Not much progress this week. I focused on switching out the connectors for the landing lights, and then installing the landing light lenses.
The original landing light wiring setup used molex connectors for the three wires providing power and ground to the Landing and Taxi lights. I was never very happy with the crimps on the wires, the poor connection, and the awkward angle of the wiring entering the molex connector.
I decided to replace them with DTM connectors, and re-route the wiring. DTM connectors provide better wire support, are water resistant, and have a much more positive connection and locking mechanism.
I removed the landing light clusters from both wings, brought them home and switched to DTM 3-wire connectors. Once I had them re-installed in the wings, I tested the lights and then installed the landing light lenses. The wiring setup is much more robust now, and I’m sure it will work out well.
I spent some time on the wing root fairings. Each fairing consist of two parts, an upper and a lower fairing. The upper is thicker and covers the area from the flap to just forward of the main wing spar. This is designed to be walked on when entering and existing the cabin. The lower fairing is thinner and longer, and covers the bottom of the wing, and wraps around the leading edge. Forming the curve around the leading edge was a bit time consuming. The plans explain the initial bend, which is easy enough, but then some careful manipulation by hand is needed to get the final shape. It took an hour or so to get the curve right on both sides.
There are a few more steps to finish these fairings, including riveting on a series of stiffeners.
