Today I finished drilling the forward tailcone skin. I got to spend another fun-filled session inside the tailcone, but it is finally done. After drilling the forward skin to F-606 and F-607, I removed both skins and started trimming. I trimmed the forward and bottom edges of the aft skin and the aft edge of the forward skin at the overlap. I still need to trim the bottom edges of the forward skin, but that can wait. I won't be able to finish out the forward skin until I fit the canopy frame since the final contour of the front edge of the skin is determined by the frame. I will also fit / drill the canopy rail once the frame if fitted.
There is a rib that goes between the F-606 and F-607 bulkheads and rivets to the forward skin. That rib needs to align with the canopy rail, so I haven't fitted it yet.
The fit of the skins is quite good. I only expect to need a few skims where the bulkheads meet the longeron. The shims will ensure the skin doesn't pucker around the rivets and that there is a smooth trasition from the bulkhead to the longeron.
