I got back to working on the doors, starting with trimming the handle levers a bit more for a better fit, priming, painting, then assembling the handles:
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| Door handle parts attached together |
I then started match-drilling the fuselage and the doors (at least in parts where I hadn't sanded it down beyond the holes - oops):
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| Door match-drilled to fuselage |
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| Hole where i had trimmed the door too far to match-drill |
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| Door clamped firmly in place for match-drilling the window frame |
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| Window frame match-drilled between door shells |
I also finally (after about 4 months) received the Aerosport low-profile handle, so it was time to start thinking of the latch mechanism - starting with drilling the holes for it. I wanted to avoid actually drilling through the door towards the exterior until the halves are joined, so I "aimed" the best I could using the backing plate and other parts, and opened those holes - expanding them later should be easy if needed:
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| Aligning latch rack for drilling holes |
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| Aligning latch racks for drilling holes |
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| Latch rack holes drilled into inner door shell |
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| Trying out mounting the door latch racks/gear to adjust gaps around racks |
I also opened up the slots for the center latch. I had originally planned to install it through just a single hole for the axis, but decided it was not worth the complication (I could end up with epoxy in the gears, might someday need to remove them, would have trouble with the screws being too close to edges, etc.), so I opened up the slots per instructions:
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| Match-drilling center latch holes to door inner shell |
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| Center latch attached in place |
Next I want to finish getting the latch mechanism ready (as much as I can before the door halves are joined), and then join them.
Total cabin door rivets: 20
Total cabin door time: 39.9h
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