LH Leading Edge

I finished the LH leading edge! It's even attached to the spar! The rivets on the very leading edge were a little difficult to reach by-myself but after some stretching and muscle pulling, I managed. I then clecoed the leading edge onto the spar with some rigged up support and drilled the rib holes out, deburred, detached, vacuumed out the FOD and reassembled. The riveting part was really easy since most of the rib rivets are blind and the rivets that attach to the spar could installed with the rivet squeezer.

I also built a stand to hold the wings. It isn't on wheels since I didn't have any extras around the shop and I don't want to struggle with it moving while I rivet the upper skins on. Maybe I'll get some wheels later, but for now its good. The stand will work well for me. It can hold both wings but for now it will hold one and the table will hold the other until the skins are installed on both. This will allow me to work on both wings without having to move them.

Date Time
23 1.0 rivet LH leading edge
26 3.0 rivet leading edge to spar
27 3.0 build wing stand

The shop is really crowded despite how ginormous the panoramic pic makes it look.

Wings, Leading Edges

Time for an update. Working on the wings so far is pretty easy business. Although each task drags on longer than expected. Clecoing the leading edge assemblies and deburring holes, all takes longer than the estimates I imagine. After deburring the 1.3 million holes in the wing skins one day I found my fingers to be bruised the next morning from the repetitive twisting of the drill bit, a good opportunity to change the labor to dimpling. There really isn't anything frustrating or monumental so far with my progress on the wings. I have decided to wait on installing the leading edge lights. I am 99% certain I will be installing the Duckworks 70watt HID's on each wing, but honestly I just don't want to slow down, purchase, and install them right now. So I'm waiting. I also decided to not install the factory stall warning. I will be installing the Dynon system with angle of attack indicator and audible alerts, therefore I see no reason for the factory stall warning. The AoA gives a visual indication to the approaching stall and can be used to find best climb and final approach speeds. The audible alert is an absolute requirement for me and without it I would keep the factory stall warning for only that reason. Why not install both? Good question. I decided its just one more thing to break, I don't have to cut an opening in my leading edge (possible water access), I won't have a little tab sticking out to get hung up on and damaged, I won't have an access hole cut out in the lower skin (cause of other possible issues). On the Dynon system the AoA is measured from the pitot tube so this allows a single install and no new holes in the wing.

I learned a new way to remove the protective blue plastic from large flat pieces. Just roll it up. I took a PVC pipe peeled back a little of the plastic and started rolling...a lot easier.

Dimpling the ribs was easy with the pneumatic squeezer. Dimpling the leading edge skins was easy once I turned them over and switched the male and female dies from top to bottom. See pic.

So after weeks of drilling, deburring, dimpling, deburring, dimpling, clecoing, deburring....I had to start riveting something, so I started riveting the LH leading edge and so far it is turning out really nice. Also as a note. There are several nights I could only squeeze an hour in and it's amazing what you can get done in an hour when you know exactly what your going to do when you walk in the shop door.

Date Time
9 1.0 clecoed leading edge
10 1.0 clecoed other leading edge
12 3.75 deburr wing skins, drill leading edge assemblies
13 3.0 deburred RH wing ribs, dimpled RH wing ribs
17 3.25 deburred and dimpled LH wing ribs, install bolts in spars
21 4.5 deburr and dimple LH leading edge, reassemble and start riveting
22 1.0 rivet LH leading edge

Also, my daughter hung out in the shop with me on the warm days to help build the plane, but she just kept falling asleep on the job.

Fluting Leading Edge Ribs

Fluting ribs is hard work!

Date Hours
7 0.75 fluted ribs
8 0.75 fluted leading edge and fuel tank ribs

Wing Skins and Leading Edge

I went ahead and started on the leading edge assemblies. I did this because I want to install them before I rivet the top skins in place. This will allow me to install the leading edges by myself and will give me a lot more room to work. The leading edge skin and top skins butt up against each other, their is no overlap, so either skin can be installed first.

I sanded the top skin splice down as the instructions explain it. I sanded each skin to taper down to half their original thickness at the splice to help blend the splice together. I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post as I was really working this afternoon and forgot to stop and snap a few. More will follow, I promise.

The plan
1. Get the leading edge ribs fluted.
2. Cleco and drill the leading edge assy.
3. Deburr all the skins.
4. Dimple all the skins and ribs.
5. Rivet the leading edge.
6. Rivet the top skins.

Sounds simple enough, but remember the quantity of holes to tend to is huge. Fluting the ribs alone might take all week!

Date Hours
4 1.25 drilled LH top skin
5 1.75 drilled RH top skin, started fluting leading edge ribs
6 5.0 started leading edge assy, built leading edge supports, sanded upper skin splice

Wing Top Skins

After I finished the aft spar I excitedly moved on to the wing skins. I only have them clecoed in place, but it feels like a big step (2nd 1.5hrs)

Hey look, pictures with me in them working. Proof for the FAA that I did build this airplane. : )

Aft Spar

I've been working on the wings periodically and have been slacking on the posts, but that's only since I don't see a point in posting the tiny steps I've been taking. Luckily the tiny accomplishments eventually add up to an entire section being completed. This time, it was the aft spar. This part of the plans was really quite easy. A perfect part for me to work on while we're getting used to having the newborn. There is one part where you match drill through the ribs and two holes don't line up. At first this was unnerving, but a quick check on the matronics website and apparently this was supposed to happen, so I built on. When it was time to press the bearings into the W-1013A and W-1013A Aileron Hinge Bracket Spacers I had to open the holes just a little to squeeze the bearings in. So FYI in case you can't get these things in at all.

Date Time
18 2.0 riveted ribs to spar
21 Baby Ayla born!
25 Merry Christmas!
26 1.5 started aft spar work
27 2.0 worked on aft spar, aileron hinge brackets
29 3.0 deburred and alodined
30 4.0 Press bearings, deburr and dimple holes, start riveting
31 1.75 riveted aft spar, finished LH side
1 Happy New Year
2 1.5 riveted RH side, Done!