Wings

LH Wings -Pitot Mast mounted ( 2 hrs )

With Nancy's help, riveted more LH Bottom Skin.   Especially pleased with getting Pitot tube Mast Mount installed.  Tubes for Pitot and AOA are ready too, once I buy Garmin's GAP 26 Pitot.   Seems relatively solid.

Wings

LH Wing  ( 2 hrs )

Continued LH Bottom Skin rivets, especially along J-stiffener.  Most getting easier to reach, so able to do without my able assistant, Nancy.  Completed down one Rib, so no longer lifting skin from Spar.   All reach from end or Access openings.   Reference Sect 20-04 & -05.

Cleaned tape residue & markings off with acetone

Wings

LH Wing ( 2 hrs )

Nancy assisted again riveting LH Bottom Skin.  Time per rivet is getting better with practice, and because reach is about 1/2 as far inside.   We're far enough "down" that I inserted the J-stiffener.  Bad news if forgot now !    I also machine countersunk Rear Spar on RH Wing.   Bottom skin needs holes deburred and dimpled, then ready to rivet too.

Wings

LH Wing / RH Wing  ( 4 hrs )

Finished drilling #40 holes in RH Bottom Skin and J-stiffener.  Removed so I could deburr and dimple all.  Pending machine countersink Rear Spar.  Nancy assisted for 1 hr so we got about 50 more rivets into RH Wing bottom skin.

reached inside with phone camera to check rivets on flanges.

Wings

RH Wing Bottom Skin  ( 4 hrs )

Since my wife Nancy (aka Rosie the Riveter) wasn't available, I started the RH Wing Bottom Skin.  Deburred,  then rolled edges.  Cleco'd to Wing, being careful to align Ribs (some needed persuasion to line up holes ).  Drilled about 50% of the #40 (3/32")  holes including match drilling into the J-stiffener.

I prefer to remove entire plastic protective sheets.

Later, Nancy joined me to help rivet the LH Wing Bottom Skin...along the Rear Spar.  I reach "way up" holding the bucking bar inside the Wing while pulling the skin open at forward edge. Challenging to align properly on rivet's shop end and hold position while Nancy lines up and pulls the trigger.   About 3-4 seconds, and we're done.  Takes teamwork and good communication.  We're improving...we did about 20 rivets in 45 minutes (spending most of the time confirming correct set on each rivet).  Pretty slow generally, but far better than our 1st four in 30 minutes!  Ran out of time - we quit for dinner.

Wings

Wing Access Plates ( 1 hr )

Since Nancy not available to assist riveting bottom skin,  I drilled, deburred, dimpled the 4 remaining Wing Access Plates.  Sect 20-05, Step 1.   Prime later with other parts, warmer weather.

Wings

LH Bottom Skin  ( 3 hrs )

Finished dimpling LH Bottom Skin.  Primed just the rivet lines, since alclad was not "disturbed". Also primed the Pitot Mast Mount and brackets, and J-stiffener.

pic taken prior to priming along rivet lines

I installed the second 20' of 1/4" OD poly tubing for the AOA.  I ran a string along that line to assist later with installation of heater wires to the Pitot.   Per Mitch Lock (Van's East Coast rep), keeping those wires several inches away from the magnetometer and it's wires is important.










Finally ready to rivet the bottom skin.  Nancy assisted as we experimented with who should buck and who should hold the rivet gun ( I originally thought she'd only need to roll back the skin and hold it for me - but that option didn't work.  Clearly one of us needs to reach way inside to the rear spar, while other positions rivet gun.  We managed to get just 4 rivets done before we had to quit.   At least we got started!

checking how far we can roll back the skin w/o kinking...