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Dans RV8
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Date:  5-24-2006
Number of Hours:  2.00
Manual Reference:  Landing Light
Brief Description:  Cutting Wing Skin

How does it go? Measure once, cut twice..


I decided to put the conduit mess asside for the day and move on to the wing lights. This is a daunting task. The first step is to cut a big hole in the leading edge of the $10,000 wings. I measured not twice but five or six times. From there, I drilled out pilot holes to allow the snips in to start cutting. I left plenty of margin to the lines, not wanting to overdo the cut.


I used a rotary ScotchBrite wheel to remove material, but this was very, very slow. I tried filing, but that too was slow. I found that the best approach was to use a "nibbler", a tool I hadn't used since high school shop. From there, I used a course file to get down to the lines, then reverted to the wheels.


I worked slowly, but it actually went pretty well. After cutting the wing, I got the plate nuts drilled for assembly and drilled the lense attachment holes.


As usual, the next step is debur and paint. While I focused on the right wing, I will prep all of the parts for both wings before moving on. Then off to cut the left wing. The only risk item left in this subassembly is cutting the wing light lense. Fortunately, this is a cheap part. I will get it right the first time, but the risks are low for this task.
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Starting the cut

Starting the cut

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Roughed out cut

Roughed out cut

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Final Landing Light Opening

Final Landing Light Opening

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