Hatz Biplane Association

OK, this may be a very strange question.... but I love wood. I love working with it, and I love the look of it. I am going to be very sad to cover up all of the beautiful work I did on my ribs (because that I all I have finished). (Who knows, maybe they will come out with a clear fabric covering by the time I am ready to cover )

My question is... where is (or can be) the wood be exposed?!? I have seen someone who had the center section bow out of mahogany, and kept it exposed. I know I have also heard some parts inside the cockpit made out of mahogany, just because it is a beautiful wood. So can someone tell me what areas I should look at building out of mahogany, or at least laminating some mahogany in, purely for esthetics.

Thanks,

Tre'

Hi Tre,

Areas that some to mind for exposed wood could be:
Cockpit floor (maybe a nice veneer? Or some decorative molding around some of the openings?)
Front Cockpit Instrument panel/Glove box
Rear Cockpit Instrument panel
Any rear cockpit switch panels or maybe where you mount a radio?
Turtle Deck bulkhead right behind the pilot's seat
Control Stick handle
Trim tab handle
Handles for Throttle, Mixture, Carb heat


Hope that helps,
Doug

Another place for wood is the control stick itself. I used a baseball bat turned down on a lathe. I like the feel of the wooden stick over a grip.

I agree, wood is pretty!