The next step is the Rudder, which is a lot harder than the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. The stiffeners need precise trimming and there are multiple doubler plates that you need to create yourself from a bundle of Aluminum plates. For trimming the stiffeners I use the snips. The are three types: yellow, which cuts straight, green that keeps the right side straight, but curls the left side and red which keeps the left side straight, but curls the right side. So why not always use the yellow ones?
Well if either side is scrap it’s much easier to use red and green.
After crude trimming with the snips, I need to polish the stiffeners with the Scotch-Brite wheel.
We attached the stiffeners of both the left and right skin and checked if the distance between the stiffeners and he front spar of the rudder and the trailing edge are sufficient.
Today’s result on the rudder is just the stiffeners and a global look over the rudder plan and drawing.
Time: 3 Hours, Rivets: 0/0