Spoiler alert: I didn’t test thoroughly enough. Sure the wiring is all ok, but it turns out the ECU cannot communicate with the EFIS, Something I could have detected by just looking at a indicator led and if I had read the ‘fricking’ manual. More on this frustration in another post.

I have drawn the schematics myself, so what we do is check all the connections source to sink and mark them of on the schematic.

Besides the top skin, I also need to install the bar that connects the windscreen to the rib in the forward fuselage. This is hard, because it has to be done in conjunction to each other.

With all the wiring checked (we had to make a few adjustments, but nothing severe), we can now fasten the Top Skin with cleco’s. As you can see there are two access panels in the skin, so we can still reach the power bars, the ECU and the RDAC’s.

Ok, I forgot to paint the bottom side of the skin that is part of the panel in the cockpit. It was primed just like all the other (non-visible) parts, but once I saw the tqp skin in its place, it became apparent that it needs to be black. Since I already tear down my paint booth, I had to ‘wing it’ with a spray can.

Making sure the bar fits, I thought I’ll install that one first, but that doesn’t work since it needs to be inserted in the skin. But if it is in the skin how can I reach the nuts.

Right, we can gently bend the skin without really bending it to fasten the nuts and bolts.

Yes sounds really easy, but this took a considerable time. If you over-stress the Aluminum skin you can damage it permanently.

I figured out that I could indeed insert it later and crawl in the cockpit to fasten the bar (sigh). Ok with that established, let’s cleco it all together.

Some holes didn’t align nicely, so I decided to enlarge a few holes from #40 to #30 and use a bigger rivet. The Forward Top Skin fits very tight (almost to tight if you ask me).

The ‘new’ bigger holes also need to be dimpled. Because I don’t want to remove the (very tight) skin again, I decided to use the pneumatic squeezer to dimple the skin and the Firewall.

Now we can start riveting from the top middle to both sides.

Now it’s time to insert the bar, before riveting the rest of the skin.

Except for the row in the longeron, you can rivet everything by (again) gently bending the skin, so the hand with bucking bar can reach the rivet. The bottom row of rivets that are attached to the longeron can only be done by crawling in the forward fuselage. It resulted in a really bad night’s sleep, because my back was sore of laying on the main spar.

Time: 5 Hours, Rivets:  0/0  (2021-01-13)

Time: 7 Hours, Rivets: 74/0  (2021-01-16)

Time: 8 Hours, Rivets:  0/0  (2021-01-20)

Time: 8 Hours, Rivets: 79/0  (2021-01-24)

Time: 6 Hours, Rivets:  0/0  (2021-01-27)

Time: 5 Hours, Rivets:  0/0  (2021-01-29)

Time: 7 Hours, Rivets: 98/0  (2021-01-31)

Time: 6 Hours, Rivets: 40/0  (2021-02-03)

Video

While my dad is grinding the air intake bulkhead, I’m enlarging the pilot holes in the bottom for these bulkheads. I decided to NOT take a normal bulkhead and grind it to 45 degrees, but take a 45 degree bulkhead and make it a little smaller. This allows to insert a nice filter.

We are inserting the Rudder pedals to check that the Vent Lines are not preventing the Pedals in their movement.

I used some old Fuel Lines from my first attempt and crudely bend them as if they were the Vent Lines. This gives us a nice template for the real Vent Lines.

Here you can see the creazy routing the Vent Lines take and the hard part is to NOT forget to insert the bulkhead fitting before tapering the end. Also the last bend is hard, because it is so close to the end of the Vent Line.

With the right side finished, the left is easier.

We now know all the pitfalls and tricks to create a nice Vent Line.

Whooohooo, really excited and pleased with the result. Especially with the frustration of doing the Fuel Lines all over again. The Vent Lines went way better.

WOOHOO!

You can see the curve around the Rudder cables and toward the bulkhead to the wings. The red color on the bottom is NOT my blood, but ink of the type numbers on the Aluminum. Somehow these get more pronounced after priming.

Last part is finishing of the intake of the Vent Lines.

I use normal water tap filters, modify them and insert them in the bulkhead. This prevents the Vent Lines of sucking up dirt and contaminating my Fuel Tanks.

Time: 4 Hours, Rivets:  0/0 (2020-05-05)

Time: 3 Hours, Rivets:  0/0 (2020-05-07)

Video

The parts are still not primed and it is just an initial fitting and match drilling all the holes. I just drew some instruments on the panel to see how it could look.

First of it MUST be as symmetric as possible. I’m working on my own avionics, so the middle three ‘screens’ will be Android Tablets, for which I will develop the software myself. To make my avionics development not impede my first flight I will also insert ‘standard’ avionics, that later can be used as backup. This setup assumes there is a center console with a bridge going up to the panel.

The Top Skin fits nicely around the Panel. It is not bend yet and after priming I decided it would be easier to bend it so there is less tension in the aluminum.

The middle rib has an extra angle to stiffen it and it connects to the brace bar of the Canopy roll bar later.

Ok let’s fit the skin. Just as with the Aft Top Skins, I start on one side and work my way over the top to the other side.

The ribs need some extra cleco’s to adjust to the correct placement. Later I can drill the holes without the cleco’s and then move the cleco’s and repeat the process.

The skin on the right side didn’t really fit nicely. Or maybe I should say the skins are very tight. Anyway, I will probably rivet the skin first to the longerons and then insert the ribs.

This is dangerous, because it could mean I’m not able to insert the ribs. But I’ll figure that out later.

Time: 4 Hours, Rivets: 12/0 (2020-02-29)

Time: 5 Hours, Rivets:  0/0 (2020-03-01)

Time: 4 Hours, Rivets:  0/0 (2020-03-04)

Video