Feb 19, 2024     Remedial - Damaged skin replacement - (1.5 hours)       Category: Aft Fuselage

Finished removal of the damaged skin from the right side of the aft fuselage after receiving confirmation that the replacement has been received and unpacked up at Mercury bay, now need to get up there and bring it home, at least now I can plan to get things restarted. Also verified and re-ordered the replacement LCP parts for my wing kit.

  Feb 01, 2024     Reorganisation of workspace - (1 hour) Category: Workshop

The replacement skin for the aft fuselage should be available to collect soon and in the meantime I'm reworking the workshop as there won't be sufficient space once I've completed the aft fuselage and joined it to the forward fuselage and mounted it on a rotisserie. The LCP issues still not fully resolved and waiting for the new portal so I can order the replacement parts I need, limited to about half the wing ribs and flaps with the exception of the spars which were pressed.

  Oct 04, 2023     Laser cut parts identification - (2 hours)       Category: Workshop

Reorganised the parts for the wing kit and set ordered replacements from the Vans portal, a relatively small number, mostly the flaps plus 10 pairs of wing ribs, still waiting for further information in regard the gas tanks, the flap and aft wing spars are not laser cut. I can make a start on the wings as there is quite a bit of work to do on the spars.

  Sep 27, 2023     Rudder pedal assembly - (1 hour)       Category: Fuse Fit Out

Finished building the two pairs of rudder pedals and test assembled them to the rudder bars, will paint them before I tighten everything up and install the brake cylinders. The pedals are very solid structures.

  Sep 25, 2023     Reorganisation of workspace - (2 hours)       Category: Workshop

While I wait on the replacement aft fuselage skin I'm reorganising my working area to take into account the size of the wings once I start on them and the fuselage and its rotisserie, its a bigger aircraft than I really thought, also sorting through and identifying laser cut parts so I can request replacements and documenting where all the parts are now that I have two, soon to be three kits under construction.

  Sep 16, 2023     Additional tools, 1/4 inch drill bits x 3 Category: Expenditure

Additional tools, 3 x 1/4 inch drills, can't find the one or two I had, will now locate them no doubt

  Sep 16, 2023     Fuselage fit out, Controls, parts preparation - (2 hours)       Category: Fuse Fit Out

First pair of rudder pedals assembled and parts for the second set deburred, final drilled and primed ready for assembly, quite a solid little structure.

  Sep 13, 2023     Fuselage fit out, Controls, parts preparation - (1 hour)       Category: Fuse Fit Out

While I wait for replacement aft fuselage skin am jumping forward and starting some of the internal fitout, have seperated out all the rudder pedal parts and started cleaning them up to build the two pairs. This is the first pedal ready to rivet together.

  Sep 09, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Inastalled left and right intercostal ribs and completed rivetting of the reinforcing gussets for the mid fuselage brace.

  Sep 03, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Fitted the mid fuselage brace and started rivetting in the supporting gussets, adds a lot of ridgidity to forward fuselage, its also where the rollover structure attaches. Still a bit of work and some tricky rivets to do.

  Aug 30, 2023     s29 - Forward fuselage parts - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Started assembly of the mid fuselage brace, fitted the seat back adjustment guides, working on the little plastic parts that screw to the top which are fabricated from a stip of stock material.

  Aug 24, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Parts preparation - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Cleaning up the parts for the mid-fuselage brace and seat back support, also part of the rollover structure.

  Aug 19, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Rivetted in the brace supports, twice because I had to remove and replace the first one because I derformed the rivet closest to the side. Gathered together and started working on the parts for the mid fuselage brace, part of the roll over cage structure.

  Aug 18, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Installed final wing fairing brackets and then fitted the nutplates, filled in further missing rivets on left hand side, not many left too do now.

  Aug 17, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Finished off the final rivets aft of the spar atachment and rivetted on the top fuselage wing fairing strips plus some tricky rivets, will fit the remaining nut plates next session once I have completed more of the fuselage skin forward of the spar.

