May 10, 2020     Start-Rudder - (3.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Begin rudder assembly, had most of frame and skin clecoed before realizing that leading edges of skin needed to be rolled.

  May 11, 2020     Rudder completed - (2.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Rolled leading edge of rudder skin, clecoed assembly together, leveled as best I could. Drill blank side of rudder front spar, cleco and rivet. Bring leading edge skins together and rivet.

  May 11, 2020     Rudder completed - (2.5 hours) Category: Empennage

Rolled leading edge of rudder skin, clecoed assembly together, leveled as best I could. Drill blank side of rudder front spar, cleco and rivet. Bring leading edge skins together and rivet.

  May 12, 2020     Vertical Stab - (2.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Pull parts and arrange, begin optional tail pull handle installation on side skins.

  May 13, 2020     Vertical stabilizer       Category: Empennage

Continue clecoing together frame and pull first few rivets.

  May 14, 2020     Vertical Stab frame riveting - (1.5 hours) Category: Empennage

Pulled most rivets on vertical stabilizer frame. Not much time to work after sunset and before tired.

  May 16, 2020     Vertical stabilizer pull handle and skin work - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Cleco skins to frame of vertical stab to fit doublers and components of optional pull (ground handling) handle on bottom aft corner. Some work on handle had begun on previous entry. Pulled some rivets, (mainly the doubler) on left side of stab.

  May 17, 2020     Vertical stabilizer skin and leading edge fitting - (2.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Shaped trailing edges of leading edge skin, fitted to body of vertical stab, install pull handle receiver tube in lower aft corner. Begin riveting on left side of vertical stabilizer skins. Lot of different lengths of rivets used, slow and deliberate pace being kept.

  May 18, 2020     Riveting vertical stabilizer - (.5 hour) Category: Empennage

Drilled left side skin to fit through forward spar of vertical stab and pulled a few rivets. Short night

  May 19, 2020     Finish riveting left side vertical stabilizer - (1.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Finish pulling rivets on left side of vertical stabilizer.

  May 21, 2020     Rivet right side of vertical stabilizer - (2.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Match drilled holes from leading edge skin through front spar of vertical stab. Riveted right side skin on vertical stabilizer. Used dremel to knock down and smooth any protruding rivet stems.

  May 24, 2020     Tail pull handle and Horizontal Stabilizer frame - (5.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Measured, cut and joined the two tubes that form the tail lift/pull handle before starting horizontal stabilizer. A light coating of J.B. Quick was used.

Gathered all parts for the horizontal stabilizer frame, pressed bushings into elevator hinges, fluted the ribs to remove bowing, cleco the entire frame and begin riveting.

  May 25, 2020     Horizontal stabilizer skin prep - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Finish riveting horizontal stabilizer frame, then level it on 2 x 4's in preparation for skins.

Attach access cover rings to top side of horizontal stabilizer skins and begin fitting. Added enough clecos to hold things but will have to wait for dimpler supplies before the skin can be riveted. Set the assembly aside to begin work on elevator.

  May 30, 2020     Rolling elevator skins - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

My perfect 1.25��metal tube that was used to roll the rudder leading edges was too short for the elevator skins. PVC pipe with an O D of a freckle under 1.25��was used. Pulled a piece of 2x2 from long shipping crate as an attempt at a handle. Problem was that any hardware attaching the two would then dimple the skins. Two people with screwdrivers through holes in the ends worked pretty well.

Carefully layed out all 4 skins and wrote their orientation on them before rolling. Match drilling first skin then fit the remaining skins. Wife helped with rolling and the actual process was quick for each skin.

  May 31, 2020     Elevator frame layout and elevator horn fitting - (2.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Gathered all parts for the frame of the elevator, assembled with clecos, didn't get photos of the assembly.

Match drilled two ribs to the elevator horn, one at a time and then assembled them together with clecos before riveting. Fit is very nice. Riveted the elevator horn assembly and when done test fit to forward spar joint of elevator. There is some mismatch with the horn assembly being a bit wider than the spar joint plate holes. Made a good stopping point, will consult with RANS for advice.

  Jun 02, 2020     Elevator horn install and start riveting elevator frame       Category: Empennage

Consult with Randy Schlitter confirmed that we can chase drill or ream the holes to attach the elevator horn since the load is in the other direction. Actually riveted the joining plate to both sides of the forward elevator spar first and then fit clecos in the two middle holes of the horn assembly, then prying these two clecos apart pulled the ribs in enough that using a straight reamer only removed minimal material and fit the rivets easily.

Riveted the first rib or two out from the middle of the elevator.

  Jun 02, 2020     Elevator horn install and start riveting elevator frame Category: Empennage

Consult with Randy Schlitter confirmed that we can chase drill or ream the holes to attach the elevator horn since the load is in the other direction. Actually riveted the joining plate to both sides of the forward elevator spar first and then fit clecos in the two middle holes of the horn assembly, then prying these two clecos apart pulled the ribs in enough that using a straight reamer only removed minimal material and fit the rivets easily.

Riveted the first rib or two out from the middle of the elevator.

