Old Index | Papa Lima Bravo

**ORIGINAL INDEX. Under construction. This will be deleted**

Pre-Build Posts: (not all pre-build posts are here)
1. July 5, 2012: First post.
2. July 6, 2012: Workshop.
3. July 14, 2012: First flight in an RV!
4. July 15, 2012: Tool list.
5. Aug 3, 2012: N-Number Reserved.
6. Aug 25, 2012: First flight in an RV-8!
7. Aug 28, 2012: SportAir workshop… canceled.
8. Oct 21, 2012: Workbenches.
9. Oct 29, 2012: Pre-build visit with EAA Tech Counselor.
10. Dec 1, 2012: Practice Kit with Mike Bullock.
11. Dec 2, 2012: Shop setup.
Empennage (168.25 hr)
1. December 9, 2012: Empennage Purchased!
2. Horizontal Stabilizer (42.00 hr)
  1. Dec 16, 2012 (1.0 hr): Inspection of previous work.
  2. Dec 18, 2012 (1.0 hr): Drill reinforcement angles, inspect previous work.
  3. Dec 19, 2012 (0 hr): Replace reinforcement angle.
  4. Dec 22, 2012 (0 hr): Shipping new part.
  5. Jan 19, 2013 (1.75 hrs): New tools, workshop setup, practice kit deburring, and shaping the replacement front spar reinforcement angle.
  6. Jan 30, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Reamed skins to rear horizontal stab spar. Deburred spar and dimpled holes for attaching skin.
  7. Feb 6, 2013 (1.0 hr): Completed rear spar preparation.
  8. Feb 11, 2013 (1.0 hrs): Started work on front spar.
  9. Feb 12, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Primed rear spar and reviewed work.
  10. Feb 13, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Clecoed left stab and prepped HS-405 and HS-404.
  11. Feb 14, 2013 (0.5 hr): Prepared right stab for match drilling.
  12. Feb 15, 2013 (2.5 hrs): Problem solved two problem parts. Match drilled all parts on right horizontal stab. Deburred and scuffed all parts for priming on right side.
  13. Feb 23, 2013 (4.5 hrs): Fixed the HS-405 on the left and HS-404 on the right. Deburred and dimpled all parts on right stab. Deburred and cleaned right stab skin.
  14. Feb 24, 2013 (3.0 hrs): Deburred all left stab parts. Dimpled all internal parts. Started dimpling skins.
  15. Feb 26, 2013 (0.5 hr): Implemented repair to skin dimple.
  16. March 9, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Completed dimple repair with two additional rivet holes. Finished dimpling skins for horizontal stab. Primed all horizontal stab parts.
  17. March 17, 2013 (1.0 hr): Riveted rear spar.
  18. March 19, 2013 (1.5 hr): Riveted hinge brackets to rear spar. Riveted front spar.
  19. March 21, 2013 (0.75 hr): Riveted front spar and main ribs.
  20. April 6, 2013 (6.5 hrs): Riveted left skin to front spar assembly and ribs. Began riveting right skin to ribs and spar assembly.
  21. April 7, 2013 (5.0 hrs): Complete!
  22. August 9, 2013 (1.0 hr): Replaced two incorrect rivets.
3. Vertical Stabilizer (16.75 hrs)
  1. April 7, 2013 (0.25 hr): Inventory & setup
  2. April 8, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Removed some protective cover. Fluted ribs. Match drilled skeleton.
  3. April 9, 2013 (3.0 hrs): Finished all match drilling. Deburred all parts. Started dimpling of ribs and spars.
  4. April 13, 2013 (5.0 hrs): Finished all dimpling. Countersunk reinforcement. Prepared for priming.
  5. April 20, 2013 (6.0 hrs): Complete!
  6. August 9, 2013 (0.5 hrs): Deburred a few spots I missed. Temporarily installed rudder for storage.
4. Rudder (27.75 hrs)
  1. April 13, 2013 (1.0 hr): Inventory and removed protective coating.
  2. April 13, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Cutting and deburring stiffeners.
  3. April 14, 2013 (1.0 hr): Completed cutting and deburring stiffeners.
  4. April 16, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Match drilled skin and stiffeners. Completed back rivet table top.
  5. April 17, 2013 (1.0 hr): Dimpled all stiffeners and began dimpling skin.
  6. April 18, 2013 (0.5 hr): Messed some stupid stuff up and got angry. Accomplished very little!
  7. April 20, 2013 (7.0 hrs): Repaired dents. Dimpled skin. Prepped stiffeners. Primed skin and stiffeners. Attached all stiffeners. Bent trailing edge.
