Kit Building Regulations

Date	Section	Hours	Description	Pictures
9/3/06	N/A	0.75	Read instructions
10/1/06	B	6.75	Sections A, C and D are completed with the Jump Start option, so I proceeded to jig the assembly (Section B). First I had to build a level table extension to support the 10' stabilizer span. Once the extension was done, I secured the "upper" assembly to the table. Note: the stabilizer is built upside-down. Jigging was completed on 11/21/06
11/23/06	A	2.0	Before moving on to Section E, which is where the J.S. option left off, I went through the prior sections to verify the J.S. work. What I discovered was that a step had not been completed. Of the ribs that were part of the assembly, two ribs were not to be installed until a builder completed step in Section E. However, a laminate was to have been laid up in Section A in preparation. Since this had not been completed at the factory, I had to lay these up myself on both stabilizer panels. I also trimmed the ribs to get them ready for their installation later in the section.
11/23/06	E	N/A	Here is where having builder friends can save a lot of money! I was able to borrow a pneumatic rivet gun from a friend nearby that had recently finished up his Zenith kit. I already had a small compressor, which should be sufficient for the minimal riveting that is required for this kit.
1/5/07	E	4.75	Laser levels are wonderful! I marked positions along the trailing edge of the stabilizer on the aft spar for mounting the elevator hinges. Then I moved on to construction of a hinge jig out of a 10' section of aluminum angle that will be used for positioning the hinges and making sure they are properly aligned. This is crucial for smooth movement of the elevator across all six individual hinges. The laser level helped to judge whether all six positions were aligned across the entire width of the spar.
4/8/07	E	7.5	Completed construction of aluminum jig. Cut bolt heads and mounted to jig for simulating the pivot positions of the elevator when mounted. Hinge brackets were clamped into place and holes drilled for mounting bolts. Nutplates for bolts were fastened into position with bolts partially screwed into them, and then they were riveted into position. Modeling clay was used to plug nutplate holes (see picture) to prevent resin from getting into the threads during the next step. A mill fiber mixture will be used to permanently secure the nutplates, followed by a two-layer laminate.
4/28/07	E	3.25	Applied mill fiber mixture to backside of nut plates around threaded hole. Once cured, the mill fiber was smoothed and a 2-layer laminate was applied over top. Hole were cut in the center of the cloth prior to laminating to provide clearance for the mounting bolts.
5/28/07	E	1.0	Removed brackets and cleaned off hot-glue from them and the aft stabilizer spar. Prepared D-ribs for bonding by trimming the leading end of the rib to match the other ribs and the forward area of the stabilizer.
7/8/07	E	1.0	Portioned 200 pounds of Play Sand into one-gallon zip-lock bags, at approximately 5 pounds per bag. These will be used to distribute weight over the stabilizer panel while the D-ribs cure in place.