DATE: 12-20-2024 TIME: 2:07 – 4:28 ~ 2:00
Today we actually began in the workshop pretty early, 7:30 a.m., because I had purchased a hoist / winch so that I could suspend the empennage from the roof of the workshop, once it is completed, so that it is not in the way of building the Zenith 750 SD. I had also rented a scissor lift to facilitate this so most of the morning was actually spent installing the hoist and then returning the scissor lift to United Rentals in Spring Hill.
Yesterday, during the RV-10 empennage assembly, we had finished the initial check of the rudder rotation and found it to be out of bounds so today we began with removing the rudder so that we could adjust the rod end bearings.
We did not initially have enough rudder rotation so I decided to remove and re-check the rod end measurements, ultimately adjusting the rod end lengths slightly, I think a 1/2 turn gave the 35o rotation required so I figured this would be OK rather than filing off some of the rudder stop. I will double check this later before the rudder is re-assembled.
Once the rudder measurement has been verified, the instructions say to remove the rudder and the vertical stabilizer and store them. As we already had the rudder loose we took it off completely and put it in storage where it would be safe. I am still trying to decide whether I want to remove the vertical stabilizer again as it is very difficult to place and torque the AN509 machine screws at the bottom of the rear spar rudder assembly.
I’ve included a few snapshots here but it’s hard to see anything meaningful. If you are reading this for assistance, just follow the manual instructions and everything will work out fine.
The last snapshot in the sequence is the one with the rudder removed.
So we turned the page to page 8 step 1 and fabricating the two F-1095C trim bellcrank brackets and step 2, fabricating the two F-1095G trim cable anchor brackets.
These were not difficult fabrications, just used a square to make sure everything lined up correctly, punched the starting points for all the drilling and hand turned the drill bit to start it in the punch, then used my trusty Harbor Freight drill press to actually drill the holes. I drilled all the holes at 1/8th before drilling them final size with the correct bit, except for the 1/8th holes of course, and everything came out as it should. I used my Harbor Freight metal bandsaw to make initial cuts, then the Harbor Freight disc sander to bring them to final size and shape and then deburred on a 3M wheel.
I did not finish the trim cable anchor brackets today but left them until tomorrow. If you zoom in on a couple of these snapshots you can see the parts on the desk. In the images posted for the 21st you can see the parts cleco’d to the F-1095A trim mount.
That’s all I had time for today. I really appreciate having some “apprentices” to help. Sometimes it is absolutely necessary, other times it speeds things along a little and still other times it can be a distraction, but overall a great benefit.
It’s a lot more fun, and hectic, building with friends than alone.