Project: bbertsch   -  
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Builder Name:Brian Bertsch   -  
Project:   Vans - RV-14A   -   VIEW REPORTS
Total Hours:944.5
Start/Last Date:Oct 07, 2023 - No Finish Date
Engine:Lycoming IO-390-EXP119 Thunderbolt
Propeller:Hartzell 74
 
Friendly URL: https://eaabuilderslog.org?s=bbertsch

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May 19, 2024     13-03 ER 03 More match drilling and countersinking - (5 hours)       Category: Wings
Today I finished match drilling the #40 and #19 holes in the templates for the ER fuel tanks. After doing that, I started countersinking the holes in the spars for the nut plate rivets. HUNDREDS of holes to work on. Gonna take several days to complete.


 
May 18, 2024     13-02 and ER 2,3 Match drilling and starting ER tanks - (4 hours)       Category: Wings
Today I finished match drilling the J-Channels and started working on the Sky Designs Extended Range fuel tanks. With the ER tanks, you switch back and forth between the Vans plans and Sky Designs plans. It's very nerve wracking because I'm drilling new holes in the $4,200 (each) spars. Sure hope I don't make any mistakes!!!!


 
May 17, 2024     13-02 Drilling LOTS of holes for J channels - (4 hours)       Category: Wings
Long day today first cutting J Channels to length and then match drilling #40 holes into them through the spars. Many more hours yet to go on this part.


 
May 16, 2024     13-02 Inventory and starting the wings - (5.5 hours)       Category: Wings
Today Kellie and I inventoried the small parts bags. I didn't do this when the kit arrived last year. We found just a few missing screws/washers which I will order replacements for. I also took time this morning to organize the hangar. I moved the fuselage, re-arranged items on the shelves, moved empty crates outside, etc. After that I started the wings. All I did was cut four J-Channels but it's a start!


 
May 15, 2024     37-04,5,6,7,8 Installing the roll bar assembly - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I finished up assembling the roll bar and got it installed today. That wraps up the fuselage except for the brakes which are backordered.


 
May 14, 2024     37-03, 4 Continuing with the roll bar - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I continued working on the roll bar assembly today. It's much more work than I expected. Lots of match drilling, countersinking, deburring, riveting, etc. Vans didn't send enough 426AD4-5 rivets with the kit so I ran out and couldn't finish.


 
May 13, 2024     37-02,3 - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Starting the rollover bar. Short day because we ran errands.


 
May 12, 2024     36-16 Adjusting elevator travel - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I continued adjusting the elevator up/down travel limits. The MAX recommended is 30 up and 25 down. MIN is 25 up and 20 down. I'm currently at 28.5 up and 26.1 down. Not sure what to do about the "extra" 1.1 degrees of down travel. Pretty frustrating day because there are many ways to measure travel and my elevators aren't perfectly aligned with the horizontal stabilizer. One of the forward edges is slightly higher and one is slightly lower - by choice. When I drilled the hole for the elevator horn, I clamped the trailing edges of the elevators together so they would be straight.


 
May 11, 2024     36-15,16 Adjusting elevator travel and push rods - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I worked on adjusting elevator travel by trimming a piece at the rear of the plane. First I had to re-install the horizontal stabilizer and elevators. Max travel is listed as 30 up, 25 down. Mine is currently 27.5 up and 27 down. I will make further adjustments once I have the pushrods in place.


 
May 09, 2024     36-11,12,13 Control sticks - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I didn't get much done today. I fiddled around in the yard and then Mike and Kathy came to visit. But, I did start working on the control sticks and made some progress.


 
May 08, 2024     36-05,6,7,8,9,10 Working with the push rods and sticks. - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I slipped two of the push rods into position and bolted them in place. I also assembled the bellcrank assembly and started working on the control sticks. Really glad I have that washer tool that holds washers while trying to install them in tight places. Life saver.


 
May 07, 2024     36-02,3,4 Fabricating the control rods - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I fabricated the control rods. This involved drilling six #40 holes in the end of each rod. I used the jigs from Mountain High Aviation to get the holes lined up rather than the paper templates and they worked really well. I then inserted the caps and match drilled #30. Rather than trying to "spill" primer down into the tubes and then try to swirl it around I decided to spray Fluid Film into the tubes and then ream it out several times with a swab like a rifle barrel. This left a very thin film. To me this is a much better solution as the entire inside surface was evenly coated.


 
May 06, 2024     33-20 Canopy release and priming - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I installed the canopy release hardware and a bracket. The next step was the control rod tubes which needed to be primed so I gathered up the last bit of fuselage parts that needed priming and painted them.


 
May 05, 2024     35-15,16,17 Canopy release hardware - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent all day fabricating the canopy release rods and bushing. Not much to show for it but I'm glad I'm done.


