TopNotch Products Mooney M-18 User manual

TOP NOTCH
Mooney M-18
Mooney Mite
ASSEMBLY MANUAL
Top Notch Products Company
PO Box 1051
Goodlettsville, TN 37072
Made in the USA

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
A word about laser cut parts and adhesives.
There are three primary types of adhesives recommended for constructing your model. They are CyanoAcrilate
(CA) in all viscosities, Aliphatic Resin Glue (carpenters glue) and Epoxy. CA is the primary adhesive to use
however there are times when it is not the best choice. They are:
When you need more time to carefully position a part than a fast setting adhesive will allow.1.
When attaching plastic such as a windshield (Use Pacer formula 560 here).2.
When gluing laser cut aircraft grade plywoods. The microwave set adhesives used in aircraft grade plywoods3.
ablates at a much higher temperature then the surrounding wood. As a result it burns the wood bers near by
leaving a thin charred edge. Fast setting CA adhesives do not allow time for the adhesive to penetrate this layer of
char and bond to the wood ber underneath. Use a slower setting adhesive such as Aliphatic Resin or for maximum
strength use Epoxy on aircraft grade ply parts. Lite Ply’s do not use this type of adhesive and do not suffer from
this problem.
To apply thin CA I recommend the Dave Brown pipets available at your hobby shop. Be sure to stretch the end
(pull it with a pair of pliers) to a thin applicator tip, as they are not supplied in this conguration and some folks
don’t know that you have to do this. No mention of this is made on the package they come in.
PIN REGISTRATION
A great shop technique introduced by Top Notch Products is the use of 1/8” piano wire pins to quickly and precisely
position laminated parts such as fuselage doublers etc. Many of the parts in Top Notch kits utilize this method
and are supplied with pinning holes. Take the time to construct two of these handy tools. Use two small hardwood
blocks and two short lengths of 1/8” music wire. Round the ends for easy insertion into the parts.
Below are two examples of this technique as used in the Cessna 195 kit. On the left, two re wall com ponents are
being assembled using the pins. Any time precision placement is required, this method is used. You will nd the
pinning holes are easily lled after completing the model. This method allows the use of fast setting adhesives such
as CA because the parts cannot be out of register. In the photo on the right, landing gear components are being
assembled with the pins. Precision placement of these parts is required to assure that the 1/8” landing gear wire will
t snugly into this assembly. In the background is the completed re wall assembly.
Use a sheet of Wax Paper to protect your plans. When assembling at sheets such as the stabilizer skins I recommend
laying the parts on a sheet of parchment paper. Assemble the parts, apply thin CA and frequently lift the part and
wipe up any excess CA from both the part and the paper with a piece of paper towel.
1
OK, LETS BUILD A TOPNOTCH MOONEY M-18

The vertical n and rudder assembly will employ most of the building techniques used in the rest of the aircraft so
we will start with these smaller parts. Note that I will go into detail on this assembly but will only refer to these
methods later on for the remaining assemblies. Even if you decide to build the model in a different sequence then
arranged here in the assembly manual, It would be wise to build the n and rudder assembly rst if only for this
reason.
Mooney M-18 Assembly Instructions
The stabilizer, vertical n and ailerons of the Mooney utilize core sheet construction. If you are not familiar with
this method of construction you will be pleased with the speed and ease of construction. In addition, this type
of structure is very light and very strong and conforms perfectly to the scale airfoil of the full-scale aircraft. You
will be building each structure onto a 1/16” balsa sheet cut with notches for all ribs, leading and trailing edges. It
is important to make sure that these assemblies are held perfectly at during the gluing process. Whatever shape
they possess when they are glued is the shape they will retain so keep them at.
£ 1Locate the vertical n components VC, V1 through V5, VTE, VLE and VT. Note that the tabs on the ribs
are longer at the trailing edge of the ribs then they are at the leading edge. The Mooney has a 29° forward
sweep of the trailing edge and that can be confusing while in the building process.
£ 2Install V1 into the appropriate notches
in the core sheet VC. Observe the cor-
rect size notches, the narrower end is
the leading edge. Hold V1 rmly at
against VC when applying glue, thin
CA is recommended.
£ 3Proceed to install and glue V2 through
V5 in the same manner.
£ 4Note that the trailing edge of VC has
notches for the trailing edge section
VTE. Be sure that VTE is seated in
these notches and then apply thin CA
while holding the assembly at against
the building board. Assembly of the vertical n underway with only one side completed. Note
the core sheet splice on the right. The tabs on the trailing edge will position
the sheeting when installed. The hinge pin openings have been capped with
balsa and the assembly is ready to be turned over and completed.
£ 5The leading edge has no tabs and is very
thin but it is installed in the same
manner. Use the edge of a straight edge to hold VLE rmly against VC while applying glue.
£ 6Install the hinge caps VHC at each hinge location. Note that each hinge cap is a different shape to accom-
modate that particular location. These caps will provide a pocket for the Robart hinges.
£ 7Flip the assembly over and repeat this process on the opposite side. V1 through V5, VTE, VLE and three
hinge caps VHC.
£ 8The Vertical Fin sheeting is supplied in two pieces that must be assembled before sheeting the n. Locate
and assemble VS. Select the best side for the outside and sand smooth while still at. Note the two notches
in VS will engage the two tabs on VTE to precisely position the sheeting.
2

