Step 1.   Deburr HS-1004 edges.  Flute if necessary, and I always wonder if it's necessary.  Make sure you deburr the edges before trying to flute.  Flute first and you'll not like deburring the edges!    

09/29/05  -  1 hour

Step 2.   Using a hand seamer, bend the flanges of the HS-1004 9 degrees as shown. 

Take a piece of paper or cardboard and mark a baseline,  Then with a simple protractor, mark a line 9 degrees.  Make these lines long enough so the piece will fit.  Then do the bending until the pieces match the drawing.  Don't sweat it if you are not exact.  These will fit okay, but the bend does help.

09/25/05  - 45 minutes

Step 3.   For the HS-905 nose ribs, deburr the edges and flute if necessary.

Like you did for the VS, radius the corners.  In the picture the right nose rib has its left corner marked and the right corner radiused.  This helps the ribs fit into the forward skins without making them bulge out when final riveting is done. Do this for all ribs.

09/27/05  - 1 hour

Steps 4.   Take two ribs.  Put aside the others.  Using the 9 degree template above, bend the aft edge of these two ribs out by that much. 

Then cut the hole shown for the trim cables to pass through.  The trick here is to make the template they give you the correct size so you can transfer it directly onto the rib. 

It turns out that if you blow the page up 134% (or at least on my HP printer that was the setting), it comes out the right size.  If you have access to a copier that can make enlargements, try doing this.  Works great.  Once you have the right size, make 4 copies to be safe.        

10/01/05  -  2 hours

Steps 5.   Make the cradles that will hold the HS while you do the assembly. 

I used 3/4" plywood scrap, and I suggest it be that thick for strength.  I also went down to the HD store and got some of their cheap aluminum angle to use as the base.  It's not the correct grade for structural use in the plane, but it might come in handy somewhere, somehow. 

They say to offset outside the lines used to trace the pattern, and they are right!  Don't get it too tight or, with the duct tape, you'll never get the assembly to fit. Don't worry about it being exact, either. 

09/25/05  -  2 hours