I spent about two hours on Sunday getting the trailing edge skins ready on the right wing. They are all ready to be drilled.

This week will be light on the building. More to follow.

Project Status:
Wings: ~89h ( 1h, 1h, 0.5h, 2.5h, 4h, 1h, 1.5h, 1h, 1.5, 4.5, 1h, 1h, 2h, 4h, 1h, 3h, 1h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1h, .5h, .5h, 2h,3h, 1h, 3h, 3h, 4h, 2h, 3h, 7h, 3h, 1h, 4h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 4h, 2h )
Flaperons: ( DONE! ) 23.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 1.5h, 3h, 6h, 3h, 4h, 1h )
Paint Design: 2 hours spent ( 1h, 1h )
Elevator DONE!: ~31.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h, 6h )
Horizontal Stabilizer DONE!: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder DONE!, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~192.5 hours

It took me an hour on Thursday to cleco the left wing skeleton back into one piece. Then I went flying for a couple of hours...

Friday we spent about four hours getting both the top and bottom skins into place and drilled. I learned my lesson this time and only drilled a few holes into the spar on the top skin. The bottom skin also only has a few holes drilled into the spar, although it did not cause any problems last time.

The left wing went much faster and we had a much easier time getting the flange lines into place.

Thursday I did another cross country in a Super Cub, this time to Whatcom lake and Lake Cavanaugh near the Canadian border.



Project Status:
Wings: ~87h ( 1h, 1h, 0.5h, 2.5h, 4h, 1h, 1.5h, 1h, 1.5, 4.5, 1h, 1h, 2h, 4h, 1h, 3h, 1h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1h, .5h, .5h, 2h,3h, 1h, 3h, 3h, 4h, 2h, 3h, 7h, 3h, 1h, 4h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 4h )
Flaperons: ( DONE! ) 23.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 1.5h, 3h, 6h, 3h, 4h, 1h )
Paint Design: 2 hours spent ( 1h, 1h )
Elevator DONE!: ~31.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h, 6h )
Horizontal Stabilizer DONE!: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder DONE!, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~190.5 hours

I once again spent my afternoon in a Super Cub... with an 84" prop.

We had lunch at Lake Wynooche in the Olympic Mountains while talking shop in a way that satisfied my BFR.

Is there a better way of spending the day?



In project news I have the nose skin now in place. Only a few of the holes for the slat support and the spar extension need to be placed.

Those fuel tanks are just around the corner!

I spent about an hour Tuesday morning struggling with the nose skin, only succeeding in giving it more "smilies". I ended up calling Zenith and realized that I needed to use a loop strap that wrapped around the wing.

Later in the afternoon I made a trip to Home Depot for new straps. I placed some wood up against the flaperon brackets to protect the trailing edge and everything worked well. I slipped the nose skin underneath the top skin and have had good success with the existing spar holes. I am simply using low speed on the drill and stopping as soon as I feel the nose skin being penetrated. I then inserted a cleco and searched for the existing spar hole.

My after noon was spent with a Cub Crafters Top Cub on the Snohomish River. Today I have a couple of hours and am going to take care of that pesky BFR.




Step Taxi near the 522 bridge





Taking off





Project Status:
Wings: ~82h ( 1h, 1h, 0.5h, 2.5h, 4h, 1h, 1.5h, 1h, 1.5, 4.5, 1h, 1h, 2h, 4h, 1h, 3h, 1h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1h, .5h, .5h, 2h,3h, 1h, 3h, 3h, 4h, 2h, 3h, 7h, 3h, 1h, 4h, 1h, 1h )
Flaperons: ( DONE! ) 23.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 1.5h, 3h, 6h, 3h, 4h, 1h )
Paint Design: 2 hours spent ( 1h, 1h )
Elevator DONE!: ~31.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h, 6h )
Horizontal Stabilizer DONE!: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder DONE!, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~185.5 hours

Some photos from Paine Field's General Aviation day that was held on Saturday the 19th.

It took one hour to get the jury strut attachment ( 7v10-4SP ) points into place. The plans were a little hard to read, and the presence of predrilled holes further exacerbated the issue. A partial solution for both the front and rear was to drill the middle hole and then cleco it onto the wing. The foreward support then needed to be removed, the nose rib moved into place and then drilled to the skin in two places. Then the cleco that should hold the jury strut had to be removed, the jury strut attachment replaced and then back drilled into from the rib side.

It took four hours to rivet the remaining skeleton and bottom skin. A few A4s were accidentally put where A5s should go, so I had to drill those out.

Currently the nose skin is clecoed to the skeleton. Strapping the nose skin is always the hardest part. To complicate matters I already drilled through the pre-drilled top skin into the rib. To work around this I will drill the skin to the nose ribs first THEN slip the nose skin under the top skin, then mark where a few holes are supposed to go. I will then slip out the skin, drill those few marked holes with an A4 bit, slip the skin back under and cleco the top skin back onto the spar through those holes. Once that is done all the holes on the top skin should align with the existing holes in the spar and the nose skin can be pilot drilled. Once the nose skin is pilot drilled, I will then slip the skin out and place the nose skin over top the top skin. To help I used the edge distance tool to mark where the nose skin should reach.

