1/20/08 - both wings safely stored in wing cradle and recently placed against side of garage wall with cardboard sheets to protect against 'garage rash'

1/5/08 - the right wing is done!! This afternoon my son and I flipped it over on the bench so I could complete the rivets on the bottom of nose rib #4 and on the aft panel of the wing locker. This wing will join the left wing on the cradle. This week I ordered my fuselage kit components. Since pickup is not until May 2, I have some time to prepare the shop and maybe get set up for painting the wings and tail feathers. The latter depends on how warm it gets in February or March.

12/30/07 - here's a pic of the right top skin with riveting complete. Maybe on New Years Day I'll complete the nose skin riveting and then place the right wing in the cradle.

12/30/07 - after deburring the right top skin and priming all the mating rib and spar surfaces underneath (done a few days back) I clecoed the top skin in place and starting riveting in place.

12/30/07 - I then used a spray bottle with a soapy water solutio to test all fittings for leaks. The sender did not produce any bubbles at all and neither did the fittings at the finger screen. I did get bubbles at the fuel filler threads so I added more fuel lube to the threads and this stopped the leak. I will make a note to be sure to liberally apply fuel lube later when installing both fillers for final time on wings.

12/30/07 - before closing up the right wing I leak tested the fuel tank. Was a little cold outside today and this kept me from testing with gas to check for leaks. So I decided to put a very small amount of air pressure in tank, enough to inflate the glove you see on the filler neck.

12/8/07 - click the above to view a movie of the the right flap and aileron drilled and clecoed to the wing

12/8/07 - before I drilled (this pic is after drilling) I set up both the flap and aileron with clamps to test this gap and clearance for the head of the bolt on the airleron horn. Zenith says approx 5 mm and I ended up with 4mm

12/8/07 - today I mounted the aileron and flap on the right wing and drill the wing-side of the hinges of both

11/25/07 - another shot of the completed assembly ready to deburr and rivet when I rivet the top wing skin

11/25/07 - dzus installed and locked to test fit

11/25/07 - today I worked on adding the wing locker dzus strip that's mounted beneath the door. As I did with the left wing, I cut this strip out of one solid piece of .025 sheet. This way the two corner dzus are not spanning two separate strips. I also think this looks cleaner with the radius at each corner matching that on the hinged lid.

11/18/07 - here's the right wing locker ready to install the dzus strips

11/18/07 - I would continually close the wing locker to check fit as I filed the edges

11/18/07 - a this point all the rough cutting is complete and edges are filed with a vixen file to match the lid. I did not start filing until I had the lid drilled and clecoed into place

11/18/07 - more scoring with the Olfa knife

11/18/07 - progress so far with the nibbler and Olfa knife

11/18/07 - today I cut into the right top wing skin to start the construction of the baggage locker. I started by tracing the lid of the wing locker, drilled holes at the corners with a unibit, and then used pneumatic nibbler to make the first rough cut of the square hole. I then cleaned up the edges closer the lines with an Olfa knife as seen above.

11/9/07 -ran the 16 gauge Tefzel wire from the right nav light and strobe and laced up

11/9/07 - drill the holes in the ribs for the wiring to the nav light and strobe

October 2007 - worked on the right fuel tank mounting the fuel sender with fuel lube and applied the cork strips, cut the filler hole in the nose skin

after finishing the wing tip work I mounted the strobe power supply and cut an inspection hole in the bottom skin for future access should the power supply need to be replaced

on the inside when I riveted the light I backed it up with a strip of aluminum and a washer under the rightmost rivet

attached the right nav light to the fiberglas wing tip

fiberglas tip and upper and lower wing end angles drilled and clecoed

few steps not shown to this point but now decided to work on the wing tip

attaching the nose ribs

bottom wing skin pre-drilling comnplete

drilling and clecoing the bottom wing skin

right wing now bottom side up and checking the spar angle and leveling the wing

and the clecos have been moved

first to move the top skin clecos inside

prepared to turn the wing bottom side up so I could attach the bottom skin

another shot of the top skin on the right wing

September 2007- riveted the right wing skeleton and now drilling and clecoing the top skin - been a while since I updated the web site and since I had to replace the digital camera battery I forgot to set the date .. so I don't know exactly when I took the following pics

8/30/07 - tomorrow I plan to disassemble and debur the skeleton and then rivet

8/30/07 - right wing nose ribs drilled and clecoed

8/29/07 - progress on assembling the right wing rear ribs

8/27/07 - another shot of the finished left wing on the wing stand.

8/27/07 - after a little time off starting a new consulting company of my own and a lot of time on site at my client in Virginia, I was able to finally finish the left wing. In the process I also built a wing stand this week.

7/13/07 - more of the lacing

7/13/07 - a pic of my lace wrapped wiring in the left wing. I like the lacing as it keeps things nice and tight with little slack or slippage.

