Erwin building instruction November 2006
6. Fuselage
Before you glue the two parts of the fuselage to each other,
you have to fix the balsa-frame, which supports the
aluminium rods for the elevator, into the rear part of the
fuselage. The easiest way to do so, is to push the balsa part
with a rod backward as shown besides.
Check the alignment of the V-tail regarding the axis of the
fuselage, so that it is fixed symmetrically.
To do this, mount V-tail and wing on the fuselage. Look at
Erwin from the front and slowly lower the tail, until the ends of
the elevator disappear behind the wing.
If both ends of the elevator disappear at the same time, the
V-tail is aligned correctly.
If the V-tail isn’t aligned correctly, chamfer the edges of the
fitting. Put the two parts of the fuselage together again and
turn one part until the V-tail is mounted symmetrically.
Additionally, check the difference between the aerodynamic
angles of wing and elevator (0,5°):
Underlay the fuselage with 11mm at the point where you put
the rear and the front part together. If you can’t adjust the
parts in this way, you’ll have to grind at the connecting spot
of the fuselage until it fits correctly.
If everything fits, glue the parts together in this position. Use
epoxy-glue and some cotton flocks to thicken the glue.
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