 
May 04, 2024     35-12,13,14,15 Attaching the rear instrument panel - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I riveted nut plates to the rear instrument panel frame and then attached it to the upper forward fuselage. There were a lot of nut plates and also several stiffeners so it took a while. Pretty straightforward though. After that I started working on the gas struts and canopy release mechanism.


 
May 03, 2024     35-08,9,10,11 Front and rear deck plus a lot more - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I got a LOT accomplished today. I riveted the upper forward fuselage assembly to the firewall. I then move on to mixing tank sealant and sealing the fuel fitting and brake master cylinder to the firewall. After that I laid a bead of sealant along the upper sides of the fuselage where the decks meet. I then riveted the decks onto the upper longerons.


 
May 02, 2024     35-02,3,4,5,6,7 Assembling the upper forward fuselage - (6.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
A lot of frustrating riveting today. The upper forward fuselage includes a lot of ribs, stiffeners and brackets. There are a bunch of rivets that are difficult to set. I used all the tools I had to set them all. In the end everything turned out fine but it was time consuming work. Glad it's done!


 
May 01, 2024     35-18 More parts prep and priming - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started the day with a bunch of parts ready to prime from yesterday. After looking at what was hanging in the paint booth I decided to get a few more parts ready to prime. So, I spent a few hours prepping more parts. One thing I didn't like about the kit is the white rudder pedal brackets. Just don't like the look of them. So, I decided to scuff and prime them along with everything else. Once the primer is dry I will paint them satin black so they basically disappear under the panel. I have no idea if the paint will stick to the factory powder coating. If not, I'll take them to a powdercoater to strip them and re-powdercoat them satin black.


 
Apr 30, 2024     Parts prep - (6.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent all day today prepping parts for priming.


 
Apr 29, 2024     35-11 and prepping parts - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent most of the day prepping parts. After that I switched to match drilling the front and rear decks (upper "arm rests").


 
Apr 28, 2024     34-04,5 and 35-02,3 Flap motor installed and parts prep - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I got the flap motor installed today. After completing that step I move on to section 35 and started doing parts prep. That will take a few days.


 
Apr 27, 2024     34-02,3,4 Flap crank and torque arms - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today started out good. I got the flap crank and torque arms drilled. It was a little stressful trying to make sure I measured everything properly before drilling the holes but it turned out fine. After lunch things went downhill. The plans call for extending the shaft of the flap motor but there is no wiring diagram for the motor. I went to the flap motor manufacturers website. Nothing. I spent 3 hours trying to find wiring information with no luck. Entire afternoon wasted.


 
Apr 26, 2024     33-11 Routing and securing the rudder cables - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Since I don't have my Beringer brakes yet, I had to skip forward several pages in the plans. All I got done today was routing the rudder cables under the floors and then securing the plastic bushings with Adel clamps.


 
Apr 25, 2024     33-02, 3 Building the rudder pedals - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I finished riveting the baggage floors. I then prepped the parts for the rudder pedals and assembled them. They are very stout and turned out nice!


 
Apr 24, 2024     32-05,6,7,8 Finishing up the baggage floors and sides. Almost. - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Another productive day today. I continued with riveting the baggage floors into the baggage compartment. In addition, I riveted on the sides of the baggage compartment and the seat hinges. I only have a dozen rivets left to complete the job but my back hurt too much to continue.


 
Apr 23, 2024     32-05 Riveting on the baggage floor - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Very long day today riveting on the baggage floors. Lots and lots of rivets and nut plates. I should finish it up tomorrow. My back hurt too much to finish today.


 
Apr 22, 2024     Sky Designs in floor storage containers - (6.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent all day working on the Sky Designs in floor storage boxes. It was much more work than I expected and I'm not finished yet.


 
Apr 21, 2024     32-03,4 Starting on the baggage floors and sides - (6.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I got quite a bit done today. Started working on the baggage floors and sides. Parts prep. Cut a hinge into six pieces for the seats. Did some dimpling and countersinking. Ended the day by priming all the parts I worked on.


 
Apr 20, 2024     31-05, 8 Fuel lines and fuel selector valve - (2.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
We went to the EAA pancake breakfast today so that cut my work day short. I did manage to get the fuel lines and fuel selector valve installed and torqued.


 
Apr 19, 2024     32-02, 3 and 31-02, 5, 8 Flap bushings and fuel system - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started out today by fabricating the flap bushings. After that I started in on the fuel system. I got the Loctite 648 today and used it on the screws for the fuel selector valve. I then tweaked the rigid fuel lines going from the valve to the wings. What a royal pain trying to get them shaped properly.


