Yearly Archives: 2014

Wings 15 (6.0 hrs)

This entry was posted in Wings Wings - Structure on March 18, 2014 by Peter

This post encompasses two shop sessions over the past weekend. I worked on the stall warning sensor Van’s includes with the wing kit, and completed deburring the wing leading edges.

First, I completed the drilling that I had missed from a previous session. Then I set about removing the blue vinyl. I used to use a ruler for this, and I did for the first part of this session. However, using the soldering iron freehand is plenty neat enough, and much faster. No more ruler.

Next, I deburred all the rivet holes and edges of both leading edge skins. Finally, I deburred all of the ribs and prepared the ribs for priming by roughing the surfaces with the scotch-brite pads.

With this work completed, I turned my attention to the installation of the Stall Warning Sensor Van’s includes with the wing kit. With AOA systems common in newer avionics suites, some builder’s opt to not install the stall warning. The argument being that if you here too many warnings, too often you may condition yourself to ignore the warning. I disagree. Ignoring warnings is really a factor of training, not building. Further, some people complain that they get rags or clothing caught and torn on the vane. Rag life expectancy is not, IMHO, a valid argument against a stall warning. Since the warning is included in my kit, and its predrilled, I see absolutely no reason not to install it. This past weekend I was able to prepare the access plate, and begin preparing the sensor attachment itself. More will be done after I complete the dimpling of the skin.

In this first photo you can see the stall warning access cutout in the top right of the skin.

The instructions Van’s includes with the stall warning sensor are written as if you DO NOT have a pre-punched or pre-cut skin. That might seem obvious, but it took me several readings of the instructions to understand.

Access plate.

Here is where the actual sensor will be on the leading edge. You must use a file to connect the two holes.

The results of my file work. Still needs a little touch up, but I’m happy with the results.

Access plate after dimpling.

Squire was helping me out as always. His favorite method for helping is to lay directly under my feet so that I am constantly tripping over him while holding sharp, hot, or heavy objects. Its fun.

Lastly, a quick note on the fuel tanks. I installed the z-brackets incorrectly. After some thought and consulting with other builder’s I decided to allow the sealant to cure before correcting the error. When I drill out the rivets, the shop heads will be left in the tank. Luckily, the pop rivets contain magnetic material. With the proseal dry, they should be able to rattle around the tank. I bought two telescoping magnets. One has a flexible head and LED. The other has a longer reach and a stronger magnet. A large inspection mirror was a welcome addition to the purchase. Very poor picture provided below.

Wings 14 (1.0 hr)

This entry was posted in Wings Wings - Structure on March 14, 2014 by Peter

Since I’m waiting on the sealant to cure on the tanks before correcting my z-bracket mistake, I’ve turned my attention back to the leading edges. They each need to be deburred, dimpled and primed prior to riveting. Tonight I started the deburring process.

I bought a new propane heater. 150,000 BTU and only $200. No thermostat though, just low, medium and high settings. For $200 bucks I can’t complain. I also got a chance to play around with a new iPhone app that allows me to quickly and easily draw on photos and include text, arrows and other markings.

Here it is in action.

I also needed to remove the blue vinyl covering. Which I also started tonight.

I started removing the clecos in order to deburr when I noticed I had not final drilled the bottom line of holes. It will only take a few minutes to re-cleco and drill the skins to the spar.

Fuel Tanks 22 (6.0 hrs)

This entry was posted in Fuel Tanks Wings on March 10, 2014 by Peter

I made a major mistake this weekend, but before I get to that, let me provide a run down on my progress and technique. Each session started by sealing the flop tubes, vent line and fuel sender bnc connection. For sealing the baffles, I essentially followed the technique given by Van’s. With a few minor alterations. In addition to the bead of sealant on the tank skin forward of the rivets, I also put a very thin layer of sealant on the baffle flanges and the flanges of the outer ribs. I’m sorry I didn’t take many pictures during the process. I didn’t want to get sealant on my camera which doubles as my iPhone.

I ran out of rivets so I contacted Mike who had some spares. I met him at the hangar and used his tap kit to tap my tie down brackets while I was there. If I had only known then the mistake that was already in progress…

After this weekend in the shop, I’m solidly convinced that I’m mildly retarded. Or dyslexic. Or maybe both. I managed to put the right z-brackets on the left tank and vice versa. I did all of this despite all of the brackets and tanks and wings being labeled. Heck, I even labeled the posts that make up the wing stand. To make matters worse, I even checked that I was putting the correct brackets on the correct tank. The only explanation I can muster is that my mind read what I was thinking and not what I was seeing. So now I’m left with the unenviable task of drilling out all the z-brackets, replacing the rivets, and cleaning the interior of the tanks.

When I first realized my mistake, I was crestfallen. I looked like a cat wearing a sweater. Frozen in my own misfortune. In that instant, I could have thrown the whole project in the trash. After a little while to calm down I realized the mistake might not be as bad as I initially thought. At the point where I realized the mistake, I had not completed installing all of the z-brackets on the second tank. After some thought, I decided to finish installing them. There was a chance, small though it was, that everything would line up and I’d be able to install the tanks without a repair. Additionally, since the sealant was already applied, I thought that continuing gave me the greatest chance for the remainder of the baffle to be properly sealed.

Unfortunately, the tanks did not line up. Again, I was crestfallen. I sent a message to Mike Bullock… so he could get a laugh and share in my misery and I could regain my sanity. He found a thread on VAF detailing someone else who had made the same mistake. I should be able to drill out the rivets and repair without any other removal required. I was afraid the entire baffle would need to be removed, which would have been a huge undertaking.

Now, I’m glad that I continued. While this leaves me more to drill out, I’m confident that both baffles stand a good chance of a proper seal if I can make the repair appropriately. Removing the baffle would have been a nightmare.

Initially I was going to put an order in to Aircraft Spruce, but the rivets I need are on backorder. So it looks like I’m going to have to get them from Van’s. While I’m at it, I’ll probably talk to their tech support just to get another dose of sanity.

My last action for the weekend was to clean as much sealant off as possible in order to make the repairs easier. I’m hoping to remove the rivets tonight before the sealant properly sets… fingers crossed.

Here are the completed tie-downs: