bret

bret

Well Known Member
I hope I did not just waste 20+ Hrs. blending my rudder tips, But...for those who have done there rigging did the rudder bottom line up with with the fuse? I have a 2010 emp. kit and the bottom rudder glass had a scrib line on it where to trim. I thought I read somewhere, wait to put the bottom on till you rig with the fuse....but you know how it is.
 
Phew! I was super scared there for a min. Thanks. For those that blended you know what I mean. I guess I will go start sanding the VS.
 
tailgear

Bret,

One thing I've heard from other builders is interference between the bottom rudder fairing (forward portion) and tailgear. I'm not there yet so can't confirm.
 
SeanB said:
Bret,

One thing I've heard from other builders is interference between the bottom rudder fairing (forward portion) and tailgear. I'm not there yet so can't confirm.
Click to expand...

Yeah... I think that was when the scribe line came into play at Van's. :eek:
 
I just did this work on my 9 this week. The scribe lines are not even close. I ended up carefully measuring from the trailing edge of the rudder and made some preliminary cuts for the control horns. Once I was able to slide the cap up and in place, it was clear that the cap was much too low. I ended up cutting off quite a bit along the top edge from the forward end, gradually tapered up to the trailing edge to raise the cap up to match the level of the end bulkhead. Probably about 3/4". I also had to tweak one side more than the other, since the cap was not symmetrical. Looking at it head on, it was more of a J than a U shape. Here is a picture after working on this for several hours.

1197380667_kpmTJ-M.jpg


I still have to figure out the wiring into this, and don't forget to drill a 1/4" drain hole in the lowest point. I also ended up putting another hole for a fastener just aft of the control arms, since the cap was splayed out a bit there. There will be 10 screws on each side holding this in place.

The trailing edge of the rudder is very thin, and the cap's trailing edge is quite thick. I'm not sure if it is worth trying to get the last 2 inches of the cap flush with the rudder skins.
 
Definitely wait...

Bret,

Definitely wait until you are fitting the empennage and rudder to the fuselage for the first time to make this final fit. Depending on if it is a tailwheel or nosewheel variant, the fit will be different.

Obviously the rudder bottom needs to have appropriate clearance with the tailspring on the RV-3/4/6/7/8/9 models. This is really the first time that the fit there becomes apparent. You may already have your wiring run by then so you can add that task/decison making into the mix.

On the 'A' models you really only need to worry about the fiberglass clearing the aft bottom skin and creating a nice transition off of that skin and onto the rudder bottom. Again, you won't know how that looks until the empennage is installed.

Just add that task to your Empennage Fit list and charge on into the next phase of the build...
 
If it is a tail dragger, I highly recommend waiting until the rudder is mounted on the vertical before final trimming of the bottom is done. I've done several these and on the tail dragger 7 or 9 some extra trimming was necessary. The front of the bottom interfered with the tail wheel spring. Larry
 
just looked

At at a 2011 tail kit, scribe marks are gone... no longer there. We've done a few Late tail kits with scribe lines with no fit issues. Maybe something has changed... I would think Joe would know.
 
Scribe lines

I look at scribe lines as a nice reference, period. Trust but verify... Especially when the build area has 'option's for T/W versus N/W.

Now on the -12 cowl for example, they are spot on....
 
Hum? Can some one if they have time measure the depth of the cap, if I measure at the front of the horn, in line with the horn, to the bottom I am at 4 inches.
 
I can measure a 7 TD tomorrow. The rudder I'm referring to in Post #10 is an RV8 replacement rudder going on an RV7 TD (removing the big 'ole 9 rudder) and is a new RV8 2011 Rudder Kit. All the scribe marks are gone! Maybe there has been a consistency issue with the part being marked correctly everytime in production so the did away with the scribe marks. I do know the fairings are MUCH better in quality than in the past.
 
lots of cutting and fitting for a tail wheel...

the bottom rudder fairing gets cut back significantly to clear the tailspring... best not try to fit it before having the fuselage rolling.
 
I just measured 2 5/8" from the bottom of the control horn angle to the lowest point on the rudder bottom cap. I'm not building a tail dragger, so nothing there for me to avoid.

Probably best to wait on this until you have the fuselage done.
 
So there I was laying in bed checking email and stuff on the phone, then I read this, hey thanks for the measurement, I knew there was no way I could sleep so I just had to go get up and go measure, 2 1/2" I hope I am good with this, the rudder is done and ready for paint. Thanks again!
 
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