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RV-7A JCarne

Neal Trombley said:
awesome, inching closer day by day
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Yep it is coming along Neal. Now that school has started my time has been mainly going to lesson planning but the airplane has not been forgotten! I am working about an hour a day on it now instead of 4-5.
 
I am happy to see your wing pictures and progress. I have to strip the skins off of my wing for the most part and I can use this page as a visual aid! Have to build one wing all together as well. Thanks for the help!
 
kentlik said:
I am happy to see your wing pictures and progress. I have to strip the skins off of my wing for the most part and I can use this page as a visual aid! Have to build one wing all together as well. Thanks for the help!
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No problem at all Kentlik I'm glad I could help! I am positive that when I get to the fuselage later this year your page will be of great help then!
 
Well starting the new school year has definitely slowed down my progress these past few weeks but I will not yield! I have also been kind of behind on my posts because I am at a point working on the wings where it doesn't look like much changes as you log the hours. However, I have started the fuel tanks and am trying to get them done before it gets any colder here. Here are some pics.

Tie down holes came out really nice, just have to fabricate some kind of nylon spacer and make the holes ever so slightly larger.

20170826_165944 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Things are definitely starting to get big and look like something!

20170906_181517 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Fuel tank baffle match drilling just like Mike B. did. However I forgot a row of holes and after match drilling and countersinking the tank skin I had to take it apart and put it back on the spar to finish drilling the z-brackets. :mad:

20170910_163430 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Tank all clecoed up, I did not use the tank/leading edge jig as I thought it didn't really help.

20170914_193258 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Finished fabricating the angles just tonight for the left tank.

20170918_191500 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
I never left

Well, well, well, back to posting some of my progress. I actually never left building, been steady in the garage (and a lot in the house but don't tell the wife :D) working on fuel tanks. First step was working on all the z-brackets and the angles.

20170827_172917 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20170831_174422 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Soon after was match drilling

20170906_173809 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20170909_120803 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20170910_163853 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Fuel tanks were still fun at this point. ;)
 
Time for some more fabricating!

A band saw made cutting these a breeze.
20170923_154818 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

This picture below was the not the final shape as there was still some interference with skin/rib rivets.
20170923_174926 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

My first time getting to use the super dangerous flywheel cutter. Make sure you slow that head down!

20170924_162212 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I have not seen the regular fuel caps but these delux ones are sure freakin nice!

20170927_203639 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Now it was time for the real fun. :eek:

20171014_140643 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

This is what I liked to call "the good side" of the rib. It was nice and easy to make it look pretty. The rivet side on the other hand is an OCD persons nightmare!

20171014_151351 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20171028_141054 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Attempting to keep things clean...

20171022_152741 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

It is truly astonishing how long it takes to do one of these ribs... Also worth mentioning, I used the "faye sealing method" mentioned on many different forums. Quotes because it's an odd name for the process...
 
After the arduous journey of getting all the ribs in and using up about 20 hours of my dads time I finally got back to doing fun things and fabricated/assembled some pieces.

20171028_202304 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Do you see any foreshadowing taking place in the picture below?!?!?!?

20171029_125416 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

First time using safety wire, took about 3 tries to get it how I wanted it.

20171029_160048 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Some anti-hangup guides

20171029_162544 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Well I reached out to the "local" EAA chapter and within a couple of days the president and a couple other gents flew down to take a look at my project. The president flew down in his Lancair as well as a guy in his -6A. I took em out to breakfast and they said I was doing great on the project. These guys live up in Cody, WY about 1.5 hours drive from me. Another gent that came down with the pack is a Gulfstream pilot and a fellow builder, although I can't remember what he is building. It was great to talk among pilots again and I can't wait until summer so I can be more active in the chapter. The pack is usually bigger but winds were forecast to be upwards of 30kts in Cody and many people didn't want to fly in that, can you blame em?

