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(17) Mark and cut matching hinge slots on all control surfaces.

A #11 blade in a hobby knife works well for cutting the slots. 

Test fit (do not glue) the control surfaces to the stab, fin and wing.

(18) When you are satisfied with the fit, remove the hinges

and bevel the leading edge of the ailerons, elevators and rudder.
Round the remaining perimeter edges of the rudder, fin, stab,
ailerons and elevators. 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

(1) Draw a centerline from the leading edge to trailing edge

on the top of the wing and stab. Draw a parallel line 1/4" on
each side of the center lines for reference, so you will know
when the wing and stab are centered in the fuse. Slide the wing
and horizontal stab into the fuselage. Make sure the fuselage is
centered between the reference lines. 

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(2) Carefully check the alignment of the wing and stab to the

fuselage as shown. Permanently glue the wing and stab to the
fuselage with 30-minute epoxy. 

After the epoxy has cured, fill any gaps with a mixture of micro
balloons and epoxy.

Cut the slot for the tail gear bracket in the aft end of the fuse and
check its fit. Hold the rudder in position and mark the location
of the tail gear steering arm. Drill a 1/8" diameter hole into the
rudder at the marked location. Notch the rudder to accept the
protruding tail gear bracket and wire.

COVERING AND FINISHING 

We recommend using a light-weight film covering material such
as TowerKote

to finish your Fun 51 (Top Flite MonoKote

®

was

used to cover the model shown on the cover of this instruction
manual). Apply the film following the manufacturer’s
instructions using the sequence we suggest for best results. 

Balance the airplane laterally

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.

1. Temporarily install the engine (with muffler), landing gear,
radio equipment, fuel tank (3/4 full) and battery.

2. With the wing level, lift the model by the engine propeller
shaft and the fin (this may require two people). Do this several
times.

3. If one wing always drops when you lift the model, it means
that side is heavy. Balance the airplane by gluing a weight to
the inside of the other wing tip. 

Note: An airplane that has been laterally balanced will track
better in loops and other maneuvers
.

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Summary of Contents for FUN 51

Page 1: ...e user accepts all resulting liability If the buyers are not prepared to accept the liability associated with the use of this product they are advised to return this kit immediately in new and unused condition to Tower Hobbies The Fun 51 is not a toy but rather a sophisticated working model that functions very much like an actual airplane Because of its performance the Fun 51 if not assembled and ...

Page 2: ...ls covering film Top Flite MonoKote or Tower TowerKote 1 4 Foam rubber HCAQ1000 2 1 4 Spinner GPMQ4517 Red SUPPLIES 1 oz Thin CA GPMR6002 1 oz Medium CA GPMR6008 6 minute epoxy TOWR3300 30 minute epoxy TOWR3350 Balsa filler HCAR3401 Masking tape GPMR1010 Wax paper Isopropyl rubbing alcohol 70 Microballoons TOPR1090 TOOLS Sanding block and sand paper coarse medium fine Hobby knife and 11 blades TOW...

Page 3: ... parts with a hobby knife or lightly sand the back of the sheet After removing the die cut parts use your sanding block to lightly sand the edges to remove any die cutting irregularities Work on a flat surface Cover the plans with wax paper or Great Planes Plan Protectors GPMR6167 There are notes on the plans that tell you what material to use to make each part When instructed to test fit parts th...

Page 4: ...k the area on the fuselage core as shown When installing the side sheeting do NOT apply glue to the areas you just marked Be sure to mark both sides of the assembly 7 4 Using a hump strap as a template drill four 1 16 diameter holes through the two hump strap pads Set these pads aside for now Note Use only one of the six 1 4 x 3 8 x 36 balsa sticks to build the fin and rudder 5 Pin the entire fuse...

