Archive for category Main Structure
Wings Complete!!! (12/4/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Ailerons, Construction, Flaps, Main Structure, Wings on December 4, 2011
2.3 Hours -
The wings are now completely finished!!! That’s not even one of my usual ”finished except for…” lead-ins. They are now going to sit as they are until it’s time to mate them to the fuselage. Speaking of the fuse, I received a shipment notice/tracking number from Van’s, and the fuselage is scheduled to be delivered by ABF on 12/7/11. Great timing!
The fuselage is on its way! If all goes well, deliver should be in three days.
The work I did today to finish the wings was pretty easy. The first thing I did was to reinstall the left aileron on the wing. To make this a little easier, I decided to install the push-rod on the aileron while the aileron was sitting on a work bench. Once the push-rod was attached, I could insert it into the aft end of the wing before positioning the aileron on its brackets. Once the aileron was positioned, it took a little time to get all the washer/spacers into the correct positions, and I also had to remake one spacer (the original was too short and I didn’t catch it before), but I eventually got everything connected.
I forgot to mention a new tool previously, but I did spend $30 to get a set of washer wrenches from Avery Tools. They seemed a little expensive for what they are, but they really do make washer insertion much easier. In my opinion, they pretty much paid for themselves during aileron installation.
The Avery washer wrench set has a total of four wrenches like this one. Each wrench holds two different sizes of washers.
Next, I riveted the pitot mast to the left wing. The mast attaches with only 5 rivets, but I managed to screw up one of those. I had been doing great with my riveting, with almost no re-dos on the bottom skins, so I guess I was due. In addition, as I was working on the mast, I had my first broken cleco. The cleco wouldn’t stay in the wing. When I checked it, I found that one of the small “dogs” had broken off. Unfortunately, this is an unfixable issue. However, this little cleco had seen a lot of use…you can still see some of the tank sealant on it from when it was used on the fuel tanks.
This cleco gave its life for the cause.
Once the mast was riveted, I routed the pitot/AOA tubing through the wing. For now, I have it running under the bellcrank. It looks like it should be fine, but I may decide to anchor it to the spar sometime down the road.
For now, the pitot/AOA tubing is routed under the bellcrank. I may clamp it to the spar sometime in the future.
The pitot mast with the pitot/AOA tubing protruding.
With the tubing in the wing, I decided to go ahead and install the pitot/AOA tube as well. This was just a matter of pushing the two tubes into the fittings, and then using four #6 screws to attach the pitot tube to the mast. I had purchased a cheap pitot tube cover, but it is about an inch too short for the Dynon pitot/AOA. It will function OK for keeping the pitot tube clean in the garage, but I’ll have to buy or make something else once the plane is ready to fly.
The installed pitot/AOA tube...hopefully, there's no leaks!
My cheapo pitot cover is a bit small. I'll have to buy a different one or maybe make one. Of course, the old rubber chicken is always an option!
Next, I reinstalled the flaps on both wings. With the wings in the cradle, installation of the hinge pins is a bit tricky, so I don’t have them in all the way yet. I really hope they are easier to install once the wings are on the plane!
The last thing I did was to install the access cover plates on the left wing. With the covers in place, there was nothing left to do with the wings but try to find a good place for storing them in the garage while the fuselage is built.
Wings...DONE!!!
Right Wing Finished (12/3/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Main Structure, Wings on December 3, 2011
2.3 Hours -
Finally, it’s time to put the wings back together, finish up a few small tasks, and get them situated for storage during fuselage construction.
Today, I started by reinstalling the aileron on the right wing. Since I hadn’t yet tightened down the jam nuts, I was sure that I had altered the smaller pushrod’s length. So, once the aileron was installed, I used the bellcrank jig to lock the bellcrank into the neutral position, and then I checked the position of the aileron. As expected, it was slightly off. However, this was fixed with a couple twists of one of the rod end bearings. Once I was happy with the positioning of the aileron, I went ahead and tightened down the jam nuts.
After the aileron was re-installed, I finished riveting the outboard bottom skin. I only had a dozen or so rivets that I couldn’t reach when the wing was on the table, but these were pretty easy to get to with the wing back in the cradle.
