Great Planes Ultra Sport 40 Kit - GPMA0410 - Manual (Page 37)

thinned with alcohol, polyester finishing resin or fu-
elproof paint.
NOTE; Do not glue the canopy in place until after
you have covered your model.
SEAL OFF COCKPIT
If you leave any openings through the fuse top
into the cockpit area, there is the possibility of getting
dust on the inside of the canopy, which is almost impos-
sible to remove. Therefore, you should seal all openings
to the inside of the cockpit, and paint all exposed balsa to
prevent loose wood particles.
BALANCE THE AIRPLANE LATERALLY
SPECIAL NOTE: Do not confuse this procedure
with "checking the C.G." or "balancing the
airplane fore and aft". That very important step
will be covered later in the manual.
Now that you have the basic airframe nearly
completed, this is a good time to balance the airplane
laterally (side-to-side). Here is how to do it:
PREPARE THE CANOPY
NOTE: Some modelers prefer to tint their canopies
for a more subtle and realistic effect. You may tint
your canopy by immersing it in a concentrated
mixture of Rit Liquid Dye and hot tap water. The
colors blue, black, brown and dark green work well.
Remove the canopy after 5 minutes and rinse it off
to check the amount of tint. The longer you leave it
in the dye solution the darker it will tint.
CAUTION: Do not heat the dye water above tap
water temperature, as this could deform the canopy.
1. Attach the wing, landing gear, wheels and en-
gine (with muffler) to the fuselage.
2. With the wing level, lift the model by the engine
propeller shaft and the bottom of the rudder (this may
require two people). Do this several times.
3. If one wing always drops when you lift, it means
that side is heavy. Balance the airplane by gluing weight
to the other wing tip. NOTE: An airplane that has
been laterally balanced will track better in loops and
other maneuvers.
1. Using a scissors, carefully cut the canopy along
the trim line.
2. Trial fit the canopy onto the fuse, pressing into
place. Trim as necessary for a good fit. NOTE: The trim
line on the canopy is approximate. Yourcanopy trim will
vary, depending on how you sanded the fuselage.
3. Sand the edges of the canopy with 320 grit
sandpaper. It is important that the canopy does not have
any cracks along the edges, as the engine vibration could
cause them to spread.
FINAL SANDING
Check over the entire structure carefully, in-
specting for any poorly glued joints, gaps and "dings".
Apply additional glue and/or balsa filler as necessary,
then sand the entire fuselage smooth using progressively
finer grades of sandpaper.
COVERING
Because it is assumed that you have had some
previous model building experience, we won't go into
detail in regard to the covering procedure. Follow the
instructions included with your covering material.
NOTE: When covering the fin and stab, begin by
applying 1/2" wide strips of covering in the comers
between the fin and the fairing block, between the
stab and the fairing block, and (on the bottom of the
stab) between the stab and the fuse sides. Next cover
the fairing blocks with pre-cut pieces of covering.
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