Over the last week I finished up the tasks needed to mount the tail components. This included removing and modifying the Vertical Stabilizer fairing, connecting the tail wheel, final torque for the rudder attach bolts, and installing the rudder bottom fairing.
I popped the Vertical Stabilizer fairing off, and took it home for modifications. I needed to shave about 1/8th off the back edge, which necessitated adding some layers of filler and glass inside the fairing, to build up the aft edge. Then using a curved sanding block, removing the required amount of material from the back edge. I did all the glassing and sanding at home, then test fit the fairing, made another adjustment, then primed and riveted it back into position.
Then I installed the rudder attach hardware and torqued the nuts on the attach bolts. There’s no easy way to get a torque wrench onto the nuts, so I did the best I could to achieve the right torque.
I hooked up the tail wheel using sash chains and springs, and then adjusted the length of the chains to get about the right amount of tension. I found using zip ties to compress the springs, and to hold the tension on the chain helped to hook everything up.
I then wired up the tail light, and coiled the slack cable into the fairing. This is when I discovered that the rudder bottom fairing can’t be installed with the rudder in final position. After some Vans Airforce research, the advice was to remove the bottom two rudder attach points and swing the rudder sideways and aft to allow the fairing to fit, then reassemble. So at midnight on Saturday I felt like I was starting again, undoing the attach points, taking off one of the sash chains, installing the fairing, then putting it all back together.
Anyway I eventually got it all done and headed home in the early morning hours.
