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RV-7 Construction Log
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Date:  1-14-2012
Number of Hours:  2.80
Manual Reference:  Section 6
Brief Description:  Today's Task 2 - Elevator Spars and Counterweights

Drilled the spar reinforcement plates and platenuts to both elevator spars. This process was very straightforward.

I squared the flanges, straightened by fluting, and edge finished both sets of E-703 end ribs and E-704 counterbalance ribs. Upon initially attempting to assemble these ribs to the skin, there was a misalignment of some of the rib holes. The cause is that the ribs are slightly bowed across the web, plus the pre-punched #30 holes used to rivet the ribs back-to-back were slightly dished from the punching process causing the flange radii to not quite come together, Checking VAF, I found that one builder had gotten rid of the bow by placing the rib on the bench flanges down and tapping gently on the web. I flattened the holes by putting 2 flat sets in my DRDT-2 dimpling tool and flattening them the best I could. The results are shown in Photo 1.

Next, the counterweight is pushed into place and marked for the two 3/16 bolt holes to be drilled in each one. I marked the weights by drilling just a slight depression using the front of the countebalance skin as a guide. I then lightly clamped the weight to my drill press table and drilled perpendicular pilot holes all the way through it.

I then reassembled the ribs, skin, and weight, firmly clamped the two ribs together at the forward ends, and using my hand drill, drilled through the weights with #40, #30, 5/32, and 3/16 drills successively. Photo 3 shows the resulting bolt holes in the ribs' front flanges.

I completed the above counterweight drilling process on both the right and left elevators.
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It took some massaging and clamping of the ribs to get the counterbalance skin holes to line up.

It took some massaging and clamping of the ribs to get the counterbalance skin holes to line up.

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E-714 counterweight secured for initial drilling.

E-714 counterweight secured for initial drilling.

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Final drilling complete!

Final drilling complete!

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