In our first work towards flight articles for the Hellcat, we were able to try out various methods and processes for turning the 3D CAD model into flat parts and back into 3D physical structure. It had a few delays due to design, or supply, or just other commitments, but in all the time spent wasn't too bad, especially if you only count hours towards the final product. Considering how detailed the result is, the build is fairly straightforward.

We learned things about the process and design that will be changed next time we put one together, and those lessons have already informed the Rudder and Aileron designs, and just general SOP for CNC use. If you're interested in the details, read more to see a more thorough account of our build process.