  8. April 27, 2013 (1.0 hr): Rudder attach strips and rudder horn fabrication.
  9. April 28, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Started final drilling.
  10. April 30, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Completed final drilling and all deburring.
  11. May 2, 2013 (1.0 hr): Completed dimpling.
  12. May 19, 2013 (1.0 hr): Priming and skeleton riveting.
  13. May 21, 2013 (0.75 hr): Riveting rudder spar. Cracked rivets and removal.
  14. May 26, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Riveting skeleton and skin. Rolling leading edge.
  15. May 27, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Almost complete! Finished leading edge. Couple rivets remaining.
  16. August 9, 2013 (1.0 hr): Completed final rivets.
5. Elevators (70.25 hrs)
  1. May 4-5, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Completed fabricated all stiffeners, removed blue protective plastic, and began final drilling skins.
  2. May 6, 2013 (0.5 hr): Continued plastic removal and final drilling of skins.
  3. May 8, 2013 (0.75 hr): Completed plastic removal. Final drilling almost complete.
  4. May 9, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Completed final drilling. Deburred all stiffeners, and began priming prep.
  5. May 10, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Completed priming prep for stiffeners and rudder skeleton. Dimpled all stiffeners. Setup garage for dimpling skins.
  6. May 11, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Stiffener scotchbrite prep.
  7. May 13, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Stiffener correction.
  8. May 19, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Washed all parts in preparation for priming.
  9. May 19, 2013 (3.0 hrs): Priming!
  10. May 26, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Back riveting.
  11. May 27, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Bending trailing edge. Fluting ribs. Drilling counterweights and counterweight skins. Began clecoing skeletons.
  12. June 5, 2013 (1.0 hr): Clecoing skins and horns. Match drilling.
  13. June 8, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Fixed the oil canning problem. Completed final drilling. Disassembled both elevators.
  14. June 9, 2013 (5.0 hrs): Began trim servo assembly. Deburred and scuffed all parts with scotchbrite.
  15. June 15, 2013 (2.5 hrs): Dimpled skin and skeleton.
  16. June 16, 2013 (1.0 hrs): Completed close quarters dimpling.
  17. June 29, 2013 (3.5 hrs): Primed elevator internal parts.
  18. July 4, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Riveting right elevator.
  19. July 5, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Continued riveting right elevator.
  20. July 7, 2013 (4.5 hrs): Completed riveting right elevator. Worked on elevator trim access panel and tabs. Left elevator cracked and needs replacing! :(
  21. July 20, 2013 (5.0 hrs): Removed vinyl, cut stiffeners, final drilled stiffeners, dimpled stiffeners and deburred skin for replacement left elevator.
  22. July 21, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Dimpled skin and trim attachment plate.
  23. July 21, 2013 (0.5 hrs): XXXXXXXX
  24. July 24, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Primed new left elevator and stiffeners.
  25. July 25, 2013 (1.25 hrs): Back riveted stiffeners and trim reinforcement plate to left elevator.
  26. July 26, 2013 (1.25 hrs): Riveted the skeleton for the left elevator.
  27. July 27, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Final drilling of the replacement skin and deburring.
  28. July 28, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Deburred, dimpled and riveted the left elevator. Bent the elevator tabs. Began setup for trim tab mounting.
  29. September 15, 2013 (1.0 hrs): Began rolling elevator leading edges.
  30. September 21, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Completed rolling the leading edges, and temporarily mounted elevators to horizontal stab for storage.
6. Trim Tab (11.50 hrs)
  1. July 12, 2013 (3.5 hrs): Bent the trailing edge of the trim tab. Bent end tabs.
  2. August 9, 2013 (0.5 hrs): Basic work on the hinge and horns.
  3. August 10, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Worked on hinge and alignment with Mike at KDMW.
  4. August 11, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Cut elevator tabs off. Prepared rib-let.
  5. August 12, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Rib-let: Part Deux. Got it right this time. (I guess technically this is elevator work… but who cares?)
  6. August 14, 2013 (1.0 hr): Finished drilling and primed trim tab parts.
  7. August 15, 2013 (1.0 hr): Installed rib-let and trim tab. Almost done!
7. Tips
Wings (371.25 hrs)
1. June 14, 2013: Ordered the wings!
2. June 29, 2013: Confirmation & shipping date received.
3. August 4, 2013: Workshop setup for wings.
4. August 6, 2013: Wing stand fabrication.
5. September 18, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Wing inventory. Large items.
6. September 20, 2013 (2.5 hrs): More wing inventory. Small items.
7. Spars (26.75 hrs)
  1. September 21, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Spar marking, setup and began countersinking.
  2. September 22, 2013 (3.0 hrs): More countersinking. Experimented with different countersink methods.
  3. September 28, 2013 (3.0 hrs): Completed countersinking of #8 screws. Still have to complete #6 screws for access plate. Slow going…
  4. September 29, 2013 (3.0 hrs): Completed all countersinks. Attached half of the nutplates. Primed completed countersinks. Dimpled part of access panels.
