dbacque
Posts: 385
Joined: 6/3/2005
From: Houston,
TX, USA
Status: offline
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Even if you put in a hatch, I don't think you'd get a tank in there without cutting the wing. But dont make the cutout before assembling the wing to the fuse!!! What happens is that with the angles of the upper fuse sides, it'll fool you into making the cutout too big and you'll have a gap where the upper fuse sides don't meet the wing. Guess how I know that!
Making the cutout after everything is assembled is difficult because you have so little access. That's how I did my second one and I thought I'd never get the LE cut. What I've found to be best is when you first jig up the fuse and wing, mark on the wing where everything will go. Be sure to consider the angle of the upper sides. Take the wing back out and cut the leading edge with a razor plane, but leave some room for mistakes. It'll be easy to cut it back later but making the through cut after assembly is tough.
When the wing is glued to the fuse, start fitting the upper fuse sides. Once you get the saddle trimmed to give you a good fit, mark the upper surface of the wing sheeting where the saddles fit. Now cut out the sheeting back to the spar, but again leave some room for error as well as remembering the thickness of the sheeting and the angle of the sheeting. You just want a start of the cutout, not exact size. When you get the upper sheeting cut out, you can go ahead and cut the bottom sheeting. Fit your tank, now is the time to finish trimming the LE back as far as you need for tank clearance. I use flex tanks because with work I can get it back out. It's a squeeze but with a lanyard around the flex tank I can pull it through the wing opening if I really have to. It's easiest to install the tank now, just make sure you can get it out later if you need to. I've never used a hatch. Now you're ready to install the upper fuse sides.
You're right, with the LE cut out and all the sheeting cut out for both the tank and the servos, there's not much left. But that's how the plane is built. But since it's a one piece plane, that strengthens things up a little. But that is the weak part of the plane. I've crashed 3 of these through the years and every time the wing snaps in two at the fuse. Oh well, they're built to fly, not to crash.
Oh and when you make the cut out for the servos, you're cutting the sheeting out both sides of the wing, top and bottom because the radio gear goes in through this hole up into the "canopy" area. Again, be careful when you're cutting the wing sheeting for this hole too or you may wind up with the upper fuse sides leaving a gap. This hole can be cut after the fuse sides are installed.
Watch the weight on this plane. I've had several and the lighter they are the better they fly. I've seen them built with all kinds of extras, even one with retracts! But every ounce counts on this plane. Keep it simple, keep it light and it'll be a killer plane.
Dave
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RE: Another Hots! - 
