Laid a bead of tank sealant to fill the gap between the side skin, longeron, and canopy deck. Then I clecoed and riveted the canopy decks in place.
Riveted the wire supports to the bottoms of the panel standoffs.
Clecoed the panel in place. I couldn’t rivet it because I ran out of K1000-06 nut plates. Ordered from Spruce.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 191.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 645.5 |
Clecoed then riveted the sub-panel assembly to the fuselage.
Riveted nut plates into the wiring channel. Painted the assembly and later installed it into the fuselage after the paint dried.
Match drilled the forward and aft canopy decks to the left and right longerons. Then dimpled the holes in the canopy decks and machine countersunk the holes in the longerons. Painted the canopy decks as well as the panel brackets and wiring supports.
Machine countersunk all the holes in the instrument panel frame. Riveted the instrument panel angles, nut plates, and flange doubler to the frame. Painted the assembly.
Ground one of the corners off of the fresh air vents to match up to the flange that connects it to the fuselage and naca duct.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 5.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 189.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 643.5 |
Got all the forward fuselage parts primed.
Machine countersunk all the doublers. Riveted the stiffeners and doublers to the forward fuselage ribs.
Machine countersunk the doublers and riveted them to the canopy hinge ribs.
Riveted nut plates to the pivot block channel and riveted that assembly to the forward fuselage channel.
Riveted the map box doubler to the sub panel. Riveted the sub panel angle, canopy hinge ribs, forward fuselage channel to the sub panel. Riveted the forward fuselage rib assemblies to the sub panel. Riveted the instrument panel standoffs to the sub panel. Riveted the seal angles to the sub panel. Painted the aft side of the sub panel to match the interior.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 6.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 184.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 638.5 |
Machine countersunk the baggage floor splice plate and riveted in place.
dimpled the flap motor channel and installed the nut plates. Then riveted it in place. Riveted the flap motor brackets to it.
Riveted the baggage side walls in place.
Bam! Baggage area. Done.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 155.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 609.5 |
Remy helped me finish riveting the fuselage together. I can’t imagine doing this without a rotisserie.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 144.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 598.5 |
Riveted the seatbelt lugs and the bulkheads together. The riveted the top skins to each other, the bulkheads and the longerons.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 133.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 587.5 |
Match drilled the side gussets to the upper longerons and Machine countersunk the holes in the gusset.
Riveted the cross brace to the fuselage.
Riveted the gussets and intercostals into place. Bolted on and torqued down the roll bar braces.
Trimmed and scuffed the NACA ducts for the fresh air vents. The instructions recommended waiting until section 35 to assemble and install.
This was a really long section but the result is really rewarding…
Next up I attach the aft fuselage! Exciting next step.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 129.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 583.5 |
Finished riveting the right side of the fuselage. Then I reinstalled the landing gear bracket and bulkhead bar.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 127.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 581.5 |
Finished a fair amount of the riveting on the right skin. Got all of the flush rivets and riveted the firewall.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 125.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 579.5 |
Riveted the web stiffeners to the main bulkhead webs.
Riveted the nut plates to the root faring angles and lower skin. Then riveted the root faring angles to the left side skin
Bolted the left bulkhead bar back in placed and torqued it down.
Removed the right landing gear bracket in preparation for riveting the right side skin to the fuselage.
In other exciting news, my engine arrived from Lycoming!
| Today’s Time (hours): | 5.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 123.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 577.5 |
Ron's RV-14A Build Log 