Top Flite TOPA0705 - Manual (Page 16)

16
HOW TO CUT COVERING FROM BALSA
Use a soldering iron to cut the covering from the
stab. The tip of the soldering iron doesn’t have to be
sharp, but a fi ne tip does work best. Allow the iron to
heat fully. Use a straightedge to guide the soldering
iron at a rate that will just melt the covering and not
burn into the wood. The hotter the soldering iron,
the faster it must travel to melt a fi ne cut. Peel off
the covering.
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8. Lightly scuff the fl ange of the fi berglass belly pan
with 220-grit sandpaper. Wipe off the residue with a
paper towel wetted with denatured alcohol.
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9. Apply epoxy to the belly pan fl ange. Then glue
the belly pan in place on the fuselage. Tape the belly
pan in place until the glue cures.
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10. Locate the rear fi berglass belly pan and place
it in position on the fuselage behind the belly pan you
just glued in place. Mark the location on the fuselage
and cut the covering away using the same technique
used for the main belly pan. Glue the rear belly pan
in place. Tape it in place behind the main belly pan.
You should maintain a gap between the belly pans of
3/32" [2.4mm]. After the glue has cured remove the
wing from the fuselage.
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11. Locate six 3/8" × 1-3/4" [9.5mm × 44mm] black
tubes. These tubes replicate the machine guns. Test
fi t a tube into each of the holes in the leading edge
of the wing. Once you are satisfi ed with the fi t, glue a
tube into each hole. Leave 3/8" of the tube extending
beyond the leading edge of the wing.
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12. Install the Robart T-fi ttings and quick connect air
line connectors to the air lines from the landing gear.