 
Apr 18, 2024     31-02, 3 First day on the fuel system - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today was a frustrating day. To start with, the "instructions" that come with the Aircraft Specialty Flightlines fuel line kit are horrible. After struggling to figure out what I needed to do I learned I need some Loctite 648 for the screws on the fuel selector valve. I had to order that as none is available locally. I then started countersinking the three holes on the cover plate for the valve. The center of the cover plate is raised so the countersink cage doesn't work as normal. You have to use a workaround hack which I did NOT want to do but didn't have a good alternative. Long story but I ended up messing up one of the holes. It's just cosmetic but the fuel valve is right there for everybody to see. I contacted Andair to see if I can buy a replacement cover plate. After that I started dry fitting the fuel lines to the fuel pump. I unscrewed one of the caps on the fuel pump and oil started leaking out. Like a tablespoon. It made a mess. There is NO mention of this oil anywhere. I contacted AirFlow Performance and they said it's a preservative oil. By this time I was very frustrated so I called it a day early.


 
Apr 17, 2024     30-08 Two fuselage halves are now joined! - (10 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Big day today! Kellie and I set all the rivets that connect the front and rear halves of the fuselage. A big job with a lot of rivets. Really glad to have it joined since it's on the rotisserie. Next up is the fuel system!


 
Apr 16, 2024     30-06,7,8 LOTS of riveting - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent the day riveting the upper front and back parts of the fuselage together. There were a lot of very difficult rivets to set. Mainly because my bucking hand was "blind" as one hand was wrapped around the bulkhead and then inside the rear fuselage while the gun was in my other hand on the outside. I had to set the rivets by feel. Nothing new there but the awkward stance and long reach made it challenging. Overall, everything turned out OK. I think I'm about 1/3 done. Kellie will need to help with quite a few of the remaining rivets as they are on the bottom.


 
Apr 15, 2024     Rotisserie day! - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today Kellie, Derek and I put the fuselage on the rotisserie. It didn't go quite as planned. It's difficult to explain but basically if you drew a line through the front and rear engine stand pipes that are attached to the airplane, it's not a straight line. Soooooo, the engine stands don't sit level on the ground as assembled per the plans. We had to remove the front "legs" from both engine stands in order to get the fuselage to sit properly. The fuselage spins around fine. The engine stands are just missing the front support legs that would normally be used to balance the stand with an engine bolted to it.


 
Apr 14, 2024     30-04,5,6 Odds and ends before getting rotisserie ready - (6.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started the day by cleco'ing the skins together and riveting the shoulder attachments. I spent the rest of the day building the framework for using the rotisserie as well as assembling the two engine stands that will be used for the rotisserie.


 
Apr 13, 2024     29-20,21 and 30-02,3,4 The Big Join!!! - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started the day by finishing up some rivets on the upper gussets. I then moved on to dimpling then riveting nut plates on the three bulkhead pieces that join the aft and forward fuselage pieces. Once those housekeeping steps were completed, it was time for the Big Join. Kellie came out and helped me line up the front and rear fuselage sections. We got them joined and cleko'd up without much trouble. Pretty cool to have one big fuselage now!


 
Apr 12, 2024     29-20 Setting some of the most difficult rivets to date - (6.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today was a depressing day. There were a number of very difficult rivets to set for the gussets. They all turned out much better than expected but they were REALLY hard to set. There were two rivets (one on each side) that I have no clue how to set. I will likely use pulled rivets in those two places. After doing that, I primed some parts that will be used when I do the Big Join.


 
Apr 11, 2024     29-18,19 Finishing things up before the big join - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I got a lot done today. Final torqued some bolts, attached the wing fairing brackets to the side of the fuselage, worked on the seat back brace, etc.


 
Apr 10, 2024     29-16, 18 Finishing up the side skins - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today Kellie helped me rivet the side skins to the bottom skin. After that I started working on the wing root fairings. First I riveted on some nut plates. Then I did quite a bit of fluting to get them to lay flush against the skin and also get the holes to line up. I also attached some stiffeners to the spars and some additional nut plates to the bottom skin.


 
Apr 09, 2024     29-14, 15 More fuselage side skin riveting. When will it end?? - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Man, I didn't expect it to take this long to rivet on the side skins, stiffeners, etc. But, I made really good progress today. I'm basically done diverting things to the skins. Now I'm starting to rivet things inside the fuselage like the roll bar upper side structures.


 
Apr 08, 2024     29-17, 18, 19, 20 Prepping parts for priming - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent all day prepping parts for primer and finished the day by priming them.


 
Apr 07, 2024     29-14 Still riveting the side skins - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today was more of the same. Riveting the side skins onto the fuselage.


