Final Construction; Mount The Wing To The Fuselage; Build The Wing Fillet - Top Flite Douglas DC-3 User Manual

FINAL CONSTRUCTION

MOUNT THE WING TO THE FUSELAGE

1. Cut the 1/4" x 2-3/4" dowel into two 1-3/8" long
wing dowels. Round one end of both wing dowels and
glue them into the wing with 30-minute epoxy.
2. Trim the ends of the 1/4" x 1" x 5-3/8" plywood
wing bolt block so it fits between the fuse sides in the
inner wing saddles. Securely glue the wing bolt block to
the saddles and fuse sides with 30-minute epoxy.
3. Trim the balsa fuse sides so they are even with the
ply inner wing saddles. Make the wing fillet bases from
the 5" x 13" x 1/32" plywood sheet using the pattern on
the fuse plan. Tape both wing fillet bases to the inner
wing saddles in the fuselage.
4. Test fit the wing to the fuselage. If necessary,
slightly enlarge the holes in former F5 to accommodate
the wing dowels.
5. Use the pin-and-string technique to align the wing
the same way you did the stab, only this time stick the
T-pin in the center of the fuselage at the rear.
6. See the Hot Tip and the photo that follows and use
a #10 (or 3/16") drill to drill holes in the wing bolt blocks
in the fuselage. The wing must not shift during this
procedure or you will lose your alignment and you must
hold your drill perpendicular to the bottom of the wing.
Secure the wing to the fuselage with masking tape or
weights if necessary. Steady your hands and drill the
first hole. If you seem to have had difficulty with this
procedure in the past, you could just dimple the wing
bolt block by letting the spinning drill bit barely contact it
and backing off before you actually drill a hole. Remove
the wing and make sure you will be drilling near the
center of the block. Reinstall the wing, check alignment
and drill the other hole.
HOW TO MAKE A DRILL JIG
If you have a drill press (or if a friend will let you use
his), make a drill jig by drilling a #10 hole through an
approximately 1" x 1-1/2" x 2" hardwood block. Use
the block to hold your drill bit perpendicular to the
bottom of the wing as you drill the holes. This will help
you aim the drill directly toward the wing bolt blocks
so the heads of your wing bolts will rest flat on the
wing bolt plate in the wing. You can use this drill jig on
all your models.
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7. Take the wing off the fuse. Tap threads in the wing
bolt block with a 1/4-20 tap. Saturate the threads in the
wing bolt block in the fuse with thin CA. Allow the glue to
cure thoroughly, then re tap the holes. Enlarge the
holes in the bottom sheeting to accommodate the heads
of the wing bolts. Bolt the wing to your fuselage with
1/4-20 nylon wing bolts.

BUILD THE WING FILLET

1. Bolt the wing to the fuselage and view the model
from the rear. Observe the horizontal alignment between
the wing and the stabilizer. If necessary, loosen the wing
bolts and insert shims from leftover balsa between the
wing fillet bases and the fuselage to bring the wing into
alignment with the stab. Tighten the wing bolts.
2. Make sure the aft edge of both wing fillet bases end
at the trailing edge of the wing. If necessary, reposition
or trim the fillet bases to achieve this.
3. Cut the molded plastic wing fillets along the
cutlines. With the wing bolted to the fuselage, test fit the
wing fillets to the fuselage so you can see how they fit.