After finishing up with the clean-up of the shop following the rearrangement of most everything to accommodate the wing storage rack, construction of the right wing began. The first task - drilling and tapping both ends of the factory installed AEX tie-down plate to accept the tie-down ring used to secure the aircraft when on the ground.
Tapping the factory installed AEX tie down plate
attached on the spar to 3/8” x 16 threads.
The outboard attach angle at the wing tip was
attached using AN470AD4-4.5 rivets as opposed to the LP4-3 pop rivets. After
the outboard attach angle was riveted onto the right spar, the rib attach
angles were secured on the spar with Clecos and then riveted in place using
AN470AD4-5 solid rivets as opposed to LP4-3 pop rivets. Some of the rivets were
squeezed and a rivet gun and bucking bar were used on the rivets the pneumatic squeezer
could not reach.
Using the pneumatic squeezer to rivet the
outboard attach angle onto the right spar with AN470AD4-4.5 rivets.
Using the pneumatic squeezer to rivet a rib
attach angle onto the right spar with AN470AD4-5 rivets.
Using the rivet gun and bucking bar to set AN470AD4-5
rivets into the spar to secure a pair of rib attach angles that could not be
reached with the pneumatic squeezer.
The factory installed rib angles require
additional rivets but, as with the left wing, it is impossible to squeeze or buck
these rivets because of the layering of the spar’s doubler plates … therefore
LP4-3 pop rivets must be used here. The clearance is tight and requires using
the close quarter rivet puller … and even then the clearance is so tight the trick
of bending the mandrel of the rivet slightly and using a wedge to set the rivet
needs to be incorporated.
Mandrel of the LP4-3 rivet slightly bent with a
wedge placed over
the rivet to keep downward pressure squarely on the rivet
head.
Close quarter rivet puller positioned over a
LP4-3 rivet that has a bent mandrel and wedge ready to be set. Note: even
thought the tool is at an angle, the bottom of the wedge is flat on top of the
rivet being set.
The right wing’s spar has now been rolled over
and all the rib attach angles have been squared in preparation for installing
the W-1210 ribs the next work session in the shop.