2002-12-02

Hours: 0.0

Received the tail kit today. Basically, it was unpack, inventory, and put away the parts (with alot of help from Dawn and my Dad).

2002-12-03

Hours: 1.0 Chapter 2

Drilled the first hole tonight. Didn't have much time to put in on the ailerons tonight, but we got started.

2002-12-04

Hours: 2.4 Chapter 2

Finished riveting the ribs onto the spar for the first right aileron and started working on the second right aileron tonight.

Two things worth mentioning. It doesn't state a preference in the manual, and it probably doesn't matter, but we didn't know which way to put the rivets in on the spar. We started out riveting from the nose rib side, but determined that it was much easier to rivet from the aileron tail rib direction.

The second thing is that I'm using self etching primer on all surfaces that will be in contact with other materials. If, after the plane is built, I decide to store it outside or put it on floats, I'll use Corrosion-X or a similar product and plan up retreating the plane to prevent corosion. Zinc Chromate is nasty stuff, and I don't believe that it makes the plane "corrosion proof". It can and does come off the surface of the metal. Better, in my opinion, to use a Corrosion-X when you need it.

2002-12-05

Hours: 1.8 Chapter 2

Finished riveting the ribs onto the second right aileron spar today, and started putting together the ribs and spar on the first left aileron.

2002-12-07 Hours: 2.9 Chapter 2

More aileron spar/rib assembly.

2002-12-08

Hours: 0.5 Chapter 2

2002-12-09

Hours: 1.7 Chapter 2

Started on the aileron tail piece. Learned an important lesson with this piece. Murphy states that the ribs and spar should all be straight and parallel before you start riveting. Well, it should be square as well. Since two rivets go into the V-channel, it makes truing up the piece much more difficult if the assembly isn't square as well. The picture on the 15th shows this better.

2002-12-10

Hours: 1.4 Chapter 2

Things go much faster when you don't have to measure (when you can line up parts on pre-drilled holes). Putting the ribs on the spar went extremely quick, it seemed. Putting this little bit of V-channel on the back of the aileron is going very slowly in comparison.

2002-12-11

Hours: 0.7 Chapter 2

2002-12-14

Hours: 1.0 Chapter 2

2002-12-15

Hours: 1.8 Chapter 2

Working on the second aileron, trying to keep everything straight and square while I drill. Not really that difficult, just takes time.

2002-12-18

Hours: 1.0 Chapter 2

Aileron. There has to be a better way to deburr. Getting the backside of each hole with the deburring tools that I have is royal pain.

2002-12-19

Hours: 0.5 Chapter 2

2002-12-26

Hours: 0.5 Chapter 2

Picking back up after the Christmas visits to the parents.