£ 11
£ 9
3
Glue the sheeting (VS) to the n.
£ 10 Glue on VT to the tip on both sides.
Sand the n to nal shape.
The vertical n sheeting is assembled from two laser cut parts and then
sanded at before installing onto the vertical n assembly.
The vertical n assembly ready for sheeting. Note that all hinge pin open-
ings have been capped and the leading and trailing edges have been sanded
to contour with the ribs. Avoid altering the tabs on the trailing edge when
sanding to contour. They will be sanded after the sheeting is attached.
£ 12 Use a hinge to mark the trailing edge at
the barrel of the hinge. Remove a small
amount of material from the trailing
edge to allow the hinge to be seated with
the pivot point aligned with the trailing
edge. Note that when the hinge bottoms
in the opening provided your hinge line
will be laser straight.
After sheeting, VT pieces are added and sanded
to contour. Note the hinge pin openings are al-
ready provided and will assure a straight hinge
line.
When the hinge pins are bottomed in the hinge
pin holes, they are in the correct alignment. A
small amount of material must be removed to
accommodate the hinge barrel.
Assembly of the vertical n completed and ready for nal sanding and shap-
ing of the leading edge. Very little additional shaping is required to form a
perfect airfoil. Very light, very strong and very quick to build.

4
RUDDER ASSEMBLY
The rudder is composed of three sections that are glued together. The core sheet or center lamination con-
tains openings for the hinges as well as the rudder torque rod. You will use the pin registration method to
assemble these three components.
£ 1Locate and prepare one RC and two
RUD parts. Place one RUD on the reg-
ister pins. I do not recommend CA for
this assembly; instead use an adhesive
that you can spread a thin layer onto the
surface of RC. This can be Aliphatic
Resin or spray on contact cement. You
will want a thin but rmly glued joint
between the three sections when you
go to shape the nal part. Apply a thin
layer of adhesive to the correct side of
RC and then slide it down the pins into
contact with RUD.
One RUD part has been placed on the register pins and the core (RC) has
been coated with spray adhesive and is about to be pushed down the register
pins and into contact with RUD. Note that the rudder core sheet contains the
hinge pin openings precisely aligned with those in the vertical n. Also on
the right is a slot for the rudder torque rod. Note the half moon key at the left
end that will receive the tip assembly.
£ 2Apply a thin layer of adhesive to the re-
maining RUD and slide it down the pins
and into contact with the assembly. Re-
move from the pins and put under pres-
sure until cured.
£ 3The leading edge of the rudder assem-
bly will need to be double beveled to
accommodate the swing of the rudder.
I prefer to do this on a band saw set to
35° angle. Note that this will only work
before shaping the airfoil. Using a razor
plane will work as well.
£ 4Three 1-1/2” pieces of music wire are
used in the hinge pockets to hold the
rudder and vertical n in perfect align-
ment. Then the leading edge of the rud-
der is marked for shaping. On the left is the vertical n assembly with steel pins temporarily replacing
the hinge pins and on the right is the rudder assembly. The double bevel
on the rudder was cut using a band saw set at 35°. The rudder has been
removed from the steel pins after marking the leading edge with the n trail-
ing edge. The rudder assembly can now be tapered to match the n. The
rudder torque rod is only temporarily installed and will be removed before
nishing.
£ 5First plane the rudder down to the thick-
ness indicated by these lines and then
introduce into it the airfoil shape.
£ 6Assemble the two RT pieces and then glue onto the tip of the rudder. Place the assembly back onto the n
using the pins and mark the counter balance (the material that sticks forward of the hinge line) along the
n for a trimming guide. The counter balance should be the same width as the n. Then trim and sand to
contour with the rudder.

£ 2
£ 1
5
Locate the steering arm in the hardware
pack. The locking screw location must
be changed 90° so that it can be installed
through the side of the fuselage during
nal assembly. To do this, press the
brass barrel out of the nylon horn. Drill
a 7/64” hole in the nylon hub parallel to
the steering arm. Then press the brass
barrel back into the nylon arm aligning
the screw hole in the barrel with the new
hole in the nylon arm.
A nose wheel steering arm is used on the rudder but it has to be modied
as shown above. The brass hub is removed from the Nylon arm and a 7/64”
hole is drilled into it in alignment with the arm. The hub is then installed
with the locking bolt hole in alignment with it. A #4-40 x 1/4” socket head
bolt will replace the regular screw. The steering arm in the background is
the stock conguration. This will facilitate installing it through the side of
the fuselage during nal installation.
This concludes the assembly of the ver-
tical n and rudder assembly. Final in-
stallation of this assembly will be done
after installing on the aircraft and n-
ishing.
STABILIZER ASSEMBLY
Locate the stabilizer core sheet SC. Note that SC is supplied in two sections and must be assembled. Note
that there is a small web between the sides of the hinge opening at the root end. Remove this web before
proceeding with the assembly.
£ 2Locate and prepare all ribs, S1 through S7. Note that S2 and S3 have different geometry on the bottom for
the servo mount screw rails. Be sure to use S2-TOP and S3-TOP on the top side of the stabilizer. Assume
you will be assembling the top side rst.
£ 3Install and glue all top side rib sections. Use the same technique as you did on the vertical n section.
£ 4Install and glue the trailing edge STE. Note that it must align with the notches in the core sheet.
£ 5The leading edge SLE is quite thin and must be handled with care. Remove it from the sheet, clean off any
nubs left by the retainers and install onto the core sheet. Make sure it is at against the core sheet before
applying glue.
£ 6Install and glue all hinge caps, (six places).
£ 7Flip the assembly over and install all rib sections. Note that ribs S2 and S3 are labeled S2-BOT and S3-
BOT.

