DAR Inspection

 Mike Lloyd performed my airworthiness inspection and granted me a fresh certificate.

Weight and Balance

 

Moving day!

 

Wings part #5!

Prepping the wing structure for priming.

Should be able to get these primed after work tomorrow.  It is getting harder to have good weather for priming,  

On top of all of this Van's filled chapter 11 and we are trying to determine what our path forward is.  More to come here!

Fuselage center section #75 - Seat back assembly.

 Today we got some much needed but concerning communication from Van's.

https://www.vansaircraft.com/2023/10/business-announcement-from-vans-founder-dick-vangrunsven/

On this day of so much gloom and doom, I did the only thing that I could do in this situation and went out and finished my seat backs!

I’ve got a finished emp/tailcone, soon to be finished fuse, a wing kit begging to be assembled and a finish kit on order. I’m all in and trust that Vans will be around long after I am gone.

Got started by riveting the seat back angle adjust ribs together.

One of the few places that Van's ask the builder to double flush rivet.  These turned out well since I could squeeze them.

Next I riveted the hinges to the seat backs.

And then riveted the angles to the seat backs.

Then I bolted on the seatback adjustment pins.  

Fabricated the seat back angle adjust rib hinge pins.  Cut to length, treat the ends per the directions, bend a 90 on the end.

Pins installed.

Installed the sliding pin assembly.  Had to clean up the boss that the pin slides in and the pin itself to get this to move freely.  Also used some Beolube on the pin.

All done!

I am skipping the fuel tank for now and am going to finish up the front of the fuse first.  Brake/rudder pedals are next!

Started the Fuselage!

Got started on the fuselage kit since I am now waiting on the right wing spar to be sent to me.

Had to machine countersink the center section for some nutplates.  The center section parts are pre-assembled at the factory from clear anodized parts.  The factory has done a poor job of deburring and cleaning up the edges and holes on these parts.

I went ahead and deburred all the smaller holes.  Will hit the larger ones with some of the other tools.

These nutplates in the center get flush blind rivets.

These on the outside ends get squeezed flush rivets.

Other side.

Blind rivets done.

Next these upright pieces get machine countersunk for a couple nutplates.   Have no idea what attaches here.  I looked ahead but did not see it.

Both done.

These two holes get reamed up to #12.

Hit a snag because the pre-assembled center section was incorrectly dimpled at the factory.  These are supposed to remain flat and get reamed up to #12.

The community has informed me that this issue has been around a long time and the advice from Van's is to drill the dimples out to #12 and build on.  I decided to smash them flat and then drill/ream to #12.

Even with smashing them flat, and then drilling/reaming up to #12, a bit of the dimple remains on the backside.  This should not be an issue with the bolt/washer/nut that ends up here to hold the plastic spar guide block.  It is a shame that even though the factory knows this mistake is happening, they continue to make them wrong.....

Next I dimpled the first three holes on the corners of the F-01204D-1.

 

Right spar destroyed :(

So in following the directions of Van's support, I cut up the right wing spar to ensure that it is never used in an aircraft.  Never dreamed I would ever do this to a spar!