On thing I can start on while I wait for the landing lights is the forming of the landing light lenses. I found a PDF file on-line at http://thorp18.com/resources/Landing%20Light%20Instructions.pdf. The PDF discusses the installation of a halogen landing light on the Thorpe T-18 and seems to provide a lot of useful information on how to form plexiglas. One of the necessary things is to fabricate a form that resembles the leading edge of the wing that you can put in your oven to soften (but NOT melt!!) the plexiglas and form it to the shape of your leading edge. So I found some large graph paper (34" x 22") and drew a centerline or "zero reference line" on it to help me align my clecoed leading edge. Image 1 shows the centerline drawn on the graph paper and Images two and three show how I lined up the leading edge on the centerline. I tried to place the center of the leading edge on the centerline and then tried to line up the aft end of the leading edge so that they would line up on a common grid line.
Leading Edge Centerline Drawn on Large Graph Paper
