Project: N64BN   -  
            Listing for Category : empennage
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Builder Name:Bjorn Nilberg   -  
Project:   Vans - RV-7   -   VIEW REPORTS
Total Hours:2193.5
Total Flight Time:1
Start/Last Date:Aug 15, 2013 - No Finish Date
Engine:Superior IO-360
Panel:Garmin G3x
 
Friendly URL: https://eaabuilderslog.org?s=N64BN

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Aug 05, 2018     Tested rudder/tailspring clearance - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Tested rudder/tailspring clearance. The top of the rudder and VS fit looks really good.


 
Jul 07, 2018     Upper rudder fairing done - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Call me a purist, but I am not covering up the fairing/rudder transition or the pull rivets.
If I don't like it, I can always cover it later.


 
Jul 06, 2018     Priming rudder and VS - (1.50 hours)       Category: Empennage
Put some K36 on the rudder top today. I had primed the top with EkoPoxy when I build it a few years back. So I had to sand it off first. Holding off on the elevators a while. I am not sure if I should cover up the counter weight screws or not. Should be safer with them covered and I cannot get to the upper (or is it inner) nut easily after riveting the fairings on anyways.
I am thinking of making the VS fairing removable. It's a nice place for a camera mount: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=120879
. I also got the fairings done. I did what you did with the cowling. Squeegeed epoxy before first priming, had very few pin holes. So it only took 2 rounds of priming sanding.


 
Jul 04, 2018     Primed the HS fairings - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Primed the HS fairings


 
Jul 01, 2018     HS fairings - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Drilled up the HS fairing from #40 to #30 and countersunk.


 
Jun 24, 2018     Priming with K36 - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Earlier I checked with the prospective painter and it looks like K36 is a good choice. This is the stuff they will use on the whole plane. I did my first priming with K36. I primed the wingtip ribs and HS fairings.
Apart from the smell, the Acrylic primer is so much easier than the EkoPoxy and Jetflex WS I've been using up till now.

It was a little on the hot side, so I limited the number of items as I didn't know how it turn out, they say 90 deg is way to high for K36.
It did turned out great thought.


 
Jun 21, 2018     Wingtip-tip - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Marked the wingtip ..eh.. tip for trimming. 1/4" clearance is what the manual says, so that s what I'm going for.


 
Jun 17, 2018     Fairing finishing - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Sanded all the fairings and gave the bottom rudder some primer to check the finish. There are still some pinholes, but to starting to take shape.
The front part need some work though. I taped up the rudder horns and added more glass. The rest of the fairings got skimmed with epoxy to take care of the pin holes.


 
Jun 16, 2018     Fairing finishing - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Skimmed all the fairings with Aeropoxy Light to fill all the small imperfections in the fiberglass.


 
Jun 15, 2018     More Tail light fitting - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
The selected tail light (Whelen) takes up more space than what the fairing has so I need to make the bulge a little larger. I took s hole saw and dug out from behind. Then I used a piece of piping to keep the cavity open and made the bulge a little larger.


 
Jun 14, 2018     Rudder/VS transition finishing up - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Sanded the rudder and VS faring and gave them a quick layer of priming to check the finish. Very happy with how it turned out.


 
Jun 13, 2018     Rudder/VS transition perfectioningering… - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Yesterdays rudder/VS fairing glassing went great. Instead of sanding in place, I took the rudder/VS fairing off as one piece. It was pretty easy to make new curve, most of the added material was sanded off, just leaving what was needed for the smooth transition.
I then marked and cut the rudder/VS combination back to the two separate pieces. The curve is now much nicer, but I still need to add some material to the edges for better definition.


 
Jun 12, 2018     More Tail light fitting - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
I decided to extend the taillight area a little. First step is to add 'walls', later I will add flox filler.


 
Jun 12, 2018     Rudder/VS transition perfecting… - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
The rudder/VS transition is not looking very good. I am not sure why the initial shape is so bad. Anyways, I clamped the rudder, secured with duct tape and simply added material to fill the 'valley'.


 
Jun 10, 2018     Shaping the VS fairing - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Checked the VS fairing and the lower rudder faring and added flox for better edge definition.


 
Jun 09, 2018     Fitting of VS fairing - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
The VS fairing needs to be closed up. I tack epoxied a piece of balsa and made sure the shape was tracking the rudder.