  5. September 29, 2013 (1.0 hr): Finished riveting all nut plates. Primed countersinks. Began tie down brackets.
  6. September 30, 2013 (0.5 hr): Quick work on tie down bracket.
  7. October 5, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Tie down brackets.
  8. October 6, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Tie down brackets, rear spar deburring, reinforcement plates.
  9. October 7, 2013 (1.0 hr): Reinforcement plate fabrication, final drilling of reinforcement fork, deburring.
  10. October 9, 2013 (0.75 hrs): XXXXXXXXX
  11. October 11, 2013 (1.0 hr): Finished tie down bracket and deburring. Ready for priming.
  12. October 14, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Primed the spar components.
  13. October 20, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Riveted the rear spar.
8. Wings (149.0 hrs)
  1. October 11, 2013 (5.0 hrs): Began deburring and preparing wing ribs.
  2. October 12, 2013 (5.0 hrs): Deburred all lightening holes, and fluted 40 of 54 ribs.
  3. October 14, 2013 (3.0 hrs): Completed fluting and deburring of all ribs.
  4. October 26, 2013 (8.0 hrs): Drilled conduit holes. Final drilled ribs and spars. Deburred, and started priming prep.
  5. October 27, 2013 (7.0 hrs): Completed priming prep to include acetone wash. Primed all ribs. Assembled wing skeleton on wing stand.
  6. November 2-3, 2013 (12.0 hrs): Riveted the spars. Removed twist and trued the wings. Re-fabricated the tie down brackets.
  7. November 4, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Completed one tie down bracket and attached to the spar. Made wing walk doublers. Began clecoing top skins to wings.
  8. November 10, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Completed the wing walk doublers. Began clecoing all the skins to the skeleton.
  9. November 11, 2013 (4.5 hrs): Completed all wing skin final drilling.
  10. November 29, 2013 (3.0 hrs): Completed second tie down bracket. Built leading edge cradle. Clecoed and attached leading edges to spars.
  11. November 30, 2013 (2.0 hrs): Began work on inboard leading edge ribs.
  12. December 1, 2013 (1.0 hrs): Finished work on the inboard leading edge ribs.
  13. December 21, 2013 (1.0 hrs): Completed match drilling of leading edges.
  14. March 14, 2014 (1.0 hr): Began deburring and removing vinyl of leading edges.
  15. March 17, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Completed leading edge deburring and began installation of stall warning sensor.
  16. March 23, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Preparing skins and ribs for riveting. Vinyl removal, deburring.
  17. March 28, 2014 (2.5 hrs): Finished deburring skeleton. Began dimpling skeleton.
  18. March 29, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Completed all dimpling and countersinks for wing skeleton (ribs and spars).
  19. March 30, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Deburring wing skins.
  20. April 7, 2014 (4.0 hrs): Dimpling leading edge ribs and splice plate.
  21. April 13, 2014 (11.0 hrs): Wing skin deburring and priming. Gretz pitot tube bracket setup.
  22. April 20, 2014 (3.0 hrs): Dimpling leading edge skins.
  23. April 24, 2014 (4.0 hrs): Riveting right leading edge.
  24. June 1, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Completed right leading edge. Stall warning sensor work.
  25. June 8, 2014 (0.5 hr): Completed stall warning assembly.
  26. June 17, 2014 (4.0 hrs): Riveted stall warning assembly and left leading edge.
  27. July 6, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Riveted leading edge to left spar.
  28. July 19, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Temporarily installed the fuel tanks. Completed all scarf joints. Primed scarf joints and overlaps.
  29. August 7, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Finished installing fuel tanks and began dimpling.
  30. August 9, 2014 (4.0 hrs): Dimpling leading edges and scarf joint work.
  31. August 10, 2014 (5.5 hrs): Riveted the top wing skins on. Looks great!
  32. October 12, 2014 (3.5 hrs): Began installation of flap brace and aileron gap fairing.
  33. November 8, 2014 (4.0 hrs): Flap brace and aileron gap fairing for right wing. Removed fuel tanks.
  34. November 22, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Primed the flap braces, aileron gap fairings, and ailerone hinge brackets.
  35. November 23, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Riveted aileron hinges, top skins to rear spar, and aileron gap fairing.
  36. November 28, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Riveted left aileron hinges, top skin to rear spar, and aileron gap fairing.
