I found them Senrak! I was wondering what those items were in the plans. I also found where they are mentioned in the manual. The manual states to install them in step 33, while I am only at step 16! I should've read farther ahead...

That citabria is probably pushing 25 -30 years old. My dad built and covered it super coverite and painted it with k&b epoxy paint. (I will let you in on a secret of why it still looks so new), My dad only flew it a few times back when he built it and then he got out of the hobby for awhile and all during that time it was just hanging up in our basement untouched. After it was built, Ken Willard (who use to be a big time plan designer for RCM magazine and was a good friend of my dad) flew it in a photo shoot and wrote up an article in one of the issues of RCM Magazine. I recently pulled it back down from the rafters and put all new radio and battery equipment in it so I can fly it again.

That's quite a story DavidGeorge212![sm=shades_smile.gif] Enjoy flying that beauty!

I finished the second wing last weekend and got started on the middle wing section. That section is pretty straightforward and I hope to complete it this evening. The hardest part is getting the dihedral set; however, it just needs to be done precisely. The actual process is not to difficult.

I should say that one thing is a bit tricky. The instructions say to paste the dihedral guide to a piece of balsa. Fortunately, I realized (at the last minute) that I need to trace the guide first. If I cut it out of the instructions, I would have lost the back page!

I finished the center section! Well, I guess it's actually not done as it needs to dry a bit before I can remove it from the building board. Anyway, now it's time for some sanding of the wings and center section.

The only issue I had with the center section was that the instructions were not very clear about the construction of the spars. The instructions clearly stated that I had to carefully cut the ends of the spars to match the dihedral. However, they did not state that I was supposed to glue two pieces of wood together to make the spars. Fortunately, the completed spars were shown on the plans and in the instructions. I've included my own versions here....

Starwolf,
Keep up the good work. Your getting there.

Thanks Senrak, I appreciate the encouragement! I know that you recently finished a Citabria, what are you building now?

Gee,
Mostly repairs and maintenance for me latey. I've got a Hog Bipe that had a brush with the ground last season, so that is on the bench now. I have a Demoiselle that needs to be covered and set up. The next major project will be a DeHavilland Beaver from plans, which will go slow as flying season gets here. There is always more maintenance to be done in the summer.

I was just sanding the leading edge of a wing and the sanding block clipped a rib! [:@]

The first repair and it hasn't even flown!

I just built an Eagle 2 for my brother and I think I broke and re-glued very rib on the wing!

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, life caught up with me again.

I have a few new pictures. First, I fixed the rib that I cracked while sanding the wings. Second, I glued the wing halves to the center section. I thought that process went remarkably well. You'll notice that one of the pictures is a nod to the writer of another Citabria thread.

Now, I am in a bit of a dilemma. I'm trying to figure out how to translate the instructions for the next step. If I remember correctly, I was told to notch out the inboard wing ribs and glue the doubler in place. It looks like it is talking about the doubler in the front of the center section. However, I see no way of making a single notch. Instead, it seems that I would need to cut off the inboard ribs so that I can place the doubler behind them. I've included a picture to try to make my point. Please let me know if any of you have better ideas!

Looks like you're on the right track.

I bit the bullet and cut "slots" for the doubler on the inboard R2 ribs. The instructions called for "slots." You can see how I interpreted the instructions in the picture below. After doing that, it was rather simple to install the doubler. However, I should point out that I had to shorten it and then cut the ends to match the dihedral. Neither of these tasks was mentioned in the directions or plans. Then I glued the plywood plate to the front of the doubler.

Unfortunately, my favorite task now awaits... LOT'S-O-SANDING!

I finished the sanding of the doubler last night. It turned out OK and wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected.

I moved on to the next step which is to glue on some sheeting on the bottom and top of the leading edge of the wing. At that time I realized that I forgot to sand the bottom portion of the leading edge. Oh joy! More sanding to do!

The instructions state that I should do my best to prevent warping of the wing as I glue the sheeting on. Does anyone have any recommendations on the best ways to prevent warping? It doesn't look like I'll be able to tack the wing down to the plans very easily. Thanks in advance!

