VELOCITY XL FG
N478B
CANARD
Velocity’s
Fast Build Wings option includes completed canard and
molded
elevators finished through primer.
FAST LINKS TO:
1. Canard
Cover Cutout
I completed this cut at the
factory, during my Head Start Program, with a jigsaw. In hindsight, I would have cut it a little
wider on top but the cut line was marked on the fuselage and I did what I was
told.
2. Canard
Attachment Points and Leveling
The canard bulkhead-fuselage
reinforcement and attachment points, as well as the canard’s incidence and
leveling were completed at the
3. Canard
Bulkhead Bushings
Once the bed of the canard
had cured, we installed the canard bushings in the bulkhead with structural
epoxy. For a tight fit, we protected the
aluminum canard tabs with Vaseline, positioned the canard in place and bolted
the bushings to the canard tabs. After
curing, we removed the canard and reinforced the bushings with TRIAX.
4. Canard
Cover Fit
I went slowly as I do when
fitting any part, but especially parts showing compound shapes. Sanding one area always affects another one,
so one has to sand small amounts, keeping in mind how other areas will be affected. This is key to avoid having to repair, fill
and sand unnecessarily. Some builders do
not seem to mind but I try to minimize unnecessary weight and DO NOT like
sanding, I am just forced to do it. This is why I go slow…
5. Canard-Main
Spar Leveling
We had leveled both the
canard and the center main spar with shims at the factory but I opted to
confirm the leveling and incidence before installing the center main spar at
home. No adjustments were necessary.
6. Canard
Cover Base
After fitting the canard
cover, I glued it to the canard with hot glue and some leftover material from a
window blind I had just installed. I
wanted to have more space to work the lay ups and a single board across would
add difficulty to work them in place. I
made supports for the lay ups with some firm foam I had around and just aligned
them to each other a straightedge. As
usual, I laid the fiberglass cloth pieces on plastic and transferred them to
the canard. I finished with peel ply on
the edges. After cured, I drew the
shape of the tabs on a piece of cardboard and made a template locating the hole
for screw placement. I transferred the
shape and the hole position to the tabs..
I transferred the shape and the hole position to the tabs.
I roughly cut the tabs using
the air saw and grinded the edges to final shape with a 36 grit sand disc on
the air grinder. I finished with a
sanding sponge. I also made a template
for the location of the canard cover screws.
I drilled them only on the cover, then placed the canard and cover on
the fuselage and after final positioning, I drilled the holes into the bases,
through the pre-drilled holes in the cover.
7. Canard Cover Hinges 
Later in the building process, I decided to replace the
canard cover screws with hinges and operate the hinge pins through the nose
access. I grinded the canard cover’s
bases to eliminate unnecessary weight and to accommodate the hinges. I held them in place with clecos and adjusted
both halves with washers for a smooth curvature and operation of the pins. Notice that the two hinge pieces face each
other for better fitting. I then
installed the hinges in two steps. I
installed one of the parts with Flox and allowed it to cure, with the pins in
place, before installing the other.
In my case, the tabs were on the way of the
pins so I drilled a small hole to feed them.
I plan to install a small section of polypropylene tubing to guide the
pin between the front canard tab and the hinges.
8. Canard
Reinforcement Tabs
I made the supports and laid
up the glass onto them, per the manual.
I always use peel ply to keep the epoxy in the TRIAX. Once cured, I used the same method to shape
the fuselage tabs as I did for the cover, using the canard tabs as a template
for the top section and a cardboard template for the bottom. I filled the grooves between the tabs and the
fuselage with some micro.
9. Canard
Tips
I determined that additional counterweight would be necessary to balance the elevators. The factory recommended that I add any additional weight to the outboard weights so I enlarged the space of the outboard counterweights. I removed some foam from the outboard counterweight spaces. I cut pieces to cover the inside of the counterweight spaces from the inner skins removed from the strake covers. I glued them in place with micro to finish them. I then jigged the elevators and canard tips in place to prepare for permanent installation of the tips. I installed the tips with flox and used hot glue in certain spots for the tips not to move while curing. I removed any hot glue excess after curing, and tape-glassed the junctions, covering them with peel ply. I filled the joints and sanded to contour. Unfortunately, due to the small amount of weight, I will add the extra balancing weight inboard after all.
10. Canard
Priming
Same as on the fuselage, I rolled
3 coats of PolyFiber UV Smooth Primer and filled as necessary before the final
coats. The marking to install the
counterweight fairing is seen on the bottom of the tip.
11. Canard
Counterweight Fairings
I made a more stylish
counterweight fairing to use as a positive mold for making mine. I covered it with electrical tape and laid 3
layers of BID and peel ply on top.
Although heavier than those provided by the factory, I prefer them more
rugged and will glass them permanently instead of attaching them with
silicone.
ELEVATORS (Section
Photo Album)
1. Elevator
Hinges Installation
I first sanded the trailing
edge of the canard to ensure recommended dimensions per the manual and a
straight trailing edge. I then opened
the holes for the elevator hinge arms in the canard, per the manual. I jigged the elevators in place against the
canard, leaving them about 1/16” oversize for trimming adjustment on the
inboard end considering the length of the torque tubes and the width of the
canard center hinge assembly. I
temporarily assembled the hinges. I
located the assembled hinges in place and marked their position on the
elevators, making sure that they were perpendicular to the elevators’ leading
edge. I disassembled and polished them
before permanent installation. With the
elevators jigged in place against the canard, I positioned the elevator portion
of the two outboard hinges on the elevators, drilled the rivet holes and kept
them temporarily in place with unused rivets.
