Having read other builder’s comments about the difficulty of trimming the lead weights, I must admit to cheating! It so happens that Tim’s lad, John, is doing an engineering apprenticeship, and has access to a…
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Having enjoyed success using a straight piece of Aluminium angle for the rudder TE, I decided to adopt the same technique for the Elevator & Trim Tab TE’s. Used Aluminium Angle match drilled to the…
The elevators are longer than a broom handle! So I visited a DIY store and bought a length of 1″ dowel to roll the skin LE’s. We decided to do this job before flush riveting…
Whilst waiting for the foam ribs to bond for a few days, plenty of time to install the the trim tab servo. Riveting up the servo holder didn’t take that long. More sticky stuff, Silicone…
Riveting a bit easier now, along the root and tip ribs with easy access for the squeezer. Front Spar The 3″ Yoke fitted OK over the protruding skins to make riveting the front spars straightforward….
Back riveting the ribs to the skins, the easy bit! Other rivets in this stage of the elevator build are challenging … trying to work out how to get access & the best tool to…
As mentioned previously, the original R Elevator Horn supplied in the kit was faulty, the powder coating lifting in several places. Vans dispatched FOC a new one, which winged its way across USA and the…
After the marathon prime comes the fun part – riveting it all together. Tim once again helping out with this, much quicker with an extra pair of eyes to make sure the riveting tool is…
Lots of parts to scuff & degrease, so took quite a while. Also the skins and rear spars need to be masked off in the areas where the foam ribs will be bonded. Vans also…
I’ve been gradually working through the various manual steps to prepare each component ready for priming. In other words, reading ahead to make sure all machine countersinking/dimpling/shaping has all been done. This does require jobs…