Fuel tanks tested and attached

Before moving, we wanted to put the wing parts together, such as attaching the tanks back in place - for that, we had to leak-test them.

We used a product called Snoop (thanks once again VAF!).

Applying snoop to the rivet lines

Applying Snoop to the sealed baffle

We weren't finding any leaks and I kept wondering if we were doing it right, but then Snoop proved that it really works - there was a tiny bit of air leaking from the return line cap (which was temporary and thus not sealed), and it produced a lot of bubbles:

Bubbles from the fuel return cap (underneath it)

We're looking forward to those camping trips, sleeping under the airplane :)

We then attached the tanks and moved both wings onto the same wing stand:

Attaching the left fuel tank

Attaching the right fuel tank

Tanks attached

We then realized that there was some skin overlap between the tank and the other skins which was making them buckle:

Buckled skin which needs to be trimmed down to match the inboard skin

Buckled skin which needs to be trimmed down to match the leading edge skin

This was just a couple of days before moving, though, and we didn't have the time to fix it then. The only remaining step is to fix that, but it involves removing the tanks, filing down the skin edges, and then attaching them again.

Time lapse:

Total fuel tank time: 14.2h
Total fuel tank rivets: 30