 
Jun 09, 2018     More Tail light fitting - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Closed up the taillight area, used some scrap aluminum to make it as flat as possible.


 
Jun 09, 2018     Bottom rudder fairing adjustment - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
As I have the VS and rudder mounted, I decided to check the rudder tail spring (lack of) clearance.
I went to town with the belt sander and took of a lot of material.
It's an easy layup as there is plenty of access on both sides. I just needed to make sure I kept it flat (for a while it started to take the original pre-sanded shape....)
I ended up with only 1/4 clearance on an unloaded tail spring. I cannot see how the tail spring can deflect more in that area, but I might have to make the clearance bigger.


 
Jun 09, 2018     Fitting of VS fairing - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Started fitting the VS fairing by checking the clearance to the rudder. Marked for trimming and trimmed off the excess material. I am not happy with the general shape of transition between the rudder and VS fairing. I will need to research how to make that look better.


 
Jun 08, 2018     Started Tail light fitting - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
The rear part of the lower rudder fairing hold the tail light. I was trying to make it flat and flush so I can fit the Cleaveland taillight fitting. In that process I ended up sanding through, so now I have to add material. It was actually good as it also needed some strengthening of the top portion (picture is taken with fairing upside down).
The upper fairing also got some love by sanding yesterdays flox smooth and prepping a backing strip for the VS fairing.


 
Jun 06, 2018     Bottom rudder fairing glassing - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Added some layers of glass to the bottom rudder fairing to close the gap around the rudder horn. I also sanded smooth the upper fairing, it's starting to look nice, but I needed to add more flox to the flange portion.


 
Jun 05, 2018     Upper rudder fairing - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
I had previously added layers of fiberglass cloth to the upper rudder fairing. That created the right base, but the edges was basically following the underlying shape. As I did with the elevator faring, I added flox to build a little more defined edge.


 
Jun 04, 2018     Upper Rudder fairing - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
The upper rudder fairing has no overhang and is also 1/8 to short. I decided to add a couple of layers of fiberglass cloth to build it up a little.


 
Jun 02, 2018     Elevator fairings - (1.50 hours)       Category: Empennage
When sanding and working with fiberglass it is sometime difficult to evaluate how well the finish is. There are many color nuances from gel coat and translucent materials. You can get an idea from touch, but the best is to give it a quick spray of primer.

So that what I did. I didn't have any expectations as up to this point I have not used any finishing fillers only structural mixes (fiberglass cloth and flox, epoxy mixed with cotton flox).

The finish was surprisingly good, it will not take much effort to finish them off.


 
May 31, 2018     Elevator fairings - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Another multi part day. I glassed in the left elevator fairing. Build up the right elevator fairing and added aluminum strips to the HS fairing. That is also the first picture of the closed in HS fairing the slight bow in it.


 
May 30, 2018     Elevator fairing - (1.50 hours) Category: Empennage
As I mentioned earlier, I didn't like the thin front face of the elevator fairing so I cut them of and made new ones. This time I took a little more of the counter weight to allow for more material build up. No pictures, my hands were full of epoxy and fiberglass.
 
May 29, 2018     Elevator, HS and rudder fairings - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Working with fiberglass requires to wait 12 hours for the parts to cure so I end up working with many parts in parallel.

The HS fairings that was closed up yesterday got additional layers and fillets on the inside (no pictures).

The elevator fairings got metal strips so that the rivets have something solid to grip onto. If you loom closely you see that the front of the fairing is too thin. I will need to cut it off and start over again.

I applied the template to the lower rudder fairing and marked up for the cut-out.
This time the cut-out was 100% perfect. But now I found another annoyance: the front part don't conform very well. I might have to cut them off and make new ones.


 
May 28, 2018     Rudder fairing cut out II - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
My second cut out went better, but I was still not pleased. To make the cut-out easier made a template of aluminum flashing. I basically took a sheet with the desired opening and drilled it to the fairing while in place.
After, I glassed in the new cut out.

I also closed up the elevator fairings. I went off script from Van's (balsa or foam) and used a piece of scrap aluminum which had a bow in it conforming to the elevator front face.


 
May 27, 2018     Drilled HS fairing - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Laid up 8 holes on each of the HS fairing and drilled the fairing to the HS. This part fits pretty good and in addition to the closing up the back-end, will only need small fixes to be perfect.


