Tonight I completed the left wing aileron and flag gap fairing riveting. I hand squeezed all of the rivets. The only place I did anything differently from the plans was the most inboard rear spar rivet on the aileron fairing, where I used a cherrymax pop rivet instead of a solid rivet. I used a 4-2 cherry max because the clearance on the forward side of the spar was so small, I wouldn’t have been able to safely buck the rivet.
Tonight I clecoed on and started riveting the flap and aileron gap fairings, on the left wing. I only had an hour in the garage so I didn’t come close to finishing the riveting, but I made a start.
Tonight I dimpled the aft-most rows of holes in the wing top skins where the gap fairings will attach. I also riveted the stiffeners to the gap fairings, and installed the access port doubler on the left wing.
Tonight I primed the flap gap fairings, landing light brackets, and the access panel doubler for the left wing.
It took me a while to get set up again, since it’s the first time I’ve spray painted since moving last year. I had to go buy some purified water, and just finding all the stuff I needed took a while. Everything came out looking ok.
After a week being out of action with a flu and cold, I was able to spend an hour or so in the garage tonight. I deburred and dimpled the gap fairings for both wings, then dimpled the holes. I’m hoping to get a chance to prime a bunch of parts tomorrow, so I can start riveting things onto the wings.
Tonight I fabricated the flap gap fairing stiffeners, and dimpled the screw holes for the landing light lens. Small tasks, but progress.
Today I dimpled the putter leading edge wing skins, for the landing light attach bracket, and the landing light lens cover. Not much to see, so no pictures today.
The landing light attach bracket holes require a special dimple tool, and I hunted around for a while before I found it. It uses a steel nail and a pop rivet gun to squeeze the dies together. It’s a clever invention, and is the only way you can safely dimple holes where access to both sides is limited.
Tonight I completed a couple of steps on the wings. I countersunk the holes in the rear spar where the flap gap fairing attaches, dimpled the access hatch doubler, and enlarged the holes in the landing light mounts.
I wrapped up the finish kit inventory today. There were quite a few missing components, so I sent the missing-parts-list to Vans for processing. No pictures, but I am using the crate to store the canopy, engine mount, gear legs, cowling, and other fiberglass fairings.
Yesterday the finish kit crate was delivered by the shipping company. Tonight I started working on inventory, and slowly checked off the assorted items.
The crate arrived without any damage, and I put it onto the dolly I had made for the QB fuselage. It’s 4×8 feet, and the crate is about 4×6 feet, and maybe 3 feet tall.
I opened up the crate and began removing cardboard and paper. The parts were well packed and undamaged. I pulled out a huge amount of packing paper, being careful to check for parts as I went. The canopy is the first obvious part in the box, and carefully positioned under the canopy is the engine cowling, and under that some cardboard boxes with heavier steel parts. In the other end of the crate, carefully secured, is the engine mount and gear legs. On top of the engine mount, and stacked around it all are various aluminum and fiberglass parts.
Tonight I started inventorying all the parts, which is a painstaking, but interesting, task. I hardly made a dent on the parts lists, but hope to finish it up tomorrow If I can.
