My new molex crimper arrived from amazon along with the new automatic wire stripper. Yay! New tools.
These Molex MicroFit pins are teeny tiny. I managed to crimp four out of the five pins on to the wires from the trim servo correctly. Unfortunately there was only one extra pin provided and I already burned through that one on my first attempt. So I ordered a bunch of extra molex pins and housings.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 0.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 126.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 126.0 |
I thought for sure I would finish the elevators today. But no! Came up short by five AD-41-ABS pop rivets.
Started the day by riveting the trailing edges. I lightly set all the rivets with the pneumatic squeezer first. Then propped everything up so that the trailing edge rested flush to the back rivet place and very carefully used a mushroom set on the bottom to finish the double flush rivets. With he “backward” trailing edge of the elevators, I almost needed to use just the edge of the rivet set. It was tricky but I’m happy with the result.
Remy helped me roll and rivet the leading edges.
I cut and installed the lead counterweights. Is it me or does installing lead in an airplane just seem wrong? 🙂
And here they are. My almost completed elevators!
TODO:
| Today’s Time (hours): | 6.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 125.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 125.5 |
Decided to just get this out of the way tonight…
I went through three changes of gloves and still managed to get it on my hands.
Prepped the scuffed surfaces with isopropyl.
Sealed the trialing edge ribs in place. Peeled the tape and stuck the top skins to the trailing edges. Weighted down the aft section to ensure good bond of the skins to the ribs. The sealer cures in six hours according to the data sheet. So should be riveting the trailing edge and finishing up tomorrow.
Bent the trim tab hinge pin per the plans.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 1.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 119.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 119.5 |
I started off the day by taping the trailing edge to the bottom right elevator skin with the 3M VHB. tape.
I also completed the trim servo assembly. I need to order a crimper to terminate the wires from the trim servo with the supplied micro molex connector. I also need to get a label maker to label all the terminations.
Then my new squeezer set from Aircraft Spruce showed up. It’s nice having them relatively local. If I order by 4:00 they’ll ship same day and shipping via UPS ground gets it here next day from Peachtree City.
With the new squeezer sets I was able to complete the riveting of the hinge portion of the skin to the aft spar.
I essentially completed all of the steps that I did to the right elevator yesterday to the left elevator today. So now both elevators are ready to have the aft ribs glued and the trailing edges riveted.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 6.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 118.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 118.5 |
Unfortunately Jared was unable to make it over to work with me today. I’ll be docking his pay. 🙂
Work on the the left elevator is still halted until I have a means to rivet the hinge portion of the aft spar. To wit I have ordered a complete range of squeezer flush sets from Aircraft Spruce. They should be here tomorrow.
Significant progress to report on the right elevator however…
Riveted the rear spar and rib assembly to the bottom right skin.
Actually some progress was made on the left elevator. I was able to rivet the ribs to the bottom skin as well as the trim doubler assembly.
I riveted the skin to the rear right spar using the special bucking bar to reach the shop heads.
Side view of the special bucking bar in action.
I fabricated the tool called out in the plans but didn’t actually need it on the right elevator. Maybe it’s necessary on the left?
I blind-riveted the top and bottom halves of the ribs together. I was able to reach the aft rivets with no problem.
Here they are all riveted.
I riveted the forward spar to the ribs.
…And then riveted the skins to the spar with the squeezer.
I riveted the skins to the and root ribs as well.
Next I’ll glue the aft ribs in place with Pro Seal, install the trailing edge, shoot the last few rivets in the root and tip ribs and she’ll be done!
I had one oops today and a gripe with the plans. They remind you that the counterweight skins go under the elevator skins after you’ve already riveted the aft spar and the ribs. This made it impossible to correct. I tried to carefully pull the skin out and bend the counterweight skin up as little as possible but it left a bit of a permanent bend. Nothing tragic. Just annoying. It would have been more helpful if the plans provided this warning when they had me cleco in the forward spar assembly.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 4.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 112.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 112.5 |
Began riveting the bottom top left skin to the aft spar.
Everything was going great until I got to the part with the trim tab hinge. My bucking bar won’t reach around the hinge eyelets.
Side note: after all of this, I realized that the shear clip was supposed to be on the outside of the closeout tabs in the picture below. So ended up drilling it out and re-attaching it properly. Funny thing is that last week I mentioned to Jared and Wes that I thought it would look better on the inside. Subconscious got the better of me i guess.
I thought of using the squeezer on these rivets but I only have two flush sets. One is too long and the other is two short. I hit up Jared and he’s got a flush set that’s halfway between the two. He volunteered to swing by tomorrow morning and do some building with me. So I set the left elevator aside until tomorrow.
