Wing rib & rear spar deburring, trim tab assembly, wing main spar countersinking

Didn't get many pictures of this session, but there was a lot of repetitive work happening:

 

I disassembled, deburred & dimpled the trim tab, primed the mating surfaces and installed the first 2 rivets on the trim control brackets.

 

I found while deburring that I had elongated one of the trim tab skin-spar holes, and had to drill it to #30. I know paint will *mostly* hide the fact that there's a larger rivet there, but I kind of like knowing where the warts are. Here's hoping there aren't too many.

 Meanwhile Erin deburred wing ribs (mostly lightening holes), Brian Judge deburred the wing rear spars, and I finished countersinking all of the #8 screw holes in the top of the right wing main spar.

 

Empennage: 3 hrs

 

Wings: 4 hrs



Trim tab drilled, Tank skin nutplates riveted

We got a couple short sessions in the shop working on the trim tab prep & wing spar nutplate riveting.

Everyone who builds a plane should have someone with tiny fingers to place rivets!

Meanwhile I aligned the trim tab hinge per the specs and confirmed it by aligning the tab with the trim tab cutout in the left elevator.

Trim tab match-drilled! Ready for disassembly, deburring, etc.

We continued riveting the nutplates to the wing spars on Sunday with Brian Judge's help. I have a few to buck where we don't have clearance for the squeezer around the 3/16" wing spar rivets and will post pics then.

 

Funny side note: Christmas cookie baking was happening inside, and Nat was clearly impatient to get out to the garge - she didn't like that I was working out there without her. I hope we can keep up that enthusiasm with everyone for a long time!

 

Empennage: 1 hr

 

Wings: 2 hrs