RE: Lightning Build
The front of the fuselage forms a "cage" that supports the firewall and also ties into the landing gear block. This structure will carry most of the load from the motor back to the rest of the fuselage. The longerons are 1/8" lightply, laminated on one side with 0.006 unidirectional carbon fiber. The firewall is 1/8" end-grain balsa laminated with carbon fiber. This is all connected to the rest of the fuselage with 1/8" balsa fuselage sides. The fuselage sides are reinforced with 1/32 plywood doublers around both the area of the wing mount and stab mount. I put lightply hard points in the fuselage sides for the wing attachment points and adjusters.