Tail access cover question

[FoxTrotter]

After grinding down the rudder stops when the build manual told me to, and then discovering that all those measurements (as well as the carefully prescribed rod end spacing measurements) were wrong if I wanted to have adequate clearance between the rudder and VS fairings, I'm not trusting that anything in the build manual is necessarily in the right order.

So: I see that fabrication of the tail access covers is in the "final assembly" section, ie after the plane is covered. Really?? Is that right? You don't do it now, when you have easy access to the attachment strips?
Thanks
Michael

[Esser]

You can do it when ever but I suggest to do it before you paint so you can paint everything at the same time and you don't muck up your paint taking the cover off and on a bunch of times making it work.

[aviator79]

You can trust *most* of the manual. You're probably better off following the manual and running into a couple of errors, then you are trying to second guess it all the time, and maybe doing something you think is clever and kicking yourself later because there really was a reason the manual was like it was.

I did my access covers after covering and paint. It wasn't too difficult. I may have put a couple scratches in the paint on the tubes of the horizontal stab, but that would have happend at the first condition inspection anyway. All that said, it would have been easier and cleaner to do it before covering, and that's how I'd do it if I did it again. I saw (after the fact) that jrevens did it that way, and I'm sure his covers look nicer than mine.

[jonstark]

Don’t finalize the access covers until you’ve set the final angle of incidence of the horizontal stab.
On my IV Classic I started with the stab full nose up then adjusted to to full nose down after test flights. Not sure what your situation is in that regard. Just my experience.

Jon

[FoxTrotter]

Looking ahead, it's not clear in the manual how you handle this area when you cover. Do you cover over the area that will have the access cover and then cut away, or do you leave uncovered the area that will have the access cover?
Thanks
Michael

[aviator79]

You don't set the angle of incidence with the S7, as the fore end of the stab moves up and down for trim. The covers accommodate full travel of the stab, so you should be able to do it as early as you like.

[aviator79]

Looking ahead, it's not clear in the manual how you handle this area when you cover. Do you cover over the area that will have the access cover and then cut away, or do you leave uncovered the area that will have the access cover?
Thanks
Michael

I left it uncovered and wrapped the fabric around the "frame" of the cover. The covering instructions indirectly suggest you do it this way by showing covering of the VS as a separate operation as covering the sides of the fuse.

[Dorsal]

I did mine after finish paint, seemed to work OK

[FoxTrotter]

Thanks, all
Michael