfac
e o
r shims. W
hen eve
rything isaligned, wick thin CA into all joints
. W
ick thin CA
into all sea
ms a
rou
nd the mating surfa
ces of
W-6 and W
-7.
10. Place partAand B
of the 1/8 die-cutply
Outer Dihedral Braces
ove
r the pattern o
nthe plan and m
ark the indicated refe
ren
ce line
on both long edg
es of each piece.
NOTE: B
oth parts are slightly narrow
er at
on
e e
nd. Use 6-M
inute Epo
xy to glue theparts tog
ether as show
n in the photo. Be
sure to m
ake one left and one right set.
11. Use a razo
r saw
to cut a 1/4 wide slotfrom
the upper forw
ard Spar notch do
wn to the
low
er Spar through ribs W
-6 and W-7. Insert the
Outer Dihedral Bra
ce into the slot yo
u just cut
with the narro
w e
nd tow
ard the wing tip and the
short portion of the assembly fa
cing the leadingedge
. The angled edge should be fa
cing upward
betwe
en
ribs W-7 and W
-8. Don
t glue it inplace yet
, but lea
ve it in position.
12. Hold the upper O
uter Spar in positionon the ribs
, w
ith the inboard end flush with W-4.
Mark the Spar at the seam
betwe
en
ribs W-6
and W
-7. Score the inside of the spar two thirds
of the way through with a ra
zor sa
w. The
insideis the side w
ith the tapered 1/8 Outer
Spar Doubler.
13. Press the upperO
uter Sparinto the
wing notches and check fo
r a flush fit at each rib
.
When satisfied, rem
ove
the Outer Spar
, then use
30-Min
ute Epoxy to
glue the Outer Dihedral
Brace in position. Apply a bead of epo
xy to theupper edge of the O
uter Dihedral Brace
, a
nd,befo
re the epo
xy cures, install the O
uter SparAssem
bly and glue it to all the ribs with thin CA.NO
TE: Wo
rk some epo
xy into the the saw
-cut befo
re laying the Spar in place.
14. Cut four 3-1/8 long Servo
Hatch
Rails
from 1/4 x 3/8 x 30 balsa. G
lue two of these
pieces into the notches in ribs W-4 and W
-5 andtw
o betw
een ribs W
-7 and W-8. These will sup-
port the flap and aileron servo hatches
. Install
19
the rails eve
n if yo
u dont plan to add flaps
, a
sthey add a little e
xtra strength and fill in
the notches.
15. Glue the 1/8 die-cut G
usset G-3
to theAft O
uter Spar and W-7, as sho
wn o
n the plans
.
16. Hold the 36 shaped balsa LEup to the
wing and m
ark it at W-7. Cut three quarters of
the way through the LE (from the flat side) with a
razo
r saw
to allow
it to flex at W
-7. Center theLE vertically
on
the ribs, then
tack glue it inposition at W
-4, W-7 and W
-14. Sight dow
n the
LE from both ends to check that all of the ribs
are
centered and that the fra
me isnt curved or
twisted. O
nce again, be sure that all the jig tabsare firm
ly o
n the b
uilding board, then perm
a-
nently glue the LE to all of the ribs
.
17. Cut the tapered 30 balsa Flap Sparto
fit from W
-4 to W-7 then glue it into the V
notches just behind the aft Inner Spar
.
18. Center a 1/2 x 15 tapered balsa TEon
the aft edge of W-4 and the last W
-6, then glue itin position to only W
-4 and W-6. Lay a straight-
edge across the aft end of the ribs to check thatall ribs are aligned and le
vel and that the TE isstraight. W
hen eve
rything looks good, glue allthe rem
aining ribs to the TE, centering each ribas yo
u proceed.
19. Glue the die-cut 1/8 balsa gussets
G1
and
G2 in position, as sho
wn o
n the plans
.
20. Trim
the exce
ss m
aterial from the
Spars, LE, TE, etc., and sand all ends flush.
Reinfo
rce all jointsthat still need e
xtra glue by
adding medium
CA.
