QuickBuild
Tail and Windshield Fit:
In order to free up
space in our back bedroom for the Finishing Kit, due to arrive
in August, we decided to
install the tail section. Proper measuring is a must
when installing the
Horizontal Stabilizer. Several measurements need to be made
from reference points
along the Fuselage to the Horizontal Stabilizer on each side
after placing
11/32" drill bits under the rear spar for proper height adjustment
and installing permanent
0.063" spacers under each forward attachment point.
This effectively sets
the angle of incidence for the Horizontal Stabilizer. Bolt holes
are then drilled into
the forward and rear connection points.
Once the Horizontal
Stabilizer is installed, the Vertical Stabilizer can be
installed. We found it
best to use a 90-degree drill attachment using a #30
pilot hole and then back
drilling from the other side using the 3/16" drill bit.
Before starting, the
Vertical Stabilizer needs to be straight and vertical. This
Is best accomplished by
using the Horizontal Stabilizer as a reference to each
side. Once drilled, a
washer is placed behind the left connection bolt to offset
the entire assembly
slightly. There is also a forward spar connection plate, which
sets the actual offset
angle and also allows the rear spar to sit straight.
The final step in
installing the Vertical Stabilizer is to fabricate and install the
lower rear connection
point that also acts as the Tie Down point for the tail. The
Tie Down assembly needs
to be tapped to accept a steal tie down ring. If you
are wondering why the
Vertical Stabilizer is offset slightly, it compensates
for engine torque at
cruse power settings.
After the Vertical and
Horizontal Stabilizers have been installed, it is time to fit
the Elevators. For this,
the Elevator Counter Balance Arms are clamped to the
Horizontal Stabilizer
into the neutral position, and then the Elevator Horns are
drilled through so that
the Elevator Push Rod can be connected. The horn that
ends up being slightly
aft becomes the reference horn for measuring the rod-end
connection point. Once
the measurement has been made and a pilot hole drilled
(on one side only), a
wooden block that has a straight pre-drilled hole using a drill
press is placed between
the two horns. The second horn is then match drilled
using the pilot hole and
guide block to achieve perfect alignment. I also checked
the trailing edge using
my laser plumb bob for good measure.
For the Rudder, a slight
adjustment is made on one or more rod-ends, and the
Rudder is then bolted
into place. The Rudder Stops are installed to limit the
Rudder travel. The
Rudder Cables are connected using the Rudder and Rudder
Pedal neutral positions
for alignment. The builder must fabricate the Rudder
Stops and Rudder Pedal
Cable Links -- these links are a function of the
Rudder Pedal position,
which will vary from builder to builder.
Before we remove the
Tail for paint, we fitted and drilled-in the removable
fiberglass Tail Skirt.
There was some trimming required, but for the most part,
the fit was very good.
The aluminum Gap Skirt was also installed under the
Horizontal Stabilizer as
shown.
After we installed
everything that requires good access to the Forward Fuselage
Section (see Aircraft
Systems Page), and after installing most of the Sub-Panel holes,
we riveted the Sub-Panel
and Ribs to the Fuselage.
Once we had completed
the wiring and control cable installation, as shown
on our Systems Page, we
installed the Top Forward Skin, Landing Gear,
Brakes and Brake Lines.
When installing the tires, be careful not to pinch
the tubes between the
two rims during installation and align the red dot on
the Main Tires with the
valve steam on each wheel. Also, since the Forward
Nose Gear was designed
to caster, a brake-out torque adjustment needs to
be set to 20 LBS at the
tire spindle using a small fish scale before the nose
fork cotter pin hole can
be drilled-in.
Since the Windshield was
previously fitted, it was just a matter of installing
it. Since we wanted to
make it replaceable if necessary, we used an
aluminum skirt with
screws every two inches across the top. We also
added sides-skirts and
installed #6 screws with lock nuts where the normal
rivet holes are in order
to make the entire windshield easier to remove.
Screws and nuts were
also used with an aluminum strip on the inside of the
Windshield to fasten it
to the side skirts. In our opinion, this also provides
a better blend into the
side Fuselage than just the fiberglass lay-up.
After the skirts were
installed, we then filled the windshield gap with Epoxy Putty
and then sanded it to
conform to the Windshield edge shape. Epoxy Putty
was also used to fill
the gap between the Roll Bar and Windshield. As
called out in the plans,
we did the Epoxy Resin fiberglass lay-up around the
forward part of the
Windshield. In addition, we installed a fiberglass lay-up
over the top side-skirt
screws in order to make the entire edge around the
forward part of the
Windshield look uniform. It will receive a final sanding
and Epoxy Paint to fill
the tiny holes in the fiberglass before final painting.