 
Apr 06, 2024     29-14 More and more riveting - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I did a bunch more riveting of the side skins onto the fuselage. The lower rivets around the spar were a pain. I had to get creative with improvised "bucking bars". Luckily the rivets turned out fine. I'm still not done. Probably two more days.


 
Apr 04, 2024     29-13, 14 attaching the right side skin - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I got a lot accomplished again today. I attached the right side skin and some stiffeners, etc. After that I applied tank sealant around the firewall and riveted the side skins around the firewall and upper longeron.


 
Apr 03, 2024     29-13, 14 Riveting on the left side skin - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I started riveting on the left side fuselage eskin and all the associated stiffeners. It's a very slow process because there are VERY specific call outs for different rivet types and sizes and you have to be REALLY careful to get it right. I also riveted on the JD Air latch brackets.


 
Apr 02, 2024     29-11,12 Riveting stuff to the fuselage side skins - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I got a lot accomplished today although it doesn't look like much. I riveted the upper drag fittings and side section plates to the side skins. I also attached a few stiffeners. I used my C-Frame for back riveting for the first time. The result were MUCH better than they would have been doing it free hand. It's not easy setting long AD4 rivets "manually". All the rivets turned out great and I didn't need to drill any out. I actually haven't needed to drill out a rivet in several weeks.


 
Apr 01, 2024     29-08,9 Drilling, dimpling countersinking - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Long but productive day today. I started by match drilling some holes through the right side skin. After that I dimpled the side skins. Finally, I machine countersunk a BUNCH of holes in the upper and lower longerons and side bracket.


 
Mar 31, 2024     JD Air latch part 3 and 29-08 Attaching sides - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I finished the JD Air canopy latch. I'm pleased with the results overall. After finishing that I went back to 29-08. This involved attaching the fuselage sides temporarily and match drilling a bunch of holes. I also match drilled holes in the cowling hinges.


 
Mar 30, 2024     JD Air canopy latch - part 2 - (3.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I fabricated two new canopy latch brackets from blank .063" 3/4' x 3/4" angle stock. They turned out better than I expected. After assembling the latch into the new brackets and measuring 30 times, I cut the two holes in the side skin of the fuselage for the latch. Again, that went better than I expected. I left pretty tight tolerances so I suspect once I match drill the holes in the brackets then cleco the assembly to the skin I'll need to fine tune the holes a bit. It wa sa good day but I think I over-did it again. It's been one week since surgery.


 
Mar 28, 2024     JD Air canopy latch - part 1 - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent the day doing the first round of work on the JD Air canopy latch. This involves creating a template that is used to later cut holes in the side skin and drill new holes for the lower bracket. It was a lot of work cutting the two holes in the template and then finishing them so they are juuuuust big enough for the latch and nothing more. Once I drilled the new rivet holes in the side skin I traced the outline of the holes I need to cut in the side skin from the template. The latch holes didn't line up the existing slits in the side skin way I was expecting. Since I've already match drilled holes through the template, latch brackets and side skin I'll need to fabricate new latch brackets to get the two main latch holes to line up with the bottom of the existing slits in the side skin.


 
Mar 27, 2024     29-03 Getting back to work after surgery - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today was the first day back in the hangar after having my gall bladder removed last week. I only worked for three hours. Didn't want to overdo it. All I really did was re-install and torque some of the bolts in the lower gear brackets and then drill out and replace three CherryMax rivets that didn't set flush. I'm still waiting on a replacement bolt from Vans to finish the lower gear bracket installation. That, along with the fact that tightening the larger bolts was putting too much strain on my abdomen had me call it a day early without finishing.


 
Mar 20, 2024     29-06,7,8 Riveting engine mount brackets to longerons - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I only worked three hours today but I was able to rivet the engine mount brackets to the upper and lower longerons.


 
Mar 19, 2024     29-05 Work on the control column - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Didn't get much done today because the primary job was slooooow. After riveting bearings onto the control column, I set about installing and shimming it. The shimming is what took forever (known issue). You have to add and remove thick and thin washers and shims to four areas. You add/remove washers then tighten the bolt down and check free play. Rinse and repeat. The goal is to remove lateral play but ensure there is no binding when moving the "stick" up and down. Most of the combinations I tried ended up with very slight binding. This wouldn't take long if you had easy access to the areas where you add the washers. But, there is VERY little room to work. In the end, after trying a gazillion combinations, I just had to remove one thin washer from one gap.


 
Mar 18, 2024     29-04 Attaching the two fuselage halves - (12 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Big day today. I was able to seal the three grommets through the firewall with tank sealant. After that Kellie and I went about riveting the two halves of the bottom fuselage together. Long day of riveting with a lot of different rivet sizes but all went well.