 
May 27, 2018     Lower rudder fairing - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Drilled the lower rudder fairing to the rudder. I plan to make the fairing removable and intentionally offset the rear holes to avoid nutplate clashing.

Many year ago I made the cut-out for the rudder cable horns. They don't like the look, so I think I will close up the old cut an make a new one.


 
May 27, 2018     Fixed rudder fairing - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
I sanded down the gel coat and closed up the old cut-outs.


 
May 26, 2018     Elevator fairing - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
My first attempt of making a closing up the elevator fairing. I taped up and waxed the counter balance weight and put 2 layers of 9oz fiberglass.


 
May 07, 2018     Lower empennage fairing - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Fitted the lower empennage fairing. Just a little material had to be removed to get it to hug the HS profile.

I dug out the upper fairing to see how well it fit, how it interfaces with the lower fairing and how to lay out the hole pattern.

I also spend time looking into other builders logs, I might make my own lower fairing, basically extending the upper to wrap all the way around.


 
May 05, 2018     Primed empennage attachment parts - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Before riveting on the empennage attachment hardware I needed to get them primed. I also had some other parts for the pitot inspection panel.

I also added some primer to the VS spar as it was trimmed to fit the HS spar tie-in bracket.


 
May 04, 2018     Rudder stop - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Mane years ago I got the internal rudder stop from FlyBoys. It's been sitting on the shelf since then, now is the time to dust it off and install it.

I decided to put in between the hinge brackets instead on top. It only have esthetic reasoning as I do not expect the rudder to keep banging on the stop all the time. Having said that, distributing the forces through both brackets seems like a good idea.

I made a template for drilling as the rudder stop rest on the spar and it has predrilled holes not accessible for match drilling when in position. That worked great and the template doubled as a test piece for checking how much material I had to remove to get the max rudder deflection and minimum clearance.
It is amazing how little 0.020 distance results in rudder movement, at least 3/4 inches. This is good to know before getting started on the actual piece.

The original shape was pretty close, but the corners hit the spar rivets, so I had to trim the corners a little. It struck me I should have put it on top of the bracket instead.... to late ! Remember, it takes real effort to extend the building time from 4 to 6 years.......

I spent a an hour of shaving of corners and length until I got the 1 1/8 clearance between rudder and elevator tip.


 
May 03, 2018     Elevator horns spacers - (1.50 hours)       Category: Empennage
I was not a fan of using that many washers for voids between the elevator horns, so I went for the option of making spacers from AT6-058X5/16. Using the lathe made that quick process. I probably spent more time looking for the parts I was dropping while installing them than actually making them.

It was getting late, so I hung the rudder to prepare for the rudder stop work for another day.


 
Apr 28, 2018     SB 14-01-31 - 8 - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Continued the riveting of the horizontal stabilizer. I got a little overzealous and also the holes meant for the vertical stabilizer tie-in bracket. No worries they were easily removed with no damage, probably because they will be drilled to 3/16 anyways for AN3 bolts.

If you look carefully you will also see some size 5 rivets in the places where the roundness were gone after size 4 removal.


 
Apr 27, 2018     SB 14-01-31 - 7 - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Started riveting the HS back together again. I started with riveting the angles to the ribs, then there are 4 easy skin rivets (that was removed for access) that needs to be riveted.
The 4 trimmed location gets rivets to nowhere.

It was surprisingly easy to rivet the spar stiffeners, mainly because the existing structure offers support to both rivet gun and bucking bar. Access was good, even with my larger than average hands....

I was about to finish up when I discovered that the #27 upsized holes in the ribs still didn't clear the rivets to nowhere. I decided to remove the corner for better fit, deburred and splashed some primer on the ribs.


 
Apr 26, 2018     SB 14-01-31 - 6 - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
I didn't have any interference issues with the new added parts so I thought I could avoid trimming the spar flanges. I learned from Van's support that the reason for the flange trim (and removal of one rivet location) was to direct the loads into the new strengthened spar.

So I trimmed the 4 locations using a dremel while using the provided stainless steel sheet to protect the spar and skin. After deburring they were primed with all the other parts.


 
Apr 23, 2018     SB 14-01-31 - 5 - (1.00 hour) Category: Empennage
Pressure washed the empennage ribs and stiffeners. Most primer came of, but there still is a few spots that wont budge. I covered them up with EkoStrip again for another 24hrs 'cooking'.
 
