RV-9A: Center Section - 9/29/2008
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Started work the center section bottom skin I'm really running out of room on "my side" of the garage. I wanted to flip the center section over to cleco on the skin, but my bench top is not wide enough. I have another matching bench, but there isn't enough room for the tail section, this work bench and another work bench. So I went down to Lowes (aircraft and lumber supply) and bought a 4' by 4' piece of quarter inch plywood. 11 bucks!!! Outrageous! This hunk of plywood will allow me turn the center section upside for the bottom side to be clecoed on.
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Datsa' lotta' clecos! Oh..., a head's up for you potential RV-9A builders. This bottom skin comes in the kit all rolled up in a nice neat bundle, tied with 2 nylon ropes. There are also two additional skins inside, which are not visible to the naked eye. When I cut the last rope, there was enough kinetic energy in the roll to launch small unsuspecting objects in the garage into low orbit, needlessly to say the painful wack on my nuggies.
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Now back to work (with a higher voice than before) Before starting the final drilling of the bottom skin, I started work on the F-915 outer ribs. These ribs don't have any predrilled holes to match the bottom skin holes. They also have to have some deep flutes in the bottom flange to make the rib bend to fit the holes in the bottom skin. I started off my marking where the holes are with a fine sharpie, using the bottom skin holes as a guide. Then I fluted the rib flange between the marks until the curve in the rib matched the curve in the skin. Then I went back and marked a line down the middle of the flange. This will help with the drilling, using the bottom skin as a drilling guide.
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Put in the F-915s in place I have to remove the bolts in the aft ends of the ribs where they hook up the F-605C Bar Doublers. After drilling out the holes in the ribs, I temporary put the bolts back on, but only hand tight. Then I started drilling holes into the ribs, spacing the holes out about every fifth hole. Then I went back and drilled all the rest of the holes.
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All drilled! Tomorrow I will clamp and drill the remaining F-623 corner ribs.
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