RV-10 Rudder final assembly/trailing edge

Does anyone have a good video link for the final assembly and trailing edge techniques that's NOT time lapse? I get the time lapse provides proof that you are building the plane but it does nothing for those of us trying to see how others deal with various parts of the build. Thanks

I don't have a video link but I don't think you really need one. This section's instructions are about the best for the whole kit. If you are unsure of the sequence, try it with just clecos at first. In fact, the second time I built the rudder (I made a custom trim tab and hinged it on the wrong side the first attempt), I assembled the entire thing with clecos after dimpling, etc. so I could finalize the internal modifications for the trim tab servo and light wiring.

The only real question is how to ensure the TE is straight after riveting. What worked for me was drilling it to a straight piece of wood, which extended aft of the TE by a half inch. When I assembled the rudder halves, I glued the TE wedge in with proseal and clecoed the assembly to the wood, which was then clamped to a length of iron angle to assure that the wood WAS perfectly straight and didn't warp while the proseal cured. Then the cured TE was riveted against that same iron angle once the wood was removed.

If you are unsure about some part of the process, I suggest you get an experienced builder to assist you. Videos don't always show all the 'gotchas' and aren't interactive like a second set of hands and eyes.

Blizzard said:

Does anyone have a good video link for the final assembly and trailing edge techniques that's NOT time lapse?

Click to expand...

Here's one I shot of me doing the flap trailing edge. Wanted to take a video for the last TE in case I ever need to do it again. This technique works pretty good for me, angle the gun up the slope quite a bit for the first hit, and progressively bring it down to flush.

https://youtu.be/yEUiMybAyRo

Good info. Thanks for the response. Can the riveting be done with the back riveting attachment with the spring housing or do I need a different flush rivet driver?

I was happy to do mine with a plain flush set (not the type with the rubber ring) so I could be sure it was flat with respect to the angled surface. That's not exactly the forte of the back-rivet set and, when the shop head gets too low as it flushes with the surface, the spring-loaded collar will no longer serve to keep the set centered on the rivet.

I also raised the pressure of the gun and took advantage of the teasing trigger to get more powerful strokes at a slower rate. You can practice on a block of wood until you get good control of the gun so that you can work the trigger while keeping the set flat to the surface and not walking. Be aware that many people try to over-rivet these, because the tail of the rivet will not deform to completely fill the dimple (don't try to use a longer rivet because the tail will just tip over).

While it sounds difficult, it really is not. The broader head of a flush set will help prevent any marring of the TE and riveting at a slower rate will help you keep control. Also, the wedge itself provides support to rivet against. Do your first rivets at one end or the other because you will be doing fiberglass work there later, in the unlikely event you have a problem.

I recently just finished mine, and the trailing edge, which was one of my greatest worries, went really smooth in hind-sight. I had a second set of hands helping which was huge. We did a practice dry run with how to hold it rolled back and how to position everything. Also 2 people spreading the 'goo' helped with the time crunch too.

I did mine on a glass table edge, with a thin film of plastic sheet protecting the glass, and weighted it from above, along with bonus clothes pins.



The back set riveting, even using the set with the rubber cup, came out great, and I was surprised it filled the dimple on the 'tail' side more than the rivets did on the practice kit.

I had more trouble with the bend around the counterbalance lead not quite being in the right spot than the trailing edge.

Good luck,
Lance

Thanks for the tips. I used the tape instead of Proseal. The trailing edge came out easily within the 2.5 mm tolerance that Van's gives. Their are a few spots along the trailing edge that I suspect were a function of the countersink on the wedge possibly being slightly shallow. I rolled the edges of the skins, but their is a tiny gap between the skins that literally is almost not even measurable. Wondering if the Proseal might've been a better option. The plane will eventually be painted and was wondering if some type of filler is added to all the trailing edges before painting to provide a perfectly smooth edge.

Thanks