I clecoed the wing walk doubles and inboard top skins to the spars and ribs.
Match drill #40 rivet holes for nut plates along inboard edge.
Final drilled #19 the screw holes and dimpled the one furthest aft.
Final drilled #40 and countersunk all of the holes in the skin that are common to the wing walk doublers.
Disassembled everything.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 71.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 282.0 |
Final drilled #30 the spar, doublers, rib flanges, and aileron hinge attachments.
Machine countersunk the flange holes where they match up to the doublers.
Machine countersunk the doubler plates. Also drilled the attach hole to 11/32 after this photo was taken. I need to pick up a 3/8″ reamer to finish the attach holes in the fork and doubler once they’re matched up and riveted to the spar.
Dimpled all the #40 holes in both flanges of the rear spar.
Everything is ready to prime and assemble when I get back from Sun n Fun next week. Pretty happy with this weeks progress.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 1.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 60.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 271.0 |
I set the spars on the work benches opposite one another and removed all the bolts.
It went a lot quicker when I remembered I had an impact driver in the tool box.
There are a whole bunch of bolts in the spars.
Back to the ribs… Deburring holes and dimpling the bottom flanges.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 4.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 38.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 249.5 |
I final drilled all the holes to #30, dimpled them, machine countersunk the holes in the fiberglass, and blind riveted the tip to the VS. I detached the rudder from the VS and put the VS aside. Won’t be needing it again for a long time.
I marked the rudder bottom fairing and cut the hole for the tail light with the Dremel tool.
Used the sanding drum on the Dremel to finish up the hole.
I primed the outside of the doubler with SEM rattle can primer.
I mixed up some flox and used it to adhere the doubler to the rudder fairing.
I blind riveted it in place. I’ll clean it up with sand paper once it has cured.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 1.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 211.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 211.0 |
I was away in south Florida all last week for work. Good trip but glad to get back in the shop today.
I final-fit the top tip to the rudder with some sand paper. I match drilled #40 all of the holes.
I final drilled the holes to #30.
I machine countersunk the holes in the tip to fit the dimples in the skin.
I dimpled the holes in the skin.
I attached the tip to the rudder with the pneumatic pop rivet gun.
Et viola…
I attached the rudder to the vertical stabilizer on the workbench. I fit the VS tip with sandpaper and match drilled all the holes #40.
I used the band saw to cut some foam to back the fiberglass closeout. I test fit the assembly to the VS and used sand paper to gradually reduce the size of the foam until I got an interference fit.
I mixed up some epoxy resin with glass micro bubbles to . nice thick paste that wouldn’t run.
…and used it to glue the foam into place.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 1.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 206.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 206.5 |
Sanded and fit the HS tip to fit. Before I paint the airplane, these will need to be filled and finish sanded.
Final drilled #30, dimpled the skins, and machine countersunk the tip.
I picked up a pneumatic rivet puller at Harbor Freight yesterday. I used it to set the rivets and attach the tips. So much nicer the the manual puller!
This completes the work on the horizontal stabilizer and elevators. So I’ve moved them to a safe place until I’m ready to final attach them at the end of the build.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 1.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 205.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 205.0 |
Same drill as as the left tip… Final drilled #30, remove counterweights, dimple reinstall and torque counterweights, countersink tip, cleco, and pop rivet.
Tada
I used this bit on the Dremel to cut some fiberglass and phone out of the middle of the HS tip to correct the fitting issue I mentioned yesterday. Not a precision instrument. At least not in my hands. But it got the job done.
I added a temporary foam block to hold the correct width.
I used some masking tape to compress to the correct width. And adjusted to an interference fit with the HS skin.
Cut some cloth to fit the inside of the tip.
Added epoxy and set aside to cure. Once it’s hard, I’ll remove the temporary foam spacer and backfill the gap I cut with micro at the same time I fill the front side.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 203.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 203.0 |
I final drilled #30 the elevator skin to the tip. Then I removed the tip and countersunk the holes.
I dimpled the holes in the elevator.
I had to remove the counterweight to dimple the forward two holes. Then reinstalled and re-torqued the nuts.
Installed the tip with CS4 pop rivets. I’m thinking I might replace my pop rivet tool. I’m getting a burr on the top of all of the rivets and I’ve had several break off in the tool. I’m careful to keep the tool perpendicular to the work but this keeps happening. A while back, a mandrel got jammed in the tool. I disassembled it to remove the mandrel and reassembled it. But I think the jaws are not grabbing properly now.
In other news, you can see that after trimming and sanding the left HS tip, it fits nicely. The right tip is another story. I think I neglected to final fit it after I sanded the foam or perhaps I seated the foam too deeply. In any event, it spread the tip about an eighth too far and now the tip wont fit between the top and bottom skins at the spar. I’ll noodle on how I might salvage the part for a while and If I can’t I’ll order a new one. My best thought at this point is to take a 1/8″ wedge out of the middle of the foam/fiberglass with a saw and then put another layer of glass over it.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 1.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 201.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 201.0 |
My replacement cover plate arrived from Van’s. I deburred it, broke the edges, and dimpled the correct side this time! I’ll prime the inside next time I shoot primer.
We riveted the top skin in place. We moved the fuselage to the floor and Remy crawled inside and bucked while I shot.
Still looks more comfortable than a Delta coach seat.
And that completes the aft fuselage!
All that’s left is fitting and drilling the horizontal stabilizer and elevators and a bit of fiberglass work on the tips. Then the entire empennage kit will be complete!
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 186.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 186.0 |
Dimpled the top side skins. I used the squeezer for most of the holes and the DRDT-2 for the ones the squeezer couldn’t reach.
I clecoed the side skin on. And I actually remembered to peel the rivet lines this time.
I dimpled the F-01409 frame.
And the aft deck.
I clecoed the aft deck, F-01409 frame in place along with the Horizontal Stab Attach Bar Support Angle and deck angle. I clamped the attach bar to the support angle and match drilled. I also match drilled the deck angle to the aft bulkhead.
I dimpled the cover plates for #6 screws as well. Then I realized for the first time that the cover plates are not symmetrical. <moan> And of course one is now dimpled the wrong way and primed on the wrong side. I went to order a new one from Van’s web site only to find that F-14112 does not exist in their parts inventory and it’s an hour after closing time. Oh well. I’ll call the tomorrow. No big rush given that I’m almost out of parts and my wing kit isn’t scheduled to ship for more than a month.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.5 |
| Empennage Time (hours): | 177.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 177.0 |
Ron's RV-14A Build Log 