I moved on to the right side and riveted the bottom skin to the aft spar. I taped all of the rivets in place to back rivet the ribs. I shot one row but it’s really load and it’s getting late so decided to call it quits for the night.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 108.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 108.0 |
Riveted the gusset to the left root rib and riveted the inboard and outboard halves of the tip ribs together. Spent a bit of time with a square and hand seamers tweaking to ensure everything is straight.
Riveted the tip ribs to the spars. Riveted the hinge reinforcement plates and nut plates to the spars.
Clecoed and riveted the counterweight skins to the tip ribs.
Riveted the elevator horns to the spars.
Bruins vs. Blackhawks in the winter classic on tv… taking a break to watch a little hockey.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 106.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 106.0 |
I got home from a grocery run with the family and my replacement trailing edge was waiting in the driveway. Thank you, Van’s. Their shipping team is not taking any chances. The trailing edge was wrapped in paper, and sealed in a length of PVC pipe with PVC end caps. The end caps were sealed with that tape they use for packing everything. This is the stickiest tape ever. I’m thinking I might build a plane from it after the RV is done.
I was just going to bring it down to the shop. But once I saw the packing job, I just had to open it. …and since I was down there and the drill press was still set up for countersinking trailing edge, I clecoed it to the skin, marked it, trimmed it, and finished the outboard end correctly this time. And then I countersunk it.
…and while I’m down here, I might as well prep the skins for bonding, too. Same drill as the trim tab… Measure, tape, strip primer with isopropyl, sand, and wipe with acetone.
Ready to start assembling the elevators!
Happy New Year!
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 103.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 103.5 |
Bought a 3/4″ MDF panel at Home Depot. Leveled it out on the bench and shimmed the dead spaces with sheets of paper to create a flat surface.
Prepped the skins, spar, and trailing edge with isopropyl. Mixed up a small batch of fuel tank sealant and put a thin layer on each side of the trim tab ribs and set them in place. I used the 3M VHB tape on both sides of the trailing edge. Used clecos to align it with the bottom skin and set it in place. Then I clecoed the top skin in place along the spar and trailing edge. I peeled the paper from the VHB tape between the top of the trailing edge and the top skin removing clecos as I went to avoid tearing the paper. I replace the clecos to clamp the whole sandwich together while the tape sets up.
The sealant is ridiculously sticky and smells like ass.
I riveted the top skin and hinge to the spar.
All done!
Weighted down the skin with a board and some 2×4’s to ensure contact between the skins and the ribs until the sealant sets up. The spec sheet says there is a 6 hour cure time for the B 1/2 sealant I used.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 1.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 101.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 101.5 |
Busy day of building today! Started off with a Home Depot run to pick up some paint pots and gloves. Then I got set up and shot all of the elevator part and skins with primer.
That was a lot of stuff to prime. Didn’t mix enough and had to make a second batch to finish the skins.
Once the primer was dry, I brought everything in the house and dimpled the skins and all the ribs, spars, and other miscellaneous parts. Clecoed the forward half of the trim tab hinge to the aft spar and machine countersunk the portion of the aft spar that attaches to the hinge. Did a similar job on the trim tab spar later.
Modified my female #40 dimple die to enable dimpling of the nut plates needed for the trim tab servo doubler. I just ground off a bit of the edge on the bench grinder.
Here’s the modified die in action squeezing a dimple into a nut plate.
And here are the nut plates installed in the doubler.
I machine countersunk the parts of the trim tab pushrod and double flush riveted it together. The plans called out AN426-3-3.5 rivets but those were too short. I used -4.5’s and they came out perfect.
Clecoed together the trim tab with the spar and trailing rdge and final drilled the holes in the closeout tabs.
I machine countersunk the the trailing edges for the trim tab and left elevator using the tapered-pilot countersink cutter. I’m still waiting for the right trailing edge from Van’s to replace the one a screwed up.
I riveted the trim tab horns and spar to the bottom trim tab skin.
Taped off the places on the skins and spar where I’ll bond the ribs and trailing edge in order to prep for the ProSeal and trailing edge tape. I removed the primer with isopropyl. I scuffed with 150 grit sandpaper. Then cleaned the scuffed areas with acetone. Then I removed the tape.
Tomorrow will be my first experience with ProSeal. I’ll be using it to glue the trim tab ribs in place. Plans call for a “well and truly flat” work surface on which to weight down the trim tab while the ProSeal sets up. I don’t consider my workbenches to be “well and truly flat.” So I’ll be off to Home Depot again tomorrow to come up with something. Maybe a steel plate or a 3/4″ MDF panel?
| Today’s Time (hours): | 9.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 100.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 100.0 |
Ron's RV-14A Build Log 