Upper Aileron III

3/14/2006

The upper ailerons were skinned over the leading edges identical to the lowers. For some reason, the second upper gave me a lot of trouble... the ply kept failing at the largest pressure point - which is at the front. Twice the darn ply came away. :-|. This was kind of concerning...seeing as the ply should fail before the T-88 does. All I can think of is that the gluing process was undertaken in winter, at the T-88 didn't like it. Additionally, the failed join had a sticky feel about it, hinting that maybe the mix was not equal...yet I have been mixing faithfully with measuring cups all along...

I decided to eradicate the pressure factor when clamping by dry-clamping the ply sheet to the contour of the aileron rib. To do this I had to make the ply pliable ... I stuck the ply in the dishwasher for 2 hours! I will now leave this ply clamped down for a good 2 weeks, to make sure it conforms.

The fuselage has been inspected by my local A&P, and he was impressed with the welding, he said it looked better than most factory jobs. I am going to media-blast it, then zinc-chromate paint it.

The workshop floor has now been extended. It has to be the most ugliest concrete slab ever laid [laid by myself and the bro-in-law], but it is solid - which is what was needed. I have a whopping 39 ft length now. Plenty of room for the 24 ft workbench I will need for the upper one-piece wing later on...