Left Wing Completion (for now)

We spent the last couple of sessions wrapping up the remaining tasks on the left wing (before the inspection is completed).  We had to finish up the outboard aileron attach bracket, rivet it together and rivet it to the wing.  Next we dimpled, prepped and primed the bottom wing skins.  Because we can't install them until the inspection is completed, we clecoed them into place.  The next step will be to move this wing to Darren's garage and begin the work on the right wing (luckily we have a head start on this -- see the entries from January and February).

Scott priming the inside of the skin. 

Scott squeezing a rivet. 

A shot of the gap faring. 

A shot of the near completed wing. 

More left wing progress

Today we riveted the attach angles to the flap brackets and the rear spar.  Next we installed one of the aileron attach brackets (we're waiting for a few parts for the second aileron bracket).  Finally we clecoed, match drilled, prepped and primed the flap and aileron gap fairings.  The last thing done today was to rivet the fairings to the skin and rear spar.

The completed brackets back in place. 

Scott working on match drilling one of the Flap attach brackets. 

A close-up of one completed brackets back rivetred in place.  

From another angle. 

Scott clecoing the flap gap faring into place.

The flap gap faring cleco'd into place.

Scott squeezing some rivets on the flap gap faring.

Darren squeezing some rivets on the flap gap faring.

The completed wing sitting right side up. 

Flap and aileron attach brackets

Once the top skins were riveted onto the wing we moved onto the brackets that attach the flap and the aileron to the wing.  There are two sets of parts -- the flap attach brackets and the aileron brackets. 

The flap brackets were easy to do, look like very little work but took a tremendous amount of time.  There were a lot of little parts and the first step was to make three pieces out of aluminium angle.  Of course, all the parts needed to have the edges smoothed and deburred.  Once the outer flap brackets were match drilled to ribs they were deburred, prepped, primed and riveted.  That allowed up to line up the middle flap bracket and match drill it to the rib.  It was then deburred, prepped, primed and riveted to the rib.  Next those aluminium angles were installed and match drilled to the bracket and the main spar.  A second piece of angle was match drilled to the attach bracket and the bottom skins.  Finally the pieces were deburred, prepped and primed. 

The aileron brackets were pre-drilled and needed to be match drilled together and to the spar.  Finally they were deburred, prepped, primed and riveted together.

All this will become clearer with some pictures.

The attach brackets cleco'd into place.  (The wing is sitting ont he table upside dow/ bottom side up.

A close-up of one of the attach brackets.

A close up of one of the nearly completed attach brackets. 

From another angle.

Left Wing Top Skins

Sorry for the lack of updates but we've been doing the same thing for a few weeks.  The left wing top skins have been riveted and the J-channel is installed.  It was very repetitive but we got into a good rhythmand were able to make quick progress.  It is surprisingly hard on the back to rivet the skins so we broke the process down into a couple of smaller chunks.

The outside edge of the wing looking at it from the bottom of the wing. 

 A close-up of some of the completed rivet work.

 A picture of the top of the wing after some of the riveting has been completed.

 

 The outside edge of the wing looking at it from the top of the wing.

 Same shot as above without the flash....

  

You can see a litte more progess hass been made... There are few less cleco's and a few more rivets in place. 

 Again the same shot as above without the flash....

Close-up of the leading edge and top skin riveted into place. 

The riveting of the top skin has been completed.