I spent a day fixing the horizontal stabilizer. About a year ago a test fitting revealed that the forward mount points for 10mm to far inboard on each side.

The entire skin was unzipped. With some careful measuring and luck, I was able to use two existing holes on each side that were 10mm outboard. Many of the bracket holes to the spar became elongated so I enlarged them to A6. The old holes were filled in with A5 rivets.

I took the electrical system apart... again ( fourth time? ) and used an aviation grade spiral wrap conduit to add order to the wires. I then added a piece of L-Angle near that crossed from the pilot side to the passenger side attaching to the bus mount I had fabricated earlier. This was done forward and rear. These provide a very nice spot to secure the bundles against.

I trimmed about 10mm from the gusset. Now the full range of motion on the elevator is defined by the horns hitting each other, so about 45 degrees each way.

Last night my neighborhood had a block party. This was a belated event from the "Neighborhood Night Out" that happened on the 1rst.

My place is on a small block in the NE corner of Ballard. It's fairly quite with many long time residents. Well as the new people, we were asked which house was ours. My response was normally something like "The house with all the strange construction noises". Based on the AOPA, EAA, SPA, and BFI stickers many had already figured out that I was a pilot, but hadn't realized what the noise was.

I got the normal questions and responses like: "Like a remote controlled plane?", "That's legal?", "How will you fit it in your garage?", and so on. In the end about 15 neighbors ( at once ) ended up in my garage to see the project. I tried to answers everyone's questions about the tools, materials and inspection process.

In the end a number of people expressed interest in flying and in experimental aviation. Hopefully more people will pop their heads into the garage.

It was a good experience, especially since I missed the Eastside EAA meeting.

I heard back from Zenith builder support today. For some reason my hinge hole is closer to the gusset bracket than it should be. I measured exactly 135mm from the center hinge bracket flange end, but I didn't verify the measurments of the gusset. According to Caleb the factory demo plane has 11mm from 7H5-3 to the edge of 7H5-4. So I'll trim about 10mm from the gusset and perhaps add a doubler to the gusset. Also according to Caleb, trimming the gusset is not an abnormal step to take to allow full motion.

It also turns out that you need to drill the holes for the cotter pins on the outboard hinge pins. I'll have to drill out the rivets ( getting those out of the elevator will be a pain! ) and then conscript a drill press to make a 1/16th" hole.

The empennage is riveted. A few small questions still remain. First the hinge pins do not seem to have holes for the cotter pins. The second question is about which side the center hinge bracket goes in relation to 7H5-3 ( horn angle ). If the bracket is on the outside then the upward elevator motion is interrupted by 7H5-4 ( center hinge gusset ). If the bracket is moved to the inside then the elevator is slightly out of position and more of the center elevator hinge will have to be removed to achieve full movement.

In total I spent about six hours working on the plane and another hour playing with Sketchup and the paint job.

Of course this photo was taken at the end of the six hours... and at about 11pm.

Next up flaperons!






Project Status:
Paint Design: 2 hour spent ( 1h, 1h )
Elevator DONE!: ~31.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h, 6h )
Horizontal Stabilizer DONE!: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder DONE!, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~78.5 hours

I took delivery of the flaperon / slats kit on Wednesday. The crate is still closed and an inventory has not been taken. While waiting for the crate I worked on the hinges for about an hour and cleaned up the garage to make room for the new crate.

When I skinned the elevator I went ahead and drilled the elevator channels not realizing that the horn brackets would go there. When it came time to put the horn brackets on I needed to drill out a few rivets and fit the brackets through the existing holes. That worked for the bottom, but for all four brackets to join nicely I had to drill new holes into the spar. One of the holes was a little close to the new hole, so I fashioned a "patch" that goes over the the previous holes and restores any strength that may have been lost without affecting the fit of the horn brackets.

Initially I thought I borked the newly received center hinge by drilling the hinge hole too early. I had measured the 135mm from the bracket flange tip up the centerline. When I did a quick test fit against the bracket it attaches too I freaked out when the hinge hit against the elevator spar and was at least 1/4" away from the desired hole.. After calming down a little I realized what needed to be done was the following procedure: I clecoed the center hinge to the bracket on the outside of the flange and rotated the brackets. While rotating I used a Sharpie to determine the area that needed to be ground away. After fifteen minutes of using the rasp I had the correct fit.

The next step is to deal with the outside hinges and make sure everything is co-linear. Yeah.

I hope to have a completed tail section on Saturday with the flaperons starting on Sunday.

Google Sketchup is a cool tool I've used in the past. When we moved I spent a few hours with it and made a mockup of our new dwelling along with the major furniture with real measurements. This worked better than the old graph paper alternative because the digital objects gave a better sense of volume. I'm taking the same approach to designing my paint scheme. I spent about an hour making a digital elevator and horizontal stabilizer. The next step is to create a texture to be applied over the base "paint". The paint scheme I have in my head is fairly grand. Spending at least 400 hours on construction and then not taking that extra step to make my plane stand out is inconceivable to me. I want to make sure that the paint job looks good from several conceivable angles and translates well.

