Sunday Jan 12,2003 2 hours

Deja-vous!!!  Let's build the rudder again.  Van's decided that the -7 needed a larger rudder for better spin recovery.  First step is to cut the stiffeners for the skin.

Drilling the stiffeners to the skin.  After this, I deburred and then used the scotchbrite to clean up the stiffeners.  Then I dimpled these and primed all the stiffeners.  Enough for the night.

Wednesday Jan 15, 2003 3 hours

This is all much simpler and quicker the second time around.  I dimpled the skins, riveted the stiffeners to the skins and assembled/clecoed/drilled the frame tonight. 

Stiffener being back riveted to the skin.  Boy, these skins are thin!

All the stiffeners riveted to the skin.

Here are several pictures of the frame clecoed together.

Next step is to take it all back apart, deburr, dimple, scotchbrite and prime the frame. 

Friday Jan 17, 2003 6 hours

I started the evening by doing the de-burring/dimpling/scotchbrite and primeing.  No pictures, pretty boring stuff the second time around.

Here's how I countersunk the trailing edge.  (don't remember the the part number)  You have to countersink both sides of this thing.  I laid it up on a piece of scrap .063 angle and drilled 4-5 holes through the angle.  I used this behind the countersink bit to keep the bit from chattering and wallowing out the holes.  

Frame primed and ready to rivet. The plans are very well written for building the rudder.  First step after clecoing everything is to rivet the balancing arm skin to the rib.

I don't know why I took so many pictures but here they are if you're interested.  I'll keep the verbiage to a minimum.  

This is where I stopped.  Frame riveted together and started riveting the skin to the frame.

Saturday, Jan 18, 2003  5 hours

I finished up the rudder about 2:00 p.m.

The plans allow for pop-rivets in this brace around the horn.  When I built the first one, I was determined to use solid rivets.   I'm not as naive after getting through the wings and most of the fuselage.  I used the pop rivets and went on with life.  

I decided to finish this thing up without the pro-seal that the plans suggest.  Here's how I managed putting the trailing edge together.  First, I bought a piece of steel angle.  Then drilled every other hole through the steel angle.

I then un-clecoed, stuck a rivet in every other hole (the ones that I didn't have a cleco through), taped the rivets in and then re-assembled this thing back by clecoing back to the steel angle.

Close up that I hope helps explain the setup.  I basically just clecoed this whole trailing edge together to the steel angle.  I don't think it possible for the edge to move.  I then just back-riveted everything.    Again, not suggesting going against the plans but I didn't want to wait a couple days waiting for the proseal to setup.

Finished product less the fiberglass.

Here's the two rudders for comparison.  The original rudder is in front with the blue plastic.   You can see that the new design is significantly bigger.