Anti-tab #3

I glued the second anti-tab rib in place tonight.  You can see my hillbilly clamping setup in the picture.

Number of hours: 0.2
Total hours: 250.0

Anti-tab #2

I started tonight by marking the anti-tab rib locations and cutting the ribs for clearance of the trailing edge.  Then I cut two 24" pieces of piano hinges into nice 4 inch sections.  I played around and rivited a nut plate to one of the 6061 drag spar fittings.  I finished the night by gluing one of the end ribs onto the anti-tab lower skin.

Number of hours: 1.0
Total hours: 249.8

Wing Attach Fitting Warning

I drew up the wing attach fittings today per the plans to see if everything lined up correctly.  I was unable to get the geometry to match so now I am working on refining the brackets so they fit.  At least I didn't have the wings built before figuring this out.  I really wanted to make all of the wing attach fittings out of 4130, but the thickness of the aluminum is required for things to fit somewhat close; therefore I will be making everything out of 2024-T3.  I may leave the wing attach fittings that mount on F-2 alone as I already had them made out of 6061-T6 and they seem plenty beefy.  I am consider having them produced in 2024-T3 only because the birch plywood thickness on F-2 is thinner than the okume plywood thickness that was used in the original design.

Here's a picture of the original geometry

The 40mm on the left is really 39mm

We shall see how I get this one resolved.

Anti-tab #1

Sometimes I struggle with what I should or should not put in these posts.  I spent part of my time this evening trying to get the control horn for the anti-tab worked out; I ended up scrapping that piece.  I did order the aluminum from AS&S today so I will remake all of the structural fittings that have already been made.  I decided that the main wing spar fittings should be made from 4130 so I ordered that too.  I feel more comfortable with a bent piece of 4130 as part of a critical structure than a bent piece of aluminum.  I also believe that the wing attach bolts are less likely to oval out the holes in 4130 than in 2024-T3.

I cleaned up the excess glue on the anti-tab and called it a night.

Number of hours: 0.6
Total hours: 248.8

Tab Facing Spar #5

I put the second and third coats of varnish on the tab facing spar tonight then I glued the anti-tab trailing edge to the lower surface plywood.  I put some more thought and research into the structural fittings for the plane.  They are specified as 6061-T6 on the plans but 2024-T3 is the equivalent to the material on the original design.  I will be remaking all of these parts now.  I would have done this the first time if I had known that the extrusions were available.

Number of hours: 1.5
Total hours: 248.2

Tab Facing Spar #4

I cut a hole in the tab facing spar for a control horn passageway and then I put a coat of varnish on the inside of the tab facing spar.  I tried to even out the suface on one of the lengths of trailing edge that I cut a couple of months ago and then I cut a piece of plywood for the anti-tab lower surface.  I think it is a little odd that the upper and lower surface of the anti-tab are 0.8mm plywood but the upper and lower surfaces of the canard are 1.2mm plywood (I will be using 1.5mm because 1.2mm is unavailable).

Number of hours: 0.7
Total hours: 246.7

Tab Facing Spar #3

Sorry, no pictures for this post.  I just spent a little bit of time cleaning the excess glue and plywood from the tab facing spar and I looked at how the two anti-tab spars will need to be beveled to match the airfoil.

Number of hours: 0.5
Total hours: 246.0

Tab Facing Spar #2

I've probably botched the name of this spar a couple of times but I will try to be more consistent.  I got home and cleared out the driveway right after work.  Thankfully, my wife made a late dinner so I could work at that nonstop.  I decided to glue the web to the tab facing spar.

Number of hours: 0.3
Total hours: 245.5

The View Out My Office Window Today

This is a picture out my office window. It looks like I will spend most of my evening removing snow from my driveway so I don't know if I'll get to gluing up the web on the tab facing spar tonight.

Futsing Around

Well, here we are in December and almost to the end of another hunting season so it is time to get back to some aviation related activities.  I still haven't completed my flight training but I am hoping for nice weather next Monday.  With Christmas around the corner I had to remove my fuselage from the living room.  This required a reorganization of the workshop, materials, components, and workbench.  If you remember, I left off working on sheeting the D cell for the leading edge of the canard.  I was frustrated because it wasn't working out and I had to remove my first attempted section.  I knew that I needed to get back down there and just fiddle around a bit and tonight was the night that I finally worked up the gumption to do it.  I forgot how powerful it is to just be in the same room as your project.  I spent a lot of time just admiring what I had accomplished so far.  This led to some cleanup of excess glue here and there, then some organization, then marking the piano hinges to be cut another day, and ended by cutting and marking a new plywood aft web for the spar facing tab on the canard.  I intend to glue it together tomorrow night.  I needed to ease back into building with a non-threatening project like this and I'm not sure that it's the best time to skin a wing with our low humidity.

