After a nearly two hear hiatus from building, I got back into the shop a few months ago. I had been working and living about 40 mins away from the project, so it fell by the waysides. I quit my job so I could work full time on the plane!
Actually, I quit so I could first spent 5 months riding my motorcycle around the country and Canada! This picture from a campground from Sampson State park in New York seems fitting seems fitting:
And now that I'm back I've been able to build almost full time. I spent quite a while getting back into things--read: making mistakes, finding lost parts, etc. I'm back in the groove now and kicking butt.
What I've got done:
Blurry cellphone pictures of progress:
First I finished sealing the tanks.
But only after find a few leaks in the baffle area. Dang it! I opened one up, And the other was fixed easily with loctite.
I finished the leading edges and installed them.
I worked on the ailerons while waiting for my friends and dad to help rivet the top skins
Riveted the top skins. I found the offset back rivet tool worked fine. I'd say we messed up on about 1/100 or so rivets, which meant drilling out only a handful. We got better as we went along.
And lastly I finished the flaps:
All done:
Now I'd better find an EAA tech counselor to inspect my work. Anyone in the Bay Area?
Actually, I quit so I could first spent 5 months riding my motorcycle around the country and Canada! This picture from a campground from Sampson State park in New York seems fitting seems fitting:
And now that I'm back I've been able to build almost full time. I spent quite a while getting back into things--read: making mistakes, finding lost parts, etc. I'm back in the groove now and kicking butt.
What I've got done:
- Sealed both tanks. Maybe because I left the project in the middle of the tanks, and picked things up there, I've had nothing but little issues with them. I bought new proseal and did the baffles, only to find leaks. After drilling one and loctiting the other, I still had leaks in the BNC. I replaced those with the sealed kind. I ended up using fuellube on the cork gaskets so I can get back in there at some point. I may proseal them way down the line.
- Wings. Installed the leading edges. Finished my landing light mounts. Dimpled and installed top skins. Almost done!
- Ailerons and Flaps. Completed both the flaps and ailerons! The flaps really were as easy as Vans says. The ailerons I may have messed up when I folded the trailing edge. One is perfect. One is twisted about 1/8 to 3/16s. Waiting to hear from Vans if that will be ok.
Blurry cellphone pictures of progress:
First I finished sealing the tanks.
But only after find a few leaks in the baffle area. Dang it! I opened one up, And the other was fixed easily with loctite.
I finished the leading edges and installed them.
I worked on the ailerons while waiting for my friends and dad to help rivet the top skins
Riveted the top skins. I found the offset back rivet tool worked fine. I'd say we messed up on about 1/100 or so rivets, which meant drilling out only a handful. We got better as we went along.
And lastly I finished the flaps:
All done:
Now I'd better find an EAA tech counselor to inspect my work. Anyone in the Bay Area?
