Feb 17-19, 2024 In the last entry, we declared victory on finishing the elevators, but there were still a few finishing touches to go, such as final trimming and mounting of the counterweights, and also testing and installing the pitch trim servo. It was satisfying to apply 12V power to the trim motor and watch it move the trim tab. It’s quite noisy, but I’m sure we won’t hear it with the engine running. It’s a bit surprising how the trim tab deflection is MUCH greater in the pitch-up direction that pitch-down, but it seems correct compared to others I have seen. The lead weights required lots of trimming and shaping to get them to fit. I cut off the wrong end of one of the counterweights, which made the mounting holes off-center and unusable! So, I poured molten lead into the original holes, and then drilled new holes in the right locations. Painful, but kind of fun! The elevators will get final balancing later, after they get painted, and so some additional weight may need to be added, especially on the left elevator that has the extra mass of the trim servo. On to the tailcone next!

Time spent: 16hr