Stored the Horizontal Stabilizer

I stored the Horizontal Stabilizer on the ceiling of the garage. It's plenty sturdy and I like that it's in plane sight. I know...I know, it's a lame attempt at a pun! The workbench is looking kind of lonely. Must be time for the Vertical Stabilizer (the front part of the tall tail).

Finished the Horizontal Stabilizer!

Sure was nice to read this part of the assembly manual.



Here's the completed Horizontal Stabilizer along with the intrepid builder wearing his Van's Aircraft hat. It's a small milestone but it feels good to see a part that someone would recognize as belonging to an airplane. I haven't decided where I'll store it but I'd like it to be somewhere I can see it while I'm building for a little added motivation.

Riveting Skin of HS

Here's a little video of me riveting the skin of the Horizontal Stabilizer. First, I have to remove the cleco in the hole I'm going to rivet. Next, I select a 3/32 (really tiny) rivet and put it in the hole. Then, I put a strip of riveting tape over the rivet to hold it in place and keep the rivet set from scuffing the head of the rivet. Finally, I reach inside with my tungsten bucking bar and hold it against the bottom of the rivet while I shoot the rivet from the top. Simple, just lather, rinse and repeat many thousands of times.



Here's the Horizontal Stab almost finished. It's over 8' wide so it hangs over my workbench.

Hidden Workmanship

This is just a couple of pictures of the "inside" of the Horizontal Stab. I'm getting close to buttoning it up and these parts will be permanently inside the structure. It's an odd feeling after having worked so hard getting things right and then realizing after the next steps, you'll never see them again. Really brings home how important workmanship and discipline are. If I wanted to do a fast and sloppy job, nobody would be the wiser but I'd always know and part of the enjoyment of building is doing a good job that you're proud of even if no one can see it.

New Torque Wrench

Arrh, Arrh, Arrh, new tools! This is my CDI 751 LDIN 0-75 in/lb 1/4" torque wrench that I got on ebay at a bargain. Sells for 3x what I paid. Love getting a deal but it's a tool I have to have to get it right. Many of the smaller nuts and bolts are torqued in inch/pounds (instead of foot/pounds) so you need a way to accurately measure them. The elevator hinge bracket on the rear spar right behind the wrench will be the first to get torqued. As an added bonus, the torque wrench also measures in Newton-metres so I can now fly in Europe (there will be a test on pseudovectors after lunch).

Horizontal Stab Rib Re-Do

I had another almost oops on the Horizontal Stab Ribs. I say almost because the goof technically met the requirements of AC43.13 which is the FAA bible on repairs and alterations and also MIL-R-47196A(MIL) which are the Military Specifications for rivets. I just wasn't happy with my work so I ordered replacements. Later in the build, I may just "rivet on" but I really didn't want to start off my build with "just acceptable". I don't want to let perfect get in the way of very good but I also want to be proud of my workmanship even if it's on a part that nobody will see after everything is assembled.



Speaking of oops, these are some oops rivets I ordered from Van's when I ordered the new ribs above. They're used when a hole needs to be drilled out to the next larger size but you want the head of the rivet to match the others around it. Sometimes happens when you replace a rivet and the hole is just beyond limits for the original size rivet. You can go up the the next size rivet but the head ends up being bigger. Using the oops rivets keeps everything looking "purdy".

Riveting the Horizontal Rear Spar

Here's a short video of Dexter riveting the Horizontal Stabilizer Rear Spar. He came over to return my welder and I conned him into doing some work. He's using my new 12" C-Frame back riveter. It's a brand new invention by Cleaveland Tools that makes it really easy to back rivet a universal (round) head rivet using your C-frame so everything is aligned and all you do is put the rivet gun on the top and pull the trigger. This was Dexter's first rivet and it came out near perfect.



I thought the rivets turned out well. No smileys and all the shop heads measured good with my Avery Tools rivet gauge. The new tool made it almost foolproof to get a good set on each rivet. My only experience riveting the larger -4 universal rivets was on the practice kits and this is MUCH easier.

