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Top skin cut out for stab

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archermj(at)swbell.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:06 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

I am working on the aft top skin and have made the  cut out to accept the stab.  I am having trouble installing the stab  with the skin in place.  At first I thought I might just be too tight on  the skin and need to open up my cutout in the top skin.  To get the forward  attachments of the stab past the mounting plates on the fuselage I need more  clearance and need to be higher before they drop down into place.    The only way I see to remove the stab after I install the top skin is to either  open up the cut out (about 12mm) which leaves quite a gap or to drill out the  attach plate to the fuselage.  If you like you can see this on my  site.

  

 [url=http://www.zodiacxl.com/Top Skin.htm]http://www.zodiacxl.com/Top%20Skin.htm[/url]

  

 Has anyone else ran into this problem?

  

 Cheers

 

Matt

 www.zodiacxl.com

dredmoody(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:21 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

Have you checked the archives? I think there were  some photos links that might help you work this out.

  

 Ed Moody II

 Do Not Archive

 [quote]   ---

agbeyer(at)sbcglobal.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:44 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

Hi Matt,

  

 I had posted these pics a couple of weeks back because some guys were having the same problem.  I have a tight fit on mine and have no problem installing the Stab. on my HDS.  See pics .

  

 Al from Oshkosh

  

 

 

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VideoFlyer(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:46 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

I think a lot of us have wrestled with the problem you're facing.  I have opted to leave the front brackets UN-RIVETED until I do the final installation.  I remove the front brackets to install the horizontal stabilizer...and cleco them on for now.  It's the only way I could come up with to keep the gap small.  When I'm ready to do the final install, I'll rivet everything in place. 

  

 I think it would be a great idea to redesign the fiberglass rudder fairing ....and extend it all the way up to the rear bulkhead.  The top rear skin could extend about an inch or less past the bulkhead, and the fairing could slide underneath it.  Scratch builders might take note of this.

  

 Dave Harms

 601XL/Corvair

  [quote][b]

larry(at)macsmachine.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:13 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

Matt,

I think we've all been there to one degree or another.  I'd consider 

extension of the fiberglass saddle to reach around the stab and

become a better point of attachment.  It has to come off before removing 

the stab anyway.  I put my saddle under the skin and gained a little 

there, but it butt up against the bulkhead.  The extended saddle could 

become a stab fuselage fairing as well.



Larry McFarland - 601hds at www.macsmachine.com



Matt & Jo wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   I am working on the aft top skin and have made the cut out to accept 

 the stab.  I am having trouble installing the stab with the skin in 

 place.  At first I thought I might just be too tight on the skin and 

 need to open up my cutout in the top skin.  To get the forward 

 attachments of the stab past the mounting plates on the fuselage I 

 need more clearance and need to be higher before they drop down into 

 place.   The only way I see to remove the stab after I install the top 

 skin is to either open up the cut out (about 12mm) which leaves quite 

 a gap or to drill out the attach plate to the fuselage.  If you like 

 you can see this on my site.

  

 http://www.zodiacxl.com/Top%20Skin.htm

  

 Has anyone else ran into this problem?

  

 Cheers



 Matt

 www.zodiacxl.com <http://www.zodiacxl.com>



*



*

dredmoody(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:19 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

I am seriously considering two such options.... one would be to cut  the rear top skin as you described and add fibeglass to the rudder fairing  (lay on more glass cloth etc.) to reach that point. The other is to cut the rear  top skin as described and add a piece of .016 or .020 aluminum permanently  rivetted to the rudder fairing to reach  the skin. With my scant fiberglass  skills, I will likely extend the fairing with light aluminum.

  

 Ed Moody II

 [quote]   ---

gfmjr_20(at)HOTMAIL.COM
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:03 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

Matt-

   This is a problem area on the XL as many have described in the past.  I 

personally spent a couple of days just trying to get the fit right and had 

substantial difficulty reinserting the stab.  I had to continuously use duct 

tape on the stab to avoid scratching the stab. After all that effort, I 

ended up having to recut the fuse area to readjust the stab after the first 

flight.  I think the real fix is to make the opening in the fuse skin such 

that everything fits easily and lay up a new fiberglass saddle that covers 

the wider opening and lays on top of the fuse.  I'll be doing that to mine.



