Went flying today… Jared and I flew his RV-14 up to Knoxville for lunch. Beautiful day and a great flight.
Finished riveting the left skin to the fuselage and firewall.
Bent the left center section channel and riveted it in place.
Riveted in the left side frame and the three forward stiffeners.
Riveted the arm rest in place.
Riveted the left flap block bracket in place.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 118.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 572.5 |
Taped off the holes that were not to be dimpled. Deburred and prepped the edges per the plans. Dimpled the skins.
Countersunk all the outboard holes in the upper and lower longerons.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 105.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 559.5 |
Applied a bead of tank sealant to the bottom flanges of the muffler shroud sides and riveted them to the forward skins. Riveted the muffler shroud ramp to the sides and added a fillet of sealant to the bottom of each seam.
Positioned the firewall assembly on the forward skins and muffler shroud. Added sealant between the skins and firewall and around the curved area where the muffler shroud connects to the firewall and clecoed everything together. Riveted the cover bases to the skin. Riveted the curved part of the firewall to the muffler shroud sides and ramp.
Riveted the firewall angle to the firewall and skins. Dimpled the cowl places and shims and riveted them in place.
Riveted the tunnel sides to the skins and muffler shroud.
Riveted the routing bracket and fuel selector bracket in place.
Riveted and bolted to forward center section bulkhead to the tunnel side. Riveted the skins to the cover ribs.
Sealed and screwed the firewall penetration fittings to the firewall.
Fabricated and assembled the cabin heat vent assemblies. Then riveted them in place on the firewall along with their control cable brackets.
Machine countersunk the battery box attach holes and riveted it to the firewall.
Dimpled the cover panel and riveted it to the forward flanges of the cover ribs along with a gazillion nut plates.
Forward Fuselage Lower Structure… Done! On to the side structures!
| Today’s Time (hours): | 8.0 |
| Fuselage Time (hours): | 73.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 527.5 |
Finished riveting the bottom right skin.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 283.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 435.0 |
The rest of my avionics order showed up this morning. I also received the GMU 22 mounting kit from Van’s. Apparently they don’t make one for the GMU 11 (which is what I bought). So I took a chance and ordered the one for the GMU 22 thinking I could cannibalize it and create something for the GMU 11. As it turns out, all I needed to do was to match drill four holes to the base of the GMU 11. So I drilled the holes, cut the top half of the mount per the plans, deburred and primed everything, riveted it together, and screwed on the GMU 11. Bayum!
Remy helped me rivet the inboard bottom skin to the right wing. It was challenging to reach the rivets along the aft spar. Remy and I took turns bucking and shooting. Nonetheless, tomorrow will definitely be an Advil day. I clecoed the outboard skin in place. That can be tomorrow’s challenge.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 3.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 270.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 422.0 |
I finished inventorying and stowing parts from the fuselage kit and avionics.
Crimped the pins onto the aileron trim wires, added a heat shrink tube, and inserted them into the molex connector.
I centered the set the aileron trim using a 9-volt battery to drive the servo. I set the assembly in place on the wing and set the aileron to the neutral position. Then I marked the point where the aileron trim arm rested over the push tube. I remove the push tube and located the tabs 6 inches either side of the center mark. I match drilled and blind riveted them to the push tube. I attached the springs to the tabs.
I clecoed the inboard bottom skins in place on the wings. Ready to rivet.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 4.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 264.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 416.0 |
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 |
Assembled the inboard and outboard rod end ribs. Clecoed the ribs and doubles together. Match drilled the #40 holes and final drilled the 1/4″ hole. Countersunk the #40 holes on the outboard doublers.
Clecoed the ribs to the flap hinges and final drilled all the #30 holes.
Modified all the main ribs by removing the top forward tab from each with the Dremel and a cutoff wheel. Finished with a bit of sanding to remove the burrs.
Assembled the flap substructures.
Trimmed the inboard and outboard trailing edges to final size with the bandsaw and finished on the scotch brite wheel.
Clecoed the flaps together.
Match drilled the two top holes in each of the nose ribs. I also final drilled all of the holes in the trailing edges.
Assembled the hardware in the hinge to hold everything in alignment and match drilled the four holes in the trailing edge of the hinge.
Disassembled everything.
Next I need to machine countersink the holes in the trailing edge wedge and the holes I just drilled in the hinges. Then dimple and prime everything.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 6.5 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 152.5 |
| Total Time (hours): | 363.5 |
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 |
Clecoed the left leading skin to the ribs.
Slid the j channel into place and clecoed the starter hole. Then match drilled all the holes from the skin into the stiffener.
Match drilled the aft-most top and bottom holes in each of the ribs.
Disassembled everything and repeated the whole process for the right wing. Deburred and dimpled all the holes.
Dressed the edges of the skin with a file and sand paper. The cut-outs for the landing lights were pretty jagged. I cleaned them up with an abrasive drum on the Dremel and some sandpaper.
Dimpled the skins with the DRDT2 and scuffed the insides with a scotch brite pad.
Dimpled the rest of the parts.
Everything is ready for priming and assembly.
| Today’s Time (hours): | 7.0 |
| Wing Time (hours): | 101.0 |
| Total Time (hours): | 312.0 |
Ron's RV-14A Build Log 