Because the canopy frame was so flimsy, I added a 1/64in ply instrument panel to the front. This brings the panel forward a bit from its true scale position. The wooden block on the back of the canopy locates under the top of the fuselage former.
The front of the canopy is held down by this wire clip, engaging on a batten which is part of the battery box.
The battery box is fixed by this screw through F1 and two screws through F2.
There is still a bit of scope for adjusting the battery position when the model is finally balanced. The battery box is removeable so I will add some internal guide rails at the last possible moment. That is a 5s 3000mah battery but there is plenty of room for a 6s if necessary. Battery access is through a top hatch so the canopy and pilot don't have to be disturbed to change the battery.
The simple balsa bench seat is supported on three 'runners' which slide under the leading edge spacer, retained by a small ply tab.
Once the area around the battery hatch had been sheeted and a few other bits and pieces tidied up, it was time for one last naked photo shoot before covering up all that hard work.
I covered the rudder first, just to get into the swing of things then tackled the wheel fairing. I was unsure whether the Solarspan would cope with the compound curves but it went on okay.
I was a bit apprehensive about covering the wings. Partly this was just because they are so big but also they are undercambered. In the event, although each large piece of film took over an hour to apply, the undercamber was not problem and the 'Profilm substitute' seemed to be of good quality, and was certainly more pleasant to work with than the red Solarspan.
Once the tailplane, elevator and trim tab were covered, the hinges were glued in place and the elevator linkage connected and centred.
I was concerned that the rather heavy and inaccurate canopy moulding might pull the frame out of shape so didn't want to cover the fuselage until the fit of the canopy had been confirmed. This resulted in some delay beacuse the moulding kept springing free from the frame. I kept on inserting slivers of balsa into the joint to take the stresses off it and eventually resorted to using small screws to hold the front corners in place.
While waiting for the canopy to stabilise, attention turned to the cockpit interior. Seat upholstery material is Funky Foam - another of my paint-avoidance techniques!
Eventually the canopy reached the stage where I could press on with the fuselage covering.
By the end of the month, the rear cockpit section was still unglazed. This was due to the acetate which I planned to use proving to be a bit too stiff and I didn't want a repeat of the struggle I had with the canopy. Also I couldn't find a good picture of the fuel gauge in the rear bulkhead.
How will this be resolved? Will the pilot be asked to do the maiden flight without instruments? (or a joystick for that matter!) Will the cowl match the covering? Will the model balance? What will it weigh? What prop should I use?
Hopefully all these questions and more will be answered in next month's thrilling instalment.