 
Mar 17, 2024     Parts prep and priming - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent the morning prepping parts for priming then primed them. LONG day.


 
Mar 16, 2024     OP-62-03 Drilling hole in firewall - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started the day by prepping a few parts for priming. I then moved on to drilling a large hole in the firewall for a grommet that is part of OP-62 (the EXP-119 engine mods). The step drill I bought for drilling this hole was pretty worthless for stainless steel. The step drill went off-center and didn't "cut" through. It "tore" through the firewall. What a mess. Luckily, the hole doesn't need to be perfect because it gets covered by the grommet cover plate. It's also sealed by tank sealant. Next time I need to drill a large hole in stainless steel I'll use a chassis punch that Dick recommended.


 
Mar 15, 2024     29-07,10 Hinges and more parts prep - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started the day match drilling holes through the longeron and a couple brackets. I then moved on to fabricating the hinges that will be used to hold the cowl on. That took a bit of effort because the plans were very vague. I spent a couple hours on what should have been a 15 minute job. But, I'm pretty sure I got them right. After that I was back to parts prep.


 
Mar 14, 2024     29-06. Prepping parts and bending longerons - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent the first several hours today going through the next dozen pages in the plans and pulling parts off the shelf. I started removing vinyl and prepping them. The first parts were the longerons. That took a while because you start by fabricating a couple blocks of wood that are used to hold the longeron in the vice while you impart a ten degree twist. It takes a LOT of twisting motion to impart ten degrees. Once the twisting is done you have to cleco a bracket on the end of the longeron and match drill a bunch of #30 holes.


 
Mar 13, 2024     29-03,4,5 Match drilling the drag bracket - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
It doesn't look like it but I actually got a lot done today. I started the day by bolting in the upper and lower drag brackets as well as the lower gear braces. After that I cleko'd in the side brackets and then match drilled into the upper drag bracket. Finished the day by final fitting the wood block I'll use to set the fuselage on it's side for riveting the two lower sections together.


 
Mar 12, 2024     29-04 All research, no work - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today was a wasted day - not much visible progress. I started by drilling three holes in the firewall for the grommet needed as part of OP-62. But, I had to order a larger step drill bit for the main center hole which is 1.125". Got that ordered. Next I started fabricating the wood support block used to attach to the spars so you can set the fuselage on its side. But, once again, I didn't have the right size drill bit (7/16"). Got that ordered. I then started working on the steel lower gear bracket that I re-primed yesterday. I got hung up trying to screw the elbow fitting in (too snug for my liking) so I posted a question on VAF asking which tap size I needed for that hole. That led me in a completely different direction because the response I got asked about Beringer brakes which use a different fitting. I am installing Beringer brakes so after hours more research I learned I needed to enlarge holes in both the spars and seat ribs in order for the Beringer brake lines to fit. Once again, I had to order yet another (3rd) step drill bit. This time with a 1/4" shank so I can use my right angle drill adapter to get access through the ribs. Sooo, I did about 30 minutes of actual work. The rest of the day was spent on the laptop researching.


 
Mar 11, 2024     29-03 Stupid plans anyway! - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Frustrating day today because of the plans. This is what the first step on page 29-03 says: "Mask off the forward and aft mating surfaces of the U-01402 Lower Gear Braces and prime. First, the plans VERY rarely suggest priming so even though I'm priming everything inside anyway, I pay attention when they mention priming. In this case, the diagram shows the parts in question oriented as they are installed (fore and aft). The front side attaches to a spar and the rear attaches to a bracket. After priming you bolt these parts in. I consider these two surfaces where the parts get bolted in the fore and aft mating surfaces. I think 95% of the public would as well. Nope! I checked the Wiki just to make sure (as I always do) and it had a comment calling into question what the fore and aft mating surfaces are that you don't prime. I ended up contacting Vans and sure enough, I skipped priming two surfaces that should have been primed and primed three surfaces that shouldn't have been. The picture attached here that shows the yellow surfaces are what you DON'T prime. They call those fore and aft! And BTW, nothing gets "mated" to those surfaces for dozens of pages. Anyway, all I got done today was removing the primer that shouldn't have been sprayed on and priming the sides that Vans says should be primed (which are the fore and aft sides that are mated to the fuselage!). While I was at it, I also primed a small section of one of the bottom fuselage skins where it overlaps the other bottom section. This is specifically called out in the plans. Basically I ended up priming both sides of part of the bottom skin. Oh, I almost forgot. I also removed the factory bracket that holds a 12v socket located between the seats and replaced it with the bracket that Classic Aero includes with their interior kit.


