Oct 23, 2023     (Re)Did some work on the ailerons and finished the flaps - (3 hours)       Category: Wings

Turns out that there really isn't a good reason not to fully close up the flaps to match the wings, so I did some work on that. I just needed to put in the last row of rivets that seals the skin together.

On the ailerons, it seems I forgot to dimple the leading edge when I riveted everything together so they needed to be disassembled, dimpled, and reassembled. Luckily, that is pretty easy to do here at The Airplane Factory's build center. Bummed I missed it, though!

  Apr 11, 2023     Is it leaktight? - (2 hours)       Category: Wings

After more than a year of looking at the fuel tanks, it was finally time to test them before riveting them in place. Yes, I can always unrivet them if there is a leak, but why not check it first?

Fellow builder Yeol discovered a great technique for testing. No balloons, no barometers, no checking whether or not the air temperature changed impacting the other readings. Really simple and easy, which is perfect for me! We used blanking off fittings to seal the fuel inlet and outlet. We put a solid rivet in the end of some tubing and attached that to the vent. Then we put about 2 gallons of fuel into the tank and put the cap on. We put duct tape over the fuel cap to prevent pressure from leaking out there, but it turns out we didn't need to do that, at least not with this caps.

We then rolled the tanks (still cleco'd into the wings) into the sun and shook them a little bit. The idea is to heat it up and shake it up to increase the evaporation of the fuel and build pressure. After we let it warm for a few minutes, we sniffed all over the tank and didn't smell any fuel (liquid or vapor) coming out. Then it was the moment of truth - we ripped the duct tape off of the fuel cap! It was...uneventful. No noise, no smell, no nothing. Just a good seal. Then we opened the fuel tank and heard what sounded like a Coke can being opened, but without the "Ahhhhhhh" that goes with it because it smelled like fuel rather than an icy cold drink. In any case, I am now convinced that the fuel tank is leak tight.

We did the same thing to the other tank with the same results.

Now I can rivet it in place, put in some control rods, rivet on the winglets, and call it done!

  Apr 18, 2022     Putting the Al rims on the plastic lenses - (3 hours)       Category: Wings

Nothing with curved parts is ever easy, and this was no exception. The goal is to form the Al rings and rivet them to the inside of the lens. It took a while to figure out which way the ring was supposed to bend, and then to attach, but I got there. Also, in the manual, it pretty clearly states that the plastic lens holes should be drilled oversize to make room for the countersink of the wing. I did that - on the second one I made. Then I had to de-rivet (i.e., drill out) the first one and do it all over again. When the lens is drilled oversize, you can no longer rely on using the 3/32 silver Clecos to line everything up, so the process was:

1) Bend the Al ring, then rebend it the right way, then put it in the lens and hold it tight with the 3/32 Clecos.
2) Drill holes for the 3.2mm countersunk rivets to hold the Al to the plastic lens. The manual suggests 6, but with the springyness and all the different "corners," I opted for about 10.
3) Countersink the 3.2mm rivet holes in the plastic.
4) Disassemble everything, deburr the Al, and drill the bigger holes in the plastic lens.
5) Peel the plastic from the lens away from where it will get stuck under the Al ring or under a rivet, re-assemble, using the new 3.2mm c'snk rivet holes to initially line things up, then the 3/32 Clecos through the lens and into the Al to hold things a little more firmly, especially when taking out the 3.2mm Clecos..
6) Take out one 3.2mm Cleco at a time and put in a 3.2mm countersunk rivet.
7) Repeat step 6 nine more times.
8) Redo the first one when realizing that the drilling of holes was forgotten in step 6.
9) Wonder how to hold the lenses when the time comes to screw them into the wing, then assume it will all be taken care of when the time comes.
10) Post pictures in the log and then move on.

  Apr 11, 2022     Finished the left flap - (4 hours)       Category: Wings

There is definitely a steep learning curve. It took me 8 hours to do the first flap and only 4 to do the second one. To be fair, when I did the first flap, I also put together some of the brackets for the second one, but that was only about 30 minutes, so not much effort. This flap went together pretty easily, and I remembered again to leave the edge up against the wing non-riveted so I'll be able to straighten them if I need to. Also, present-me gave future-me a present and wrote down what size rivets to use, since the countersunk ones are 4.0mm and the domed ones are 3.2mm. I also left a note that I needed to pre-drill the 4.0mm rivets, since they were originally 3.2m and expanded a little when I dimpled them, but didn't expand all the way to 4.0mm. Present-me left that note for future-me, too. When I get this ready to go, then-present-me is going to thank then-past-me...I hope!

  Mar 15, 2022     Match drilling the wingtips - (4 hours)       Category: Wings

You'd think it would be easy.... Just put the wingtips in place, make sure they are in line with the bottom of the wing, match drill, and done. But.... they didn't really line up the same way twice when I marked it with a Sharpie, so I ended up using the strap to hold the wingtips tightly in place, then drilled a hole, then put in a Cleco, then drilled another hole, then put in another Cleco, etc. That worked fine when the wingtips were inside the aluminum skin. For the trailing edge of the wingtips, though, the aluminum is on the OUTSIDE, so I borrowed a "strap duplicator," aka a hole finder, to locate the holes and drill them. Then back with the Clecos. I was planning on mounting them now, but I wasn't sure if I'd need to get in there for access to the landing and taxi lights. The decision was made easier, though, when I realized that I couldn't put both wings on the wing stands with the wingtips and, more important, the winglets at the end of them, in place. They run into each other. So, the wingtips and winglets stay off until the end.