  Jun 03, 2020     Riveting elevator framework - (1.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Finish riveting the basic elevator frame together. Working on elevator before finishing horizontal stabilizer because I am waiting on dimple dies to fit flush rivets in middle of that piece.

  Jun 04, 2020     Rivet servo ribs into elevator frame - (1.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Debured and riveted nut plates into two ribs that will hold trim servo. Riveted these ribs into elevator frame. Was short an elevator trailing edge skin so set assembly aside and will move back to work on horizontal stabilizer.

  Jun 06, 2020     Drill spars on horizontal stabilizer - (4.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Used every cleco in the bucket! Attach elevator skins to frame and level, check for twist both before and after turning over to cleco 2nd side. When 2nd side was done and levels checked (this leaves the undrilled flanges of both spars facing up) I match drilled through the skins into those flanges. Initial drilling #40 and then using a straight #30 reamer chucked in drill seemed to make the cleanest holes. Those holes clecoed and then assembly turned over, rechecked level / twist and drilled that side. These flanges were drilled to #40 from factory and just needed to be upsized to #30. All clecos removed so skins and flanges can be deburred.

  Jun 08, 2020     Deburring horizontal stabilizer skins - (1.2 hours)       Category: Empennage

Deburr both inner and outer side of left side horizontal stabilizer skin.

  Jun 09, 2020     Deburring horizontal stabilizer skins - (1.0 hour)       Category: Empennage

Deburred 2nd side of horizontal stabilizer skin.

  Jun 10, 2020     Countersink Horiz Stab frame - (1.0 hour)       Category: Empennage

After 120 degree countersink bit arrived I was able to countersink the holes in the middle of the horizontal stabilizer frame. This area will be mated with the tail one and have fairings applied so the rivets will be flush. Short night, so will dimple ribs next night

  Jun 11, 2020     Dimple Horiz Stab ribs & skins - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Dimple the inside L.E. Ribs on horizontal stabilizer frame. Also dimple the horizontal stab skins in the middle area where flush rivets will be used.

  Jun 13, 2020     Riveting Horizontal Stabilizer skins - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Reassemble frame & skins of horizontal stabilizer and cleco together, after checking for flat and level begin riveting skins to frame.

  Jun 14, 2020     Riveting horizontal stabilizer skins 2 - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Further riveting of first side of horizontal stabilizer skins to frame. Finished top side and then smoothed all rivet heads so to help leveling when flipped. Started riveting on bottom.

  Jun 15, 2020     Riveting horizontal stabilizer 3 - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Riveting bottom of horizontal stabilizer and smoothing rivets. Finish basic part of horizontal stabilizer but still have tips etc. to finish.

  Jun 22, 2020     Elevator frame prep and assembly - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Gathered, debuted as needed, laid out and cleco together parts of elevator framework assembly.

  Jun 27, 2020     Elevator assembly - (6.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

About 4.0 hours spent today were actually on physical assembly. A large amount of time was spent clarifying what I believe to be the proper order to rivet and assemble elevator and trim tab assembly together, the text manual doesn't mention riveting before attaching the trim tab to elevator but assembly pics online seem to confirm that the top skin of the elevator is indeed riveted first. Only one side of both the forward and aft spars are pre drilled to ensure you can assemble a straight, flat elevator. Everything clecoed together and trueness confirmed before drilling those. Actual assembly of elevator frame and skins was productive.

  Jun 28, 2020     Rivet top elevator skin - (3.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Top skin of elevator was riveted with lower skin still clecoed as assembly weighted to hold flat to leveled 2x4 aluminum beams. Trim tab parts laid out and some clecoed together.

  Jun 29, 2020     Drill trim tab spar, one edge - (2.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Match drilled the trim tab spar with the assembled skin. Disassembled and deburred. Tried using a common ink pen tip as a drill guide to center a #40 hole first and then followed with a #30 straight reamer.

  Jun 30, 2020     Rivet trim tab - (1.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Demurred as needed after drilling, before assembling trim tab. Weighted trim tab to flat aluminum beams for assembly.

  Jul 01, 2020     Prep elevator for trim tab install - (1.0 hour)       Category: Empennage

Bring elevator assembly back to work table and set up supports to hold assembly level while attaching trim tab. Spent quit a bit of time leveling the tables and 2x4's to assure flat, level assembly.

  Jul 02, 2020     Attach trim tab hinges - (1.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Drilled and attached hinge halves to trim tab. Three hinges total. Work ended more quickly than anticipated as I drilled under a fingernail with a thankfully small drill bit while drilling through the rear elevator spar to attach opposite hinge halves.

  Jul 04, 2020     Attach trim tab to elevator and rivet lower skin on elevator. - (5.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Finished drilling holes to attach hinge halves to rear elevator spar. Fit worked out very well. Once that was all good, the lower skin of the elevator assembly was riveted to the frame. Leading edges clecoed and then riveted, finishing the main body of the elevator.

  Jul 05, 2020     Elevator tips start to finish - (7.0 hours)       Category: Empennage

Got in a pretty full day and fitted both elevator tips. A lot more work than they look like but they went together well. Moved elevator assembly to storage area, test mated to horizontal stabilizer.