Top Flite TOPA0305 Part 1 - Manual (Page 16)

against the stab when the elevator deflects
downward. Test fit the elevators to the stab, with
the elevator joiner in place, and make adjustments
if necessary.
Beech Fact: The Bonanza was (and still i s ) a
remarkable airplane and held many world records. In
1949 it held the world record non-stop distance for all
light planes flying 4,957 miles in 36 hours, 2 minutes
from Honolulu to New Jersey piloted by Capt. Bill
Odon. In 1958 it held the same record flying 7090
miles i n 45 hours, 43 minutes from Manila t o
Pendleton,Oregon flown by Capt. Pat Boling.
BUILD THE FIN AND RUDDER
ST1. Place the fin plan over your building board
and cover it with wax paper.
BEVEL THE NOTCHES IN THE
FIN RIBS AND SPARS TO MATCH
THE ANGLE ON THE PLANS
ORIGINAL NOTCHES
ST2. Test fit the die-cut 3/32" balsa fin ribs R2
through R6 in the notches of the die-cut 1/8" balsa
fin
TE spar (R7) and rudder LE spar (R8). Place
the assembly over the plan. If the ribs fit tightly into
the notches of the fin TE spar and the rudder LE
spar, remove the ribs and bevel the notches in the
spars and the ribs as shown in the sketch.
ST3. Use a small square to position the fin TE
spar over the plan near rib R2. Align rib R2 over
the plan and pin it to your building board. Use one
pin near the front of the jig tab and one T-pin
!ar the rear of the jig tab.
ST4. Use the same method to align the fin TE
spar over the plan at each rib. Pin the rib to your
building board. Glue the ribs to the spars with
medium CA. Use small drops of CA and do not
build up fillets. Later, we will remind you to
reinforce the glue joints.
Refer to this photo for the next three steps
ST5. Cut rib R1 apart between the spar notches.
Add fin rib R1 and rudder rib R1A to the spars. Pin
them to the plan and glue them in position.
ST6. Sand the fronts of the ribs to match the aft
sweep of the leading edge. Cut a shaped
5/16" x 15" balsa stab/fin
leading edge to a length
of 12-1/2". Glue it to the front of the ribs so the top
of the LE is even with the top of the ribs. The
bottom of the LE will extend below the bottom of
the ribs but will be sanded flush later.
ST7. Sand the upward facing edges of the
leading edge and the sub spars so they match the
contour of the ribs. Do not change the shape of the
airfoil by sanding too much.
ST8. Arrange the T-pins so they all go into the
jig tabs at the same angle. This will allow you to
finagle the fin and rudder off your building board by
lifting it up and to one side after the top sheeting is
glued in place (the T-pins are concealed).
ST9. Glue the fin and rudder skin to the
structure. The bottom of the fin skin should extend
below rib R1 by approximately 1/4"-1/2"
so you can
trim it later. Make sure the trailing edge of the
rudder meets the stoppers on the top of the jig tabs
on ribs R6 and R1 A. Note: The rudder skin was cut
wider than needed, to allow enough material to trim
it to size now.
ST10. After the glue has thoroughly dried,
remove all the T-pins you can reach. Carefully lift
the fin (with the rudder) from your building board.
Trim the jig tabs from the ribs and take out the rest
of the T-pins.
ST11. Use a razor plane or a #11 blade to trim
the right side of the LE so it is the same size as the
front of the ribs and matches the airfoil shape.
ST12. Sand the bottoms of the ribs, leading
edges, fin spar, rudder spar and trailing edges so
that they blend.
ST13. Bevel the trailing edge of the left rudder
skin the same way you did the stab.
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