Horizontal Stabilizer Complete!

A few short hours later, and I was rewarded with the completion of the biggest part yet on this journey! It's really incredible how strong (and light) the HS feels once it's all together, especially after feeling how flimsy all the pieces are by themselves... it truly is a real-life example of a whole being more than the sum of its parts...

The completed HS, right side.

The completed HS, left side.

Today was also a pretty exciting day because I got to see a real live RV-10 up close! Our local EAA chapter's flight advisor, Dave, who has a remarkably long list of accolades as both a pilot and a flight instructor... just so happens to have built one himself, and regards it as his favorite airplane. He was kind enough to invite Sarah and I up to his hangar and give us a full walkthrough... along with opinions, advice, and words of encouragement. Hopefully sometime soon we'll have a chance to go flying in it! For now, here's happy Mike sitting in the same model of plane he is building, for the first time: