Details the construction of my RV-9A wings.
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Build Hours: 280
05/01/2003 - 05/31/2003
07/01/2003 - 07/31/2003
08/01/2003 - 08/31/2003
09/01/2003 - 09/30/2003
11/01/2003 - 11/30/2003
12/01/2003 - 12/31/2003
01/01/2004 - 01/31/2004
02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004
03/01/2004 - 03/31/2004
04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004
05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004
06/01/2004 - 06/30/2004
10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
Build Hours: 280
Current Entry
Fuel Tanks
Fuselage
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RV-9A Wing Construction Log
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
AE Fuel Guardian and bottom skins
Back to the wings... I had some puckering between the screws on the outboard section of the fuel tank I wanted to try and eliminate, so I pulled off the fuel tank of the left wing. Bill was bringing down the Avery edge roller for me to use.
While waiting for him, I pull off the tank access plates on both tanks and installed the AE Fuel Guardian sensors. These sensors detect low fuel and light up a light in the cockpit and sound a tone in the headset. I read the FAA accident reports and a quite a few accidents are a result of fuel starvation and I don't want to be a statistic. The installation was simple and I even got to play with proseal!
Sensor installed on access plate.
Bill showed up and we yacked for an hour or so. He's working on the seatbacks for his RV-7.
After he left, I used the edge roller to put a crease on the aft edge of the fuel tank skin between the screw holes. Put the tank back on, put all new bolts in holding the tank. (See previous entry about over-torquing bolts.) Time to start riveting the bottom skins on. Emiel and I started but quickly discovered the holes weren't exactly lining up. My long range fuel tanks are coming back to haunt me. There was just enough twist in the tanks to cause the rivet holes to be 1/2 a hole off. I loosened up the tank and got the skins cleco'd on and the holes lined up fairly well. The problem is that with the skins cleco'd on all the way, I don't have good access for riveting. I put some rivets on the skin to main spar holes to hold the skin in place, riveted at the rear spar where I could reach, riveted the ribs on the inboard end, then removed the skin/main spar rivets to access the rear spar rivets. I finished riveting the inboard skin and called it a night. I did all of the riveting solo. It wasn't that hard but I have long skinny arms.
Left wing complete!
(Time: 7 hours)
