Install The Control Horns - Top Flite Contender User Manual

5. Drill a 3/32" [2.40mm] hole, 1/2" [13mm] deep in
the center of the hinge slots. Use a rotary tool with a
3/32" [2.40 mm] drill bit or a carbide cutter for the
best results. Re-insert your knife blade to clean out
the slot after you drill the hole.
6. Test fit the elevator halves to the stab with
the hinges.
7. Position the elevator joiner wire on the trailing
edge of the stab and center it between the elevators.
Mark the LE of both elevators where the joiner will enter.
8. Cut a slot in the leading edge of both elevator
halves to accommodate the joiner wire. This can be
done easily with the Great Planes "Groove
Tube"™ as shown in the photograph. Hint: If you do
not have a Groove Tube, use a 5/32" [4mm] brass
tube sharpened at one end to cut the slot.
9. Accurately drill holes in the elevators for the 1/8"
joiner wire. Begin by drilling a 1/16" [1.6mm] pilot
hole. Then drill the final hole to a depth of 7/8"
[22.2mm] with a 9/64" [3.6mm] drill bit. (The hole is
drilled slightly oversize to allow for positioning and to
create a hard epoxy "sleeve" around the wire).
10. Roughen the joiner wire with coarse sandpaper,
then clean the wire thoroughly with alcohol to remove
any oily residue.
11. Test fit the joiner wire into the elevators. Then,
glue it in using epoxy. When gluing, lay the elevators
on a flat surface with the LE along a straightedge to
insure perfect alignment. Cover the top of the joined
elevators with a sheet of wax paper. Then, lay a flat,
heavy object on top. A telephone book works well.
This will insure a true flat elevator assembly when
the epoxy cures.

Install the control horns

1. Place a large control horn at the location
indicated on the elevator plan and rudder plan. Use
a ballpoint pen to mark the location where the holes
need to be drilled.
10
2. Check for correct alignment. Drill two 3/32"
[2.4mm] holes for the control horn mounting bolts
through the rudder .
3. Repeat step 2 for the right half of the elevator.
4. Apply a small drop of thin CA in the holes to
harden the wood. Redrill the holes after the CA
has hardened.
5. Attach the control horn to the left side of the
rudder with two 2-56 x 1/2" [12.7mm] machine
screws.
6. Attach the control horn to the bottom right side
of the elevator with two 2-56 x 1/2" [12.7mm]
machine screws.
There, that went pretty quick. If your workbench is a
mess, clean it off and get ready to move on to the wing!