  Aug 12, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Rivetting the left hand side skin working forward so that I can attach the wing fairing strips, I had left quite a few tricky rivets hence the time involved on this session but almost done aft of the spar. Pulled back the vinyl so I good scuff the skin to prime underneath the wing fairings.

  Aug 07, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Almost completed the rivetting on the starboard right side with only a handful of nasty rivets remaining, need a rivet buddy to do them and I'll get to the same stage on the other side then tackle them in a single session.

  Aug 03, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly, Remedial - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Had to remove the right side flap bracket to get out the cherry rivets that I put in without dimpling the wing fairing, a real pain. Flap bracket reattached and can now rerivet the wing fairing

  Jul 31, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Well that was a frustrating hour, started ok as I rechecked the instructions and then rivetted in the forward fairing, then dimpled the fairing strips ready for nutplates, for whatever reason you dimple after installing on the fuselage, then installed all bar one of the nutplates. However the two small cherry rivets, which are countersunk around the flap mounting bracket, holes weren't dimpled, but me being an idiot put the rivets in, then realised I would have to take the fairing strip off to dimple the two holes, not a biggie in the scheme of things but really a case when I did know better but went ahead and made a mistake anyway, maybe just for the heck of it, at least this week I have managed to do something....

  Jul 23, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Cleaned up the last two wing fairing angles and started fitting them to the right side of the fuselage, needed to fit a few last rivets before installing the first one. Had a workshop visit from members of local aeroclub and the local Sport Aviation chapter, temporarily attached two halves of fuselage and with wing spar alongside can see just how big aircraft will be.

  Jul 22, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Parts preparation - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Cleaning up and priming of the wing root fairing attachment angles

  Jul 20, 2023     Shipping - Wing & Fuselage Category: Expenditure

Mistake originally made with invoicing as international shipping company did not add on the cost to get the kits to port of Los Angeles so I owed a further $764 USD to Vans, finally paid. Needed to pay this prior to ordering the finish kit which I can hold off on as lead times only around 7 months and I don't need it anytime soon.

  Jul 20, 2023     Assembly, Aft Fuselage - (1.5 hours)       Category: Aft Fuselage

Completed the riveting of the left side fuselage skin to the aft fuselage, the replacement right side skin has not yet left the USA but it makes the aft fuselage easier to move around and stronger with the left skin fully attached, a bit tricky to rivet down around the curve onto the bottom skin but it looks ok.

  Jul 15, 2023     Assembly, Aft Fuselage - (1 hour)       Category: Aft Fuselage

Still waiting on the replacement right side skin for the aft fuselage but realised I could finish the attachment of the left side skin as I had only done the top and middle stiffners, I've put additional clecos in the right side although nothing is going to move while finishing thr attachment of the left side. I also lined up the aft fuselage with the front and got a bit of a shock as to how big the fuselage will be when joined, need to rethink where it will need to go while fitting out continues.

  Jul 07, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1 hour) Category: Fwd Fuselage

Left side flap bracket attached and some more of the increasingly tricky rivets set, having to be extra careful because of the limited time spent on the project lately to double check rivet sizes and to be certain which holes to leave open.

  Jul 01, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Back to work on the project after being away for almost two weeks and then needing to get other things organised. Doesn't look a whole lot different after 90 minutes of work as its about installing rivets, especially in the trickier places.

  Jun 26, 2023     Tools - 11/32 spanner Category: Tools

Necessary to tighten the locknuts on the firewall penetration assembly, I did have a socket that size but its not standard in most imperial spanner sets.

  Jun 03, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Almost done on the right side skin, flap bearing plate installed and only a handful of hard to reach rivets to go, will get to same stahe on the left side next then get some help.

  May 29, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Further rivetting of the left side skin to the stiffners and ribs, have completed most of the rear half, next step is to put fuel sealant on the firewall edge and top forward section before rest of rivets are set.

  May 28, 2023     S29 - Forward Fuselage, Assembly - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Fitted the two firewall penetration fittings into place with fuel tank sealant and sealed along the top and forward edge of the right side fuselage skin, clecoed into place while it cures, then will go back over and put last rivets in right side skin, have made a start on rivetting left side skin starting with the area above the spar carry through.