KF IV Tail Post

[napierm]

Does anyone have a picture or two of a IV with the speedster fairings? What I'm looking for is how to finish the bottom fuselage around the rear tail spring attachment. That area is very busy. If the bracket wasn't there the natural way would be to lay fabric around the bottom and then over the rudder fairing. The bolts that hold the tail-spring need the area above the bracket clear in order to insert them - there isn't enough clearance there to spin a nut and the bolt is under too much side-load to turn it from beneath.

My manual shows the KF V and a VI w/o the fairings there. Would like to see what others have done.

Thank you much,

Mark Napier

[Dave S]

Mark,

Here is a photo of the bottom of our 7 with the fairing and fabric in place. Don't know of the IV has a different placement for the attach holes for the tailspring/tailskid. On this one - the front bolt is tightened from inside and outside the fuse frame. The two rear bolts are have access to both ends of the bolt from the outside.

Sincerely,

Dave S

[napierm]

Thank you Dave,

You wouldn't have a close up would you?
:D
I'm going to have a look at another KF IV speedster this coming weekend. Hope for a ride but if nothing else will take some close ups of that area.

Thanks again,

Mark

[Dave S]

Mark,

I don't have a close-up; however if you would like to let me know what your personal e-mail address is via a PM (private message) I can send you the original full size photo which you can scroll into to see the detail you are looking for on your image software.

Sincerely,

Dave S

[Dave S]

Mark,

OK....busted....I lied:o.....here is a photo I found after some digging which is after paint/pre covering of the bottom of the tailpost.

Dave S

[napierm]

Thank you Dave.

Yeah, that is a lot different than the KF IV Speedster arrangement. So on yours the bolts for the tail-spring have to come up and the nuts are in pocket between the bracket and the fuse bottom.

On my IV (and the III) there isn't room for a nut to turn or even a washer in that location. The holes place one of the bolt head facets hard up against the frame tube/weld. The bolts hang down and the nuts are tightened underneath. The bolts are also under some side-load from the spring/spacer so that turning the bolt would be pretty hard.

What I have at the moment is a "relief" hole in the wood rib above it so the bolt head can be lifted up and then dropped into the bracket. But there doesn't look like there is a good way fair it in. I guess I could fabricate something from filler and fiberglass but it would need to be tough enough to survive down there in the grass and stuff.

.......

[Geowitz]

I have no recollection of how I did mine, but I will look for some pics tonight and post if I have any. A picture in its current state may not help you, but I will try. Sorry i didn't chime in earlier.

[Geowitz]

Best I've got. The nuts go on top and fit fine on mine.

[napierm]

Thank you very much.

Wow. Still different from mine. (Head scratching)

I'll post a couple of pictures.

Humph.

[HighWing]

Mark,
I went out the airport today to do some things fully planning on taking a picture or two of my Model IV tailpost. My fairings are home brew, but essentially what I did is cut semicircular holes at the bottom - each side - and convered. The fabric caved in a bit at the cutouts and I was able to squeeze the nut in from each side. If I can remember to take the pictures tomorrow, I will drop another note with pic.
Lowell

[Geowitz]

Don't have a pic, but my plywood piece was above the tubing at the bottom which is why that junction is more like a bevel where the fabric goes from the edge of the plywood to below where the tubing forms a "V". Is your plywood rib/shaper below the tubing?

[Dave S]

Mark,

Sorry about not getting back right away on the follow-up question (traveling or something); however, our plane is set up the same way Geowitz has his - bolts up through the bottom, nuts on top in the pocket area.

Sincerely,

Dave S
KF7 Trigear (tailskid bolted up where tailwheel would be)
912ULS Warp Drive

[napierm]

Don't have a pic, but my plywood piece was above the tubing at the bottom which is why that junction is more like a bevel where the fabric goes from the edge of the plywood to below where the tubing forms a "V". Is your plywood rib/shaper below the tubing?

I see what is different now. We have 2 different fuselages. The fiberglass fairing attaches a little differently on the classic vs. your original speedster. I remember seeing the tabs on your VS tube that came back a little and then went out to make the attachments for the fiberglass fairing. On the classic I use aluminum brackets around the VS tube and the fiberglass fairing is glued directly to the VS tube. The steel bracket that holds my tail-spring is more forward whereas yours looks to be directly under the VS tube.

Looks like the answer is to do whatever is needed to make a large enough flat area on mine so that a washer and nut can fit. That way the bolt can go up. A little careful grinding and hammering should do the trick. Even then there won't be much room between the fabric and the top of that bracket. Maybe some glue and flox to make a hard fairing with "C" cutouts around the top of the bracket. I see some cussing whenever I have to work on it.

Thank you much,

Mark

[Geowitz]

Ahh, yes. I see what you are saying now. Yeah, my fairing is attached with welded on brackets to the VS tube and the plate must be farther back.

Did you see the ad I e-mailed you from barnstormers? Might be worth a call.


I see what is different now. We have 2 different fuselages. The fiberglass fairing attaches a little differently on the classic vs. your original speedster. I remember seeing the tabs on your VS tube that came back a little and then went out to make the attachments for the fiberglass fairing. On the classic I use aluminum brackets around the VS tube and the fiberglass fairing is glued directly to the VS tube. The steel bracket that holds my tail-spring is more forward whereas yours looks to be directly under the VS tube.

Looks like the answer is to do whatever is needed to make a large enough flat area on mine so that a washer and nut can fit. That way the bolt can go up. A little careful grinding and hammering should do the trick. Even then there won't be much room between the fabric and the top of that bracket. Maybe some glue and flox to make a hard fairing with "C" cutouts around the top of the bracket. I see some cussing whenever I have to work on it.

Thank you much,

Mark

[napierm]

Ahh, yes. I see what you are saying now. Yeah, my fairing is attached with welded on brackets to the VS tube and the plate must be farther back.

Did you see the ad I e-mailed you from barnstormers? Might be worth a call.
I'm driving down to get them on Saturday.

[Geowitz]

I'm driving down to get them on Saturday.

LOL Good for you :D

If you feel like seeing the 700T I'm right off of I-95 and will be around anytime after lunch.

[napierm]

LOL Good for you :D

If you feel like seeing the 700T I'm right off of I-95 and will be around anytime after lunch.

Can try. PM me your cell phone and will see. I'll have to make and attach cradles to haul those wings back so don't know what my time table will be - usually running late. Would like to see your installation. At altitude that thing should haul.