Top Flite TOPA0310 - Manual (Page 29)

bracing between formers 3, 4 and 5. Use a builder’s
square to hold each former vertical as you glue the
bracing into position.
❏ 5. Glue the bottom portions of formers 6 through
9 and the rest of the cross bracing into position as
shown in the photo and on the plan.
IMPORTANT! Be certain former 9 is perpendicular to
your building board when you glue it into position,
and be certain it remains perpendicular when you
glue the 1/4" x 1/4" bracing into position. The
positioning of former 9 has a great effect upon the
stab incidence because the stab saddles attach to
former 9.
Refer to this photo for the following 6 steps.
❏ 6. Place a straightedge along both sides of
formers 9 through 5 where the bottom longerons will
be fitted. Observe any high spots that will prevent the
longerons from making a straight line from former 9
to 5. Bring the formers into alignment by sanding
down any high spots or by adding shims as needed.
❏ 7. Cut the bottom longerons from three 1/4" x
3/4" x 36" balsa sticks. Make the saw cuts to aid in
bending where shown on the plan, then glue the
longerons into position. Notice that the splice is at
former 5 and the longerons extend past former 9 to
the end of the fuse.
❏ 8. Glue together the die-cut 1/8" balsa former
bottoms F4B and F4BD . Glue the assembly,
centered, to the bottom of F4 with F4B (the one
without the notches) facing forward.
❏
9. Cut the cabin longerons to the correct length
from a 1/8" x 3/8" x 42" balsa stick. The cabin
longerons extend from the front of former 6 to the
front of former 3 and fit below the main stringer on
both sides of the fuse. Glue the cabin longerons into
position (this can be best seen in the next photo).
❏ 10. Cut and test fit the stringers for the bottom of
the fuselage from five 1/8" x 1/4" x 36" basswood
sticks. All the stringers begin at former 4. The middle
stringer extends to former 9. The stringers on both
sides of the middle stringer extend to former 8. The
outer two stringers extend to former 7. View the
fuselage from the front or the rear. If necessary,
adjust the notches in the formers to keep the
stringers straight, then permanently glue the
stringers into position.
❏
11. Remove the bottom half of the fuse from your
building board.
Add the tops of the formers
❏ 1. Glue the tops of the formers into position. As
you proceed, use a straightedge to hold the tops of
the formers in vertical alignment with the bottoms of
the formers.
❏ 2. Fit one 1/8" x 1/4" x 36" basswood stringer into
the center notch in the top of formers 3 through 8.
Starting at former 3, use a straightedge to hold the
top of the formers in alignment with the bottom of the
formers. The same as you did with the bottom
stringers, view the stringer from the front or the rear
of the fuselage. If necessary, adjust the notch in any
of the formers to keep the stringer straight. When the
stringer and top of the formers are in alignment, glue
the stringer into position.
If you’re a messy builder, now’s the time to start
putting away tools you don’t need and keeping your
workbench cleared as much as possible. This thing’s
beginning to take up considerable room and it’s not
going to get any smaller!
❏
3. Glue the rest of the 1/8" x 1/4" x 36"
basswood top stringers in place the same way
being certain to pull any twisted former tops
into alignment as you proceed
. Refer to the
photo in step 12 on page 34 to see where the
stringers end.
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