Month: June 2016

To-do list

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It’s been a few weeks since I’ve worked on the project. Family parties and graduations and stuff have been popping up and work has gotten very busy so I haven’t had any time to get to the garage. However, I put together a list of what needs to be done on the wings to close them out. 

  • Remove ailerons/flaps
  • Dimple/surface-prep aileron braces
  • Prep aileron reinforcement brackets for the service bulletin 
  • Dimple top skin for aileron brace flush rivets
  • Dimple/rivet flap hinges to bottom skin
  • Install pvc wiring conduit through lightening holes
  • Dimple/prime/edge finish the remaining left and right bottom skins 
  • Install nutplates for last access panels
  • Rivet aileron brackets
  • Dimple remaining ribs
  • Rivet bottom skin

It seems like a long list but it’s pretty standard stuff. I’m going to hold off on riveting the bottom skin for quite a while, however everything else can probably be completed in a day of solid work. I didn’t include the wingtip work in this list because I’m planning on holding off on that for a long time as well. With the wiring conduit in the wing I should have no issues wiring up my landing/nav/strobe lights later on. 


Here’s the current status of the shop. ‘Till next time! 

To-do list

Cleaned shop and worked on wings

GeorgeLeave a comment

With the empennage 99% complete (fiberglass work not done yet) I finally got some hooks up on the wall to get everything out of the way. 

I also spent some time cleaning up the garage and getting things reorganized after I slacked a little and shop got a little messy. I then spent some time finishing up the pitot tube mounting provisions. 

Here’s the pitot tube mounting plate, the rivets on the side attach to an angle support that will get riveted to the rib. 

Once I finished this I installed it in the wing. Currently there are no rivets that go through the wing skin into this plate except the ones that go through the spar. I may add more but the mounting screws hold the pitot mast and the whole installing is extremely rigid. 

Even with the setup clecoed, the pitot tube is extremely rigid. I’ve flown many Skyhawks that have more movement in the pitot tubes by a factor of 10! 

I also closed up the stall warning access plate (the hole behind the pitot tube) 

The doubler plate is installed behind and held in by the clecoes, the cover plate is installed with screws into plate nuts that have been riveted to the doubler. The doubler has been match drilled, dimpled, deburred, and primed and can be installed at any time. 

The Dynon pitot tube has angle of attack along with airspeed, which will indicate stall visually (on the EFIS) and audibly via my headset. 

The wings are getting close to complete (or at least the majority of the work) and I will soon begin the work on the fuselage! 

Cleaned shop and worked on wings