Top Flite TOPA0310 - Manual (Page 20)

❏ ❏
12. Glue the die-cut 3/32" balsa LE brace to
ribs 1, 2 and 3. Glue rib 1 to the inner TE spar only,
while using the dihedral gauge to hold rib 1 at the
correct angle over the plan.
❏ ❏ 13. From the larger of the two shaped 24" balsa
LE sticks , cut the inner LE section (that goes from
rib 5 to rib 9) to the length shown on the plan. Glue it
to the front of the ribs with the upper edge aligned
with the front of the ribs.
Refer to this photo for the following four steps.
❏ ❏ 14. Refer to the Hot Tip that follows, then cut the
outer LE from the smaller shaped 24" balsa LE stick
and make the saw cuts at the end of the LE as shown
on the plan. Trim the bottom of the LE near the end
so you can lower it to the fronts of the ribs. Wet the
front of the outer LE near the end and carefully bend
it into position. When you can achieve the bend, trim
the outer LE to the correct length, then glue it to the
front of the ribs.
❏ ❏ 15. Cut 3/16" wide strips of leftover 1/8" balsa
and glue them to aft edge of the outer LE as shown.
❏ ❏
16. Glue together the eight die-cut 3/32" and 1/8"
balsa pieces that make up the wing tip . Bevel the front
pieces to accommodate the wing tip sheeting that will
be added later on, then glue the wing tip to the wing.
Add the
top gusset cut from leftover 3/32" balsa.
❏ ❏ 17. Trim the remainder of the larger balsa inner
LE stick, make the saw cuts, wet the end and glue it
to ribs 1 thru 5 and the LE brace.
❏ ❏ 18. Use a razor plane followed with a bar
sander and 80-grit sandpaper to trim the LE even
with the ribs.
Now that the wing is stabilized, we can securely glue
the joiner box into position.
❏ ❏ 19. Mix up about 1/4 oz. of 30 or 45-minute epoxy.
Add milled fiberglass for additional strength. Reposition
the dihedral gauge on rib W1 and align it with the plan
the same way you did before. Use the gauge to make
certain the top and bottom joiner boxes are in the
correct position and that W1 is at the correct angle.
Glue the top and bottom joiner boxes to the ribs
everywhere you can reach and glue the cardboard
joiner tube in position. Glue W1 to the ends of the joiner
box and glue the top inner spar to the ribs and the
joiner box top. Keep this operation nice and neat and
refrain from using gobs of epoxy, yet be thorough and
glue all the joints you can reach. Don’t worry about
areas you can’t reach because we will remind you to
apply glue to the rest of the joints after removing the
wing panel from the building board. Before the epoxy
cures, confirm the joiner box positioning and the
alignment of W1 with the dihedral gauge. Allow the
epoxy to fully harden before proceeding. Use a felt tip pen to mark a line 5/32" above the
saw teeth on your razor saw. Use the line as a
guide so all your cuts will be the same depth for
uniform and controlled bending.
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