Project Status:
Paint Design: 1 hour spent ( 1h )
Elevator: ~25.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~71.5 hours

I spent a total of 4.5 hours getting the elevator horns drilled along with the center hinge bracket. The new Zenith bracket was the right size!

Luckily there was some scrap aluminum to make the cable template out of.

The next steps are the side brackets, the mating of the elevator and stabilizer and the final riveting.

Saturday was spent getting my night currency back. The last time I logged night hours was November 2005. While I was practicing fireworks were being shot from Lake Washington in celebration of Seafair. The explosions were probably just a little over two miles away, and at about the same altitude.

Project Status:
Elevator: ~24.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~69.5 hours

Has anyone had the following problem?

I'm starting my elevator/stab hinges and noticed a difference between the builder's manual, the plans and the manufactured piece supplied by Zenith concerning the Center Hinge Bracket ( 7H3-3SP ).

Using the plans I measured 50mm into the flange to make a mark to draw the perpendicular line. This line was off center with the bracket tip by about 2mm. The builders manual states that the line should be centered with the tip.

When tried to figure out why this was and I realized that the flange was 109mm in length, not 107mm as stated in the plans.

Since these measurements are enclosed by boxes on the plans, I assume they are critical, especially since being off will cause problems with the elevator's movement.

Is it better to use the tip center to determine the line knowing that one side of the piece was manufactured 2mm to long, possibly grinding down that side? ( my guess )

Or would it be better to use the line drawn 50mm in? ( seems like that would weaken the hinge )

Update 1: I think that the piece was cut wrong AND that the flange was bent in the wrong direction.

Update 2: Zenith is sending me a new piece. Thanks to Caleb and Nick for their support.

Project Status:
Elevator: ~20 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~65 hours

Another two hours spent on the elevator. We pre-drilled the top of the skin in key spots, ratcheted everything down matched up the lines and drilled into the spar before stopping. No major goofs, although the drill line for one of the ribs was moved over a few millimeters.

Incidentally we got our first noise complaint... from an elderly lady... at 11pm... who could hear us drilling in her living room... from a block away.

Project Status:
Elevator: ~12.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~57.5 hours

We spent three and one half hours skinning the bottom of the elevator ( aka "the flipper" as "Stick and Rudder" calls it ). This was a much easier process than the stabilizer. The skin fit perfectly and the pre-drilled holes we made matched the rib flanges.

Deburring took place, but on the steel beems I bought on Friday.

Next comes measuring out and pre-drilling holes on the top of the elevator which will be much harder to do without de-clecoing everything... again.

I found a used copy of "Stick and Rudder" at a book store on Phinney Ridge. I'm not sure if I completely agree with the way the description of how a wing works, but for a new pilot it may take some mystery out of stalls, climbs and landings.






Project Status:
Elevator: ~11.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~55.5 hours

We spent about 30 minutes securing the elevator skeleton to the table. I also bought 2"x2" steel square tubes like those shown in the directions. I acquired six, five feet each, and two of two feet each in length. What I thought would be a quick drive turned into a nightmare of traffic in rural Snohomish county, at least 15 minutes further than I thought. For future reference Whiteside steel has 6061-t6 aluminum in small sheets and various extrusions.


Project Status:
Elevator: ~8 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
Workshop Done: ~8 hours

We now have a riveted elevator skeleton! We spent three hours drilling the tip ribs into place along with making the elevator channel brackets and drilling those together.

Deburring and zinc chromate followed... then came the riveting.

I found that there are some pieces that are just impossible to rivet together without using the hand riveter. The half nose ribs are an example. Now I need to get some steel beams together so the skinning can start. With any luck Saturday can be spent skinning and then the rest of the week can be spent on the bracketry.

With at least three weeks until the flaperons and slats arrive I need to figure out what to do with my down time... besides crunch at the office.

Project Status:
Elevator: ~7.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
Workshop Done: ~8 hours

We spent about 1.5 hours last night drilling the front ribs into place and measuring and positioning the tip ribs.

There was some confusion over how to drill the holes for the tip ribs. Nick from Zenith suggested drawing the flange line out onto the outboard side of the rib and measuring from there. He also told me that drawing 7H3-2 holds the edge distance for the A5 holes that go below it.

While I was talking to Zenith I went ahead and ordered the flaperon and slat kit. It will take about five weeks to get to our workshop.

Project Status:
Elevator: ~4.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
Workshop Done: ~8 hours

We started on the elevator tonight after cutting the top stabilizer and re-clecoing it back down. About 30 minuts was spent on the stabilizer and about 3 hours on the elevator.

The elevator spar was drilled for the 7H1-7s and the side brackets were cut out. Finding the position of the ribs was an easy job made hard by the wording of the directions.

The side brackets still need to be drilled. According to the manual a tolerance is 1mm, so additional measuring and double checking needs to be done.

Project Status:
Elevator: ~3 hours spent ( 3h )
Horizontal Stabilizer: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces borked ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder Done, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
Workshop Done: ~8 hours