Order of ops for gear legs & Fwd Bottom Skins

[N804RV]

I've just about gotten all the rivets I can reach on the fuselage with it inverted on sawhorses (with exception of skin to lower longerons and firewall).

Is there any reason I couldn't just go ahead and match drill the gear leg brackets/wear plates and forward bottom skins BEFORE doing the rear battery box and aft deck (Empennage)?

If I go by the plans, I flip the canoe and do the aft battery box and empennage aft-deck. Then, flip it back over and match drill the gear legs.

Thoughts?

[PhatRV]

I drilled the gear legs before riveting on the bottom forward skin. I supposed as long as you haven't closed the bottom skin, you can do this step at any time. The legs are permanently mounted at a later time.

[N804RV]

Originally Posted by PhatRV

I drilled the gear legs before riveting on the bottom forward skin. I supposed as long as you haven't closed the bottom skin, you can do this step at any time. The legs are permanently mounted at a later time.

Yeah, you need to either drill the outboard holes for brackets/wear plates before riveting the forward bottom skins, or make access holes through the skins, like they do with the Q/B fuselage. My question is more about whether or not I can avoid flipping the canoe to drill the battery location and empennage aft deck, then flipping it back over to do the drilling for the gear legs.

[Mikeyb]

I can’t see why that would be a problem. I did it the way they said to and wondered why. The other thing is the battery box itself was designed for a much bigger battery than what people use now. I built it to print and will have to come up with some adapter to make the modern battery fit.
Mike