7/6/07 - here is the hinged left aileron all drilled and clecoed to the wing

7/6/07 - today I also converted my hingeless left aileron to hinged and tested the fit on the left wing

7/6/07 - the completed baggage locker except for the Dzus studs installed. I still need to counter sink the 5/16" holes so the stud does not snag.

7/4/07 - another shot of the Dzus strips

7/4/07 - these are the Dzus fastener srtips installed and pilot drilled

7/4/07- 4th of July - I got to work all day on the project! Formed and installed the L angles under the door.

7/3/07 - and then did the final cuts to the newly marked lines just drawn

7/3/07 - I drilled and attached the door to the hinge to then be able to mark the final lines to cut.

7/3/07 - I then drilled and clecoed the hinge for the baggage locker door

7/3/07 - did the rough cut for the baggage locker in the left wing using my Olfa knife

7/1/07 - fininshed the day today bundling up all the wires and pitot tubing with tie wraps

7/1/07 - I labeled all wires terminating at the wing root with an Excel spreadsheet printout of the text inserted under clear heat shrink tubing

7/1/07 - another pic of the wiring. I decided not to use the 5/8" nylon conduit.Running the wires thru grommets and tying up with nylon ties worked fine.

7/1/07 - this pic shows how I routed all the wires and pitot tubing in the wing

6/30/07 - I left sufficient slack on the other side of the spar extension for reattaching the wires to future replacement bulbs. I then secured all the wires coming from the nav/strobe, landing/taxi light, and strobe power supply

6/30/07 - tested the fit for the lights and then ran the wires for each light including a ground wire for each

6/30/07 - mounted the frame for the light then drilled and clecoed

6/30/07 - cut the hole out for the landing and taxi lights

6/24/07 - tested the fit of the mast and pitot assembly with a few clecos to hold the mast in place. I then removed for later installation and slid the wing back in the center of the bench.

6/24/07 - I then tapped the pitot with a 6-32 plug tap and tried the assembly with the socket head 6-32 screws. A couple of my holes did not line up perfectly but I was happy with the result.

6/24/07 - Since I planned to use 6-32 button head machine screws, I drilled the mast and pitot together with a #36 drill bit. I then opened up the holes in the mast to clear the threads. I saw all this on an RV site .. nice to have another fellow's pictures and text to follow.

6/24/07 - I marked some lines on the pitot where it made to take screws and then transferred those lines to the mast

6/23/07 - after testing the fit, I drilled the holes on the mast mounting plate for the A5 rivets.

6/23/07 - the pitot should be accessible to me thru the wing baggage locker. To install it here I needed to drill out three A5 rivets first.

6/23/07 - I purchased a pitot mast from SafeAir for my Dynon unheated pitot. I decided to put it just outboard of rear rib #5 similar to plans but the mast comes with a spar flange joggle that allowed me to support it there as well. I cut a shim from .025 to level up the mast.

6/23/07 - finished access hole with cover

6/23/07 - started cutting an access hole for wingtip

6/23/07 - close up of the power supply mounted with rivnuts. I also put the ground wire under a screw into a rivnut.

6/23/07 - I mounted the power supply for the strobe on the spar extension using rivnuts so I could remove and replace from an access hole

6/22/07 - started to run wires for the taxi/landing light and nav/strobe thru a conduit I got from the Van's aircraft site. I will be suspending this conduit from each rib hole it passes thru

6/22/07 - this evening started to assemble the landing and taxi light

6/22/07 - began to run wiring for the nav light and strobe. Tested the light.

6/19/07 - attached the navigation light and strobe to the tip. I backed the rivets behind the fiberglass with some strips of aluminum to keep them from working thru.

6/19/07 - fiberglass tip all drilled.

6/18/07 - also attached the fiberglass wingtip this day.

6/18/07 - top and bottom flange formed, drilled, and clecoed to the skins

6/17/07 - started working on the wing tip. Dad, those copper colored things are clecos.

6/22/07 - little out sequence date wise, but here's a pic thru the nose ribs showing the wiring completed for the tank ground and fuel sender connection

6/16/07 - riveted in the back panel of the wing locker this afternoon

6/16/07 - tank installed in left wing with extra cork to protect tank welds. I still need to install the sender and ground wiring when my electrical connectors arrive

6/16/07- tilted tank on end to watch for any leaks at hose or sender . none. I then drained the tank thru the hose and fuel drain valve.

