Top Flite Elder 20 - Manual (Page 9)

apply epoxy around and beneath this dowel. Then
glue in place the two remaining W-1A half ribs into
position on each side of the dowel. Fill the resulting
cavity above the dowel with more epoxy and allow
the structure to cure.
2. The top of the wing center section can now be com-
pletely sheeted, cross grain. As with the wing
panels, slightly bevel or chamfer the trailing edge of
this part to allow proper seating of the top sheet.
When dry, use a small sanding block to clean the
edges of the top sheeting flush with the outer sur-
faces of the W-1A and W-1 B ribs.
3. Carve and sand the short leading edge of the center
section to shape, matching the two wing panels.
4. Once again, accurately pin and/or tape the wing
center section in place to the fuselage. Use the
plans for reference to now drill two 1/8" dia. wing bolt
holes through the top rear of the center section and
through the 1/4 " x 1 "x 3" ply former directly beneath
it—note the angle that these two holes are drilled at
to take into account the slope of the top airfoil at that
point. Remove the center section from the fuselage.
Tap the two holes in the ply former with either an 8-32
tap or an 8-32 metal bolt. Once the threads have been
established use a little thin CA adhesive to "coat"
them and then run the tap into the holes once again;
this toughens-up the threads. It may be necessary to
run the tap or bolt through these threads several
times to allow the nylon 8-32 bolts to clear. Use a 3/16"
drill bit to now "clear-out" the two 1/8" holes in the
wing center section for clear passage of the wing
bolts. Now bolt the center section in place on the
fuselage.
5. Locate die cut former F-9 (balsa). As you can see
from the plans this former is trimmed at the bottom
(sanding block) to fit onto the top of the center sec-
tion's leading edge where it becomes the "shelf" for
the 3/32" x 1/4" fuselage fairing strips. Apply glue to
the bottom of this part and position it accurately in
place on the center section, flat against the rear face
of F-8—don't get glue on F-8. Start making the
fuselage/wing fairing by first cutting to length the
top center 3/32 " x 1/4" balsa strip (the center one when
viewed from the top). Sand its rear bottom edge to
match the contour of the center section's sheeting.
Once satisfied, carefully glue in place to the top of
F-9 and the center section sheeting. Repeat this pro-
cess to the left and right of this center strip until the
rough fairing is complete. With the center section
still in place, use your sanding block and sandpaper
to now smooth the fuselage/wing joint to a one-
piece look. Any small gaps or rough edges can be fill-
ed with a filler such as DAP White Vinyl Spackling
compound and sanded smooth again. Remove the
center section from the fuselage.
6. You can now make the cockpit cut-out in the wing
center section. The pattern for this is provided on the
plans and it can either be traced or the pattern itself
cut-out of the plans to serve as a cutting guide. Use a
#11 X-acto knife for this purpose and try to be as neat
as possible.
7. Locate the four remaining 1/4" dia. by 3-1/2" dowels.
These will be used to now make the "king post" that
fits to the wing center section. This is most easily
made by first constructing two separate
"triangular" pieces and then joining the two pieces
at the top. Chamfer the top ends to fit as shown on
the plans and epoxy. The bottom ends of the "king
post" must also be chamfered to sit squarely on the
top surface of the center section, ahead of the
cockpit. Don't attach this structure yet, it will be
assembled to the wing after covering.
8. The two wing panels can now be permanently at-
tached to the wing center section. We recommend
that you use epoxy for this operation. With the
center section flat on your building surface, slide the
two panels in position onto the exposed arms of the
front, center and rear dihedral braces. The fit should
be accurate; the front brace fits against the back
face of the panel's leading edge; the center brace is
in contact with both the top and bottom spars; and
the rear brace is inside of the top and bottom rear
trailing edge sheet strips. The panel's spars, leading
edges and trailing edges should also be cleanly con-
tacting the outside surface of the center section's
sides. Take your time here to ensure that this is the
case before committing to actual attachment.
Locate or make a couple of 1-3/4" high supports for
the wingtips to provide the required dihedral angle.
Now epoxy the panels in place to the center sec-
tion— don't use so much glue that it runs or drips but
enough to provide a good glue joint. One-hour epoxy
is best for this step. Allow the structure to cure com-
pletely.
9. Remove the completed wing from the bench and
take some time to now go over it completely. Check
the joints for gaps, etc. Use more epoxy to now go
over the joints, making sure that every contact point
has adhesive. When you are satisfied, use light
sandpaper to smooth the wing panel/wing center
section joints to match.
10. Locate the two required rear fuselage pushrod exits
(die-cut, ply). Note on the plans where these fit
beneath the stab location—glue in place.
11. A 1/16" x 3/8" x 12 "ply strip is provided for the fuselage
frame "joint caps". These can be drawn with pencil
on the strip of ply and scissors or shears can then be
used to cut them out. These are glued in place to
each of the exposed fuselage upright and cross
brace joint, as shown. Once these are in place, use
sandpaper to lightly smooth their edges.
COVERING & FINISH
Now that al I of the various components of your Elder are
completely assembled and sanded to their final shapes,
you can turn your attention to covering. This is the point
that can separate your model from anyone else's. You
must decide what you want the finished airplane to look
like. We have finished our prototypes in a wide variety of
color schemes representing everything from an R.A.F.
WWI fighter (as shown on the label; in cream Monokote
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