We started covering the left side of the fuselage. Due to our previous "recovery" we had to order additional fabric from Aircraft Spruce. When we placed the fabric on the fuselage we quickly became seriously concerned that Aircraft Spruce had short changed us. We measured what we received and sure enough, we were 0.2 yards short. Luckily it was "JUST" enough but we were able to make it work.
We had to locate a critical cut in the fabric where the rear aircraft movement handle protrudes. We asked the other builders on Facebook and WingsForum about how to proceed. We took all the comments and came up with a hybrid method. We created a patched that fit on the inside of the handle. We marked the location and cut a slit. We also cut additional fabric around the protruding handle tubing. The fabric was slipped over the handle. We placed the fabric patch on a piece of wax paper and applied 3 layers of adhesive. Once dried, the patch was put on the back side of the slit that wsa cut and then glued into place. The wax paper was removed when the patch glue dried. We then secured the fabric around the handle with adhesive.
We proceeded to trim the fabric and glue the edges down around the perimeter of the left fuselage. Extra care had to be taken around the curved area on the vertical stabilizer. When the perimeter was completely glued, we went back over the seams with a low temperature iron to make sure everything was secured completely. We finally cut the left windows opening, wrapping the excess fabric around to the backside, securing it with glue and finally finishing it off with an iron. Hours: 11
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| Handle with Patch |
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| Back side of handle with Patch |
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| Window Openings Complete |
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| Fuselage ready for Shrinking. |
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