Monthly Archives: July 2020

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Empennage Attach (5) and Empennage Fairings (7)

25-Jul-2020 12:44 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Attachment of the horizontal stabilizer enabled the final configuration of the elevator control rods and elevator stops.

Match drilling the forward spar shims and aft bracket were performed to mount the horizontal stabilizer.  The UP position of 30 degrees exactly matches specification. The DOWN angle, even after considerable filing of the stop bracket, was finalized about a degree shy of the expected 25 degrees.

 

 

These pictures show the vertical stabilizer forward and aft attachments after the elevators were removed. Two mounting shims under each forward HS spar attach pad were also match drilled and bolted on before VS install.

 

 

The empennage gap cover under the HS was clecoed into place. The rear section overlaps the inspection port cover.  Both are match drilled together through the longeron.

 

 

 

The plans call for only three screws per side to hold the forward section of the empennage fairing.  Many pilots have suggested additional fasteners to prevent fiberglass bulging due to air stream pressure over the fuselage. Here intermediate points were drilled midway between the default points. Nutplates for #6 screws will later be added to the upper aft skin.

 

 

Front and rear photos of the match drill screw points on the empennage fairing. The aft points require special care when trimming to not interfere with either the elevator horn or the rudder motions.

 

 

With the main empennage components staged in place, the whole fuselage begins to look like an airplane.

 

 

 

 

OCTOBER 2020 UPDATE

Further trimming and edge preparation has been completed on the fiberglass empennage prior to priming.

Edges were measured against a scribe line formed into the part. Enough ‘meat’ needed to remain for the attachment screws to have sufficient structure to hold properly.

 

 

 

Because of the extra holes added, smooth curves based on circular patterns were applied.  Since fiberglass always seems to have numerous pinholes from the manufacturing process, a coat of Smooth Prime helps with initial underlayment.

 

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS

The forward and aft NACA air vents were fastened with ProSeal and #4 stainless screws into position.  Later SuperFil will be applied to smooth out the backing plate rivets.

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 11, Empennage Attach, Section 12, Empennage Fairings

Flap System

05-Jul-2020 10:32 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Next section was installing the flap levers and Pittman flap motor from Vans.

The UHMW (ultra high molecular weight) guide bearings must be relieved to fit under the kick plates in the rear footwell.  The various stages of the trimming process are depicted on the left.  The right photo was taken during match drilling AN3 bolt holes in the flap crank and torque tubes.

 

 

Proper alignment of the flap crank with the flap horns was achieved by clamping the center crank to the workbench, then using the W-730 Bellcrank Jig to establish the correct angle on the horn.  Curiously these call for AN4 bolts, while those for the flap crank are specified for AN3.

 

 

Insertion of the torque tubes was supposedly achievable from the inside the footwell, but I found pushing through the exterior access holes to be much easier.  The quick build exterior holes first needed to be relieved slightly to prevent binding on the torque tubes.

 

 

The flap motor comes without an electrical connection. The left picture shows a Molex 18-24AWG connector crimped into place.  The wires near the connector are held together with heat shrink.  The flap crank with UHMW bearing are shown on the right.

 

 

These photos show the final configuration of the flap motor to flap crank, plus a close-up of safety wire around the pivot point.  It was a slow, tricky job to drill a 1/16″ hole in the motor pushrod.  The final attachment of the flap horns will be performed after the wing root area is primed and painted.

 

 

A custom flap position sensor mount is fabricated for a Ray Allen POS-12  device.  More on this later…

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 40, Flap System

Control System (1)

05-Jul-2020 10:24 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

The recent activities were dictated by positioning new equipment in the tunnel and forward fuselage.  As a result strict adherence to the sequence outlined in the Vans plans were required, otherwise some installations out of order would be extremely difficult, if not impossible).

The elevator idler arm was deburred, primed and riveted together.  This piece is located in the tunnel between the rear seats and connects the forward elevator pushrod to the mid-fuselage pushrod.

 

 

 

These are photos of the control and flap system parts before fitting, drilling and deburring.  The right picture shows the aileron pushrods which link to the control stick bases.

 

 

 

The control stick bases were reamed for roundness after drilling the control stick itself, then were protected with tape and expandable ear plugs prior to priming the ends.  The brass bushings were then driven into the pivot holes for a snug fit.

 

 

The control column was installed with finger tight stop nuts, then the control stick bases and pushrod assembly were also loosely attached.  After adjusting the length of the pushrod assembly to ensure the control sticks were parallel, all fixtures were tightened and Torque Seal applied.

 

 

Though officially part of the rudder controls, the plastic rudder cable guides were drilled.  They were then attached to the forward tunnel.

 

 

 

This shows the elevator idler arm in final configuration with pushrods attached.  The space was tight for my hands when inserting the bolt, rod end bearing and washers.  A rare earth magnet on the bolt end and washer pliers greatly helped during assembly.

 

 

This jig was created to align the neutral position of the elevators at the bellcrank position. The final configuration was established with later posts on Empennage Attachment.

 

 

 

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 39, Control System

Rudder Pedals and Brake System (3)

05-Jul-2020 10:09 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Final connections for brake lines were completed this week.

The parking brake connected with heavy duty stainless lines to the master cylinders on the pilot’s pedals.  The Bonaco coated, flexible lines were then run through the center lever bracket to the copilot side.

 

 

Here are details about the cable lace and rescue tape applied to hold the lines in place.

 

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS

In researching the fuel level sensors, many recommendations were made to replace the regular gasket material with Viton.  Here are pictures of the McFarlane product to be installed at a later date. In addition, I also ordered Viton Fluoroelastomer O-rings for the #8 screws which hold the fuel sensor base plate onto the wing tanks.  These were obtained from McMaster part number 9464K12.

Posted in: RV-10 Build Project, Section 38, Rudder Pedals and Brake System