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Derek & Kims RV-9A Build Log
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Date:  12-8-2012
Number of Hours:  2.00
Manual Reference:  
Brief Description:  Rivet Steps In Place

The fuselage consists of soooo many unique tasks that lately i have felt, well, if if didn't like building so much, id say "overhwelmed". It seems i enter the shop with no specific task in mind and end up just picking something up and working on it for awhile. Heck, most things cant even be checked-off in the manual.

Well, i recently primed the two steel steps with some new white colored Stewart Systems primer i got from ACS. Finishing the step install has been holding me off from finishing the final riveting of the baggage floor and side panels. So, I decided to rivet the steps in place, even though now i'll be tripping over these suckers for the foreseeable future.

When i got the step kit i saw that it gave the builder an option of riveting the flange to the side of the fuselage using either blind rivets or AN470-4's. Deep down, for simplicity sake, i've always wanted to just use the blind rivets. However I never want to feel as though i was cutting corners, so i've been battling this back and forth for some time.

Well, today I went to the shop, started working and it just sort of happened - the steps got riveted in place with the pop rivets. First I lathered up the backside of the flange with some proseal and cleco'd it in place while I inserted the AN3 bolt on the UMHW block under the baggage floors.

My reasoning for the pop rivets is as follows: First off, there is one row of rivets that is blocked by a fuselage stiffener from any bucking bat that I own; so i would either need to buy or fabricate a bucking bar for these 5 rivets, or pop rivet them anyway. Second, I have horrible luck with -4 size an470 rivets. I would likely smuck the skin a few times in the process of riveting them. Third, no helper around to buck rivets. And last but not least - is someone really going to stair at the rivets on my steps? I dont think so. If it saves time, go for it. Now that its all said and done I actually like the look of the blind rivets anyway!
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Steps and condtuit under baggage floors

Steps and condtuit under baggage floors

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Left Step Riveted in Place

Left Step Riveted in Place

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Blind Rivet Step Install

Blind Rivet Step Install

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