EMPENNAGE KIT - Page 2A.

The vertical stabilizer with rudder attached is sitting in the living room. I normally have it up against the wall between the two front windows, but pulled it out into the room for this shot.

I hope to finish all the metal work this weekend and may put the fiberglass tips on things later, or not. The wing kit is due in early January.

December 31, 2002:  I cut the fiberglass tips for the left elevator and the left side of the horizontal stabilizer to fit today.

January 2, 2003:  I trimmed the other fiberglass tips for the horizontal stablizer and elevator, then match-drilled all four parts.   I also started to fabricate the balsa plank to fit the back side of the left horizontal stabilizer tip.

("New" old photo October 14, 2004)   And here is a testimonial for doing things the right way the first time.   I pondered over the instructions about how far to set the rod end bearings from the elevator spar before drilling the 1/4" holes in the torque arms.  I should have tried to move the elevators up and down before drilling these holes.  That would have told me that more CLEARANCE adjustment of the rod end bearings was needed to clear the elevator skins from rubbing on the back side of the rear spar of the horizontal stabilizer (HS).   Notice the elongated OVAL hole in the photo below.  It looks like that since I had to drill it a second time after making the adjustments to the rod end bearing to prevent the elevator skin from rubbing against the rear main spar of the HS.  I could not put a nut on the bolt and turn it when the first hole was drilled in the wrong place.   (Oct 14 note:  This got fixed later in the project.)

Here is the other end of that same bolt on the other elevator torque arm.   The head of the bolt would not turn in the first hole before I "elongated the hole after the rod end bearing adjustment.  The bolt head is hiding the view of the oval-shaped hole.