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Any good tips before installing vertical tail skin.

Thanks Joe

Joe,
No vertical on a Waiex but it should be the same. Need a flat table to keep it true. I hung one side of the skin off the table for the first set of holes. Flip it over, get a couple of clecoes in the aft spar to hold it in place, then go to town. I did the ribs forward of the front spar last. Did them from root to tip on both sides. That way if there is any looseness it goes to the leading edge and it looks good. Take apart, deburr, and if you are polishing do it before you rivet.
It's almost too easy.

thanks Bryan, by the way I see yours every post love the polish work

I don't know if the Sonex tail tips are still installed sandwiched between the skin and rib? If so, leave about the last 4 rivets out of the skin until the tip is in and aligned.

Line it up with the rudder.

Aluminium rivets? Worth considering

sonex1649 wrote:Any good tips before installing vertical tail skin.

Thanks Joe

Joe,

I initially clecoed skin with v-stab laying on the bench, but ended up clamping the assembly to the workbench in a vertical position, which kept it stable while riveting skin and the tip. While clecoing, I put spacers between the rib and skin where the tip would be installed later.

As already posted I also worked from the root to the leading edge. I used S.S. rivets on the tip, but wish I had used aluminum.

See PIC's here.....

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_l ... 130&row=54

If you go back a little further in the log you'll read about my difficulties mounting the tip, which was not moulded symmetrically from Sonex.

Terry

thanks guys

Thanks Joe for the compliment! Are you going to polish? Come to the shiny side, Luke...

Yes I am I think it looks great and I'm thinking black tips and your welcome

FYI, received this via email from Kerry awhile back, regarding the use of aluminum rivets in the main wing tips and the tail wips.

"You can use aluminum rivets on the wingtips, as they are non-structural, but not on the tail tips."

I read that as Sonex recommending you stick with the SS rivets in the fiberglass tail tips, probably since they are subjected to airflow.

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