Estes Aries SST, #1927, Build, Part 16, Making a "Finlet" Nose Cone

If you don't have a plastic PNC-50S nose cone (with the finlets) You can make one using a BNC-50Y balsa nose cone and some 1/16" thick basswood.

When researching this build, I checked the old Vashon Sandpiper instructions. To see them, CLICK HERE

The balsa nose cone gets a slot cut, and the tapered canard root edge is pushed into the slot. 

I thought this would be iffy, but I had an extra BNC-50Y nose cone to experiment with.

The finlets (or canards) pattern is on the PDF available to Patreon subscribers.

The Vashon kit used balsa, but I'd recommend using stiffer basswood.

Cut out the pattern and trace onto 1/16" thick basswood.

The distance behind the trailing edge of the finlet to the shoulder lip is just under 1 3/4".

Mark a straight line with pencil the length of the root edge.

Mark the depth of the exposed root edge on the finlet.

Using a sanding block, sand a sharp taper to the inset tab.

Cut a slit about the depth of the inset tab. There is no need to cut and remove balsa.

Cut another slit on both sides, just to the side of the first slit. Side by side, the three slits are about 1/32" in width.

You should be able to press in the tapered tab up the root edge pencil line.