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Buck's RV-8
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Date: 6-15-2008
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Number of Hours: 3.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Avionics access door; interior painting prep
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Today I completed the avionics access door. First I prepped and primed all the components, then riveted the hinge and shim strip along the bottom the opening. Then I installed the doubler ring and platenuts around the edge of the opening. Finally, I riveted the upper half of the hinge to the door itself, installed the door, and fastened it shut with eight Torx-bit screws.
I spent another couple of hours prepping the interior of the fuselage for painting. I removed just about all the components -- everything except the elevator control rods, bearings, and the control yoke and sticks. These I masked and taped. They'll stay in the plane for good, I think.
Since no one seemed to be around the airport today, I attempted to rig up a way that I could lift one end of the fuselage with my engine hoist, allowing me to move the fuselage between the low floor-stand and the rotisserie by myself. Using a strap, I hung the tail from the hoist's hook, then jacked it up about six inches. I went up to the nose of the airplane to have a look at the nose, when I heard and felt a tremendous crash. In a moment of dain bramage, I'd forgotten to secure the legs of the hoist with pins, and the hoist had fallen over. Most of the noise was the hoist hitting the floor. I was extremely lucky -- the hoist arm merely nicked the fuselage skin near the aft fuselage deck. I felt like a dummy for most of the evening. Disaster averted by the grace of God. Lesson learned.
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Riveting the lower hinge of the avionics access door.
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Completed avionics access door. Note the two outboard rivets on the door hinge are flush-heads.
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Masking off the elevator pushrods and sticks in preparation for painting the interior.
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