Empennage September Updates
September 10, 2004
Completed the right rudder skin!

Deburred the stiffeners and skins. I used the DRDT-2 to dimple the stiffeners and skins. This freakin thing is awesome. Everyone that has ever bought and used a C-frame from anywhere will take it and either cut it up in little pieces or throw it as far as they can after using this thing. Not only is it dead quite but it is so smooth. It makes the cleanest dimples.

Next I primed the stiffeners with GBP-988. I set up the back rivet board I made by recessing my 1/4 inch steel back rivet plate into a plywood board. It worked sweet as well. Except for when I started on the first stiffener I made a major screwup. I was so excited on how smooth everything was going I setup the rivets into the bottom of the skin. I used the rivet tape to hold the rivets in place. Turned the skin over on top of the backrivet board. I kept thinking I was forgetting something. You know like when you are going on a trip and you feel like you are forgetting something. Well anyway I proceeded to backrivet each rivet just as nice as you please. Then it hit me. You forgot to lay the stiffener on top of the rivets. What a dumbass! Nothing like having to drillout 18 perfectly set rivets and hope you don't screw up the thin rudder skin. Anyway I lucked out and each one came out easy and I didn't mess up any holes in the skin.

Time to duplicate this effort with the left rudder skin. "Except for the screwup!"


This website was built to document my work in compliance with the FAA requirements needed to certify my aircraft.
My experiences and comments are by no means to be considered as instructions on how to build any aircraft.