Top Flite TOPA0305 Part 1 User Manual

Page 29

SHEET THE TOP CENTER SECTION

Sand the top of the leading edge, spars and

ribs

so they blend together. You may remove the

center section from your building board

necessary, but pin it back down after you're done
sanding.

Make sure the center section accurately

aligns with the plan. If necessary, pin two more
balsa blocks to the building board near the fronts of

the ribs.

Use

two

3/32"

30"

balsa sheets to make

one

7" x 9" forward top center section wing skin

and one

11"

x 9" aft top center section wing skin.

Sand the sheets so they are flat and smooth.

Trim the forward skin

so the aft edge aligns with

the center of the top spar and the front extends
past the

by approximately

1/8". If

you find it

necessary, wet the top of the forward top skin first,
before gluing it to the center section of the wing.

You're an expert at sheeting now,

so this should

easy.

5. Trim the aft skin

so the front edge joins the

forward skin and the aft edge extends past the
ends of the ribs

1/2".

Trim the ends of the aft top

skin

it extends past the

ribs by

approximately

1/16"

to allow for sanding later.

Glue the aft skin to the center section.

7. After the glue dries, remove the center section

from the plan. Trim, then sand the bottom spar and

the top sheeting flush with the end ribs.

not

sand off the tabs on the ends of the aft spar

W20.

They will key into ribs

and align the outer

panels with the center section.

8. Remove the jig tabs and sand the bottoms of

the ribs and spars

so they all blend together. Bevel

the trailing edge of the top sheeting the same way

you did for the outer panels.

1/8"

W21

1/4"

HOLES

Drill

1/4"

holes through the

of the center

section (W21A) where shown on the sketch.
Slightly round one end of both

1/4"

2-1/2"

wing

dowels. Test fit, then glue the wing dowels into the
center section with 30-minute epoxy.

10.

Reinforce all glue joints that don't look

strong.

not build up any glue fillets where the

dihedral braces will be fitted.

Beech Fact: The T-34 evolved from the Beech

designated Model 45 which began as a converted A35

Bonanza. Although Walter Beech did experiment with

the V-tail for military purposes, he thought that the
conservative military would prefer the conventional
straight tail which

is what emerged for the final design.

is named the Mentor.

PREPARE THE

BOTTOM OF THE

WING FOR SHEETING

1 .

If you are installing retracts, build a

partition

on both wing panels from leftover

3/32"

balsa to

seal the wing aft of the wheel well compartment.

Fuelproof the

nooks and crannies of the wheel well

inside the wing that you will not be able to reach

after the bottom sheeting is in place. You can see
the partitions in the following photo.

Remember where you cut

partway through

ribs

on both wing panels

1/16"

ahead of and

behind the spar notches? Use a hobby knife or a

fine razor saw to cut the rest of the way through rib

on the right wing panel and remove the balsa

within the area you cut.

Cut away the portion of balsa on rib

between the spars on the right side of the

center

section the same way.

Test fit the die-cut

1/16"

plywood

dihedral

braces W23 and the die-cut

1/8"

plywood

dihedral

braces W22 in the outer wing panel. If necessary
chamfer the corners of the braces to accommodate
small glue fillets in the wing.

Note: Make certain

you fit the braces

right side up the same as the

dihedral of wing.