09/11/2018
RANS S-21 OUTBOUND
TEXT MANUAL
37
GETTING STARTED
Getting to know the RANS S-21 OUTBOUND
What is it?
If you ask the FAA, it is an Airplane - single engine land.
If you ask an aeronautical engineer, it is a single-engine high-wing fixed-gear airplane of
aluminum semi-monocoque construction.
If you ask us, it is the most fun you can have getting from A to B.
Well, let's see… You have your shop in order. Your parts are inventoried and stapled up
in order. You have talked to your Airworthiness Representative and you know what he
expects. You have read the manual, and know what you will need to complete each
assembly
It is time to build
something…
If this is your first time building an aluminum airplane, you may want to start with a small
part like a rudder. The rudder will teach you the techniques required to build the
airframe without risking more expensive parts. The instructions are laid out in three
different manuals:
PARTS
,
TEXT
, and
FIGURES
. The purpose in arranging the
instructions in three manuals is to allow you to have each manual open to allow you to
see all of the information without having to turn many pages. Here are some important
points to remember when completing any assembly:
1.
Open your manuals to the correct pages before starting an assembly.
2.
Use your
PARTS
manual to collect all of the parts needed for the assembly and
lay them out in front of you on your work surface.
3.
Read the
TEXT
and study the
FIGURE
and
PARTS MANUAL DRAWING
s. Try
to establish a mental picture of how the assembly goes together.
4.
Fit the assembly together. Double-check the orientation of all the parts. Make
sure the ribs are facing the right direction
etc…
5.
Mark all of the parts with reference #'s to insure that the alike parts return to the
same place in the assembly after drilling and deburring.
6.
Lay a straight edge across the ribs to insure that the ribs will lay flush with the
skin. Adjust the rib flanges with padded pliers as necessary.
7.
Keep your work area clean and free from shavings. If practical, keep a blowgun
handy to keep the work surface free from shavings.
8.
Whenever the assembly is moved, measure to insure that the part is still square
and level.
9.
Whenever possible support the underlying part with a wooden block when
drilling. If this is not possible, use very light pressure as not to deform the
underlying part.