George May

601XL 912s

 	  Quote: 	
		  From: "Matt & Jo" <archermj(at)swbell.net>

Reply-To: zenith-list(at)matronics.com

To: <zenith-list(at)matronics.com>

Subject: Top skin cut out for stab

Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2006 08:05:41 -0600



I am working on the aft top skin and have made the cut out to accept the 

stab.  I am having trouble installing the stab with the skin in place.  At 

first I thought I might just be too tight on the skin and need to open up 

my cutout in the top skin.  To get the forward attachments of the stab past 

the mounting plates on the fuselage I need more clearance and need to be 

higher before they drop down into place.   The only way I see to remove the 

stab after I install the top skin is to either open up the cut out (about 

12mm) which leaves quite a gap or to drill out the attach plate to the 

fuselage.  If you like you can see this on my site.



http://www.zodiacxl.com/Top%20Skin.htm



Has anyone else ran into this problem?



Cheers



Matt

www.zodiacxl.com


	


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jeffrey_davidson(at)earth
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:48 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

From: owner-zenith-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-zenith-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of Matt & Jo

 Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 9:06 AM

 To: zenith-list(at)matronics.com

 Subject: Top skin cut out for stab  

I am working on the aft top skin and have made the cut out to accept the stab.  I am having trouble installing the stab with the skin in place.  <snip>  

Can someone please explain why a lot of builders are fighting this battle with the rear top skin?  I have the horizontal stab bolted into place along with the rudder.  With the top skins off, I have been able to put in the control cables, electrical conduit, etc. from the top with no problem.  To work on the canopy, I simply clecoed the middle top skin in place.  Then I removed it afterwards to move on to the electrical system.  I'm leaving the rear top skin for one of the very last things to rivet.  Why put it on before?  After the plane is finished, taking the stab off will just require removing the rudder first if removing it becomes necessary for some reason.  What am I missing?  

Jeff Davidson       

    [quote]

href="http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Zenith-List">http://www.matron

[b]

craig(at)craigandjean.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:20 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

Some have the problem and some don't. I do and I asked  Zenith (among others) about it. Here is what Nick at Zenith  said:

  

 "You are right, on the Zodiac, the stabilizer  cannot be removed without removing one of the HT attachment brackets 6B1-9 or  6B1-8. That attached photos is what one builder did to modify the aft cutout in  the rear top skin 6B21-5."

  

 Craig again - I've attached the photos Nick sent (1.jpg,  2.jpg, 3.jpg) and some others.

  

 I'm not sure why some have the problem while others don't.  But I think the responses that simply say "there is no problem because I don't  have one and here are the photos to prove it" are amusing but  pointless.

  

 -- Craig

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JAPhillipsGA(at)aol.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:25 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

Ed, remember weight in the rear is bad. Even a little bit, times the length of the fuselage, can really change CG and limits. Bill 

 do not archive  [quote][b]

craig(at)craigandjean.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:01 am Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

The problem is not the rudder. The problem is that the  cut-outs in the top rear skin are elliptical segments, not circular. To  remove the stab after the skins are riveted in place you have to rotate the rear  edge of the stab up to allow the mounting brackets on the stab to clear  the brackets on the fuse. The next time you have your rear skin clecoed in  place try removing the stab. You may observe the problem. Many say there is no  problem but others (including Nick at the factory) agree there is a problem.  I've attached a photo from the photo assembly CD that seems to  indicate that the rear mounting plates should not be riveted in place until the  final mounting of the stab (\extras\Images\construction  photos\mvc-865f.jpg).

  

 -- Craig

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jeffrey_davidson(at)earth
Guest

Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 1:21 pm Post subject: Top skin cut out for stab

Craig,  

            The same solution, creating an separate small section of skin, also works for the curve along the longeron at the bottom of the triangle between the tubes on the middle top skin and for the "ears" of the front top skin that cover the canopy hinge area.  Both of these are areas that are hard to get to come out perfectly.  

Jeff Davidson   

   

   

"You are right, on the Zodiac, the stabilizer cannot be removed without removing one of the HT attachment brackets 6B1-9 or 6B1-8. That attached photos is what one builder did to modify the aft cutout in the rear top skin 6B21-5."  

   [quote] [b]

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