Trailing edges on WW.1 Aircraft.

[wonwinglo]

Look at most world war one aircraft and you will see a scalloped trailing edge,this was due to the effects of the dope pulling in the piano wire trailing edge on the wing,as the aircraft got older the effect became more marked as the added shrinkage took effect.We can simulate the very same effect on our scale models by attaching a similar self scalloping material,in the past I have tried reed cane carefully stripped that is glued along the trailing edge of each rib into a small slot,no doubt modern carbon fibre would do the same and probably be very strong as well,if you can get it and need a bit of aft weight then 22 swg or thinner piano wire would do,but watch the weight penalty with wire.For small rubber/electric/Co.2 models ordinary button thread is ideal just stretched taught along the edge with a dab of thin cyno to hold it into place,when the tissue is carefully applied at the trailing edge, just overlap slightly and let the dope do its work to produce the desired effect.On larger models the heat gun will pull in the material and produce some convincing scallops just like the real thing.

By doing this you will be reproducing the very effect of tautening that was experienced way back in 1914-18 and even before that !