Wings Arrive

Wings are here!

Inventory is done. All parts accounted for except one bag of hardware that's on backorder.

Dust Control

Been steadily cleaning out the basement.  We've disposed of dozens of bags of trash, recycle, and donations.  Dust has been a real problem, mostly due to the concrete floors slowly disintegrating.  I cleared half the basement and applied a concrete sealer to the floor.  It's been tricky to get it to stay down but a couple of coats seems to cover it.  It's not perfect, but it seems to be keeping the dust down.  We had some foam tiles laying around, so I put those down.

Another day and I'll be ready to start moving the bench and tools back in.

New Workbench Surface

I've been slowly organizing my tools and improving my workspace.  Doesn't make for very interesting blog posts, but it's getting me closer to resuming the project.

Tonight I finished resurfacing the workbench with some fresh MDF.  I cut the board to size and now I have a nice, level work surface.  Much better than the rough 2x6 planks that were there before.  I also added some cross-beams to stabilize the bench.  It's solid now.

Stacey was a trooper last week helping me carry the heavy sheets into the basement.

I think it would be a good idea to cover the surface with plastic.  I think MDF will soak up any liquids that spill on it, and that will ruin the surface.  Post a comment if you have any suggestions for what to use over the MDF!

Getting Organized

Well hello.  It's been quite a long time.  A lot has happened since my last post.  I've changed jobs twice, I now have two awesome boys, and I bought a '65 Cessna 172F with a couple of partners.

All the while my empennage has been collecting dust in the basement.

Recently, my younger son, now 7, has been asking if we can build the plane.  He loves building things and he's really good at it.  How can I say no?

In all this time my tools have become scattered throughout the house and it's been so long that I barely remember where I left off.

Harbor Freight had a sale this weekend, and I picked up some toolboxes.

They're not the biggest or the best, but I got a great deal and now I'm motivated to organize my tools, take inventory, and make progress.

Thankfully I took decent notes during my build.  I had checklists for each subassembly, and if there was anything I needed to come back to, I noted it.  After I get my workspace in order, I'll go through my logs and get reacquainted with where I left off.

Stay tuned!

Stalled

It's been a year and a half since I've posted a blog entry. Amazing how life takes off when you have kids. Not much progress to report. Somewhere between now and my last blog post I had riveted the right elevator, but the aluminum in my basement hasnt' moved for quite some time. I scored some shelves from a hardware store that had gone under. Once I get those assembled I'll have a place to store the completed tail components.

Today, sitting at my desk watching the planes make their approach into Hanscom, I am nostalgic for getting behind the yoke or to crank up the compressor and pound some rivets.

Riveting the Rudder

Been a while since I've made any progress on the project. The new job has kept me busy. I managed to find a couple hours tonight to work on the rudder.

I finished riveting the counterbalance skin to the rib. I attached the counterweight. Then I clecoed the skins to the structure. Could not do any more riveting because Josh was sleeping.

Time spent: 2 hours (115 Total)

Riveting Rudder Skeleton

Riveted together some of the rudder understructure. Began riveting the counterbalance skin to the counterbalance rib.

Time Spent: 4 hours (113 Total)