Priming

Started priming the ribs and braces tonight. Weather was perfect for painting; 75 degrees with low humidity. Very happy with the results. Only problem I had was identifying the ribs. I marked them with a vibrating pen but it turned out that the primer is thicker than the marks. I could just barely see all but one pair and I had to remove the primer to see which was left and which was right. I turned the pen up to a higher setting for the next marks.

I'm using Napa's 7220 self etching primer. I first prepped the parts with a maroon scotchbrite pad and followed with a good wipe down with MEK.

Dimpling (Whack-a-Mole)

Finished deburring all the horizontal stabilizer parts and started into dimpling. Below is my C-frame dimpler. It has a 22" throat which is the exact size that allows you to access almost every hole in the skins of an RV. You simply place your correct size dimple dies in the upper and lower holders, align the hole in the skin with the dies, and give it a good whack with the hammer. Kinda like Whack-a-Mole, but Whack-a-Hole (for those not familiar with obscure arcade games, I added a video of Whack-a-Mole below).





This is what a dimpled hole looks like. Dimpling allows the rivet to sit flush with the skin. Making the outside of the airplane smooth makes it faster and much more fuel efficient. You wouldn't think that a small bump from a rivet would make that much difference, but at higher speeds, they add a lot of drag.

Here's the horizontal stab all dimpled.

Clecos

Here's a close-up of a cleco. It's a temporary fastener used to hold things in alignment when you temporarily assemble parts for drilling or fitting. The yellow "bootie" is optional and used to avoid scratches on shiny parts

Pop-Rivet Dimple Die

Here's one of the specialized tools I have to dimple in tight spots. It's basically a dimple die set with holes drilled through the centers. You feed a nail through one die and then through the inside hole needing dimpling. Then slip the other die over the nail on the outside of the hole and use a pop-rivet tool to pull them together.

Birthday Presents

Yeah, more tools! Shelby & Austin gave me these clamps for my birthday. Thanks a million, kid-links. Clamps are kind of like clecos, you can never have too many. Those are Shelby's hands in the picture. Luckily, I'm the one with the password to this blog so they can't post that I'm now 50.

Drilling the Skins

I peeled the blue plastic off the right horizontal stabilizer skin so I could match drill it to the ribs. To match drill the holes, you first put temporary fasteners (clecos) in the every other computer punched hole, and then final drill the holes to size (they're slightly undersized on purpose) and then swap the clecos to finish the rest of the holes. This makes the alignment very accurate.

You can see the reflection of the raised garage door on the skin. Some builders leave their aircraft unpainted and polish them to a very high gloss but they say it's a lot of work to keep them looking good. I plan on painting but the bare metal look is tempting. Reminds me of a World War II fighter.

First Oops

Had my first oops today on a rib in the horizontal stabilizer (the hole should be round, not oval). It was the first time I had used my angle drill and I hadn't practiced with it which was a mistake. One piece of advice I got at the beginning of my flying was that "if there's any doubt, there's NO doubt!" In other words, if you're not sure, err on the side of caution. I probably could have made an acceptable repair but I had doubts so there was no doubt that I was ordering replacement parts. Luckily, Van's sells replacement parts at cost if you've already purchased a kit so it's not a big deal. Try that at the local car dealer.

First Skin On

Finally got a skin on the horizontal stabilizer. Here's a shot of the left half of the stab showing some of the ribs before the clecos go in. This isn't the final assembly but an intermediate step to align and match drill the holes where the rivets go. The skin will come off to be deburred and dimpled before being reassembled for final riveting. The protective blue plastic will be removed before final assembly.

Here's the skin buttoned up with clecos. Clecos are temporary fasteners that hold things together in alignment during assembly. Paula got me the yellow boots for the clecos to protect the skins. It was encouraging to see something starting to look like an airplane part and not just some aluminum scraps.

