RIVETING THE BOTTOM SKINS We continue to inch closer and closer to finishing up the empennage. One rivet at a time. I think each rivet also makes the finish line seem farther away too. Such is life. But I have a phenomenal riveting partner that makes the time fly by.… Read More »Finishing up the bottom skins
CALLING IN SOME BACKUP I have just about reached the extent of what I can back rivet on the tailcone. It was time to make a call to the bullpen. Fortunately my wife is an expert with a tungsten bucking bar and made quick work of this. Setting rivets in… Read More »The real riveting expert
BACK RIVET TIME – BUT FIRST ANOTHER MOVE Sadly, it has been three weeks since I have laid a finger on the RV. This time has been filled with a combination of vacation and work trips. One undeniably better than the other. I spent a good deal of time on… Read More »Shooting the back rivet approach
A NEW ANGLE I had to start the day by modifying exactly how it is I’m approaching the tailcone. The first series of rivets went in well on the stringers, but they are more difficult to reach now. I am starting to toss and turn the tailcone so that I… Read More »A new angle on tailcone rivets
SO MANY TAILCONE RIVETS This will likely be the most skewed post in history. I have one solitary image that covers 4 hours of work. Riveting. Ha!! See what I did there? Riveting? The pun? Okay – let’s wrap up this post because I’m pretty punchy at this point. That… Read More »Tailcone rivets? Sure, why not
FIRST, PUT IT ALL BACK TOGETHER The time has come to reassemble the tailcone one last time. I will admit that this is probably my favorite part of the build process. I really enjoy seeing all of the primed parts coming back together to get riveted permanently. After riveting together… Read More »Riveting the tailcone skins
PNEUMATIC SQUEEZER IS THE TOOL FOR THE JOB I was able to get out for another hour tonight and get some more riveting done on the tailcone. I used my squeezer tonight for nearly all of the rivets I put in. The squeezer is a fantastic tool. In looking back,… Read More »I missed you too squeezer
RIVET THE BELLCRANK After many months away, I have finally picked up my riveting tools again! I really enjoy the process of riveting, even if it is 10 rivets on a bellcrank. It makes the airplane become real and permanent. It begins to feel permanent. I did not have a… Read More »Rivet gun, I’ve missed you old friend
After much back and forth, I decided that for the process of attaching the trim tabs to the piano hinge and subsequently to the elevators, I needed to make a call to the bullpen and bring out a real ace. I think you’ll see I made precisely the right call.… Read More »Called in a real trim tab expert
Lots of action today in a pretty good sized build session, so let’s jump right in. I started by looking back from the very beginning of the elevators section of the manual to make sure that I have accomplished every task along the way since I had jumped around a… Read More »Two steps forward, one step back into tank sealant