Progress on left wing fuel tank, flap and aileron

OK.  So instead of marching on through the fuel tank assembly, Doug and I got sidetracked on the aileron and the flap.  Prior to riveting the skins on the flap, we signed our names and wrote short messages on the inside (old luthier's tradition).  Then, we turnend our attention back to the fuel tank and now have everything done on the inside  Next we will put the back bracket on to seal it up.  Once we do that, we can leak test it, and, hopefully, begin final assembly of the left wing.


Big news!  Our fuselage has arrived!

Doug's contribution

And mine

Built cradle to work on flap

Mounting bracket for Gretz heated pitot

Brace mounted and riveted

View in to outboard bay (fuel tank)

Inboard bay (fuel tank)

Inboard bay with sealant on electrical wiring and with flop tube installed

Tank sealing

After finishing the left aileron and mostly finishing the left flap, Doug and I got back to work on the fuel tank for the left wing.  We were able to get a few more ribs sealed and riveted in.  We will install the capacitance sender plates and wires, and the vent tube and then close things up.  Then comes "The Test" where a small amount of pressure is pumped in to the tank, and we check for leaks.

Applying sealant to the rivets

Doug's "artistic photo of the week"

Sealant is messy.  We say "bring it on"

A visit from Tom and Taylor

My friend Tom and his older son Taylor came to the garage to check things out.  Tom and Taylor are pretty much responsible for Doug's and my interest in flying, so we figured they should be in on the building fun.  Taylor flys professionally for Hawker Beechcraft as a demo pilot.  Doug showed them how to dimple the skins for the right wing and they finished dimpling all the skins in one night.  I have to admit, I didn't mind seeing them complete this for me.  Next, we decided to build the left aileron.  I had had a chance yesterday to fabricate the stiffeners and rivet them on to the trailing skin, so we tackled the spar, the leading edge skin and counterweight, and almost finishd this as well.  All in all, a good night. Many hands do make quick work.

Doug demonstrates dimpling the skin

trailing edge skin of left aileron all riveted

The garage has never been this crowded

Dimpling leading edge skin for the aileron

How to involve three people on a one person job

Probably the best thing about this photo is that it has warmed up enough to work with the garage door open (but we still have a heat lamp on!)

Tank and leading edge sub assemblies

We prosealed the tank stiffeners in to the left fuel tank.  While we are waiting for these to set up,we started a few of the sub-assemblies in the leading edge and the fuel tank.  In addition to these photos, we also cut the hole for the leading edge landing light.

Made the perforations for the sender electrical connector and the fuel vent line

Getting ready to rivet in the stall warning system mount

A capacitance fuel sender plate (two per tank)

The "trap door" and anti-hang up bracket (Mods for inverted flying)

The strap that connects the leading edge to the fuel tank

Checking the flop tube position

Safety wire (done per the plans) to prevent flop tube loosening in the fuel tank

Getting the fuel tank ready to seal

Sealing the tank is considered one of the more onerous steps in the build.  The sealant, sometimes referred to as "Proseal" has a reputation for getting all over everything and being impossible to remove.  The preparation involves getting the mating surfaces scuffed, very clean, and in position with all necessary items available, since the working time is short.  I can't imagine doing this step alone.

Nut plates and reinforcing ring are mounted on the inboard end rib

Marking rib positions and taping off areas to protect them from sealant

Ribs, cleaned, dimpled and scuffed

The rivets, soaking in MEK