Number of hours: 1.0
Total hours: 245.2

Canard Leading Edge #6

Well, after removing the tie down straps I noticed the the plywood was only glued to half of the spar caps in between the ribs.  I decided to remove the plywood and try again.  I have developed a new strategy that I intend to follow for the next panel.  In the mean time, I have been cleaning up and reorganizing the workshop.  Happy wife, happy life.

Number of hours: 3.0
Total hours: 244.2

Canard Leading Edge #5

I cut and scarfed the two outer panels of plywood for the canard leading edge last night and then set up for gluing things together.  I started tonight by squeegeeing a thin coat of T-88 to the inside of the plywood and then applied a coat of straight T-88 to the top and bottom of the spar and to the front edge of the leading edge stringer.  I mixed up a couple of batches of epoxy and micro balloons and applied it to the edges of the foam ribs where they will meet the plywood.  The final part of the night was spent wrestling the plywood to a nice fit on the ribs and spars.  I used the wrong kind of tie down straps though, I think that I may invest in some ratchet straps for the rest of the panels.

Number of hours: 2.5
Total hours: 241.2

Scarf Jig #2

Tonight I finished my scarf jig to the point of proof of concept.  I wanted to make sure it worked before wasting too much time.  The finished product is excellent so I will be working on the finishing touches over the next couple of days.  I want to be able to use this jig for the rest of the scarf joints in this whole project.

Number of hours: 0.8
Total hours: 238.7

Scarf Jig #1

After my last post I attempted to glue 2 pieces of the leading edge plywood together flat on a board.  I tried to bend it around a nose rib after it cured and the interior plies of the plywood cracked radiating from the scarf joint.  I was also very unhappy with the quality of the glue joint so I decided to start over.  The first step in my new plan is to build a scarf joint jig using some melamine and a laminate trimmer.  I was hesitant to make this post until I knew whether or not it would work but I have received a considerable amount of pressure from some of the readers of this blog requesting an update on my progress.

On the flying front, I have been very frustrated with my instructor, his schedule, weather, and lack of a DPE.  The last two training flights were very unpleasant weather wise; so much so that I was ready to quit flying.  I'm not sure what the next step is at this point.  Just being honest here is all.

Number of hours: 3.0
Total hours: 237.9

Canard Leading Edge #4

I cleaned up some excess varnish from the canard assembly tonight and then moved it upstairs with the other airplane parts.  I decided to try sanding the scarf joints for the canard leading edge ply and sanded 4 of the 6 pieces tonight.  I think that I will go back to my previous method for scarfing the plywood after I finish up the next 2 pieces; I think that the finished product is better with routed joints.

Number of hours: 0.8
Total hours: 234.9

Canard Leading Edge #3

I didn't take any pictures from the last few work sessions as I have only been varnishing the same parts.  I am now done with the varnish so I will move on to scarfing the leading edge plywood over the next week.

Number of hours: 0.6
Total hours: 234.1

Canard Nose Rib Repair

When I got home tonight the garage door was already open.  Not a big deal, I figured my wife had her hands full with the kids when she got home.  A little later we loaded everyone into the car and started pulling out of the driveway when the garage door bounced and opened again.  I spent the next half hour trying to get the stupid thing to work to no avail so I called the installer back out to fix it.  This is their 3rd trip back out and I think that they are getting tired of me.  After all that adventure I went downstairs and started planing the leading edge stringer.  I put another coat of varnish on the forward face of the canard spar and as I was applying the varnish I noticed that one of the nose ribs had slid while the glue was curing.  I decided to wait for the varnish to dry before attempting my repair.  After dinner and a movie with my wife I removed the offending rib and glued it back into place.

Number of hours: 0.9
Total hours: 233.5

Canard Leading Edge #2

I started tonight by cleaning the excess cured epoxy off of the scarf joint in the leading edge stringer.  Once it was cleaned up I mixed a batch of slurry, epoxy and micro balloons, and I glued the stringer in place.

