STRAP (Sandy's Tight Rigging Assured Procedure)

By: Sandy Adam cbbs@almac.co.uk

1. Assemble fuselage, lower wings, tail, undercarriage.

2. Spray or brush-paint fuselage, tail, and top of bottom wing.

3. Paint underside of top wing.

4. Drill all holes for rigging from painted surfaces out. Position of exit holes not too important as they will be filled. (You might decide to only drill upper wing half-way through so there are no exit holes on top.)

5. I usually have the cabane struts attached to fuselage at stage 1 - but if not, attach them now and mount the top wing to them with CA, checking alignment.

6. Cut 2-inch or so lengths of mono and put one end into pre-drilled hole on fuselage at base of cabane strut. Apply spot of CA to hole.

7. Thread other end through appropriate hole in top wing and attach a pair of self-locking tweezers or haemostat to end. Turn plane so thread is tensioned and protruding end lies away from wing. Apply drop of CA to upper wing hole.

8. Slice protruding mono flush with razor blade. If you have used a small enough drill bit there should be virtually no need for any filler. Maybe a tiny spot of CA, white glue or Tippex at worst.

9. Repeat stages 6-8 for other cabane wires.

10. Insert, glue and paint interplane struts. (innermost bay first if 2- or 3-bay machine).

11. Cut lengths of mono, and pass right through upper and lower holes. (If you only half drilled upper wing, you need to attach here first, of course).

12. Apply drop of CA to top wing hole.

13. Attach haemostat etc to tension thread end under lower wing. Alpply drop of CA. Slice flush.

14. Check for any flaws where threads have emerged and fill/sand if necessary.

15. Mask and spray (or just brush) paint the top surface of upper wing and the lower surface of bottom wing. Apply Decals.

16. Drill and attach control horns. Paint.

17. Glue one end of mono control cable to half-drilled hole where cable emerges from wing (fuselage etc), pass over top of control horn and through upper aileron hole. Apply CA.

18. Run upper cable through hole in lower aileron and repeat stage 17 for cable coming from bottom wing. Apply drop of CA where both cable pass through lower aileron hole (tensioned). carefull cut the two excess ends.

19. Repeat steps 16-18 as appropriate for tail control wires.

20. Add blobs of thick paint (to taste) for turnbuckles.