Finished riveting the nose ribs on the left wing tonight. My daughter and wife came out to visit in the garage which was a real treat. My wife helped buck a bunch of rivets. I purchased a 18K BTU window AC over the winter and installed it in the garage. I wasn’t real sure how … Continue reading
Began riveting on the left wing nose ribs. I’ve put this off for as long as possible, just to have the luxury of removing them to get at bolts and clearance, etc. Tonight i just put on 3 to see how things go. My neighbor Mark helped with a couple. A long offset rivet set … Continue reading
I originally made the inboard flap torque tube support as one piece, but it did not line up well with the rib stiffener rivets that were already in place. I ended up cutting the ends off and making it 3 pieces. It will fit better and be easier to rivet in place like this. Once … Continue reading
I received the Facet 40171 fuel pump that I ordered, so I made a mounting plate for it today. The 40171 has the check valve and is supposed to prevent the flow when not running. I used 1/8″ 6061 to make the mounting plate which is a bit thicker than it really needs to be, … Continue reading
With the help of my neighbor Al, I picked up some nice wing jigs from another bearhawk builder in Hilliard, FL. They are welded aluminum and are sourced from old F14 towbars from the Navy. I installed some studs into the slab and made the jigs adjustable. With the help of a digital level, I … Continue reading
Began laying out the spars in Steve’s shop. We worked a couple a nights a weeks from March 2013 to May 2013.
holy cow, there are a lot of rib stiffeners and attach angles to make. I sheared strips of .025 & .032 and made all the various lengths of rib stiffeners and attach angles. The bends were all done on a small “finger” brake on loan to me from another local builder. I spent several days … Continue reading
getting the nose ribs fluted The last few nights have been spent marking and fluting all of the wing wibs. With a little bit of work I’ve managed to get the ribs to lay nice and flat. I’ve seen many techniques but what worked for me was laying the rib on a flat surface and … Continue reading