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Dave's RV-7A Builder's Log
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Date: 6-21-2008
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Number of Hours: 3.50
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Center to aft fuselage mating
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Steve stopped by this morning to assist me in attaching the center and aft fuselage sections. Although the builder's manual calls for leaving the baggage floor skins in place for stiffness during this process, I elected to remove them to gain access to the rivet line in order to be able to coax the sections into place. This turned out to be a very good idea...everything joined up fairly easily and I was able to get a cleco in every hole...with Steve at the aft part of the fuselage lifting or pushing occasionally.
At this stage of the construction project, the manual doesn't go into step-by-step detail unless it's a critical step that must be accomplished in a particular order. Because of that, there is really no direction as to when you are supposed to drill the F-776 skin to the aft fuselage. Additionally, it's pretty obvious that at some time the structures must be separated, deburred, dimpled, and then rejoined. I decided to get all of that done today, so we drilled the holes to #30--including the aft row (these sections are joined by a double row of rivets), pulled it all apart and finished up the prep work, then rejoined the sections--hopefully for good.
After Steve left, I clecoed the F-770 side skins in place. Before attaching them, I drilled out the pilot holes where the steps will go, then with a little manipulation, got everything to fit. For the first time I got some sense of how large a structure this is for a garage! I remain impressed with the quality of the kit construction...every hole matched up perfectly! It was gratifying to see the bends I had made in my longerons fit exactly the point on the F-704 bulkheads where they were supposed to go. The next few sessions will involve working the aft portion of the F-770 skins to curve into the aft fuselage, and a myriad of stiffeners, braces, and brackets inside the fuselage.
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Fuselage joined
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Why yes, I am building a canoe...with wings
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Fuselage viewed from front
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