chapter_13_1

Chapter 13: Nose Box


Okay, time to make this boxcar look like a real fuselage. Chapter 13 is one of those chapters in which you buy a lot of prefabricated components and hardware. I am using Jack Wilhemson's NG6 strut casting (very nice piece of hardware), Featherlite's pre-fabricated nose strut, nose cone, nosewheel bowl, and the strut cover, and Steve Wright's electric Noze-Lift. I highly recommend these pieces, although I can't really see the need for getting the strut cover.

Lessons Learned:

1.  When fabricating the NG6 reinforcement pieces, clamp the birch piece and aluminum doubler together first, then bevel both at the same time.  Otherwise, the bevels won't match and you'll have trouble with glassing over the bumpy junctures.

2.  I built the entire NG30 nose box on the tabletop before installing onto F22.  I also made a jig fixture to hold everything in perfect alignment during assembly and cure.  Like those who came before me, it certainly seems a more sensible thing to do than trying to install the entire thing onto F22 in one step. I'm using Steve Wright's NoZe-Lift, so I extended the tops of the NG30's per his plans.

3.  Just squaring up the NG30 nose box to F22 won't guarantee against a crooked nose (especially if F22 was not installed squarely to the fuselage in Chapter 6.  DO take the time to extend a transit line forward of F22 to establish the plumbing mark for the NG6 casting.  I did this by hanging a plumb bob at the rear firewall and at F22 to establish a transit line on the garage floor.  I then extended the transit line forward to establish the plumbing mark for the NG6 casting.

4.  I also supported the nose box at F22 with drywall screws and by clamping the F-0 nose bulkhead to a saw horse.  The plans don't remind you of Chapter 3 Educational stuff, so don't forget to radius the F22 center post, or else the glass won't fold around the sharp corner.  In the picture, you can see the plumb bob hanging from the NG6 casting and you can see the transit line taped onto the garage floor.

   


[Previous][Home][Next]