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Building the rudder

I decided to start with the rudder since it is a relatively simple piece and it is nice to get a sense of accomplishment early in the project. The rudder consists of a leading edge spar (R1), trailing edge (R2), ribs (R3-R10), and a user supplied balsa block for the top. In reviewing the plans I discovered 2 minor errors that Tom is correcting for future kits.

  1. R2 bisects rib R10. I solved this by removing the middle section of R10. The photo below should make this clear.
  2. Ribs R3-R7 are not as wide as spar R1. My plan is to make small filler pieces so the sheeting material will contact the ribs.

Again, Tom has already corrected both these issues - so future builders need not worry.

Here is the "new" R10 rib ready to glue into position:
New-R10

And here is the rudder pinned up and glued. Note the "bottom" half of R10 is lying on the plans, it will be glued later. Also note the vertical fin is already underway...

Rudder-glue-up

Note on the vertical that V14 (the ply sheet at the bottom of the fin) protrudes slightly below the bottom rib and beyond the rear spar. I  think Tom originally intended the rib above V14 to be slotted, hence the slightly over sized part. This will be easily corrected on the belt sander.

And here are the vertical fin and rudder with the balsa top blocks attached. The blue tape on the rudder is holding the other half of R10 in place while the glue dries.

Rider-and-vertical-almost-d

Note V14 has now been sanded smooth. I also sanded R2 (the trailing edge ply piece on the rudder) level with the top rib. This gave me a flat surface to mount the top balsa block.

Once this is all dry, I'll sand the top blocks to shape and widen the ribs as noted above. The only thing left at that point will be installing the hinges before sheeting. The spars are drilled for pin hinges, but I haven't decided what I'll use. I have been considering using flat/slot hinges (like in the photo above) and adding small balsa blocks to provide a mounting structure. The nice thing about these hinges is you can easily remove them by pulling a pin. However, Tom pointed out Robart (maker of the pin hinges) has "pin hinge pockets" that allow removal of the control surface. I plan to order some of these and see what I like best.

So after sanding the top to shape, I'll place the vertical aside until the hinge parts arrive and work on the horizontal.

-Mark

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