Time to put the big chunks together. Like any airplane, the alignment between the wing and the tail and
the fuselage is extremely important and ultimately affects the flight characteristics. Misalignments
become even more noticeable the faster an airplane flies, so it's particularly important with jet models.
Trim and sand the rear edge of SIDE-2 even with SIDE-1. You want the
balsa sides to extend about 1/16" aft of bulkhead F-5.
Sand off the LE point in the center of the wing to create a flat spot that
is four inches wide.
Trial fit the wing to the fuselage, paying close attention to the fit at the
leading edge. When satisfied, tape and pin the wing into its final position.
Measure carefully that the wing is centered on the fuselage and the distance
from the wingtip to the aft end of the fuselage is equal on both sides.
Drill 1/4" holes for the wing dowels into the wing through the holes in
F-5. This, I admit, is easier said than done. I ended up using a long drill
bit and twisting it by hand. A short piece of fuel tubing slipped over the end
gave a better grip. After drilling about an inch on each side, I removed the
wing and finished the holes with a power drill.
Epoxy the two 1/4" wing
dowels into the holes you just
made. Use plenty of glue, and leave about 3/4" of the dowels sticking out
from the LE. This is a little extra long, but it will help later when you are
assembling the model at the field.
When dry, put the wing back into position. The dowels will be pretty
tight right now, but they will eventually conform to the holes and become
pleasantly snug after putting the wing on a few times. Double check that
the wing position is accurate, then tape and pin it firmly in place.
The holes for the wing bolts should be centered fore and aft on the wing bolt plates and spaced 5/8" from the
wing center on each side. Mark the holes accurately, then drill all the way through the wing and the plywood wing
mount with a 3/16" drill bit. Do
your best to keep the drill
perpendicular to the wing so that
the heads of the wing bolts will
sit flush on the wing bolt plate.
Tap the wing mount with a
1/4-20 tap, and harden the
threads with thin CA.
21
Drill and...
...Tap
Summary of Contents for Reaction 54
Page 1: ...INSTRUCTION BOOK...
