About
Build log for an RV-10

By
Jae Chang
web@jline.com

Contents (Index)
These are links to the major kits for the project.

Section 10: Tailcone Finished (50 / 317 tail and total )

This update comes 1 month after my last update. Unfortunately, life's issues have taken over and have slowed my progress a bit. My overall progress has not been too badly affected because I am awaiting delivery of the wing kit anyway. Van's has a 2.5 month lead time for delivery of this kit. I wish I had known this sooner!

I ordered the wing kit on 4/21/2006 and the expected delivery date is not until 6/26/2006. Kit Lead Times are posted on the VansAircraft.com site.

I pretty much HAD to recruit help for the tailcone. The tailcone is so large, that it requires 2 people to help maneuver the part into various work positions. I also had to recruit help when riveting the side skins into place. There was just no way to rivet solo in some of the places. In fact, I got spoiled by the help, because the work went more than 2x as fast, probably more like 4-5x as fast. When riveting solo, I only have 2 hands to hold the rivet gun, rivet, gauge, bucking bar, etc. Thus, I would have to constantly rivet, put everything down, pick the other parts up, then reposition the gun and bucking bar all over again. With a partner, you can pick up the tempo more more quickly since you are not constantly having to reposition your hands and tools.

Having Sandy on the rivet gun worked out the best. The results were fantastic - not a single smiley on the skin. The main challenge for her was managing the force and trying to consistently hit a tempo of 2 rounds of 3 or 4 hits, for instance.

I back-riveted a large number of rivets. Almost all of the bottom skin rivets were back-riveted. I only had a single mistake, fortunately, on the bottom skin. All of the side skins were back-riveted in place where the skin is flat. The rounded corners required help from an assistant.

Finishing the rivets on the top skin, required lying down inside the tailcone itself.

The entire tailcone is now out of the workshop and in long-term storage.

posted at: 10:03 | path: /aviation/build/airframe/tail | permanent link to this entry | add a comment