Mounting Horizontal Stabilizer - trimming HT skins

[ykachuro]

Slight correction — I needed to trim the bottom HS skin ever so slightly to give space for the bolt heads attachung the rear mounting brackets.

[ykachuro]

I am starting to fit the tail to the fuselage. The horizontal stabilizer skins are pre-trimmed (kit #92) and no additional trimming is needed so far. I’ve trimmed the rear mounting brackets to 3 3/8 (incidence -.25) — i will live with whatever neutral trim speed it gives me in the end.

[GlenNJ]

Rick,
I used metal sheers and a file. I have one of the older kits that requires the mod. I also had to trim the forward leading edge a little to clear the fuselage sides, and around the rear HS mounting brackets. I am mounting my horizontal stabilizer with the recommended 0 degrees angle of incidence. The rear of the HS sits a little lower, and this caused my HS bottom skin to sit on the forward parts of the rear mounting brackets. I carefully trimmed the bottom skin around the brackets, taking off as little material as possible.
Glen

[Barry]

Rick, I am also thinking later kits require no trimming. I didn't trim mine anyway. Have fun at S&F.

[ykachuro]

Rick, are you sure you need to trim it? I am a few days away from this step, but I thought that later kits came with the skin already trimmed in that place so that no additional trimming is needed. I could be wrong though.

Not sure if I make it to SnF, but still hoping

[at7000ft]

Guys - concerning the first manual step in 'Mounting Horizontal and Vertical Stabilizers' discusses trimming the front inner HT skins (shown on plans P-T-HT, VT install prep), what kind of tool works best for this? A dremel with some kind of cutting wheel?

Thanks
Rick H

p.s. looking forward to seeing everyone this Friday night at the snf Panther party.