21. Refe
r to the plan for the location of the
single and double1/16 x 2-3/4 x 1-1/2 balsa
Shear Webs
. G
lue the Shear Webs in position
with thick CA (Not betw
een W
-4 and W-5).
22. Locate the 1/2 x 1/2 x 6 balsa stick.C
ut six 1 lengths to use as Ailero
n H
inge
Blocks
. Fit and glue 3 blocks w
here show
n o
nthe plans
. Sa
ve the other 3 fo
r use
on the sec-
ond wing panel.
Well, that about wraps up the fram
ing for half ofthe w
ing. Take a
short break to admire yo
ur
handiwork, have
a cup of coffee, clean the CA off
your fingers, and kiss your spouse good night.
When youre fully revived, clean the sawdust off
your bench, swap the plan sheets
, and g
et bu
syb
uilding the other half.You can rest later
.
1. Po
sition the three 1/8 ply parts of theP
olyhedral Braces o
ver the sketch on the
plans. Look carefully at each piece and yo
u w
illnotice that they fo
rm a
slight V shape, w
ith oneend longer than the other
. After yo
u align each
piece ove
r the draw
ing, mark an inde
x line one
ach part as sho
wn
, then extend it around to
both edges.
2. Withoutgluing
, stack the three pieces
together and compare the assem
bly with the
photo and the plans. R
epeat this process withthe second set of bra
ces, but this tim
e flip thepieces end-for-end w
hen you stack them
.
Prepare the polyhedral braces
FLAP SPAR
20
You
should now
have
a right
hand and aleft
hand set of Polyhedral Bra
ces, a
s show
n in the
photo. Tra
cing around the edges of the two
shorter parts will help alignment when you glue
them together
.
3. When satisfied that the bra
ce
s a
rea
ccurate
, u
se6-M
inute Epo
xy to glue the partstogether w
ith the alignment m
arks perfectly
aligned.
1. Carefully rem
ove
a 3/8-wide strip of balsafrom
between the spars
on both the W-3 ribs of
the Center Section and the W-4 ribs of the outer
panels. This will allo
w the P
olyhedral Braces to beinserted and glued betw
een the spars.
2. Test fit (b
ut dont glue) the Polyhedral
brace
s into the center and outboard wing panels.
The longer end
of the joiner is the end thatplugs into the outboard panels.Sand thee
nds, if necessary
, fo
r a good fit. The w
ingpanels should m
ate eve
nly along the jointw
ithout any unnecessary twisting or bending toline things up
. If yo
u ha
ve to fo
rce the panels to
fit, locate the problem and fix it befo
reproceeding. Any twists will becom
e a permanent
part of the structure after the panels are joined
and will be difficult to correct.
3. Use only a spot of CA to glue the two
1/4 x 1-1/16 x 5-7/8 balsa Wing Jig Blocks
to theW
-2 jig tabsand the
topof the spar
.
No
w fo
r the hard part cleaning a space on
your work
bench large enough to spread out andjoin the wing.
IMPO
RTAN
T: Check yo
ur w
ork surface w
itha m
etal straightedge to m
ake sure that itsperfe
ctly flat befo
re pro
ce
eding. Make a
dry run of the follow
ing step before
actually perform
ing it with glue
.
4. Place the Center panel on the Jig Blocksin the m
iddle of you
r wo
rk bench. Add som
e
weight to hold it in place (a fe
w m
agazines orsm
all sandbags are handy for this). Prepare 1/2
ou
nce
of 30-Min
ute Epoxy
. Liberally apply
epoxy to the
W-3 R
ibs, the P
olyhedralB
races,a
nd the spar ends. (If yo
u w
ill beinstalling Flaps
, dont put epo
xy on the Flapportion of the ribs
. Insert w
axed paper betw
eenW
-3 and W-4 at the flaps
.)Plug the P
olyhedralBra
ces into
the Outboard W
ing Pa
nels
. Plug
the Outboard W
ing Pa
nels into the C
enterSection a
nd align the Ribsfo
r a flush fit. The
protruding Center Section LE and Aft CenterSpar tabs will help with alignm
ent. Once all the
panels are in position, clamp the ribs together
and center the P
olyhedral Brace
s betwe
en
theSpars as sho
wn
on
the top view
of the plans.
