Wings, Ailerons (Part 27)

Today I finished up the left and right Ailerons.  The last step to complete both of them was to install/rivet the V-Channel to the trailing edges.  To start, I cleaned the V-Channel and the inside trailing edges of the Skins with alcohol.  Next, I applied the 3M adhesive tape to both side of the V-Channel, installed it between the Skins, slowly pulled the backing from the double sided adhesive, and installed clecos to hold the Skins and V-Channel in place.

I started riveting from the center of the Skins and worked outward toward the ends.  I also used my two steal plates to complete the riveting the same way I use them to complete the Flaps.  

Here are the first eight rivets after being set.....

.....and a little closer. 

Here are the two completed Ailerons (left one in the cradle and the right one on the table).

Section Complete

Wings, Ailerons (Part 26)

During today’s sessions, the Bottom Skin for the right Aileron was riveted to the Spar.  First off, the Bottom Skin was clecoed into place so I could check for any twist (just like I described for the left Aileron in Part 25).  Once that was complete, the riveting could begin.  Just as with the left Aileron, the plans have you first rivet every 10th hole in the Bottom Skin assembly and then randomly the remaining holes.....for a total of 43 holes/rivets.  The plans call for AN426AD3-3.5 rivets, but they measured a little short.....AN426AD3-4’s measured perfectly.  So, I decided to use the -4’s instead.  Shown below is the completed right Aileron Bottom Skin.

There was one hole in the assembly that was.....well, different.  In the picture below you can see the hole I’m talking about.  The hole itself is lower than the Nose Skin next to it and the Outboard Hinge Bracket will not let a standard 1” Mushroom Set or 3/4” Mushroom Set sit flush on the Bottom Skin and the rivet.  So, I had to improvise.

I just happened to have an OLD Nose Skin laying around that I jacked up a few months ago, so I cut a piece of the Nose Skin that would fit in the area over the rivet.....and taped it into place.  This made the two surfaces flat and allowed me to use the 1” mushroom set to set the rivet.

Here is what the rivet looked like after being set.

After the Bottom Skin was riveted to the Spar, the next step was to install the 20 (10 on each Aileron) LP4-3 Blind Rivets in the Nose Skin and Counterbalance.  You have to look closely, but you can see the rivets in the leading edge:

This is the right Aileron.....

.....and the left Aileron.

Wings, Ailerons (Part 25)

Friday, June 7, 2019

After letting the Akzo primer dry from the previous session, I started the final Aileron(s) assembly process in this session by riveting the A-1008-1 Doublers the left and right Spar.  The only rivets that get set during this step are the four AN426AD3-5 on the inboard side of the Doublers.  I used the pneumatic squeezer to set these four.  The other four holes in the Doublers will be used to attach the Ribs to the Spar (in a later step).

Because the left and right Aileron’s were completely disassembled, I took the time to final install the hardware connecting the Counterbalance to the two A-1004-1R & -L Nose Ribs.  The hardware for this installation is in the square box at the bottom of the picture below.  I used LPS3 to generously coat the screws, nuts, Ribs, and Counterbalance.

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Saturday, June 8, 2019

I started off today by setting the eight (four in each Aileron) AN470AD4-4 rivets in the Main Ribs to Spar.  Pictured below is the right Aileron and the manufactured head of the rivets (already set).  Now, the “rule of thumb” is to put the manufactured head of the rivet on the thinnest material.  The flanges of the Main Ribs are definitely the thinnest material, but will NOT get the manufactured head of the rivet.  The reason is the space between the Brackets is not wide enough to get a bucking bar or the yoke from a pneumatic or hand squeezer in there to set the rivets.  Additionally, there is a slant between the Spar and the Top Skin that would prevent getting a rivet gun set squarely on the rivet (can’t really make it out in the picture).

Here is the shop head side of the four rivets shown above.  The left Aileron was completed the same way.  How did I do this?

The space between the Brackets I mentioned above was also too narrow to get an “un-modified” rivet set between them.  I had a 

10 1/2” 1/8 Universal Rivet Set that had to be grinned down as shown below.

This made the Set skinny enough to fit between the Brackets.  Here are a couple of pictures of what it looked like.

Holding the bucking bar on the opposite side was very easy and produced the results I showed in the pictures above.  Next, was to cleco the Top Skin to the Spar at every other hole and clamp a straight board to the Top Skin assembly near the trailing edge (to hold the Top Skin straight while riveting).  I didn’t have a board that I thought was sufficient, but I did have a Rear Spar I previously jacked up on the Elevators.  So, I used the old Spar and clamped it to the Top Skin as shown below.

Then set the 42 rivets in the Top Skin to Spar.  

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Sunday, June 9, 2019

Wings, Ailerons (Part 24)

I started today’s session by checking the right Aileron Nose Skin for “bowing”.  I found only minor bowing, if any, by following the directions in the plans (see Part 16 for this process on the left Aileron Nose Skin).

 Once that was completed, I treated the two Aileron Nose Skins with Alumiprep and Alodine.  After both Nose Skins were completely dry, I Akzo primed both Nose Skins and both Spars.  I will let them dry and start the assembly process during the next session.

