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RV-7
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Date: 2-12-2013
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Number of Hours: 2.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Making riblets
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OK ... it's time to bend the trim tab and elevator skins. After lots of research on VAF and other places, I decided to go with the "riblet" method. The reasons are these:
1) I don't want to ruin my elevator skin .. seems like Murphy lives here if anywhere.
2) Before bending, I'd do quite a bit of practice, which would take some time, and still not guarantee success.
3) Building the form blocks would take time, and still not guarantee success.
4) Using the time, I can make riblet form blocks, practice all I want and not screw up a skin.
Making the riblet seems like the lowest risk option and not take any more time than it would if I did it the original way... So, riblets it is!
The aviation isle of Home Depot had a nice poplar plank that I used for the block. Made a cardboard template of the rib on the right elevator, transferred it to the block, screwed it down and cut with a compound miter box. A table saw would have been better, but no got one of those. I gave the edge of the bloc a 5 deg bevel to handle springback.
I made two block and clamped them together to do the deed. Worked great the first time out of the gate!
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Cutting the forming blocks on the compound miter box
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Forming the rib on the block
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Voila!
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