Rear & Forward Fuselage Joining

Baggage Area

5/28/13 - Started riveting together the baggage compartment. Total Time = 1 hour.



Checking to See If My Hand Riveter Will Fit Into the Corner

 
6/1/13 - Riveted the back of the baggage compartment. Riveted the baggage upright and the extrusion arm of the forward fuselage to the rear fuselage side skin. Riveted the bottom extrusion on the forward fuselage to the cabin floor. Riveted the gear channel to the rear and forward fuselage. Total Time = 7 hours.


Riveting the Gear Channel to the Forward Fuselage

6/2/13 - Cutoff excess from the end of the top tubes of the Cabin Frame (75F15-1) so it would cleco to the rear wing attachment. Also trimmed the right front tube so it would cleco to the cabin side. Drilled the remaining holes in the cabin frame and into the rear wing attachment as well as the cabin side. Marked the rivet line on the Gear Strut Fitting (75F14-3) and then drilled holes into the gear strut fitting and into the fuselage. Total Time = 5 hours.

Cabin Frame Clecoed in Place

6/9/13 - Drilled all the holes in the Gear Strut Fitting to the proper size for all the bolts and the rivets. Drilled holes in the Gear Channel Doublers (75F10-2) and into the Gear Channel to the proper size. Total Time = 9 hours.

Gear Stut Holes Drilled to Size

Gear Channel Doublers in Place and Drilled to Proper Size

6/15/13 - Sanded, Primed and Painted the Gear Strut Fittings. Cut "L" Angles to 150 mm and placed against the cabin side and the Gear Channel. Drilled all holes to proper size and then deburred all parts, cleaned and coated parts with Cortec anti-corrosion . Total Time = 5 hours.


Painting the Gear Strut Fittings

6/16/13 - Positioned the Firewall flush with the edge of the cabin floor. Drilled holes through the cabin floor and into the Firewall. Postioned the Upper Engine Mount Fitting (75F14-2) and the the Lower Engine Mount Fitting (75F14-1). Drilled holes into the fittings, Firewall and the Longerons. Total time = 3 hours.


Firewall and Engine Mount Fittings in Place

7/1/13 - Made a trip to Viking Aircraft Engines in Edgewater, Fl. to pick up my new 110 HP aircraft engine to power my Zenith CH750 airplane. Bought a one-way airline ticket and rented a mid size SUV to drive it back to Michigan. Everything worked out just fine. It took 18 & 1/2 hours to drive back home but the driver and the cargo made it back in one piece. 
 

The Viking Team Loading the Engine into the Back of the SUV

Viking 110HP Engine Waiting Patiently for Installation. A Thing of Beauty!

7/5/13 - Riveted both the L.H. & R.H. Rear Seat Channels in Place. Also riveted the L.H. & R.H. Seat Supports in place. Bolted and riveted the L.H. & R.H Gear Strut Fittings and the L.H. & R.H. 150 mm "L" angles that are against the side skin to the Gear Strut Fittings. Total Time = 7 hours.


Riveting the Side Skin Gussets



Gear Strut Fittings Bolted and Riveted in Place

7/6/13 - Drilled holes on the underside of the cabin floor into the firewall. Cut "L" angles to fit on the Left Front Side Skin and drilled holes after fluting the "L" angles to follow the curvature of the side skin. Total Time = 3 hours.


Clecoing the Foward Angles into Place

 7/7/13 - Finished installing the "L" angles onto the the right front side skin then installed the Heal Support Gusset (75F10-6). Installed the Forward Angles (75F12-7) onto the "L" angles after trimming them to fit and clecoed them in place. Total Time = 4 hours.


L.H. Side Installed with "L" Angles, Forward Angles and Heal Support Gusset

 7/13/13 - Cut "L" angles to fit onto the Left Front Side Skin. Installed the Forward Angles (75F12-7) on the "L" angles on the L.H. Side Skin. Installed the Heal Support Gusset (75F10-6) on the L.H. side of the Heal Support. Drilled and clecoed all parts in place. Total Time = 5 hours.


