I riveted the trailing edge this morning. The double flush riveting was actually pretty straight forward. The edge turned out pretty straight and didn’t require much fiddling.
Later, I rolled the leading edges. Then clecoed and blind riveted them to complete the rudder.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 5.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 41.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 41.0 |
I finished back riveting the stiffeners to the skins. I had one oops where a rivet got cockeyed just before I drove it. It left a ding in the skin but didn’t penetrate. I debated replacing the skin but opted to move on.
I used 3M F9460PC double stick VHB tape to secure the trailing edge extrusion to the skin and clecoed it together. I put some long rivets through every tenth hole or so, put the tape on both sides of the wedge, and used the rivets to properly register the taped wedge to the right skin. Then I clecoed it in place and removed the rivets.
I riveted the stiffeners and shear clips together. I removed the backing from the other side of the tape while I pried the skins slightly apart so the strip didn’t tear. I removed clecos as I worked my way to the top of the trailing edge. I pressed the left skin into the tape and clecoed every hole.
I mounted the counterbalance. I had to file a bit off of the forward corners to clear the shop heads of the rivets holding the counterbalance rib in place. I riveted the skin to the spar, and riveted everything else except the trailing edge. That will be tomorrow’s adventure.
I neglected to shoot progress photos along the way but here’s the result of today’s work…
This is the tape I used…
| Today’s Time (hours): | 6.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 36.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 36.0 |
Deburred and dimpled the skins and substructure.
Machine Countersunk the trailing edge wedge.
Began back riveting the stiffeners into the skins but it’s loud and it got late so I quit until tomorrow.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 30.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 30.0 |
I primed all the rudder parts and skins today. I picked up a roll of hardware mesh at Home Depot and put it up on some blocks over my paint table. I did this to keep all the small pieces from being blown around by the spray gun. It worked really well.
I got the shipment of VS replacement parts from Van’s today. Unfortunately only four of the five parts I ordered arrived. They shipped the wrong part for the fifth on. I ordered a VS-705 they shipped an E-705. I called and they’re shipping the correct one. Oh well. I’ll just continue on with the rudder until it arrives.
I riveted together the spar, reinforcement plates, counterweight rib, bottom rib, rudder horn and shim. The I screwed up and riveted the rudder attach nut plates to the wrong side of the spar. Drilled them out and re-riveted correctly. Cost me six rivets and an extra thirty minutes. No harm no foul.
I’m still struggling with my riveting technique with the gun. There was one rivet on the rudder horn that couldn’t be reached with the squeezer. I managed to put a big smile into the rudder horn. I think it will be okay.
I made a drill guide from a paint stirrer so that I could more accurately drill perpendicular to the chord of the rudder. I cut a 6 degree angle on the end and held it flush to the rudder and aligned the drill to the edge of the stick.
Off to Vegas tomorrow for a conference. won’t be making ay progress until next weekend.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 6.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 27.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 27.0 |
Match drilled the spar to the reinforcement plates, rudder horn, shim, and bottom rib. Radiused the forward corners and fluted the counterbalance rib and top rib.
Trimmed, drilled, and deburred rudder skins. Match drilled the top rib and counterbalance rib to the spar.
Match drilled the counterbalance to the counterbalance rib. Dimpled the counterbalance rib and machine countersunk the counterbalance.
All of my back ordered parts from Van’s Aircraft arrived today.
Hopefully all of the replacement VS parts I ordered will arrive tomorrow and I can prep them for priming along with all the rudder parts over the weekend.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 20.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 20.5 |
Separated and deburred shear clips, stiffeners, attach strips, horn brace, and bottom rib. Radiused the edge and corners of the rudder horn.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 18.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 18.0 |
While I wait for Van’s to send me the VS replacement parts that I ordered, I’ll get started on the rudder. I picked and inspected all the parts.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 0.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 16.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 16.0 |
Ron's RV-14A Build Log 