WING MOUNT NACELLE SECTION______________

This section deals with the engine nacelle aft of the cowling. I have left a little meat around the girth of the cowlings, 1 or 2 mm, so that I can shape them into the nacelles. There are supple differences in the two cowlings, and I see no need to spend hours trying to make them an exact match, they are too far apart to be able to spot the difference and I am not pedantic about making the Comanche an exact scale. What I do want however is nice clean lines and a snug fit.

I have already assigned the cowlings to left and right nacelles to ensure consistency.

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I cut out the fire wall and nacelle F3. I have used stringers on the top and side, mostly to hold its form and make sure the formers are aligned correctly (top and sides 90°).

 

 

 

 

 

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Now the paneling. The stingers make this job easy. Although I am building this aircraft for electric motors, it's obvious that this is where you would mount fuel tanks if you wanted to convert it to fuel engines. The tanks would be a little forward of the CoG but I'm sure it could be trimmed to cope with the change during flight.

I've been concerned about how to attach the engine the engine to the fire wall. I don't want to fiddle around with installing a hatch. Considering that it is electric and it's unlikely that the cowlings will ever need to come off, I've decided to simply screw everything directly into the firewall. That decided, I have added a second former behind the firewall to give the screws something to bite into.

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This former has been cut to fit snugly into the back of the cowling and glued to the nacelle wing mount. This ensures they are matched and stay matched.

 

 

 

 

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Engine Side panels need to sweep in. I simply grooved them bent/cracked them to the necessary angle and glued them.

 

 

 

 

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For the motors I've selected the mounts need to be 50mm from firewall to motor. I simply fashioned the mounts from scrap aluminum tube and angle. Not all that tidy but they won't give me any trouble.

 

 

 

 

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It took another 6 hours to produce the second nacelle. I'm pleased with the results so far.

 

 

 

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I've be thinking about getting a good finish on all the balsa any ply areas. I remember mixing sawdust or talcum powder with dope to create a filler, so I've experimented with water based varnish and sawdust. Anyway, Gives a good result and also hardens the balsa.

 

 

 

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I'm getting a little ahead of the build but I wanted to test the colours, finish and theme I've chosen. After many hours of sanding I have the final result. I think the aircraft will look great.

 

 

 

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