It's the LITTLE things.....
I am getting very close to final close-out of the airplane - hoping to start the engine within a week. So I figured it was finally time to rivet down the floors (no, I don't want to debate that....). They've been in place for at least six months, I just felt that there was no need to pop those rivets until the last minute. So today, I crawled in with the rivet puller, and after popping in the first of what will be many, I see these four holes that didn't look right. "Oh yeah, those are for the bottom flange of the rear side panels..."
Hmm...I haven't had those panels in place for a long time - finished and painted them, and threw them in storage. But how are they supposed to fasten to the floor? When I had them mounted, they were just clecoed...
Damn! I forgot the nut plates!!!
So...pull out the seat ramp, the removable floor, the flap motor, flap torque tube bearings, the rear seat vent closeout...then lever the floorboards out and install those little things I have grown to hate so much, then I can start to put it back together. I decided it was better to quit for the day...
Such a pleasant misery...all for eight nutplates....
Paul Dye
I am getting very close to final close-out of the airplane - hoping to start the engine within a week. So I figured it was finally time to rivet down the floors (no, I don't want to debate that....). They've been in place for at least six months, I just felt that there was no need to pop those rivets until the last minute. So today, I crawled in with the rivet puller, and after popping in the first of what will be many, I see these four holes that didn't look right. "Oh yeah, those are for the bottom flange of the rear side panels..."
Hmm...I haven't had those panels in place for a long time - finished and painted them, and threw them in storage. But how are they supposed to fasten to the floor? When I had them mounted, they were just clecoed...
Damn! I forgot the nut plates!!!
So...pull out the seat ramp, the removable floor, the flap motor, flap torque tube bearings, the rear seat vent closeout...then lever the floorboards out and install those little things I have grown to hate so much, then I can start to put it back together. I decided it was better to quit for the day...
Such a pleasant misery...all for eight nutplates....
Paul Dye
