With the TC visit done, I’ve started on the final jobs before empennage assembly. I installed the elevator counter-balance weights, and riveted the Horizontal Stabilizer rear spar in place. That leaves the rudder and elevator leading edges to roll, which I’ll leave for another post.
I’ve made some decisions about the wings. Long range fuel tanks are highly desirable in Australia, because for most of the “outback” fuel availability is scarce. During a trip to Western Australia last year, drums of AvGas had to be trucked in to one particular landing point ahead of time, and hand pumped into aircraft @ $4 per litre. In a group of ten light aircraft, fuel non-availability cost extra distance and/or going below personal fuel minimums that I would normally avoid.
Most RV-10’s in Australia have auxiliary fuel tanks. Structural engineering work has been done to support some of these installations. My plan is to shamelessly tap into this experience by out sourcing the construction of the main fuel tanks, auxiliary leading edge tanks, and associated fuel system design. As much as I’ll regret missing out on all that fun with pro-seal, with slow build wings and fuselage ahead of me it makes a lot more sense to outsource the tank construction to someone with decades of aircraft sheet metal experience, who has built main and aux tanks for RV-10’s and RV-7’s many times before. The parts from my wing kit have to catch a ride on the ferry across Bass Strait in a few week’s time, so I’ve put the empennage work aside for the moment in order to read ahead through the wing construction manual, make up parts lists for the tanks and outboard leading edge assemblies, pack all these parts up, and order the extra’s needed for the aux tank conversion. As part of this exercise, I’ll be preparing the workshop for the wing construction to be done by myself, which is everything else except the tanks.
