Two small lessons from the last few weeks of the elevator: how much of the blue protective film to remove (and when), and how to drill out a poorly set rivet without touching the hole.

Van's Service Bulletin SB-00043 wants a rope of tank sealant run eight inches down the inside of the elevator rear spar, into a slot that closes to an inch and a half. Here's the sub-$30 rig that got it there.

The elevator trim tab is the first part in the build to see FlameMaster CS3204 tank sealant. What's actually in the can, why it beats RTV silicone and JB Weld for this job, and why a single quart runs $168.

How I worked out whether Cherry MAX blind rivets could stand in for driven rivets in a high stress spot on the horizontal stabilizer.

Some sources say that there is a specific order to dimpling and priming. I'm not 100% sure that this is the case.

The horizontal stabilizer spars are the largest non-skin part in the RV-14 empenage kit. Painting it introduces new challenges. I've also added a new step in the priming process.

It's been a while. I'm still here, being my same self.

We've finally set the first rivets!

Shoot. I RYNO'd the skin

I thought vans was Over-estimating. They were not.

I've figured it out!

Finally, something I know how to do!

There is nothing that takes so much time in this endeavor.

The kit arrives! first steps and inventory.

The careful considerations that I had to make before making the first purchases

a quick test page

A simple log of the hours used to build the plane