Great Planes Spirit 100 Sailplane Kit - GPMA0550 - Manual (Page 41)

to fit properly. You can also add a layer of balsa to the back edge
of F1 to take up any extra gap if needed.
D 10. Drill a 1/8" diameter hole about 1" deep at approximately
the angle shown on the plans where the punch mark is on F1.
Insert the 1/8" x 1-1/4" Canopy Hold Down Dowel (DOWEL033)
into the hole and slide the canopy into place to make sure it fits
nicely. The dowel should hold the canopy down against the fuse.
If it is too loose you can either enlarge the hole slightly and move
the dowel down or you can build up the top surface of the cockpit
base with thin ply and/or med. or thick CA. Glue the dowel in
place with at least 3/8" extending.
of the rear aligner and near the ends of the front aligner and
carefully slide the canopy into place. Push down on the canopy
to force the aligners against the cockpit base (with the canopy
aligned with the fuse sides) and hold it until the glue has cured.
Carefully remove the canopy and securely glue the aligners in
place with more CA.
D 12. Apply a couple strips of masking tape around the front of
the canopy to protect the plastic and install the canopy on the fuse.
Use a razor plane, hobby knife or sanding block with coarse grit
sandpaper to rough carve the nose block to shape. Use your
sanding block with medium and then fine grit sandpaper to
smooth out the nose block and fair it in with the canopy and the
fuse.
D 11. Cut two pieces of 1/8" x 1/4" Balsa (from SPT1S04) to
fit between the fuse sides, one between formers F4 and F5 and the
other one just behind former F2. These pieces are called the
Canopy Aligners. Wedge the aligners so they are slightly above
the sides. Apply a small drop of med. or thick CA to the middle
FINAL ASSEMBLY
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). Since
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