Put weights on the tw
o W
-14 ribsto hold the
jig tabs and spars on the work
surfa
ce. B
efore
the epoxy kicks off
,double check yo
ur w
ork
.
IMPORTANT
: Make certain that both the upper
and lo
we
r Spars touch their m
ates on theadjoining panel
. If,
after all your efforts, you end
up with a small gap
, pack epoxy into the cavity
.
5. Use a razo
r saw
to cut a 1/6 wide x 3/8deep slot on both sides of the bottom
spars atW
-3. Remem
ber, the wing is upside do
wn on the
bench so the bottom spars are presently on
the top.
Join the wing panels
21
6. Test fit the 1/16 die-cut ply bottom
SparJoiner
in the slots. Ju
st like the P
olyhedralBra
ces, the Spar Joiners ha
ve o
ne
end that is
longer than the other. The longer end points
tow
ards the w
ing tip. Equally sand the ends if
ne
eded for a
good fit betwe
en
the ribs. Use 6-
min
ute or 30-Min
ute Epoxy to glue the Spar
Joiners in position. Clothes pins make
handyclam
ps while the epoxy cures.
7. Tu
rn the w
ing ove
r and repeat the
process of installing the Spar Joiners on the topw
ing spars.
Our suggested wing sheeting process allo
ws
you
to sheet each of the wing panels with oneskin per side
plus a little extra
for the flaps
.
This technique is better than sheeting the wingw
ith individual sheets, a
nd allow
s you
to pre-sa
nd all of the seams that w
ill be ove
r openstru
cture.
All balsa sheeting will usually bend when its cutfrom
the log since internal stresses are relie
ved.F
or the best results
, trim
the edges of the wingsheeting with a long m
etal straightedge and asharp
knife befo
re joining them. Yo
u m
ay alsotry turning the sheets diffe
rent w
ays to see if theedges w
ill line up eve
nly. If the bend is only
slight, use 150-grit sandpaper on a long sanding
block to smooth out the curvature
. For m
oreinfo
rmation on m
aking wing skins refer back
to page 10 fo
r the Hot Tip.
NOTE: D
o the follow
ing steps for both the
right and left wing panels.
1. Sort through the rem
aining 1/16 x 3 x 36balsa sheets and pick out the 6 best sheets tobe used fo
r the top surface
s of the outboardw
ing panels. Pick the best three sheets from
the1/16 x 3 x 21 sheeting to use fo
r the topCenter Section skin
2. Lay w
axed paper o
ver a
flat, sm
ooth
work
surfa
ce.
3. M
ake fo
ur o
utboard wing skins
by edge
gluing three 1/16 x 3 x 36 balsa wing sheetstogether to m
ake (fo
ur) 9 x 36 skins
. M
akeo
ne
center section skin using fou
rsheets of 1/16 x
3 x 21 balsa. This skin will be cut in half aftersanding
to make
two
12 x 10-1/2 skins. R
efer
to page 10 for tips on m
aking skins.
NO
TE: When sheeting, be sure that the
wing is resting squarely on the center
section Jig Blocks, weighted do
wn
on
a flats
urface
, and that the W
-14 jig tabs are insolid contact w
ith the building surface
.
4. H
old a 1/16 x 12 x 10-1/2 center sectionskin on the bottom
surface
of the wing with oneedge butted up to the LE. M
ark the perim
eter ofthe skin. The side edg
es of the skinshould be
centered on the jointbetween ribs W
-3 and W-
4. Cut the skin close to the correct size then
sandit fo
r an e
xact fit.
5. G
lue the center skin in position usingm
edium or thick CA. Hold the skin in contact
with the fra
me u
ntil the glue has cured.
6. Fit one of the 9 x 36 skins in place ona
n o
utboard wing panel, w
ith one long edgebutted tightly against the inner LE. The inboardedge should o
verlap the center section. Tape the
skin in place. W
ith a flexible ruler
, m
ark the edge
that mates w
ith the center panel. Flip the wingove
r and m
ark the tip and TE from the back side
.
