This week was a bit slow going as I had other things to do. Still made some progress with the elevators and some other small parts.
I tided up the flap rib reinforcing. Also fitted the self aligning bearings for the ailerons. One is for the hinge pin on the outboard edge and the other is part of the control horn which will be installed in the inboard edge of the aileron.
Onto the elevators. A 4mm thread must be made in the rib and washer as eventually there will be a bolt that goes through that will hold the surface in place when the tailplane is not connected to the fuselage.
A normal method of tapping a thread will not work here as there is no room for the tool to rotate. So I used a technique I found on YouTube - using a low torque setting with a cordless drill. Make sure the tap tool is absolutely straight in the drill first. Then use the same technique as with a normal tapping tool - that is - make a few turns then switch to reverse and back out to clean the thread. A little silicone spray here helps the tool cut. I cleaned the tool each time I took it out (the Carbon tends to stick to it). This method works pretty good. Go slow and use a low torque - when the drill chatters it's time to put it in reverse.
After the thread making I put some tape over the holes to protect them and flocked the edges.
This week I hope to do the next stage of the outboard flap hinge pin. Stay tuned.
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| Flap rib reinforcing tided up |
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| Outboard aileron bearings in ribs - CF first then glass over to reinforce |
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| Aileron control horns - with bearings in and glassed over |
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| Elevator with rib inside |
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| Drill 3mm hole first |
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| Traditional tapping tool does not work in space |
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| Drill method - works well |
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| Both ribs flocked - tape to protect holes |
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