Started the Seat Backs (Section 39)

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Picked and inspected all the parts. Peeled off all the blue vinyl and labels.

Cut the corners off the seat back angles.

Separated the parts that needed parting. Deburred everything.

Fabricated the seat back and seat brace hinges. Match drilled the hinges to their corresponding parts. Machine countersunk the brace stiffeners and braces. Riveted the brace assemblies together.

Riveted together the seat backs.

I’ll scuff and paint these along with the canopy.

Today’s Time (hours):	4.0
Finish Kit (hours):	51.0
Total Time (hours):	781.0

Completed forward mid fuselage bulkheads (Section 25)

Received the new bulkhead bars from Van’s. Cut and deburred them. Scuffed them, Machine countersunk and riveted them. Reamed all the holes and bolted them to the aft bulkhead.

Today’s Time (hours):	2.0
Fuselage Time (hours):	22.0
Total Time (hours):	476.5

Ailerons are done!

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

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

Left Aileron Complete

All I had left to do was to back rivet the trailing edge… just couldn’t go to bed without getting it done.

I should be able to knock out the right aileron tomorrow.

Today’s Time (hours):	0.5
Wing Time (hours):	186.0
Total Time (hours):	398.0

Flaps Completed

Same drill for the right flap… Just barely set the trailing edge rivets with the squeezer then set the shop heads flush with a mushroom set in the gun and a back riveting plate. I riveted the bottom skins with blind rivets. Then I installed hardware.

Flaps complete!

Emailed Van’s about my tank skins and heard back on Friday. The right skin is back ordered so they estimate that they will ship end of next week. I’ve got plenty to keep me busy until then… On to the Ailerons.

Today’s Time (hours):	1.0
Wing Time (hours):	167.0
Total Time (hours):	378.0

Primed everything and began assembly

Primed everything

Riveted the nutplates and doublers to the rod end ribs.

Riveted the hinge halves to the ribs. Then installed the hardware and double flush riveted the halves together.

Today’s Time (hours):	2.0
Wing Time (hours):	158.0
Total Time (hours):	369.0

So F’ing Close!

I thought for sure I would finish the elevators today. But no! Came up short by five AD-41-ABS pop rivets.

Started the day by riveting the trailing edges. I lightly set all the rivets with the pneumatic squeezer first. Then propped everything up so that the trailing edge rested flush to the back rivet place and very carefully used a mushroom set on the bottom to finish the double flush rivets. With he “backward” trailing edge of the elevators, I almost needed to use just the edge of the rivet set. It was tricky but I’m happy with the result.

Remy helped me roll and rivet the leading edges.

I cut and installed the lead counterweights. Is it me or does installing lead in an airplane just seem wrong? 🙂

And here they are. My almost completed elevators!

TODO:

Finish riveting the leading edge (ordering rivets today)
Terminate the wires from the (waiting for crimper to arrive)
safety wire trim tab hinge pin (waiting for safety wire to arrive)

Today’s Time (hours):	6.0
Empennage Time (hours):	125.5
Total Time (hours):	125.5

Primed, Dimpled, and Started Assembly

Busy day of building today! Started off with a Home Depot run to pick up some paint pots and gloves. Then I got set up and shot all of the elevator part and skins with primer.

That was a lot of stuff to prime. Didn’t mix enough and had to make a second batch to finish the skins.

Once the primer was dry, I brought everything in the house and dimpled the skins and all the ribs, spars, and other miscellaneous parts. Clecoed the forward half of the trim tab hinge to the aft spar and machine countersunk the portion of the aft spar that attaches to the hinge. Did a similar job on the trim tab spar later.

Modified my female #40 dimple die to enable dimpling of the nut plates needed for the trim tab servo doubler. I just ground off a bit of the edge on the bench grinder.

Here’s the modified die in action squeezing a dimple into a nut plate.

And here are the nut plates installed in the doubler.

I machine countersunk the parts of the trim tab pushrod and double flush riveted it together. The plans called out AN426-3-3.5 rivets but those were too short. I used -4.5’s and they came out perfect.

Clecoed together the trim tab with the spar and trailing rdge and final drilled the holes in the closeout tabs.

I machine countersunk the the trailing edges for the trim tab and left elevator using the tapered-pilot countersink cutter. I’m still waiting for the right trailing edge from Van’s to replace the one a screwed up.

I riveted the trim tab horns and spar to the bottom trim tab skin.

Taped off the places on the skins and spar where I’ll bond the ribs and trailing edge in order to prep for the ProSeal and trailing edge tape. I removed the primer with isopropyl. I scuffed with 150 grit sandpaper. Then cleaned the scuffed areas with acetone. Then I removed the tape.

Tomorrow will be my first experience with ProSeal. I’ll be using it to glue the trim tab ribs in place. Plans call for a “well and truly flat” work surface on which to weight down the trim tab while the ProSeal sets up. I don’t consider my workbenches to be “well and truly flat.” So I’ll be off to Home Depot again tomorrow to come up with something. Maybe a steel plate or a 3/4″ MDF panel?

Today’s Time (hours):	9.0
Empennage Time (hours):	100.0
Total Time (hours):	100.0

Rudder Completed!

I riveted the trailing edge this morning. The double flush riveting was actually pretty straight forward. The edge turned out pretty straight and didn’t require much fiddling.

Later, I rolled the leading edges. Then clecoed and blind riveted them to complete the rudder.

Today’s Time (hours):	5.0
Empennage Time (hours):	41.0
Total Time (hours):	41.0