  37. December 30, 2014 (5.0 hrs:) Left leading edge landing light installation.
  38. January 31, 2015 (3.5 hrs:) Landing light installation.
9. Fuel Tanks (129.0 hrs)
  1. December 21, 2013 (4.0 hrs): Work on Z-brackets. Error! Stiffener fabrication.
  2. December 21, 2013 (1.5 hrs): Began fitting the tanks to the wings. Confirmed z-bracket mistake.
  3. December 26, 2013 (6.5 hrs): Z-brackets, wing attachment angles.
  4. December 29, 2013 (6.0 hrs): Z-brackets, final drilling.
  5. January 1, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Final drilling, countersinking, attachment angles, and start of fuel sensor installation.
  6. January 10, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Capacitive fuel sensor, z-bracket replacement, nut plates.
  7. January 11, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Access plate holes, fuel caps, fuel drains.
  8. January 14, 2014 (2.0 hrs): xxxxx
  9. January 14, 2014 (3.0 hrs): Vinyl removal. Scoring mating surfaces. Deburring. Dimpling.
  10. January 19, 2014 (1.0 hr): Deburring and dimpling.
  11. January 20, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Deburring, dimpling, fuel sender, vent line, anti-hangup guides, fuel trap doors.
  12. January 25, 2014 (4.0 hrs): Fuel trap doors, sealant prep.
  13. January 26, 2014 (5.5 hrs): Cleaned, riveted, and sealed stiffeners for both tanks.
  14. February 8, 2014 (7.0 hrs): Fuel tank flanges and drains. First interior ribs in the left tank.
  15. February 9, 2014 (4.5 hrs): Completed interior ribs for left tank.
  16. February 17, 2014 (8.0 hrs): Completed interior ribs for right tank.
  17. February 23, 2014 (4.0 hrs): Prepared end ribs.
  18. February 24, 2014 (8.0 hrs): Installed end ribs on both tanks.
  19. March 1, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Nearly completed installation of vent lines, flop tubes, and fuel senders.
  20. March 2, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Installed hangup guides, completed all other installations. Froze in heaterless garage.
  21. March 8, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Installed baffle for left tank.
  22. March 9, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Installed baffle for right. Serious mistake…
  23. April 13, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Started drilling out z-bracket pop-rivets.
  24. April 20, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Trying to remove rivets from inside tanks.
  25. June 8, 2014 (3.5 hrs): Removed sealant from around the fuel tank baffle.
  26. July 6, 2014 (1.0 hrs): Still trying to remove rivets… ugh.
  27. July 11, 2014 (4.5 hrs): Prepared fuel sealant and completed access plates.
  28. July 12, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Installed the right baffle. Again. Z-brackets installed correctly this time.
  29. November 30, 2014 (3.5 hrs): Drilled, deburred, and prepared for sealing baffle access plates.
  30. December 7, 2014 (0.5 hr): Removing rivets from interior of tank.
10. Ailerons (38.0 hrs)
  1. August 31, 2014 (3.5 hrs): Started work on aileron stiffeners.
  2. August 31, 2014 (3.5 hrs): Completed stiffeners and started work on skins.
  3. September 7, 2014 (3.5 hrs): Dimpled and prepared skins and stiffeners.
  4. September 10, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Primed aileron skin and stiffeners.
  5. September 12, 2014 (4.0 hrs): Back riveted the aileron stiffeners and more work on the leading edge.
  6. September 29, 2014 (2.5 hrs): Dimpled right aileron leading edge skin.
  7. September 30, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Dimpling remaining structure of right aileron.
  8. October 2, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Priming aileron components.
  9. October 3, 2014 (3.0 hrs): Counterweight work.
  10. October 4, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Started riveting right aileron.
  11. October 5, 2014 (5.0 hrs): Completed right aileron.
  12. October 8, 2014 (1.0 hrs): Started riveting left aileron.
  13. October 9, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Finished riveting left aileron. Ailerons complete!
11. Flaps (35.5 hrs)
  1. August 30, 2014 (2.0 hrs): Initial flap prep and match drilling
  2. August 31, 2014 (1.0 hrs): “Rear spar” shims and outside F-708 shims
  3. December 13, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Finished all match drill of both flaps to include hinges. Fabricated angles.
  4. December 15th, 2014 (3.0 hrs): Finished match drilling and bending angles.
  5. December 20th, 2014 (2.5 hrs): Started deburring with all the holes.
  6. December 22, 2014 (3.0 hrs): Rib edge deburring, shim fabrication, matchdrilling.
  7. December 23, 2014 (1.0 hr): Skin edge deburring.
  8. December 24, 2014 (6.0 hrs): Countersinking and dimpling.
  9. February 1, 2015 (4.0 hrs): Primed all flap components.
  10. February 13, 2015 (2.5 hrs): Started final assembly of flaps.
  11. February 14, 2015 (6.0 hrs): Completed assembly of right flap!
12. Wingtips
Fuselage
Finishing
Engine
Avionics