Seeing pictures of the progress and hearing little things here and there about how the stabilators were cleaning up nicely was all I heard from the aircraft restorer when he was asking about my progress with writing.
Cleaning the stabilators made them regress in age – they looked practically brand new!
After confirmation of the parts needed, I made the parts order. While in checkout on the website, I laughed at a comment the other aircraft restorer had made about expensive bolts; everything was under $60.
The parts came in over the next week or so and the discussion switched to when to bring the stabilators back and the addition of epoxy chromate to the bulkhead before attaching the casting to mitigate corrosion.
About three weeks after the parts had come in, I drove up to the restorer’s hangar to pick up the stabilators and we headed back to Moraine to paint the bulkhead area before tucking the stabilators in next to the ruddervators at my house.
Before leaving his hangar, the restorer added a catalyst to the epoxy chromate in an old prescription bottle a perfect size for transport and the small area to be covered. Due to the cool temperatures, slightly more catalyst was added than the 2:1 ratio normally utilized.
Preparing the bulkhead, we tore up small parts of shop towels and twisted them before threading them through the bulkhead holes to prevent the chromate from coating the holes themselves.
Painting the area itself took less time than combining the solution and gathering everything to bring to Moraine. While the area cured, the restorer used a template on the skin adjacent to the stabilator attach points marking the location of rivets in preparation for a doubler to beef up strength. When done marking locations on the template, we took the shop towels out of the holes as they had done their job.
While working, we discussed the next step and when to get together. As winter weather was less horrible than usual, it meant some days were warm enough to fly without looking like a stuffed animal.
The aircraft restorer was looking forward to me getting more comfortable in his clipped-wing Piper Cub.
While less complicated than the aircraft I had been flying previously, I still felt at a loss without a checklist.
65 knots for takeoff and landing were easy enough to remember, but having it written down somewhere along with below what RPM to put on the carburetor heat was somehow reassuring.
Between encouragement to fun read each day and regularly fly when weather and life allowed, the aircraft restorer was making sure I did not push myself too hard.
The next nice day the aircraft restorer arrived in his cub with the casting. As this was a small project compared to the removal of ruddervators and stabilators, it was again something the two of us could handle with his small tool bag and years of skill.
I have heard it said that a project is not a true project until colorful language, bodily injury or an unexpected trip for parts occurs.
As Rosie and her husband had accomplished the removal of the casting, I realized how cramped it was to work in the tail. Knuckles getting skinned up due to awkward positions in small spaces are a reality in maintenance. Using a LED light attached to a stick worked better than a flashlight at directing light over the area inside through the small holes.
The casting installation would be only finger-tight at this point as play will be needed when the attachment of the control surfaces occurs. After everything is installed, torquing to the specified limit will occur.
Using sockets and wrenches, the restorer and I attached the bolts, nuts, and washers securing the casting to the aft bulkhead.
This small task became a true project with blood loss on the restorer’s part; knuckles and small spaces being no match!
After cleaning everything up, we celebrated our progress by flying to Mount Victory for lunch.
I was more comfortable with using s-turns to see while taxiing and the appropriate amount of forward then back pressure to raise the tail on takeoff.
Progress on multiple levels!