Post Title: Bent Left Elevator Trailing Edge</title>
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Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:30:06 +0000
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Sick again today, but I did get a little work done.
First, I spent a considerable amount of time looking at the 4 horizonal holes below. The plans show them as blind rivets, but there has to be a way to get solid rivets in there.
After much deliberation, I think if I drill them to #40 now (gasp, without matchrilling!?) Then I can deburr, scuff, and dimple the area now. I'll do the same to the equivalent holes in the trim spar, and then attach (at a minimum) the top skin to trim spar holes with solid rivets. I think I will be able to get both sides, as I am planning on cutting off the "bent tabs" from both the elevator and trim tab.
First, drill to #40.
Then, deburr interior and exterior, and scuff the interior only.
I got the c-frame out again and dimpled the holes.
I should be able to make that work out for me, but more on the bent tab cutting later on.
Next up is bending the trailing edge. After inserting and taping a 1/8" dowel in the trailing edge, I bent it in my bending brake. This picture is about halfway bent.
Then, I removed the dowel, bent it the rest of the way, and did the same with the trim tab since I was in the bending mood. (Side note, the trailing edge on the elevator looked great, but was not constant radius...it was larger radius toward the tip. I grabbed the hand seamers and gently squeezed the areas so they were all the nice crisp radius that the inboard trailing edge was.)
Trim tab bent.
Also, I way overbent the trim tab. There are no stiffeners in there to stop you, so you can basically flatten the thing, even with the dowel rod in there. I opened it back up a little by hand, but it's not perfect. If I can't get it back to perfect, I'm going to order another one. I think I can work with this one, though.
This is a radius shot of both the elevator only.
After placing the weight in position, you cleco on the skin (difficultly) and get ready to match-drill. Of course, I met the same challenges I did on the right elevator...namely, I broke a drill bit (#40 size). After getting a pilot hole drilled, I took everything apart and separately enlarged them all to #21. Air tool oil was used with great success after the pilot hole was drilled.
Ready to start drilling.
I didn't take any pictures, though, because I was getting frustrated. (At first, I was dipping the drill bit into the oil, which meant I had to take the lid off. Then, after stepping away a few minutes later, I placed the screw lid (with the flip-up spout) back on the oil bottle and immediately flipped it over to aim oil into the pilot hole. Guess what! I forgot to tighten down the lid. There goes the lid, and about a 1/2 cup of oil...all over the counterweight, table, and floor.)
Now do you see why I forgot to keep taking pictures?
Anyway, after that debacle (which of course gets counted in the build time...it's time spent building, right?)
Anyway, here is that same assembly (sans weight) before clecoing on the skin.
In preparation for clecoing on the skin, I needed to handle E-606PP, which is the trim tab hinge spar. Since I was looking ahead earlier and dimpled the hard-to-reach holes (you can see in the skin below), I need to do something with the spar to accept those dimples. If you read ahead in the directions, the spar is countersunk on the top flange (because the hinge is riveted beneath the spar flange, it can't be dimpled), and dimpled on the bottom flange.
<strong>June 10 Update:</strong> After countersinking these four holes, I later did some more research and realized that the countersinks called for (due to the hinge) don't really apply here, because the hinge stops short of these four holes. I could have (and wished I'd ) dimpled. Boo.
Here are the two parts that need to fit together nicely.
Finally, I got the skeleton and skin clecoed together.
Wuhoo. It looks like an airplane.
A solid hour. Maybe more this weekend.