Author Archives: Michael

Time: 2 Hours

I had a pretty busy weekend and didn’t get a lot of time in the Hangar. I did manage to get in a couple hours this evening and decided to build the leading edge cradle. This device helps you assemble the leading edge skins and ribs. I just follow the plans and modified it slightly as another builder did shown here.

next up rub prep.

Time: 4 Hours

After double checking the level and twist of the left wing I started the match drilling. I started in the middle of the top of each panel and worked outward and down. Not to much to see but I will say there are over 1 million holes….ok well maybe not that many but there are a lot! When I finished up the left wing I hung the plumb bobs on the right wing and clecko the last of the bottom skins on. I received my order of 200 cleckos from Cleaveland Tool today so I now have plenty for the leading edges and tanks. While I was siting for the plumb bobs to settle I made some lines on the bottom skin that intersected at the center point of the tie down bracket.

I will extend those lines on the leading edge skins when they are installed and have a reference point to drill the hole for the tie down ring. The right wing went pretty fast as well. I then cleaned up the shop and returned all the tools to their hiding spots. Next up the leading edge skins and ribs. The ribs will get all the same treatments as the main wing ribs. The difference is the curved end of the ribs have multiple tabs that will take some extra time to debur.

I will start on those this weekend.

Time: 1 Hour

Had a little time in the Hangar this afternoon. I made up the brackets to secure the right wing rear spar to the wing stands. I ran out of the angle aluminum and had to run to the local Home Depot. Once I had the right pieces and repeated the process from the left wing and leveled and removed the twist using the level and plumb bobs. I decided to end there and will get to match drilling the wing skins tomorrow. No pictures today as they looked just like yesterday’s.

Time: 2 Hours

I spent the morning taking care of office work at the office and then headed about 40 miles west to a company called Engman-Taylor, an authorized Sioux rivet gun repair shop, to have my 3X gun looked at. When I got home I this afternoon I decided to get at least a little time in the Hangar. One thing I wanted to get accomplished was to get the twist out if the left wing and secure the rear spar to hold that position. First up was to manufacture the hard points for the rear spar to wing stand.

With to connection points I had a point in which to clamp the rear spar holding the correct form. I used the plum bobs that I hung from the main spar and measured the distance from the skin at the rear spar. I was off by 1/16″ so I tweaked them a bit and made the distance equal at the inboard and outboard. I then rechecked the level on the main spar.

A little adjustment on the threaded rod and all was perfect inboard and outboard. I then rechecked the plumb bobs and all stayed the same.

Tomorrow I will repeat the process on the right wing. After that I will reinstall the bottom skins and match drill all the holes.

Time: 4 Hours

Next up was to start the wing skins. First up was to create the wing doublers. Where the wings have the extra ribs on the inboard ends for the extra weight of the walking area there is double skins. These doublers have to be cut out of sheets that Van’s sends. I just took the required measurements from the plans, 9 3/8″ x 26″. Once you have these cut you tape them to the underside of the respective wing skin. Even with the inboard edge and 9/16″ from forward edge if the skin.

Once you have them set and in place you flip them over and use the skins to drill through the doublers. I rolled up the carpet on my workbench and started drilling using the wood and a backing and a place to clecko the skins down.

Before I could put the skins on the structure I needed to remove the sag on the spars. I ran some fishing line from a rivet hole on the inboard end to a rivet hole on the outboard end and made it tight. This showed how much sag there was and would allow me to raise the rear spar to make that line even on the length of the spar.

After the sag removal was done I put the skins and their doublers on the wing structures.

Tomorrow I will work on getting the twist out and making the required arms to attach the rear spars to my wing stands.