Van's RV-9A in Aurora

The Big Picture

The Big Picture
Flying! 8/28/2011

Saturday, June 14, 2008

2.5 hrs
Fabbed 3/16" keys for temporary mounting of control surfaces. Cut up a piece of brass rod into 2" lengths, sharpened one end on the belt sander, and put a slightly acute bend in after heating with a torch.
Installed counterweights on elevators.
Mount elevators to horizontal stabilizer. After checking travel, clearance of the elevator horn to the HS, and relative position of each elevator, take them off, adjust the hinge eye bolts, and put them back on. Repeat about 4 times to get it just right.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

.5 hrs.
File elevator trailing edges.
Bend trim tab lower flange. For this, just used a piece of 2x4 scrap, cut a thin line in it the depth of the flange, and cut out the upper corner for relief. Similar to what other builders have drawn.
Should easily finish everything but fiberglass this weekend, and then the empennage will be temporarily complete.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

1.2 hours, 61 rivets
Riveted trailing edge right elevator.
Installed remaining root and tip spar rivets. Used the squeezer for the last rivet on the upper skin, and a pop rivet for the bottom skin.
Preliminary install of hinge eyebolts.

Still haven't ordered wings. Starting to spend time doing long postponed chores, and shifting the plane activities to planning, design, and cost estimation. Still a few odds and ends to do, but only enough for a few more posts.

Thursday, June 5
.9 hours
Cleaned the right elevator trailing edge. Then mixed up the proseal, and applied to
the trailing edge. Clecoed to the angle iron. Now to let it sit.

The 1oz. batch of proseal from Vans was just enough to do this job.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Tuesday
1.3 hrs, 29 rivets
Match drill, debur, and rivet trim tab hinge to elevator.
Also installed eye bolt hinges on left elevator. Left elevator now complete, except for fiberglass, trailing edge filing, trim servo, HS mounting and pivot drill, painting, etc.. Oh, say, just another 20 or 30 hours!

Monday
.7 hrs, 28 rivets
Rivet left elevator trailing edge.


Finish spar/stiffener rivets.