Countersinking and Dimpling

Did my first countersinking and dimpling yesterday on the braces for the horizontal stabilizer spar. I practiced several times on some scraps as I was nervous about doing it for the first time on the real deal. It came out great.

Here's my Tatco squeezer with Avery dimple dies on the left and my countersink cage on the right. I got an ebay deal on 7 countersink cages and bits so I'll be able to adjust them individually and not spend time changing bits and readjusting for the correct depth for every job which you have to do if you only have one. When you adjust the countersink cage for depth, you loosen the retaining nut and rotate it one "sawtooth" to raise or lower it 1/1000th of an inch. You can see the interlocking sawteeth in the picture below.

Sanding Spar Braces

Here's one of the braces for the front spar of the horizontal stabilizer. Had to taper the ends per the plans and smooth and polish to prevent stress risers. The part will get a 6 degree bend to match the bend on the spar. Got a new tool today that really makes the job much easier, faster and safer.

Here's the new tool in the crib. It's a Craftsman stationary sander with a 6in disc and a 42in belt. Very reasonably priced and sure to get lots of use. You can already see a pile of aluminum grindings below the upright belt.

The Dodge Dart

Haven't worked on the airplane in several days. Here's what I have been working on with Austin. It's his 72 Dodge Dart that we're in the process of swapping the slant 6 for a V-8. Quite a job but actually kinda' fun working on it together. The engine hoist will come in handy for hanging the RV engine in a few years. Hope Austin can return the favor.

(update: May, 2009) Austin had a mild overheat on the Dart so we pulled the engine and tore it down to look for damage. It wasn't serious so we replaced all the gaskets and reassembled it and made some improvements while we were at it. We added a Lokar kick-down cable with a matching stainless throttle cable. We removed some head studs which made it hard to remove the Hooker headers. We also carefully straightened the oil pan to stop a small leak in the corner. All appears well as he is using it for his daily driver.

(update: June, 2009) The new motor is running too good! Austin broke the rear end so we had to R&R a new (used) one. The new one has 3.23 gears for faster acceleration and now it's easy to smoke the tires.

More Horizontal Stab

Work continues on the Horizontal Stabilizer Front Spar. This was a tricky little part to fabricate. The flange needed to be bent up 6 degrees. I have a framing square that I used to mark 6 degrees on the workbench and then bent the part until it matched. Here I am showing how it matches the plans.



Here's the wood block clamp I fabricated to get a clean straight bend. I think having lots of woodworking tools will come in handy.



Here's me getting close to finishing the horizontal stab spar.

Horizontal Stab Forward Spar

Started in on the Horizontal Stabilizer Front Spar. Had to move the big box with the skins into the extra bedroom to make more room on the workbench. This is a little more challenging than the rear spar.

Learned a new rule of thumb tonight. Stop working when there's blood on your thumb. Yeow, that Vixen file is sharp!

Horizontal Stab Rear Spar

My first milestone! Finished the Horizontal Stabilizer Rear Spar assembly section on page 1 of the manual. Those who have gone before me advise "don't build an airplane, just build a part and then build another part, etc.". Sounds like the old joke: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time". This is my first bite. Only 10,000 more to go. Not really, but I think it does help to not focus too much on the big picture to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Dimple Die & Squeezer Holder

Here's my homemade dimple die and squeezer set holder and the dimple dies and squeezers I got on e-bay. A did the drilling.

Drilled My First Aluminum

Got a good start tonight. Drilled my first aluminum on the rear spar of the horizontal stabilizer. The other hands in the picture are Austin's. He really got into installing and moving the clecos. S was busy with my Christmas present and now my older workbench and pegboard looks much more organized.

Empennage Arrived

The empennage kit (tail feathers) arrived yesterday! I inventoried the kit today and was really impressed at how well Van's packed the kit. Not a scratch or dent anywhere. It took about 2 hours to complete the inventory as there were 5 pages of parts to check. Not a single one missing. Good job, Van's! I got a kick out of the warning on the box. I think after I empty it, I'll cut this section out and tack it to the factory (garage) wall.

