Another Day Of R&R

It was another day of R&R at DOG Aviation … riveting and rain that is. Progress continued on the RV-12’s tail cone assembly as the F-1281 and F1280 left skins were riveted together with flush rivets. The work today was essentially a carbon copy of yesterday's work on the right side of the tail cone assembly.

                            Beginning the riveting of the seam where the F-1281-L & F-1280-L left skins overlap.

                     Setting the last rivet into the aft bulkhead where the F-1281-L & F-1280-L skins overlap.

As was the case for the F-1280 right skin, the plans call for the F-1280-L skin to be entirely riveted … so that skin was riveted to the three fuselage frames and also to the F-1279-L upper side skin.

                            Riveting the F-1280-L skin to the F-1210 fuselage frame with the pneumatic riveter puller.

                                            Finishing up the riveting of the F-1280-L skin to the F-1279-L skin.

Prior to test fitting the top skin, the instructions call for working on the F-12106 forward skin rib which is for mounting the vertical stabilizer’s forward skin. The rib was dimpled prior to priming so the only thing left to do was dimple the eight nutplates that will attach to the rib and rivet the nutplates onto the rib.

                                     Dimpling the nutplates for the forward skin rib using the pneumatic squeezer.

After the nutplates are dimpled, Clecos are used to hold the nutplates in place on the forward skin rib for riveting.

                                                   Squeezing the nutplate rivets with the pneumatic squeezer.

                                               Finished forward skin rib ready to be installed onto the upper skin.

I have to say, I have been very pleased with the work bench having wheels in the low position. I found myself moving the tail cone assembly a couple of times to make it easier to rivet … it sure was handy having wheels to move the tail cone assembly around.