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Section 11 & 12

md9680

md9680

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On Page 11-2, there is this statement:

"The Elevators, Rudder, Rudder Cables, Horizontal and Vertical Stabilizers can be final installed any time during the building process."

I have just finished the Tail Cone, Section 10, and I'm thinking I can go ahead and start on the wings and come back to Sections 11 and 12 for final assembly. Is this the case?

Thanks.
 
Yes that is correct. Its your choice. Some leave them off until the airplane is taken to the airport. I chose to put mine on before and take a chance with the slightly wide load.
I put it on later in the build to save room in my home shop.
 
You absolutely can. You can also fit them now and remove them for easier working in the shop. They go on and off with a few bolts.
 
I did it after the wings, before the fuselage. Drilled the rudder horns, fit the elevators, glass work, then hung it all back on the wall. If you go that route, make notes in the KAI of everything, especially washer stack ups on rudder horns.
 
Thank you, all, for your answers. Just wanted/needed confirmation.

Think I'll wait until after the wings and before the main fuselage, as mc607 said. But, as for hanging it all on the wall, I'd appreciate seeing pics of how people have done that.
 
Also, when you transport, you want the least lift possible ... even just the tail wing it wants to fly ... I had mine on and we ended up going 35mph for 50 miles, not fun.
 
bkervaski said:
Also, when you transport, you want the least lift possible ... even just the tail wing it wants to fly ... I had mine on and we ended up going 35mph for 50 miles, not fun.
Click to expand...

Yes! Roger that! (I didn't mention it earlier, but I'm already building in a hangar so hopefully no transportation will be required.)
 
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Not to hijack the thread, but kind on the same subject. I am building a 14 taildragger in a hangar and to save room I was thinking of hanging the engine before putting the wings on. Anybody else do this?
Thanks, Jerry Kalin
 
gkalin said:
Not to hijack the thread, but kind on the same subject. I am building a 14 taildragger in a hangar and to save room I was thinking of hanging the engine before putting the wings on. Anybody else do this?
Thanks, Jerry Kalin
Click to expand...

I did. I built in the basement, moved the fuselage with engine and landing gear to the garage, and then built the wings in the basement while I worked on the propeller, cowl, spinner, and panel wiring in the garage. The horizontal stabilizer was too wide for the walk-out basement door, so I removed it before moving to the garage. It's not that hard to remove and reinstall the tail feathers. Just use non-locking nuts and keep a log of which nuts are not permanent so you don't miss one later. I then moved the fuselage, wings, and tail feathers to the airport and assembled them there.

The one warning I have is that the RV-14 without wings and tail feathers will rest on its landing gear fine with the engine installed, but the propeller will move the CG forward of the main gear and the tail will rise. Plan ahead for this by attaching weight to the tail or installing the wings before you mount the prop.
 
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