Fuselage - Top

2006-07-04 - Installing the side rails. (4.0 Hrs).

Finished modifying the right side rail and F-757 gusset, and riveted them on. Also, installed the right side F-721B FWD canopy deck.

The F-721B FWD canopy deck needs to be drilled to the upper longeron.
The FWD end of F-721B needs to be bent out to match the side of F-721A.
F-721A and F-721B riveted to the longeron, as well as F-757. There were a few problem rivets here, but most of them turned-out ok. Only a few on the AFT end of F-721B and F-757 can be squeezed. All of the other rivets need to be bucked, and the bucking bars that I have barely fit in here. It is hard to describe the convolutions that I had to go through to buck the two rivets next to the F-704 FWD bulkhead. It involved some wadded paper towels, a square cutting tool from the Smithy, and a narrow bucking bar--good luck!
I ended-up having to use MK-319-BS pop rivets on the two rivets where F-721A attaches to F-721B. On the left side, I will rivet these two parts together before installing them on the longeron. This kind of messed-up my goal of doing an extra good job here.