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Empennage Progress Report

JDA_BTR

Well Known Member
I'm very happy today because I've finally gotten through the sticky (literally) parts of my elevator assembly. I've redone the trim tab a few times (lets just say the first one was terrible TE riveting; second one I countersunk very, very badly). Lots of lessons in the elevators, especially the left. But now both the elevators and trim tab are assembled with the foam ribs in place with the Proseal and cleco'd together waiting to rivet the TE after a few days cure. And I got the TE riveting down now after getting the trim tab done.

The angled squeezer die for riveting the TE made it way easier than trying to rivet the TE the manual way. Thanks Avery Tools.

If you try to countersink the rear spar of the trim tab without the hinge cleco'd on the bit wanders and the hole is opened widely by chatter. I think this tip applies to the wing too where you need a jig for the nut plate hole to keep the bit from chattering in that area too.

One of the prepackaged tubes of proseal is plenty enough to do all the foam ribs on the two elevators including the trim tab. The plans have you do the trim tab and then come back later for the elevators but if you save the work to do together you can easily get it done in the time allotted and save on proseal without getting the big can yet.

The 3" yoke is better for riveting the hinge on the left elevator and trim tab than trying to use the rivet gun, and is better for dimpling than the notched smaller yoke described in the plans. I used both and the 3" one is better by a mile. Keeping the hinge pin in the side being riveted makes the alignment of the hinge tabs stay true while riveting.

Finally, the plans do not ever call out riveting the last 6 holes on the outboard rear spar to skin after closing out the rest of the outboard assembly. I caught it before prosealing the foam ribs in but I would be mighty sad if I overlooked that.
 
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Elevator

Finally, the plans do not ever call out riveting the last 6 holes on the outboard rear spar to skin after closing out the rest of the outboard assembly. I caught it before prosealing the foam ribs in but I would be mighty sad if I overlooked that.

Now that is funny to me:). I never figured out how I missed those 6 holes. I eventually used 6 cherry max rivets in that area.

Marvin
 
You could have used MK-319-BS blind rivets. There is a place in the plans that says you can use those rivets (not included in the kit) to fasten the skin to the rear spar if you don't get the special rivet bar.
 
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