forecast=62,complete=true
The mid fuselage section has been in progress for a while and it is finally complete. One more section has been marked off the plans! I riveted the nutplates to the antenna doublers that I had made several months ago.… Read More »Mid Fuselage Complete!
We got started today on riveting the fuselage bottom skins. This was a two person job and Amber operated the rivet gun while I held the bucking bar. We started out slow and got into a routine fairly quickly. We… Read More »Mid Fuse Bottom Skin Riveting
I had previously primed the parts that attach to the forward mid-fuselage bulkhead and I finished final assembly of those parts today. I started out by riveting the seat rail attachment assemblies. I then countersunk the holes along the bottom… Read More »Mid Fuselage Bulkheads Complete
My backordered forward center section bulkhead arrived last week so I started on it today. This is where the fuselage kit would normally begin. The first step is cutting some stiffener angles to size that are then match drilled the… Read More »Forward Center Section Bulkhead
I etched the bottom skins and flap actuator parts to get them ready for priming. I then alodined then antenna doubler plates. This was my first time using alodine. I think it worked? Parts are a light golden color. I… Read More »Mid Fuselage Skins Primed
Once I completed the antenna holes, I removed the bottom skins for deburring and dimpling. Hannah helped me remove the vinyl along the rivet lines. Lots of holes to deburr. Lots of holes to dimple. I then dimpled the corresponding… Read More »Bottom Skins Ready for Priming
I worked on the aft fuse bottom skins this evening. These skins had final sized holes (as did all of the ribs) which greatly sped up this task. The only holes to final size were those that corresponded to the… Read More »Aft Fuse Bottom Skins
I finished all of the remaining riveting of the ribs and bulkheads in the aft fuselage. The outboard seat rib subassemblies get riveted first with flush rivets (the side channels overlap this area). The side channels are then riveted into… Read More »Aft Fuselage Ready For Bottom Skins
I continued with riveting the seat ribs today. I decided to go ahead and attach the flap actuator bracket as I should be able to get in there easily enough later. I ordered some aluminum angle to fabricate the custom… Read More »Seat Rib Riveting Continued
We held our first Young Eagles flights since COVID-19 at EAA Chapter 517 (KMSO) this morning. Perfect flying weather and smiles all around. Very rewarding to see kids getting a chance to experience aviation up close. When I got back… Read More »Seat Rib Riveting