Project Status:
Wings: ~80h ( 1h, 1h, 0.5h, 2.5h, 4h, 1h, 1.5h, 1h, 1.5, 4.5, 1h, 1h, 2h, 4h, 1h, 3h, 1h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1h, .5h, .5h, 2h,3h, 1h, 3h, 3h, 4h, 2h, 3h, 7h, 3h, 1h, 4h )
Flaperons: ( DONE! ) 23.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 1.5h, 3h, 6h, 3h, 4h, 1h )
Paint Design: 2 hours spent ( 1h, 1h )
Elevator DONE!: ~31.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h, 6h )
Horizontal Stabilizer DONE!: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder DONE!, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~183.5 hours

I did my first building since our vacation and recovering from the food poisoning associated with said vacation...

It took three hours to put the wing skeleton back together and rivet the rear channel and the fuel tank channel.

Part of the time was spent drilling out rivets due to some thoughtlessness on the rivet order. Here is what I learned:

• Rivet the rear channel and their angles first.
• Rivet the (L) angle to the fuel tank channel second.
• Rivet the Fuel tank channel to the ribs before riveting the rear wing channels to the ribs. This allows easier access on the inboard side with a pneumatic gun.
• Rivet the flaperon support brackets before riveting the wing channels.
• With the wing right side up, rivet the rear channel to the ribs from the outboard working your way inboard. Have the inboard piece of the channel you are riveting disconnected so you can push the nose of the gun inside. Use a hand riveter with a swivel head to get the heavy channel that has the strut support.
• Have someone else help you so you don't have to put down the rivet gun!
  

Project Status:
Wings: ~75h ( 1h, 1h, 0.5h, 2.5h, 4h, 1h, 1.5h, 1h, 1.5, 4.5, 1h, 1h, 2h, 4h, 1h, 3h, 1h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1h, .5h, .5h, 2h,3h, 1h, 3h, 3h, 4h, 2h, 3h, 7h, 3h )
Flaperons: ( DONE! ) 23.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 1.5h, 3h, 6h, 3h, 4h, 1h )
Paint Design: 2 hours spent ( 1h, 1h )
Elevator DONE!: ~31.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h, 6h )
Horizontal Stabilizer DONE!: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder DONE!, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~178.5 hours

Seven hours of deburring, disassembly and chromating. The wing is still in pieces. Lets hope I can put it back together again when I return from vacation.

In other news I splurged and flew a Cirrus for the first time. One point seven in an SR-20.

Project Status:
Wings: ~72h ( 1h, 1h, 0.5h, 2.5h, 4h, 1h, 1.5h, 1h, 1.5, 4.5, 1h, 1h, 2h, 4h, 1h, 3h, 1h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1h, .5h, .5h, 2h,3h, 1h, 3h, 3h, 4h, 2h, 3h, 7h )
Flaperons: ( DONE! ) 23.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 1.5h, 3h, 6h, 3h, 4h, 1h )
Paint Design: 2 hours spent ( 1h, 1h )
Elevator DONE!: ~31.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h, 6h )
Horizontal Stabilizer DONE!: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder DONE!, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~175.5 hours

We spent two hours Friday morning fabricating the flaperon supports and then drilling them into place. An easy job, but it takes a large amount of un-clecoing and re-clecoing. You also have to be careful about protecting the skin.

Saturday night we spent about 3 hours. I went back and drilled out all the A3 holes on the skeleton to A4s and A5s. There are still a few places that need to be enlarged but the skin must be removed to reach those ( all on the rear channel ).

It took a long time to change to color of the skin clecos. Only the bottom skin was drilled out, but it was a long process. We also cleaned the garage out.

Project Status:
Wings: ~65h ( 1h, 1h, 0.5h, 2.5h, 4h, 1h, 1.5h, 1h, 1.5, 4.5, 1h, 1h, 2h, 4h, 1h, 3h, 1h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1h, .5h, .5h, 2h,3h, 1h, 3h, 3h, 4h, 2h, 3h )
Flaperons: ( DONE! ) 23.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1h, 1h, 1h, 1.5h, 3h, 6h, 3h, 4h, 1h )
Paint Design: 2 hours spent ( 1h, 1h )
Elevator DONE!: ~31.5 hours spent ( 3h, 1.5h, 3h, .5h, 3.5h, 2h, 4h, 1.5h, 2h, 4.5h, 1h, 6h )
Horizontal Stabilizer DONE!: ~28 hours spent, 3 pieces replaced ( 3h, 2h, 2h, 2h, .5h, 1.5h, 3.5h, 1.5h, 5, 4.5, 2h, .5h )
Rudder DONE!, minus horn : ~16 hours spent, ( ~8h, ~8h )
-----------------------
Total Done: ~168.5 hours