Balance The Airplane Laterally; Finishing; Final Sanding; Covering The Model - GREAT PLANES ElectriCub Instruction Manual

15. Temporarily install the elevator and rudder pushrods
by inserting them through the hatch opening and out the
pushrod exits. Install the clevises.
16. Operate the pushrods manually (with your fingers)
and inspect the installation carefully, checking that the
pushrods do not bind against each other or the formers.
BALANCE THE PLANE LATERALLY
SPECIAL NOTE: Do not confuse this procedure with
"checking the C.G." or "balancing the airplane fore and
aft."That very important step will be covered later in the
manual.
Now that you have the basic airframe nearly completed, this
is a good time to balance the airplane laterally (side-to-side).
Here is how to do it.
1. Temporarily attach the wing and motor to the fuselage.
2. With the wing level, lift the model by the motor shaft and
the bottom of the rudder (this may require two people). Do
this several times.
3. If one wing tip consistently drops when you lift the
plane, it means that side is heavy. Balance the airplane by
gluing weight to the inside of the other wing tip.
Note: An airplane that has been laterally balanced will track
better in loops and other maneuvers.

FINISHING

Final Sanding

Fill any scuffs and dings with balsa filler or by "expansion."
See Expert Tip below. After the filler has dried, use
progressively finer grades of sandpaper to even and smooth
all the edges, seams and surfaces. Remove all the balsa
dust from the model with compressed air, a tack cloth or a
vacuum with a brush.
Many surface blemishes on a framed model are caused
by bumps and balsa chips on the work surface. This type
of "ding" is best repaired by applying a drop or two of tap
water to the blemish, then running a hot sealing iron over
the spot to expand the wood fibers. After the surface has
dried, sand the expanded area smooth.

Covering the Model

The ElectriCub does not require much painting to obtain the
scheme shown on the box, as most of the finish is done with
Top Flite ® MonoKote ® covering. The only painting required is
the cowl, windshield frame, dummy engine and hubcaps.
The technique we will describe here is how the model
pictured on the box was finished. Remove the motor,
landing gear, windshield and control horns.
Cover the model with Top Flite MonoKote film, using the
sequence that follows. The use of a Top Flite MonoKote Hot
Sock ™ on your covering iron will prevent scratching the
MonoKote film.
Before you cover the fuselage, first apply 1/4" wide strips of
MonoKote film in the corners where the stab and fin meet the
fuselage. Proceed to cover the stab with pre-cut pieces that
meet in the corners and overlap the 1/4" strips. Do not, under
any circumstances, attempt to cut the covering on the
stab after it has been applied except around the leading
and trailing edges and the tips. Modelers who do this may
cut through the covering and into the stab. This will weaken
the structure to a point where it may fail during flight.
Some modelers prefer to cover the top and bottom of the
ailerons with one strip of MonoKote film. This is done by
covering the bottom first, then wrapping the MonoKote film
up over the leading edge.
We used Top Flite MonoKote Cub Yellow (TOPQ0220) to
cover our ElectriCub.
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