Stjohn's RV-7

These are pics from the process of closing the HS. All this happened in mid november 2005.

Here, we’ve closed up the skin. Fitting the middle ribs was a real ratbastard of a chore, but as soon as the zen took over, it became considerably less so. This pic is of the rear spar assembly clecoed and somewhat riveted to the rest of the HS.

Shop heads all looking good, gauged at the proper width and thickness. Used the 4″ thin-nose yoke on these.

Left side ready to rock.

Lined up, looking good, no gaps between the skin and spar, even with just clecoes on there.

An overview. By the way… You see that lamp? I hate it. I want it to be crushed to singularity in a massive black hole. The only thing making it useful are a couple of c-clamps. The only thing keeping it in existence is the fact that I haven’t motivated myself to replace it.

Sombody told me I can polish all that stuff out.. I hope so.

BOOYAKASHA! A horizontal stabilizer. And the spokesmodel sporting a Made In Detroit t-shirt! I tried to get the obligatory flying-lawn-furniture shot, but I didn’t have the time and my wife didn’t have the patience.

Perfectly balanced…

Even the horrendous ding in the skin kind of came out once all the parts were lined up.

And there it is with the blue stuff taken off! Love it!

And now it’s time to do the VS. Much simpler structue, and now the happy builder is armed with the painful lessons of the HS.