Left Flap Finished, Starting Aileron
I finished assembly of the left side flap. All the parts for the right side are prepared, but I’ll wait to assemble it until I see if I run into any fit issues with the left side. I started preparing the aileron structural parts next. They go through the...
Building up the Flaps
With most of the left wing complete, I prepped the flap parts today for both left and right sides – it’s just easier to do all at once. I had to pull out the part bath tubs for the first time in a while, as well as my “paint...
Wing Top Skins Riveting
Last weekend I riveted the upper skins on the left wing. As I did when clecoing the skins in place, I started riveting onto the strongest parts first (4mm rivets into the main spar cap), then ribs, then stringers. When pulling these blind rivets, it leaves an open hole...
Wing top skins prep for close-out
After I spent two hours on Tues night taking a chucking reamer to most of the rivet holes, there was indeed a lot of metal shavings inside the wing so I started with vacuuming that all out. After vacuuming, I had a few holes to investigate why I couldn’t...
Pitot Installation Complete, Electrical Checks OK
Although I’ve had it for a while, I never finished the pitot tube installation on the left wing. It was one of few remaining tasks to do before I close out the wing. I finished up wiring the heater controller module, then took care of the plumbing. There are...
Wing Riveting & Wiring
Today I continued attaching the fuel tank to the wing, riveting everything but the 4mm rivets at the back edge of the top skin — I’m leaving these cleco’d for now until it’s time to attach the top wing skins. I also had a bunch of rivets to put...
Attached left fuel tank
Fresh back from my work trip to Germany, I was ready to attach the fuel tank to the wing. First, I wanted to check that all the bolts are torqued correctly on the fuel sender cover, but I wasn’t too sure about the correct torque value. The screws provided...
Fuel tank leak test passed
After the required minimum 3 days elapsed to allow the sealant to cure, I was able to perform leak tests on my left fuel tank this past weekend. I closed off the vent and fuel supply fittings, and then used a bicycle pump tethered to the fuel return fitting...
Starting Right Fuel Tank
Since I have all the fuel tank build steps fresh in my mind, I’m building the other one now. It took me about 14 hours to build the first one, not including leak testing and remediation (if needed). Let’s see how long it takes the second time?...
Closing up the fuel tank
This weekend I made it my goal to close up the left fuel tank. After one last inspection of the tank’s inside for debris, a final cleaning of all the mating surfaces, and staging all the rivets, screws, brackets, and tools, I mixed up a 66g batch of sealant...