£ 8
6
Locate ESMR and ESM. Use three #1
x 3/16” stainless at head wood screws
to attach ESMR to ESM. Screw one
ESMR to each end of ESM. Test t
and then glue this assembly to S2-BOT
and S3-BOT in the notchs supplied.
Take care not to get adhesive on the
ply plate ESM. After the adhesive has
set, remove the screws and ESM. This
method will assure that ESM will t
perfectly after sheeting.
Partially assembled stabilizer section with only the bottom sheeting remain-
ing to be added. All components are clearly visible here. Note the servo
mounting screw rails between S2-BOT and S3-BOT, the hinge point caps,
and leading and trailing edges.
£ 9The stabilizer sheeting is labeled SS
with a T or a B for top or bottom. The
bottom sheeting has holes cut into it for
the servo plates and the servo wire exit
holes. Assemble two top and two bot-
tom sheets. They are comprised of three
sections each.
£ 10 Sand the leading and trailing edge of the stabilizer assembly to contour with the ribs,. This should only
require a few passes with sandpaper. Test t one of the top sheet assemblies. Assure that it lines up with
the center rib and the tip rib. Then remove it. Apply a bead of thick CA along the trailing edge and the
install the sheeting by inserting the notches in the sheeting into the tabs in STE. Turn the assembly and
while holding each rib rmly against the rib, apply thin CA. Do the aft half of each rib rst, then turn the
assembly around and complete the forward portion of the ribs. Then while holding the leading edge sheet-
ing against SLE, trickle CA down the inside of the assembly to glue the sheeting at the leading edge.
£ 11 Repeat this operation for the remaining top sheeting.
£ 12 To install the bottom sheeting, use ali-
phatic resin glue along each rib with the
exception of the area around the servo
bay opening. We will be trimming this
material later and will glue it after trim-
ming. Put a bead of thick CA along the
trailing edge STE and then place the
sheeting into the tabs on STE. Hold
this assembly at until the trailing edge
glue has cured. Pull the sheeting tight
and rmly squeeze it at the leading edge
while applying thin CA. Work your way
along the leading edge until complete.
Repeat this method for the remaining
bottom sheeting.
ESM is temporarily installed and used as a guide to cut the exact opening
for it. Note the counter sink on ESM so the screw heads will sit ush with
the surface.

£ 1
£ 13
7
Install one ESM into each servo opening
with #1 x 3/16” at head wood screws
and then use a sharp knife along the
edges of ESM to cut the sheeting to t.
Then remove ESM and the material that
you just trimmed off. Glue the sheeting
to the ribs and ESMR. Reinstall ESM,
make sure it does not stand proud of the
sheeting.
£ 14 Glue one STP on to the stabilizer tip on
both ends, top and bottom then sand to
contour.
£ 15 Sand the leading edge to contour.
This concludes the assembly of the stabilizer. A Top Notch Servo Mount is used to retain the HS81 servo to the Elevator
Servo Mount (ESM) as shown here. This assembly is then installed into the
stabilizer as shown below.
ELEVATOR ASSEMBLY
Locate and prepare the elevator core
sheet EC. Note that EC is composed
of two parts however we will assemble
them after shaping, similar to what we
did on the vertical n and rudder. Glue
the elevator horn plate (EHP) into the
slot in EC, and put the smaller EC aside
for now.
£ 2For now assemble the larger EC and
ES-B using the pin register method.
First a ES-B, then a EC and then an-
other ES-B.
The nished servo installation. Note that you will need a servo reversing Y-
Connector to reverse one of the servos to get proper operation.
£ 3You can use the band saw method or a
razor plane to double bevel the leading
edge of the elevators. Once again, use
an angle of 35°.
£ 4Once again, use three 1-1/2” music wire pins in the hinge locations to hold the stabilizer and elevator
rigidly together. Mark the leading edge of the elevator by running a pencil along the trailing edge of the
stabilizer. This will give you the correct taper for shaping the elevators.
£ 5As you did on the rudder, plane the elevator down to the taper indicated by the lines you have just
drawn and then proceed to add the airfoil shape.
£ 6Assemble the elevator counter balance tips consisting of the core and two ES-A parts. Install these as-
semblies on each tip and then sand to shape.
£ 7Once again, nal shaping of the elevators is easiest if you mount the elevators to the stabilizer with 1/8”
x 1-1/2” steel pins. These will hold the elevators rmly centered while you shape them.

