Last weekend, I installed the elevator pushrod. Kinda wish I hadn't...it makes it hard to get into the tailcone. But it is cool to sit in the cockpit and wiggle the stick!

My young neighbor Austin came by, and after helping me rivet the NACA scoops on, he got to work peeling the blue film off of the empennage. I'm curious to see if there's any corrosion under there, after a year of sitting in my basement.

This is another example of the Curse of the QuickBuilder. The rudder cable has to be routed behind a panel which is already riveted on. Fortunately, it's a small distance.

I taped the cable to a short balsa wood stick, and used that to thread it through.

There they are, both cables routed through their snap rings.

My kit included EXACTLY enough snap rings. I hate that...if you lose or break one, you have to go do something else until the next order from Aircraft Spruce arrives. I'm averaging one order from Spruce or Van's every couple of weeks.

Then I made these little steel links that connect the rudder cables to the pedals.

There they are, two per side. Now I can wiggle the elevator AND the rudder while making airplane noises in the cockpit!

Austin did a thorough job of peeling blue film. If it weren't for required frequent polishing, it would be a no-brainer: I'll leave it unpainted. The shiny aluminum is really beautiful.