Aeronca Champ 85

granpa · Post by **granpa** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:40 pm

I am in the process of building the Aeronca Champ 85. This is the first in the past 60 years.
Question 1: how do you hold the win in place while attaching when it is covered with tissue? Would it be ok to paper the wings on the bottom side and leave the top side until the wings are glued in place?
Question 2: For flight the plans call for 16 of an inch dowel to be inserted through the 1st two F1 wing ribs. I assume that I use one dowel fore and aft long enough to secure each wing. Again how do I line these doles up when the wings are covered with tissue?
Question 3:It would seem easier to install the rubber motor before the unit is covered with tissue....Comments?

Mustang621 · Post by **Mustang621** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:04 pm

I am by no means an expert at this so I will let questions 1 and 2 be answered by more experienced builders. But I usually install the motor after wrapping the fuselage before painting and putting the rest of the model together. I used a unfolded paperclip (large size) as a push rod/hook to feed the rubber band down the fuselage and hold it in place while i put the rear motor mount into its houseing (required poking out the tissue with the xcto knife) then once the band is housed in the rear mount I pull out the band and use a dowel rod in place of the prop to hold it together.

scigs30 · Post by **scigs30** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:17 pm

1. Cover the wings and fuselage separately. Do not put tissue on the root rib and were it glues to the fuselage, it needs to be wood on wood. I tack glue the wings to the fuselage before covering to make sure everything is good. Proper dihedral and proper fit. Then I take the wings off and begin covering. Once everything is covered and doped I begin to glue the wings back onto the fuselage. I use white glue and just hold each wing in place until dry. If you don't want to hold wing, then apply white glue and in some spots apply ca.
2. You align the dowels before covering. I don't use dowels, I just glue the wings onto the fuselage.
3. Put the rubber motor in after covering. You do not glue the thrust button in place, it needs to be removable.