Wing cores

I do something a little different than most here. I like to honeycomb the outer 1/3 of my wing panels. It reduces mass at the tips, and makes snapping and spinning manuevers more controllable. That's the theory anyway, it seems to work in practical application.

Otherwise, just sheet as normal. Note that you can't use a vacuum on a honeycombed wing panel, it will either distort or crush.

I start out by cutting a piece of poster board the shape of the wing panel. Cut it just a little bigger chord-wise, and then place it between the shuck and the core. Align the TEs and mark the LE line in this condition. Trim the poster board until it's a perfect match when layed on top of the core.

Now make a second piece just like it. Tape the TEs together length-wise, so they lay on top of each other, "hinged" at the TE.

Lay out a diagonal pattern as shown in the pic, leaving the strips of foam about 3/8" wide. Don't make them too far apart as this will weaken the wing and distort the sheeting. 3-4 inches is about right. Make sure you don't get close to the hinge line or the spar locations. Go ahead and make a cut out for your servo box as well.

When satisfied with your pattern, place it around the wing core and tape it securely.

Either using a long, sharp blade, or better yet a hot knife, cut away the voids. A hot knife works really well for this; you can get them at CST or any foam supplier for less than $20.