Wing - Right Flaps and ailerons

2004-10-23 - Assembling the right flap. (7.0 Hrs).

I spent an hour grinding down an old nut driver to fit the bolts on the aileron brackets. After that, I assembled the right flap. Somehow, I spent six hours on the flap. I should have quite after four, but I was almost done (for the next two hours).

I think Van's tech writers have a mean streak in them. We have the famous 6.3° bend on the flap bracket. I bet they got a real laugh when they wrote that one. Then there's the 13/32" bushings. I guess they didn't want to push it with 25/64". Now, we have the line where they say "the flaps are the easiest control surfaces to build on the airplane--try not to let them warp." Let me tell you, these are not the easiest. Everyone complained about the elevators, but those were a breeze. The right aileron only took me 2.5 hours to assemble, ok, maybe 4.5--whatever. Anyway, it's done.

Here's the nutdriver ground-down to fit the bolts on the aileron brackets. This is going to be handy.
That's about as much as I can take off before the socket disappears.
I was so proud of myself for remembering to match-drill the holes in the rear of the flap ribs. Unfortunately, they needed to be #30, not #40, so I had to drill them again, and take them back apart, and debur them again--dang it!
Some day, I'm going to remember to run the edge seamer before I dimple! I forgot to do this on the right aileron, and it shows.
All clecoed together, ready to rivet. Notice the aluminum angles clamped to the end of the flap. Hopefully, this will keep it from "warping", and it makes a handy stand. Why go to all of the bother to build a stand. This works great.
This is the only bucking bar that will fit down there, and it is tight.
The second rivet down got mashed pretty good. I probably should have quit, since I was tired.
All done, I'm "bushed", time to quit." No, that has nothing to do with our presidente. It's an old saying, meaning I'm tired.