I trimmed the wingtip trailing edge to meet Van's specs:
Trimmed wingtip trailing edge
We then bonded the light module in place, and let it cure with the wingtip attached (to ensure it takes the correct shape, since there's a gap between the wingtip skin and the module that had to be filled):
Wing protected with mold release tape for curing the wingtip in place
Applying resin to attach light module
Wingtip light module, set in place for resin to cure
We closed up the light module by installing the inspection panel, and riveted the nutplates to the forward part:
Wingtip inspection panel installed in place
Nutplates riveted to wingtip forward edge
With the forward part screwed securely in place, we then enlarged the remaining screw holes to #28, countersunk the holes, dimped the skin, and installed the corresponding nutplates (all only on the top side, since the bottom side is attached with a hinge for better grounding):
Final-drilled wingtip attachment holes
Wingtip with attachment nutplates installed
We laid some fiber to hold the NAV antenna (Archer NAV/LOC antenna + Martin's GS extension) securely in place, and along the light module edges for reinforcement:
NAV antenna (with Martin's extension) glassed in against the inside of the wingtip
Light module with reinforcement fiber strips along its edge
I secured the aft light wires with Click Bond fasteners, as far from the NAV antenna as I could:
Rear light wires secured to Click Bond fasteners away from the antenna
I carefully lined up the static wick holes across the wingtip and aileron, and drilled those holes - the inboard wingtip holes being right on the wingtip rib:
Marking the static wick attachment holes so they're aligned
Left wingtip with drilled static wick attachment holes
I installed a nutplate on one of the holes that coincide with the rib, but left the other open for a regular nut so I can attach the grounding strap there:
Static wick attachment nutplate installed inside the wingtip rib
For inserting and removing the hinge pin, we carved out the corner of the rib and glassed in a small tube that can take the pin from a window further back on the rib to the actual hinge:
Hinge end connecting to a carefully-positioned hole on the corner of the rib, for inserting and removing the pin
Hinge pin going into the rib through a small window, and then into the hinge
I made a cover for that opening, secured the hinge pin to it and attached a couple of nutplates to secure it to the rib:
Wingtip rib cover secured in place with screws
Wingtip rib cover secured to the hinge pin
Inside view of the wingtip rib, with the cover secured to nutplates and the hinge pin, and a glassed-in tube to guide the pin
We glassed in the rib being very careful for the pin to actually slide into the hinge, and that ensured that it cured at the exact alignment needed (two attempts and a lot of cursing were necessary):
Wingtip rib secured in place, aligned with the hinge
Hinge pin and cover inserted through the wingtip rib window
With this, there's only some finishing and grounding straps left for the wingtips.
Then in June 2024, my propeller finally arrived (an MTV-9-B/198-52):
Propeller sitting on the workbench with the spinner
Propeller hub without spinner
We initially attached the prop, in order to fit the cowling - while I believe it's possible to do that by oneself (at least for a lighter-weight prop like this), it was definitely a lot easier to do with 3 people, both to lift the prop into place, and then have one holding it up while the other two tightened the bolts:
Propeller attached in place
Propeller attached in place
Propeller attached in place, with spinner
When I first test-fit the Showplanes cowling, I realized that it'd require almost no trimming on the sides, and only minimal trimming at the top:
Very small gap between firewall and Showplanes cowl
Sufficient gap between spinner and Showplanes cowl
Finally, in May 2025 we started actually working on the cowling, starting with trimming the top cowl edge to mate with the bottom cowl:
Joining cowl halves after trimming
Match-drilling holes between the cowl halves, as securely as possible
Holes between the cowl halves, clecoed
Turns out the baffles (before trimming) interfere with the cowl positioning (tested via the paper clip method), so I took them off:
Clips on the baffle showing that they're too tall (before trimming) and interfere with the cowl positioning
For spacing the cowl from the spinner, I laser-cut an arc-shaped piece of 3/16" acrylic and used double-sided tape to secure it to the cowl:
Forward end of the cowl with acrylic arc for spacing
We put this aside for quite a while, while we finished other sections - then in June 2026, with the cowling being the only large part left on the build, we resumed, starting with opening the oil door, and re-fitting and aligning both top and bottom cowls:
Top cowl with oil door opening
Top and bottom cowl held in place with tape and straps
After aligning the parts in place and determining centers, we laid out the Skybolt fastener brackets along the firewall flange, starting with the top center 6 brackets, and using the magnet insert from Skybolt, match-drilled the cowl to them:
Skybolt brackets clamped in place on the firewall
Skybolt hole, showing the skybolt positioning adapter
We secured those brackets, and with the top cowl now securable in place, laid out the remaining top cowl brackets:
Primed Skybolt brackets
Remaining top Skybolt brackets clamped in place
The layout required some uneven spacing to avoid the engine mount:
Skybolt bracket positioning to avoid the engine mount top bolt
We then continued to install the brackets, grommets and receptacles for the top cowl:
Most top cowl Skybolt brackets riveted in place
The 15/32" holes for the Skybolt grommets were a bit tight - we only sanded them lightly, then pressed the grommets into place using a clamp with a socket:
Inserting Skybolt grommets using a socket
With this, the top cowl is mostly secured with the Skybolts, except for the very last Skybolts on each side, which we'll position after the top/bottom cowl side edges get trimmed:
Next, we'll do something similar for the bottom cowl.
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.