Wings, Ailerons (Part 23)

During yesterday’s session, I clecoed together the whole Right Aileron.  The first step today was to verify there was no “bowing” in the Nose Skin.  I did this the same way as I did for the Left Aileron (detailed in Part 16).  There was a tiny little bit of “bowing”, but was easy to fix (the plans tell you how).  The plans state as much as a 1/16th” of “bowing” is acceptable.  Once I made the adjustments, there doesn’t appear to be any “bowing” on the Right Aileron Nose Skin. Once that was completed, I clecoed the V-Channel (shown below) to the aft ends of the Top and Bottom Skins and final-drilled all the holes #40.  Lastly, I removed the V-Channel and countersunk each of the holes (both sides) to fit a dimpled #40 Skin.  Here is a section of the completed V-Channel.

Once the V-Channel was taken care of, both Ailerons were completely disassembled. Below is the parts that make up the Left Aileron (minus the Spar and Nose Skin).....

.....and the Right Aileron (minus the Nose Skin).

After both Ailerons were disassembled, the left and right Nose Skins and Left Spar were treated with Alumiprep and Alodine.  Not the best picture, but the three parts are shown hanging up to dry.

Tomorrow, these three pieces will get Akzo primed, the left and right Ailerons will get reassembled, and the riveting process will begin.

Wings, Ailerons (Part 22)

Continuing from yesterday’s session, it’s now time to rivet stuff together.  Pictured below is the A-1005A-1R Main Rib.  In the first picture, you can see the manufactured side of the four AN426AD4-4 rivets attaching the A-10071B Inboard Hinge Bracket to the Main Rib and the manufactured head of the three AN426AD3-4.5 rivets attaching the A-1007-1C Hinge Bracket to the A-1007-1C Hinge Bracket.

This is the opposite side of the picture above showing the shop head side of the rivets.

This is the A-1005-1L Main Rib with the A-1006-1B Outboard Hinge Bracket riveted together using four AN426AD4-4 rivets.  This picture shows the manufactured heads.....

.....and the shop heads on the opposite side.

Here is the A-1004-1L Nose Rib with the A-1006-1A Outboard Hinge Bracket rivet into place using four AN-426AD4-4 rivets.

This is the opposite side of the picture above showing the shop head side of the rivets.

The A-1015-1R Rib with the A-1007-1A Inboard Hinge Bracket riveted into place using six AN426AD4-4 and two AN426AD3-4.5 rivets.

This is the opposite side of the picture above showing the shop head side of the rivets and the single MS21055-L3 nutplate.

Here is the completed Top Skin. The eight A-710 Stiffeners are attached to the Skin with AN426AD3-3.5 rivets.  The plans called for these rivets to be AN426AD3-3, but they measured a little short.  The 3.5’s measured perfectly, so I decided to use them instead.  I also used 3.5’s to attach the inboard and outboard Main Ribs. 

Below is the Bottom Skin.  It also has eight A-710 Stiffeners and two Main Ribs attached with AN426AD3-3.5 rivets.  If you notice, the Top and Bottom Skins have an area on the trailing edge that was not Akzo primed.  This is the area that the V-Channel will be attached to the Skins and the plans advised to not prime these areas.

The next step was to cleco the entire Aileron together.  Here is the aft side of the Right Aileron.....

.....the forward side.....

.....the Inboard Hinge Bracket.....

.....Outboard Hinge Bracket.....

.....and the Left and Right Ailerons together (the left is at the top of the photo and the right is at the bottom).

During the next session, I will follow the directions in the plans to determine if the Nose Skins have any “bowing”.  Once that is complete, I will disassemble both Ailerons and Akzo prime the Spars.  Lastly, the Nose Skin will need to be treated with Alumiprep, Alodine, and Akzo primer.....

.....then both Ailerons get riveted together!

Wings, Ailerons (Part 21)

In Part 20, I prepared several parts and pieces for the Right Aileron.....separated parts, deburred holes, cleaned the edges, and dimpled and/or countersunk the appropriate holes.....

During today’s session, I treated those parts with Alumiprep, Alodine, and Akzo prime.  Below are all the completed parts.  Shown below:

1.  Top and Bottom Skins (with trailing edge not primed for the V-Channel)

2.  A-710 Stiffeners (x16)

3.  A-1006-1B and -1A Outboard Hinge Brackets

4.  A-1007-1A and -1B and -1C Inboard Hinge Brackets

5.  A-1008-1 Doubler

6.  A-1004-1 Nose Ribs (x2)

7.  A-1015-1L Nose Rib

8.  A-1005A-1L and -1R Main Ribs

9.  A-1005B-1L and -1R Main Ribs

Shown below is the new Nose Skin I ordered from Van’s for the Right Aileron (still with blue protective plastic) and the Aileron Counterbalance (I was able to jack from the previous Aileron I messed up)!

Lastly, here is the Spar for the Right Aileron.....all prepped, cleaned and treated with Alumiprep and Alodine.  It is now ready for Akzo prime.