Ruddervator Attach Day

The engine inspection indicated that the cylinders needed to be overhauled before flight.  The aircraft restorer got advice from Poplar Grove regarding timing and pricing for cylinders. After sending pictures of the inside of the engine, a game plan for the engine was formulated.

Rebuilding engines is something the aircraft restorer is comfortable doing. It was becoming a balance of what is the best use of time and resources as there are additional areas of the Bonanza in need of attention before she flies again.

To inspect the engine, cylinders 1 and 6 were already removed along with some of the baffling surrounding those areas.  The remainder of the cylinders also needed to be removed for overhaul.

As I had to be in Chicago the following week, it made sense for me to drive the cylinders up to Poplar Grove as part of the trip.

Getting ready for our next workday, the restorer put the ruddervators in my car while I got the last of lunch and snacks for everyone ready to go.  Books were already in the car, and it sounded like Rosie and her husband were making better time than we were.

Only a few minutes after Rosie arrived at the airport, we pulled up, ready to start work.  Rosie and her husband would be leaving mid-afternoon, so the aircraft restorer’s airplane sons would also be coming to assist. 

The aircraft restorer had Rosie’s husband dive into removing the baffling around the engine while ruddervator attaching began.

The ruddervators were put on stands next to the tail, ready to put on.

Standing on a  ladder next to the stabilator, Rosie and the restorer pulled the control cables through the ruddervator and attempted to attach the ruddervator to the stabilator.

One end of the bolt holding the hinge attach point would fit through the opening, but the other would not.  Using the bolt sizes indicated by the manufacturer, AN3-10’s, it should be a no-brainer. 

The ruddervators were originally surfaced with magnesium.  A light yet easily corroded material, magnesium surfaces are not as durable as aluminum.  Eventually, they were reskinned with aluminum. However, the new openings for the attach points were smaller than factory. 

The restorer and Rosie figured AN3-7’s would be appropriate. 

Looking at the bolts on site, we were sunk. 

The restorer suggested he drive up to his hangar at New Carlisle for the appropriate bolts.  

As he had the technical know-how to keep the operation moving, it was less than ideal for him to leave, especially with his airplane sons coming to assist later.

Rosie suggested that between her and me, we should be able to get the correct bolts and bring them back so other work on the engine can keep going.

The restorer handed me his hangar key and explained to us where everything was.

With that, we headed off.

Thank goodness for technology, as we sent back photos of the bolts using a sizing gauge to confirm everything before heading back.

By the time we returned, the remainder of the cylinders and the baffling were off, and the aircraft restorer’s airplane sons had already started to pitch in.

One of the son’s other halves was also on hand and eager to lend a hand as well.  Like Rosie’s husband, she grew up around classic cars and enjoyed getting her hands dirty, albeit with polished nails.

As the restorer and I noted the cylinder serial numbers and looked over engine parts and baffling, Rosie and the airplane son’s other half jumped into the hinge attach points.

Changing the bolts that held the hinges required removing the cotter pins that held the too-long AN3-10s.

Watching Rosie and the airplane son’s other half calmly and methodically remove and replace the hinges, I was reminded that technical competence is not exclusive to one gender or another.

Once the shorter bolts were in place, attaching the ruddervators could begin again.

Pulling the control cables through and ensuring they were seated in the proper places took no time at all. 

The hinges fit into the ruddervator attach cavities.

Getting light on the subject wasn’t always the easiest thing.  Shooting up from down below worked for the bottom bolts, then down from up top to get the top bolts.  Sometimes it was a matter of being in the wrong spot. 

Eventually, the right spot for light was found, and securing hinges to ruddervators took place. 

Rosie and her husband left after the first ruddervator was installed.  Leaving the second to the restorer and his airplane family. 

As is usually the case with projects, what was difficult the first time becomes easier when repeated.

The first ruddervator took some time to figure out how to get light on necessary areas and on how to support the ruddervator itself while attaching. 

The restorer and his boys working together; there was almost no talking. They knew what the other needed when it was needed.

By the time everything was done, it was mid-afternoon. 

I almost forgot to get a picture of the completed tail as I thought about the logistics behind getting the cylinders up to Poplar Grove. 

My mind had moved on to the next task.