Damazio family's RV-10 project: fuselage

Showing posts with label fuselage. Show all posts

Baggage area complete

We went back to section 33 to wrap it up - starting with attaching the big experimental label. I got the one from Spruce for now, but it's a bit too reflective for my taste, so I may later replace it with actual paint:

Applying the experimental decal

Experimental decal applied to the upper baggage bulkhead corrugation

It was then time to work on the right baggage cover - we had delayed this because it required routing all the wires and tubes to the O₂ cylinder. I marked the general layout of the cylinder on the cover, and opened a hole with the fly cutter:

O₂ cylinder regulator outline marked on the right baggage cover

I also added holes to the top of the cover for the distributor and fill station tubes to come down through, and the baggage light wiring to go up (and later installed grommets and edge grommet to protect from chafing):

Right baggage cover with holes and some grommets

I confirmed the hole was in a good position for the cylinder:

O₂ cylinder regulator next to the right baggage cover hole

and then continued to riveting the right baggage cover and routing the tubes through it:

Right baggage cover, fully riveted in place and with O₂ distributor tubes routed through it

With this, the only part of this section left is the final assembly of the baggage bulkhead corrugation.

Time lapse:

Total baggage area rivets: 771

Total baggage area time: 66.9h

Forward access panels installed

Super short post - now that all the panel installation is done, I installed the forward access panels, completing section OP-43:

Forward access panels installed in place

Time lapse:

Total forward access panel rivets: 112

Total forward access panel time: 8.8h

Brake installation complete

We attached the reservoir to the firewall, then attached the last hoses to it:

Brake fluid reservoir attached to firewall

Brake lines connected to firewall reservoir

We later connected the parking brake cable to its valve - we initially tried to use the McFarlane tip for the conduit, and then adapting that tip's M6 thread to the ~10mm hole of the Aircraft Specialty valve bracket:

Thread adapter attached to parking brake valve bracket

Eventually, we realized we could just use a Bowden cable clamp from Spruce, which has fewer parts and would hold the cable more securely, so we switched to that:

Parking brake cable installed with Bowden clamp

With this, only the final assembly steps - filling the brake lines, and attaching the rudder cables - is left for this section.

Time lapse:

Total rudder pedal and brake rivets: 8

Total rudder pedal and brake time: 26.8h

Panel frame and glareshield cover installed

We fixed the rivet on the panel angle, which turned out to be due to the firewall angle hole being oversized - so we used a CR3243-4-4 oversize cherry rivet to attach it:

Panel angle attached with an oversize cherry rivet

We're using Skybolts instead of hinges for attaching the cowling to the firewall, so I started that by countersinking all the Skybolt flanges:

Skybolt cowl flanges countersunk for riveting

We also installed the glareshield cover, starting with cutting heatsink and cable holes through it:

Trimming the glareshield leather cover

Punching holes in the glareshield cover for attaching fan covers

Fan cover attached to glareshield cover

Glareshield cover installed in place

It was impossible to get the panel frame into place (get the holes to line up) with the thick leather+foam, so we removed the foam from most of the bottom part, which allowed them to fit together:

Removing some of the foam from the bottom side of the glareshield cover

I also opened a small slot on the flange of the panel in order to run the glareshield LED wires (the connectors will be hidden behind the panel frame):

Notch on panel frame to run LED strip wiring

We installed the panel frame in place, and tucked the glareshield cover in:

Panel frame installed permanently, with glareshield cover

I then secured the parking brake cable to the bottom side insert, and we installed it in place:

Bottom side insert with parking brake cable attached to it

Parking brake cable routing behind the panel, avoiding the center pedal bracket

Parking brake cable routing behind the panel

If I knew the whole geometry of this cable run back when I installed the Beringer system and hoses, I'd definitely have placed the parking brake valve in a different location (maybe above the center tunnel, or even on the firewall).

I also had to trim the top edge of the side panel to give avoid the bottom connector from the VP-X (seen above).

