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DATE

PROCESS

HOURS

CATEGORY

10/27/02

Turtle Deck assembly

6.0

fuselage

DETAIL:

It's finally building weather again here in Arizona!  I've started working on the fuselage again. It took me about a half hour just to sit and think of where I left off and where I needed to pick up.

I decided to build the turtle deck.  Since I stretched and widened my plane the plans for the formers would not work.  I would have to design my own. Using the TLAR method (that looks about right) I hand sketched my front former/shoulder back piece onto a piece of cardboard. I only sketched half of the curve then flipped the cardboard over and traced the other half.  The cheapest and quickest way for a symetrical former.

I then transferred the outline to a piece of 1/4" mahogany plywood that I got at Home Depot.  I'm using Home Depot variety ply for non-structural things like instrument panel and turtle deck formers. At $11 a 4x8 sheet the price is certainly right!

Once I had the front former cut I hand sketched a rear former.  I then glued each one to the top of the fuse.  Using some string I stretched lines from the front to the rear and was able to interpolate/loft the shapes of the two inner formers. The two inner formers are 1/8" Russian Birch plywood.

Once the inner formers were glued it was a simple task to drop in the 1/4 x 1 spruce stringers.

Note* On my plane I decided to make a small compartment behind my shoulders in the turtle deck.  Just large enough to store my headsets, flashlight, GPS, charts, etc.  There will be a small hinged door and lock. It'll be a place I can keep my expensive essentials while I am away from the plane.