6/16/07 - put approximately a gallon of gas into the tank to check for leaks in sender, finger screen, fuel line aeroquip fittings, and fuel sampler drain. Only leak was at fuel drain valve where a couple of metal shavings (from the flycutting) had deposited onto the o-ring sealer of the valve

6/16/07 - fuel sender sealed with fuel lube (called EZ Turn from Aircraft Spruce)

6/14/07 - after flycutting the hole in the end of the tank, I dry fitted the sender before adding fuel lube sealer

6/10/07 - wing flipped over ready to work on fuel tank and wiring and other stuff

6/9/07 - inspection cover for aileron bellcrank

6/9/07 - inspection cover for fuel sender and finger screen

6/9/07 - bottom skin all riveted up ready to flip

6/9/07 - also finished the inspection covers for the fuel tank finger screen and the aileron bell crank

6/9/07 - flap clecoed and then removed for later installation when putting wings on fuselage

6/9/07 - before I flipped over the wing I drill the left flap hinge.

6/8/07 - primed all the mating surfaces on the skins

6/8/07 - skins are all drilled so removed them and primed the wing skeleton. During the process I swapped out rear rib #9 (see below) and riveted the tiedown to it.

6/7/07 - nose skin pilot drilled and clecoed

6/7/07 - and checking fit to nose rib on inboard side of wing

6/7/07 - checking fit of nose skin to nose ribs on outboard end of wing .. looks tight .. cool pic with flash

6/7/07 - straps and 1x2s used to pull the nose skin down against the nose ribs for drilling. Had to slip the nose skin under to rear skin to use the predilled on the spar side of the rear skin. Will be placed on top when riveted.

6/6/07 - my son helped me flip the wing to work the top of the nose skin. You can't see it but bottom spar and rear channel are resting on steel beams to keep the clecos off the work table.

6/6/07 - completed drilling nose skin

6/4/07 - the nose skin all pilot drilled

6/4/07 - laid on the nose skin, checking location to tips of ribs and spar many times before I drilled first hole.

6/4/07 - discovered Zenith had in error had the CNC mill set to cut the tiedown slot outboard of the #9 rear rib rather than inboard as in plans. I called Zenith and they suggested I swap rear ribs #9. This will require I drill out this rib's rivets and re-rivet and drill this rib for skins.

6/3/07 - bottom skin of left wing pilot drilled

6/03/07 - marking the center of the bottom flanges of the rear ribs

6/3/07 - finished final drilling of the top skin for A5 rivets and turned the wing up on the spar in prep for working on the bottom skin. I was very happy with all hole locations in the rear rib flanges .. nicely centered

6/2/07 - pilot drilling the top rear skin. I barely had enough silver clecos .. ordered more that evening from Aircraft Tool

5/29/07 - the rear top skin laid up on top of the wing skeleton

5/29/07 - adjusting the wing skeleton to get the required 9 degree main spar angle using the two jigs shown above and then checking the spar and rear channel to be level

5/24/07 - I took a break from working on the left wing because I misdrilled the channel root doublers .. yep, both of the them. So while I wait for the replacements to arrive from Zenith, I started on the aileron trim installation into the left aileron. Here's the cutout for the trim tab with the internal channel clecoed in.

5/22/07 - this evening I attached the channel to the aft flange of the rear ribs

5/19/07 - I completed pilot drilling and clecoing the nose ribs to the spar.

5/19/07 - I think this is the obligatory pic that all builders take looking thru their rear ribs

5/19/07 - pilot drilling the nose rib angles with a right angle drill attached to my drill motor.

5/18/07 - tonight I pilot drilled all the rear rib flanges to the spar and attached with clecos. Starting to look like a wing!!

5/18/07 - rear ribs drilled and clecoed to spar

5/18/07 - all 9 rear ribs layed out on bench behind the wing spar

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5/18/07 - riveting reinforcement L angles to rear ribs 1, 2, 3 an 4. I primed the parts last night with zinc oxide

5/17/07 - bellcranks clecoed to rib

5/17/07 - aileron bellcranks after cutting and shaping

5/17/07 - aileron bellcranks marked out before cutting

5/17/07 - lined up the rear ribs for the left wing behind the spar

5/14/07 - this evening I attached the spar tip to the left wing spar and started working on nose ribs 1, 2, and 3

5/14/07 - completed left and right flaps and left and right ailerons

5/14/07 - completed riveted hinge

5/14/07 - riveting the hinge to the flange of the flap

5/5/07 - riveting left flap. Just before this pic I had finished replacing the work bench top with 3/4" MDF which makes for a very clean flat work surface needed to ensure no twist in assemblies.

5/5/07 - completed left aileron and started working on flaps

5/2/07 - completed right aileron.

5/2/07 - completed the inventory of all crate contents and started work today on the right aileron.

5/1/07 - and here it is after the packing paper is removed.

5/1/07 - here's what the inside of the nicely packed crate looks like

5/1/07 - and certainly some help is appreciated pushing the crate off the trailer. That's my youngest son, brother-in-law and my nephew providing the muscle.

5/1/07 - backing the trailer up to garage

5/1/07 - wing components kits crate being loaded into u-haul trailer at Zenith in Missouri.