Finally, with the riveting completed, I installed the remaining access hole covers. Even though I’ll probably have to take the covers off again, I figured it would be better to store them on the wing than under a bench.
I also left the flap off for now, but only because leaving it off allows me better access to the aileron hinges on the left wing. Once the left aileron is re-installed, I’ll put the flaps back on.
The right wing is completely done (except for reinstalling the flap, but that will only take a couple of minutes)!
Wings Done…Almost (12/2/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Main Structure, Wings on December 2, 2011
1.2 Hours -
No pictures again today, but I finished all but five rivets in the left wing. The 5 remaining rivets are for the pitot mast, and I think they’ll be a little easier to get to with the wing back in the cradle.
I still need to get a few rivets on right wing as well, but it is in a spot that doesn’t get much light once the sun goes down. So, they’ll have to wait until tomorrow.
More Left Bottom Skin Riveting (11/30/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Main Structure, Wings on November 30, 2011
1.7 Hours -
Same as the last couple of sessions…more bottom wing skin riveting. After tonight’s work, I only have 89 rivets remaining in the left wing!
Here you can see how I used a rope to "prop-up" the skin allowing room for me to reach in with the bucking bar.
Only two rows of rivets to go and then the wings are done!
Left Bottom Wing Skin Riveting Continued (11/29/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Main Structure, Wings on November 29, 2011
1.0 Hours -
Yesterday, Amber, once again, helped me rearrange the wings so that I could continue riveting the outboard bottom skins. The right wing went back into the cradle and the left to the table.
Tonight, I was able to get an hour of work in on the plane. In that hour, I managed to set 71 rivets in the left wing’s outboard bottom skin. My riveting was going really well, so I decided to quit while I was ahead (no new dings in the skin). With 71 rivets set today, I still have 212 to go before the wings are done.
Finished Riveting Right Wing! (11/27/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Main Structure, Wings on November 27, 2011
2.8 Hours -
With delivery of my fuselage kit only a week away, I finished riveting right bottom outboard skin. unfortunately, I still have the left wing to finish!
I was close to the halfway point on the right wing after my last session, and riveting was getting easier as I moved further outboard, so today’s riveting went fairly quick. I do still have to set the inboard most row of rivets on the right wing, but that will be easy once the wing is moved back into the cradle.
The right bottom outboard skin is riveted. The inboard most row will get finished once the wing is moved back to the cradle.
There are a few dings, but, overall, my riveting was OK.
Outboard Bottom Skin Riveting Started (11/25/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Main Structure, Wings on November 25, 2011
3.0 Hours -
No pictures today, but I finally started riveting the bottom outboard wing skins.
With the left wing in the cradle, I was able to complete the inboard most row of rivets. However, I couldn’t get the skin pulled away the way I wanted for riveting the rest of the skin, so I decided to move on to the right wing, which was laying on a table.
On the right wing, I couldn’t reach the majority of the inboard most row, but since there is an access hole for these, I just left them clecoed for now and started working on the rest of the wing. When the wing is back in the cradle, I’ll be able to finish the inboard row. Starting inboard and working out, I pulled the skin away as much as I could, and lowered it as I progressed outboard.
Since it took me a while to figure out how to reach some of the rivets, I spent almost three hours to get three rows of rivets done. I decided this was enough for one night.
Left Landing/Taxi Light Started (10/23/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Leading Edges, Main Structure, Wings on October 23, 2011
3.2 Hours -
Today, I wanted to start riveting the outboard bottom skins on the wings, but I didn’t get very far. I rigged some rope to the ceiling and the outboard end of the skin, allowing me to lift the skin for riveting access, but I still couldn’t reach the first few rivets. Because of the orientation of the rib flange where the two skins overlap, it is a difficult stretch to get to the first few rivets along the aft spar. If the wing were lower (maybe even on the floor), I could probably reach by laying on it. However, I decided the best option will be to move the wing back to the cradle for at least the first bit of riveting since I know I can reach the aft spar through the access hole. Depending on how it goes, I may or may not move it back to the table to finish.