Apr 22, 2018     SB 14-01-31 - 4 - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
With the angle clamped in place, I removed the ribs. I had previously marked the holes to make sure there were no movement. After match drilling #40 and upsizing to #30, I covered all the parts with EkoStrip to remove the primer. That have to 'cook' until tomorrow.


 
Apr 22, 2018     SB 14-01-31 - 3 - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
To make sure the fit is good the angle is first match drilled to the spar, then the angle needs to be tightly secured to the rib so it stays in place when the rib is removed.


 
Apr 21, 2018     SB 14-01-31 - 2 - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
The next step in the SB 14-01-31 is to make the angles for the flange replacement. For the RV-7 they have a angle less than 90 deg. One side is also slightly oversized to facilitate positioning.

The new added stiffener have some pre-drilled holes, that is the new holes. The existing spar holes will be positioned between these hole. This require trial fitting and mark-up of the holes.
I figured out the best fit was when I drew a centerline through the top row of holes, then measures 12/32 from the edge and lined that up with one of the existing holes in the spar. This way ended up with proper edge distance for most holes.


 
Apr 21, 2018     SB 14-01-31 - 1 - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Started the SB 14-01-31 by removing the rivets for the ribs and spar stiffeners. Two of the ribs needs to have one of the flanges cut off to make room for the additional stiffener. There is a figure in the kit provided by Vans specifying how to drill for an angle serving as a new flange.


 
Apr 19, 2018     Elevator Horns 2 - (1.50 hours)       Category: Empennage
The elevator horns lower bolt (where the pushrod attaches) need to be drilled. I clamped the horizontal stabilizer upside down to the workbench and measured up the pilot hole position according to the drawing on the aft most elevator horn

I then drilled a #40 pilot hole, upsized to #30 and #12 with the step reamers and v-block.

With both elevators in neutral, I was prepared to make a spacer to clamp the horns together and provide alignment for the drill bit. I then discovered that the v-block fit perfectly between the horns, the tool gods must be pleased.

I clamped the drill block with a #12 in position between the horns and drilled the other hole on the horn.

After deburring, I experimented with washers to fill in the space between the rod end and the horns. It took about 7 AN960-10, so I think I'll make spacer out of some aluminum tubing.

I also have to clean up the corrosion on left horn and recoat.


 
Apr 18, 2018     Elevator Horns 1 - (1.50 hours)       Category: Empennage
I clamped right elevator in neutral position and prepared for the pilot hole. Instead of trying to adjust the oversized bushing I used one from my toolkit (0.246 outer, #30 inner) . I drilled a pilot hole and used step reamers #30/#13 and #12/D and finished with a 1/4 reamer.
I then did the same for the left elevator mounted both elevator on the horizontal stabilizer and measured the up and down deflections.

I got:
33.5 up / 20.7 down for the left
31.9 up / 22.9 down for the right

The elevator horns was hitting the aft deck square hole edges and moved freely throughout the range.

These are within Vans recommendations (25-30 up and 20-25 down). The aerobatics guys normally goes for the extreme 30 up and 25 down. I am happy to leave them as is for now, when the vertical stabilizer get installed one of the attachment angles doubles as a up elevator stop.

I do need to drill the or the push rod bolt, but that's for another day.


 
Apr 16, 2018     Elevator hinges - (0.50 hour)       Category: Empennage
One thing I should have done a long time ago was to drill the elevator horns. Before doing so I need to check the hinge distance. My plan was to insert a 3/16 rod through both hinges and simply measure. I made a tool out of plastic piping a few years ago to ease the turning of the rod end, in the same drawer I also a had a measuring block I now remember I bought on impulse...

Using that block made it super easy to get all the hinges set to the same distance which I set to 13/16.

I then started to look for the bushing I also got a few years ago (1/4 outer and #40 inner diameter).
I found it and realized it was a few thousands to large to fit in the elevator bearing, so I have to rethink my plan.


 
Apr 15, 2018     Fitting the HS 2 - Checking area to be drilled - (0.50 hour)       Category: Empennage
As preparation for the HS drilling I also need to check the area around the F-710 bulkhead.
The angle could 'hug' the longeron a little better, but I think the edge distances is going to work OK.


