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Kupe's Zodiac 650B
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Date:  3-29-2015
Number of Hours:  3.00
Manual Reference:  6-G-3
Brief Description:  Fuselage Step Faring Begin

Returned to the aircraft factory after nearly 7 months away on a business trip. I really missed working on the plane - it feels good to be back on the job.

Today I rolled the bird out of the garage onto the driveway to clean out around it (a lot of leaves and cobwebs from months of neglect) and to remove the canopy for easier access to the cockpit. I'd been thinkingabout what to do with the canopy for a long time because I wasn't sure if it would fit through doors to get it down to the basement. Turns out the canopy is surprisingly light, very stable (zero flex) and fits easily through a doorway on its side. With the help of my wife, we walked it down to the basement and set it on my work table down there for now.

I then fit and installed the Fuselage Step Faring which covers the cross bar (a tube actually) that connects and reinforces the two cabin access steps. The faring is delievered over-size so it requires some measuring and fitting to get it just right. After fitting, I match-drilled the aft edge of the faring using the already-drilled bottom rib that serves as the forward frame for the access door (where the access door hinge will go). Once the aft edge of the faring was drilled, I removed it, measured and drilled a rivet line into the forward edge, then match-drilled the forward edge onto the bottom of the fuselage.

A generally straight forward job, but required a lot of up-and-down, rolling around the garage on my creeper, and drilling while laying flat on my back. After a 6+ month layoff that didn't involve crawling all around an airplane, I should sleep well tonight!
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Canoy removed and stored in the basement.

Canoy removed and stored in the basement.

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Underneath fuselage by steps. Fuselage Step Faring after drilling out.

Underneath fuselage by steps. Fuselage Step Faring after drilling out.

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From the right side. Fuselage Step Faring drilled out and clecoed in place.

From the right side. Fuselage Step Faring drilled out and clecoed in place.

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