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Project: ElectricXenos -
Listing for Category : tail feathers

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Builder Name:	Timothy Drager -

Project:	Electric motor - VIEW REPORTS
Total Hours:	587
Total Flight Time:
Total Expense:	$122553.00
Start/Last Date:	Aug 30, 2021 - Aug 30, 2023
Engine:	Zero DSR
Propeller:	PTip
Panel:	FALKEN AVIONICS , FLIGHTVIEW EFIS FLIGHTBOX PRO, AIR DATA

Friendly URL:	https://eaabuilderslog.org?s=ElectricXenos

Home or Last Project Picture

Mar 24, 2022 ASSEMBLED LEFT STAB FRAME - (2 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Finished deburing left stab skin. Cleaned all parts. Began cleco of frame.

Mar 12, 2022 DEBURR - (3 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Deburred left stabilator.

Feb 27, 2022 DISASSEMBLED LEFT STABILATOR - (1 hour) Category: Tail Feathers

Removed all clecos. Getting ready for deburring.

Feb 25, 2022 DRILL LEFT STABILATOR TOP SIDE - (3 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

- Drilled 50 #30 holes
- Went to the EAA workshop and borrowed some #30 clecos

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Feb 24, 2022 DRILLED - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

- Drilled #30 holes in lower left stabilator

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Feb 22, 2022 PILOT DRILLED LEFT STABILATOR - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

- Turned over stabilator
- Clamped and strapped bottom stabilator
- Drilled and clecoed stabilator
- Next: Final drill all holes

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Feb 22, 2022 STARTED LOWER SKIN FITMENT IN LEFT STABILATOR - (2 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

- drilled 40 pilot holes in upper skin
- flipped over the stabilator
- corrected design defect in outer rib nose, which caused deformation in skin leading edge
- clamped down lower skin

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Feb 18, 2022 STARTED SKINNING LEFT STABILATOR - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Squared up the frame with:
- Big square, 18x24 inch
- Skin. It is perfectly square

Then clampled in:
- Square
- Skin
- Hinge
- Rear end of ribs

Checked alignment of primary datum at:
-Rear end of skin with rear spar
- Hinge with end of rear spar
- 75 inches of rear end of spar with skin and hinge
- Spar drill lines with pilot holes in skin

Once squareness and alignment was checked, pilot drilled:
- Rear spar and hinge using skin pilot holes
- Ribs

USED A BUNCH OF CLOTHS PINS SINCE THEY ALLOW HINGE PIN INSERTION

Used Starette to measure .75 inch dimension

Feb 17, 2022 DRILLED, SQUARED AND MARKED REAR SPAR - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

- Marked rear spar pilot hole locations
- Drilled rear spar on mini-mill
- Marked hole alignment lines on spars
- Squared assembly with big square
- Clamped frame with mini-clamps

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Feb 16, 2022 TRIMMED AND MEASURED REAR STABILATOR SPAR - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

- Assembled left stabilator frame
- Realized I must pilot drill rear spar

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Feb 15, 2022 STARTED FINAL ASSEMBLY OF LEFT STABILATOR - (2 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Waiting on the pitot static probe adapter so I can make the holder plate, so I:
- Closed up right stabilator skin and placed it in the loft
- Started final assembly of the left stabilator starting with tightning two AN3 bolts

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Feb 14, 2022 PREPARING FOR CLOSING UP STABILATOR FOR RIVETING - (5 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

- Riveted front spar to ribs
- Countersunk 8 rear spar and rib holes
- Riveted all rear spar to ribs
- Ran three aluminum pitot-static-total energy probe lines

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Feb 13, 2022 DEBURRED RIGHT STABILATOR - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Today I;
- Cleaned all parts with acetone
- Installed close tolerance bolts
- Drilled and installed six oversize rivets in rear clip
- Deburred all holes
- Reassembled frame
- Clecoed top skin
- Ground down dimple tool due to interference

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Feb 11, 2022 DIMPLE TEST PASSED - (3 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

I dimpled two scraps and the rivet pulled better than expected. See photos. The enlargement was minimal because I hypothesize that the 120 degree angle makes for minimal dimple depth.