 
Apr 15, 2018     Fitting the HS 3 - First holes - (0.50 hour)       Category: Empennage
I started with the holes in the longerons as these are easy to access. I used the following process for both sides:
I started with #40, then #30, then #21 and finished with #12. I would have preferred to use a reamer, but the one I have is too short to reach from above.

With the front spar bolted down, I moved to the rear spar and used a long #30 drill bit on the two lower holes. The drill block is v-shaped and cleared the rivets fine.


 
Apr 15, 2018     Fitting the HS 4 - Finishing up - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
With all 4 rear bolts in place, I located the two last front bolts 27/32" inboard from the two first.
These ones required an angle drill and short bits with no possibility of drill block use.

It went OK and the HS is now bolted in place.


 
Apr 15, 2018     Fitting the HS 4 - Second set of holes - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
I continued with the rear spar and used a #30/#12 step double fluted drill bit to upsize the #30 pilot hole to the final #12. This also allow for the drill block to be positioned and clamped in position.

I inserted AN3 bolts into the upper holes and tighten with nuts and repeated the process for the lower holes.


 
Apr 15, 2018     Fitting the HS 1 - Clamping in place - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
I did deviate slightly from the building manual.
My first step of the HS drilling was to clamp the HS in place with the spacers in place, Vans want you to do it without spacers first and then slip them on and match drill, I think.

I made sure the angle of incidence was 0 deg. by inserting steel rods in the tooling holes and measure their distance down to the aft deck. I also checked the distance to the firewall was equal on each side by measuring from the same two rivets on each side.

Everything was clamped down, I was ready to drill holes.


 
Apr 14, 2018     Horizontal Stabilizer - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
I plan to mount the horizontal stabilizer this week-end, as preparation I made the spacers required for the HS front spar.
I also measured up the center and other lines needed to position the various mounting bolts.


 
Apr 09, 2018     Elevator trim tab hinge - (0.50 hour)       Category: Empennage
Made a new hinge pin for the elevator trim tab so it can be secured to the trim tab spar. I managed to mess up the first attempt, but it serves as a template for the final one.


 
Mar 31, 2018     Trim tab III - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Finished the trim tab III. I got 2 new skins from Vans just in case, but I aced it at the first try, mostly because I had the failed one as template.
I made sure the alignment was correct by using angles and a #30 drill bit.


 
Mar 19, 2018     Elevator fairings - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
I was pretending to tidy up in the garage and came over the elevator fairings. So why not goof around with those for a while. I mean I have been trained........

I marked the flange to fit into the elevator and tested the fit. They fit surprisingly well, but I am not sure how far I should with the fiberglass work. Most builders make that area smooth by glassing over the rivet lines as well. I am tempted, but I am considering keeping both the fairing/aluminum transition and the rivet lines to make them consistent with the removable wing tip fairings.

We'll see, I am going to look at build logs.


 
Mar 12, 2018     Butchered the elevator trim tab - (1.00 hour) Category: Empennage
OK. The first time I made the trim tab, it went great. My first attempt turned out perfect, I was a little proud because most builders make several effort or simply use riblets instead of bending the tabs. Doing it the second should be easy right ? Well, I messed up by not checking the outer bend in relation to the outer hole for the horn. To my knowledge one cannot have a flush rivet on an outside corner. So after a large piece of humble pie, and before crying myself to sleep, I ordered a couple of new tab skins and more pie.

No pictures, remember I said I was humble, not ready for public humiliation.
 
Mar 11, 2018     Modified the elevator trim tab - (1.00 hour) Category: Empennage
I originally build the trim tab for manual trim. I did however change my mind and now I have to change the horn. I drilled out the old horn, but did not like how the holes looked like afterwards. Luckily I had ordered a complete trim tab kit many, many years ago...
I started measuring and making new bending blocks for the infamous bending operation.
 
Dec 15, 2013     Riveted the trim tab - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Riveted the trim tab


 
Dec 10, 2013     Primed trim tab parts - (3.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Primed trim tab parts.
 
Dec 07, 2013     Drilled the trim tab hinge - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Drilled the trim tab hinge. Set the clearance to 1/8 as per plans.


 
Dec 07, 2013     Bent the trim tab tabs - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Bent the trim tab tabs using the same technique as for the elevator. Turned out just as good.


 
Dec 05, 2013     Bent the Left Elevator Tabs - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Bent the tabs on the left elevator. Used wedges of oak and double sided tape.


