Cover your tail
Hours: 2.8 | Posted in Cowling & Baffles, Wing & Tail JoinsTrying to get the plane to the point where the tail feathers can be removed and stored, to allow more garage parking.
Fit the stock empennage fairing as best I could, which is essentially a ton of on-mark-off-sand-repeat, until it gets close. Then I marked some final trim lines and sanded it back to there. Taped in place and carefully drilled #40 through the fairing into the open holes in the metal.
Next, to fill the little gaps that remain… Taped up the metal surfaces and waxed them, and mixed up a batch of epoxy with micro and cabosil, slathered it on the inside of the fairing edges, and clecoed the fairing in place. The idea is that the micro will fill the gap; once it’s cured, the fairing can be removed and the edges sanded pretty, then the rest of the finishing process can go on.
(Update: 55* in the shop is clearly not enough for efficient fiberglassing; the fairing took 4 days to set up completely, and that’s after pulling it off and bringing it in the house to sit.)
Also trimmed the layup on the cowling intake snout, and shaped it to be even with the intake.
