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