11.2.1 Canard Tip Installation

This entry is part 12 of 17 in the series 11 - Fairings

The next step would be putting on the canard tips. But before I could do that, I had to make a slight detour. The wiring for the lights will along the inside of the canard through holes that were drilled through the foam core when I was down in Florida. But at the time, I didn’t know how big the connector was. Turns out it’s just a little larger than the hole. So I had to make a new, slightly larger drill bit using a piece of 1/2″ electrical conduit. I cut a saw-tooth pattern in the end and twisted it through the existing holes and enlarged them a bit.

Canard end before.

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The first step is to make a cutout for the elevator counterweights. These weights counteract the weight of the elevator to eliminate downforce caused by the weight of the elevators. The counterweights are recessed in a pocket that I have to create.

First I mark the location of the counterweight pocket.

  2008-08-08 1831 IMG_7309

Then cut it out.

  2008-08-08 1841 IMG_73122008-08-08 1841 IMG_7311

Then glue on the canard tip. The tricky part here is to make sure that both tips (left and right) are symmetrical. For this I used my laser level again. Once I had the canard level, I shot the laser across both tips and adjusted until they were level. This side gave me some problems so I had to “persuade” it with a clamp until the glue set.

  2008-08-09 1353 IMG_7314

This side only needed a little tape to stay in place.

  2008-08-09 1353 IMG_7316

This is were I discovered a minor glitch. When I was drilling the holes for the screw that attaches the elevator to the torque tube, it turns out that my alignment was more precise than the canard itself. As a result, the elevators are not perfectly aligned. I didn’t notice it before because there was no reference. With the canard tips on, it was obvious that one elevator was lower than the other. Not a huge problem. I just need a new aluminum bushing that I’ll redrill. So until I get that, I’ll put the remaining canard tip work aside.

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