Brief Description: Fuselage Rear Side Skin discrepancy
Ready to move ahead, I pulled out the Tom Henderson fuselage rear side skins. A quick measurement or two confirmed my fear: the skins are not drilled per the current plans. I spent quite a bit of time confirming every angle and distance. Then I brought my data into the house and set up a spreadsheet to compare plans to actual. What I found may be inconsequential in the long run, but it is nonetheless frustrating. Starting from the back of the plane, there are 7 vertical "L" angles that secure the side skins and stiffen the structure. Angles 1, 3, 6 and 7 are in their correct locations. Angle 2 is 10mm closer to the rear than it should be. Both angles 4 & 5 are 20mm closer to the nose of the plane than they should be. I've written Tom to hear his reasons, but until I get an explanation or conclude that this is of no effect, I'm stalled again. Aaargh! NEWS FLASH: Another builder of Tom's parts has since confirmed that he was provided with a letter from Zenith indicating that this change is allowable. It was done to align rivet lines between the bottom and top of the rear fuselage for a cleaner look. I will make every effort to get a copy of the letter. You should too, if you plan to make the same modification.