8
£ 8Locate the elevator servo mounting plates ESM and the servo mounts SMS. Cut three pieces of scrap
1/64” plywood about 3/8” x 1”, these will be used as temporary spacers when mounting the servos. Note
that this procedure will be used and referred to for all wing servos as well. Place the servo into position
on ESM so that the servo arm will be centered in the servo arm opening in ESM. Place a piece of scrap
1/64” ply under it. Place one SMS at each end of the servo with a 1/64” ply scrap spacer between the servo
and each SMS. Using thin CA sparingly, tack SMS to ESM. Carefully remove the servo and the 1/64” ply
spacers. Now using thin CA, apply a liberal amount to secure ESM and SMS rmly together. After curing,
place the servo back into position with the ply spacers in place and drill the screw holes for the servos into
SMS. Remove the servo and spacers and saturate SMS with thin CA. After it cures thoroughly, re-drill the
screw holes and then install the servo. The assembly is now ready to install into the stabilizer.
This concludes the stabilizer and elevator assembly.
WING ASSEMBLY
A few notes on the wing construction before you begin. With this type of notch and tab engineering it is
necessary to initially assemble many of the components without glue. This is to facilitate adding internal
parts before the assembly becomes ridged and inexible. Please follow gluing instructions and do not
glue the assembly until instructed to do so. I cannot over emphasize the importance of having all parts
bottomed in their respective notches and tabs before applying glue.
£ 1Locate the false leading edge sections,
FLE-A, FLE-B and FLE-C. Use a
straight edge over the plans and aligned
with the aft edge of FLE-C and pin it
in place. Now locate FLE-C and place
it against the front edge of the straight
edge. Place some pinning tabs at every
other FLE-C stand off and using thin
CA, glue one to each stand off and pin
the tab to the plans. Proceed down FLE-
C until the entire length is secured to
the plans. Repeat this operation to FLE-
B and FLE-A. Note that all sections are
designed to overlap.
Wing construction begins by fastening the false leading edge sections rmly
to the building board. Where the wing break sections meet, the sections in-
terlace with a simple nger joint. A straight edge is used to align the sec-
tions with the plans and assure they are straight and at 90° to the building
board.
£ 2Locate SW-B, SW-T and all wing ribs.
W1 through W14 including W6-A, W6-
B, W7-A, W10-A and W11-A.
£ 3Use pin registration for all of the fol-
lowing rib sub-assemblies. Assemble
rib sub-assemblies W6, W6-A and W6-
B. Note that W6-A must be on the in-
board side of W6. W6-B must be on the
outboard side of W6. See the plan.
£ 4Assemble rib sub-assembly W7 and
W7-A,. Note that W7-A must be on the
inboard side of W7.

9
£ 14
£ 9
£ 5Assemble rib sub-assembly W10 and W10-A. Note that W9-A must be on the outboard side of W9.
£ 6Assemble rib sub-assembly W11 and W11-A. Note that W11-A must be on the inboard side of W11.
£ 7Cut a piece of cable tunnel tubing 10” long.
£ 8Slide ribs W7, W8, W9 and W10 onto this tube through the holes provided and in the proper sequence.
NOTE: The inboard section of cable tunnel can be installed after the wing is assembled through the hole
provided in W1.
Locate SW-B and slide ribs W2 through W13 into there appropriate slots.
£ 10 Locate SW-T and slide it down into the slots on
each rib next to SW-B. Use nesse here, as force
will only break parts. When everything is lined
up correctly the parts will just fall together.
£ 11 Taking care to assure that SW-B and SW-T are
perfectly ush, top and bottom, tack glue at both
ends. You will now have all ribs except root and
tip captive in the shear web assembly.
£ 12 Note the holes cut into SW-B and SW-T on op-
posing sides along the entire length of the assem-
bly. These are glue ports. Starting at the center,
squeeze the sheer web assembly from the top and
bottom to assure they are perfectly ush with
each other and then tack glue through the nearest
glue port. Repeat this process moving one bay at
a time and then return to the center and nish the
other end.
£ 13 Locate TE-A, TE-B and TE-C. The trailing edge
is comprised of an assembly of these three piec-
es. See the plan for the stack order. Use a single
pin (one of the pins you made for installing the
elevators will work) through the hole provided
for exact position. Note that TE-C also has hinge
pin holes in it so don’t confuse one of these for
the alignment hole. The alignment hole is on the
end of TE-C without a stand off foot.
Above, the wing leading edge is in position and fastened to the
bench. All ribs except the root and tip are in there appropriate
slots in SW-B and on the left is SW-T which will be installed next.
The outboard section of cable tunnel tubing must be installed
prior to placing the ribs into the shear web slots. Once SW-T is
installed, the ribs are captive in the sheer web assembly.
Place the trailing edge assembly into
position, most ribs will just tip into the
slots provided.
The trailing edge is assembled from three pieces. The 1/8” pin is used to get
the exact placement of the parts and the aluminum angle is used to keep the
assembly perfectly straight.
£ 15 Starting at one end, place the rib lead-
ing edge tab into the appropriate slot in
the false leading edge. Make sure the
rib is aligned correctly and that the parts
are bottomed in there appropriate slots
and notches. This is very important, as
it will affect the t of subsequent parts.
Glue all rib leading edges to FLE.

