New chapter and it is really starting to look like a big aircraft. First job was to prime the skin where the forward and bottom skins overlap. I had already done this but the wrong way round as I thought the skins overlapped in the opposite manner. The mid fuselage structure was extracted from its storage plinth and placed vertically on the bench so that the outside overlap could be primed. I primed the upper and lower drag fittings at the same time.
The two structures are now joined by sliding together. It is a tight fit but amazing how everything lines up, the quality of Van’s kits is superb.
The Bulkhead Bar Assemblies are annotated left and right and then removed. The skin overlaps are cleco’d together. I have seen some builders slide the skin between the Muffler Tunnel but this appears to be incorrect as it should be under the centre bottom skin.
Next the Lower Drag fitting is bolted in place. These are a tight fit which I suppose makes sense. The Upper Drag fitting is loosely bolted in place and then the Centre Section Side Plate is cleco’d in place in preparation for match drilling the Upper Drag fitting.
I also made up the Support Leg for when the whole structure is placed on its side.
You need 3/8th bolts for the support leg but you use them to attach the Lower Drag fittings. I had ordered extra 3/8th nuts as you need to push the Lower Drag bolts back later as they hide a rivet hole but you only have Nylocs which should really only be tightened once. A friend used 3/8th dowel instead of bolts for the support leg which seems like a good plan as it won’t score the reamed holes in the centre spars.
There is no doubt, you’ve turned into an aircraft engineer! Really envious of your excellent progress Chris … back to my leading edges!