Sep 29, 2004     Leveling horizontal stabilizer and skins for riveting - (50 hours)       Category: Horiz Stab

We used the two 8-foot workbenches we built at the start of our GlaStar project on which to accurately level the horizontal stabilizer. Note one of our bags of sand which we used to hold the skins to the ribs and in alignment. We checked the alignment with a wonderful digital SMARTTOOL level. This GlaStar tail kit Brutus purchased in 1996 from Stoddard-Hamilton but never constructed. The previous May 2004 when we called our salesman, at Glasair Aviation, Harry Delong, he suggested we should wait until the end of July since there was an important announcement planned for Oshkosh. We waited, and were stunned with the debut of the Sportsman 2+2 and the wonderful news that the GlaStar tail would fit the longer, taller, improved in 100 ways, Sportsman. Some of the improvements were: it had a stronger wing due to full ribs the full span of the wings, a 1" taller cabin, a differently designed and stronger nose gear, vastly modified, more effective Flowler flap system with much-reduced force required to pul up the Johnson bar to lower the flaps, a particularly welcome feature for Dee.

  Jul 11, 2004     Horizontal stabilizer front support bracket installation - (20 hours)       Category: Horiz Stab

The large aluminum machined bracket with two pressed in swivel balls preinstalled supports the front of the horizontal stabilizer. It mounts against Bulkhead C. We cut a rectangular hole in the bottom skin of the stabilizer which allowed the two guide pins inside the horizontal stabilizer to engage for accurate alignment. We used the centerline of the fuselage, which we had previously carefully marked, to gauge where to position the bracket and a digital level to make sure the bracket was level.

  Jun 22, 2004     Drilling the horizontal stabilizer - Dee, Brutus, Terry Simmons. - (60 hours)       Category: Horiz Stab

Supported the horizontal carefully on the 8-foot end to end workbenches. Drill and Clecoed skin to ribs. The first riveting of HS spar was on 6/22/2004. One session Terry Simons, who was building a GlaStar, came over to help. We also borrowed some tools from Terry including two pneumatic rivet squeezers. We had visitors every now again. One couple was Don Alexander and his wife Mary.