£ 18
£ 17
£ 16 Align and then secure to the building board, the trailing edge assembly. Use pinning tabs glued to the
stand off feet as you did on the leading edge.
Starting at the wing tip, glue each rib rst to FLE and then to TE. Assure that both FLE and TE are at on
the building board and that the ribs are bottomed in their appropriate notches and slots. Do not glue the
ribs to the shear webs at this time. Proceed down the wing until you get to W1. InstallW15 between W1
and W2.
Using a straight edge, check W1 for
straightness when all notches and slots
are bottomed. Make any adjustments
necessary and then glue W1 to FLE,
TE, the sheer webs and W15.
£ 19 Moving back out to the wing tip, glue
each rib to the sheer web assembly.
£ 20 Cut a 13” section of the 5/8” cardboard
tube and install it through the hole in
W1. Glue in place.
£ 21 Using a Dremel sanding drum or sharp
knife make an opening in the cable tun-
nel between W4 and W5 large enough
for the gear pneumatic lines.
£ 22 For maximum strength, revisit all glue
joints with a syringe and a small llet of
Aliphatic Resin glue.
Ply part W15 will later support the wing dowels along with the ply leading
edge. Note that the correct dihedral for W1 is set by the sheer webs. All
joints have now been glued and installing the top spar ange is next.
10
The top spar ange has been installed with Aliphatic Resin glue is curing
under the weight of a straight edge to keep things laser straight. Note that
the wheel well outliner is part of the spar ange and the lead weight is hold-
ing that down till cured.
£ 24 Install and glue WBP between W1 and
W2 at the trailing edge. Trim one end
of ller piece, WBPF to accommodate
the angle of W1 and install and glue on
top of WBP. Plane and sand WBPF to
contour with W1 and W2.
Next you will install the top spar ange.
You will notice that the top spar ange
also incorporates the gear bay outliner
and a small notch that will engage W2
for exact positioning. Before install-
ing the ange, sand out any nubs left
from the retainer tabs on the sheer web
assembly. The spar ange must be in
contact with the sheer web assembly.
Apply a liberal bead of Aliphatic Res-
in glue along the entire length of the
sheer webs and on each rib where the
ange will come into contact. Place the
ange into position and use a weighted
straight edge to hold the ange straight
and in contact with the shear webs until
cured.
£ 23

11
£ 25 Note along the top of the trailing edge
the small indentations to locate the ap
hinges. When you plane the trailing
edge to contour with the ribs in prepa-
ration for sheeting you will remove the
part that would be visible after sheet-
ing. To mark these locations for visibil-
ity after sheeting make a shallow saw
cut so that the kerf will be visible after
sheeting, then plane the trailing edge to
contour with the ribs.
£ 26 Install and glue W2-B Top to the out-
board end of WBP. Here WBP has been installed as well as WPBF and W2-B at the left end of
WBP. WBP (wing bolt plate) is lled ush to the ribs by WBPF and will sup-
port the wing sheeting when the wing bolts are installed.
£ 27 Glue two HPB (hinge point blocks) at
each hinge hole in TE-C, the aileron
bay.
£ 31 Locate one FSM (ap servo mount) and
one ASM (aileron servo mount) and a
pair of FSMR (ap servo mount rails)
and a pair of ASMR (aileron servo
mount rails). The rails will be glued to
the ribs and then the servo mounts will
be attached to them with #1 x 3/16” at
head wood screws. Determine the cor-
rect orientation of ASM and FSM and
countersink the screw holes for the at
head screws. They will sit ush to the
surface when nished. The easiest way
to assure that everything will line up
when nished is to temporarily attach
The ap and aileron mounts and their screw rails are temporarily assembled
and then the rails are glued into there respective ribs. The servo mounts
are then removed. This method assures perfect alignment of the components
The at head wood screws are countersunk to t ush to the surface of the
servo mounts. Note the materiel sticking out beyond the edges of the servo
mount. This will provide a small shelf to support the wing sheeting.
£ 39 Install and glue WBPF.
£ 30 Install and glue the bottom section of
W2-B.
£ 28 Carefully remove the pins holding the
assembly to the building board and turn
the assembly over. Do not remove the
stand off’s and pinning tabs at this time.
Were not quite through with them. Pre-
pare the bottom of the sheer web by
removing any nubs and then install the
bottom spar ange as you did the top
one. The exact position is correct when
the spar butts against W6 and lays in the
notches on the top of the ribs. The top
spar ange should be at on the bench.
To provide more support for the aileron hinge points, these hinge blocks
are added to the trailing edge of the aileron bay.

