Re: REFLECTOR: Fuselage Leveling

[Carl Hoffman <hoffman3@erols.com>]

> Benjamin David Cowan wrote:
> 
> 
> Question/Problem:
> ---Is the fuselage twisted in cases.. Or is it basically straight
> enough that no twisting is necessary to get side to side leveling
> without needing to twist it somewhat?
> 
>  
I'm just now finishing my plane it's in prime and the upholstery almost
in. Waiting for the engine to arrive this week. Most of us have built
our plane by just making a pair of cradles and setting the lower
fuselage on top with thick carpeting between the cradle, and leveling
the plane as best we can throughout construction. Along the way
bulkheads, keels, ducts, landing gear and the top half will come
together. Nothing will fit perfectly and you will see many
discrepancies. You are trying to build a plane with many molded and
"fitted" parts. It's not a metal plane built in a jig. If it was a jig
it would require more than two cradles.

As Dave pointed out, later on the upper and lower cowls come together
and there is a little twist at the prop opening between both. The
"center line" of a Velocity is misnomer the center as measured from the
nose to the prop opening is not line, it is a curve. In the end the most
important thing is the readings you get with incidence gauges, which
should be 4 degrees between the canard and wing. Here is where you are
going to have you biggest challenge, especially the distances between
the canard tips and the strake tips. Getting the doors, including gear
to fit is another challenge.

Carl Hoffman, SRGE, N1QR.