MAAA Wingspan

“In each iteration, Andrew was able to alter the CAD drawings and then get the laser cutter to produce the modified components. To do it the old way with a saw would’ve been virtually impossible. “With the laser cutter it’s easy to cut pieces and then make changes, then re-cut and try again. Due to practicality, cost and structural considerations, all internal parts were cut from 3 millimetre plywood.” The fuselage was built using a box truss with the circular bulkheads fitted around it. Holes for the aluminium wing tubes were located in the fuselage sides. It was decided that a 50mm aluminium tube would be used for the main wing ‘spar’, supplemented by a 25mm tube out along the wing. The circular fuselage bulkheads were then slid into place and glued. Then the numerous 6mm balsa square longhorns were installed. All wings and control surfaces were covered with G10, which provided incredible strength and speed of assembly. “The fin, along with the rest of the fuselage, was covered with 2.5mm balsa. The rudder was skinned with G10. The hinge of the rudder was with a 10mm carbon fibre tube, which fitted into a slotted rudder connection. The rudder is controlled by a very large servo with a 10mm carbon fibre push rod running through support ferrules,” said Ivan. “The pulley system was taken out and replaced with the push rods after initial testing. The booster tabs on the rudder were operated by a small servo built into the rudder.” With the fuselage section almost complete it was time to look at the wings. “The wings were framed up using a slotted box. The box was designed to hold the ribs in the correct orientation and to also hold the three degrees of washout that was designed into the wing,” said Ivan. “Each of the ribs were marked to indicate where in the box they were to be located to ensure its correct location and orientation. The boxes were also used to hold the wing structure whilst the G10 was being applied. This system worked extremely well.” Covering the wings was a relatively quick and easy process, thanks to the utilisation of G10, which made them resilient. Then came the numerous fiberglass parts. 09