Top Flite Sierra 40 Trainer Kit - Manual (Page 30)

30
FINISHING
BALANCE THE
AIRPLANE LATERALLY
SPECIAL NOTE: Do not confuse this procedure
with "checking the C.G." or "balancing the air-
plane fore and aft." That very important step will
be covered later in the manual.
fore, before covering, you should make a final check
of the entire structure. Fix any dents with a light-
weight filler, then sand the entire structure smooth
using progressively finer grades of sandpaper. Sand
major areas to be covered using MonoKote" with
#320 sandpaper just before covering
HINT: Small dents in balsa wood can often be
swelled back out by applying a small drop of water to
them.
Now that you have the basic airframe nearly
completed, this is a good time to balance the airplane
laterally (side-to-side). Here is how to do it:
1. Temporarily attach the wing and engine (with
muffler) to the fuselage.
2. With the wing level, lift the model by the engine
propeller shaft and the aft end of the fuselage (this
may require two people). Do this several times.
3. If one wing always drops when you lift, it means
that side is heavy. Balance the airplane by gluing
weight to the other wing tip. NOTE: An airplane
that has been laterally balanced will track better
in loops and other maneuvers.
FINAL SANDING
Carefully examine your fuselage comparing the
"corners" with the cross sectional drawings on the
plans. Sand (using a block where possible) the
corners of your fuselage until they match those
shown on the plans.
Nearly every imperfection in your wood struc-
ture will show through the covering material; there-
COVERING
Follow the instructions included with your
covering material. Thoroughly read through
them before beginning.
TIPS FOR COVERING WITH MONOKOTE:
Make copies of the 2 view drawing on page 44 of this
manual and use it to plan your trim scheme.
When covering surfaces with corners, cut the mate-
rial as shown to allow it to fold up and cover the
corners without gaps or bumps.
Precut strips for covering objects such as elevators.
A permanent marker will put reference marks on
MonoKote, and alcohol will remove them later (for
some tasks, you may be able to put your marks on
the backing where they will not need to be removed).
A metal straightedge and a sharp knife are great
tools to have around for cutting MonoKote.
When covering with Monokote® the top and bottom
of the stab, and the sides of the fin, allow about 1/8"
to 3/16" of covering to lap onto the fuselage as in the
photo.