Pitot mast fit and all remaining wing parts prepped for primer and assembly

Cut, deburred, dimpled, and scuffed all the remaining wing parts to prep for priming. This included the aileron trim, the aileron push tubes, the inspection covers, and the wing tip ribs.

Fabricated a bracket to secure the pitot mounting bracket to the wing rib.Drilled the holes in the mounting bracket to match the holes in the rib. Then match drilled the new rib bracket to the mounting bracket and the rib. Match drilled everything to the skin and cut out the hole for the pitot mast using 1/2″ drill, Dremel, files, and sand paper. Pleased with how everything came out. Should be nice and secure once everything is riveted together.

Dimpled and scuffed the skins. Everything is ready for primer and assembly.

Ordered avionics and hoping to get the A/P servo, pitot tube, and magnetometer installed before closing up the wings. I also ordered tubing for the AOA line and wire for the pitot heat. Hopefully I’ll have everything and be able to get the wings buttoned up next week.

Today’s Time (hours):	6.0
Wing Time (hours):	239.0
Total Time (hours):	391.0

Final drilled and dimpled tank skins

Final drilled and deburred all the #19 holes. Dimpled the #19 holes with the squeezer. Dimpled the #40 holes with a combination of squeezer, DRDT-2, and close quarters dimple dies.

Ready to start assembling and sealing.

Today’s Time (hours):	3.0
Wing Time (hours):	193.0
Total Time (hours):	345.0

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.

Dimpled the skins for the stiffeners and ribs.

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

Dimpled all the flap parts

Dimpled all the flap parts and scuffed the skins.

Everything is ready for priming and assembly.

Today’s Time (hours):	2.0
Wing Time (hours):	156.0
Total Time (hours):	367.0

…And tanks are on hold again

Same drill as yesterday… Match drilled the right J-channel stiffener and machine countersunk the skin for the tank baffle rivets.

Then I started dimpling the skins. I started by using the squeezer to dimple all the holes it could reach. I caught one hole off center. Then moved on the second skin. I got through the all the ones with the squeezer and then moved to the DRDT and had the skin pop off of the dimple die just as I was pulling the handle. This created an extra hole about 2 mm from the original hole. I could probably salvage both of these issues if this were a regular skin but I’d rather not chance leaky tank skins. So ordered replacements from Van’s. Not my best day of building.

The good news is I’m not stuck waiting on the replacement parts. I can move on to the flaps and/or ailerons in the meantime. Could have been worse.

Today’s Time (hours):	2.0
Wing Time (hours):	144.0
Total Time (hours):	355.0

Prepared tank stiffeners

Dimpled the nut plate attach holes in the inboard tank ribs.

Separated the stiffeners.

Used snips to make all the cuts. Doh! Should have peeled the blue vinyl off before I cut them.

Then cleaned them up on the scotch bright wheel, scuffed the mating surfaces and dimpled.

Today’s Time (hours):	2.0
Wing Time (hours):	127.0
Total Time (hours):	338.0

Dimpled right top wing skins

Lot’s of holes!

Today’s Time (hours):	1.0
Wing Time (hours):	74.0
Total Time (hours):	285.0

Dimpled left top wing skins

Removed material from the corners where they overlap and butt up against the tank skin so that they’ll lay flat. I used 60 grit sand paper. Then deburred all the edges of the skins and wing walk doublers. I deburred all the holes I drilled in the doublers too.

Dimpled the skins with the DRDT-2.

Made it through both left wing skins before my arm got tired.

Today’s Time (hours):	2.0
Wing Time (hours):	73.0
Total Time (hours):	284.0

Top skin assembly

Broke the edges of the top skin with the edge roller. Peeled the vinyl from the rivet lines and dimpled the top skin on the DRDT-2.

Dimpled the top rib with the squeezer.

Dimpled the top skin doubler with the squeezer.

Dimpled the stiffener and back riveted it to the skin. Back riveted the doubler and riveted the rib with the gun and bucking bar.

Today’s Time (hours):	1.5
Empennage Time (hours):	174.5
Total Time (hours):	174.5

Hey–this thing’s starting to look like an airplane.

Scuffed and primed the side skins.

Machine countersunk all the holes in the longerons.

Dimpled the remaining stiffeners.

Dimpled the skins.

Clecoed everything together.

In my excitement over putting all this together I neglected to peel the the blur vinyl from the rivet lines. I’ll have to remove some clecos and do that before I rivet.

I also riveted the aft bulkhead to the aft bottom skin.

Today’s Time (hours):	4.0
Empennage Time (hours):	157.5
Total Time (hours):	157.5