Allow
an
extra
1/4 around these two
edges.
Rem
ove
the skin and cut it to the marked size
. If
ne
cessa
ry, u
se 220 g
rit sandpaper to fine tunethe inboard edge fo
r an e
xactfit. The photo at
step #9 show
s approxim
ately what you
r sheetshould look like when its trim
med.
Sheet the bottom of the w
ing
22
7. Wo
rking quickly, apply a bead of thick
CA to the structure that the skin w
ill touch. Don't
glue hatch rails yet. Apply glue to the Spar last.P
osition the skin o
ver the fra
me
, then press it
into place.Im
portant:Befo
re the CA kicks off
,
weight do
wn the center panel and the TE of the
wing at W
-14 to set the washout angle
. R
epeatsteps 6 and 7 fo
r the other outer wing panel.
8. After the CA has cured, turn the w
ingove
r and apply a bead of thick CA to the inside
of the LE / Skin junction and any other areasthat need a little e
xtra glue
.
9. Cut two 14-1/2 pieces from
a 1/16 x 3x 36 balsa sheet. Sa
ve the off-cut piece fo
r use
in a few
min
utes. Cut the 14-1/2 sheets to the fit
the uncove
red area of the flaps. Use a lefto
ver
piece of 1/16 balsa sheeting to make
two
triangular pieces to fill in remaining un-sheeted
are
a.
10. Turn
the wing o
ver a
nd place it on foam
rubber or a soft surface
to avoid prem
aturehangar rash.
NOTE: if yo
u a
re n
ot installing flaps, dontm
ark or cut the two
inboard openings.
11. Use a sharpened piece of wire or longT-pin to bore sm
all holes through the skin fromthe inside
to mark the location of the flap and
aileron servo hatches
.
12. Rough cut the hatch openings on the
inside of your guide holes, then use a 1/16 ply
Hatch C
ov
er
to mark and cut the full siz
eopening. Rem
ember
, its faster to enlarge a hole
thats too small than to shrink one thats o
versize.
After enlarging holes, u
se thin CA to glue the
skin to the hatch rails.
13. Use a sharpened piece of wire to borethrough the e
xposed side of the Wing Bolt plate
to mark the holes in the bottom
wing skin fo
r thew
ing bolts. M
ark these holes no
w, a
s it will be
difficult to find the location after the top wing skinis applied. To
avoid splitting the balsa, bore the
holes in the skin with a g
rinding stone and moto-
tool rather than going through with a drill.
14. You ca
n sim
plify the job of fishing these
rvo w
ires through the enclosed wing with alittle preparation. Tape one end of a 30 length ofstring to the inside of the wing sheeting just pastthe aileron servo
hatch opening. Thread thestring through the lightening holes in the ribs intothe center section. Bore a 1/2 hole fo
r the servoleads to e
xit through the bottom of the wing.
Secure the string next to the hole w
ith anotherpiece of tape
. R
epeat this procedure for the
other wing panel. W
hen the time com
es tothread the servo
wires
, just tie them to the string
from the hatch end and pull them
through to thece
nter compartm
ent exit hole
.
If you plan to install navigation lights on the wingtips
, u
se the string technique described in the
The best balsa filler is no
balsa filler! Takeyo
ur tim
e fitting all sheeting and skins in place.
With a little bit of careful sanding yo
u w
ill bere
wa
rded with perfectly m
atched joints and alighter
, stronger airfra
me.
23
previous step
, o
r glue two
large-diameter
pushrod tubes (not supplied) inside the wing,ahead of the spars
, to serve
as a
conduit fo
r the wires
.
15. Glue the 1/2 x 1/2 x 1 bassw
ood
Wing Strut M
ount Blockto the inboard side of
the W-6 rib and to the sheeting at the location
show
n
on
the
plans.
