RC Model Airplane How To Drill an Engine Cowl

You’re working on a model and you need to drill the cowl to match pre-drilled holes in the fuselage, but you can’t access that area once the cowl is in place.

 

The Solution: Grab your masking tape, pin, marker, drill, cowl, and fuselage then follow these easy steps.

1.

Lay the masking tape (I used painter’s low tack tape) over the area where the pre-drilled holes are. Put your cowl temporarily in place to be sure the tape extends past the rear edge of the cowl. If it doesn’t, just use wider tape or add a piece to the first. Use a pin or marker to mark the tape over each hole’s position. With this plane, I was able to reach inside the front and push a pin thru as long as the cowl wasn’t in place. Once you’ve marked the holes, slide the cowl in place and draw a line down the back edge of the tape where the cowl ends. Make some index mark so you can place the tape perfectly on the cowl in the next step. I used the bottom edge of the fuselage/cowl.

2.

Remove the tape carefully from the fuselage and place it over the outside of the cowl, carefully lining it up with your edge line and index point.

3.

Once your happy with the placement of the tape, drill the holes where they are marked on the tape. Remove the tape and slide the cowl into place – it should be perfect.

4.

Sit back and admire your perfectly fit cowl on the finished product.