Category: Rudder

Trailing edge

Here is step one of getting the trailing edge of the rudder straight. Tough to see in the picture but there is a stiffener that I had to drill to match all the pre-drilled holes in the skin. Several steps later, I used a heavy piece of 90degree angle aluminum to keep the edge straight while riveting the trailing edge. A hand squeezer with two cupped sets produced some very nice results.
A closer view so you can see the slight bit of extra material extending aft that was recommended by several other builders.
Back riveting yields wonderful results. Although, seeing that the rivet tape is still applied, I may not have actually back riveted this yet….
A “fun” part of building the Rocket, is that you have to spend some time building jigs before proceeding with building the actual airplane part. (Old compressor can be seen in the background, good riddance)
CLAMPS! The rudder is in the jig, straight as an arrow (I hope) and almost ready to start being riveted. All the clamps are holding the leading edge of the counter balance while I measure and drill. Lots of room to make an error with edge distance and rivet spacing, so holding everything still is important.