Number of hours: 0.3
Total hours: 232.6

Canard Leading Edge #1

I varnished the canard spar between the nose ribs tonight after I cut and glued the scarf joint for the nose rib stringer.  My varnish cover must not have been sealed, so the little bit of varnish that I had left was cured.  So off to Wal-Mart's aviation department I went.

I made an intermediate stop at Jane's Field (KANE) in Blaine to sign the paperwork on N43044.  I am officially an airplane owner!

Once at Walmart I found the last can of Minwax Helmsman Spar Varnish, Clear Satin.  I was unable to find any more 1" foam brushes in their paint department.  As I headed over to get my son a snack, he was my patient partner in the night's nonsense,  I lamented the inevitable trip to Home Depot.  I decided to check the craft department to see if there was an alternative solution there.  Boy was that a good idea!  Instead of paying $0.63 per brush, they sell a 4 pack for $0.97, even better than that is the 25 pack for $4.98.  That's only $0.20 each.

Number of hours: 0.5
Total hours: 232.3

Canard Nose Ribs

Now I fought the urge to title this post with a condom joke so I deserve credit for that.  I marked and cut the notches in the nose ribs tonight that will hold the leading edge stringer.  As I removed the stringer from its storage location, it broke into 3 pieces; so I will be gluing it back together over the next couple of days.  I figured that my bad luck was out of the way so I mixed some epoxy with some micro balloons and glued the nose ribs to the spar.

Number of hours: 1.2
Total hours: 231.8

Canard Spar #21

Woohoo, my Blogger app is working again!  I learned something this weekend, never use packing tape on plywood.  I have spent about 3 hours cleaning off the residue.  After that I drilled the mounting holes in the spar for the forward hinge fittings and I cut the spar tips at an angle.  I finished the weekend by tracing the locations for the foam ribs and playing around placing them in their approximate locations.

Number of hours: 3.2
Total hours: 230.6

Canard Spar #20

I freed the canard spar from the build table tonight and then I removed the extra plywood from the edges of the spar with my plane.  Then I removed the packing tape from the plywood that I had used to close the vent holes while I sealed them with varnish.  I cleaned the tape residue from one side of the spar and that was about all I could handle tonight.

I was thinking more about a name for the airplane tonight.  Every plane deserves a name and I believe that I have found a fitting name for this one.  Due to current events, I have chosen the name Nikolina.

Number of hours: 0.8
Total hours: 227.4

Canard Spar #19

I haven't posted for a while for quite a few reasons.

   #1. I've been trying to finish up my flight training.  I only need 0.7 hours under the hood and 7 take offs and landings at night.  I passed my written exam today with a score of 93%.  Unfortunately, my instructor left for business until the week after Airventure so my training is on hold again.

   #2.  There has been rumbling at our house against this project.  A certain family member has been influencing my wife and making her think that this venture is extremely unsafe.  He has called it "a cardboard piece of shit" to my face.  As of right now, I am only building with no intention of flying the airplane with the hope that I can educate my opposition as to their incorrect perceptions.

   #3.  I have been in negotiations to buy into a partnership for a 1974 Piper Archer II.

So, I have not abandoned things, I have been swamped and stressed by other life events.

I figured that I deserved some "me time" in the shop tonight as a reward for passing my knowledge test.  I spent 2 hours gluing the box spar closed.

Number of hours: 2.0
Total hours: 226.6

Quick Update

I ordered my 8 sheets of foam for pickup at Airventure the other day. That was a spendy proposition but it needed to be done so I feel another step closer to completion. I screwed around in the workshop a little bit yesterday trying to get my table top a little more flat. I don't know if it did any good but I felt better because I at least made an attempt to improve it. I purchase a Rockwell oscillating multitool at Menards this week so I can see how it does on scarfing leading edge ply. I flew 2.4 hours of my nighttime XC requirement last night and 3 take offs and landings. The weather was not very cooperative so I will have to get the remaining time and 7 take offs and landings next week. I had one landing last night that felt beautiful and my last landing of the night was shortened by a litter of foxes crossing the runway right in front of me. I would have hit them if the had chosen to cross 20' closer to the end of the runway. My instructor didn't see them at first so he was wondering why I was trying to stop so quickly.

Canard Spar #18

Just to prove that black holes do belong on airplanes, I give you this picture today!  The spar needs to have holes to relieve pressure differentials in the various bays of the wing.  I used a drill in my previous adventures but it chewed up the plywood so I wanted to try using a soldering iron to make the holes.  It worked very well but I should have done it before varnishing the inside parts of the spar.