 
Dec 02, 2013     Riveted the Left Elevator skeleton - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Riveted the left elevator skeleton


 
Dec 01, 2013     Left Elevator Skeleton priming - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Primed the Left Elevator skeleton parts and the skin tabs.


 
Nov 30, 2013     Back Riveting Left Elevator II - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Back riveted the Left Elevator II. It came out perfect. Leaving the skin unbent was the way to go.


 
Nov 28, 2013     Left Elevator II - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Started the Left Elevator II. Learning from my previous mistake, I kept the skin as unbent as possible to ease the back riveting of the stiffeners.


 
Nov 24, 2013     Elevator is moving - (1 hour) Category: Empennage
Got one the right elevator operational. First moving part!

 
Nov 11, 2013     Left side stiffeners - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Deburred the left Elevator stiffeners, well the one I had, I am missing 6. I'll await the replacement for the mis-cut last week.


 
Nov 10, 2013     Trailing edge forming - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Constructed a bending brake using 2x6 lumber and door hinges. Used a 1/8" dowel to avoid crushing the edge. Thought I was done, but a quick test revealed I had still some to go. Another round and the tip ended up according to spec.


 
Nov 10, 2013     Right elevator riveting - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Back riveted the stiffeners on the right elevator skin. Did one mistake, I managed to rivet one stiffeners on the opposite way. Luckily I am getting good at drilling out rivet and this was super easy as the heads snapped right off. In addition the stiffener helped in removing and the stems in one go. Getting out the remaining rivets out f the stiffener was also east. I wish all drill-out were this easy.

Also squeezed the nutplates on the trim reinforcement plate, very happy with how they looked.


 
Nov 09, 2013     Right elevator priming - (3.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Washed, etched and primed the stiffeners, right elevator skin and the trim reinforcement plate.
 
Nov 08, 2013     Trim reinforcement plate - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Match drilled the Trim reinforcement plate and deburred the stiffeners for the Right Elevator.


 
Nov 07, 2013     Right elevator assembly - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Assembled the Right Elevator and tried to fit the counter weight. I ended up totally butcher the parts as the drill went out of control. I ended up borrowing part from the left side and have to order a new set with rib, counter weight and skin.


 
Nov 06, 2013     Elevator stiffeners - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Cut the stiffeners to size. Some of them are shortened and I messed up and cut them too short.


 
Nov 02, 2013     Rudder trailing edge clean up - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Removed the angle from the Rudder and removed the Proseal that was in the dimples. It was a tedious process involving toothpick, but it all cam out without leaving any


 
Nov 02, 2013     Rudder trailing edge riveting - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Back riveted (half set) the trailing edge of the rudder as explained in building manual.
Edge ended up straight.


 
Nov 02, 2013     Rudder Leading Edge - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Used the broom handle and the U-bolts to roll the leading edge. This was followed with tape and massaging the edges till the holes matched up.


 
Nov 02, 2013     Vertical Stabilizer Spar riveting - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
After a final check of the VS rivets, I rivet in the rear VS spar.


 
Nov 01, 2013     Horizontal Stabilizer final riveting - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
After a thorough inspection of all the rivets and also spot primed the scuffed areas (bucking bar), I riveted on the rear spar. Root and tip ribs followed. I now have only 4 rivets left, they are tricky so I leave it for tomorrow.


 
Oct 31, 2013     Left Horizontal Stabilizer - (6.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Riveted on the left HS skin. On the HS I have root, tips and rear edges to do. All of them can be squeezed.


 
Oct 30, 2013     Rudder proseal - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Prosealed the rudder trailing edge. Easier than expected.


 
Oct 29, 2013     Riveted the other side of the rudder - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Van's advice were to build on, so I riveted the right side of the rudder. Which only leaves the trailing and leading edges to do.


 
Oct 28, 2013     Rudder riveting - (4.00 hours) Category: Empennage
While waiting for Van advice for the right side, I riveted the left side of the rudder.

Will use pull rivet for the last rivet on the lower tip, unless I find a reliable way of back riveting.
I will experiment with the training edge which has similar dimensions.
 
Oct 27, 2013     Trailing edge prep - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
Match drilled the aluminum angle for the trailing edge. Thinking of using two, one for each side..


