July 6th - 12th, 2002
The Wings
Here's the left wing frame with the ribs slid into
place.
The wing tank support in place.
The tank installed and belted down.
A shot down the center of the wing.
The inboard and outboard "widgets" had to
be notched to fit over the compression strut gussets. Here's the
leading edge widget. I used a Dremel tool to cut the notches.
This is the trailing edge widget. More material had
to be removed to get this one in.
Here's the leading edge wrap going on. It took lots
of ratchet straps, a little blood, and the invaluable help of
my good flying buddy Russ Hauser to get it installed. Note the
chalk lines to keep the rows of rivets lined up.
After the wrap is riveted down, a 1/2 inch bend needs
to be rolled on the edges. Russ showed me a tool that our friend
and master craftsman Dan Hepner uses for the purpose. Russ made
a couple of them for me.
The notch is put over the edge and the tool is run
up and down, adding more bend on each pass. A little soapy water
helps the process.
That's a wrap.
