Milestones

Happy Easter!

Since we had Thursday and Friday off from work, Mark was able to get the horizontal stabilizor completed.  Having this major milestone completed leaves only work to be done on the tailcone.  In actuality we need slow down a bit as we aren't anticipating receiving the wing kit until June.

 


Tuesday (3/30) was spent riveting all of the ribs onto the spars. Work was slow because there was not enough room to get the head of the rivet gun flush against the rivet head. Mark used a new trick bending the stem of the rivet and then using a tool which rides on the stem of the rivet; allowing the gun to be held at an angle against the rivet head.  This new method worked like a charm but it was a slow process.

As always, when one riveting job is completed, a new deburring session begins. However; before the deburring began, Mark first had to win the wrestling match over the blue plastic which provides a protective cover on the skins.  After the great plastic war was won, Mark worked on the task of deburring the HS skins. 

On Thursday Mark was able to spend much of the day devoted to the plane.  Most of the morning was spent on deburring the other HS skin including deburring all 500 some odd holes. Work then moved on to drilling the holes into the other half of the piano hinge that will connect to the anti-servo tabs when the empennage gets assembled near the end of the build.  I went out to be a second brain to ensure that we match drilled the correct holes in the correct piece. We took a break to go and see Mom’s new kitchen appliances (VERY snazzy!) and to eat dinner.  Mark couldn't stand being away from the plane so he headed back out to the garage after we ate. I joined him once the kitchen was clean to help cleco the skins onto the skeleton.  We had enough clecos to do both the bottom of both sides and the top of one. It took both of us to lift it after it was all done because it was so heavy with the clecos.

Mark and his dad spent most of the day on Friday riveting the skins onto the horizontal stabilizer.  Although they are pulled rivets, it still was a slow process because so many of the holes proved to be too tight for a rivet to fully seat.  On holes like this an extra bit of work was needed. It goes something like this:
Run a drill through the hole
Blow the chips away
Deburr the hole
Blow the chips away
Rivet

Mark and Dad developed a "dance step" where Mark did the cleco removal, inserted a rivet where possible OR drilling, blowing chips, and deburring while Dad did the riveting. Working together they had the whole HS riveted by one in the afternoon.  Mark spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the little side ribs and the skins that will go alongside the anti-servo tabs.

Mark and Dad had another big work day on Saturday.  They started with riveting the side ribs and the piano hinges onto the stabilator.  It was pretty slow going because these rivets as well fit very snugly in the holes and it took some finagling to get them to seat before they were riveted. When they finished installing the piano hinges, they worked on skinning the aft outboard pieces that flank the anti servo tabs. It was the same slow rivet work but it looks really nice!









They made a trial fit of one of the anti-servo tabs to see how well it mates with the hinge that they had just installed. We all "ooh-ed" and "ahh-ed"  as the first moving part of the plane rocked effortlessly back and forth.

They moved on to bolting the control horns through the spars into nutplates riveted onto the spar weeks ago. This was a chore; as neither Mark nor his dad wanted to crossthread the bolts into the nutplates. The fit is quite snug and required much patience to get it done correctly.  Once this laborous task was completed they drilled the holes in the lead counterweights for the counterweight bracket and installed the weights on the bracket.  With that job complete the horizontal stabilator was done! On to the tail cone!

Now we just need to find a space inside the house for the vertical stabilizer, rudder, anti-servo tabs, AND the horizontal stabilizer. . . good thing I think polished aluminum looks pretty!