Author Archives: Ryan
Empennage and turtledeck polishing.
Total build time: 208 hours. With several large skins ready for riveting, I needed to get some polishing out of the way before proceeding with construction. I’ve decided that I will not be painting my aircraft (other than the small fiberglass parts, wing tips etc.) There are several reasons for this including looks, weight savings, … Continue reading
Empennage #6 (Rudder)
Total build time: 201 hours. Some might wonder why this airplane is called the Waiex and not the VeeEx. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s because this is actually a Y-tailed aircraft, as opposed to a V-tailed aircraft that has been more prevalent in the past (such as the V-tailed Bonanza.) This fact … Continue reading
Empennage #5 (Stabilators)
Total build time: 193 hours. Airplanes that have a “conventional tail” have 2 types of control surfaces in the empennage: a rudder and an elevator. Since my plane is a “Y” tail, it has a special name for the primary tail control surfaces: ruddervator. Clever. The shape of these surfaces came to me pre-formed … Continue reading
Aircraft in a basement
In the interest of planning and demonstration, I made some graph paper cutouts to experiment with different ways to fit my aircraft inside my basement, as well as some planning to get it out of my basement when I’m ready. The plane will get quite big pretty quickly. Here’s how I initially thought I would … Continue reading
Aft Fuselage #6 (Turtledeck)
Total build time: 182 Hours. With the turtledeck completely up-drilled for rivets, it’s time to peel it back apart for deburring. And reassemble! At this point I’m also polishing the skins. At this point I have completely riveted up the substructure for the turtledeck, but have not yet riveted the skins … Continue reading
What is a rivet? (Pop rivets)
A rivet is probably a term that most everyone has heard, but not everyone has seen in action. A simple way to think of a rivet is as a permanent bolt. You put it through a hole like a bolt, and once tightened (squeezed or hammered) it holds in place with heads on both sides … Continue reading
What is a cleco?
I use the word cleco a lot, usually in the context of “wow look at all those clecoes!” or “such and such cleco”. A cleco is a temporary sheet metal fastener. It has a small strong spring inside that, when compressed, will cause the tip of the cleco to simultaneously elongate in length and shrink … Continue reading
Aft Fuselage #5 (Turtledeck cleco)
Total build time: 166 Hours. The aft fuselage tail cone box is complete, but with skins on the left, right, and bottom, it now needs a top! The top is called the turtledeck, as it resembles a curved turtle shell covering (I presume.) Parts layout: This next bit was to bend the turtledeck into place … Continue reading
Aft Fuselage #4 (Tail cone box)
Total build time: 150 hours. Slowly but surely the entirety of the tail cone box is up-drilled and progressively stripped back apart. As I back out the parts I have to think carefully about how it will ultimately be riveted together… going in the wrong order will seal me off from areas that I may … Continue reading
Aft Fuselage #3 (Tail cone box cleco)
Total build time: 112 hours First, cut a large hole for an access panel in the floor of the aft fuselage. Its funny how much pride one can take from making a pretty hole in aluminum sheet metal. Time to make use of those hundreds of clecoes I invested in… up goes the aft fuselage … Continue reading
Aft Fuselage #2 (Mixer mount and tail post)
Total build time: 106 Hours With the side panels complete, it’s back to fabricating more small assemblies before the next big assembly. The mixer mount is a fixture on the floor of the aft fuselage that will hold the mixer that combines pitch and yaw inputs from the pilot into the ruddervators. The tail … Continue reading
Aft Fuselage #1 (Side Panels)
Total build time: 80 hours. Began work on the aft fuselage. As with any new part of the build, it begins with laying out and making modifications to each individual part. Here are the parts laid out, and some cuts/holes that needed to be made in the side skins. Then out come the clecoes … Continue reading
Empennage #4 (Stabilator Skins)
Total build time: 65 hours. With the stabilator substructures complete, it’s time to move on to the skins. Say it with me… cleco, updrill, disassemble, deburr, cleco, rivet! It’s my new mantra. And in this case, add in the extra step of polishing the skin for a few passes prior to riveting. Fiberglass … Continue reading
Workshop improvements.
While Mom and Bill were in town for Thanksgiving, they helped me a ton by making improvements to my workshop, including some much needed lighting. Lighting: Before and After: Also installed was a toilet and a shop sink. Both are much appreciated and used often!
Empennage #3 (First Rivets!)
Total build time: 34 hours. Finally, after having deburred the parts and reassembled them using clecoes, I’m ready to start riveting! This is my very first rivet. And the rest… It’s funny how the parts tend to look flashier when they have clecoes in them, but for me seeing the part finished … Continue reading