Machining the Control Horn

It's been 5 months since the last post, but I've been spending that time researching building and covering techniques and reading up on other builder's projects.  I've shown my rudder to some A&P (one of which is my father) and have come to the conclusion that I can actually build this thing.

There is a mindset that goes into this process that I don't think I had at the beginning.  I guess I expected a little more detailed instructions, but this is an airplane, not a bookshelf from IKEA.  The extra time I have had to take to learn construction and fabrication techniques is well worth it, as when this is all done I will not only have built the aircraft but also have the tools and the knowledge to fabricate replacement parts and fix any issues.

That said, I am moving on with the practice rudder to make sure I understand the process.  My plan is to finish it through covering and paint.  If that goes OK, then I know I can do this.  The next step in the rudder is to fabricate a control horn, and the 6061 aluminum sheet for that is too thick to cut with snips, so I purchased a new tool, this Harbor Freight Band Saw beauty:

Where have you been all my life?  I wish I had this at the beginning of the build, it trims through aluminum like butter leaving a clean, smooth, and straight cut that requires very little deburring or sanding.  If you are building an Airdrome Aeroplanes kit and don't have one of these, you need to get one.  It will make life ten times easier.

After tracing out a control horn copy on the 6061 sheet, I cut it out with the band saw, used the drill press to put in the pilot holes, then ran it through the sander to get all the edges smooth and the corners round without any burrs.  It took about an hour, but the end result is as good as the one from the kit.  The horn from the kit is the one on the right and mine is the one on the left:

 I ordered some AN bolds and nuts from Aircraft Spruce, got 20 each of bolts and nuts for about $5 so that I will have extras in the parts bin if I need them. Before doing that I took a quick internet lesson on decoding AN bolts and found a nice chart that I printed and laminated for the shop.  Next, I'll be bolting the control horn and hinges on.

 

Once that is done, I'll test my ability at covering the rudder.  I orders a sample kit from Stewart Systems for $100, and it should be enough to cover the rudder, plus it came with a box of DVDs on how to apply their covering.

 

 

 

Planning/ Research time = 1 hour