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When to rivet aft top skin?

Captain_John

Captain_John

Well Known Member
Hey All,

I have run my pitot, installed my magnetometer on my 707 and ran a conduit to the tail.

I HAVEN'T done any part of the finish kit yet and that means the canopy is not done yet.

Is there any reason why the top turtledeck can't be riveted on?

I would really like to have this big, top skin off my bench and onto the plane before it gets scratched or ginked up.

Does the canopy fitting process or anything I haven't yet envisioned require (or benefit from) having this skin off the plane?

Thanks in advance.

:) CJ
 
I forget, CJ, tip up or sliding?

If you're going sliding canopy, you really need to have that skin on and tight in order to fit the rear canopy skirts. It sounds like you've run most everything you need to run, but it's really not that hard to climb in the back to run wires if you need to later. One other thing you might want to do is make sure your seatbelt anchors are in.
 
Oh yeah... tipper.

Yah, the seat belt anchors are drilled and painted, ready for Wicked Stick to climb inside and bolt in. I swear, if a bucking bar can fit in there, Wicked Stick can fit in there! He is very cat-like!

Other than the anchors, there won't be much more to do inside there.

Sooooo, am I good to go? Should I rivet?

:confused: CJ
 
Paint?

Perhaps you should paint the baggage area (rear spar bulkhead and aft) first?

gil A
 
Scott, yah... cool! What I thought.

Gillie, All painted! I did it already and forgot to mention it.

Sounds like a green light then. No show stoppers!

Thanks guys!

:) CJ
 
Personally, I'd wait (and have). the reason is the canopy is going to be on and off many times. to me, it was a LOT easier to fit the canopy, make the big cut and then slowly trim and fit the rear window... placing it on then putting the top skin over it than it would be if I'd riveted the skin on and then fit the plexi under it especially in the small gap between that piece that ties the bulkhead to the rollbar.

Now, I very well may have put it on and taken it off more times than the average builder but if that skin were riveted on...I'm pretty sure I'd have a rear window pretty well scratched up by now.

Let me put it this way. I don't think you necessarily GAIN anything by riveting it on right now.

YMMV
 
As Bob said...

I would wait before the final riviting of the skin. I have the tipper as well and it made thigs much easier being able to remove the aft skin.

...and a little off the original question:
One word of caution...or at least in my experience...when you start fitting the canopy & canopy frame, make sure the aft skin is clecoed in place along with the brace between the rollbar and the baggage bulk head. Also make sure the forward skin is clecoed securely in place. (I used thumb-screw clecos for extra security at times.) AND make sure those gas struts are attached every time you take a measurement during the canopy fitting.
I'm satisfied with how mine came out. It's not perfect, but constructing a perfect canopy per plans and the first time out of the chute would be plain luck. (for me, anyway)
The whole canopy fitment is extremely dynamic as can be attested in recent threads.
 
CJ,
My $0.02 .... don't rivet yet. I debated the same question for quite awhile. Finally decided there was little to be gained by riveting that skin ... other than, of course, crossing one more task off my list. I called Vans and the guys there said, " Hold off on riveting that skin as long as you can. You might be surprised at the reasons you'll find for access to the rear fuse.". That has turned out to be true for me.
 
Thanks again guys!

I will continue riveting on the AFT top skin but will leave the big one clecoed on for the time being. After all, it is a good place to store it... on the plane!

Sam, thanks for the canopy advice. I hear ya on the struts. They push on the whole frame and move it in ways that the weight of the canopy wouldn't normally allow it to sit.

Now on a different note; I like to spit my gum out the window of the Cherokee when I am booting around. Sometimes I toss out an apple core or banana peel. What am I going to do in the RV? There is no window!?!

:eek:

Maybe a hole in the floor? Hmmm, maybe a plastic baggie for trash would work just as well?

I like spitting my gum out, despite what the FAR's read!

:D CJ
 
Ditto. You want to leave off the forward, big skin until the canopy is done.

You want to be able to let the canopy lay down on the roll bar like this:
2006-03-05.1403.jpeg


You can't do this if that rear skin is on.
 
My vote: If you want the skins off your desk, just cleco them to the plane and don't rivet yet.

You need the top skin off to shape the metal strip that's used for backing on nuts of the rear plexi. Also, as you're working the shape of the canopy, it's useful to be able to at least loosen the top skin by removing clecos here and there.

I haven't removed the aft top skin since a ways back, so I probably would think I could rivet that one sooner. Stuff I have done recently back there: Install ELT, strobe pack, a/p pitch servo, run rudder cables, install seat belt hardware, run wires to trim/pos/strob. And in the George Orndorf videos, he installs patches of sound proofing in the aft fuse. I might do the same.

I'm not there yet, but I'm planning rivet the fwd top skin when all that stuff is wired and lights up at least once... I don't have any bucking bar sized helpers.
 
That's cool. I (we) just riveted the aft one on this past weekend.

I am holding off for now on the forward one.

Say, I loaned out my Orndoff videos. Where does he put the insulation in the aft area and what type does he use?

Also, what is the reasoning?

:confused: CJ
 
no need to leave it off

put it on whenever you feel like. the only thing that gave me any trouble was installing the remote magnetometer. and that was only a night or two. put mine in long before fitting the canopy. not a problem at all. as far as shaping the strips for the plexi make sure you dont drill them with out the plexi in there thole will be progressively off
 
Captain_John said:
That's cool. I (we) just riveted the aft one on this past weekend.

I am holding off for now on the forward one.

Say, I loaned out my Orndoff videos. Where does he put the insulation in the aft area and what type does he use?

Also, what is the reasoning?

:confused: CJ
Click to expand...
He had some thin sound proofing material, black in color, with a glue backing on one side. He cut out rectangles and stuck them in most of the panels in the aft fuse. The squares were not "to fit", much smaller, just a fraction the size of the given panels. The purpose was to help eat up all the sound that would otherwise just bounce around back there. "Garbage can effect", he called it.
 
Hmmmmm, okay...

I think I do remember hearing the "garbage can effect" comment before.

Something to think about!

Thanks!

:) CJ
 
when to rivet top aft skins see dwg #44

Before riveting the aft top skin, see drawing #44 about the empennage fairing. You'll see 6 platenuts that go on the aft bulkhead. You'll want to put those on before riveting down the aft most top skin.
 
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