flickroll
Well Known Member
Last summer at Oshkosh I looked at a large number of RV's and noticed that the ones that had the best looking empennage fairings used very few screws to attach them to the airplane. Typically 3 screws on the forward part that screws to the turtledeck, and just one each on either side of the VS at the aft end, for a total of 5. Some guys used 7, with an additional screw of each side of the HS, at the aft end. Particularly with dark paint when using a lot of screws, that seems to cause the fairing to warp a little as a result of the sun heating it up. So my plan is to use as few screws as possible. For those that have used the 'few screws method', what has been your long term experience? Any issues to be aware of? The fairing that I have is a newer Van's fairing (just bought it) that appears to be epoxy, in other words, no gel coat. I also have a Fairings Etc fairing, but there seems to be little difference in the fit between that one and the Van's fairing, and my fuselage is already drilled and nut plated for a Van's fairing, so I'll probably use the Van's fairing and sell the FE fairing. Thanks