Category: Aileron (Section 22)

Ailerons are done!

Riveted bottom skin to the right spar and riveted the top and bottom main ribs together.

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Prepped the trailing edge extrusions and applied VHB tape to both sides. Clecoed in place and removed the backing. After the tape set up, I lightly set rivets with the squeezer then back riveted double flush.

 

Ailerons are complete. This completes all of the control surfaces on the airplane.

 

My replacement fuel tank skins should be here Thursday. Hoping to get the tanks assembled next weekend.

 

Today’s Time (hours): 3.0
Wing Time (hours): 189.0
Total Time (hours): 341.0

 

Aileron assembly continues

Dimpled the leading and trailing edge holes in the top and bottom skins as well as the holes in the main ribs attached to them. Dimpled all the holes in the leading edge skins as well as the spars.

 

Machine countersunk the trailing edges.

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Riveted the skins to the nose ribs.

 

Blind riveted the spars to the nose ribs.

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Riveted the top and bottom skins to the nose assembly of the left aileron. Riveted the top and bottom ribs together. Riveted the nose skin to the counterbalance.

 

Prepared the left trailing edge by wiping it down the alcohol and applied the VHB tape to both sides. Then set it in place in the aileron and weighted everything down while resting the edge on a piece of angle iron. I remove the top backing tape by working my way across the aileron by removing a handful of clecos peeling the tape then replacing them with the next handful of clecos down the line until the whole backing tape was removed. I let the tape set up for a while and repeated the process for the bottom.

 

While the VHB tape sets up on the left aileron, I got started on assembling and riveting the right aileron. Got as far as riveting the top skin in place.

 

Today’s Time (hours): 6.0
Wing Time (hours): 185.5
Total Time (hours): 397.5

 

Finished riveting the ribs and stiffeners

Finished back riveting the stiffeners and ribs to the skins. Which kinda turned into a fiasco when I realized that the holes that match up to the spars on the forward edges of the top skins are not symmetrical span-wise. Once you’ve dimpled the top skins, there is a left and a right skin. Wish I had known this before riveting the left ribs to the right skins and vise versa. So I drilled out the 32 rivets holding the ribs to the skins and re-riveted correctly. Lost about an hour and a half but no damage done.

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Once I got past all that, I assembled the ailerons and they’re now ready to have their trailing edges final drilled.

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Today’s Time (hours): 2.5
Wing Time (hours): 179.5
Total Time (hours): 391.5

 

A little drilling, a little dimpling, a little riveting.

Reassembled the nose skin and match drilled the remaining #40 holes form the skin into the the counterbalance tubes. Then upsized them to #30.

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Dimpled the skins for the stiffeners and ribs.

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Started back riveting the stiffeners to the skins. After riveting the first one I realized that I neglected to trim them to the correct length. It was obvious that they would interfere with the trailing edge extrusion. I’m guessing that the stiffeners are another shared part with the RV-10 thus requiring shortening for the RV-14.

I was able to trim the one I riveted with a cutoff wheel on the Dremel by sliding a thin piece of scrap aluminum under the stiffener to protect the skin. I deburred it with sandpaper. No harm No foul. I trimmed the rest on the bandsaw and deburred on the ScotchBrite wheel.

Had to quit to go watch the Bruins in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

 

Today’s Time (hours): 2.0
Wing Time (hours): 177.0
Total Time (hours): 389.0

 

Primed everything and started assembly

Primed all the aileron parts.

 

Riveted the various hinges and doublers to the various ribs.

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Clecoed the nose ribs to the spars and set in the skins with the stainless counterbalance tubes. Match drilled the inboard and outboard holes from the leading edge of the skins to the counterbalance.

 

Today’s Time (hours): 4.0
Wing Time (hours): 175.0
Total Time (hours): 387.0

 

Started work on the ailerons

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Picked and inspected all of the aileron parts. I peeled the protective blue vinyl off of all the parts. Cut apart all of the doublers, hinges, ribs, and stiffeners on the bandsaw. Deburred everything on the Scotchbrite wheel. Dimpled all the ribs and stiffeners with the pneumatic squeezer. Machine countersunk the hinges and doublers.

Everything is ready for scuffing and primer.

 

Today’s Time (hours): 4.0
Wing Time (hours): 171.0
Total Time (hours): 382.0