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Kupe's Zodiac 650B
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Date:  5-9-2014
Number of Hours:  2.00
Manual Reference:  6-B-21
Brief Description:  Rear Top Skin Tail Cut Out

Finished working with the two posterboard templates that will determine where to cut the rear top skin to accommodate the horizontal stabilizer (stab). The process is fairly straight forward if not down right simple. After a few (4 maybe) iterations of fitting the template, marking areas to trim, adding masking tape to areas that were trimmed too much, removing the template, trimming the marked areas, and matching the newly added masking tape on the inside of the template, I ended up with two templates that looked like image 1. Yeah, I know - a mess!

Next, I removed the templates from the bulkhead and attached them to the rear top skin using the same rivet holes as shown in image 2. It turns out they both look pretty good if I do say so mysef. Once positioned, I traced the templates onto the rear top skin using a Sharpie, removed the templates, and cut out the two templated areas using tin snips as a rough cut (leaving a few millimeters as a pad). Then I got out my trusty Dremel with a sanding drum and sanded the two cutouts to the full size of the template trace.

I reattached the rear top skin to the bulkheads on the aircraft, removed the front stab mounts (to give me some maneuvering room) and pushed the stab forward into the cutouts. Dang! The right one was too tight. So I marked the tight spots with a Sharpie, backed the stab off, and put the Dremel back to good use. Image 3 shows the stab mounted in position (front and rear mounts) nestled up into the newly cut out notches in the rear top skin. The right top side (image 3) is still a touch tight - I want the skin to be ~2-3mm off of the stab (like the bottom right) so I'll Dremel it out the next time I remove the stab and call it done!
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Right template - the curved cut out is reinforced with masking tape to add rigidity to it.

Right template - the curved cut out is reinforced with masking tape to add rigidity to it.

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Both finished templates reattached to the rear top skin.

Both finished templates reattached to the rear top skin.

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Second fitting.  Stab is fully attached and it all fits, but the top needs a little more dremeling.

Second fitting. Stab is fully attached and it all fits, but the top needs a little more dremeling.

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