Many of you know I’m (very slowly) building a replica of a 1930s era bi-plane at Camarillo airport. The 4 wings (upper and lower, each side) are now finished and hanging from the ceiling in the hangar.

I’ve started building the small wing at the back of the plane called the horizontal stabilizer. Ultimately, the elevator (the control surface that moves up and down) will be attached to the rear of the stabilizer.

I have a full size blueprint so I decided to simply use it as a template and build right on top of the drawing. The curve of the stabilizer is made by bending 8 pieces of birch wood strips, epoxy’d one strip at a time.

The front leading edge turned out nicely and then I started adding the interior pieces and the trailing edge.

After the the interior pieces were epoxy’d and set, I cut a million (it seemed like it!) pieces of blocking to strengthen each of the connections.  After those connectins had set, I then cut sections of 1/16″ plywood gussets to cover several of them for additional strength.

But I also cut larger pieces of 1/16″ plywood to strengthen the leading edge of the stabilizer (top and bottom) – can’t get enough clamps when you’re gluing!

The stabilizer is almost done, but a major job is still left – I need to carefully shape the leading edge of that 8 piece glue-laminated “beam” into a curved bullet-shaped section. It’ll be roughly a 3/4″ radius.

Ultimately, the whole thing gets covered in fabric.

Yesterday I forgot that it was the first Saturday of the month. I’m a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and our chapter sponsors a youth program called the “Young Eagles”. This program gives kids their first airplane ride and every first Saturday pilots from our chapter bring their airplanes and donate their time for those flights.

While the kids wait for their flights, many of them wander into our hangar and it’s fun to show them “stuff” involved with building.

I set up a place for these two boys to learn how to use a drill, use clamps to hold the wood, change the bits, etc. Who knows – maybe someday they’ll want to build their own airplane!