The starboard fuel tank was completed today by sealing all the spanwise rivet heads attaching the skin to the rear baffle and installing the root rib access plate and fuel sender. The tank was then set aside to cure in preparation for the leak test. The leak test will include both a thorough soap bubble exercise and observation and measurement of an inflated balloon (attached to the vent line) over a period of days. I used these same methods on the port tank to check its integrity.
The next task today was to remove the protective plastic from the top inboard skin. In the next shop session I will remove the plastic from the outboard skin, deburr and dimple both skins. The wing walk doubler will be deburred and dimpled and the scarfing of the two top skins will be completed. Final fit of the skins will be checked in preparation for riveting.
A final shop task was to clean up the clecos used in the tank construction. After letting them soak in MEK, I wire brushed each fastener to remove most of the sealant.