Lower Engine Mount Fitting Drilled to Proper Size

 7/14/13 - Drilled all holes to the proper size in the Firewall, Sideskins, "L" Angles, Forward Angles, the Heal Support and Heal Support Gusset. Drilled the Upper and Lower Engine Mount Fittings to the proper size. Installed the L.H. and R.H. Cabin Frame Gussets (75F12-4) to the cabin side and the cabin frame then drilled these holes to the proper size. Total Time = 5 hours.


Cabin Frame Gusset Installed and Holes Drilled to Proper Size

 7/20/13 - Fitted the Instrument Panel (75F16-1) and the Forward Top Skin (75F16-2) into place with clecoes. Drilled holes from the Forward Top Skin into the Firewall and from the Side Skin into the Longeron and the Top Skin. Cut "L" Angles to fit between the Firewall and the Instrument Panel. Drilled out all holes to the proper size. Total Time = 5 hours.

Forward Top Skin and Instrument Panel In Place and Drilled to Proper Size

7/21/13 - Drilled holes through the Forward Top Skin into the cabin frame. Took apart the the Forward Top Skin. Drilled the engine mounting holes to the proper size into the four corners of the Firewall and into the Lower and the Upper Engine Mount Fittings. Total Time = 3 hours.


Engine Mount Holes Drilled Into the Four Corners of the Firewall

7/27/13 - Drilled holes in the top flange of the Engine Bracket through the Firewall and into the Cabin Frame flange. Took off the Cabin Frame and the Firewall. Drilled holes to the proper size into the Rear Wing Attachment, Side Channel and the Top Channel. Removed the Top Channel Assembly for deburring. Total Time = 4 hours.

Top Channel and Rear Wing Attachment Drilled

7/28/13 - Deburred, cleaned and added Cotec anti-corrosion protection to the Rear Wing Attachments, Side Channels, Top Channel and Rear Channel. Reassembled the Top Channel Assembly and clecoed back in place. Sanded the Lower Engine Mount Fittings and then primed and painted them. Sanded the Upper Engine Mount Fittings, primed and painted them. Total Time = 7 hours.

7/29/13 - Sanded, primed and painted the Cabin Frame Gussets. Sanded the Cabin Frame and prepped it for painting. Total Time = 2 hours.
8/4/13 - Deburred the L.H. & R.H. Forward Side Skins, Forward Angles, "L" Angles,  Instrument Panel, Forward Top Skin, Heal Support Gussets, Forward Fuselage Assembly and the Firewall. Painted the Firewall with heat resistant paint. Total Time = 4 hours.

Firewall Painted

8/10/13 - Primed cabin frame with self-etching primer. Painted the cabin frame with silver paint. Total Time = 2 hours.

Cabin Frame Painted

8/17/13 - Deburred, cleaned added corrosion protection to forward fuselage parts. Total Time = 3 hours.

Front Fuselage Parts Deburred, Cleaned and Corrosion Protected

8/18/13 - Reassembled front fuselage parts and started riveting the forward angles and the "L" angles to the front fuselage side skin. Total Time = 7 hours.

Reassebling the Front Fuselage

9/29/13 - Installed the passenger toe brake cylinder supports (6B9-6). Drilled, deburred, cleaned and added corrosion protection. Total Time = 2 hours.

Passenger Toe Brake Supports Drilled and in Place

10/5/13 - Riveted the L.H. & R.H. Forward Side Skins to the firewall and the Forward "L" Angles. Riveted the Brake Cylinder Supports for the both the pilot and passenger side. Also riveted the Heel Support Gussets. Total Time = 3 hours.

Riveting the Side Skins in Place

Total Rear & Forward Fuselage Joining Assembly Time = 96 Hours.