 
Oct 27, 2013     Rudder skin riveting - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Started riveting the rudder skins. Squeezed the first 6, the last row needed to be bucketed, but too much flex got into some problem with the lower rear of the 9 first rivets.
Went to NAS1097, but still not looking good. Seeking advice from Vans. Thinking of replacing with AD4 rivet with larger head, but need to find a way to dimple for that size.


 
Oct 26, 2013     Riveted the counterbalance. - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Riveted the counterbalance.


 
Oct 26, 2013     Counterbalance - (6.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Fitted and drilled counterbalance replacement. The previous never had a good fit and during riveting too many rivets got messed up. This time I spent 3 hours massaging the part to fit better. Must have clecoed and de-clecoed about 20 times.

Deburred and primed the counterbalance parts.


 
Oct 25, 2013     Rudder - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Continued to rivet the rudder skeleton, brace portion. Not easy to get those rivets inserted, figured out that masking tape on finger was a excellent insertion tool.


 
Oct 24, 2013     Riveting rudder skeleton - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Riveting rudder skeleton


 
Oct 21, 2013     Rudder skin clearance - (2.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Checked the clearance between rudder stiffener and the spar R-607PP reinforcement plate. Needed to file remove a tiny bit of the stiffener in order for the plate to clear.
Also checked the clearance between the last stiffener rivets.
 
Oct 20, 2013     Deburred and dimpled Rudder - (8.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Deburred and dimpled Rudder. Before dimpling I had to remove the primer on the skin trailing edge so that the Proseal can get a good bound. This is of course much easier before dimpling.

Fitted the new Left HS rib.


 
Oct 19, 2013     Rudder riveting - (5.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Back riveted the stiffener to the skins with my recessed back riveting plate. After receiving a new set for rudder counter balance I final drilled all rudder components. The new R-903 had the last 3 holes pre-dimpled.


 
Oct 18, 2013     Vertical Stabilizer Riveting - (8.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Riveted the VS skeleton. Used AD5 for some of the removed AD4 that had enlarged (oval) holes.
Riveted on the skin. Only thing left is the spar, but I need more 426AD3-4 to finish up. The -3 called out in the plan are too short to form a proper shop head.


 
Oct 16, 2013     Horizontal Stabilizer Revering continues - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Continued on the right HS by inserting the front spar. Blind riveted the HS-708 to spar an HS-707.
Used the $69 "endoscope" camera from Harbor Freight to find the rivet stem and made sure the blind riveting tool were properly seated before pulling the rivet.

I also used the camera to verify well formed rivets on the HS-707 side.


 
Oct 15, 2013     Horizontal Stabilizer riveting - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Started HS (left) riveting. Not very successful, seriously over-set the tip rivet. When removed, the hole was so deformed that even an oops rivet couldn't be used. I scrapped the HS-707 and ordered a new from Van's.

Didn't feel very confident after that episode. After the left fiasco on the left HS, I started on the right HS. Managed to get the HS-707 on and felt much better.


 
Oct 14, 2013     Preparing for Horizontal Stabilizer riveting - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Manufactured "cleco grabbers" from the rudder stiffener cut-off. The dimpled HS skin and skeleton have slightly enlarged holes which causes the clecos to loose grip where the skin is tight. These little "grabbers" already have punched holes (#41 I think) which makes them perfect for making sure the skin does not pop off during assembly.


 
Oct 13, 2013     Rudder spar - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Clecoed rudder spar and manufactured tip attachment strips and spacer.
Cut the excess material on brace and match drilled rudder skeleton.


 
Oct 12, 2013     Rudder stiffener match drilling - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Match drilled stiffener to rudder skins. Drilled trough and clecoed to the table according to building manual. Also checked clearance to spar using an old river head.


 
Oct 10, 2013     Vertical Stabilizer Skeleton and Rudder stiffeners - (3.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Re-riveted the VS skeleton with -5. Only managed to squeeze 1, probably old hardened rivets. I'll buy new ones and try again.

Started to deburr and shape the rudder stiffeners.
 
Oct 09, 2013     Rudder stiffeners - (3.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Removed bad rivets on VS skeleton. Started cutting rudder stiffeners to length.
 
Oct 08, 2013     Horizontal Stabilizer Rear Spar riveted - (3.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Riveted HS rear spar including hinges. Cut down -7 to -6.5 and ran out of -7. New rivets on order.
 
