3RD QTR 2003           •   •   • 
DATE HRS TTD ACTION IMAGES
07/07/03 0.8 660.7 Installed nutplates on aft side formers.
07/12/03 1.0 661.7 More nutplates.
07/15/03 6.0 667.7 Installed 6 rows of nutplates finishing aft cockpit and half of the front cockpit. Nutplates installed on lower right side of fuselage
08/01/03 1.2 668.9 Installed the last 2 rows of nutplates, the ones on the top longeron at the front cockpit.
08/30/03 8.5 677.4 Got a serious day of work in getting the all the front sheetmetal final fitted and looking decent. The first problem was that the location of the J-strip was too low in a few areas which would cause a dimple in the panel as the screw pulled it down to the J-strip. However when I bent the J-strip up to the proper height, the angle of the screw became out of plumb to the surface of the panel and the screw would not lay flat on the panel as it was tightened. So I had to spend time with each panel test fitting and adjusting the J-strip height up and then adjusting the angle of the nutplate by bending the J-strip down at the middle of the strip. See diagram at right. I wasn't able to get the panels to lay perfectly flat and there are some slight dimples, but like I always say, I ain't building a piano! Maybe somebody else will read this and spend even more time getting their J-strips at exactly the perfect height when they are welding them on. It would be tough to do and mine will fly just as well. J-Strip Adjustment Diagram Left side view of installed sheetmetal
Right side view Detail of slight dimples
08/31/03 2.8 671.7 Reinstalled canopy to check interaction with the sheetmetal. Adjusted the skirts out a bit at the front, and inward at the rear. There is still a bit of a gap near the rear but its probably good to have some so the turtle deck won't get scratched when opening the canopy, besides its not that noticeable. I discovered that even the slightest skirt rubbing on the sheetmetal causes the canopy to stick. I then did some fine tuning of the pin alignment to get the canopy working better by removing the delrin bushings one at a time then test the action to see if that bushing was adding to the friction. Left canopy skirt fitted Right canopy skirt fitted Fitted sheetmetal with canopy and turtledeck just sitting there
09/10/03 2.0 673.7 Installed tabs for the turtledeck starting with the two aft ones on the front of tube 210-46. Next I installed tabs on the front of 210-42 were put 18 inches apart and there's only two of them. After that I then discovered that the tabs on the middle T-deck bulkhead were a little aft of tube 210-44 so I had to put a little bend in the tabs there. This means my cluster at FS110.5 must be just slightly forward of the same cluster on Kevin's HP fuselage which must be about FS110.75 or so. See Turtledeck Comparison Measurements  Also these tabs were put 11.5 inches apart. All changes made same as the HP fuselages. Aft tabs installed Front tabs installed
Middle tabs had to be bent slightly Aft view with turtledeck installed
09/11/03 1.8 675.5 Removed windshield. Ground the cutting edges of a 3/16 drill bit for more of a scraping action so they wouldn't dig into the plastic. Drilled all the windshield holes out to 3/16, then added a slight chamfer with a countersink to reduce the possibility of cracking at the holes. Then I sanded a chamfer into all edges of the windshield. After more sanding on the edges with 320, then 400 grit sandpaper I then polished the edges with rubbing compound. I really am doing the work! Windshield hole chamfered, but edges not done yet
09/21/03 1.3 676.8 Made threads in the windshield hoop. Starting with a course drywall screw (don't use fine as they are double helix threads) I started the thread then I finished using a cadmium plated screw. The screws that keep the closure strip and windshield are 6Rx5/8-THA-SS stainless sheetmetal screws. I didn't notice that Wicks sent me #8 screws by accident, so thats what my windshield has around the hoop. Canopy and windshield
09/24/03 2.4 679.2 Test fitted the closure strips on the hoop before enlarging the #40 holes out to 3/16. Made some adjustments to hole locations to improve the fit of it. Enlarged holes out to 3/16 and installed the screws. Drilled holes for the AN3-10A bolts at the bottom of each hoop through the stub tubes on the fuselage. Detail of left side canopy closure strip Top of closure strip
Right side closure strip Left canopy hoop bolt - note polished acrylic edge
09/24/03 1.3 680.5 Deburred and test fitted the two fin fairing halves. I waqs surprised to see the .30" gap at the front of the fairing. I thought the pinching at the rear would be more of a problem. I'm gonna think about it for a awhile..... Fin fairing test fit Lower left view Right side stab, looking aft
QTR TOTAL 20.6  
 3RD QTR 2003           •   •   •