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 "Cloudster" Construction Project Session #60

Speed 400 Cloudster Project
 
In order to have a removable receiver mount, one needs a plate that attaches to the bottom of the receiver with Velcro and screws to the fuselage frame. As part of the Cloudster's on going weight saving effort, the receiver plate is constructed primarily of 3/32" balsa with two 3/32" plywood cross strips embedded in the balsa. These cross strips are drilled and threaded in the center for 2-56 screws as shown below.   
 
This plate was clear doped twice with sanding in between coats so that the hook side of the Velcro would stick securely. The picture below shows the hook side of the Velcro applied to the receiver plate.
 
The attachment for the receiver plate was made out of 1/32" sheet balsa. Three strips of 3/32" X 3/16" balsa was glued to the top of the 1/32" sheet balsa  as shown below so as to form a U-shaped guide for the receiver plate. The receiver plate slides into the U-shaped guide, which  aligns the holes for attachment from outside the fuselage.  
 
Two small balsa blocks were drilled and pieces of ABS tubing was CA'd in the holes. These two blocks were glued in place on the bottom of the 1/32" balsa sheet as shown below. 
 
Then the 1/32" balsa sheet assembly was glued into the bottom of the fuselage frame as shown below. The ABS tubes were intentionally left long so that after the fuselage's bottom stringers are in place, the two screws can be inserted from outside the fuselage as shown below. The tubes will be trimmed and sanded flush with the bottom of the finished fuselage structure.
 
 
This final picture shows the receiver plate installed in the fuselage. You can see the hook side of the Velcro that the receiver will attach to in the picture below............................Tandy

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