The aileron servo mount screw rails have been installed and the aileron
servo mount removed. The same method is used for the ap servo mounts.
Note the ange that protrudes out from under the servo mount will provide a
small shelf to support the sheeting when installed.
12
£ 32 Remove the dash cut material from
W3 in the area of the wheel well. The
easiest way to do this is to make a cut
anywhere in the center of this area and
then just tip it out. Install a scrap balsa
post at the three locations indicated on
the plans and sand to contour with the
wheel well opening.
the screw rails (ASMR and FSMR) to
the servo mounts with the mounting
screws. Then glue the assembly (rails
only) to the ribs. Then remove the
screws and the servo mounts. Note that
the hinge block nay interfere slightly
with the aft servo mount rail. Remove
enough material from the block to al-
low ASMR to seat into its slot.
£ 33 Locate the 1/64” ply wheel well bay
liner (WWL) and install and glue into
the wheel well. Trim and sand it ush
with the spar ange/wheel well out-
liner.
£ 34 The wing is now ready for sheeting.
You can prepare the sheeting to the dia-
gram on the plans for best results. Sand
the outside of the sheeting prior to in-
stalling onto the wing. Trim the sheet-
ing about ½” over size.
The dash cut material in W3 has been removed and three scrap balsa post
sections have been added to help support the 1/64” plywood gear bay liner
that will be installed next.
£ 35 Plane and sand FLE to contour with
the ribs. Plane and sand TE to contour
with the ribs. Shave a 1/32” depression
in TE to accept the ap hinges. Try not
to get glue in these when attaching the
wing skins.
£ 36 Place the wing assembly back onto the building board and tack into place using the pinning tabs. Once
again assure that both the leading edge and trailing edge are at on the building board. Using Aliphatic
Resin glue, run a liberal bead along each rib, the leading and trailing edge. DO NOT glue the sheeting to
the spar ange. Place the sheeting into position on the wing and weight the sheeting down. Use pins along
the leading and trailing edge, one about every half inch. Use a few cloths pins at the trailing edge root.
When cured, trim all balsa sheeting ush with the wing.

13
The gear bay liner has been installed and the retract has been temporarily
installed to check all clearances. Note the addition of 3/8” triangle stock to
the gear mounting plate. Not visible here is the small opening that has been
cut into the servo cable tunnel tube between W4 and W5 to accommodate
the retract pneumatic line.
£ 37 Revisit all rib and sheetg joints with a
bead of Aliphatic Resin glue.
£ 38 The bottom sheeting requires a differ-
ent approach. To hold the wing in the
correct position and avoid altering the
wash out, three jig pieces are used to
support the assembly while the bottom
sheeting is installed. Locate and assem-
ble the sheeting jigs from sheet #39.
They are designed to support the wing
in the correct position when located at
W2, W8 and W13. Tack them to the
bench to help stabilize the assembly.
RIGHT: The wing jigs for installing the bottom
sheeting. They will support the wing assembly
and prevent changes in wash out during the
sheeting procedures.
£ 39 The landing gear mount (LGP) is lami-
nated from two 1/8” aircraft ply sec-
tions. Use pin registry and assemble the
landing gear plates. Locate the holes for
your gear and drill for the blind nuts.
Keep your gear leg as short as possible
(retract should be as close to wheel well
as possible). Use four #6-32 blind nuts
in the landing gear plate. Note that they
will have to be trimmed so they do not
hang over and interfere with the retract.
Install the modied blind nuts and then
using Epoxy, glue the gear plate as-
sembly into place. Back up all rib/plate
intersection on the top side with trian-
gle stock or scrap balsa for additional
strength.
Top photo shows the landing gear plate (LGP) being assembled on the reg-
istry pins. Below, the nished landing gear plate ready to install. Note that
the blind nuts have been trimmed so they do not interfere with the retract
when installed.

14
£ 40 Place the wing in position on the jig
and apply Aliphatic Resin glue to all
ribs, leading and trailing edges. Do not
apply glue to the areas immediately
around the servo hatches or along the
bottom spar ange. Do glue around the
wheel well opening.
£ 41 Place the sheeting in place and weigh
it down. Once again use plenty of pins
along the leading and trailing edges.
£ 42 After curing, trim the sheeting to the
edges of the wing. Locate the gear bay
and starting in the center, work your
way out and trim out this area.
£ 43 For the aileron bays, start in the cen-
ter and work your way out to the inside
edges of the bay. Slowly work your way
back just far enough to locate the center
screw hole on ASMR and FSMR. Now
install the servo mounting plates with
the at head screws and use the edges
of the mounts to cut the material along
the edges. Remove the servo mounts
and then the material that you have
just cut. After cleaning up any remain-
ing material and after you are satised
with the t, glue the inside edges of the
sheeting around the servo opening.
£ 44 Glue on the outer leading edge, use pins
to hold it into position and tape to pull
it into contact with the wing. Bevel the
end of the inner leading edge section
for a tight mortar with the outer lead-
ing edge section. Trim the leading edge
ush at the wing tip.
£ 45 Assemble the wing tip block from three
laminations of WT and glue onto the
wing tip.
£ 46 Plane and sand the leading edge and
wing tip to nal shape. After shaping,
carefully cut the tip ush with the trail-
ing edge. Save the cut off sections for
the aileron tips.
This concludes the main wing panel, build the remaining panel in the same manner.
The left wing panel assembly nearing completion. The top sheeting has been
installed and the assembly is placed in the bottom sheeting jigs. These jigs
will support the wing and prevent any distortion of the wash out during the
sheeting process. For all of it’s complexity, at this stage it appears to be a
relatively simple structure.

