I made some premoulded wing root fillets which worked very well. (I think)
Having taken moulds I can offer them to Europa builders if anyone is interested.
They will save a couple of days work and may well produce a better result. A
description of the fitting is as follows.
Fitting Instructions, premoulded Wing Root Fillets.
First rig the wings to the fuselage. (It is possible to do this one wing at a
time). Now place the fillets in position so that they are tight against the
fuselage and fix in place with a few Clecos through the wing skin. Make
absolutely certain that you don't drill through the spar. It may be necessary to
drill a few Clecos into the fuselage to make the fillet fit tightly. When
satisfied with the fit, remove the fillets and scuff sand both fillets and wing
skin for bonding. Replace with flox between wing and fillets using waxed Clecos
and let cure.
Derig the wings and layup one ply of 45 deg, BID lapping one inch onto
the root rib and over the whole of the inner surface of the fillets. An easy way
to wet out these awkward 45 deg tapes is to do it on the bench on a strip of
cling film or baking foil.Carry the tape to the job and press in place on the
film, then peel off the film and tidy up by stippling in place with a brush.
Wax the fuselage in the contact area and rerig. Might be a good idea to
wait until the layup has begun to cure. Anyway before full cure rerig the
wings,Cleco to the fuselage if necessary and let cure. Finally trim the edge to
a nice profile.
Now for the final touch. Release wax the edge and inside face of the new
fillets, scuff sand the mating face of the fuselage and rerig. Again! :-( . Mix
up some microlite filler with a little flox to give it strength. (I always mix
in some flox where the micro will be at an edge) Then fill the fuselage and the
fillet to give a smooth curve from fuselage to wing surface. Sand after cure for
a perfect streamlined junction between wings and fuselage. You will have to cut
the filler at the edge of the fillet with a sharp Stanley knife so that it
doesn't chip.
I have also made premoulded undercarriage bay firewall parts in Phenolic to
replace the bent stainless steel parts that otherwise have to be made. More time
saved plus the rudder pedal cross tubes are now behind the firewall.
Garham
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