Sunday, March 6, 2011

RV-12 Stabilator (Part 3)

Reference: page 09-06; 1.5 hours

Step 1: Rivet the HS-1214 Rib Clips to the HS-1203 Aft Spar per call-outs. Note the orientation of each rib clip, and be sure that all three holes of each rib clip align to all three holes of the aft spar before riveting.



Builder's Note: In preparing for the next few steps I discovered cracks in the stabilator ribs (see pictures below.) They could not be seen until after the blue plastic was removed. In talking this over with Vans, the options are to repair or replace depending on the size of the cracks. Because of the length of the cracks and the heavy scoring on one rib, replacement was the best option in this case. An excellent source of information on crack repair and inspection is the book AC 43.13-1B - Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices - Aircraft Inspection and Repair. I'm adding this to the Gothcha list, because if these cracks weren't caught before assemble it would be bad.





The above rib was not a typical stress crack.

While I am waiting for the replacement ribs, I will be working on deburring parts. Until next time.