15
WING WING PANEL ASSEMBLY
£ 1Sand the root ends of the wing panels
as at as possible. Cut two ¼” x ½”
dowels and glue them into one of the
wing panel root ribs where indicated
on the plans. These will serve to align
the two root ribs and assure that both
wing panels are at the same incidence
without any guesswork. Cut a piece of
scrap balsa 9-1/2” long to prop up one
panel. Place one panel at on the bench
with waxed paper under the root end
and weight it down. Place the remain-
ing wing panel into position and prop
up the tip with the scrap prop stick. If
everything looks good, mix up a batch
of microballons and Epoxy. Apply a lib-
eral application of the mixture around
the perimeter of the root rib and then
join the two panels. Use rubber bands
at the trailing edge and long strips of
masking tape at the leading edge to
pull the two panels together.
The wing joiner consists of three layers of 1/64” ply at the junction of the
spar anges. The wing halves are glued with a slurry of micro balloons and
Epoxy to ll any gap in the center section. This method yields a very strong
true I-beam spar that is contiguous from tip to tip.
£ 2When cured, locate the ply wing joiner
pieces (WJ). The wing joiners consist
of three layers of 1/64” plywood that
join the top and bottom spar anges.
When installed, the wing spar will be
one contiguous I-beam from tip to tip.
Remove the 1/16” balsa sheeting at
the root. Use WJ as a template. Apply
Epoxy to the top spar ange and then
press into place one WJ. Add another
layer of Epoxy and another WJ, repeat
this process one more time to complete
the top wing joiner.
The self leveling wing dowel plate is attched with Epoxy after leveling the
wings. The trailing edge is shimmed up 1”. After curing the stand portion
of WDP is removed and then the 5/16” holes are drilled through W15 us-
ing WDP as a guide. This assures perfect alignment with the dowel holes
in former F2. The 1/8” positioning dowel through W1 and WDP assures
the correct location of the wing dowels.
£ 3Install the bottom wing joiner in the
same manner.
£ 4Use thin CA to tack one end of the 1” wide berglass tape to the trailing edge at the center section. Pull the
tape tight and CA at the leading edge. Repeat this on the bottom of the wing and then Brush in nishing
resin to glass the center section.
£ 5The wing dowel plate (WDP) will be installed next. Note the WDP has a bracket at the bottom that will
hold it level when placed on the bench. Place the wing on the bench with the trailing edge blocked up 1”.
Use a 1/8” dowel in the opening provided in W1. This will engage the hole in WDP for exact position of
the wing dowels. Use Epoxy to attach WDP, level the wings and check WDP for square to the bench.

16
£ 6Drill the 5/16” holes for the wing dowels using WDP as a guide. Install two wing dowels. Leave about
1/4” protruding.
This concludes the wing assembly
FLAP ASSEMBLY
£ 1Locate the ap components, FL-1, FL-
2, FL-3, FL-4 and FHP. Install and glue
FHP into FL-3.
£ 2 Use the register pins and assemble the
ap starting with FL-4. Note that you
must assemble a left and a right ap.
This is determined by the orientation of
FL-3. Make sure that when you install
FH-2 that the hinge openings are on the
same side as FHP in FL-3. Use spray
contact adhesive and place the assem-
bly under pressure until totally cured.
£ 3If you have a band saw, that is the easi-
est way to shape the aps. See the plans
for the correct angles to set the saw. If
not, use your plane and sandpaper to
shape the aps. Remove a small amount
of material from FL-1 and FL-3 at the
hinge locations to allow the hinge to set
into the ap slightly to reduce the hinge
gap.
£ 4Tests t the aps to the wings with
hinges and install the ap horn tem-
porarily. The ap should allow at least
35° of deection.
The ap hinge blocks are glued into FL-3in preparation for laminating the
ap assembly. Note that you must assemble a left and a right ap, they are
different.
The ap assembly shown temporarily mounted to the wing. Cutting the
shape on a band saw is quick and easy but must be done accuratly.
This concludes the ap assembly
AILERON ASSEMBLY
£ 1Locate and prepare the aileron
components, ACS, A1 through
A5, ALE and AHP.

