The
intersection fairing between the Horizontal Stabilizer and the Vertical
Stabilizer is a notoriously tough fit. Ours was no exception. The
manual suggests heating up the part and trying to bend it into place. Our
garage heater did a good job of evenly heating the entire piece. While
heat was applied, it seemed to fit perfectly (bending at all the right places to
make a nice smooth fit). As soon as it cooled, it warped back to the
original fit, however. No amount of bending or twisting would change the
"cold" shape.
The other
side was even worse.
We decided
to cut the fairing and take our chances at being able to make a smooth fit with
sanding and fill. We put 3-4 layers of glass under the high spots (where
it wasn't close to the skin) and let it cure in place. A thick layer of
wax was used to ensure it wouldn't stick to the aluminum.
The final
fitting step was to put a thin layer of epoxy/micro-balloons underneath the
fiberglass to fill up all the remaining spaces.
On the
underside of the HS, we first used masking tape to define the shape we wanted
and then laid up a few layers of glass over it and connected it to the pre-made
upper piece.
