Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
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Fix Rudder or Rebuild....
Zentih think the twist is in the bottom ribs so I will start at the bottom and drill out upwards until it lies flat. Depending how far I get I will re-rivet. Or I will get another kit. Coming with no experience of any of the tools and techniques needed for this endeavour, I've learned so much and if this rudder is the throw-away material I learned on, I can live with that.
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Comment by Paul Sanders on September 26, 2010 at 5:31pm
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Joe - yes I had the block. I think my mistakes were not having flat beams (I was using wooden 2x4s) and not pushing down as I drilled to make sure it was flat and tight. *shrug* I just rewatched the HomebuiltHelp video for the rudder and really I don't see what I did different.
The rudder never did untwist so now it is back to just a skeleton. The spar and ribs lay flat so I am at a good starting place :) Will have another go from here and most likely make another rudder for the real thing at some point.
Dave - thanks for your comment, nice to know I'm not the only person who needed to redo the rudder.
Mike - thanks for all your twitter support, and we should do a fly in sooner than that, not sure the FAA will still let us fly when I am done :)
Paul
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Comment by David Abbott on September 26, 2010 at 5:17pm
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Paul, My second rudder kit was much smarter, more patient, careful than my first one which I had to re-pack in the shipping box and throw into our recycling center trash. I probably should have saved the material for later use, but just wanted it all to be GONE. What have I learned that I might pass on? Manuals are terse to say the least, but very accurate. Plans are a wonderful help and an evening's pleasant activity. DVDs from HomebuiltHELP.com are very detailed, particularly on the rudder. The DVD may be somewhat out of date for current kits but techniques and sequence of the build have not changed. Keep your spirits up.
Dave
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Comment by Joseph F. Truncale on September 26, 2010 at 1:21pm
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Paul,
By the way, did you use the 3/4" spacer on one end of the rudder when drilling. It's purpose is to avoid having a twist in the rudder. Maybe your beams were "too flat"?
Joe
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ugh I have unriveted the bottom three ribs and it is still twisted, so it must be in the spar. Whole thing is going to be in pieces tomorrow. On the plus side I am quite the rivet remover now :)
Thanks for the kind words gents.
Paul
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Comment by Mike Daniels on September 25, 2010 at 7:39pm
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Well said Joe.
Glad to hear you are going forward with it. We will have to meet for a fly in lunch when we both get our 750s done.
Mike
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It is a brave man who can admit mistakes, Paul. It is a smart man who learns from them. And the smartest guy in the world happens to be the one who has made and learned from the most mistakes.
You'll get there.
Best,
Joe
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