Page 5: ... not glue the marked areas from step 3 Trim the perimeter and wing opening as you did in step 7 10 Drill 1 16 diameter holes through the balsa sheeting using only the rear two pilot holes in each hump strap pad and the balance hole Drill through the landing gear holes with a 5 32 bit 9 11 Using the engine mount doublers and a landing gear strut as templates mark the balsa to be trimmed from the un...

Page 6: ... AND AILERONS Note The wing is built over the plan with the bottom of the wing facing up Refer to the following illustration when performing the next 3 steps Pin the wing portion of the plan to the building board Cover the plan with wax paper 1 Use the 1 8 x 3 8 x 24 balsa sticks to make the 44 trailing edge by joining them with a diagonal splice at the centerline 2 Pin two 1 4 x 1 1 8 x 24 balsa ...

Page 7: ...ng rails into the square holes in the proper ribs Splice two 3 32 x 7 8 x 24 balsa sheets together with a diagonal cut to make the sub leading edge Glue the sub leading edge to the front of all 2 ribs and to the leading edge doubler 13 6 Glue the top spar assembly into the notches in all of the wing ribs Cut and glue the 1 16 x 3 balsa shear webs securely to the front of the spars Diagonally splic...

Page 8: ...hatch screws Drill and countersink the six screw holes Drill 1 16 pilot holes into the hatch mount rails Test fit the hatch to the wing using all six screws Remove the hatch when you are satisfied with the fit Apply a couple of drops of thin CA to each screw hole in the mounting rails to harden the balsa 15 10 Trim and glue the 3 32 x 1 4 balsa cap strips to the wing ribs 11 Remove the wing from t...

Page 9: ...ling edge fixture earlier in the wing construction Glue them to the the sub leading edge Carve and sand the leading edge to shape as shown 17 14 Sand both ends of the wing smooth Glue the die cut plywood wing tips onto the sanded wing ends Sand the edge of the airfoil to insure the wing tip is flush with the wing 15 With the wax paper still positioned over the plan build both ailerons using the st...

Page 10: ...nd of the fuse and check its fit Hold the rudder in position and mark the location of the tail gear steering arm Drill a 1 8 diameter hole into the rudder at the marked location Notch the rudder to accept the protruding tail gear bracket and wire COVERING AND FINISHING We recommend using a light weight film covering material such as TowerKote to finish your Fun 51 Top Flite MonoKote was used to co...

Page 11: ...except around the leading and trailing edges RECOMMENDED COVERING SEQUENCE 1 Tail junction strips as described above 2 Wing fuse junction 3 TE surfaces of wing 4 Bottom of left and right wing panels 5 Top of left and right wing panel and wing tips 6 Fuse sides overlap at top and bottom 7 Stab bottom 8 Stab top 9 Fin left and right side 10 Rudder left and right side 11 Bottom of elevators 12 Top of...

Page 12: ...and servos Cut the 35 pushrods to fit for the rudder and elevator Make the aileron pushrods from the excess length trimmed from the elevator and rudder pushrods Install the nylon hump straps with 2 x 3 8 screws Slide a silicone retainer onto each nylon clevis Screw a clevis onto each pushrod about 14 turns Slide the pushrods into position clip the clevises onto the horns and slide the silicone ret...

Page 13: ...13mm 7 8 down 22mm 1 2 down 13mm RUDDER 1 3 4 right 44 5mm Same as high rates 1 3 4 left 44 5mm AILERONS 1 up 25 4mm 5 8 up 16mm 1 down 25 4mm 5 8 down 16mm 25 Note Throws are measured at the widest part of the elevators rudder and ailerons If your radio does not have dual rates set the control throws halfway between the specified high and low rates 2 Make sure the control surfaces move in the pro...

Page 14: ... has excellent low speed characteristics you should always build up as much speed as your runway will permit before lifting off as this will give you a safety margin in case of a flame out When you first advance the throttle and the tail begins to lift the plane will start to turn left a characteristic of all tail draggers Be ready for this and correct by applying sufficient right rudder to hold i...

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