The secret of amazing time aloft is in the quality of construction and the quality of tuning. In this section, you will learn how to assemble the Sky Cub II, one of the most popular Whitewings gliders. While assembly instructions differ from plane to plane, the general assembly techniques are the same. The most important points to master are the gluing techniques.
- Before beginning, write your name on the left wing of your glider. If you have an International Whitewings Club Wing Number, write it on the right wing.
- Fold the tabs on parts 1 and 2 outward. Line up a ruler with the scored line to make a straight fold. Glue parts 1 and 2 to the balsa body aligning their edges with the edges on the nose. DO NOT APPLY GLUE TO THE FOLDED TABS.
- Glue part 4 to the underside of part 3 (main wing). Make sure the dots are pointing in the same direction and scored lines stay aligned.
- Locate the two pinholes on the horizontal stabilizer (tail wing, part no. 5). Apply lots of glue to the narrow top surface of the tail region of the balsa body. After you apply the glue, immediately stick part 5 to that spot using the pinholes to align it squarely. Also align the back edge of the tail wing with the rear edge of the balsa body before the glue begins to harden.
- Glue the vertical stabilizer (part 6) to the right hand side (when looking at the plane from the rear) of the balsa fuselage, making sure that the back edge of part 6 (the vertical stabilizer) comes into contact with the front edge of part 5 (the horizontal tail wing). Also, align the bottom edge of the vertical stabilizer with the bottom edge of the fuselage.
- Place a ruler along the scored line at the center of the main wing (parts 3+4). Then bend each side up individually to create a dihedral angle of 15 degrees. (Use the paper dihedral gauge included with your kit to measure the angle.)
- Apply a generous amount of glue to the tabs and top of the fuselage at the point where the main wings attach. Using the scored line as your guide, glue the main wing (3+4) firmly to the top of the fuselage with the dot facing forward. To improve the suitability of the gluing surface, try gently smoothing some of the roughness off the top of the balsa fuselage with a pencil before applying the glue. In order to make a strong bond, try holding the main wing and tabs together with clips until the glue dries.
- Fold part 7 along the scored line so that the angle matches that of the main wing. Glue it to the scored line of the main wing with the dot facing forward.
- When the plane is dry, gently camber (add curvature to) the main wing using the paper camber gauge as your guide. (The camber gauge is the opposite end of the dihedral gauge.) The peak of the curvature should be 30%-40% from the front edge of the main wing.
- Using the dihedral angle gauge, make sure the dihedral angle for the main wing is still set at 15 degrees. Adjust with gentle bending where necessary. View the plane from both the front and the back.
- Straighten any warps or bends in the wings. When viewed head-on or directly from the rear, the plane should be perfectly symmetrical. Set your plane on the display stand or hang it vertically by the nose and allow it to dry thoroughly (at least 30 minutes) before attempting a test flight.
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