Showing posts with label Horizontal Stabilizer. Show all posts

Tail Completed

01MAY2022

I spent the first hour today trying to grind down a rivet gun head so that it would fit in the cable tie mounts. I got it to fit, but it didn't go all the way down into it, so I ground down the corners on a nut to use as a spacer. When Tom got to the hangar he ground the rivet gun head down a little more so it fit better in the cable tie mount. Using the new rivet gun head and nut for a spacer, the cable tie mounts installed with no issue. 👍

Then I just finished sanding down the tips for a nicer fit and no interference with the elevator. The only things left on the elevator are to install the trim servo, run the wires, and install the access panel and on the horizontal stabilizer I just need to rivet the tip ribs and tips. I'm going to wait to do the servo and run wires until I get to the fuselage and the stabilizer tips get riveted on after it is installed on the fuselage. So, I'm going to say that the tail kit is now completed!

Build Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Elevator, Horizontal Stabilizer

Elevator Trim Hinge Installed & Horizontal Stabilizer Tip Progress

30APR2022

Today I worked on the the elevator trim hinge. I started out drilling holes for the safety wire and tried to get that to work. I've never worked with safety wire before and was having some trouble. I got one side twisted well and the wire stayed in place, but the other side I couldn't seem to get to stay in place, it kept sliding and getting caught in the hinge and binding. So I decided not to safety wire and just peened the ends of the hinge. (Well, Tom peened them for me with some pliers 😀 )

Then I moved on the the horizontal stabilizer tips. I got those all drilled and started sanding them down with a dremel (didn't get that part in the video). I put the horizontal stabilizer and elevator together to test fit the tips. The hinge pin was really hard to get in - I may need to investigate why that was. The tips are close, they just need a little bit more sanding to provide more clearance for the elevator.

Both ends of the trim hinge peened

Build Time: 5 hours, 15 minutes

Elevator, Horizontal Stabilizer

Horizontal Stabilizer & Elevator, cont.

15APR2022

Started drilling the stabilizer tips, riveted in the hinge and continued working on the elevator. I tried to fit the elevator and stabilizer together, but the tips are a bit too wide and causing interference with the elevator. I'll work on sanding those down a different day.

I also decided to make a spacer for the lower horn, like I did for the balance arm. I had a few mishaps with the spacer and had to remake it a couple of times. I also discovered that I'm going to need to take out the support channel that I already riveted in, which is kind of a bummer. (I guess I didn't read far enough ahead in the assembly guide, lol).

Lower Horn Spacer

Build Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes

Elevator, Horizontal Stabilizer

Horizontal Stabilizer & Elevator, cont.

09APR2022

Mostly worked on the elevator hinge today. I got everything match drilled and deburred, so tomorrow I'll be priming.

It's nice seeing the pieces fit together. 😀

Build Time: 4 hours

Elevator, Horizontal Stabilizer

Horizontal Stabilizer & Elevator, cont.

03APR2022

I made some good progress today!

Today started out not so great. I was struggling with getting the l-angles riveted to the channel support and ribs in the elevator. I just couldn't seem to get the rivet gun in there correctly. I ended up drilling out four rivets so that I could take the all the pieces out of the skin. I don't know why this one section seemed so hard, but I was feeling a little defeated. Thankfully Tom showed up and talked me down so that I wasn't too frustrated to continue working, lol. (Also the primer I brushed on didn't turn out the greatest, it's fine, but I'll just stick with the spray gun.)

After I finally got those pieces riveted together and back in the skin, I decided to go back to the horizontal stabilizer and work on the hinge. I had to trim a bit of the hinge off on both ends, then I clamped and started match drilling holes into the hinge. After drilling and deburring everything, I riveted in the doublers and attachment bracket. I had one rivet that didn't pull correctly. I guess I didn't have the gun totally square on it, but the head didn't sit flush against the doubler. I drilled the head off and had to use the dremel to sand it down so that I could punch the back side out.

Bad Rivet

(I already drilled the head off in the picture above, but you can see that it wasn't flush and expanded/mushroomed on the outside)

Build Time: 5 hours, 10 minutes

Elevator, Horizontal Stabilizer

Horizontal Stabilizer

21FEB2022

I fixed a rivet that didn't fully pull down the rib flange. The rivet apparently mushroomed in between the skin and the rib flange. I couldn't drill the rivet out since it mushroomed on both sides of the flange, but Tom was able to get the stem out with some edge cutters. This allowed me to drill completely through the rivet and pull it out from in between the skin and the rib flange. Tom helped me replace the rivet by pressing up on the flange to ensure that it was flush against the skin while I pulled the rivet.

