MY-14´s port wing half is covered with plywood

The work on VL Myrsky II (MY-14) is continuing at the Tuesday Club, but not at full speed yet, though. Work is being done e.g. on the plywood covering of the starboard wing leading edge and trailing edge, and the sides of the flap cavity. The engine area is also under construction: the air supply duct is being fitted into the opening in the NACA-ring, the cowling under the engine is being built and the gills controlling the air flow through the air duct on the oil cooler are being installed. However, the main emphasis is in getting the port wing plywood covering to the same situation with the starboard wing. The work is almost ready.

The leading edge of the port wing is now almost covered with plywood. The strips of plywood covering the leading edge were first soaked in water so that they could be bent around the tapering leading edge. When the plywood had dried into shape, it was glued on the leading edge. The seams of the plywood were spackled and honed smooth. Only small areas around the pitot-tube and at the wing tips have not been covered.

Right photo: Heikki Kaakinen.

The trailing edge area on the upper surface of the wing, between the rear spar and the trailing edge, has also been covered with plywood. First the plywood sheets of the trailing edge area were cut into the accurate size, then covered with protective varnish on the inside and then fitted into place. When the plywood sheets had settled into their places and their bevelled edges met correctly, the sheets were glued into place. Before the inner parts of the wing were permanently covered from sight, the Tuesday Club members who were involved in the work, wrote their names on the inside of the wing as a greeting for the future generations.

Left photo: Heikki Kaakinen.

The gluing of the plywood sheets on the upper surface of the trailing edge was secured by fastening pieces of plywood on the wing ribs and the connecting battens with a staple gun. The permanent gluing of the plywood on the trailing edge batten was ensured by fastening a long row of clamps on the edge. When the glue had dried, the clamps and the stapled pieces of plywood were removed. The marks of the staples that were left on the plywood surface and the seams of the plywood sheets were spackled and honed smooth.

It was a difficult task to fasten a 10-centimeter strip of plywood onto the upper edge of the flap cavity on the port wing. A similar, but narrower strip, has already been fastened on the lower edge of the flap cavity. These strips will form an aerodynamic compartment to the front of the flap space. The leading edge of the flap will sink into this space.

Photos: Heikki Kaakinen.

The port wing covering work had now reached the phase where the starboard wing already was. The surface work, i.e. smoothing and honing which are needed before the painting of the plywood surfaces, can now be started. Some painting has already been done: the open inner areas on the top surfaces of the wing roots on both wings have been painted with grey alkyd paint. These open areas at the wing root will not be covered with plywood, because the areas will be left under the Myrsky fuselage when it is lowered on the wings.

Photos (expect if separately otherwise mentioned): Lassi Karivalo

Translation: Erja Reinikainen