I spent all week waiting for the missing ribs. Finally I come home and at long last...a package from Arlington. The smaller box is a Scothbright wheel for my grinder. More about that later. My excitement about getting back to work was short lived however...turns out they sent me one right rib and one left rib. It seems that a bunch of the left ribs were mislabeled as right ribs. More waiting.

While I'm waiting for the two left ribs, I've got time to work on methods to keep the rig straight. Other builders have used several different methods. I have made a jig out of 2 x 8's with cut outs that are in the shape of the airfoil of the h.s. This holds everything securely and makes it pretty easy to shim and push/pull everything into proper alignment...I hope.

Here are two of the ribs side by side. You notice that one has the flanges pointing to the right, and the other has them pointing to the left. The six flanges on the left side of the horizontal stabilizer are supposed to point to the right and vice versa on the other end. Unfortunately, the kit included 8 right ribs and 4 left ribs, so time to call Heidi...at the New GlaStar factory who runs the shipping department. I think I'm going to get to know Heidi well before this process is over.

Here you can see that most of the main ribs (on the left) and the tip ribs (to the right of the main spar in front) are in place. I am test fitting the right skin. The spars have to be absolutely straight and the whole things can't have any twist to it. This will be a bit of a challenge. But wait...the last two ribs are not in place. Stop the presses.

The ribs that attach where the doubler is installed have to be shortened so that they will fit. I have removed the flange on the rib to the left (with my handy dandy dremel tool...another thing I've been wanting for years). I have cut a new flange which is clecoed to the doubler. This will ultimately be rivetted to both the doubler and the rib. Once this is completed, I have to take it all apart and deburr the holes that I drilled where all the clecos were. Oh yeh...I also have to wait for those two missing ribs. Then it will be on to pre-fitting the skins...which looks like it will be quite a challenge to fit them perfectly so everything is absolutely straight. The trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer is the attach point for the elevator. If I don't build it straight, the elevator won't be able to move freely...and de airplane no go uppidy and downidy ploper!

The center of the forward spar has to be strengthened where it will be attached to fuselage. These doublers should do the trick.

Nothing like a family project. ("Hey dad, can I borrow the ladder...")

Hey dad...this is really fun. "Why are two ribs missing?" (I don't know why that belt doesn't hang that low when I wear it.)

I am pleased to introduce the one, the only Zach Swett (of the Zach Swett Band). Having just turned 20 last week, he is no a fully qualified air-o-naughty engineer. He blew into town this weekend from Bellingham where he's going to school. He thought it would be fun to play in my sandbox with my new erector set. I was gratefull for the help.

Here's everything laid out on my new...absolutely level 16' table (with really even legs).

The webs on the ribs have to be true right angles...most of them were pretty close. Here I am straightening them. By the way, there were supposed to be 6 left ribs and 6 right ribs. In fact they sent 8 left ribs and 4 left ribs. That's going to slow me down a little.

These are some of the parts...ribs, nose ribs, doublers...

This is the anatomy of a Sportsman Horizontal Stabilizer.

And now Ladies and Genteelmens...on to the next phase...

And I've been wanting to buy one of these babies for years. It's time to extend the table for the next phase of the project...and it's critical that it be perfectly level...normally when I saw six legs all exactly the same length...they come out...well...actually six different lengths...not any more. This chop saw is precision itself...and it was on sale...honest honey...they practically gave it to me...I felt bad about taking it from them at that price....

Tools...one of the great things about getting to do a project like this is having the opportunity to finally buy all those great tools that you have been drooling over every time you went to the hardware store. This is my new 10 speed drill press...complete with over and under twin downdraft carberators...I think.

In the 100 years since the Wright brothers made their historic flight at Kitty Hawk, there has been a fantastic evolution of the science of aeronautical engineering. And this tradition continues to this day. Before this rudder can be used in flight, it must be rigorously tested under actual flight conditions in a high velocity wind tunnel. Just after this picture was taken, I inadvertently turned the rudder to the left and was forcibly thrown against the opposite wall. This thing really works!! The X-rays were negative. (The fuel used in this experiment is contained in the brown can in the foreground).

The finished product...I'm tempted to take off the plastic covering off the sheet metal, but I'd better leave it on until it's almost ready for the paint shop.

Just about finished. I tried to get my assistant Marley to help with the riveting by making a bucking bar in the shape of a dog bone, but she was not interested. You can see the angles clamped to the trailing edge.

I am getting ready to finish off the trailing edge of the rudder...I am putting some JB Weld adhesive between the two skins prior to clamping it between two angles to make sure it's absolutely straight. Ok...I know this plane is not going to win any awards, but you gotta do what you can.

Time to button this thing up. I have already riveted the back skin onto the middle spar. I am now doing the same with the forward skin. It gets a little tight here...you have to reach your hand inside between the skin and the spars in order to buck the rivets. Riveting the skins on would have been easier with two people. But my ace riveting partner, the lovely and talented Connie (my wife) was out of town for the weekend and I couldn't wait to get this together. (What? You riveted this alone? Are you out of your bucking mind?)