Top Flite TOPA0310 - Manual (Page 16)

❏ 9. Remove the fin from your building board. Turn it
over and cut off the jig tabs.
❏ 10. Make the three fin hinge blocks from a 1/4" x
7/16" balsa stick and glue them to the fin TE where
shown on the plan.
❏ 11. Sheet the right side of the fin with an additional
1/16" x 3" x 24" balsa sheet the same way you
sheeted the left side.
❏ 12. Use two 1/16" x 1/4" x 36" balsa sticks to make
the cap strips for the TE and ribs V3, 4 and 5. Sand
the fin, blending the sheeting, cap strips and LE
together. Set the fin aside for now.
Build the Rudder
❏ 1. Working over the rudder plan, glue the six
die-cut 3/32" balsa rudder core pieces together to
make the rudder core . (It’s kind of like a puzzle; can
you figure it out?) Sand both sides of the rudder core
flat and even.
❏ 2. Glue both die-cut 1/8" balsa rudder LE’s
together. Glue the rudder core, on center, to the
rudder LE the same way you did the stab cores.
❏ 3. The same way you did the elevators, securely
but temporarily T-pin the rudder LE, accurately
aligned and on center, to the fin.
Note: The top of the
rudder core and the rudder LE should extend above
the top of the fin by 1/16". Carefully sand the sides of
the rudder LE to match the fin TE.
❏ 4. The same as you did for the elevator ribs, cut
the rudder ribs from 3/32" x 5/8" x 24" balsa sticks
and glue them to the rudder core where shown on
the plan. Note that the rudder ribs should be 1/16"
below the rudder LE to accommodate the cap
strips (just the same as the elevators were).
❏ 5. Use leftover 3/32" and 1/4" balsa to make the
rudder hinge blocks and glue them to both sides of
the rudder core where shown on the plan.
❏ 6. The same way you did for the elevators, make
the rudder cap strips from 1/16" x 1/4" x 36" balsa
sticks and glue them to the rudder ribs. Sand the
ends of the cap strips flush with the rudder core and
glue the rudder edging around the TE.
❏ 7. Using leftover 3/32" balsa, make the small
gusset as shown on the plan for the top of the fin.
Glue the gusset to the LE and rib V6.
❏ 8. Test fit the 3/8" x 1" x 5-5/8" balsa rudder tip to
the top of the rudder. Carefully align the rudder tip
with the fin, then glue it to the rudder.
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