The empennage kit comes in 2 boxes that just about cover my 2 workbenches. The largest box is 5 feet long. I may have to move my tool boxes on the bottom shelf to make room for the parts waiting for assembly.

I'm trying to show with this picture how well the parts are packed. This is probably Van's 10,000th tail kit shipped so they've gotten pretty good at it.

Tool Storage

Here's what I'm using for tool storage. Not fancy but it works. To ward off rust, I sprinkle absorbent silica beads like the ones in the little packets in new shoes ("SILICA GEL, DO NOT EAT!) in each box. I get it at Hobby Lobby in the flower section. A 5lb bag costs $12.95 and after the little blue specs have turned pink indicating they've absorbed moisture, I dry them in the oven at 250 for 30 minutes and they're good to use again.

Christmas Presents

Here's one of the aircraft tools I got for Christmas. It's a micrometer for very accurately measuring things. Thank you very much, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Steve! Too much...but I'll keep it.



I also got these tools from Paula. They're a 12 inch #40 aviation drill, a numbered drill gauge, 4 drill stops, a drill housing and bushing kit (eye cups), and 300 3/32 clecos. She told me she got them because she loves me and knows this is important to me, not necessarily because she wants me to build a flying maching in the garage.

 

Last but not least, here's my new Drill Press thanks to G-ma Smith. Cleaned off the packing grease and gave it a good coat of T-9 Boeshield to ward off rust.

Workshop in the Garage

Here's a shot of the aircraft factory, aka "the garage". I'm still waiting to collect my Christmas present of "3 hours of workshop organizing" from Shelby & Austin. Most builders start in their garage and only move to the airport when they are close to the end of the build or when they need to mount the wings as the airplane is about 25 feet wide with the wings on.

Workbench T-Nuts

This is a simple way to clamp my 2 EAA standard workbenches together. I clamped the tables together making sure the tops were perfectly level and then drilled a hole through both legs and used T-Nuts and 6in. bolts to secure them together.

Why am I building an airplane?

Why am I building an airplane? I'll try and put some of my thoughts here but it's one of those complicated questions, like "why are you climbing Everest?".

I've always loved flying. One of my early memories as a kid was making cardboard wings with rope handles and jumping off my swing set trying to fly. I flew fighters for a living with the Marine Corps plus Boeing 727s with several airlines including Pan Am. I hated leaving the flying but family came first after all the airline bankruptcies. Flying is one of those activities that I almost hear music while I'm doing it. Of course, I don't actually hear music but it feels like the feeling that I think an artist gets when they're totally absorbed in what they're creating. I found that after getting used to a new airplane (usually after about 500 of hours flight time), when you want to take the airplane somewhere, you don't think about rudders and ailerons and elevators and throttles, you just go there without having to think about the how part. It sounds corny, but you become "one" with your airplane.

I love building things. I always have. I like the mechanical, 3 dimensional challenges, the physical part of working with your hands and the creative outlet of turning bits and pieces into something beautiful (in my mind, at least). I've talked to Paula about it and it almost feels primal, like something that's programed in my DNA. I also like a challenge when I'm creating something. Not many things more challenging than building an airplane in your garage and then flying it 200 miles per hour upside down several miles from terra firma.

I like saving money. Let's face it, flying can be expensive. Building your own airplane can cost less than a new car. A big part of the expense of owning an airplane is the maintenance. Only certified mechanics are allowed to work on certified aircraft. If you build your own, the FAA gives you permission to do all your own repairs. Another reason certified aircraft are so expensive is the liability of the manufacturer. Some folks estimate that the liability triples or more the cost of an aircraft. No liability to build into the cost if you're the manufacturer.

