Stabilator Skins & Hinge Woes

The stabilator frame slides right into one of the skins in similar fashion to other empennage assemblies.

Another view...

 True confessions: I did not read the instructions carefully where it talks about only match drilling one of the hinge sets for the anti-servo tab and instead I went into full production mode and drilled both.  When I arrived at the stabilator directive for match-drilling the hinge but skipping two holes...well, the pictures below tell the complete story.
 

The holes with the tic marks are match-drilled in line with the ribs and are in the correct location.  The adjacent hole that is centered on the eyelet should not be there.  A call to Vans tech support relegated the mistake to not serious.  With 32 other rivets to hold the hinge, the holes in close proximity would not present a problem.  As long as you have 4 times the diameter separation, you are good to go.  In the photo below, those holes are less than 4 diameters apart.  I  chose to buy a new hinge and will re-do.

The skins get lots of clecos and the blind riveting proceeds from leading edge to trailing edge.

Blind riveting away.

View from the tip.

The next generation and the previous one at work attaching the aft skin of the stabilator.  The younger one is my other "indentured" servant.

Going solo after a change of clothes and using the close quarter hand riveter.  The close proximity of the hinge to the top row of rivets precluded the use of the pneumatic riveter....on the left side of the stabilator.  Guess which rivets got riveted first on the right side?  It wasn't the hinge rivets!

Final view with the re-constructed hinge and the tips attached, a mostly finished stabilator...only the control horns and mass balance need to be bolted onto the framework.

Stabilator Ribs & More Brackets

Stabilator ribs are cleco'ed and then riveted into place.

Close up of the narrow confines of the forward spar and the nose and tail ribs.  Note how easily the tight fit tool and riveter work in that space - great combination of tools.

Progress happens quickly.

Mass balance bracket flanked by the hinge brackets.

Stabilator Spar Nutplates and Brackets

Solid rivets on the stabilator spar faces holding nutplates, mass balance brackets and outboard hinge brackets...

...and the interior faces of the spar.

Next view shows the spars cleco'ed to the caps.

Cleco'ing the rib clips onto the aft face of the spar...

...and then blind riveting with LP4-3's.

Stabilator Initial Assembly

Parts laid out on the workbench prior to assemby.

The stabilator spar caps are connected to the intraspar ribs, initially with clecos then with a combination of solid and blind rivets.

Next the rear spar web is fitted...

...then the front spar web is fitted and both webs cleco'ed to the spar assembly.

 
The resulting jigged spar assembly is now ready for the control horns to be fitted.

Rudder & Anti-Servo Tab Assembly

Rudder skeleton slides into its skin for the first and final time...pre-punched technology is pretty amazing to experience.

The Cleco and blind rivet process proceeds.

The Harbor Freight 1/4" pneumatic rivet pulls the LP4-3 blind rivets in one quick and easy squeeze of the trigger.

The completed rudder.

Onto the AST (anti-servo tab) as Van's refers to it.  Deburring small parts with the 3M Cut & Polish Wheel.

Lots of hole deburring.  I use a small Black & Decker pistol driver that has an amazing amount of torque for such a small form factor.  It has really saved my wrist.

More PreKoting on the horizon as the AST and a few stabilator parts are gathered for the process.  These parts went to the paint booth later that day

Speaking of paint, in a follow up to my post of June26, I mentioned the use of Bloxygen as a potential preservative for the Deft 2-part epoxy primer.  As of yesterday July 7th, the paint and catalyst appear to be as fresh as the day they were opened...and I believe this was the 3rd of 4th batch of mixed primer.  So it would seem that the Bloxygen is doing its job!  It is quite a relief to think that the $165 per gallon primer might just last for the duration of the priming.

And after the second bath of parts receive paint...

...they are laid out on the workbench and assembly begins on the anti-servo tab.  Slide the skeleton into the skin, align holes, cleco, rivet.

More clecos are removed and blind rivets added and pulled.

Before too long, there are two completed anti-servo tabs.

The tabs will be joined end to end where the two horns meet.

Close up of the tabs/horns.

Fin Skinned & Rudder Skeleton

Loading the fin skeleton into the skin.

Cleco'ing the skin begins with a lot of rib holes to line up with the skin.

 The porcupine...

Time to set the blind rivets.

Final of fin completely skinned ...

...and on to the rudder spar and ribs.  A plethora of solid rivets at the upper and lower hinge brackets.  The lower hinge bracket/control horn steel weldment is a powder coated thing of beauty!

Drawing a bead on the solid rivets of the lower hinge bracket.

Rudder skeleton going together really quick.

Upper rib/hinge bracket (on other side).

Lower rib/hinge bracket/control horn.

Final of rudder skeleton - the skin comes next.