Initial Prep (Debur, Trim, Drill, and Cut)
6/5/23 - 1.8h
6/8/23 - 0.6h
This is the final parts-preparation step for the ailerons. The first task is to lay the aileron top-side-up on the flat work table with the nose hanging over the edge and the aileron weighted down on the table to keep is straight. With the aileron in place, you use a straight-edge held spanwise midway between the leading edge and spar to check and correct any bowing. I used a 40” aluminum ruler, which did not show any appreciable bowing in either the left or right aileron.

The next task is to cleco the trailing edge wedge into place and mark the inboard and outboard edges even with the top of the ailerons. The wedges will be trimmed to length later in this step. The other item to take care of while the trailing edge wedges are in place is to final drill the holes common to the wedge and top and bottom skins. When building the flaps, the plans specified final drilling at an 84-degree angle to the top skin in order to drill perpendicular to the centerline of the wedge. Rather than trying to drill accurate angles with the wedges in the ailerons, I used a trailing edge wedge countersink jig to hold the wedge straight while I drilled perpendicular to the centerline. I then put the wedge in the aileron and did some “light” drilling perpendicular to the wedge centerline to finish the wedge and skins.

The aileron's were disassembled at this point to debur the holes and to cut the trailing edge wedge length. I deburred all of the parts (holes and edges) earlier, so this round of deburring was simply cleaning up the holes in the trailing edge as needed. I decided to leave the trailing edge wedge just a little long for now, and I'll file off any excess length after the aileron is assembled.
[Straight-Edge, Trailing Edge Countersink Jig ,Hole Deburring Tools, #40 Drill]

Final Prep (Dimple, Countersink, and Shape)
6/9/23 - 2.7h
6/10/23 - 1.7h
The plans specify putting an edge break in the trailing edges of the top and bottom aileron skins as well as the trailing edges of the nose skins. I did that in the previous step, so I went directly to dimpling the remaining holes, which went pretty quickly. Most of the skins were already dimpled prior to riveting the stiffeners. The C-Frame did a good job dimpling the leading and trailing edges of the skins.

I turned to the Pneumatic squeezer to dimple the spar flanges and nose skins. I used a reduced diameter dimple die in the squeezer to avoid damaging the curved surface of the nose skins and the flange bends in the spar. The forward two holes in the nose skin required a 4” yoke to reach. While that ultimately worked for me, a better approach in hindsight may have been to use a reduced diameter rivet-puller dimple die. Also note, the leading edge holes drilled for the aileron counterweight do not get dimpled. The pulled rivets for those holes are not flush.

The trailing edge wedges are countersunk to accept the dimples in the trailing edges of the aileron skins. Countersinking generally goes well when the pilot hole is deeper than the countersink, and can keep the countersink cutter from wandering. In the case of the trailing edge wedges, you have to countersink both sides of the wedge, which enlarges the hole slightly to make a countersink deep enough for the dimples. I discovered a technique to countersink trailing edge wedges while keeping the hole circular (no wandering). I cleco'd a second wedge facing the opposite direction to the wedge I was countersinking. The second wedge provided the pilot hole depth I needed for a non-wandering countersink, and the opposite direction orientation gave me a level surface to drill. I was really happy with the final result using this method - I wish I'd thought of it earlier!
[Edge Forming Tool (Vise Grip Style), 22” C-Frame with #40 Standard Diameter Dimple Dies, Pneumatic Squeezer with #40 Reduced Diameter Dimple Die, #40 Countersink Cutter]

Prime
6/10/23 - 0.6h
There was a little final priming to do after disassembling and deburring the ailerons. The inside of the nose skins and the spars were the last unprimed pieces for this step of the build. Note - the trailing edge wedges and the stainless steel counterweight tubes do not get primed.
[Grey Scotchbrite Pads, Bon-Ami Cleanser, Dupli-Color Degreaser, Rust-Oleum Automotive Self Etching Primer (Green – Rattle Can)]

Assemble
6/10/23 - 0.3h
Assembly for this step is pretty simple - rivet the doubler to the end of each spar. Each doubler uses two AN426AD3-5 flush-head rivets, which fit into the doubler holes that were countersunk earlier. I lightly clamped the spars to the work bench, elevated on wood paint-stirrer sticks to keep the flanges above the table to avoid damage to the spar. I left the doubler end of the spar hanging over the edge of the bench for access with the squeezer. After aligning the doubler and inserting both rivets, I used a clamp to hold the doubler tight to the spar while I set the first rivet. I then removed the clamp and set the second rivet.
[Hand Squeezer, Flat Squeezer Set]