Section 36 Aileron and Elevator Systems

RV14 Build April 24th

Aileron and Elevator Systems

Since Im waiting on the wings I decided to put the tail together and rig the elevator.


Now that everything is back together I tested the elevator travel and it was close to the travel for the control surface deflection memo, but almost 5 degrees off what the plans call for.

I didn't know about the memo at the time, I only had the plans so I started to grind on the AFT Deck per the instructions. This made me really nervous, but in the end I achieved the control surface deflection required.

Only need a little of the forward left elevator horn deck stop ground.

When I was building the fuselage, I took the opportunity to grind the stops at the control stick so they where basically good. Since I took so much material off the aft deck I did need to grind the stops a touch more at the control stick in the aft stick movement direction.

Up Deflection

Down Deflection

I then the template to adjust the elevator bell crank and the pushrod ends.

While I was climbed up into the tail I decided to hook up the Garmin Yaw servo cables.

Now time for a test for the elevator and rudder!

Aileron and Elevator Systems 6 hours

Garmin AutoPilot Servo 1 Hours

Section 12 Empennage Fairing Repairs

RV14 Build April 21th-May3

Empennage Fairings

So to recap, I cracked an elevator fairing and cut the horizontal stab tips too short. To repair the horizontal stabs I need to build back up the fiberglass. Here is my plan.

1. Make a mold

I used insulation from home depot, If I was going to try again, I would try expanding foam instead and see how that works.

2. Make a patch from the mold.

 3. Bond the patch with epoxy and flux.

4. Fiberglass the patch on. I used several small strips to build up the gap then a larg piece to cover everything on the inside and outside.

5. Now that it seems to actually be working, repeat 1-4 for the other fairing.

6. Trip the fairing correctly this time.

6. Glass in the fairing Cap. This is the same process I used on the vertical stabilizer cap. Make a 2 layer fiber glass sheet, cut it to fit the shape, tape to hold and epoxy, once dry fiberglass on the inside to bond.

7. Sand....

8. Fill with micro and epoxy and sand

9. Repeat step 8 until you can't take it anymore.

10. Finally, fill with just epoxy, let it sit for and hour, scrape off and put on another layer, scrape off again after an hour and hope it filled all the pin holes.

11. Repeat step 10 until all the pin holes are gone.

Congratulations, you just saved yourself $100 by not buying new fairings and learned some new skills. Now time to fix the elevator fairing. 

After the crack was patched and sanded. I tried to level and smooth this one with regular bondo to see how that works.

After a bunch of sanding. I still had to go back to steps 9 and 10 for the repair above.

Empennage Fairing 30 Hours

Section 12 Empennage Fairings

RV14 Build April 14th-April 19th

Empennage Fairings

I wish I would have been more careful when I cut the fairings. I added a ton of work for myself, but as it turns out I'm waiting on my wings so I have plenty of time to mess up and sand and repeat to learn how to work with fiberglass. I spent over 40 hours on this section and I think 30 plus was just repairing the damage that I caused.

The plans start off by having you make sure the lip of the fiberglass is the correct depth and square. I found in the end that a large file was the best tool for this job.

Found a piece of metal for the thicknesses I needed and tested.

Squeezed one of the Elevator fairings too hard and cracked it. No problem, I thought this will give me the opportunity to learn how to make a fiberglass repair, this was my first mistake lol.

Sanded down the top of the old fiberglass to rep for the repair.

 Used the cutoff wheel on the Dremel to cut when needed.

Trimmed the rudder bottom fairing.

 Testing the rudder bottom fairing fit

Cutting the template to trim the rudder bottom fairing.

Cut is done.

Drove out the Aircraft Spruce and picked this up along with some cloth.

Setting up the Fairing repair, and Patch for the hole in the rudder bottom fairing.

Peel ply on, time to walk away. Im feeling fairly good right now. No idea of the pain in the ass yet to come in the form of filling and sanding.

Plug for the hole after the fiberglass set up.

 Trimmed and taped in place to apply epoxy flux then glass.

Countersinking the rudder top tip.

More flat fiverglass parts for the fairing caps.

Looking good so far.

Epoxy and flux to shape the rudder bottom fairing.

Glass the inside of the rudder bottom fairing to join the patch to the rest of the fairing. I used 3 pieces overlapped.

Forward Vertical stabilizer tip cap.

Tapped in place till the epoxy and flux cures. Same process as for the patch. Once this cures Ill glass the inside to bond it to the fairing.

Vertical Stabalizer tip installed.

Rudder top fairing installed.

I decided to build up the vertical stabilizer fairing with fiberglass bondo, mostly to try new things and see how they work. But I didn't like the way the lined up. The Vertical Stabilizer tip curved town in the aft, probably because how I drilled and installed it, but I wanted the top surfaces of the two fairings to be level so what the hell.

Using a nutplate as a guide to drill.

The nutplates are suppose to be dimpled besides the most forward is countersunk. I didn't read well and countersunk all of them. Im not too worried, and its an easy repair to replace the metal part the nutplates are attached to in the future.

The Horizontal Stabilizer with the fairings is 124.5" wide, just incase you wanted to know.

Second major mistake and the repair accounts for 30hrs of work I'm guessing. The plans have you cut about 6". So I didn't realize the elevator fairing has a slant rearward in it, leaving a huge gap.

The gab needs to be at least 0.125" these are much larger.

I decided it would be easier to make a whole new post about the repairs so see that if you are interested. Moving on to the empennage gap covers.

I thought this part would be hard, but I bent them with 2 pieces of wood and my eyeball on a protractor.

The fit before drilling.

Once you are working on these the plans make more sense. Drilling across to get the holes.

Close up of the drill bit coming through, then repeat for the other side.

Empennage Fairing 10 Hours