I have been doing lots of prebuy inspections over the course of the last year, and one issue keeps coming up a whole lot more than I care to see. In about 30% of the RV's I inspect the tail is improperly mounted, some to such a degree that they are unsafe. The tail is the area of the airplane where most everyone learns the skills they will need throughout the rest of the build. It is also the area where I see the most problems.
Since these issues continue to manifest themself on so many RV's,(and I know I am not seeing all of them), I figured it was time to bring it to everyone's attention, and especially to those of you who did not build your airplane.
Take the time to pull the tail fairing off and carefully inspect for proper mounting of the horizontal stabilizer to the fuselage longerons. Inspect it for proper bolts, proper edge distance, and for proper riveting.
In the 2 pictures below you will see that the bolts that hold the stabilizer to the longerons do not have proper edge distance. In fact, they may have compromised the structure itself. There are even multiple holes in the attachment, and you can even see where the pilot hole is located and that's where it should have been drilled. This is on an RV-6. I have seen 7's, 8's, and 10's just as bad. The bottom line is that the tail is not properly attached to the fuselage.
The pictures are taken from inside the fuselage looking UP at the attach points. You will need a mirror and flashlight, or an IPhone camera to see it clearly.
If you happen to see something like this on your particular airplane, send a picture to Van's. I have seen them recommend engineered solutions for these problems. In the meantime, be careful.
Vic
Since these issues continue to manifest themself on so many RV's,(and I know I am not seeing all of them), I figured it was time to bring it to everyone's attention, and especially to those of you who did not build your airplane.
Take the time to pull the tail fairing off and carefully inspect for proper mounting of the horizontal stabilizer to the fuselage longerons. Inspect it for proper bolts, proper edge distance, and for proper riveting.
In the 2 pictures below you will see that the bolts that hold the stabilizer to the longerons do not have proper edge distance. In fact, they may have compromised the structure itself. There are even multiple holes in the attachment, and you can even see where the pilot hole is located and that's where it should have been drilled. This is on an RV-6. I have seen 7's, 8's, and 10's just as bad. The bottom line is that the tail is not properly attached to the fuselage.
The pictures are taken from inside the fuselage looking UP at the attach points. You will need a mirror and flashlight, or an IPhone camera to see it clearly.
If you happen to see something like this on your particular airplane, send a picture to Van's. I have seen them recommend engineered solutions for these problems. In the meantime, be careful.
Vic