I also finished installing the end ribs and l-angles and got the top skin riveted on. I was going to work on the elevator hinge, but the hinge interferes with the tip end rib. I decided to hold off on that and wait until I have the elevator put together so I can see how the two pieces mate together before trimming the hinge.

Bad Rivet

Top Skin Clecoed

Hinge Interference with Tip End Rib

Top Skin Rivetted:

Build Time: 3 hours, 5 minutes

Horizontal Stabilizer

20FEB2022

After taking some time off for the holidays and being sick most of January, I'm finally back at it with the plane. Today, I just spent some time figuring out where I left off, finished drilling a couple l-angle supports and then primed the end ribs and l-angles.

Build Time: 2 hours

Horizontal Stabilizer

Horizontal Stabilizer - End Ribs

28DEC2021

Tom helped me cleco the top skin on to see how that dent looked with the skin fully wrapped around. I did email Zenith about the dent in the skin and the response was to rub a spoon on the back side to try and push it out or to put a doubler skin over it. The spoon trick didn't seem to do anything and I don't want to put a doubler skin over it. I also asked on the Facebook builders page and the consensus there was that it was cosmetic. The dent is about the size of a half dollar and 1/32" deep. I decided not to replace the skins and to live with the dent. I may fill it in later before painting if it is too noticeable.

After unclecoing the top skin, I started on the end ribs. I got those clecoed to the spar and bottom skin. I cut the four L-angle pieces that attached to the spar and end ribs. The front L-angle pieces needed to be trimmed to fit the rib curve and I cut too much off on the first pieces and had to redo those.

Build Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Horizontal Stabilizer

Horizontal Stabilizer - Bottom Skin Riveted

27DEC2021

I leveled up the spars and then clecoed the skin on. I noticed a small divet/dent in the skin near the leading edge. (I'm not sure if it was there from the factory or if I dented it while handling the skin.) So I unclecoed the skin to see if there was any way to get the dent out. Tom confirmed it probably wasn't going to come out and he didn't think it was too much of an issue. I re-clecoed the skin back on, check that it was still level and then riveted it on!

Here you can see the small dent along the leading edge

Build Time: 2 hours

Horizontal Stabilizer

Horizontal Stabilizer, cont.

19DEC2021

Today, I got the ribs riveted in! It's starting to look like I've actually been working on something, lol.

I also deburred and primed the skin.

I tried to take another time lapse video, but I accidentally turned the screen off on my phone and it stopped recording. Fortunately I noticed in time to take some pics.

Build Time: 5 hours, 15 minutes

Horizontal Stabilizer

18DEC2021

Finally got to pull some rivets in the horizontal stabilizer!

I also tried a time lapse video, check it out.

Build Time: 4 hours

Horizontal Stabilizer

Oops - More Priming

12DEC2021

Today I cleoced a few pieces back together and put four rivets in. Then I realized I forgot to prime the back side of a couple of pieces and I left the primer at home. So I ran back home and got the primer, then drilled out the four rivets, prepped the surfaces and finished priming.

(no pics today)

Build Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Horizontal Stabilizer

More Priming

11DEC2021

Today I sanded down runs and high spots in the primer from last week and then touched up bare spots. I also finished priming the spars. Instead of using the air brush on the spars, I got a detail spray gun from Harbor Freight. This seemed to work really well and went quite a bit faster, lol.

Build Times: 3 hours, 55 minutes

Horizontal Stabilizer

Cutting and Priming

05DEC2021

I cut out the Rear Spar Attachment Bracket with the dremel and cleaned it up with a file and some sandpaper.

Cutting Rear Spar Attachment Bracket

Rear Spar Attachment Bracket - Cut & Filed

I also primed mating surfaces on a few parts. Before priming, I prepped the aluminum by washing with soapy water, scuffing with a scotch brite pad, and degreasing with acetone. I decided to use a two part epoxy primer, which I applied with an air brush. (I'm using PPG Shop-Line JP371 primer white & JH3770 hardener)

I haven't worked with epoxy primer or an air brush before and I got a few runs of a couple of pieces, so I'll need to sand those down and touch up next time, but overall they came out pretty good.

Priming parts with air brush

L-angles primed

Build Time: 5 hours 5 minutes

Horizontal Stabilizer

Measuring & More Deburring

04DEC2021

Today I double checked the measurements of the pre-drawn lines on the Rear Spar Attachment Bracket and found that one side was 13mm wide and the other side was 16mm wide. Drawing called for both sides to be 14mm wide. So I removed the line and redrew the cut out area.