With the tow release designed, the next step was to plan out the radio gear placement BEFORE gluing up the fuse. I dry assembled the fuse using clamps, rubber bands and tape to hold things together so I could visualize the gear placement. I used the F5 bulkhead for mounting much of the gear. The ability to remove F5 and cut/drill mounting points proved very handy.
I assembled the fuse over the plans using a long piece of ply as a center line for holding the formers in place. Go slow and use a T-square, straight edge, and any other alignment tools you have on hand to insure the fuse is assembled straight and true. Once you have made any modifications for radio gear/etc and are ready to glue, use a slow drying glue and make sure you have plenty of clamps, rubber bands, and blue tape on hand for holding parts in position.
Pay particular attention to the tail section to insure it is straight, and F25 (the mounting point for the horizontal) is true and square with the fuse. It is also a good idea to place the wing rod in position and insure the wing rod is square with the sides of the fuse. Any potential problems are much easier to correct before the glue dries than after.
I decided to reinforce the area behind the F17 side formers with carbon mat. This should add strength to the wing rod and insure stress from this area is carried through to the bulkheads F5 and F6.
Next I installed the radio gear while I had easy access before adding the 1/8"x3/8" stringers.
Next time we will sheet the fuse.
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