Prepare The Wing For The Top Sheeting - Top Flite P-47D THUNDERBOLT User Manual

NOTE: The steps below show the sheeting of a
wing with functioning flaps. Wings without flaps are
sheeted the same way.
4
. Fit one of the 1/16" x 6" x 30" balsa skins you
just made in place on a wing panel, with one edge
butted against the LE. Trim the leading edge at the
tip to match the sweep of the wing outboard of
W-11. After you are satisfied with that fit, trim the
trailing edge so it ends at the center of the bottom
main spar. Save the large scraps of sheeting. Trim
the root of the sheet so it ends at the seam
between the W-1's and trim the tip about 1/4" past
W-13. Make both Forward Bottom wing skins.
5. Place the wing upside down on your flat
building table as it was when you were gluing the
two halves together. Use the wing dihedral block
and the wing jig sticks.
NOTE: The bottom of the wing must be
sheeted with the jig tabs on the dihedral
block and the wing jig sticks in position to
avoid twists.
6. Apply a bead of thick CA to all of the structure
that the front wing skin half will touch. Press the
wing skin down onto the frame and hold it until the
CA cures. Use masking tape or T-pins if
necessary. Hint: Even if you use thick CA you still
must proceed rapidly while positioning the wing
skin. Many modelers prefer aliphatic resin for
gluing wing skins in position. This allows much
more time to accurately position the wing skin.
T-pins should be used to hold the skin to the ribs.
Hint: The best balsa filler, is no balsa filler! Take
your time fitting all sheeting and skins in place.
With a little bit of careful sanding you will be
rewarded with perfectly matched joints and a
lighter, stronger airframe.
7. Glue the other forward bottom wing skin to
the wing.
8. Make the Aft Bottom wing skins. The trailing
edge of the aft bottom sheet doesn't have to be cut
perfectly – it only needs to cover the inner and
outer trailing edges so make the skin just a little
wider and trim it later. Cut the aileron pushrod exit
and glue 1/16" balsa strips to the inside of the
sheeting on both sides of the exit. Fit both skins.
9. Glue the aft bottom wing skins in place.
NOTE: If you are not building flaps, there should
be no gap between the flap and the aft bottom wing
skin. Use the strip of sheeting removed from the
forward skin halves to fill this gap. Remove jig tabs
from the W-1 and W-11 ribs.

PREPARE THE WING FOR THE TOP SHEETING

1. Use a T-pin to poke a hole through the
bottom sheeting in the four corners made by the
flap servo hatch rails and the ribs. Use the 1/16"
ply flap servo hatches and the pin holes as a guide
to remove the bottom wing sheeting for the flap
servo hatch.
2. Make the Outer Aileron Pushrods from
the 4" Threaded End Rod. Use a Nylon Clevis
- 35 -
with a Clevis Retainer on the horn end and a
Nylon Faslink on the bellcrank end. Make the
pushrods the length shown on the wing plan
top view.
3. Enlarge the outer hole (that the Faslink will
connect to) of both bellcranks with a 5/64" (or #49)
drill bit. Install the pushrods with the Faslinks.
4. Make the left and right Inner Aileron
Pushrods from one 36" Threaded Both Ends
Rod. Start by cutting a left pushrod that is 17-1/2"
long and a right pushrod that is 15-5/8" long. Cut
six 1/4" long pieces from the inner pushrod tube
and slide three evenly spaced pieces onto
each rod.
5. Use silver solder to solder a brass
Threaded Coupler onto the non-threaded end of
each rod. Thread the Dual-end Ball Link onto
the threaded coupler of only the left (longer)
pushrod and slide it into the pushrod guide in the
left wing. Slide the other pushrod into the guide in
the right wing.
6. Screw a Clevis with a Clevis Retainer
onto the "bellcrank end" of each pushrod. Screw
the threaded coupler of the right pushrod into the
dual-ended ball link (two pliers will be required for
this operation).
7. Temporarily connect the clevises to the
bellcranks. Adjust the length of each rod by
screwing or unscrewing the clevises as required.
The length of the rods is correct when both
bellcranks are positioned at 90 degrees to the
support (AB). Snap the clevises onto the
bellcranks, then position the clevis retainers.