All projects need an engine cowling, for some reason we always seem to delay this as long as possible. With a stroke of good luck, I was able to dump this one in Mike’s
lap.
Mike always thinks about a project for awhile, stands around looking confused, and we throw around a few thoughts; discuss how we want to do it, and why that won’t work. Scratch our head a few times, finally just start hot gluing foam blocks in place.
Once you start, it always comes together. In that big blob of foam is your part, when you start shaping the foam, one line starts to show itself. Then the next and the next. At this point it becomes visible. From here on it's just nasty, sticky, messy, raw foam.
On the jets the engine cowling is a big job. You will end up with a lot of hours gone by, and a couple hundred dollars of scrap foam in the trash barrel.
Now all you have to do is glass it. Now that it's ready, we will come over and give a hand with glass work. After a cure cycle we get to scrape the remaining foam.
This next part is a big job. Remove wings; vertical fins; put fuselage under hoist; put strap around engine mount; lift and rotate to upside down on roll a round stand.
Move back to it's spot in shop; reinstall wings; vertical fins. Nothing to it! Now just grab a big box of foam and repeat. It helps to chant... airplane are fun, airplanes are fun, airplane are... Do this enough and you will become one with yourself.
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