17
£ 2Glue the aileron horn plate (AHP) into
the slot provided in ACS.
£ 3Note that you must build a right and a
left aileron. Best to lay out both ACS
sheets, one with the tip at the left and
one with the tip at the right. Mark TOP
on each one to prevent building two of
the same side. Install and glue A1-TOP
through A5-TOP.
£ 4Install ALE-TOP. Once again assure
that the leading edge and core sheet are
held at against the bench while apply-
ing CA.
£ 5Install and glue all hinge caps AHC-1.
AHC-2 and AHC-3.
Above, the ailerons are being assembled over a piece of parchment paper.
One aileron has been completed on one side and will now be turned over
and completed. Note the 1/16” ply horn plate installed into the core sheet
at the top of the photo.
One aileron assembly completed and another ready for sheeting. The hinge
caps and aileron horn plate ller have been installed and the all surfaces
have been shaped to contour in preparation for sheeting.
End view if completed aileron assembly showing the core sheet, leading
edge, A-1 rib and sheeting. Very light and very strong.
£ 6Install and glue AHPF.
£ 7Turn the assembly over and install A1-
BOT through A5-BOT.
£ 8Install ALE-BOT.
£ 9Install the hinge caps on the bottom.
£ 10 Install and glue AHPF on the bottom
over the aileron horn plate. This will
act as ller between the sheeting and
the horn plate.
£ 11 Plane the leading edge and AHPF to
contour with the ribs in preparation for
sheeting on both sides.
£ 12 Glue on the top aileron sheeting but
do not glue it to the ACS at the trailing
edge.
£ 13 Glue on the bottom aileron sheeting
but do not glue it to ACS at the trailing
edge.
£ 14 Not gluing to ACS was to prevent
building a in a reex at the trailing
edge. Turn the aileron assembly so that
the trailing edge is facing up and run a
bead of thin CA along the trailing edge.
Place the trailing edge under pressure
so it will bond to the last 3/8” of the
core sheet. This will make a hardened
trailing edge that can be tapered to ac-
commodate the airfoil shape.
£ 15 Locate and glue on the wing tip sections you removed when making the wing.
£ 16 Plane and sand the trailing edge to contour.
This concludes the aileron assembly

FUSELAGE ASSEMBLY
£ 1The fuselage sides are assembled from
three sections. Locate the sections and
remove any nubs along the splice line.
Do not remove the servo opening in the
aft section of the left side; this will be
removed after assembly. Lay the two
parts at and glue together. Glue on
FSC over the joint. Note that you will
need to make a left and a right side and
the FSC will be on the inside.
£ 2Glue on SSD, the stabilizer saddle
doubler along the stabilizer saddle.
£ 3Use the register pins to install the 1/64”
ply fuselage doublers. Apply a bead
of thick CA around the perimeter and
along the former lines and then slide
the doubler down the pins and into con-
tact with the fuselage side. After this
has cured, apply thin CA along all of
the lightening hole edges.
£ 4Determine your power, electric or glow
and locate the appropriate rewall sec-
tions. The rewall is laminated from
two 1/8” ply sections, lite ply for the
electric version and aircraft ply for the
glow version. Use pin registry and glue
the two-rewall layers together. If you
are assembling the glow rewall I rec-
ommend using Epoxy. For the electric
you can use thick CA.
£ 5If your using a glow set up, now is the
best time to locate your motor mount
bolts. Use the centerlines or the offset
centerline indicated on the rewall to
locate, drill and install the #8-32 Blind
Nuts.
18
£ 6To simplify and speed construction,
there several subassemblies to con-
struct before beginning assembly of
the fuselage sides. The rst being F2,
F2-A, F8, two F10 and the completed
rewall.
CENTER: The fuselage sides are assembled from three sections of 1/8”
balsa. The 1/16” balsa scab covers the joint at the tail section.
BOTTOM: The stabilizer saddle doublers are attached. Note the rudder
servo opening. This will be that left side.
TOP: The 1/64” ply fuselage doublers are installed using CA and the pin
register method.

£ 7
19
Assemble F2 and F2-A using the reg-
ister pins.
£ 8Place the F2 assembly on the bench
with the F2-A side up. Install and glue
two F10 and the F8 battery/tank shelf.
Use Epoxy for this assembly.
£ 9Glue the rewall assembly to the front
of the F2 assembly.
£ 10 Locate the two-nose gear mounting
plates (NGP) and laminate them using
the pins and install four #6-32 blind
nuts.
£ 11 Locate and glue the three NGPB sec-
tions, align them carefully with the
center one being the one with the tab
at the back.
£ 12 Install NGP and the brace NGPB with
Epoxy to the front of the rewall. You
may have to sand a small amount of
material off of the tabs on NGP to get a
ush t with the rewall. Note that the
blind nuts must be facing up.
£ 13 The fuselage sides are rst joined with
the F2 assembly, F3 and the cabin oor
F9. Use Epoxy and clamp each former
at all four corners to assure that the
sides conform to the formers shape. Do
not attempt to glue the sides to the re-
wall at this time.
£ 14 After curing, use Epoxy to form the
sides to the rewall. Glue in the balsa
gussets (FG) as necessary above and
below F9. Saturate these with thin CA
for additional strength.
£ 15 Locate the tail alignment wedge (FTB). Sand a slight angle into the stabilizer saddle doubler (SSD) to ac-
commodate pulling the sides together at the tail. Install and glue FTB checking that both sides are exactly
parallel. Use some scrap 3/32” balsa cross grain to sheet the tail section from the stabilizer platform to the
at area on the bottom.
The rewall is being assembled from two 1/8” plywood sections. Epoxy and
pin registration are used. Note that this is the glow rewall and is cut from
aircraft ply while the electric rewall is cut from two sections of lite ply.
This forward fuselage sub-assembly speeds the assembly. It consists of the
rewall, F2, F2-A, F10, F8 and the nose gear mounting assembly.
£ 16 Locate WNP and install two #1/4 x 20 blind nuts.
£ 17 Install WNP to former F4. Use the braces WNPB to set the correct angle for WNP.
£ 18 Use Epoxy and glue the F4 assembly into the fuselage assembly. Note that the wing bolt plate (WBP)
must face aft in the fuselage.