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Leading edge help

husabeast

Member
Patron
Any idea if the pillowing between the clecos on the Left elevator leading edge can be fixed? The good photo is my right elevator. It worked out fine.




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An edge roller might help.

The good thing is that seam isn't something you'd ever see on a finished airplane, so either way, don't lose any sleep over it.
 
In my case I used a seamer to avoid the metal stretching rollers often cause (go slow...a little bit at a time). Bend about a 1/8 to 3/16 in tab along the edge (don't bend too close to the hole). I also added aluminum washers to the rivet on the inside to help flatten the area around the pop rivet. In an extreme case I added a rivet halfway between....
 
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My tech advisor gave good advise here, take your time, there is no rush. Quite a bit of hand massage is involved to get it right. Mine are all rolled and currently cleco'd but I'm waiting until I actually get to the point of mounting the elevators, because others have said I will be working on it then too, so might as well wait until I have the task in front of me and the mindset to get it right.

The pillowing could be mis alignment as well, ie one side bent more to the top and twisted a bit. Holes will line up, but with a twist, the pillowing occurs. Take a look across the leading edge, cleco' line up, everything straight, etc.

Before alignment (twist fix)
IMG_4675.jpg

After twist fix
IMG_4677.jpg
 
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Edge roller

As others have mentioned, an edge roller will make it better if not eliminate it all together. At the end of the day, its not even in the slipstream, and relatively harmless even "as is", except for the OCD, which is a problem I have. Where in NC are you? I'm based at 8A7 in central NC, several RV guys here.
 
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