7/18/02 - Cleaned and Alodined all aluminum parts for elevators

7/18/02 - Cleaned and Alodined all aluminum parts for elevators. 1.5 hrs.

7/20/02 - Cut Elevator tubes to 52.1". Filed NC2' to fit elevator tubes. Drilled and riveted NC2's in tubes. The NC2 insert is a locating point for the canard hinge.

The left photo shows the bare elevator torque tube and the NC2 insert. The right picture shows the NC2 installed. It is held in place by a pop rivet on the back side of the tube.
7/21/02 - Fitted, microed, and jigged elevator cores to tubes. 3.5 hrs

Here the torque tube is installed into the foam core leading edge using a small jig (silver triangle at right of picture) and the hinge pin to make sure the torque tube is located properly in the foam core.

7/22/02 - Sanded cleaned and 5 min. epoxied elevator cores to work bench. Cut 8 layers of Uni for bottom and top skin layups. 1.5 hrs

7/24/02 - Laid up bottom skins on elevators. 2.0 hrs

7/26/02 - Sanded leading edge of elevators. Removed foam and sanded trailing edges. Bondoed elevators to work bench. Laid up top skins, microed, and peel plied leading and trailing edges.

7/27/02 - Trimmed elevator trailing edges and hinge attach points. Checked for shape with templates. Made flox corners and laid up 1 ply bid on outboard elevator ends. Cut and alodined center control spool. 3.0 hrs.

7/28/02 - Mounted NC-6 end plugs. Mounted center spool to offsets. Re fabricated center spool because offsets from Brock manufacturing were wider than plans. Alodined new center spool. Mounted center spool/offsets to elevators. 5.5 hrs.

The left pic shows the center spool with the offsets attached. The offsets are what the control stick will mount to using pushrods.The right picture shows the elevator with the NC6 end plug installed (round gold piece) with the set screw being installed to hold the hinge pin in place.
Next, I made my first big mistake in the construction of the plane. I went to mount the elevators to the center spool. They were to be aligned with the hinge pins set at the bottom of the elevators and the spool piece. I aligned them and then reached for my drill. The center spool must have rotated down slightly and I did not re check the alignment before I drilled the holes. The center spool was now too low. I spoke with Nat (designer) and he thought I could get away with drilling another hole. I think the offsets could handle it, but the tubing on the elevators is extremely thin. Since it will be my butt in the left seat, I decided not to compromise. I cut the elevators up and ordered all new cores, torque tubes, and offsets. A loss of $400 and 25 hrs. of work, but I will sleep better at night knowing it is correct. The picture below shows my "faux pas".


7/29/02 - Traced, cut, and sanded 4 elevator "L" jigs and 1 "G" jig. 2.0 hrs

8/10/02 - Alodined torque tubes, middle spool, and LB-18's. Cut 8 layers uni for elevator layups. Installed NC2 inserts. Fit elevator foam cores to torque tubes. Microed foam cores to torque tubes. 5.0 hrs.

8/11/02 - Laid up bottom skins on elevators. Knife trimmed. 2.5 hrs.

8/14/02 - Trimmed .3" of foam from elevator trailing edges for glass-to-glass bond. Bondoed elevators to workbench. Laid up top skin and microed/peel plied trailing edges. Peel plied leading edge overlap. Knife trimmed. 3.0 hrs.

8/15/02 - Sanded bondo blobs from elevator skin. Measured and trimmed elevator trailing edges. Made flox corners and laid up 1 ply bid over outboard ends of elevators. Knife trimmed layup. 2.0 hrs.

8/16/02 - Installed NC6's in outer ends of elevators. Cut center spool to proper length. Installed spool onto offsets. Jigged elevators and spool to workbench per plans. Drilled and attached elevators to spool/offsets. 3.5 hrs.

Here the elevators are correctly installed to the center spool. The string in the background is stretched across the back of the elevator trailing edges to make sure they are aligned correctly.

8/27/02 - Jigged canard to worktable for elevator install. Installed nc3's in elevators. 1.5 hrs.

8/29/02 - Bondoed "L" jigs to canard. Bondoed elevators to "L" jigs. Marked NC3 attach points in canard. Made slots for hinge attach points in canard. Floxed elevator hinge mounts (NC-3's) into canard. 4.5 hrs.

The left picture shows the elevator and canard in place in the L jig (shaped piece of wood). The jig guarantees proper location and travel of the elevators in relation to the canard. The right picture shows the canard hinge floxed in place on the canard.

8/30/02 - Removed "L" jigs from canard. Checked down travel of elevators (-14 degrees) sanded TE of canard. Verified -15 degrees and +30 degrees. Pieced together foam pieces for canard tips. Made "m" template for wing tips. 3.5 hrs.

These pictures show the elevators have full travel up and down.

8/31/02 - Microed foam blocks onto canard ends. Shaped foam blocks. 4.0 hrs.

9/1/02 - Laid up top of canard tips. Shaped and laid up bottom of canard tips. 4.0 hrs.

Here are the tips being fabricated.

9/2/02 - Checked clearance between elevator end and canard. Cut hinge pins to length. Made flox corners and laid up inside of canard tip. Taped end of hinge pins and microed in place instead of plastic tube in tip ends. 2.5 hrs.

9/4/02 - I didn't like the micro in tip ends. Ground out micro and installed plastic tube per plans. Ground down ends of hinge pins to aerodynamic shape. 1.5 hrs.

9/6/02 - Drilled 1/16" hole in elevator hinge pins for removal. Marked and filed notch in hinge pins for set screws to hold hinge pins in place. Fabricated elevators mass balances. Laid up and peel plied mass balances. 4.0 hrs.

Here the mass balances are fabricated onto the elevator. The weight is placed on the elevator to eliminate flutter.

9/7/02 - Drilled and mounted lead weights to elevator offsets. Checked elevator balances. Both measured nose down as per plans. 1.0 hr

Here's the big test. It is crucial that the elevators balance nose down so flutter will not be induced at speed.


9/8/02 - Fabricated Mass balance holes in canard. Laid up both holes with 1 ply bid. (This ends Ch. 11) 3.0 hrs

Chapter 11 Total time: 68 hrs.