Primed all the aileron parts.
Riveted the various hinges and doublers to the various ribs.
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 |
Worked on both left and right flaps simultaneously; performing each step on one then the other. Riveted the top skins and nose skins to the spars and then to the ribs. I back riveted the aft-most two holes in each rib.
Clecoed then riveted the bottom skins and nose skins to the spars. I had to stick my arm down between the skins, slightly pulling back the bottom skin to be able to back these rivets. Glad I deburred well. My arms were pretty well scraped by the end of this step.
Final drilled #33 and blind riveted the nose skins to the nose ribs.
Applied 3M double-sided VHB tape to the trailing edge extrusions. I clecoed the extrusions in place in the left wing, removing the bottom backing from the tape as I went. I let the VHB adhesive set up for an hour or so and remove the top backing form the tape; removing and replacing clecos as I went.
I let the top tape set up for a couple of hours. I clecoed and taped the trailing edge into the right wing at this point and moved on to riveting the left wing while the bottom tape set up.
I used the squeezer to just barely set rivets in the trailing edge. Then used a mushroom set in the gun with a back rivet plate to fully set the back of the double flush rivets.
I final drilled #33 all the bottom skin/rib holes and blind riveted. I used the squeezer to set solid rivets in the inboard and outboard end ribs. I installed the rod end for the flap actuator. Left wing done!
I removed the backing form the top tape on the right trailing edge. I’ll finish the right flap up in the morning.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 6.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 166.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 377.0 |
Clecoed then riveted each flap substructure together.
Clecoed the leading edge skins in place and set the flap assemblies into the cradles. Clecoed the top skins in place. Riveted the right top skin.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 160.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 371.0 |
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 |
When I bought my tools I bought my tools for this project, I decided to buy a DRDT-2 dimpler. I decided not to bother with a c-frame. Until this point I have not found anything that I couldn’t do without a c-frame. Today I needed to fill the locating holes in the inboard and outboard ribs with AN470AD6-5 rivets. I don’t own any tool capable of setting those big rivets reliably. Fortunately Jared offered up his c-frame and I went to his house and got these rivets set. Thanks, man! Ended up cutting the rivets down to like a 6-3. They are not structural and they were way to long. They just plug up the machining holes in the external fuel tank ribs. The shorter rivets set perfectly with the c-frame and a heavy hammer.
I primed the exterior side of all the fuel tank parts.
I riveted the bearings for the aileron controls to the tank attach bracket.
I riveted the shims and nutplates to the tank attach brackets.
I riveted the nutplates to the aft inboard ribs. I couldn’t get a mushroom set in between the clecos to rivet these. So I used a back rivet set on the tail and a bucking bar on the factory head.
I’ve completed everything I can on the Tanks until I get the J-Channel I ordered from Van’s. On the bright side… I received the tools I need to install the landing light lenses so that will be tomorrow’s project.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 133.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 344.0 |
Final drilled the tank attach Z brackets and machine countersunk the nutplate attach holes. I cut the brackets apart on the band saw and cleaned up all the edges on the scotchbright wheel. I riveted the nutplates in place with the squeezer.
I machine countersunk the fuel filler flanges.
I separated the shims with snips and deburred on the scotch bright wheel. I clecoed the the shims to the tank attach brackets and trimmed the ends to be flush with the brackets with snips and cleaned up the edges on the scotchbright wheel. I final drilled all the holes in the shims and dimpled them with the squeezer. I machine countersunk all the holes in the flanges of the attach brackets.
I came up short on J-channel. Not sure whether I didn’t cut the stock I had efficiently when making up the wing stiffeners or if I missed something in inventory. Either way I don’t have anything long enough to make the two 54″ tank stiffeners. I ordered a couple more pieces from Van’s. Should be here next week some time.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 130.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 341.0 |
Finished riveting the outboard leading edge to the left wing with a little help from Remy.
I set the left wing into the cradle and used the pneumatic stapler to attach the carpet suspending the outboard edge.
And that completes cradle construction.
Fluted and straightened the flanges of the tank ribs.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 1.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 123.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 334.0 |
Clecoed the outboard leading edge assembly to the left wing assembly.
Blind riveted the leading edge ribs to the main spar.
I set the the wing upright on the workbench and riveted the leading edge skin to the lower flange of the main spar.
I need a bucking partner to get the upper flange. Hopefully Remy will be available tomorrow evening.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 122.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 333.0 |
Completed the right outboard leading edge by riveting the landing light bracket and J channel stiffener in place.
Clecoed the outboard leading edge to the right wing.
Blind riveted the leading edge ribs to the main spar. I couldn’t get the rivet puller square to the river so I fabricated a wedge to safely pull the rivets at an angle. Thanks to Jared for the reminder on this technique. I had originally read about it in section 5 but had forgotten. I ended up using a piece of left over trailing edge wedge. I cut of a small section about half an inch long and drilled a hole in it to accommodate the tail of the blind rivet.
Riveted the leading edge skin to the bottom flange of the main spar.
Riveted the leading edge skin to the top flange of the main spar. Remy bucked for me.
I made a home depot run and picked up a bunch to 2×4’s to construct a wing cradle.
I messed up and stripped a couple of screws that I used to attach the inspection plate to the left leading edge. Need to order a screw extractor.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 116.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 327.0 |
Riveted right outboard leading edge skins to ribs with some help from Remy.
Placed the leading edge back into the cradle and clecoed the J channel stiffener and the landing light bracket in place. I’ll rivet those in place tomorrow. It was getting late.
Sophie deburred the edges of all the tank ribs for me while I was in Toronto this week.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 2.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 113.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 324.0 |
Ron's RV-14A Build Log 