Top Flite TOPA0220 - Manual (Page 28)

❏ ❏ F32. Chamfer the inside edge of the hole in the
landing gear rail to accommodate the bend of the
landing gear wire. This will allow it to fully
seat in the
groove. Test fit the 5/32" [4mm] landing gear wire in
the landing gear rail. Make adjustments where
necessary for a good fit. Continue with step 36.
❏ ❏ 36. Glue the bottom 1/16" x 1-7/16" x 24" [1.6 x
36.5 x 610mm] balsa trailing edge sheet into place
with medium CA.
❏ ❏ 37. Using medium CA or aliphatic resin, glue
one of the leading edge skins that you prepared in
step 2 into place on the ribs and the bottom spar. The
skin should extend forward from the center of the
spar. Refer to the
HOT TIP that follows.
Note: If you are installing retracts, do not glue the
skin to the rails until later.
Note: Make sure you glue the skin in place with the
smooth side facing out. Position the 1/2" [12.7mm]
strip that was glued to the sheeting at the spar.
Note: If you are installing fixed landing gear, cut the
Fixed Gear Rail Template from the wing plan and
use it as a guide to cut the sheeting for the landing
gear rail.
❏ ❏
R35. Glue the die-cut 1/16" [1.6mm] balsa
partial rib W1R into position. Make sure that it
is positioned so that the wheel will clear W1R by
1/16" [1.6mm] when it is retracted. Less clearance
will cause the wheel to jam while more clearance
will make the retract servo hard to fit. On our
prototype model W1R is 1-9/16" [39.7mm] from
W1. This is also a good time to drill a hole for the
pushrod to the servo in W1R. Ours was 7/8"
[22.2mm] (1-7/8" [47.6mm] left panel) forward of
the spar web and close to the top sheeting.
Note: In the photo, W2 was trimmed slightly to put
the wheel into position.
and the retract mounting rail(s) to fit the retract
unit. The best tool for this is a rotary tool with a 1/2"
[12.7mm] sanding drum. Do not trim W2 for the
wheel. The wheel will be fitted after the sheeting is
installed. Drill pilot holes for the #4 x 3/8" flat head
sheet metal screws. You will note from the photo
that we have marked the position of the retract unit
on the rails. This will be useful later when the
sheeting is trimmed to fit the retract unit.
Note: This model was specifically designed for the
.40 size retracts from Great Planes (GPMQ2905).
These units are strong, compact and inexpensive.
They are relatively easy to fit and install.
❏ ❏ R34. Fit and temporarily install the right retract
landing gear to the rails. You will need to trim W3
❏ ❏ R33. If you are installing retracts (retractable
landing gear) on your model, cut two 3" [76mm]
rails from the leftover 1/4" x 3/8" [6.4 x 9.5mm]
basswood stick. Glue these rails into the notches
in W3 and W4 using 6-minute epoxy.
-28-