20171021_105836 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Capture by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

It was also about time to take a break from the project and head to Vegas for a few days!

20171112_201551 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
After I came back from Vegas it was time for some rear baffle work. Installing the rear baffle took about 6-7 hours each as I scuffed the areas, cleaned them for what seemed an eternity until no more dust was coming up on the cloth, and finally sealed them.

This pic is prior to riveting ribs but a fun one none the less.

20171022_152728 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Inboard and outboard ribs complete.

20171104_204652 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Rear baffle close up.

20171119_151323 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

This was the bead on the inside of the tank. A little heavy but it didn't block the water path openings. Looks good.

20171118_174043 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Completed baffle, sure looks pretty don't it?

20171119_151312 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Access cover and fuel sender installed. Notice the metal to metal contact on two of them screws.

20171119_151337 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I decided to go with the float type fuel senders as I have heard the capacitive ones are not keen on mixing fuels. I will probably mix fuel quite often and this is the only way to get an accurate reading so I've been told.
 
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The big day part one.

After about a week of letting the right tank rest it was time to pressure test it! What a big day, it has been over 100 since I started the tanks and now it was coming to hopefully a close for one of them.

I took my tank outside on an abnormally warm November day here in Wyoming. Put about 25 inches on the manometer, mixed up a strong batch of water and dish soap, and went to town. I sprayed every rivet, every nook and cranny, and when I didn't see a leak I did it again! After leak checking for about 20 minutes or so I felt confident there weren't any leaks so I rewarded the tank with a nice bubble bath and shower.

I also want to point out that the manometer is extremely sensitive to temperature!!!! There is no way you should leak check a tank without physically checking for them with soapy water. The colder water in the hose would lower the pressure by as much as 10 inches, then the sun would come out behind a cloud and raise back up 10 inches. Definitely watch the manometer often to make sure it's not going over 27 inches.

Here you can see in my picture my homemade spray bottle. Mix up a batch in an old water bottle, put a tapered punch on top of the lid, give it a quick whack with a hammer and bingo!

20171125_143547 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20171125_151230 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Before the baffle went on the left tank I needed to fabricate a way to attach the fuel sender in the second bay as there is a flop tube in the first. This is what I can up with.

I took a 1.5" hole saw to the rear baffle after I marked where I wanted it to be so there wouldn't be any interference with the z-bracket next to it. For anyone interested the hole goes right smack in the middle of the baffle (up and down direction)

20171125_174251 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

The reinforcement ring came off the left access plate that came with the tanks. Obviously you can't use that access ring as there are all kinds of holes in it. I'm actually glad someone didn't recommend to delete this this access plate when I added the blank one for flop tube applications.

To get this ring I took the access cover to the drill press and with a fly cutter I had it in no time.

20171125_174257 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Just as a fun little sidebar...

The high school I work at recently wanted me to not only be a math teacher but to also be a shop teacher as I have experience in woodworking. I was lucky to obtain a license from the state since I have past experience in a construction trade. However, the school wants me to get the full endorsement so they are paying me to take online classes. This was one of my assignments... :D Video down below

20171201_165757 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

https://youtu.be/phtJpGlI_2Q
 
After the left tanks rear baffle was on I also let it sit for about a week and then leak checked it.

20171202_141004 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

It passed so I gave it a bubble bath just like I did with the right tank.

20171202_140730 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

This is the point in time that the foreshadowing was referring to in a previous post. While putting a cap on the flop tube I felt it rotate ever so slightly. It didn't break any seals but I knew it needed to be fixed. I removed the cover and fabricated an anti rotation bracket. I'm not sure why the plans don't have you do this but once again, I strongly recommend you do!

20171202_230623 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Getting the cover off was quite easy, way easier than I thought. I also used button head screws as a lot of other builder do so that probably helped. I used an old HS angle that I messed up on to make the bracket.

