This series of photos details the initial setup to begin construction of the Velocity XL RG. The fuselage comes in two halves. The lower half is placed in a cradle, a Hangar 18 specialty jig, which allows the fuselage to be very precisely leveled fore and aft and side to side. A center line is inscribed and is thereafter used to place all bulkheads, hard points, etc. This is critically important as there may be very slight asymmetry in the fuselage but if the bulkheads, spars, engine thrust line is centered, no significant effect on the plane's performance will be noted.
A modification in the plans is detailed below. Plumbing the electrical, control and oil cooling systems in a Velocity is made less than convenient by the very tight fit in the ducts running along the sides of the fuselage. This modification creates tube-like structures (which impart significant structural reinforcement) which run along the length of the fuselage and provides ducts that are more than half again the usual size of the standard.
Click on thumbnails for larger version of pics!
Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome! email: rich@rguerra.com
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