Hi Starwolf,
I'm glad you got that doubler figured out. I knew you could do it. Nice work.
Make sure that you sand that leading edge to match the plans and keep it straight along it's lenght. If you use a 2 foot long sanding block this becomes an easy task. When you are attaching sheeting it is important to keep the wing half that you are working on tight to your building board. Pin it tight in areas that will allow you to remove the pins later. You don't need the plans underneath it. If it's not flat and straight it's likely you will end up with a warped wing, and warped wings do not fly well. Pin it down so you can cover the top of the wing first. After the top sheet is on it is less likely to twist.
I like using contact cement (Weldwood) because it is the easiest method and holds on like grim death. Coat the framework wherever the sheeting will touch, and the underside of the sheeting with a thin coat. Let it dry to the touch. Line up the sheet. Use pins to slide it down and guide it into place. You only get one shot. You cannot move the sheeting after it is down. When the top is covered you will find that the wing structure is becoming more ridgid and it is easier to keep it flat and straight. Use the same method on the bottom. You may have to elevate your board to allow for the dehydral in the wing when it is upside down.
Good Luck

Thanks Senrak! I followed your advice and glued the top sheet on first even though the instructions state to glue to bottom sheet first. It was easier to pin the wing down doing it your way. I didn't use contact cement as I thought it would be too unforgiving. I used thick CA instead.

I then cut the holes for the aileron pushrods and glued the bellcranks together. Pretty easy, but I should have followed another poster's advice and drilled the holes for the pushrods before putting the wings together!

I glued the bell cranks in place. In order to position them correctly, I used a shim and marked it to the desired depth. Then I used the shim to position the bell cranks. The attached picture shows the shim next to the bell cranks.

I started working on the stabilizer while I was waiting for the glue on the bell cranks to dry. However, I've run into a bit of a problem trying to find a particular piece of balsa for the stabilizer center section.

The plans state that the center sheet of the stabilizer is to be made from a piece of 5/16 inch balsa. The plans and instructions also clearly show the grain of this balsa piece running perpendicular to the long axis of the fuselage. The parts inventory does not state which piece of balsa is for the center section. It does list a piece of 5/16x2x18 balsa for "stabilizer, elevator, fin, and rudder parts." However, if I try to use this piece of balsa, the grain would run the wrong direction. I guess that I could cut two pieces off and glue them together so that I can create a piece with the correct grain, but I'm not sure if this is the way to go.

Anyone have any ideas?

The grain should run across the stab. It is not unusual to glue two pieces together here. When you use CA to glue two pieces together the joint becomes stronger than the balsa you are gluing.

Thanks again Senrak! I sent an e-mail to Sig about my question too. Within a few hours, I received an informative response. It sounds like I am using the right piece of balsa. I was also told that this piece is so strong that it doesn't matter which way the grain is running. Nevertheless, I took your advice and glued two pieces together. You can still see where the two are joined. Here's what the finished piece looks like...

Starwolf, Your build is looking very nice. I can see you're taking your time, which is a very good thing. But are you having fun?

Hi Yel914! Thanks for the compliment. I have been taking my time, or rather, my 6 month old daughter has been taking my time!

I've also been working on a couple other projects around the house. I am trying to finish the basement, and am also building a set of cabinets for my shop.

Am I having fun? Yes! Gobs and gobs of it! I really enjoy building things, particularly these RC planes!

That Citabria was my first build when I reentered the hobby after a very long hiatus. I found myself sneaking down to the basement to work on it at 3 m more than once. It's definitely an addiction, but there's always therapy

Three am? I believe that I am sound asleep at that time. Although I really enjoy building these planes, I don't think I could work on them that late and still be up at 5 to get ready for work. [] I squeeze in my building time while my daughter takes her naps.

I've made a bit more progress, but nothing photo worthy. I've finished building the elevators, but need to sand them down. I've also made progress on the wing. I've soldered the elevator control linkages together under the center section and I have sheeted the center section. I started sheeting the areas under the bell cranks too. However, I noticed that the instructions state to use the 1/16 x 3 inch balsa for this. In order to cover up the bell cranks as shown in the instructions, I'll need to use 2 pieces of balsa for each bell crank.

I was going to fill in a couple of gaps between the sheets over the center section, but found out that my filler has dried out. It looks like I need to take a trip to the LHS!

Hey Starwolf, really enjoying reading about your Citabria build! Ihave been building the same one off and on for almost 2 years now (eek!). I am actually stuck on mounting the servo into the wing. Iam doing the bellcrank method, same as you, and can't figure out how you would mount the servo and still be able to service it in the future (if need be). The instructions mention something about a servo mount which Inever got, and the plans say something about using hardwood mounts that aren't included. Making them would be no problem at all, but you would have to screw the servo down first, and then glue the mounts into the wing and have the screw heads running towards theleading edgeof the wing. Anyway, I will be keeping an eye on your thread and patiently wait for you to get stuck in the same spot!

Cheers