20171203_113655 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20171203_124527 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

I am now waiting on some PolyGone gel from Van's to clean up the access cover and a few longer rivets as I'm just going to use blind rivets. The AD-42-H rivets for the rear baffle were too short, so I had to order some AD-43-H ones.

Even though it was bad news to have to fix this, both tanks have virtually passed the leak checks and are done (with this one little exception)! It is a great feeling to be done with the tanks (for the most part).
 
After working with some PolyGone Gel it was time to seal in the anti rotation bracket and hopefully have these tanks behind me! The PolyGone Gel works really well at removing the gorilla snot. It is way thicker than I thought though, not bad just unexpected.

20171215_174417 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Thanks for the comment Ryan! Hey as long as they hold fuel I guess that's all that matters in the end.
 
The airplane factory is back in action!!! After waiting a painful couple of months for the weather to get warm it is time to get back into the garage for perhaps my most productive year yet!

Back in January my fueselage kit arrived, btw, when FedEx shows up later than expected and you think you can move the fuselage kit with just your wife, start making calls to avoid an argument! :D I underestimated what a pain that box was going to be to get into the house but we got it done.

Like Christmas two weeks later!

20180103_200548 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Luckily the box damage was above the landing gear.

20180104_202138 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Gotta spread them parts all over the house!

20180104_210700 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180303_154142 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Finally I am back in the garage. The leading edge parts are ready to be primed. It might even be warm enough in about a week to do that. For now I'll try and finish up the stall warning system and debur the main rib rivet holes and skins.
 
All those new clean parts! That must have been exciting! No hosing out the Nevada desert debris...haha ...and all your pic's post magically
 
Haha it was like Christmas Kent, although a lot of the presents just keep you wondering what it is. :D
 
Time for a little bit of left bottom skin trimming known as pitot mast. I was kind of dreading this step because of having to cut into the bottom skin. Turned out this was some of the most fun I've had in the past few months and was quite easy to install the Gretz mount. By the way, if you are in a pinch on how to quickly removed material in a curved area I found that a sheetrock bit in a dremel does a fantastic job!!! Then just clean it up with a deburring wheel.

20180311_123056 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180311_123318 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180311_140850 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Time for some riveting of the leading edges. I started out will all the nutplates for the joint plate as well as the stall warning access plate. Then it was off to setting rivets on the leading edge ribs. My dad came over to help me out with this. We had all the ribs riveted in about 2 hours. It sure was nice to be riveting again and not deal with gorilla snot the whole way. Let me know what you all think of the riveting.

20180314_180316 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180314_183820 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180314_191926 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180315_183940 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180315_183951 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Great!

Your work really looks super clean. I hope I can match this quality of work whenever my wings show up.
 
RV7ForMe said:
Your work really looks super clean. I hope I can match this quality of work whenever my wings show up.
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Thanks for the words friend! I'm glad to hear others like my work as I really do strive for the best I can. If you ever have questions don't hesitate to ask!
 
Things are really starting to chug along now! After riveting the ribs to the spar it was time to finalize riveting the leading edge by finishing the flange rivets. Tomorrow I will prime the left top skins and those will be ready to go on. Things are really moving now.

You can see in this pic I used the Van's approved LP4-3s and 4s to rivet the ribs except for the outboard one. I tried to put all the factory heads on the rib side but there were two ribs I had to put the factory head on the spar. Reaching inside to rivet what you can is an absolute bear if you have big hands!

20180323_180951 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

Leading edge all riveted on.

20180323_212051 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
How is the riveting on the wing? That is next for me Jereme.

After I drill out all the rivets and start riveting new skins...lol
 
kentlik said:
How is the riveting on the wing? That is next for me Jereme.

