Hi ,

I was wondering what the best way to assemble the main components of the aircraft ... ?

Should I install the uncovered wings to the fuse , then cover the major assembly ( I'm thinking a wood to wood bond would be stronger ) ?
I'malso thinking epoxy is the way to go for the wing / fuse bond ?
One last question ...

Is it proper to cover the horizontal stab and vertical stab with silkspan ?

Thanks for letting me bend your ear(s)

Hi Rob,

You can do things either way.  Some like to completely finish, up through covering, all the major components then assemble them.

Others cover everything after the parts are assembled.

If you are using the traditional dope/silkspan process, it is no problem.  Do use epoxy on the wing/fuselage joint.

If you are using any of the iron on films, you will need to remove the film where you are going to glue the joints.

Precovering everything before assembly makes the covering job easier, but I tend to poke holes in the wing if I do it that way!  LOL!!  So I cover everything but the wing usually, then cover it after gluing everything up.

Bill <><

  Hi Rob,
  Just personal preference but I like to cover the wing after it's mounted to the fuselage, mainly because nearly always I have to tweak a few things to get everything mounted properly and don't want to risk puncturing the silkspan whilst handling the wing.
 
 Cheers, Rob.