 
Mar 10, 2024     28-10, 11 and 29-02 Finishing the battery box and adding nut plates - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started the day by finishing the battery box and getting it riveted to the firewall. I then added doublers and lots of nut plates. After the nut plates were riveted on I connect the two forward sections of the fuselage with clecos. The last couple hours were spent researching the Wiki because the plans on page 29-02 are very confusing. It said to skip priming on the forward and aft mating surfaces of two parts but I'm not sure which mating surfaces it's referring to. Waiting to get clarification on that.


 
Mar 09, 2024     28-09,10,11 Battery box, warm air vents and more - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Started the day by working on the battery box. Deburred and countersunk holes. I ended up with two rivets on the bottom that I can't reach with any current tools. Hopefully the 12" back rivet set I have on order will work. I then moved on to the warm air vents. I spent a lot of time trimming the vent doors so they wouldn't rub on the sides of the vent assembly when opening and closing. I then added a small shim under the hinges so the vent doors would shut against the firewall with zero force. Prior to adding the shims it took some force to shut the vent doors completely. I then riveted the warm air vent assemblies to the firewall. I also dimpled a couple pieces of doublers in preparation for riveting tomorrow.


 
Mar 08, 2024     28-08 and OP-62 Attaching front bulkhead to firewall assembly - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I started attaching the front bulkhead assembly to the firewall assembly. This involved bolting and riveting ribs to a bracket on the firewall assembly and then riveting ribs to the lower fuselage skins. Kellie helped me with a few of the rivets.


 
Mar 07, 2024     OP-62 and 28-07,8 Riveting on nut plates - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Didn't get as much done today as I would have liked. It was an HOA work day. Once I was done hauling branches for the HOA I started working on OP-62 which is a new section of the plans for folks using the EXP-119 engines. It involves drilling out ten holes and adding nut plates where the muffler side panels meet the floor. You have to enlarge the existing #40 holes to #19 then cleco a nut plate on and drill the #40 holes on either side. After that you countersink the #40 holes flush with the bottom skin. I also did some misc riveting of parts and finished by riveting on the fuel selector bracket.


 
Mar 06, 2024     28-04,5,6,7 Lots of ProSeal and riveting on the firewall - (9 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today was a very long day. I'm on section 28. This section involves assembling various parts for the firewall and tunnel and requires ProSeal to seal many of the surfaces that get riveted together. It's VERY time consuming prepping the parts to try to prevent making a mess. I probably used 50 pairs of gloves today. Although very stressful, I'm pleased with the results. The secret is to mask off as much as you can to leave clean lines of sealant and also to use the recommended 1/16" bead of sealant. Happy to have today behind me!


 
Mar 05, 2024     28-04 Getting ready to add sealant to firewall pieces - (2.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Kellie and I went grocery shopping in the morning so it was a short day today. I basically just started getting things ready for assembling parts with tank sealant. There are several steps separated by several pages where tank sealant is used. I want to make sure I can assemble as many parts as possible using just a single tube of sealant so I'm getting everything staged. I did do a little bit of riveting and trimmed the heater vent doors so they fit better.


 
Mar 04, 2024     Page 28-02,3,4,8,9 Assembling parts while I wait for tank sealant - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
A good day doing small tasks. I started by riveting some stiffeners onto the floors. After that it was just assembling a bunch of small parts including the heating vents.


 
Mar 03, 2024     Miscellaneous stuff - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Didn't get much done today because Sean and I flew to Madras for donuts in the morning. It was GREAT getting back in the air and really nice of Sean to invite me. All I did on my airplane was print out the KAI OP-62 plans and modify four parts by trimming them shorter and then adding nut plates.


 
Mar 02, 2024     Parts prep and priming - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I scanned forward a couple dozen pages in the plans to identify parts that would be needed down the road. I then prepped and primed them. I'm waiting on some tank sealant and Bag 3062 to continue assembly. Bag 3062 was backordered when my fuselage kit shipped but it now shows in stock in the store. Rather than waiting who knows how long for Vans to ship the backordered bag, I just bought it from the store. Ninety bucks.


 
Mar 01, 2024     27-07 and 28-02,3,5 Cleaning up rivets and parts prep - (6.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started the day today by drilling out and replacing some rivets I didn't like in the firewall. The manufactured heads were perfect but the shop heads weren't so great. They met specs but didn't look good enough for me. I then moved on to dimpling the forward bottom skins and started doing parts prep. I plan to prime tomorrow so I'm prepping as many parts as I can for that.


 
Feb 29, 2024     27-05/6/7 Long day working on the forward firewall - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Man, today was a long, brutal day. Started out by using Proseal tank sealant to attach the three stainless steel firewall pieces to the upper support bracket. It turned out great but it was difficult setting up all the pieces so they were at the same height and lined up with each other. Once that was done I had to Proseal the center stainless steel section. After completing that it was time to rivet all the braces to the firewall. LOTS of rivets and all hand bucked. I needed another half hour to finish page 27-07 but threw in the towel at 4:30.


