Mount The Stab And Fin - Top Flite Douglas DC-3 User Manual

3/16" x 3/16" x 30" balsa stringer so it fits the LE of the
stab as shown in the photo (from here forward, all 3/16"
x 3/16" x 30" stringers will be referred to as just
stringers ). Cut the other end of the stringer so it ends in
the middle of former F6. Use a small square to hold the
formers vertical as you glue the stringer to them and to
the top of the stab saddle (but do not glue the stringer to
the stab).
15. Glue another stringer to the other side of the fuse
the same way. Cut a third stringer into two 15" pieces.
Glue them into the notches on both sides of the fuselage
where the other stringers end at former F6. Don't forget
to hold the formers vertical with a small square as you
glue the stringers in place.
16. Cut a 3/32" x 3" x 36" balsa sheet into two 1-1/2" x
36" sheets. Trim one of the sheets to fit between the
stringer and the sub stringer on the left side of the fuse.
Trim the aft end of the sheet so it ends in the middle of
former F10. Wet the outside of the sheet with water and
glue it in place.
17. Cut a 10" piece from a 3/32" x 2-3/4" x 30" balsa
sheet (save the 20" piece for use later), then cut the 10"
piece into two 1-3/8" x 10" pieces. Trim one of the 1-3/8"
x 10" pieces to fit the aft end of the fuse so it matches
the stab saddle and glue it in place. Note that this aft
balsa sheet only contacts the stab saddle near the front
but not the rear.
18. Glue the other 1-1/2" x 36" sheet and the 1-3/8" x
10" sheet on the other side of the fuse the same way.
DC-3 Fact
Without a modern passenger plane, TWA was not
about to let United Air Lines corner the entire
market with Boeing's 247. TWA initiated a
program of their own to develop a modern airliner.
Douglas responded with the most advanced and
the most controversial design, namely the DC-1.
TWA ordered one unit and in 1933 the first DC-1
rolled off the assembly line in Santa Monica,
California. The DC-1 was bigger and sleeker than
any other liner in the industry, including Boeing's
Model 247!

MOUNT THE STAB AND FIN

1. Remove the elevators from the stab. Mark the
center of the top of the stab at the TE (using the
centerline you marked while you were building the stab
as a reference).
2. Drill a 3/16" hole through the center of the stab
5/16" from the TE for the rudder torque rod tube. Use
the die-cut 1/8" plywood rudder torque rod drill guide
to hold your drill at the correct angle and make sure you
drill from the top to the bottom. Hint: Use a 3/16" brass
tube sharpened at one end to drill the hole.
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3. Thread a 6-32 nut (not included) all the way onto the
rudder torque rod. Cut the threaded portion of the rod
and file off the burrs so only 15/16" remains. Unscrew the
nut to clean up the threads. Install the nylon torque rod
horn so it is even with the end of the arm.
REFER TO THIS SKETCH FOR THE NEXT TWO STEPS.
4. Roughen the outside of the nylon rudder torque rod
bearing tube with coarse sandpaper. Insert the bearing
tube and the rudder torque rod in the hole you just drilled
through the stab. Place the stab on the stab saddle. Place
your fin and rudder on top of the stab next to the rudder
torque rod. Notch the LE of the fin as necessary to
accommodate former F10. Align the rudder torque rod
with the pivot point of the rudder as shown on the plan for
the fin and rudder you are building. The photo that follows
illustrates the scale fin and rudder but the procedure is the
same for the non-scale fin and rudder.