I brought the sheets of plywood for the leading edge of the spar to work today to get them cut to size.

Last night was our monthly EAA meeting and I got to say thank you to the gentleman who showed my friend and I his Kitfox in progress 20 years ago in his garage.  He didn't remember me but I told him that it made an impact on me for an adult to share his time with a couple of neighborhood punk kids.  He and his Kitfox are part of the inspiration for this project.  I also might have an opportunity to use a nice heated area for building my wings this winter.

I hope that I run into the gentleman who gave me my first ride in a GA aircraft so I can thank him too.  I believe that my mom has told his wife that I am flying now but I'm not sure if he knows.

I am planning to get some solo XC time on Thursday.  I need 2.6 solo hours, 1.4 of those need to be XC.  I scheduled my nighttime flight for Friday evening and I am pumped about that opportunity!  I need 3 take offs and landings at a towered airport and 3 hours of test prep then I SHOULD be ready for my checkride.  Lots of exciting stuff happening right now.

Number of hours: 1.3
Total hours: 224.6

Canard Spar #17

I put the second coat of varnish on the shear web, canard spar, winglet spars, and rudder spars this morning.  This afternoon I bored out the washers and arms for the canard control arms because I drew them and had them cut for metric tubing but I used 3/4" diameter tube.  I drilled the mounting holes for the nut plates for the drag spar attachments that are affixed to F-3.  I put the final coat of varnish on the parts this evening after dinner.  All in all, it was a productive weekend.

Number of hours: 3.0
Total hours: 223.3

Canard Spar #16

I finally got back into the air today.  I flew for 2.4 hours.  We practiced 1 hour under the hood during which my instructor showed me how to track a VOR, we practiced slow flight and power off stalls in simulated IMC, he had me fly with my eyes closed for about 5 minutes where we started by trying to maintain straight and level flight and then he asked me to make 30 degree turns to new headings, he took the controls and had me close my eyes and then he disoriented me with many maneuvers in different directions and attitudes and then he told me to open my eyes and recover the aircraft using instruments only (we did this 4 times), finally he tested my VOR tracking skills (to and from) and gave me headings and altitudes to fly.  The last couple minutes of hood time had me descending through various altitudes and at 1100' MSL (100' AGL) my instructor told me to look up and land the plane.  We finished the time by practicing short field and soft field take offs and landings.  I learned today that cross winds have a much greater effect when you are slow and draggy; I am starting to figure out that I need to use more rudder correction for a cross wind landing.  I now have 32 hours total time so I am getting very close to my check ride!  (I apologize for the poor grammar in this paragraph)

I bought some paint brushes at The Home Depot yesterday and I put the first coat of varnish on my canard spar parts, rudder spars, and winglet spars.

Number of hours: 1.2
Total hours: 220.3

Shear Web Grain Orientation

In reading ANC-18 ANC-18

And Tony Bingelis articles on the matter Woodwork Basics

It seems that I have unintentionally followed their suggestions for the grain orientation in shear webs.  I am going to proceed because the shear web grain orientation is stronger in a positive G situation when the grain runs outboard low to inboard high.  Who am I to argue with Tony Bingelis and ANC-18?

Canard Spar #15

I trimmed off the excess plywood from the canard spar and then surveyed my work.  To my dismay I realized that I had glued the shear web on upside down.  There goes a ton of labor and money down the drain, arrgh.  This isn't my first mistake on the project but it is one of the most expensive.  This will set me back at least a couple of weeks.  Oh well, I'll put the order in to AS&S tomorrow for the plywood and I hope it arrives quickly.

Number of hours: 1.0
Total hours: 219.1

Canard Spar #14

Tonight was the big night.  I mowed the lawn and then headed to the workshop.  I mixed up the last bit of glue in my bottles which ended up being just enough and then set to work applying the glue to the plywood shear web and the spruce canard spar.  It was enough glue to fill a 12 oz. Dixie cup about 3/4 of the way.  I guess that means about 9 ounces.  I had some trepidation about attempting this glue session solo with T-88 because I knew it would take a long time to sling all of that glue.  It was REALLY close and I will enlist the services of a volunteer for my future large gluing sessions.  All of my friends and relatives that read my blog, this means you.  I have some relaxing days ahead of me while I varnish the inside of the spar.  I plan to varnish some of the other parts that I have set aside at the same time.

