Title: Cockpit edge support
Constructed the edge support for the cockpits by using 1/2"" aluminum tube from menards. I annealed it, and bent it to duplicate the shape of the cockpit edges. As I bent it to fit, I slit it with a diegrinder and slipped it over the edge of the fuselage skin. Where the tubes butted up to each other (bending a piece long enough to make it all the way around the opening would have been a bear) I inserted a piece of tubing that was made to fit inside the bent tubing. Gave a bit more support there and hopefully will eliminate a stress riser and potential site of a crack. I then drilled 1/8"" holes for rivets. Before riveting, I injected JB Weld on both sides of the skin through the rivet holes, and then inserted the rivets. I allowed this to set, and then set the rivets with a rivet squeezer. This gave the rivets some support on the inside of the tube as they were squeezed to produce an adequate shop head. This procedure really stiffens up the skin at the cockpits. I plan to river angles of aluminum to further stiffen things up here.


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