Misc Fuel tank tasks
I spent Sunday and Monday prepping a few miscellaneous parts: fuel tank cap, fuel drain, and brackets that attach the tank the the main wing spar. My kit was missing one of the brackets, but Jean D sent me replacements a few weeks ago. Here’s the replacement part with...
Fuel tank ribs sealed
The five ribs that make up the fuel tank are now installed and sealed for the left tank. Very messy, stinky work! By far, my least-favorite part of this build so far. And there’s still more to do on this tank. And I still have a whole other tank...
Slowly building the fuel tank
I guess I’ve been distracted a lot lately, as I’m making very slow progress on this fuel tank! I think it’s partially because I’m afraid to work with the sealant, which is messy and has a 2 hour working time once mixed. I’ve also been doing a lot of...
Fuel tank breather lines
Today’s task was to create the breather lines for the fuel tank. I’ve had the tubing and some of the tools for a while, but I needed a smaller tubing bender, which I just recently received. Here’s what I used: 6061T6 TUBE 1/4″ X .049 4FT from Aircraft Spruce...
Sealing Day #1
The instructions say to attach and seal all the various fittings to rib 101 before sealing up the main tank, so I did that today. I mixed up a very small batch of sealant, enough to put into a syringe for dispensing. I used a digital scale accurate to...
Readying to Seal Fuel Tank
I am getting ready to start sealing up the fuel tank. There are a number of fittings that get attached to the skin and ribs, and all these fittings need to be sealed. For the fuel level sender, which is attached to rib 101 via an access cover, I...
Closing up VS Skins
I attached the VOR antenna using 20mm length M4 screws with nyloc nuts and then began closing up the skin. Unfortunately the antenna is inaccessible once the skin is riveted on, so for now I think I’m leaving one side open just in case – will just use a...
VOR Antenna Provisions
In addition to the doubler plate, I also need to modify the skin to accommodate the antenna elements. I notched the skin so that I can slide it up around grommets at the base of each arm. Pictures are better than words in this case…...
VS Structure Assembled
Vertical stab parts are put together, minus the skin. I’m putting in an optional antenna for VOR/Localizer/Glideslope reception, so I had to make a doubler plate for the top spar where the antenna will be mounted to. To make the plate, I used a sheet of 0.032″ 3003 aluminum...
Vertical Stabilizer Parts Prep
I decided to take a break from working on the wings as I await a few things I need for sealing the fuel tanks. A few weeks ago I got in a shipment of goodies from Jean at TAF, including missing brackets for the VS, so now I can...