Tips For Making Wing & Stab Skins - Top Flite CESSNA 182 SKYLANE Instruction Book

7. Pin the left and right S-3 and S-6 ribs to
the building board over their locations on the
plans. Adjust the height of the Stab TE to align it
evenly with the aft edge of the ribs. Glue the ribs
to the Stab TE and to the TE Center Brace with
thin CA.
8. Align and glue all of the remaining Stab
ribs to the TE.
Lightly sand a bevel along the front edge of
the Stab ribs to match the sweep angle of the
LE. This will give you a better fit and a stronger
glue joint.
9. Glue the two die-cut 3/32" balsa Stab
Gussets into the junction of S-6 and the Stab
TE. The Gussets should be centered between
the top and bottom of the ribs and Stab TE. Glue
the die-cut 1/8" ply Forward Stab Brace into the
slots in the S-1 ribs and to the inside edges of
the S-2 ribs.
10. Sand one end of two shaped balsa
Stab LE's to exactly match the angle at the
center of the Stab. Leave the outboard ends long
for the time being. Center, then tack glue the
Stab LE's to the forward edge of ribs S-1 and S-
6 and to the Forward Stab Brace (this will align
the LE). Glue the remaining ribs to the LE,
checking for straightness as you proceed.
11. Glue both S-7 ribs to the Stab LE.
10
12. Glue the 1/4" x 1/2" x 7/8" balsa Stab
Sub TE to the aft edge of S-7 and to the side of
S-6. Make sure that the Stab Sub TE is
positioned exactly 90 degrees to S-6.
13. Trim the Stab LE's flush with the S-7's.
Reinforce all of the joints with medium CA.
Sand the tips of the LE, sub TE, and TE flush
with S-7 and S-6.
14. Remove the pins, then lightly sand the
top surface of the stab frame to blend all parts
and remove any excess CA. Take care not to
change the shape of the airfoil.
HOW TO MAKE WING AND STAB SKINS
A. Wherever practical, pre-join the balsa
sheets to make a "skin" before attaching them
to the structure.
B. Many modelers like to sort the wood so they
can put the best wood with the most even
grain structure on the top of the wing and stab.
C. Make your skin larger than needed to allow