Building helps my memory. That sounds odd but I think it's the result of keeping my mind busy with challenging tasks. I don't have a way of measuring my memory improvements but I know it's happening. And it's improvements to my memory that I'm noticing, not just that things aren't getting worse as I get older. Names and lists and the location of my keys and glasses are all easier. Reading and interpreting blueprints are like crossword puzzles on steroids plus there's always something new to learn.

What's an RV-7A?

An "RV-7A" is an experimental aircraft sold in a kit by Van's Aircraft of Aurora, Oregon. Follow this link to go to Wikipedia's page on the RV-7.

This is what the kit looks like before and after assembly. Pictured below is a "slow build" kit and a real, full-size aircraft (it just looks like a model in the picture but it is a real aircraft). You can opt for the "fast build" kit where the wings and fuselage are 95% complete but...it will cost you! I've chosen to order individual sub-kits and complete them before ordering the next sub-kit. The empennage or tail section is the first kit. Wings are second and fuselage is third. Several people have asked, "Is the metal blue?". No, it's just a protective plastic that gets removed before assembly. I better learn to like riveting because it reportedly takes 14,000 rivets to turn that pile of aluminum into a flying machine (as posted on vansairforce.com, a builder in Normal, IL just finished his RV-7 and he counted EVERY RIVET! He said it took 16,225).



Below is one of the factory demonstrators. Van's Aircraft is the most prolific experimental airplane kit seller in the world. There are over 8000 COMPLETED AND FLYING Van's RV's. Of course, most of those are flying in the U.S. but people from all around the world are building them. Here's a link to a Russian RV builder's workshop. Scroll down and you'll see the picture with an RV-10 in the brackground. Brrr...looks cold!

Van's has several models from single seat to 4 seat. This is the RV-7A. It's has two seats side-by-side. It comes in either tricycle configuration (RV-7A) or tail dragger (RV-7). It flys over 200 mph, has a range of about 1000 miles, can get over 25mpg, is fully aerobatic (+6/-3G), and can takeoff and land on very short runways.



An interesting little fact about Van's Aircraft is that they are being used as the Nigerian Air Forces' primary trainer. Nigeria ordered and built 60 of the RV-6A's and named them the "Air Beetle". Scroll down about 2 pages after clicking on the Wikipedia page link above and you'll see "Aircraft Inventory: Trainers".

Below is a cutaway drawing of an RV-7A.

Is an Experimental Aircraft Safe?

In a word, yes. Experimental aircraft are inspected and certified by the FAA just like factory aircraft before they're allowed to fly. Even after they're certified by the FAA, they still have to undergo a very restrictive flight test period before being allowed to carry passengers or leave the local area. In fact, some people build their own aircraft because they want theirs to be BETTER than a factory aircraft. Experimental is the category the FAA puts aircraft into that aren't built on an assembly line in a factory.

Below is a quote from Bob Nuckolls' book, The Aeroelectric Connection:

"I often tell my readers they’re building the best airplanes to have ever flown. I explain by noting that people who work on assembly lines simply work a job. They may have special training for the task but by-in-large, if something doesn’t fit exactly right, they’re strongly motivated to “bend it a little” until it does. If something breaks, it’s not uncommon for a group of his supervisors to conference to see how to minimize the time and costs of pushing the airplane on down the assembly line. You folks WORRY a lot about everything. You generally don’t act until you’ve got the necessary advice and knowledge to do it right. If you mess it up, the parts come out and you do it over. By-in-large, amateur built planes have the benefits of care and consideration for doing a good job that factory built ships will never enjoy."