RIVET IS FLUSH

1/8 DRILL BIT IN DIMPLED HOLE

DIMPLE DIE SET, 120 DEGREES

Feb 09, 2022 DRILLED ALL FINAL HOLES IN RIGHT STABILATOR - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled final holes #30 in right bottom skin and all ribs.

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Feb 08, 2022 SKINNED RIGHT STABILATOR - (5 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Completed:
- Fitted lower skin using 2x2 wood clamped over main spar, then one ratcheting strap near end of stabilator
- Resolved minor skin wrinkling in two places where front ribs interfered with skin by trimming the front of the ribs by 1/8 inch.
- Drilled all pilot holes using pre-drilled skin holes.
- Drilled bottom skin holes with #40 final size

TIP POSITION TEST OK

WOOD PLACED IN CORRECT POSITION

Feb 07, 2022 FINISHED DRILLING TOP RIGHT STABILATOR - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled all pilot holes including:
- spars
- ribs
- hinge

Ruddervator, hinge and tip fits fine so far.

Flipped it over, strapped it down and analyzed bottom hole locations. They don't line up well. Will continue analyzing tomorrow.

WRONG PLACE FOR WOOD

WRONG PLACE FOR WOOD

Feb 06, 2022 SKINNING RIGHT STABILATOR - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Squared stabilator frame with big square and skin. Skin is perfectly square.
Pushed ribs in place.
Drilled all ribs except root rib. Will do that tomorrow.

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FULLY SQUARED

Feb 04, 2022 FRAME AND SKIN HOLE LOCATION - (10 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

- Drilled pilot holes in rear rib to spar interface,
after analyzing plans and all angles.
- Layed skin onto frame and began pilot hole fitting.

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Feb 02, 2022 BREAKTHROUGH - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Yes, I CAN PROCEED with assembling the skin, stabilator with rear spar, ruddervator hinge and tip nut plates.

KEY FINDING: Only the root rib rivets are held for the final mating of the stabilator and Y. The other rivets are either flush or don't interfere with the rear spar cap.

See photo: After actually reading and UNDERSTANDING the drawings a lightbulb went on.

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Jan 31, 2022 REMADE LEFT ROOT RIB - (1 hour)

Category: Tail Feathers

First attempt had pilot holes too close to the edge.

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Jan 28, 2022 Recalibrated my plans reading knowledge, cut rear spar - (5 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Recalibrated my plans reading knowledge: double lines are front view. This means:
- Reviewed photos of other build websites
- My right and left spars were reversed
- Re-marked all spars and ribs

Cut right rear spar per plan.

Jan 27, 2022 Prepared right rear spar - (3 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

- Received and unpacked replacement 49 inch spars from Sonex
- Straightened to 90 degrees
- Measured and began cutting to plans

Jan 18, 2022 Filler rib in stabilator tips - (5 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Filler rib in stabilator tips:

- Measured hole location
- Drilled pilot and final holes
- Deburred 10 holes
- Riveted

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Jan 17, 2022 Cut tips, squared ribs, Drilled inner front rib - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Cut tips with cutoff wheel
Squared ribs and spar with sheet metal former
Drilled inner front rib

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Jan 14, 2022 Riveted Spar - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Riveted Spar, both right and left.

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Jan 13, 2022 Drilled and deburred spar holes - (2 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled and deburred spar holes. Cleaned and ready for riveting.

Jan 12, 2022 Drilled front spar and ribs - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Pilot Drilled:
- front spar
- front of ribs
Final drilled #30 spar cap 5%

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Jan 11, 2022 Began drilling and clecoing ribs on left stabilator - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Began drilling and clecoing ribs on left stabilator:
- Squaring rib
- Measuring stabilator dimensions
- Clamping

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Jan 10, 2022 Drilled and rough build of left stabilator - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled 3/8 inch root spar holes for stabilator.
Drilled clips.
Rough assembled ribs to spar and clamped in place.

