S21: Elevator and Trim Tab

Cleco the elevator trim tab When Clecoing the other side, we raise it on 2×4’s Fully riveted trim tab Cleco in a rod to bend the leading edge of the skin Bending the skin Skin clecoed on to frame with trim tab resting in place Added the hinges for the trim tab, with nut rivet…


S21: Building the horizontal stabilizer

The horizontal stabilizer is larger and slightly more involved than the vertical stabilizer, but still looks fairly straightforward if we can be careful enough following the instructions exactly. First we need to spray primer all the aluminum pieces Then we Cleco the frame. The frame is put on pieces of wooden 2×4 for this and…


S21: Building the vertical stabilizer

frame is assembled… the middle two nose ribs are perpendicular to the spar while the upper and lower ones are level to the ground putting Clecos on the skin finished Clecos vertical stabilizer is leveled with support shims (maybe under the Clecos wasn’t the best idea, but it seemed relatively stable and the digital level…


S21: Building the rudder

Step one in building most kit airplanes appears to be building the rudder. This is the easiest part to build, not too big and not too complex. But step zero is to inventory everything and layout the workspace… We suspended the large pieces from the rafters to make space for building. After that, the instructions…


New Project: Rans S-21 airplane kit build

Rans S-21 Outbound N441LH at EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh (Photo by Lestocq, Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International) In 2020 and 2021, I began exploring building an airplane from a kit. This is something I dreamed of doing since I was a teenager, and I finally decided to do it. After exploring a number…


MADNESS : OUTBOARD MOTOR SLED

This sled is for mounting a small 3-5hp outboard motor between the two hulls and being able to raise and lower the motor out of the water…


MADNESS : POD & CABIN

We’ve been too busy building and got very behind on posting to the blog, so here are a few pictures of the Madness pod/cabin that is above the main hull, which is mostly completed now.


MADNESS : RUDDER & RUDDER TRUNK

We’ve been busy building and got very behind on posting to the blog, so here are a few pictures of the Madness rudder and rudder trunk build. RUDDER Rudder is Reinforce with Carbon Fiber Strip RUDDER TRUNK


MADNESS : CROSS BEAM (AKA)

We’ve been busy building and got very behind on posting to the blog, so here are a few pictures of the Madness crossbeam (aka) build…


MADNESS : MAIN HULL (VAKA)

We’ve been too busy building and got very behind on posting to the blog, so here are a few pictures of the Madness main hull build, which is mostly completed now. Deck Panel Main Sheet Strut