I then ran a laser point through both and drilled the holes for each one
of the inboard hinges of each elevator, making sure all the hinges were
centered with the laser. I repeated the
process for drilling the rivet holes of the middle hinges by running the laser
point through the inboard and outboard hinges of each elevator and adjusting
their position so they remained centered with the laser point. I sanded the corresponding elevator area to
receive the hinges. I used Aeropoxy for
permanent installation, riveted the hinges to the elevators and cleaned all the
excess epoxy with denatured alcohol. To
finish, I drilled the hole through the hinge and tube; and installed the screw
per the plans. I jigged the elevators in
place and reassembled the hinges with the elevator hinge arms in the canard
cavities. After making sure the
elevators were positioned accurately in place, I removed the hinge arms one at
a time. I then filled the canard cavity
with microglass and put them back in place by screwing them to the
corresponding elevator hinge for curing.
I made sure that all canard hinge arms were positioned the same by
measuring the inclination angle in all of them.
2. Center
Hinge Arm Installation
After all hinges cured in
place, I confirmed alignment of the canard hinge arms with the laser
point. I then ran a thread between both
inboard hinges and through the center hinge for alignment and filled the center
hinge cavity with microglass. I inserted
the hinge arm in place and used the I-beam over the adjacent hinge arms, the
thread and a square to ensure alignment.
Once satisfied, I clamped in place for curing.
NOTE: Accurate measurement and installation of the hinges is extremely important to ensure same length and balanced elevators, as well as correct alignment of the torque tubes for smooth deflection. The method might be a little more time consuming but ensures proper alignment and smooth hinge functioning.
3. Elevator Torque
Tube Installation
I assembled the center
hinge and used it to help align and install the torque tubes to the elevators. The installation of the elevator torque tubes was
done per the manual and taking great care to ensure symmetry and proper
alignment. I had to slightly trim the
inboard side of each elevator, to match the length of the torque tubes between
each one and the center hinge. I fixed
the elevators in neutral and jigged them in place to drill for installation.
4. Elevator
Counterweights.
The counterweights were
installed per the manual. My only change
was to reverse the outboard counterweight arms.
By doing this, the arms tend to curve toward the canard instead of down
where they create more drag and are more exposed to the elements. One needs to be careful when installing the
arms so that proper down movement of the elevators is not limited by the
counterweight arm topping against the canard.
All counterweights were temporarily installed to ensure proper
positioning and then removed.
I positioned the canard horizontally and balanced the elevator assembly per the manual. The elevators are slightly heavy and unfortunately, additional counterweight was necessary. The factory had recommended that I add any additional weight outboard. However, I found that I only needed exactly one half inboard counterweight for elevator balance, and it had been provided with the kit. The factory indicated that such a small amount of additional weight could be placed inboard.
5. Torque Tube
Fuselage Opening
To mark the center of the elevator torque tube holes,
I placed the canard in position and ran a piece of piano wire through the
elevator hinge arms until it touched the fuselage. I then marked and drilled the pilot hole and
enlarged it as necessary with the help of a piece of PVC tube I had around to
ensure proper size and alignment. I
then drew the shape of the section I wanted to remain attached to the canard to
allow its removal with the torque tubes.
I removed the canard and slowly cut the piece with a small hand saw,
leaving it still attached at both ends.
I do this to ensure perfect alignment of the cut part. I protected the area with duct tape to avoid
possible permanent attachment of the canard to the fuselage, and used some
fast-curing epoxy before repositioning the canard to glue the fuselage piece to
it. Once cured, I finished handsawing
the piece to detach it from the fuselage and glassed it on the inside to the
canard with micro and BID. I then
adjusted the edges to ensure easy removal of the canard and finished the
fuselage edges with cloth. I temporarily
installed the elevators, and made a template for trimming the inboard end of
the elevators to ensure clearance and symmetry.
I laid duct tape with vaseline in the outboard section of the elevator
torque tube, placed micro over the torque tube hole sections attached to the
canard and positioned the elevators in place.
I rotated the elevators and allowed the micro to cure for a tight fit
between the torque tubes and the matching hole.
6. Sparrow Strainer
I made a jig with a pair of aluminum angles
to glue the parts of the sparrow strainer.
I trimmed the arms to fit the trailing edge of the right elevator. I placed duct tape in the area where the arms
insert and made the layups for the tabs.
I trimmed the tabs and epoxied them glued to the arms. Finally, I made the radiuses and sanded for
priming.
7. Elevator
Priming
I made supports with a couple of small angles
and screws for the elevators to facilitate priming. Same as on the fuselage, I rolled 3 coats of Poly-Fiber UV Smooth Primer
and filled as necessary before the final coats.
LINK
TO CONSTRUCTION IMAGES ON THE OFFICIAL VELOCITY WEBSITE
THIS SECTION IS UPDATED REGULARLY.