Printable CAD Wing Plans for the Venture 60  by Bruce Tharpe

A SOLUTION WITHOUT A PROBLEM...

The Venture 60 kit was designed in 1994, before CAD capabilities came to BTE. The original master plan was hand-drawn with ink on mylar. I'm proud of the drawing and think it's as accurate as can be expected using a drafting machine and table. However, the process of getting that plan reproduced on paper introduces small errors that typically result in an image that is slightly stretched. That won't affect the construction of your fuselage and tail because they aren't really built over the plans.

The wing, of course, is built over the plan, and by following the steps in the instruction book and trusting the parts, you will end up with an accurate wing. The ribs are placed using the shear webs to position them (rib, web, rib, web, etc...). By the time you work your way to the wingtip, the last rib might be off by 1/4" at the most. Just keep the ribs parallel to the lines on the plan and you will be okay. So the kit plan is perfectly adequate for building your wing and can be used with confidence.

But if you are a perfectionist, like me, then you might want to download the wing grid listed below. It was drawn using CAD, and saved as a PDF file so it should be very dimensionally accurate. Since it prints on smaller sheets of paper, there is less chance for stretching. Print the file on your home printer, trim and tape the sheets as necessary, then build your wing on the new drawing instead of the kit plan. I'm not saying your wing will be any more accurate, but the building process may be a little more satisfying and require less "eyeballing".

- PDF: Wing Grid Drawing  Prints on five sheets, 8-1/2" x 11" paper