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My kit (Patrol quickbuild) has aluminum formers in the cockpit and baggage door areas to which fabric will be attached. Are the outboard flanges of these formers supposed to be parallel to the fabric, thus allowing the fabric to be glued to them? Or are these flanges supposed to be angled slightly inboard and the fabric only glued to the to the portion of the formers that turn at a right angle to the centerline of the plane? I notice that some are parallel and others are decidedly angled inboard. Thanks, Ivan Haecker P150 QB
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It seems like I remember there being mention in the Polyfiber documentation about the bent option being easier on the fabric, since there's no sharp edge to chafe. -
I can't say, for absolutely certain, if the flanges are supposed to be one way or the other, but mine were exactly as you described. I recently finished covering the fuselage, so I can tell you how I handled it. I glued the fabric to the portions that were right angled, to the fuselage centerline and the radius leading to the parallel side. I did not try to glue to the parallel surfaces. This worked fine. I think the worst situation would be if the 'parallel portion' were angled outward. This would undoubtedly allow more surface to glue onto, but would result in unsightly ridges. The angled in surfaces result in a nice smooth transition to the surrounding fabric.
I've attached a picture that might help. You'll have to zoom in, to see detail. If you'd like, I can take close ups of any area you'd like to see.
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Jared, Good idea. I will get the manual from Polyfiber. And Bill, I think your reasoning is correct. My only concern was the vibrating fabric in flight bouncing off the slightly inward bent flanges. Probably not really an issue, just the kind of stuff I worry about lying in bed at night!
Ivan Patrol 150 QBComment
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Oh, I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about the fabric movement. Keep in mind that we fly little planes many thousands of feet above the ground. Planes that we build in our garages, in our spare time. Planes, whose official designation is "Amateur Built". No two of them are the same, as we tweak and customize them as we fancy. There are so many other things that are more likely to go wrong, that little fabric vibration shouldn't concern you... Just put a nice wide surface tape, extending past the flange...
Y'all have a great day!
BillComment
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