About The Project:

The airplane is a home-built, scratch-built Zenith CH 750 STOL. Building from plans/blueprints is a challenging way to build an airplane, since most of the parts you use to build it are not prefabricated. I chose the Zenith CH 750 STOL for its rugged design, its STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) characteristics and its aluminum construction. Zenith Aircraft Company has designed this airplane so that it can be built from scratch or from a kit by the average person. They provide excellent technical support for both kit and scratch builders. In addition, I'll be installing a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair 164 cid horizontally opposed, air cooled, 6-cylinder engine, with special conversion parts to make it suitable for airplane duty. This is what the airplane will look like when I'm done, although I'll have a different paint scheme:

Follow my progress below!

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Horizontal Stabilizer nearly done!

Friends,

It's been slow going this summer, but I have some great visual progress to report. Although I learned a ton when working on the rudder (which I plan to completely rebuild), each phase of this project has lots to teach. I made some errors, had to compensate or remake parts or just take a different approach to assembly in some areas. Nevertheless, I have a nearly finished Horizontal Stabilizer. The top skin is riveted, but the bottom side is not since you need access inside when you mount the elevator to it. So the next step is to skin the elevator skin and then mount the trim tab, wiring and motor, and mount it to the stabilizer. Here are a few pics of the stabilizer assembly. And thank goodness for the new Husky air compressor...what a joy to use!

Horizontal Stabilizer Skeleton riveted:

Mounting brackets & center hinge riveted, plus 2 AN3 bolts at top & bottom:

Horizontal Stabilizer Skin treated with Zinc Chromate Primer:

Top surface of Horizontal Stabilizer Skin final riveted:
 

I'm working on the assembly video, but there is a lot of footage to edit, plus I still want to squeeze in my AirVenture video...so lots of editing to do! In the meantime, I've started assembly of the firewall and I'll be finishing up the elevator.

More to come!

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