Top Flite TOPA0500 - Manual (Page 13)

not directly on top of the line. Use a square to make sure
you glue the LE perpendicular to the elevator core.
Hint: Place a 1/4" piece of balsa under the square to
raise it to the level of the LE.
❏ 3. Prepare the other elevator the same way.
❏ 4. Apply about four small drops of medium CA, evenly
spaced, along the LE of one of the elevators and tack
glue it to the stab. When in place, the root end of the
elevator LE should be 1/16" beyond the mark you made
on the TE of the stab to accommodate the elevator root
cap ribs (refer to the plan). The elevator LE should also
be centered vertically on the stab TE. Practice alignment
before you tack glue the elevator. Tack glue the other
elevator to the other side of the stab the same way.
❏ 5. Use a razor plane or your bar sander to shape the
leading edge of the elevators to match the stab.
❏ 6. Use four 1/16" x 5/16" x 24" balsa sticks to make the
elevator ribs, and a piece of leftover 1/16" sheeting to
make the elevator root cap ribs (refer to the plan) for the
root end of the elevators. If you’ve decided to make the
scale location elevator ribs, use leftover 1/16" balsa
sheeting to make the additional ribs. Cut the sticks to the
correct length, then glue them to the elevator cores only
(don’t glue the elevator ribs to the elevator LE yet) making
sure the cores remain perpendicular to the LE’s as you
proceed. You can see the ribs in the following photo.
❏ 7. Make the elevator hinge blocks from a 1/4" x
5/16" x 24" balsa stick and 1/4" x 5/16" balsa you have
leftover from the rib jigs when you were building the
stab. Glue the hinge blocks to the elevators as shown on
the plan. Now you may glue the elevator ribs to the LE.
❏ 8. Proceed slowly and carefully, shaping the elevator
ribs and the hinge blocks to match the elevator LE and
the cross section on the plan. Make sure you sand the
ends of the ribs to a point as shown in the sketch.
Otherwise, covering the elevators will be difficult.
There. Now you have a nicely constructed stab with
elevators that accurately match. Just a few more things
to do and then we’ll move on to the fin and rudder
(which version are you going to build?) .
❏ 9. Determine which side of the stab looks the best.
Designate that side as the top. Use a file or a rotary tool
with a cut-off wheel to remove sharp edges or burrs on
the ends of the elevator joiner wire. Position the elevator
joiner wire on the top of the stab as shown in the photo.
Mark the leading edge of the elevators where the
arm
portion of the joiner wire will enter as shown on the plan
❏ 10. Carefully break both elevators free from the stab.
Note which elevator matches which side of the stab.
Remove any
glue bumps left from the CA you used to
tack glue the elevators to the stab.
❏ 11. Insert T-pins through the center of one of the
elevators LE’s, near the tip and near the root. Place a
straightedge across the T-pins and draw the centerline
on the elevator LE with a ballpoint pen. Draw a
centerline along other elevator LE and the TE of the stab
the same way.
DC-3 Fact
After presiding over various projects including the
Martin MB-2 bomber at the Glenn L. Martin
aircraft company, Donald W. Douglas Jr, born
April 6, 1892, co-founded the Davis-Douglas
Aircraft Company in the spring of 1920 with help
from David Davis, a millionaire with a great desire
to fly. By the mid 20's, Douglas designs were well
known throughout both the civilian and military
aircraft industry.
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