We
re
co
mm
end
6-Min
ute Epoxy fo
r this job. To
help locate theblocks later
, drill a 1/16 hole through the center
of the blocks, o
ut through the bottom sheeting.
16. True
all edges with a sanding block.M
ark the location of the Aileron Hinge Blocks onthe outside edge of the aft O
uter Spar.
17. Carefully cut off all of the jig tabs on thetop surfa
ce of the wing. Lightly sand the tops of
the ribs and spars. Clean up any glue blobs that
will interfe
re w
ith the top sheeting, then doublecheck
your w
ork
.
If you arent installing operational flaps (the neatlooking, highly effective
, sim
ulated Fowler Flaps)
skip the next section a
nd proceed to SheetThe T
op Of The W
ing. Are you
su
re yo
u
wont reconsider?
NO
TE: This kit includes a special set ofw
ing jigs to hold the wing at the properw
ashout angle (2 degrees washout at eachtip) while yo
u apply the top skins. T
wisted
wings are a m
ajor cause of bad flightcharacteristics. P
olyhedral angles can vary
slightly,
so
if yo
ur
tip jigs requireadjustment, just be sure that both tip jigsa
re m
odified the same
, and are therefo
reidentical. B
e careful not to change
thew
ashout angle (the negative angle of attackof the tip ribs) if yo
u adjust the jigs.
1. Locate all of the 1/8 die-cut ply wing jigsas sho
wn in the photo
. Assem
ble the two parts
of both TE Jigsas sho
wn.
Sheet the top of the wing
3. Turn
the wing o
ver, then
carefullycut
aw
ay the balsa sheeting from
betwe
en
them
arks
. D
ont cut through the ribs until the topof the w
ing has been sheeted and you
are
instructed to do so
.
Thats all you need to do for no
w regarding the
flaps. Lets
move
on and put the skins on thetop of the wing.
2. Mark the location fo
r the Flap LEby
inserting a sharpened wire through the
sheeting at the locations show
n in the photo
.
1. Cut the shaped 5/8 x 9 balsa FlapHing
e Block
into four pieces 1-1/2 long, and
two pieces 1 long. G
lue the blocks to the aftInner Spar
, sheeting, and ribs as sho
wn
on
the plans
.
Do the follo
wing steps if yo
u a
re b
uildingoperational flaps.
Even though building operational flaps requiresa little bit of patience and elbo
w g
rease, yo
uw
ill be rew
arded by
mo
re scale appeara
nce
and slo
we
r landings than the less ambitious
modeler
. If that isnt enough, they look g
reat
during slow
fly-bys and shorten the takeoff roll.
Prepare the wing panels
for the flaps
24
2. Slide the die-cut 1/8 ply LE Jigsove
rthe do
wels
, w
ith the flat edge tow
ards the
sheeted (bottom) side of the wing.
3. Tack
glue the die-cut 1/8 ply TE Jigsto
the sheeting at the TE of W-3.
4. Place a die-cut 1/8 plywo
od Tip Jigunder each W
-14 rib with the raised tip of the jigbutting up to the TE spar
. Ta
ck glue it in place
.
NOTE: Use the sam
e procedure to sheet the
top of the wing as yo
u u
sed for the bottom
.
5. Cut the top Center Pan
el Skinfrom
theskin yo
u m
ade earlier. R
emem
ber that it shouldline up with the dividing line betw
ee
n ribs W
-3a
nd W-4. W
hen satisfied with the fit, glue it in
place with thick CA.
6. Check the fit of an outboard skin to thew
ing structure
. M
ake adjustments if required to
fit flush with the LE and Center Pa
nel. Sand a
slight bevel to the edge of the skin that w
illc
ontact the LE
to allow
for a
better gluings
urfa
ce
. U
se thick CA to glue the skin in
position. Hold the skin firmly in place while the
CA cures. M
agazines make good w
eights.W
ickthin C
A along the LE seam, w
iping off anyexce
ss CA before
it hardens.
7. Repeat step 6 fo
r the other outer panel.
8. Measure
, cut and glue a 1/16 x 3 x 36
balsa sheet to fit ov
er the Flaps and the
openings at the aft edge of the wing skins, a
syo
u did fo
r the bottom of the wing.
