1 PITTS S2S CONSTRUCTION FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION 1

PITTS S2S CONSTRUCTION
FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION
1) Place the right fuselage side over the plan
and mark the former positions. Place the
left side over the right side and mark the
former positions. Glue F1 in place using a
square.
6) Using 2 scrap pieces of 3/16” balsa for
alignment, glue the tail mount blocks into
place. Be careful to glue the tail mount bocks
only to F6.
2) Glue the left fuselage side to F1.
3) Pull the fuselage sides together and glue.
7) Wet the 1/16 turtledeck sheeting, pull over F5
and F6 and hold in place with rubber bands.
Mark the turtledeck sheeting where F5 and F6
meet the fuselage sides. Remove the
turtledeck sheeting and cut along the marks
just made.
4) Insert F2, F3, F4, F5 and F6 between the
fuselage sides and glue into place.
8) Glue on the turtledeck sheeting and trim the
front and back flush with F5 and the rear of
the fuselage.
5) Glue F3A into place and add the ¼” front
stringer. Sheet the cockpit with 1/16”
balsa cross grain. Wet the 1/16” front
sheeting and apply. You will need to cut
darts in the sheeting between F1 and F2.
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WING CONSTRUCTION
1) Lay balsa sheets on a flat surface and
tape together. Be careful not to pull the
sheets together too firmly as this can
cause warping Flip taped balsa sheets
over and apply aliphatic resin (wood glue)
between each sheet. Wipe off excess
glue; lay flat and set aside to dry.
a spray adhesive other than 3M 77, test on a scrap
piece of foam because many spray adhesives attack
foam or may not bond as well as 3m 77.
If using leading and trailing edge stock, cut and sand
the leading and trailing edges after the sheeting has
been applied. Glue the leading and trailing edges to
the wing using epoxy and sand to shape after the
epoxy has set.
Sheeting shown with leading edge stock.
2) When applying sheeting to wing cores,
always work on a hard flat surface to
prevent warping. Sand the cores with 200
grit sand paper to remove any bumps or
“hairs" left behind from the cutting
process.
The sheeting can be applied to the cores
using a variety of methods.
Sheeting shown without leading edge stock
Popular methods are:
•
Glue the sheeting to the wing using
aliphatic resin (wood glue) and weigh the
wing down with beanbags or magazines
and allow to dry overnight.
•
Apply aliphatic resin to the sheeting and
allow to dry before attaching to the wing.
After the glue is dry the skin can be ironed
onto the foam with a covering iron.
•
Apply a thin coat of 2-hour epoxy to the
sheeting and attach to the wing. Weigh
the wing down with beanbags or
magazines for 2 hours.
•
Apply 3M 77 spray adhesive to both the
wing and the sheeting and allow a
minimum of 30 seconds before attaching
the sheeting to the wing. If you are using
3) Carefully cut out the ailerons using a band
saw or razor saw.
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4) Cut a 2¼” X 2¼” mounting plate from
1/16” ply. Epoxy ¼” X ½” mounting blocks
using a servo as a guide. Cut a hole in
the wing to allow installation of the servo.
Sheet the inside of the hole with 1/32”
balsa and glue in ¼” ply mounting blocks.
TAIL CONSTRUCTION
1) Cut ¼” and ½” strips to length and lay over
the plans. Glue the strips together then cut
and sand to shape.
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5) Cut slots for the interplane strut mounts
using a hobby knife and a straight edge.
Epoxy the strut mounts into place. Attach
the interplane struts before the epoxy has
set to allow proper alignment of the struts.
Use cling wrap between the strut and the
mount until the epoxy has set to prevent
the strut from sticking to the mount.
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COWL CONSTRUCTION
1) Cut the cowl front from ¼” balsa. Cut 2
rings ½” thick from ¼” balsa by tracing the
cowl front. Glue the rings to the cowl front.
2) Cut a frame ½” thick from ¼” balsa by
tracing the front of the fuselage.
3) Pin the frame onto the front of the fuselage
and sheet the cowl. Be careful not to glue the
cowl to the fuselage. The 4” X 1/16” sheeting
should be wetted then applied 2 strips on the
top, 2 on the bottom and a triangle on each
side cut to fit.
3) Mount the engine and measure the distance
from the front of the fuselage to the back of
the spinner.
4) Cut 2 ¼” balsa strips to the length you just
measured minus ¾” (the thickness of the
cowl front). Lay the cowl front flat on the
table and glue the balsa strips from the top
left corner of the cowl front to the top left
corner of the frame made in step 2. Do the
same for the right side. Using a level on the
frame, measure and cut ¼” balsa strips for
the bottom left and right corners as well as
the top and bottom and glue into place
4) Sand the front of the cowl to round over the
corners. Fuel proof the inside of the cowl with
a thin coat of epoxy.
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WHEEL PANTS
1) Cut the wheel pants out using a pair of tin
snips or strong high quality kitchen scissors.
Use a sanding block to sand the cut edge of
the wheel pant flush.
3) Sand the wheel pants with 400 grit
sandpaper before painting.
FINAL CONSTRUCTION
Test assemble all pieces before covering, hinging
and final assembly.
2) Glue the wheel pant halves together with
thick CA. Fill any gaps in the joint with
sandable epoxy and sand smooth. Drill a
hole in the bottom of the wheel pants and
use your Dremel sanding drum attachment
to enlarge the hole until the wheel fits
properly. Do not try to enlarge the hole too
quickly and be sure to stop and check the fit
of the wheel periodically.
Once the covering has been completed the tail
section can be glued into place and the wings
attached. The deflection of the control surfaces
should be set as follows: Elevator-3/4”, Ailerons3/8” and Rudder-1”. If you have a radio with dual
rates you can set the high rates to 1 1/2”, 7/8” and
2 1/2”.
FLYING
Check the centre of gravity with all components
installed and an empty fuel tank. While gradually
applying throttle, slowly release the elevator until
the plane is on the main gear. Continue applying
power and gently pull back until the plane starts to
lift. Once in the air, the handling is crisp and
responsive. While this is not a beginner’s model, it
is not a difficult plane to fly. It can handle any
aerobatic manoeuvre you can throw at it and
excels at tumbling manoeuvres, such as
lomcevaks and snaps. Inverted flight is smooth
and outside loops are a piece of cake. When
landing, keep a little power on until the model is
just about over the end of the runway, then let it
settle in on idle. The plane touches down smoothly
and has no tendency to balloon or bounce.
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