NAF N3N-3 Upper Wing

Wendy working her craft captured by Z 9 / Z24-120

With the warmth of the summer coming to an end shortly, Wendy feels the pressure to get the massive upper wing covered and to paint. The upper wing is one, long section that is the length of the two lower wings and fuselage combined. Let’s just say, it’s a lot of cloth! What you’re not seeing is the laying out of all the cloth. The attaching to the front leading edge, then the rear. The fine art of the ends and making a smooth transition of the round corners with a square piece of cloth. Then there is the stitching along every rib and the strip covering that stitching. Now is putting in the final touches around inspection panels, strut attach points, and points that need reinforcing. It is a time-consuming back aching labor of love Wendy is so gifted and talented at!
If one were to think that covering this massive surface with fabric is a long process, the next is even more intense. That’s when the wing section, which takes all hands just to move the wing even with its custom jig, from the hangar to the paint booth. There, the long process of painting one coat, then hand sanding the ENTIRE section, paint, sand, paint, sand, paint sand begins. And then, paint and sand and paint and sand. In the end, beauty appears in the form of an airworthy aircraft. If you look behind Wendy you see what I mean. The finished N3N-3 fuselage waiting for its wings.