After I drill out all the rivets and start riveting new skins...lol
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Kent riveting of the wing has been pretty easy so far. Riveting the leading edges was no problem but I did have someone to help me hold the gun steady. I wouldn't attempt anything close to the tip of the leading edge without someone holding it. Riveting ribs was easy. Riveting the leading edge to the spar was difficult to set the rib to spar rivets but the skin to spar rivets were a breeze with the squeezer. After all the bucking you have had to do for your fuselage it will be no problem at all. I also had a bit of trouble with the tank riveting but I think that was mainly because I couldn't see things since they were covered in gorilla snot! :) In the next week I'll be doing to top skins using the back rivet method so we will see how I do at that new task.
 
jcarne said:
Kent riveting of the wing has been pretty easy so far. Riveting the leading edges was no problem but I did have someone to help me hold the gun steady. I wouldn't attempt anything close to the tip of the leading edge without someone holding it. Riveting ribs was easy. Riveting the leading edge to the spar was difficult to set the rib to spar rivets but the skin to spar rivets were a breeze with the squeezer. After all the bucking you have had to do for your fuselage it will be no problem at all. I also had a bit of trouble with the tank riveting but I think that was mainly because I couldn't see things since they were covered in gorilla snot! :) In the next week I'll be doing to top skins using the back rivet method so we will see how I do at that new task.
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Thanks Jereme. I have found a person who I think can help me from time to time...:)
 
Well after finishing the right leading edge it was time to make sure things were all in order and attach the tanks. Everything went well and they seem to fit good. There is a little bit of pillowing as most people seem to get between the tank and leading edge skin. I also primed the top skins in preparation for dimpling and riveting.

20180324_180037 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180325_154547 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180325_154552 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Well with the tanks and leading edges attached it was time for some top skins. I got them all prepped and even got the left wing riveted. My dad came over to help, we found that the back riveting method did not work for us. No matter how I held the rivet set the rivets wanted to tilt ever so slightly toward the rib web. We switched to bucking with the good ol' tungsten and it worked awesome! Really good results in my opinion. Let me know what you think.

20180327_182057 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180328_211740 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180330_150211 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
WOW! I need to get on my game here! You are slamming it!
Did you do that yourself and if so how long are your arms, haha
 
Haha nope, the best technique we found was my dad on bucking bar and me shooting. I give props to anyone who does this solo. Also, I will give you props if you mange to tame the long double offset rivet set. I gave up after about 10 marginal rivets.

I am trying to really slam the wings out as I already have the fuse kit, I want to fly sometime next year which means I need to have a solid summer!
 
Sorry to hear the backriveting didn't work for you. It worked fantastically for me, with the right tool and technique! But either way, you win! :)
 
I have a straight one too, I love that one when it can be used. The wing rib flanges put it at too much of angle though.
 
Well another major milestone took place this weekend. After coming back from Seattle and Bellingham for almost a week I finally removed the left wing from the jig. Let me just say, it is nice to have some of my garage back for a bit!!!

My dad and I also riveted the right wing top skins. This side only took us about 4 hours, noticeably faster than the left!

20180407_135615 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180407_145033 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180409_182718 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180408_150846 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr

20180409_174657 by Jereme Carne, on Flickr
 
Yup, today marks the start of the fuselage! :D I am going to hold off on the ailerons and flaps for now since they are easy to transport to a heated shop I have access to. I am also just going to prep the bottom skins when I get to it but won't rivet them yet as I want to wait until closer to the end of the build in case anything needs done inside the wings.
 
Did you do anything about the pillowing or leave as is? I just finished my right wing and there is minimal on that one but the left LE is a bit more noticeable. I haven't riveted the left together so it may tighten up a bit but im not sure. Nice job BTW.
 
thoma015 said:
Did you do anything about the pillowing or leave as is? I just finished my right wing and there is minimal on that one but the left LE is a bit more noticeable. I haven't riveted the left together so it may tighten up a bit but im not sure. Nice job BTW.
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As of now I just left the slight pillowing. I may address it in the future but at the same time I would rather spend the time flying. :D I think the average person wouldn't even notice pillowing in these areas unless they were looking for it. Thanks for the complements!
 
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