Brief Description: Reason to replace left front skin on fuselage
This post is not for the faint at heart. If you are thinking about scratchbuilding an airplane, what you are about to read might completely discourage you. I'm sure not happy about it. When I installed my wing attachment uprights (6-B-13-1) on the front and back sides of the center spar, I pulled the rear upright too tightly against the center spar, constricting the opening for the wing spar itself. We're not just talking about a little bit of compression. It was so restricted that there was no way to put the wing jig in -- which was how I discovered the problem in the first place. Here is where I recount my blessings: I could have completed the fuselage, riveted it up, put it on its gear, taken it to the airport and THEN discovered that I couldn't fit the wings in. Someone reading this will probably question why I don't just make a new upright, align it properly and drill it with more room for the center spar to remain open. I did that, in fact that's how I racked up two hours tonight. The problem is that there is no way to use the existing holes in the side skin and hit an acceptable rivet line in the new upright. Any matching of the holes will in fact bind the center spar. The solution is to remake the side skin and to install the upright in the correct position. Bummer. We have our kids arriving over the next two days for Christmas together. Don't expect to see any updates before early January.