Favorite Quotes

A few favorite quotes:

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519

"There is no sport equal to that which aviators enjoy while being carried through the air on great white wings." Wilbur Wright, 1905

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler" Albert Einstein

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." Henry Ford

"Most of my adult life, perhaps all the worthwhile part of it, has been spent messing about with airplanes." Nevil Shute, Slide Rule, 1954

"Aeroplanes are not designed by science but by art, in spite of some pretence and humbug to the contrary." Royal Aeronautical Society, 1922

"You should never fail to start a project because you don't know how to do some aspect of the work. Start anyway. That forces you to learn." Cory Bird, designer and builder of Oshkosh Grand Champion Symmetry

"Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." Fredrich von Schiller

"It is my belief that flight is possible, and while I am taking up the investigation for pleasure rather than profit, I think there is a slight possibility of achieving fame and fortune from it." Wilbur Wright, 1900

"An imperfect plan implemented immediately and violently will always succeed better than waiting for a perfect plan!" General George S. Patton

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

"Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did." Mark Twain

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure...what more could you ask of life? Aviation offers it all" Charles A. Lindbergh

"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live in the real world." Mary Shafer NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, SR-71 Flying Qualities Lead Engineer

"Simplicate and Add Lightness." design philosophy of Ed Heinemann, Douglas Aircraft

"We have no effective screening methods to make sure pilots are sane." Dr. Herbert Haynes, Federal Aviation Authority

"For a plane to fly well, it must be beautiful." Marcel Dassault

“You must be careful when you near the end of the project. As you can see, he got in a hurry and it turned out a little rough.” Don Staats quoting Ray Brandly about a Waco restoration

"Are you ever afraid when you fly?"
"That's a good question. Yeah. I'm always a little afraid when I fly. That's what makes me so damn good. I've seen pilots who weren't afraid of anything, who would forget about checking their instruments, who flew by instinct as though they were immortal. I've pissed on the graves of those poor bastards too. The pilot who isn't a little bit afraid always screws up and when you screw up bad in a jet, you get a corporal playing taps at the expense of the government." Lieutenant Colonel Bull Meecham, USMC, in Pat Conroy's book, 'The Great Santini.'

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" Benjamin Franklin

"The man who has no imagination has no wings." Muhammad Ali

“The important thing in aeroplanes is that they shall be speedy.” Baron Manfred von Richthofen

"What kind of man would live where there is no daring? I don't believe in taking foolish chances but nothing can be accomplished without taking any chance at all." Charles A. Lindbergh

“Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees, and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there.” Anonymous

"The air is an extremely dangerous, jealous and exacting mistress. Once under the spell most lovers are faithful to the end, which is not always old age." Winston Churchill

"To me, logging the hours of such a pleasant, rewarding process would have been rather like keeping a stopwatch running while reading a splendid book, so that you knew how many hours it took to read it." Steve Wilkinson, discussing build hours on his Falco project

"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!" Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945

"One of my very first impressions about America is that I'm luckier than many of her citizens because I've now seen so much of her beauty that is not seen even by those who live there. Traveling by small airplane removes the visual limitations imposed by roads and highways and opens up vistas that are not to be believed." George Richards, Auckland, New Zealand in Experimenter Magazine, April 2013

"Je vole car cela libere mon esprit de la tyrannie des choses insignifiantes" translated: "I fly because it frees my mind from the tyranny of petty things." Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"I wrote an article for Sport Aerobatics around 20 years ago in which I compared flying, and flying competition and airshow aerobatics in particular, to dancing with the most beautiful and seductive woman imaginable, but she is also a vampire. You can enjoy yourself, but you have to watch her like a hawk every second, because the moment you let down your guard, she will bite you in the neck!" Damon Wack, VAF, October 2013

"Не имей сто рублей, а имей сто друзей." translated: "Do not have a hundred rubles, have a hundred friends." Old Russian proverb

"Allowing others more and more power to decide what's right will end badly. It always does. The many small incremental concessions seem innocent now as they did to many millions that have suffered and died under tyranny." Larry C. New, December 2013

"Never be afraid to try something new. Just remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic" Unknown

"The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious.
And why shouldn't it be... its the same the angels breathe." Mark Twain

Ordered the Empennage

I ordered the empennage kit (tail feathers) yesterday. It should be here in about a week. This is one of the pages from the plans I'll use during construction.