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Horizontal Stab Fairing Fitment Planning

rynmss

Member
In building the stab I came to where 10 holes are identified as locations for screwing in the fairing.

As I researched whether or not to dimple these, I found a few threads noting a) the benefits of creating your own fairings or ordering aftermarket ones, b) a multitude of opinions on how many fasteners are needed, and c) a general distaste for the Vans recommended setup.

All of this was a bit overwhelming as I was just trying to find which holes to dimple and which ones not to in order to proceed with construction.

Should I dimple additional holes and limit the undimpled holes to two or three per side? If so, which do I choose?
 
There is a lot of advice on this fairing, for sure. The fiberglass is plenty thick to take care of the countersink. No need to dimple or countersink.
 
I would advise to drill all the holes on the plans only in the underlining structure and install the nut plates. Then when you install the fairing only use the holes needed. No need to dimple the aluminum skin, countersink the fairing. If fairing fits well, you won’t need very many screws.
 
Should I dimple additional holes and limit the undimpled holes to two or three per side? If so, which do I choose?

Does the fairing on hand actually fit well? That's the first question, because if "no", (a) you'll need to modify it so it does, or (b) use lots of screws to pull it into surface compliance.

Most fairings with very few screws have been stiffened/thickened with the addition of a few plies of glass/epoxy. The addition of a glass/epoxy "hook" around the leading edge completes the package. The edges can be shimmed to close gaps with a little bit of epoxy/cabo paste.

My own only has three screws per side, with zero in the HS. Appearance aside, remember this thing comes off the airplane at least once per year. Why screw around with 22 #6's every time?
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