The Experimental Aviator

Shaping aileron leading edge

Tonight I started shaping the leading edge on the first aileron. I started with a half-round mill file and then switched to a sanding block for the final bits. This worked fine on the first section that was only 4-5 inches long. On the long section, I pulled out my hand plane and set it up to barely shave off a bit at a time. The plane was much faster and more consistent than the mill file, which only got used a bit before switching to the sanding block.

I need to make a template when I'm happy with the shape and use that to make sure the whole part is consistent. It will also be used to make sure the other lower aileron is the same shape.