Number of hours: 1.5
Total hours: 218.1

Canard Spar #13

I spent some time this morning tracing the canard spar outline onto the shear webs.  I had to pick up 2 more clamps and some wood scraps from Home Depot before I could continue so I drug the family through the store before going to celebrate fathers' day at my parents' house.  I spent some more time tonight in the workshop setting up clamps and blocks for my large gluing session that will attach the spar to the shear web.



Number of hours: 1.5
Total hours: 216.6

Canard Spar #12

I glued the final scarf joint on the canard spar shear web tonight.  Things keep proceeding well.  I did notice from the pictures of the prototype that I made an error when building the fuselage.  The upper longerons are supposed to line up with the outside of Frame #2.  The plans don't show this and the builders' construction photos from other projects have the same mistake that I made.  If the plans are followed in this regard, the lower wing attachment bolts will not be able to be inserted from the front.

Number of hours: 0.5
Total hours: 215.1

Canard Spar #11

I glued another scarf joint last night and another this morning.  My Blogger app decided to quit working, so I have temporarily switched to Blogaway.

Number of hours: 1.0
Total hours: 214.6

Canard Spar #10

I checked the straightness of my plywood masterpiece this morning and it was slightly off.  So tonight I used spacers against my straightedge to keep things in line.  Before gluing the next scarf joint, I cleaned up last night's work.

No pictures tonight because my phone battery went dead.

Number of hours:  0.5
Total hours:  213.6

Canard Spar #9

I bought the book on Google Play called Avions Piel today for about $15 which may seem like a lot for an e-book that is in another language but there are 20 pages dedicated to the Onyx line of planes and 8 pages of pictures including the prototype that was built by M. Gangloff.  I am not very good at French, as previously demonstrated but I can follow most of it.  I typed it out in Word just in case a kind soul will have mercy on me and translate it into English.  I wish the author would translate the whole thing into English as it looks to be an excellent resource.

I cleaned up last night's scarf joint tonight and then glued the second scarf joint that will end up in the middle of the canard spar sheer web.  The grain directions at this joint are perpendicular to each other.

Number of hours:  0.5
Total hours:  213.1

Canard Spar #8

Don't worry, I didn't stop building; spring chores just got in the way.  Tonight it was back to work on the canard spar.  I had to start my evening by extending the straight edge on my work bench by 2 feet.  Then I glued in the remaining 4 vertical support pieces. I had some glue left over so I thought it would be a good idea to glue one of the 6 scarf joints for the plywood shear webs. I ran out of glue 3/4 of the way through so I quickly mixed a second batch and finished the joint. This scarf joint is one of the joints with parallel grain. The spar will have a grain pattern like this:
<\\\\\\\\////////>
when it is finished. That drawing is not to scale ;-p

Number of hours:  1.0
Total hours:  212.6

Canard Spar #7

I brought my single piece of 1/16" 45 degree bias Baltic birch aircraft plywood to work today so I could cut it into 4" strips and cut scarf joints on the strips.  These strips will be used for the shear webs on the canard spar.  I figured it would be best to get this out of the way so I don't run out of things to glue this long holiday weekend.

I sized and glued four more vertical supports into the canard spar tonight.  The twist is starting to disappear; I hope that this trend continues.

Number of hours:  1.8
Total hours:  211.6

Canard Spar #6

I had 20 minutes of free time before dinner tonight, so I cleaned the glue off the canard spar.  After dinner, Maverick and I went to the Home Depot for some tape.  He wanted to get a new flashlight so we found that first and then we started our quest for clear packing tape.  You may recall from earlier posts that I like to use packing tape on my work surface because glue won't stick to it; or you may not.  I found the tape but they didn't have a legitimate tape dispenser (they only had the crappy plastic ones that are a rip off and not reusable) so I enquired at the paint counter to find outif they had real tape dispensers.  The person at the counter told me they did not but I could check in the moving department anyway.  Anytime a Home Depot employee tells me that they don't carry an item I am encouraged because they are always wrong!  I went back to the moving department and grabbed a tape gun and a couple of extra rolls of tape and I was on my way.

I checked the level on my workbench because of the twist in one of my spar caps and one corner was slightly off.  I leveled everything and then set to work marking support locations on the spar and workbench.  Then I applied tape to the work surface where I would be gluing supports in the spar.  All of the vertical support members were then fitted in place and checked to a nose rib to make sure that I had the proper length.  Each support member required some trimming on the band saw for optimal length.  I completed the night by gluing the seven vertical support members in place.  I need to figure out my shear web layout so I can machine my scarf joints soon.