At this point you
should have
the main w
ingstructure fully sheeted. You m
ay now
remove
allJig parts from
the wing and sand off any
glue marks
.
1. Trim the sheeting where it protrudes past
the edge of the structure
.
2. Sand the wing Leading Edge
until it
blends well w
ith the sheeting to form
a
sm
ooth airfoil.
3. Square off the wing tips with a T-bar
.
4. Use a pointed piece of wire to mark the
holes for the w
ing bolts from the bottom
,thro
ughthe top wing skin. Use a hobby
knife to
carefully cut a 1/4 hole in the sheeting around
the points you
ma
rked. Insert one of the 1/4nylon wing bolts through the wing from
the top,
and tra
ce a
round the head with a pen. Enlarge
the holes to the circles you just dre
w to allo
w the
wing m
ounting bolts to seat against the wingm
ou
nting plates. Use a round file or M
oto-Tool
and g
rinding drum
to avoid tearing the sheeting.
IMPO
RTANT: The Ailero
ns m
ust be fitted to
the wing and the hing
e be
vels sanded
before installing the w
ing tips or cutting theflaps loose
.
5. Tape a tapered 2-3/32 x 21 balsaA
ileron
to the Outer A
ft Sparw
ith one endagainst W
-7. Dont be alarmed if the Aileron TE
is higher than the TE at W-7; this will be taken
care of when the aileron LE is tapered. Dra
w a
line on the Aileron, parallel to the edge of W-7.
Rem
ove
the Aileron, then cut and sand it to thisline
. C
heck the fit and mak
e
any m
inorco
rrections as needed.
WING
COM
PLETION
Glue a piece of scrap ply to the side of the jig
and also to the W
-14 ribs (as show
n here) to
preve
nt the jig from moving or ha
ving to glue itto the sheeting.
25
6. Tape the Aileron back into position. Mark
the tip end with a straightedge placed along W-
14. Dra
w a line 1/16 inboard of the first line
.
Cut off the Aileron tip on the second (inboard)line
. By so doing the Aileron w
ill have
1/32cleara
nce
on both ends when its installed.
7. Dra
w a
ce
nterline on the LE of the
Aileron. Sand a V
shaped bevel along this
edge. R
efer to the w
ing cross section on theplans fo
r the required angle.
8. Tape the Aileron se
cu
relyin position
with its TE aligned w
ith the TEat W
-7.
9. Tape a shaped balsa Wing Tip in position.
It should be centered on W-14 and the aft end
should be centered on the TE of the Aileron. Tracethe airfoil onto the inside edge of the wing tip
.
NO
TE: H
orner Tips are an option on full-scale Cessnas. If yo
u prefe
r, yo
u m
aysim
ply carve
a standard tip w
ithout theu
ndercamber
. D
raw
an arc the w
idth of theAilero
ns TE (as sho
wn
on
the plans) if you
want to carve H
orner Tips. Remo
ve the tip.
10. Use a long carving blade to carve a
way
most of the e
xcess w
ood and rough in the shape
of the tip. To
carve
a H
orne
r Tip, cut a
way
aw
edge of balsa as show
n in the photo
, then use
a ro
und sanding tool (e
.g., 80-grit sandpaper
wrapped around a short piece of broom
handle)to curve
the underside.
11. When the W
ing Tip has been shapedclose to finished size
, glue it to W
-14 with
medium
CA. Dont glue it to the Aileron. Finish
sanding the W
ing Tip with 220 grit sandpaper
,
blending it with the wing sheeting and LE. Finetune the curved undercam
ber portion of theW
ing Tip with a round sanding tool and 220 grit.
The thickness of the Tips TE should match the
thickness of the Aileron TE.
12. Refe
r to the plans for the aileron horn
location. Position a die-cut 1/8 x 5/8 x 5/8 ply
Horn R
einforc
em
ent o
n the bottom
of theaileron at this location and score around itsperim
eter with a hobby
knife. R
emo
ve balsa
from within the sco