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Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 14:11:56 -0400
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
From: Marvin Kaye <marvkaye@olsusa.com>
Subject: Re: ES tail twist
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Re:  the ES tail (and the IV tail as well, they are the same), Lancair has
been working on a fast build version for the last year.  Several false
starts caused by difficulties with the early development process had
resulted in the delays many builders have experienced, but the good news is
that all the bugs have been worked out and new tails are shipping as this
is being written.

The idea was to come up with a way to premold the entire vertical tail,
including all internal strutural components (ie, ribs, spars, capstrips),
to insure that the resulting assembly would be straight, true, and easier
to install.  The new molds are built to include each side of the vertical
stabilizer and rudder as a single component.  All internal structure is
assembled into the right hand side of the molded part and the right-side
rudder is separated from the vertical stab at the factory prior to
shipment.  The left side is shipped as a single component with a joggle
between the rudder and stab.  The forward edge of the joggle is the parting
line and is left to be cut by the builder.  This approach insures that the
vertical tail shape is smooth and consistent from LE to TE, and is part of
the reason the development process has taken so long.  Additionally the
installed internals provide identical airfoil shapes to both sides of the
structure.  The LE of the rudder is provided as a separate component, a
"cuff" which is bonded to the rudder LE joggles.  An additional side
benefit to this approach is that the hinge components can all be worked on
out in the open, and after the rudder has been hinged to the stab the
rudder LE cuff is then applied.

The building of the new fixtures solved the problems with the twist in the
tail and they've shipped 3 of these new units already.  There are about 9
people waiting for ES tails and the factory is going to be shipping them at
the rate of about 2 per week.  All development for this new component set
was performed at the factory in Redmond, and all initial construction of
this component is being done at the factory as well.  This means that the
ES and IV vertical tails will be built domestically until all the delivery
schedule has been brought up to date, and only then will the new molds be
sent to the Phillipines to be put into production with the rest of the kit
components. 

This information was provided in a telephone conversation between myself
and Orin this morning.  Glad to pass it along to all of you who are
interested.  

  <Marv>

PS... the factory has spoken to several affected builders already, one of
whom asked that his tail not be shipped til October... these sorts of
builder concessions will allow the factory to ship other peoples'
components sooner, so if you don't really need your tail at the moment
please let the factory know.  In this way they can concentrate on
delivering product to builders whose construction process is being held up
by not having these parts.  


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
LML website:   http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html
LML Builders' Bookstore:   http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair

Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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