  Mar 11, 2022     Attaching the wingtip position lights - (8 hours)       Category: Wings

This one was a challenge - how to align the wingtip position / strobe lights when there are no orthogonal surfaces on the winglets. I tried measuring, but without a straight edge, there was nothing to measure from. I set up a horizontal laser and aligned it on the edge of the wingtip. It was definitely NOT a precision job, but I think it is close enough that, at 2 miles away and at 145Kts, it should look OK.

That gave me the line under the winglet. I used a carpenter's combination square to put some dots on the winglet an inch above the wing edge by keeping the laser on the edge of the square. Then I drew a line across the dots. It was all good, but not the right height, so I offset from that line a little bit more and drew another line. I put the gasket from the light on the line to make sure it would fit, and then crossed my fingers that the M5 rivnut was going to fit, too. Luckily, the stars aligned and so did the light, so I set up to do the same on the other wing tip. My goal was to get close to symmetrical, even though no one was ever going to see both sides at once (except at a distance). I ended up hitting my goal and getting close...

I used the rubber gasket as a template, lined up the two holes on the line I drew, tried to get it a repeatable distance from the edge (lack of orthogonals hits me again...), drilled my #10 holes for the M3 rivnuts, crossed my fingers that I didn't strip it out again, and installed them (the rivnuts, not my fingers). I think it turned out OK.

A suggestion to Sling would be to set up a jig in their factory for the wingtips and scribe a horizontal line across the winglet to make it easier for us builders. It will take some time to set up the jig for them, longer than it took me to set up the laser, but once it is set up, they should be able to mark each wingtip in just a few minutes rather than the 4 hours it took me!

The wires from the lights weren't long enough to go all the way through the wing tip and to the wing, and I didn't want to be forced to try to make connections with my big hands inside the little wingtip, so I spliced in about 18" of wire using the super-cool heat shrink splices I used on the rudder strobe light. The hold for the wires was not big enough to cram all 4 connections through at once, so I shoved them through two at a time. If you're worried (and I know I was), I tested the connections for the lights both before and after I crammed the wire through the hole, and the lights worked fine once all was said and done.

Just for fun, I put one of the wingtips on the end of the wing and lit it up. Yeah, I think it's gonna look good!

  Feb 27, 2022     Time to make some hatches... - (4 hours)       Category: Wings

Nothing really exciting here, just put together the 5 inspection hatches for the wings.

  Feb 24, 2022     Fixed the Rivnut, kinda - (2 hours)       Category: Wings

I put in the rivnuts in this entry (https://eaabuilderslog.org/?blprojentry&proj=7kreuJROA&e=7tHQzsUap) and had a problem with one of them. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out cutting, doublers, making it perfect, etc. Then I talked with some folks who reminded me that this was a coverplate, had no stress on it, and is not providing any support to the wing skin. So, I cut off the back of the rivnut, worked on drilling it some more, and got it out. Then, I used a big aluminum washer as a backer, filed the sharp/rough edges, and put the rivnut in with the washer. There is still some space between one edge of the rivnut and the skin, but the Al washer is firmly locked in place and holding the rivnut. I do need to remember that this rivnut is more likely to spin, even with the superglue, but aside from that it works great!

  Feb 15, 2022     Half Flaps - (8 hours)       Category: Wings

Got some more time to work on the plane and I built some flaps. Well, I was going to build some flaps, but I am missing one bracket that goes on one rib in one flap, so I was only able to build the other flap. Still, it went pretty easily, so I have no complaints. But, I am reminded that I need to get back in touch with Torrance and ask about my back ordered parts!

  Jan 23, 2022     Rivnuts for some inspection plates (what could go wrong?) - (2 hours)       Category: Wings

This is the first time I was using the Astro Pneumatic Tool ADN14 Rivet Nut Drill Adapter Kit to put in some Rivnuts. Once I figured it out, it went pretty well. The Rivnuts have a little superglue as well to try to give them more shear strength. It was all good until the clutch on the drill got changed and I pulled out threads on one of the rivnuts. I wasn't sure there was a problem, so I put a screw in and tried to use it to clear the threads. Then it got stuck. Then I tried to take out the screw and it broke off. Then I tried to drill out the rivnut with the screw in it, and then the real problem started. I've sent an e-mail with a picture to Sling for suggestions on how to repair the hole. I am guessing it will be a doubler, but we'll see.

  Jan 08, 2022     Last bit of work before the new dog arrives - alerions! - (7 hours)       Category: Wings

I had about a day to get the alerions done before I plan to take a few weeks off to take care of our new Goldendoodle puppy Oro. The alerions went together really easily, though "sliding" that weight in and out wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. It took some muscle, some twisting, and the lovely sound of vibrating metal (think of playing an old handsaw with a fiddle bow string and you get the idea). In any case, they are done and flaps are next.

The instructions for the alerions (and the flaps) say to dimple the part that goes up against the wing, but it doesn't call out countersunk rivets. After asking the factory and several other people who've built the plane, the answer I get is "Well, there might be a clearance issue, so some people have dimpled them and some don't." So, I dimpled the flaps and made the alerions with regular domed rivets. Fingers crossed that it works out!