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Old 11-25-2003 | 08:17 PM
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Mike James
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From: Anchorage, AK
Default RE: B-17 Engine nacelle position

Ok, here's a front view which illustrates the problem. You have two "vertical" nacelles, at a known distance from the fuselage centerline, but the wing passes through them at an angle. To complicate matters more, there is a total of 3 degrees of aerodynamic washout in the wing.

The key here is (if the design allows) is to build the wing first... or at least enough of it to attach a pattern to. In my case, I'm making plugs for molds, so I went ahead and sheeted the wing center section.

First, find the point on the wing span-wise where the fore-aft centerline of the nacelle is. Measure the wing chord at that point, and print out an airfoil at that chord. Next, make a copy of the side view of the nacelle, and make a balsa pattern from it. Using your kit's side view as a guide, find the fore-aft centerline of the nacelle, and draw a line throught it. This automatically gives you the correct incidence line for your wing at that particular point.

Using the airfoil you printed out, align it on the nacelle pattern centerline, and cut that part of the nacelle out. (Leaving you with a balsa nacelle outline that's solid, but with the airfoil cut out.

Next, either slip the nacelle pattern onto the wing, or split in half (top to bottom) so that the two halves can be glued to the wing at the correct location. (Image #2) You can add some tabs, as I did, to elevate the wing off the table. Obviously, for the tabs on the outboard nacelles will be a little taller.
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