Using a piece of rope, I lifted the outboard end of the wing skin to allow access for riveting.
Another view of the lifted wing skin. No matter what I tried, I couldn't reach the first few rivets. However, I should be able to reach them if the wing is back in the cradle.
Since the wing was already on the table, I decided to start working on the leading edge landing/taxi light. I originally planned on using the Van’s wingtip landing lights, but I had to change this plan once I decided to make my own nav/strobe lights. Because of this change, I decided to go with the Duckworks leading edge lights. The 55W rectangular original light to be specific.
The Duckworks lights are auto headlights that have been modified a bit and bundled with a mounting kit specific to RVs. Duckworks also provides all installation hardware, some nice instructions (with pictures), and CAD templates. The lights will be positioned in the outboard bay of the wing’s leading edge, with one light in each wing.
The first step for installing the light is to mark the location of the hole that will be made in the leading edge of the wing. A CAD template is provided along with measurements for positioning the template. Once positioned, you just trace the cutout onto the wing.
A template is taped to the leading edge in order to trace the landing light cutout.
The landing light hole is marked. I sure hope I have the positioning correct before puncturing my beautiful leading edge!
After checking the positioning of the cutout multiple times, I mustered the courage to start cutting a hole in my pristine leading edge. I drilled a few pilot holes, then went at the corners with a large unibit. Finally, I used a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to finish the cut.
No turning back now...I started cutting the hole with a unibit in the corners.
The hole was finished using a cutoff disk in my Dremel. The initial cut is pretty rough.
The initial cut was pretty rough around the edges, so I used a combination of tools to finish it. A 2″ Scotchbrite wheel in a die grinder, maroon and gray Scotchbrite pads, some emery cloth, and 30 minutes of time, left me with a great looking cutout in the leading edge. I don’t think this could have turned out any better than it did…what a relief!
A combination of tools were used to finish the hole. After about 30 minutes of finishing, I was very happy with the result.
With the big hole finished. The next step is to drill the screw holes for the lens retainer brackets. Both the leading edge template and the brackets are used to position these holes. Only the screw holes are drilled into the leading edge, and they are left at #40 for now. Eventually, they will be enlarged for #6 screws.
The retainer clips and leading edge template are used as guides for drilling the lens screw holes. These are left at #40 for now.
Next, two nutplates have to be installed in each of the two outboard leading edge ribs. Duckworks provides another template for marking the locations of the nutplates in the ribs. Once the locations are marked, it’s a simple matter of drilling and installing the nutplates with pop-rivets.
Another template is provided to mark the location of two nutplates in each of the two outboard leading edge ribs.
Nutplate holes drilled (identical holes on the next inboard rib too).
The nutplates are installed on the outside of the bay using pop-rivets.
After installing the nutplates, the light retainer bracket is fitted. The bracket comes as two pieces that have to be riveted together. For the RV-7 the full lengths of the brackets are needed, but they are shortened for some of the other models. Even though I would not have to cut the brackets, I temporarily installed them just to check the fit.
The light retainer bracket is in two pieces which have to be fit and then drilled/riveted together.
Once the fit of the brackets was confirmed, I marked out a rivet line and drilled the brackets. At this time, I went ahead and drilled the brackets for both wings since they should both be the same size. The directions weren’t very clear on what type of rivets to use, and only 3- rivets are included in the kit, but I decided to use 4- rivets instead. I haven’t decided if I will use flush or universal head rivets, but I almost think that universal heads will give a neat look to the brackets. Also, I think I will paint the brackets white rather than leaving them as bare aluminum.
The main light brackets drilled and clecoed. I haven't decided yet, but I think I'm going to paint these white.
Finally, I pulled out one of the plexi lenses and positioned it over the cutout in the wing. Using the cutout as a guide, I roughly marked where the lens will need to be cut. The directions recommend leaving 3/4″ of material beyond the cutout on the top and bottom, and 5/8″ on the sides. I’ll make the rough cut on these with a band saw, but, at this point, I decided to call it a night.
