Fuselage

October 3-8, 2005

Prepped and primed aft and center section parts using the usual process of cleaning with Dawn soap to remove grease, oil and markings, acid etch, alodine then priming with AFS Waterborne Primer/Sealer.

Left: Alodined seat and baggage ribs.

Right: Let the priming begin.

Usually I only prime the interior surfaces of the components but since some of the skin surfaces of the fuselage overlap, I decided to prime the exterior surfaces of the skins that will lie underneath another skin. Here the aft and center bottom skins are shown with primer where they sit under adjoining skins. I didn't do this on the wing surfaces where the skins overlap.

Some finished ribs, fuselage stiffeners and fuselage skins.

October 12, 2005

Began assembly of aft fuselage section. Started by clecoing bulkheads to bottom skin. Inserted fuselage stiffeners then clecoed on side skins.

October 16, 2005

Since I wanted to rivet as much as I could without a riveting partner, I remove the side skins to facilitate riveting the bulkheads to the bottom and tailcone skins. It was a little awkward at the aft end of the tail cone skin but all went together eventually.

October 18-19, 2005

Began riveting aft side skins to assembly. Rich Meske of Aircraft Extras assisted with the rivet bucking. It's nice to have experienced help with riveting.

October 20-22, 2005

Finished riveting up the aft section J-channel stiffeners and bulkhead to the side skins but only up to the upper J-channel. The remaining riveting above this point is done later after the main longerons are inserted.