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Keiths Web Site
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Date: 10-12-2009
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Number of Hours: 7.50
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Manual Reference: P 23-02 Steps 1-5
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Brief Description: Longeron day 1
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I started today by finally completing the painting of my "boat". The bulkhead at the front on Picture 1 is the one I forgot to paint. Then I drilled out and replaced the solid rivet at the front of the firewall, which I had been less than happy about. Problems fixed, I was ready to move on!
I then had to start on the longerons - a source of difficulty for many folk. First task was to cut the longerons to length - no problem there - then open up the front few inches to 95.4 degrees. I had read that folk did not get anywhere with a rubber mallet, so I covered the right angle with a couple of pieces of anled scrap cut of from the wing spars. Then I set to with a 4 pound club hammer on the garage floor. I had to hit it quite hard, and several times, but eventually got the angle to open up. I checked the angle with a template I had cut out out cardboard (Picture 2). I had also prepared a smaller angle (92.7 degrees) which was my target for half way along the front part of the longeron. This all seemed to work fine though I bruised the longerons slightly in spite of the protective angle.
Second step was to apply a 2.7 degree twist. With one end in the vice I rotated the other end with an adjustable spanner (borrowed from Davie's garage) just as shown in the plans - and demonstrated on an EAA video. This, too, was quite easy and I used the clinometer app in my iPhone to check the angle.
Finally I had to apply a bend in the longerons. I did this by bashing the longeron quite hard and repeatedly with the rubber mallet, adjacent to the vice. Moving forward inch by inch the longerons did take up a curve. After several passes, I had a bend that matched the "template".
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Finally all painted
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Cardboard template angles
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Longeron bend, in progress
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