Chapter 5 – Fuselage Sides

Start: 10/31/05
Finish: 11/13/05
Total Time: 51 Hours

At the outset of this chapter I was a little concerned about the ‘jigging’ process. It seamed to me that I was going to have to be much more precise, being I didn’t have a template to follow for cutting foam. As it turns out, making the jigs is very easy.

The first step is to measure out all of the jigs on the wood. The plans state you will need two 1″ x 8″ x 8′ pine boards. Fortunately I had reviewed a few other builders web sites before starting Chapter 5. Marc Zeitlin’s unofficial Cozy site indicated that he needed 3 boards to make all of the jigs. I found the same thing. Thanks Marc for saving me a trip back to the lumber yard!

After cutting out all the pieces for the jigs, I assembled the first set for the top longerons. After laminating them and installing the stiffeners and doublers, it’s time to move on to assembling the rest of the jigs for the side skin layups. After contouring and glassing, and installing the longerons and stringers, the sides are complete.