Nov 12, 2020     Rudder Primer Finished       Category: Rudder

Rudder looks good enough. Since when the plane is ready for topcoat this layer will have to be sanded and another coat of primer needs to be applied I don't want to add any more weight at this point. The pictures shows the hinges being safety wired at the ends to retain the hinge rod in place. This weekend the rudder should be permanently installed in the plane (it's nice to get some things done).

Moving on to the stabs.

  Jan 21, 2018     Remove Pushrod Bracket       Category: Rudder

Some time has passed since my last posting. The Holidays and the cold weather has delayed progress some but I'm getting back to speed again. Most of the progress has been on the cockpit module and you can read that in that section. But I also worked on the rudder a little. Removed the hinges since I didn't find them straight enough for my taste. And call me crazy but my goal in this plane is to keep weight low. So I am removing the rudder pushrod system and going back to cables. May have it's problems (and I may regret it) but I want to try the cables and simplify the system. I will keep the hardware to go back to pushrods one day if needed.

So I removed the bracket, sanded all fiberglass that was added during it's install, replaced foam and covered with BID. Here are some pics:

  Apr 29, 2017     Straightening the Rudder       Category: Rudder

The rudder was pre-skinned when the original kit was delivered but it seems that over the years a bow set in it. I took the opportunity to post-cure and straighten it. It took 60C to make the epoxy reach Tg and reshape the part. A small ceramic heater, a lab grade temperature controller and multiple thermocouples provided peace of mind while post curing.