Message-Id: <9901289175.AA917531410@inet001.cardell.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 99 08:42:59 -0500
From: <dechaze@cardell.com>
To: <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
Subject: Re:LC20 Horizontal Stab
Mime-Version: 1.0

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Doug Waddingham asks for tips on leveling and installing the horizontal stab...

The rear of the 360 FB plane is the only place so far that I made a substantial
mistake (I'm through everything except filling and priming).  That I know of,
that is.  My advice is to whittle away at that saddle until you're happy with
the fit.  In the case of my fast build kit, circa early 1996, the two halves of
the fuselage were misalligned vertically by about 3/8 inch.  This caused one
side of the saddle to be a bit deformed when the factory did the original
fitting.  They evidently had a jig for forming the saddles.  Anyway, you cut to
fit pretty much as the manual describes.  

I found it easiest to level the tail by building foam vertical standoffs at each
end of the stab. and placing a smart level on them.  You won't get more accurate
than this and it's straightforward.  Same for the incidence.  

When you build your "dam" for micro in the saddle, don't put too much micro in
at a time or it will exotherm badly.  

Carefully think through the rudder cable routing before you bond in the
horizontal stab.  At a minimum, put in the short lengths of polyflow tubing the
manual describes.  The Stab cuts off access back there and you'll later wish you
had more.  

After this you'll get to a vertical long thin rear rudder spar you must
construct.  I made mine too narrow for some reason which caused the vertical fin
to be too narrow vis a vis the rudder.  I had to build up the vert fin to
compensate.  The rudder itself wants to determine how wide to make this spar so
study this area more carefully than I did.  

Good Luck,

Ed de Chazal