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Jerrys Web Site
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Date: 12-19-2011
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Number of Hours: 7.50
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Wing and Tank Skin Installation
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A very productive day. I spent the morning working on the small brackets that close off the fuel tank stringer holes. There are 12 separate brackets that need to be fitted, then removed. They'll be installed/prosealed later. Next, I worked to line up the holes on the wing skin with the pre-punched pilot holes in the rib flanges. It sounds simple, but was very difficult because the ribs as shipped by Murphy are not flat. In addition, you are not supposed to flatten them. Consequently, I used a solid aluminum rule to help slide between the spar and the skin and to push on the ribs until I got them aligned. The fuel tank area was the most difficult, as the ribs were made from thicker material. The outboard ribs were much easier.
Next, I finished running my conduit for the electrical wiring. I used 1/2" PEX tubing for this, something I already had in the shop, and it was as light as the flexible conduit I've seen at Lowe's and Home Depot. To keep the ribs from cutting through the PEX, I purchased self adhesive door guards at my local autoparts store, and cut them in three inch strips. They worked really well. Later on, I cut the ties loose, because they were inhibiting my ability to move the ribs for match drilling with the nose ribs. When I tie them again, I'll purchase some more door edge guard material and put in the aft hole so the cable ties are protected as well.
Match drilling the nose ribs is difficult. You draw a line down the center of the rib, then manuever them from underneath or with an ice pick to see the line beneath the holes. The problem I encountered the other day was when you push down on the drill, the rib flange would walk on me. I wasn't successful at stopping this even with center punching. Today, I finally realized that I could hold the rib flange in an adjoining hole with an ice pick, and then very gently allow the drill to begin drilling (very little pressure). It would create its own center punch and align itself quite nicely. I was just pushing too hard. I'll
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Match drilling wing/tank skin
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Electrical conduit
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Match drilling the nose skin
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