Number of hours:  1.7
Total hours:  209.8

Canard Spar #5

Well, tonight was the night.  I glued the forward hinge mounting blocks to the upper and lower spar caps.  This means that I now have a spar and not just two spar caps.  I had to size the blocks down in my planer to get the correct height to match the foam ribs and get the thickness to match the spar caps.  When I was clamping everything together I noticed that one of the spar caps had a slight twist to it.  I believe that this will go away once I glue the plywood shear webs in place.  I just need to make sure that the webs are glued 100% flat.

Number of hours:  1.5
Total hours:  208.1

Canard Spar #4

I marked the location for each vertical member on the upper and lower cap strips and then cut the lower cap strip to its proper length.  I trimmed the lower cap strip so they end at the outboard side of the last vertical ribs.  I am not 100% sure that it was the right decision, but sometimes you have to make a judgement call and let the cards fall where they may.  This will affect the way the wingtip foam is attached; for better or for worse, only time will tell.  The next step was to glue the four 200mm hinge mounting block reinforcement strips to the upper and lower cap strips.

Number of hours:  0.8
Total hours:  206.6

Canard Spar #3

I got out the old block plane and cleaned up the top canard cap strip last night and then glued the third and final lamination in place on the top cap strip.  I got up this morning and cleaned up the previous night's work.  Things were getting a little messy so I vacuumed up the little shavings and chips that had accumulated.  Then I glued the only lamination together for the bottom cap strip.  I cleaned up that assembly tonight when I got home from the Twins game.  I should be able to glue on the two forward hinge attachment reinforcement pieces tomorrow.

Number of hours:  2.2
Total hours:  205.8

Canard Spar #2

I ended up going out for my second solo cross country on Tuesday.  Even though I logged 2.1 hours as p.i.c., I was unable to land at my first destination due to higher than expected winds, heavy turbulence, and being a low time / low skilled pilot I decided to tuck tail and return to my home airport.  The experience did shake me a little but I will get back in the air soon, just not too soon.

My shipment of epoxy and hardware arrived from AS&S today!  That is a good way to start the evening.  I should have gone out and mowed the lawn but I was tired and my allergies were acting up a little so I decided against it.  After dinner and taking care of the kids, I went down and glued the first lamination together of the top spar cap for the canard.  This is a simpler spar as there are only 3 laminations making up the top spar cap and only 2 laminations making up the lower spar cap.

We made it to 5,000 hits on the blog this week.  Not an astounding amount of traffic but pretty cool none the less.

Number of hours:  0.9
Total hours:  203.6

Canard Spar #1

I placed my hardware and T-88 order with Aircraft Spruce this morning.  I promptly received a ship notice for the order this evening.   Way to go AS&S!  Meanwhile I spent the bulk of my night rebuilding the selector valve on my pool filter.

I managed to reward myself with some time to work on the airplane.  I pulled the planer out of the garage and planed the spar caps for the forward wing.  I finished the night by cutting the spar caps to length and cleaning up the workbench a little bit.

Sorry that there's no pictures tonight, a pile of wood just isn't that exciting.  I hope to get some more solo XC time in tomorrow.

Number of hours:  0.7
Total hours:  202.7

Hardware

I spent a lot of time over the past few days doing take offs for hardware since the plans don't call out anything except the diameter of the hardware in only a few cases.  I'm pretty sure that I have it figured out at this point with some exceptions.

Number of hours:  3.5
Total hours:  202.0

Rudders #6

I picked up my laser cut 4130 parts today for the front landing gear and the torque tube brackets.  They tack welded the nose gear fork together; it looks pretty cool IMHO.  I cleaned up the forward face plywood on the second rudder spar tonight, then I cut the holes for the rudder control horns in the forward faces of the rudder spars.  I might have made them a little too big.  Maybe I will end up filling them a little bit later on in the project.  This is one of those details in the plans that is really missing the required information because the control horn needs to pass through both spars and attach to a bungee cord but neither hole is given.

Number of hours:  0.5
Total hours:  198.5

Rudders #5

I cleaned up the excess plywood from the forward face of the rudder spar that I glued together last night.  I glued the forward face to the second rudder spar also.  To finish off my night, I collected the prints together so I can complete some hardware take offs so I can get the hardware along with my next order of T-88 which needs to be placed soon.

I had another solo cross country scheduled for today, but the weather didn't cooperate.

Number of hours:  0.8
Total hours:  198.0