 
Feb 28, 2024     27-04/5/6 Riveting braces onto the firewall - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I back riveted the braces onto the firewall. It went better than I expected considering the length of the AD4 rivets used. After that I countersunk a bunch of holes in a brace that will connect the two sections of the firewall. I then dimpled holes in the top section of the firewall. I finished the day by preparing for tomorrow where I'll be using tank sealant in two different areas.


 
Feb 27, 2024     27-04 Dimpling and machine countersinking - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I spent three hours today just dimpling the two firewall pieces and machine countersinking parts that attach to it.


 
Feb 26, 2024     26-22 and 27-02/3/4 More assembly - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Another productive day. Started out by riveting side ribs to the fuselage floor. Kellie helped me with that. I then moved on to countersinking, dimpling and riveting parts. Ended the day by starting on the firewall. Cleaned up the main stainless steel parts and marked off areas that don't get dimpled.


 
Feb 25, 2024     26-20/21 Riveting ribs to bulkhead and bottom skin - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I got a lot done today. I riveted some parts to some baggage ribs and then added some nut plates. I then riveted the baggage ribs to the bulkhead and then to the fuselage floor. Kellie helped me again today. Things are moving along nicely!


 
Feb 24, 2024     25-05/6 and 26-18/19 Assembly day! - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I got a lot of work done today. I started by riveting and bolting ribs to the bulkhead. I then assembled a BUNCH of small parts that were later riveted to ribs. It's amazing how much work you can get done when you have primed parts ready to go!


 
Feb 23, 2024     Parts prep and priming - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
When I got my fuselage kit there was one bag backordered. In that bag is a part I need to continue building so I ordered it from Vans (it was in stock) and received it today. I took that part along with several dozen others and prepped and primed them. That should be enough parts to work through another 10 pages or so in the plans. I hope.


 
Feb 22, 2024     26-14/15/17 Riveting the seat ribs to the fuselage skin - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Got a lot done today! Kellie helped me rivet the seat ribs to the lower fuselage skin. After that I just did some odds and ends.


 
Feb 21, 2024     26-08, 09, 14 More assembly on the rear fuselage floor - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Made good progress today attaching floor ribs to the bulkhead and then attaching the bulkhead to the fuselage floor "pan".


 
Feb 20, 2024     26-11, 13 Riveting parts to the lower mid-fuselage bottom - (3.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today was an HOA work day so that interrupted my work a bit. But, I was able to make some progress assembling some parts and then riveting them to the lower fuselage skin.


 
Feb 19, 2024     26- various pages Jumping around in the plans - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I found several other parts that needed to be primed today and ended up doing two priming sessions. I was able to skip around and do odds and ends on multiple pages in section 26 while I wait for parts to dry. Did a bit of back riveting today as well.


 
Feb 18, 2024     26-04,05,06,07 Lots of riveting and assembly - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I accomplished a lot today. I riveted on a bunch of nut plates and other small pieces to the seat ribs. I then bolted and riveted the seat ribs to the bulkhead. I finished the day by priming 5 small parts.


 
Feb 17, 2024     23-02/3/4/5 and 26-02 Lots of riveting today! - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I made some good progress today. I assembled a number of parts, riveted on a bunch of nut plates, etc. I didn't have any trouble with the bearings getting jammed in the bearing brackets as many have reported. They move freely. Good day!


 
Feb 16, 2024     25-02 Finally get to assemble some parts! - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Kellie and I spent the morning assembling two new storage shelves and cutting out carpet to place on said shelves. After that I started assembling some of the parts I spent a week preparing. The plans were a little vague in several places so it took longer than I would have liked but I did make some progress today.


 
Feb 15, 2024     Priming day! - (4 hours) Category: Fuselage
Spent the day priming parts. There were more than I expected.
 
Feb 14, 2024     26-12 More parts prep - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Today I continued to prepare parts. I got my replacement parts from Vans and correctly countersunk the holes this time. More cutting, dimpling, match drilling, etc. Tomorrow is a big priming day.


 
Feb 13, 2024     26-10,11 Prepping parts and lots of dimpling! - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Long day today prepping parts. I started by cutting out the rectangular hole in the bottom of the fuselage that the Maine gear go through. After that I did some countersinking and match drilling some holes. I finished the day by spending an hour dimpling the main bottom fuselage piece.


 
Feb 12, 2024     26-05, 06, 08, 09,10 Prepping parts - cont... - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
More boring parts prep work today.


