Week 5,6, and 7: Empennage

Week 5

What a weekend filled with fun, family, and a bit of chaos—just the way we like it! Now it's time to buckle down and get to work.

The weekend started with the grand opening of Laudenbach Brewery near our airport. We’ve become friendly with the family opening it, and Sam was able to attend the private friends and family ribbon-cutting event. He was also thrilled to be the owner of the very first raffle ticket offered out of several hundred handed out.

Then on Sunday, we celebrated the end of Sam’s birthday month with his final birthday gift: seeing David Gray in concert. The USA may remember David for his major 1999 hit "Babylon," but Sam has been a longtime fan of the British songwriter, and we often listen to his music and sing along together. Before the concert, we enjoyed a pre-game walk along DC’s Wharf, watching ice skaters, strolling down cobblestone sidewalks, and dodging ducks who were clearly running an elaborate con, waddling up to unsuspecting pedestrians with the most pitiful "feed me" faces they could muster.

Monday was special as well, as we took the day off to celebrate Christmas with Sam’s daughter, Sarah, who came down for a visit. She also needed some car maintenance and repair, and what better service than "Dad’s Car Service" to handle the work?

This week was also EAA’s Homebuilders Week, a fantastic event offering tons of free courses. Since we’re passionate about learning, we packed our schedule with 5-6 classes each day, covering topics that interest us.

Day One: A Rocky Start but a Strong Finish

I have to be honest—I wasn’t my best self today. Stress got the better of me, and Sam and I spent the first half of our workday bickering. My dad has been battling a terminal illness for several years, and unfortunately, his condition seems to be worsening. After a much-needed timeout, I rallied, and we worked together as a team dimpling the horizontal stabilizer skin. I’m grateful Sam had the grace to recognize I needed a break. After our first class, he went to the hardware store for replacement nails for our "pop-dimplers," while I visited my dad in the hospital. It was a nice visit, watching his favorite channel, Food Network, from his hospital bed.

Later, we finished dimpling the horizontal stabilizer skin using the pop-dimplers for tight areas. Finally, we started riveting the forward spar, using our new Clemson Aeronautics Heavy Duty Longeron Yoke. This tool was a great investment, allowing us to set the spar rivets quickly and accurately. For the angle attach brackets, I operated the rivet gun while Sam used a bucking bar underneath. The rivets went in smoothly, looking identical to the squeezed rivets. The pneumatic squeezer handled the flush rivets without any issues.

Day Two: A Countersinking Catastrophe

After a quick hospital visit with my dad, Sam and I headed to the hangar for classes while working on the plane. We made excellent progress, riveting the rear spar, doubler plate, and brackets together. With the left horizontal stabilizer skin already in the cradle jig, we started riveting the stabilizer.

We used the pneumatic squeezer for the outer nose ribs, while the rivet gun and bucking bar handled the middle nose rib. Attaching the main ribs to the spar went quickly, but when we clecoed the skins to the front spars, we noticed an issue: one hole hadn’t been countersunk. After fixing it, we reassembled everything but realized there was still a small gap between the spar and skin. We assumed that riveting would pull the gap together. After one rivet it was obvious the countersinks weren’t deep enough, so we drilled out rivets and called it a day. Tomorrow, we’ll deepen the countersinks and continue.

Day Three: Back on Track and Tough News

Back on track! Sam deepened the countersinks, and everything fit much better. We replaced the six removed rib rivets and resumed skin riveting. Just as we got into a rhythm, my family received difficult news—my dad’s condition had worsened, and hospice care was the next step. I spent time the rest of the week with my family preparing for his homecoming.

Week 6

This week, my sister and I created a care schedule to support our mom and give her breaks. Despite everything, Sam and I managed to make solid progress on the plane before spending a few days with Sam’s brother and sister-in-law, while they were in town.

Day One: Rivet, Buck, Repeat!

We finished riveting the left horizontal stabilizer, starting with the forward spar and inner main ribs—lots of riveting and bucking! We then installed the final outside rib using the pneumatic squeezer with Clemson Aeronautics’ no-hole 4-inch yoke. Next, we prepped the right-side skin and squeezed the outer nose ribs. The inner rib was saved for the next day.

Sam called Van’s about our delayed order. Due to system errors, our original order hadn’t moved in 13 days, but they shipped a replacement order immediately. Hopefully, the new rudder brace arrives soon.

Day Two: Inspection Day – No Red Flags!

We finished bucking the center rib on the right side, then riveted the inner ribs to the forward spar before placing it into the right skin. After clecoing everything together, we riveted the remaining ribs. In the evening, we had a Technical Counselor visit from Joel McGee, who inspected our work and found no defects. We were also happy to receive support from EAA chapter members Don Booth and Matt Brascher.

Day Three: A Lot of Rivets

We finished riveting the right horizontal stabilizer skin to the forward spar and rib assembly—again, lots of rivet driving and bucking! To prevent scuffing, we used blue painter’s tape over the bucking bar. The pneumatic squeezer finished the outside ribs, and we installed the aft spar. Unfortunately, we were short one LP 4-3 blind rivet due to our previous countersinking mistake, but more are on order.

Day Four: Wrapping Up the Horizontal Stab

Short day, but a satisfying one. We finished the horizontal stabilizer, drilling out the bearing brackets and aft spar with a #12 bit and securing everything with AN3-5 hardware. We used boelube on the threads and torqued the locknuts to 33 inch-pounds. The only task left is installing the missing blind rivet when it arrives.

Since we're waiting on the rudder brace—we started the elevator. At this point, waiting for parts feels a lot like waiting for Christmas morning, except instead of presents under the tree, we get metal components and rivets! Sam cut the stiffeners for final shaping on the bandsaw, while I removed the protective vinyl from the elevator skins.

Despite personal challenges, we’re making great progress and staying motivated.

Week 7

Unfortunately, my dad’s condition took a significant turn for the worse. A huge shoutout to my baby sister, Becca, who held down the fort and supported our mom while Sam and I were away on a pre-planned christmas-gift trip.

The trip was a welcome distraction, but reality set in as soon as we returned. The rest of the week was spent by my dad’s side, caring for him and our family in his final days.

Rest easy, Dad. Thank you for your love, your wisdom, and for helping shape me into the person I am today.

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