Top Flite KittiWake - Manual (Page 2)

hands has the potential of doing serious personal or pro-
perty damage. These safety considerations start at the
building board by following instructions, seeking com-
petent help when you are confused and avoiding short-
cuts. These considerations have to be carried over to the
flying field where safety must come first and limitations
cannot be exceeded. We urge you to:
1. Send for and obtain your AMA (Academy of Model
Aeronautics) membership which will provide in-
surance for your R/C activities — DO NOT RELY ON
HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE.
2. Join an AMA sanctioned R/C flying club in your area
where you can obtain competent, professional in-
struction in trimming and learning how to fly this
model.
Check with your favorite local hobby shop for the re-
quired AMA forms or the address where they can be ob-
tained.
WARNING!!!
A radio controlled model is not a "toy." Care and
caution must be taken in properly building the
model, as well as in the installation and use of the
radio control device. It is important to follow all
directions as to the construction of this kit as well
as installation and use of the engine and radio
gear. The advice and assistance of a well ex-
perienced builder and pilot is highly recommend-
ed. Don't take chances! Improper building, opera-
tion, or flying of this model could result in serious
bodily injury to others, yourself, or property
damage.
PRE-CONSTRUCTION NOTES
The KittiWake, like other Top Flite kits employs the use of
die-cut wood to ease the task of construction, parts fit
and identification. The dies used for this kit have been
rigorously checked for absolute accuracy and should
provide you with excellent fit. Die-cut parts should be
carefully removed from their sheets by first lightly san-
ding the back of each sheet of parts and then carefully
removing each part. Use a light garnet paper for the san-
ding and keep a sharp hobby knife with an X-acto #11
blade, or equivalent, handy for assistance in removing
any parts that might not have completely cut-through by
the dies. Parts which oppose one another and must be
precisely uniform—such as ribs, etc.—should be
carefully "matched" after their removal from the part
sheets. Matching is the process of holding the opposing
pieces together with either pins, tape or spot gluing and
lightly sanding the edges of the parts until they are iden-
tical. A sanding block with light garnet paper is most
useful for this and other phases of construction.
Your building surface should be at least large enough to
accommodate the wing. This surface should be as ab-
solutely flat as possible and yet be able to accept pins
easily. We have found that a product such as Celotex
fiber board works quite well for this purpose. Another
good surface can be found in most well-stocked hard-
ware stores—a 2' x 4' fiber board ceiling tile. These are
quite inexpensive and can be used for several airplanes
before needing replacement.
As with most R/C kits that are constructed from wood, a
selection of tools—most of which can be found in the
average workshop—are a must to do the job correctly:
• Hobby knife and sharp #11 blades
• Single-edge razor blades
• T-pins
• Sanding blocks in assorted sizes
• Sandpaper in various grits
• Hand-held hobby saw, such as an X-acto
• Dremel tool or power drill and assorted drill bits
• Straight-edge, preferably metal, at least 36" long
•90" triangle
• Soldering iron, flux (silver) and solder
• Carbide cut-off wheel for wire cutting
• Small power jig-saw, such as a Moto-Saw
• Razor plane
• Tapes, such as masking and cellophane
Our KtttiWakes were constructed using a variety of
common hobby adhesives including 5-minute epoxy,
cyano-acrylates, and 1-hour epoxy. Since all of us have
our own construction techniques and favorite
adhesives, stick with the ones you are familiar with and
prefer. However, in certain areas there will be cal louts for
certain types of adhesives, and we urge you to try not to
substitute since doing so could possibly cause pro-
blems structurally.
The last thing we should touch on before we begin ac-
tual construction is the sequence in which the KittiWake
is assembled. The sequence given to you in this booklet
has proven to be the most straight-forward and provides
the finished components in the order in which you will
need them to progress to the next assembly phase. Try
to stick with the building order presented here to avoid
mistakes.
Spread the plans out on your work surface, cover them
with a clear plastic material, such as the backing from a
roll of MonoKote® or plastic wrap and commence con-
struction.
WING CONSTRUCTION
It is important that you study the plans and illustrations
to understand how this wing is constructed. It is also at
this point that you make up your mind about the possible
addition of the optional landing gear set-up that we've
shown on the plans. The grooved trunnion block
material is a stock item by Sig Mfg. Co. (their #SH-655)
and the V dia. landing gear wire is bent from the pattern
provided on the plan. This set-up has worked well in ac-
tual practice. The rib reinforcements for the trunnion
blocks, RR-1 through RR-3, have been accurately
depicted for you on the plans. The addition of the op-
tional landing gear will permit you to use the model
either on the land or in the water. Additionally, Halico
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