Berck was mostly playing with beer, but Randy got a good start on the tail cone.
“Are you sure that’s how that goes?”
Berck: 0.5 hours, Randy: 5 hours
Elevators complete!
Including those pesky trim tabs. Riveting the hinge halves was actually very easy, as all the rivets were squeezable.
I did need to massage the end of one of the trim tabs as it pooched out just a wee bit and rubbed every so slightly. A light smack with a hammer worked perfectly, and it’s no worse for the wear.
Bending the hinge pins was no big deal, and the first safety wire of the entire project is installed.
Next up: The tail cone. I’m looking forward to this just because it’s something very different from what we’ve done so far. Jonah deburred the heck out of a few bulkhead parts, and I did a lot of manufacturing tasks that Vans couldn’t be bothered with: trimming and tapping the tie down support, cutting and drilling the rudder cable support and the other odd tasks that make up the beginning of the tail cone.
My favorite instruction? I’m paraphrasing, but only slightly: “Some bits we sent you will be warped. Place them in a bench vice and whack them with a rubber mallet until they’re straight.” Sophisticated process.
Berck: 5 hours, Jonah: 3.5 hours