Empennage Assembly (March 2008-May 2009)

• March 1, 2008 -- Assembly! Finally. Jig table leveling
• March 3, 2008 -- Main fin spar prep
• March 4, 2008 -- Forward fin spar prep
• March 7, 2008 -- Rudder spar prep
• March 8, 2008 -- Table top fixed down, tapered pads, plywood pads
• March 9, 2008 -- More prep, main stabilizer spar
• March 11, 2008 -- Elevator spar prep
• March 14, 2008 -- Leading edge capstrip cutout
• March 21, 2008 -- Second station 0 rib, finally
• March 22, 2008 -- Cutting apart tail ribs
• March 23, 2008 -- Trim tab bracket and channel nut
• March 29, 2008 -- Separating more tail ribs
• March 30, 2008 -- Trim tab ribs and spars
• April 3, 2008 -- Skin prep and hinge reaming
• April 5, 2008 -- Table extensions
• April 6, 2008 -- Hinges and trammeling
• April 8, 2008 -- Elevator and rudder skin drafting
• April 12, 2008 -- Rudder stop blueprint error fixing
• April 26, 2008 -- Rudder stop bolt location, hinge notch, arm spacers
• May 17, 2008 -- Delays, new elevator control arm
• May 25, 2008 -- Drilling holes in my elevator
• May 31, 2008 -- Elevator balance weight arm install
• June 1, 2008 -- Elevator hinges done
• June 7, 2008 -- Rudder hinges done
• July 19, 2008 -- Second stabilizer rib 0 glued
• July 20, 2008 -- Tail hinges done, balance weight check
• July 26, 2008 -- Balance weight mock-up, elevator leading edge align
• July 27, 2008 -- Elevator leading edge glued
• August 1, 2008 -- Extra material is your friend
• August 3, 2008 -- Elevator trailing edge ribs aligned
• August 10, 2008 -- Elevator trailing edge ribs glued
• August 17, 2008 -- Trim tab angles and ribs aligned
• August 24, 2008 -- Trim tab ribs glued
• September 10, 2008 -- Elevator trailing edge glued
• September 21, 2008 -- Elevator wing tip notches
• September 22, 2008 -- 1.5 mm skins, new plywood
• September 26, 2008 -- Pre-bending other stab/elevator wingtip
• September 27, 2008 -- Wing tip lamination glued
• September 28, 2008 -- Lamination cleaned up the easy way
• October 2, 2008 -- Shaping the elevator wing tip
• October 4, 2008 -- Float sanding the elevator
• October 8, 2008 -- Float sanding errors
• October 9, 2008 -- Redone leading edge
• October 11, 2008 -- Float sanding finished
• October 12, 2008 -- Leading edge elevator skin bending
• October 14, 2008 -- Fitting the leading edge skin
• October 16, 2008 -- Marking the interior varnish lines
• October 17, 2008 -- Varnished leading edge skin interior
• October 18, 2008 -- Plywood beveling, for beauty's sake
• October 19, 2008 -- More beveling, trailing edge ribs
• October 23, 2008 -- Varnishing, out of epoxy
• October 25, 2008 -- Lead edge skin glue prep, tip bows glued on
• October 26, 2008 -- Pre-bending the leading edge tip skins
• October 29, 2008 -- Elevator varnishing finished
• October 31, 2008 -- Elevator channel nuts installed
• November 3, 2008 -- Leading edge elevator skin glued on, tip skin varnished
• November 4, 2008 -- Leading edge tip skins cut out
• November 6, 2008 -- Leading edge skin tips glued on
• November 9, 2008 -- Leading edge skin scarfing
• November 11, 2008 -- Center section, trailing edge skin pre-bending
• November 13, 2008 -- Trim cable hole cut
• November 16, 2008 -- Elevator trailing edge skin scarfing
• November 19, 2008 -- Center section, trailing edge skin prep
• November 21, 2008 -- Center section, trailing edge skin glued
• November 22, 2008 -- Float sanding check, needs correction
• January 24, 2009 -- New shop, a real woodshop
• January 25, 2009 -- Cold weather and triangles
• January 30, 2009 -- Elevator trailing edge fairing supports
• January 31, 2009 -- Elevator trailing edge skin tip bending #1
• February 5, 2009 -- Elevator trailing edge skin tip bending #2
• February 11, 2009 -- Tracing internal structure
• February 17, 2009 -- Tracing and trim tab cable pass through
• February 18, 2009 -- Added extra block for trim tab control arm
• February 19, 2009 -- Trim tab cable clamp access hole
• March 13, 2009 -- Notching triangular fairing strips
• March 17, 2009 -- Bottom elevator skins glued!
• March 18, 2009 -- Lower left skin cleaned
• March 19, 2009 -- Lower skins cleaned, trim tab attention
• March 20, 2009 -- Varnishing with a squeegee
• March 25, 2009 -- Inboard fairing pattern
• March 26, 2009 -- Second coat of varnish
• April 1, 2009 -- Top elevator skins glued, maybe?
• April 3, 2009 -- Cleaned top elevator skin, searching my soul
• April 7, 2009 -- Decisions made
• April 25, 2009 -- Slowed down again, new skin
• May 3, 2009 -- A few precious moments, triangular fairing strips glued
• May 25, 2009 -- Triangular fairing strips cleaned up

  LIFE BREAK! (June 2009-December 2013)

  Empennage Assembly (2014)

• February 28, 2014 -- The project lives! Elevator, Stabilizer and Wing hinges
• March 7, 2014 -- Stabilizer tips, trim tab tube
• March 15, 2014 -- Epoxied trim tab tube, Aerolite Test Block w/data!
• March 22, 2014 -- Stabilizer tips glued, elevator fixing
• July 27, 2014 -- I'm back! Elevator fixed, trailing edge trimmed, hinges aligned
• August 4, 2014 -- Trim tab cut out and installed
• September 28, 2014 -- Horizontal stabilizer float sanding complete, 2014 West Coast Falco Fly-in
• November 11, 2014 -- Christmas came early! Kits, kits and more kits
• November 15, 2014 -- Skin bending clamping jig, plywood edge beveling
• November 29, 2014 -- Scarfing jig complete, stabilizer varnishing

  LIFE BREAK! (2015-2024)

  Empennage Assembly (2024-June 2025)

• October 21, 2024 -- Back to building, stabilizer skinned, rudder framed
• January 8, 2025 -- Rudder skinned
• March 23, 2025 -- Aft wing spars complete
• June 30, 2025 -- Fin complete, empennage complete