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Left Elevator Folding Skin

Brantel

Brantel

Well Known Member
After making an attempt to finally close my left elevator where the trim tab cuttout is, I find myself wondering why the heck that Vans does not just make a small rib to put in there and forget about that folding boloney?

Mine came out like poop so I cut the ears off and made a rib and riveted it in there. It looks 10 times better than any folded one ever could.

Now I know that the trim tab is the same stuff so do I attempt to fold them as well or just cut them off and make ribs to start with?
 
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Left Elev. Skin Folding and Trim Tab

Well,

I succeeded in folding the trim tab skin tabs just fine by using my seaming pliers before the skin trailing edge was completely folded. I also back riveted my spar to the bottom of the skin before as well. This turned out really good. :D

The problem I did have is that because I had cut off the mangled tabs on the elevator skin and riveted in a small rib, I now have a gap between the elevator and the root of the trim tab that is closer near the hinge than it is at the trailing edge. I also ended up with the trailing edge of the trim tab not being collinear with the trailing edge of the elevator skin. It hangs back about 1/8" which does not look so great.

I have already riveted the hinge to the trim tab but only have the elevator side drilled and clecoed at this point. I am concidering replacing the elevator side of the hinge and redrilling it with a preset angle to help eliminate the non collinear relationship with the elevator. This will also help make the gap more even between the trim tab root end and the elevator skin.

I am worried that there will not be enough room to allow me to angle this side of the hinge far enough to fully compensate for the issues. I am thinking that I might have to drill out the trim tab side of the hinge as well and divide the angle up between both halfs of the hinge.

What do you guys think? 1. Do half the hinge. 2. Do both halfs of the hinge. 3. Leave it alone and forget about it...

Thanks,
 
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Chop em off

The first thing I did on the trim tab and skin was to chop off the ears. The reason I did this was to save time and money. If you do the skin last and it is already riveted to the spars guess what. You have to drill out all the rivets and start over. There are a few guys in the group that it happened to so I chopped them off first. I made ribs and riveted them in place. I also made stiffeners for the trim tab. I will then fill the ends with a sponge soaked in resin and then fill with micro fill or something. Should be nice and smooth when completed. All pics on my web page.

Good Luck,
Bruce Pauley
RV 7A
N 177WD res
VAF #582
http://www.mykitlog.com/users/index.php?user=bpauley&project=84
 
Elevator trim tab construction

Bruce...

Epoxy, ribs, stiffeners??? Have you considered weight? Would this not put additional weight aft of the hinge line, where it is not supposed to be, which presents the possiblity of aerodynamic flutter? Trim tabs are always very light just to prevent this from happening and this is a 200 mph machine making this rule very critical. Just a word of caution.

Dick DeCramer
N500DD RV6 flying
N149KC RV4 flying
RV8 starting this winter
Northfield, MN
 
DickDe said:
Bruce...

Epoxy, ribs, stiffeners??? Have you considered weight? Would this not put additional weight aft of the hinge line, where it is not supposed to be, which presents the possiblity of aerodynamic flutter? Trim tabs are always very light just to prevent this from happening and this is a 200 mph machine making this rule very critical. Just a word of caution.

Dick DeCramer
N500DD RV6 flying
N149KC RV4 flying
RV8 starting this winter
Northfield, MN
Click to expand...

DITTO. Now everyone knows why this is so important.

-Jeff
 
Thanks for Advice

Guys,

Thanks for the advice. Need it sometime. Ordered new Trim tab and will make it right.

Bruce Pauley
RV 7A
Rowlett TX
 
Did everyone who messed up the elevator tabs build a wood bending jig per the plans? I'm just wondering if I got lucky or what, because bending them was a non-issue 10 minute affair. I havent done the elevator skin tabs yet, but I dont forsee anythin different about bending them. I started with the tab incase It got goofed up, instead of the expensive, lots of work already put into it elevator skin!
endtab.jpg
 
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I also built the jig per the plans and mine came out great first try. I did the initial bend with a block and then finished it using a body hammer to get it flat.
 
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