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Jan 09, 2022 Drilled pilot holes through left spar and cap

Category: Tail Feathers

Still waiting for Sonex to send me the rear 49 inch spar channel, so I pilot drilled the holes through left spar and cap.

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Jan 09, 2022 Re-made aft clip - (1 hour) Category: Tail Feathers

Re-made aft clip by:

- Cutting
- Bending
- Drilling

Jan 07, 2022 Drilled and Clecoed right front side stabilator ribs - (7 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Squared all ribs. Drilled pilot holes. Clecoed front side ribs to spar. Waiting for Sonex to ship the rear spar channel. They were closed for two weeks for holiday shut down.

Re-made rear left clip, drilled and bent to 95.1 degrees.

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Jan 06, 2022 Drilled and clecoed rear clip - (3 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled and clecoed rear clip onto rib -12. Indexed and squared rib -11. The 76 degree bend was twisted, so I will correct it.

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Jan 05, 2022 Assembling right stabilator - (7 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Placed spar on jig.
Clamped most ribs on spar.
Verified angles in 20 places: 95.1 degrees on root rib and 90 degrees on all other angles.

Jan 01, 2022 Drilled caps - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled caps with pilot and 1/8 drill bits. Deburred all holes.

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Dec 31, 2021 Drilled caps and spar - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Using the pre-drilled Sonex spar as a template, drilled the main cap and spar.

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Dec 29, 2021 Drilled 8 pilot holes in spar cap. - (4 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Analyzed plans. Drilled 8 pilot holes in spar cap.

Dec 27, 2021 Spars - (7 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Made spars
Need to buy two more spar's worth of material due to my mismanagement of raw materials.
Analyzing main spar assembly process

Dec 26, 2021 Clips and Ribs - (6 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Made root ribs and clips.

Dec 23, 2021 Root clips - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Deburred 30 holes in ribs.
Chamfered root clips
Made LARG root clip

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Dec 22, 2021 Drilled ribs - (3 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Re-made one rib
Drilled ribs.

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Dec 20, 2021 Completed ten ribs - (6 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Completed the rest of the ten ribs. I may remake one since one of the flanges had to be re-bent to meet the drawing. It has ripples and machine marks.

Dec 17, 2021 Made four ribs - (6 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

My first rib was 1/8 inch too long. I re-bent the aluminum and brought the length in-spec. I will have Billy, our resident expert tell me if it's acceptable. I used the lesson learned and built three more ribs that are in-spec.

Dec 15, 2021 First rib - (3 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Studied plans, cut first rib and bent the 76 degree angle.

Dec 15, 2021 Started Spar and Clips - (5 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Analyzed plans for spar and clip members. Cut first 21 inch spar. Cut clips.

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Dec 09, 2021 Bent thin hockey sticks - (3 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Made a one-inch V block. Bent thin hockey sticks to 14.3 degrees with my new 12 ton press.

Dec 04, 2021 Made V block out of wood - (2 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Made V block out of wood to make the next 14.3 degree angle bends.

Dec 03, 2021 Hockey sticks bent - (3 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Tweaked the twist and 14.3 degree angle of the stabilator spar caps using the vice.

Nov 24, 2021 Adjusted hockey stick angle - (3 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Plans call for 14.3 degree bend on the spar aft caps. I exceeded this by .5 degrees, so I put it in the vice and banged it with a wood block and sledge hammer, which brought the angle to exactly 14.3 degrees. However, there is up of .5 degrees of twist at the bend and plan on correct it with my vice and a mandrel tool to "untwist" the twist. The mandrel is a 2 ft adjustable wrench.

Nov 23, 2021 Completed Left Ruddervator and bent two pieces Category: Tail Feathers

Completed Left Ruddervator with rivets and bent two pieces to 14.3 degrees.