Last but not least, we attached the arm rest cover to the center console:

Center console with arm rest cover installed

Inside the center console pocket, underneath the arm rest cover

The main thing left in this section is the cowling attachment, since between this and other sections most of the panel's structure is in place.

Time lapse:

Total upper forward fuselage installation rivets: 153

Total upper forward fuselage installation time: 42.7h

Tunnel and other covers installed

Once the engine mount was in place, we could finally attach the floor covers:

Forward floor cover panel installed

I also opened a slot on the tunnel cover for wires - I was originally planning to run the wires through it with the cover in place, but after actually doing the tunnel wiring I realized what a royal pain that'd be:

Tunnel cover slot for wiring

Tunnel covers installed in place

Tunnel wires running through the cover

I attached the seat floors for good:

Seat floor installed in place

We also started trimming the forward interior panels, but that'll take some more work to finish.

Time lapse:

Total access cover and floor panel rivets: 650

Total access cover and floor panel time: 61.3h

Fire extinguisher installed

I trimmed the corner of the forward seat panel to make it possible to insert and remove it:

Forward seat panel marked for trimming

Inserting the forward seat panel

Forward seat panel fitted in place

We then mounted the fire extinguisher (with a third-party quick-release mount) through the right-side cover and the seat support - this position is out of the way (according to our own testing), yet easy to reach from the pilot seat, and makes the extinguisher gauge easily readable during preflight:

Fire extinguisher mount in place

Fire extinguisher mount attached in place

Seat support showing where the fire extinguisher mount is attached

Fire extinguisher mounted in place

With this, we're on fire! Or at least ready to be.

Time lapse:

Total forward fuselage ribs, bulkheads and bottom skin rivets: 954

Total forward fuselage ribs, bulkheads and bottom skin time: 138.7h

Fuel system complete

To prevent issues with a hot tunnel, we insulated the forward part of the tunnel with fiberfrax and titanium foil - much like the firewall, except on the inside. This does mean that we're not protected from an engine fire opening a hole in the skin, but during normal operation this should keep the tunnel cool.

Titanium foil + fiberfrax protection for the forward tunnel

We then tightened the fuel hoses to the valve and firewall, in the right position for the fuel pump to be dropped in, while avoiding the heat tee servo:

Fuel hoses attached to firewall fittings

Fuel hoses attached to fuel valve

It was then time to attach the fuel pump, and secure the fuel return hose to it:

Fuel pump installed in place

This concludes section 37.

Time lapse:

Total fuel system rivets: 30

Total fuel system time: 16.0h

Small brake line fix

Very short post - while preparing to close the tunnel, I noticed both brake lines were catching on one of the pop rivets:

Brake lines touching the pop rivets just aft of the first Adel clamps

We added small 3mm spacers between the tunnel wall and the Adel clamps, which was sufficient to make them clear:

Brake lines clearing the rivet after adding a spacer

Time lapse:

Total brake line rivets: 8

Total brake line time: 11.4h

Flap motor secured

Very short post - after figuring out the heat tee servo installation, I secured the flap motor and its wires for good:

Flap motor secured in place inside the tunnel

With this, section 40 is complete.

Time lapse:

Total flap system time: 21.0h

Cabin cover completed

Installing the nutplates for the Aerosport switch pod was a bit of a challenge - the holes were very far forward inside the overhead console, and just not reachable with our hands - so we used a magnet to position them while watching with the borescope, managed to get them clecoed, then set them with CCR rivets:

Holding the nutplate in place with a magnet (on the outside)

Clecoed nutplate inside the overhead console

Riveted nutplates in the overhead console

Because of how close those forward nutplates were to the cabin cover surface, I had to get shorter screws (MS32514-25) to secure the switch pod.

The screws attaching the center brace were a bit too long and hitting the wires, so I replaced the original AN509-10R30s with AN509-10R26/27s:

Center brace bar screws very close to the wires

Shorter replacement brace bar screws

It was then time to fit and trim the windows (we're using Cee Bailey's windows) - they immediately fit inside the joggle without any trimming (but with a variable gap around them):