 
Feb 11, 2024     26-03, 04 Preparing parts - (3.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Boooring day preparing parts. Separate, debur, dimple, etc


 
Feb 10, 2024     25-05, 26-02, 03 More parts prep - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I decided to move the metal working equipment to the far side of the hangar today. I'm also going to relocate the air compressor over there. I'd prefer to have the metal shavings and dust over there. It will also be a little quieter when the compressor cycles. After doing that bit of reorganization I did some more countersinking on the forward bulkhead. I then went back to parts prep. Removing blue vinyl, deburring the edges, etc. My least favorite part of the build.


 
Feb 09, 2024     25-04 and 05 Preparing parts - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Slow day today. I started out by double checking the jam nuts on the rod end bearings of the control surfaces to make sure they were tight. I then added torque seal to them. After that I went back to page 25-05 and 06. Separating parts, deburring, dimpling, countersinking, etc.


 
Feb 08, 2024     25-03 Countersinking mistake - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
I started the day today working with the aft center section bulkhead. Did some countersinking and riveted on some nut plates. Easy-peasy. I then started working on the bearing bracket assemblies and to make a loooong story short - I screwed up. I countersunk some holes that I wasn't supposed to. The parts weren't even primed yet and only cost $25 to replace so it's no big deal. But, it's still a bummer!


 
Feb 07, 2024     25-02 Starting the fuselage! - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
After wrapping up the empennage kit this morning I switched over to starting the fuselage kit! It's been a while but the work involved removing blue vinyl, deburring, separating parts, dimpling, etc.


 
Feb 07, 2024     Section 12 - wrapping up - (1.5 hours)       Category: Empennage
I started the day by sanding a little more off the edges of all the fairings to increase the gap. After doing that I removed all the control surfaces from the aft fuselage. Doesn't look like an airplane any more. But, I'm done working on the empennage kit! Took exactly four months (Oct 7th, 2023 - February 7th, 2024.


 
Feb 06, 2024     Section 12 - 8 and 9 Empennage gap covers - (5 hours)       Category: Empennage
Today I finished trimming and fitting the vertical stabilizer tip fairing. The gap is tighter than it should be but I did that with all the fairings so the painter can fine tune them. I'd rather remove a little material than have to add it back. After completing that I moved on to the empennage gap covers. I was a little intimidated at first after looking at the bends I needed to make but it was easier than I expected and they both turned out great. Finally, I attached the elevators to the elevator horn. Up and down movement is 25 degrees. I'd like to get 30 degrees up so I'll be filing away that rear bracket like Craig did later in the build. That completes the empennage kit because all that is left is the empennage fairing but that's included in the finishing kit which I don't have.


 
Feb 05, 2024     Section 12-7 Continuing with the VS tip fairing - (2 hours)       Category: Empennage
Today I trimmed the layup I made last night so it fit on the VS fairing. I then epoxied that piece in place and secured it with tape as shown in the photo. I then waited six hours and added two layers of fiberglass inside the fairing - just like I did with the HS fairings.


 
Feb 04, 2024     Section 12-6 and 7 Seeing the end of the fairing tunnel - (4 hours)       Category: Empennage
I actually got a lot accomplished today. I did the final finishing and fitting of the HS tip fairings. The "bow" I put into the "layup cap" worked great. The elevators sweep through the tip fairings with just enough clearance. It's actually a little tight but that is what I was shooting for as I can trim it down later. I then moved on to the VS tip fairing. I got it trimmed and fit in record time (for me). I then dimpled the skins of the VS to accept the fairing tip. After that I laid up the fiberglass cap that will be epoxied into the opening in the VS tip fairing. This time rather than creating a mold in foam like I did for the HS fairings, I bent a sheet of aluminum and laid the glass onto the sheet of aluminum. The purpose of the bend is to create a concave surface in the fiberglass cap so the rudder can sweep through the opening. I left the blue vinyl on the aluminum to act as a release agent. I'll find out if this new scheme worked tomorrow.


 
Feb 03, 2024     Section 12-6 HS tip fairings - continued - (2 hours)       Category: Empennage
Today I removed the HS tip fairings that I worked on yesterday. The layup that I epoxied in yesterday sat perfectly flush around the edges on both of them so I'm really happy with how that turned out. But, the right one rubs slightly on the elevator. Today was the step in the plans where you add flox around the interior seam and then add a layer of fiberglass inside that extends up the sides by 1/2". I did that and while it cures, I put some Kleenex's under it then some boards on top to kind of force a convex shape into it. I doubt if it will be enough to clear the elevator but it didn't hurt to try. If that doesn't work, I'll need to sand off a bunch of material to get some clearance. I also sanded off the micro today that I added to the tips of the elevator fairings to give them a better fit.


 


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