Flaps Flaps
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7 Jan 04 | Started the work on the Flaps. Dug out all the parts and got with it. Match drilled the ribs to the spar, then prepped the lower skin for match drilling. |
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17 Jan 04 | Continuing work on the flaps while riveting the lower left wing skin on. I'm just pacing myself through that riveting process..Left flap gets the pushrod brace fitted. |
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18 Jan 04 | Got the upper
skin drilled to the left and right skins Also started to drill the hinge to the left flap. After checking the required distances, I hope I can get this lined up right. I've used teh minimal 3/16 edge distance for the flap side of the hinge. |
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19 Jan 04 | Fitted the left
flap hinge to the flap then drilled and cleco'd. I set teh edge distance
at 3/16" which is the minimal edge distance here. The wing side of
the hinge will be a little greater. Also lined up the flap with the
aileron with the obligatory 1/4" gap. Went over to a friends place to use the break to bend the pushrod re-enforcements. Turned out well. Sure didn't want to use the hammer and vice method on these. |
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31 Jan 04 | Got the flap ends all fitted to the spars...Not a big deal but just took a little time. |
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4 Feb 04 | Deburred all the ribs. Getting this prepped for paint.. |
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7 Feb 04 | Per Van's instructions, I used the hinge as a backing to counter-sink the spar bottom flange. |
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15 Feb 04 | There has been stuff going on in the shop but it's generally the boring tasks like de-burr, dimple, aluma-prep, and prime. Ready for assembly! |
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18 Feb 04 | Finally getting
ready to assemble the Flaps. As noted on others' sites, the directions
provided by Van's leaves a lot to be desired. After reviewing a couple
websites, the plans and finally the directions, I settled on the
process. First, as pictured at left, rivet the flap rod re-enforcements in place on both end ribs and spars. Also cut out the gaps in the hinges for the hinge pin installation. I opted for this method rather than drill the hole in the aileron hinge brackets. |
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19 Feb 04 | Put the ribs in place and started figuring out how to do this.... |
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20 Feb 04 | This was a pretty
long day, at least by relative standards.. First rivet the ribs to the lower skin. You can leave the outboard off but don't forge the inboard rib as the flange faces outboard. The ability to comfortably buck these rivets is a good thing. Next, cleco the top skin in place, per directions, place in cradle, and remove spar. OK, it's now straight, so rivet the long line of rivets joining the top and bottom skins along the lower surface, then hit the ribs. I forgot who's website mentioned it, but I used the no-hole yoke for a pneumatic squeezer (off the squeezer, of course) to get in the narrow areas and buck rivets.
Install the spar, both sides as well as
the outboard rib. RIvet teh ribs to the spar with the LP4-3 blind
rivets, then run the line of rivets along the upper side. I found
I could use solid rivets for the two lower outboard rib-to-spar rivets
using a squeezer, but the upper rivet, under the upper curved lip was
going to take some effort. Plans call for a blind rivet, so a blind
rivet it is.
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