Nov 21, 2021 Drilled Left Ruddervator - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Measured, Marked, and pilot Drilled Left Ruddervator and it's hinge.

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Nov 19, 2021 Marked and Cut left ruddervator hinge - (1 hour) Category: Tail Feathers

Marked and Cut left ruddervator hinge to make ready to drill.

Nov 17, 2021 Marked drill locations - (3 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Marked drill hole locations for left hand side ruddervator.

Nov 16, 2021 Measured and cut left ruddervator - (5 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Measured and cut left ruddervator diagonal horn control diagonal. Measured rib drill locations.

Nov 15, 2021 Right Ruddervator Complete - (8 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled, deburred, cleaned, reassembled and riveted right ruddervator.

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Nov 14, 2021 Drilled all pilot holes in right ruddervator - (5 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled all pilot holes in right ruddervator, including the hinge.

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Nov 14, 2021 Drilled pilot holes for two inner ribs - (2 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Drilled pilot holes for two inner ribs in right ruddervator. Learning techniques for accurate and efficient drilling and deburring.

Nov 12, 2021 Measure and Cut Right Ruddervator - (7 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Cut and trimmed right ruddervator, including four ribs and hinge. Measured and fit all pilot holes.

Nov 10, 2021 Drilled Hinge - (2 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Finished drilling right hand side ruddervator hinge and prepared to cut the ruddervator with tin snips.

Nov 09, 2021 Drilled hinge - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Made a jig to drill hinge. Drilled right side hinge.

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Nov 08, 2021 Prepared Right Ruddervator Skin and Drive - (4 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

- one hour to figure out plans
- one hour to prep workbench for larger area required
- one hour to create perfectly flat work space
- one hour to measure and draw lines on skin

Nov 07, 2021 Assembled Left Hand Root Rib Assembly - (2 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Assembled Right and Left Hand Root Rib Assembly with 120 degree countersink drill and rivets.

Nov 05, 2021 Bent Left Hand Root Rib Assembly - (1 hour) Category: Tail Feathers

Bent Left Hand Root Rib Assembly 15 degree angle using a vice. Checked with angle tool.

Nov 04, 2021 Ordered countersink drill bits - (2 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Ordered wrong countersink drill bits from McMaster since they were not:

- Self-centering
- Depth adjustable

So I went to Aircraft Spruce and found COUNTERSINK 120 DEGREE 5PC KIT, which includes #30 and 40 rivets, 120 degrees, for use in the self centering with depth gauge tool called MICRO - STOP COUNTERSINK CAGES.

MICRO - STOP COUNTERSINK CAGES

COUNTERSINK 120 DEGREE 5PC KIT

Nov 03, 2021 Started building - (6 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Started building the Right Hand Root Rib Assembly, -02R. I Bent the Right Hand Root Rib, -05R, on a vice to 15 degrees. Drilled #40 holes, clecoed and drilled #30 holes. Stopped to order 120 degree countersink drill bits from Mcmaster.

Right Hand Root Rib Assembly

Drawing and assembly

Nov 02, 2021 More deburring - (4 hours)

Category: Tail Feathers

Despite placing the large tail structural parts on 8 inch the Scotch Bright wheel, tool marks from Sonex still were struck into the aluminum. They were very deep from Sonex. Between a file, sand paper and Dremel tool with Scotch bright wheels and pads the job is finished except for the skins. I wanted the metal to look relatively bright; not have a bunch of scratches. I don't want to remove too much material but need to determine if my present level of deburring is acceptable.

 file, sand paper and Dremel tool

 tool marks from Sonex

Oct 31, 2021 Deburring - (3 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

Deburred channel aluminum with Scotch Bright wheel.

Oct 29, 2021 Deburr more parts - (5 hours) Category: Tail Feathers

There were a lot of factory machining grooves that needed to be smoothed. 50% complete.

Oct 28, 2021 Deburring Tail Kit - (1 hour)

Category: Tail Feathers

Received tail kit. Inventoried all parts. Started deburring all pieces in the box.

Started deburring all pieces