Today I had a few minutes before we went downtown for the big BigD NYE 2014 celebration so I figured I would do some aileron bracket work. I knew the shop time would be limited, and I need to get back to the top skins, but I also need to do some tedious stuff before I can rivet the top skins...so - aileron brackets are perfect for today's short session.
The aileron brackets are 2 thick plates of aluminum that sandwich a bearing which holds the ailerons to the wings. The steel angle actually mounts the brackets to the rear spar and gets primed only on the mating surfaces where they touch the aluminum plates. The aluminum plates don't get primed as the allowable gap tolerance is very small. This is all spelled out in the special plans/drawings that come with the aileron bracket hardware. I still need to countersink for the flush rivets but other than that - the plates are drilled, deburred, the angle mating surfaces are primed. I will let the primer dry completely and then do some c/s and riveting next year...
A year ago I was working on the elevator, and had 107 hours in the project. Now I am at 551 mark, with an even 444 hours put in for 2013. 2012 was the best year at first - but 2013 was my best year so far - here's hoping for an even better 2014. I am targeting being over the 1,000 hour mark this time next year - and will be ordering the fuselage in a few days. :)