The landing light lens has to be trimmed to size. Here, I've marked it for the initial cut using the hole in the leading edge as a guide.
Preparing to Rivet Last Bottom Skins (10/22/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Main Structure, Wings on October 22, 2011
1.8 Hours -
When I went into the garage, my intent was just to do some rearranging/cleaning, but, as soon as I saw the wing access covers sitting on my bench, I decided I would take some time to install the corresponding nutplates on the wing skins. Each access cover is screwed onto the wing using four #6 screws along the main spar and eight #8 screws into the skin. The #6 nutplates were already installed, and all the prep for the #8s was complete, so all I had to do was rivet 48-#8 nutplates to the wing skins using 96 NAS1097AD3-3 “oops” rivets. All of these could be squeezed, so it was a fairly simple task.
Once all of the nutplates were installed, I started disassembling the left wing so that it could be moved from the cradle to a workbench. Before moving the wing, both the flap and aileron had to be removed. This is a simple task, but keeping track of all the washers and spacers can be challenging.
After removing the flap and aileron, I spent a few minutes rearranging the garage a bit. The wing cradle had to be turned and moved near the garage door in order to open up some space in the middle of the garage. Then, I moved one of my workbenches to the space in the middle where the cradle was previously. Normally, space wouldn’t be an issue, but I had just finished a flooring project in the house, and we now have several rolls of old carpet taking up a lot of space in the garage. Our bulk garbage pickup day isn’t until December….hopefully it happens before my fuselage kit arrives!
With a table now in the center of the garage, I recruited Amber to help me move the left wing onto the table. The wing is now sitting with the bottom side facing up, and it seems fairly stable on the table. However, I may further secure it, prior to riveting, using a length of rope or a couple ratcheting tie-down straps. My plan is to use a piece of rope and a pulley to lift the outboard end of the skin for riveting access. By having the wing on the table, I think I will have better access than when it is in the cradle, but I’m still not convinced. While each wing is on the table, I’ll also take some time to install the Duckwork’s leading edge landing/taxi lights.
After rearranging the garage, I moved the left wing onto a workbench with the bottom side facing up. In the bottom right of the picture, you can see some of the old carpet that is currently talking up half the garage.
Another view of the left wing on the table. Some rope tied to the ceiling will help lift the bottom skin for riveting access.
Wing Access Covers Finished (10/20/11)
Posted by Ethan Jacoby in Construction, Main Structure, Wings on October 20, 2011
1.6 Hours -
I’m still trying to wrap up a few small tasks on the wings. While these things need to get done at some point, I think I’m really just trying to delay riveting the last bottom skins as long as possible!
This evening, I started by finishing the pitot mast fix. I decided to go with -4 rivets in a few spots instead of NAS1097, so I had to re-dimple and countersink a few spots on the skin, forward spar, and pitot mast. Pretty simple stuff.
Next, I decided to pull out the W-822 wing access covers that had been sitting under my workbench, gathering dust, since the day I received the wing kit.
The W-822 wing access covers (3 per wing) need to be drilled, deburred, and dimpled.
Finishing these was a quick and easy project since all that needs to be done is to enlarge the holes to the correct size for screws, deburr, and dimple. The only catch is that there are, for some reason, two sizes of screws used. Along the forward spar, #6 screws are used to attach the covers. However, #8 screws are used around the periphery of the covers to attach them to the wing skin. I don’t know why #6 screws couldn’t be used all the way around, and I would think that you would want the bigger #8 screws in the spar, but I’m no engineer, so I’ll just follow the plans!
#6 screws are used along the spar (top on this picture), and #8 screws are used around the periphery...don't ask my why two sizes of screws are used.
Once all the holes were drilled to size, I deburred and dimpled the covers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t install any of them on the wings yet because I’ve yet to install the corresponding platenuts on the wing skins. I had left them out because I didn’t want them scratching my arms while reaching through the access holes to rivet the wing skins. I guess the covers will go back under the work bench and gather dust for a while longer.
A finished W-822.
The six covers nest together nicely after all the dimpling is done. The camera made the edges look a little wavy, but they aren't.
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