I removed the rudder from the VS and set it in the HS cradle so I could get at the cap. The initial fit of the rudder bottom cap was about what I expected—it didn’t fit very well. I had previously opened up the area on each side for the rudder horn. After wrestling the cap sorta into position, I marked some additional areas that needed more relief around the rudder horn. This additional trim allowed the cap to slip into position. I taped the cap to the rudder and re-installed on the VS. I then installed the tail wheel stinger. I measured the gap between the stinger and rudder cap—about 3/32” clearance. I removed the rudder and then the rudder cap, then marked a line to trim the cap—started with 5/32” at the front and tapered to even at the back. I sanded down to the trim line and also trimmed 1/8” from the inside of the area contacted by the rudder horn. Fit seems much better now, but I need to straighten up one edge just a bit—then I’ll re-install the rudder on the VS and verify the clearance before drilling attach holes in the cap.