Oct 06, 2013     Vertical Stabilizer Spar and Skeleton riveted - (8.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Riveted the VS rear spar and the VS skeleton. The 470 were much easier than the 426 as the dome head can be used to position the squeezer properly and it does not slide as easy.

Had 6 bad rivets (5 with too much slant and 1 cracked).

I want to talk to my EAA counselor before proceeding to get a feel for the rivet quality.


 
Oct 05, 2013     Priming - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Primed all HS and VS parts in the morning. Checked and re-touched in the evening.


 
Oct 04, 2013     Prepping for priming - (8.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Went over all HS and VS parts and skins to make sure I hadn't missed any deburring or sharp corners. Washed with EkoClean and etched with EkoEtch and scotchbrite.
 
Oct 02, 2013     Vertical Stabilizer Spar and Skin - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Dimpled spar, ribs and skin. Countersunk spar and stiffener. The dimples looks good, no distortion beoynd the hole itself.


 
Oct 01, 2013     Vertical Stabilizer deburring - (3.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Deburred and fluted VS ribs, drilled skin. Deburred VS spars and stiffener.
 
Sep 29, 2013     Drilled VS - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Drilled the structure and the VS skin


 
Sep 20, 2013     Deburring Horizontal Stabilizer Skins - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Deburring HS skins and catching overlooked holes


 
Sep 20, 2013     Drilled Horizontal Stabilizer ribs - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Drilled the HS ribs with my spanking new angle drill


 
Sep 19, 2013     Marked Horizontal Stabilizer ribs for drilling - (3.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Measuring out the hole for HS-404 and HS-405. This is where many builders get into edge/hole distance problem. The intent is to drill from HS-405 through the spar and into HS-404. Instead of using the distance from the drawings, I marked the ideal location on HS-404, put them against each other and transferred the location onto HS-405.

Assembled the left HS and tried on the skin.


 
Sep 18, 2013     Forming Horizontal Stabilizer ribs - (4.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Fluting and shaping the ribs for the HS


 
Sep 15, 2013     Bending HS-710 and HS-714 - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
BentHS-710 and HS-714 6 degrees backwards. I used a cardboard template for final adjustment.

Same process for the HS-702, but first some material had to be removed for RV-7 'adaptation'.


 
Sep 15, 2013     Preparing HS-404 Ribs - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Prepared the HS-404 to fit on the HS front spar. Drawings made this easy. I checked the measures on the 1:1 drawing for accuracy before transposing the cut outs to the HS-404. Used #30 drill for the corner and the band saw to rough cut. Various files and metal sand paper was used to dull all edges and corners. Right HS-404 is just a mirror image of the Left HS-404, hence the left can be used as template if positioned bac to back.

Turned out pretty decent. The time the band saw worked fine (thin material), I learnt my lesson from earlier and will only use the band saw for rough cuts from now on.


 
Sep 14, 2013     Horizontal Stabilizer Rear Spar Assembly - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
Assembled the HS Rear Spar and VA-146 for match drilling.
Primed and riveted VA-146.


 
Sep 14, 2013     FS Front Spar Assembly - (3.00 hours) Category: Empennage
Tapered the ends of HS-710 and HS-714. The band saw is not optimum for this task (cutting aluminum profiles) as it have problem cutting straight. Their shape came out less than perfect, but it is only cosmetic.
 
Sep 12, 2013     HS-603PP - (2.00 hours)       Category: Empennage
After practicing for a couple of weeks on scrap, I felt ready to start on the real stuff.
I smoothed of one of the HS-603PP (edges and tapering of the ends). There were some dings and deep scratches that I have to ask Vans about.


 
Aug 20, 2013     Remaining empennage arrived - (2.00 hours) Category: Empennage
FedEx delivered the 2nd box with empennage parts. Took inventory, no damage, nothing missing. This is starting to look good. If I only had the tools at hand.......
 
Aug 19, 2013     Empennage Partially Received - (1.00 hour)       Category: Empennage
FedEx decided to deliver one of the Empennage boxes two days early. A welcomed surprise as this box also contain the preview drawings and many of the non-skin parts.
Spent about an hour studying the drawings. I'll do a proper inventory when the other box arrives.


 
Aug 15, 2013     Ordered Empennage Category: Empennage
So there ! It's done years of fun ahead.
 


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