We finally, finally completed the fuselage join today thanks to the rain and Scottish lockdown directional confusion. I’m glad to see the back of this part of the build as there are numerous difficult rivets and I’m not at my most agile having enjoyed complete lockdown a little too much.
Once we set the final blind rivet (Van’s instructions) in the inaccessible part of the side skin join I had a feel-good tidy of the workshop. Working in such a confined space has been one of the reasons my build has slowed but I managed to create a bit more space and have ordered some LED lights to brighten the place up.
On with the fuel system and having built the fuel valve up it as time to countersink the faceplate and then attach the valve to the aircraft. You can’t completely countersink the screws unless I have got something completely wrong. The Andair parts are beautifully machined.
The instructions say not to turn the valve unless there is fuel in it for lubrication but I couldn’t resist one small Off to Right tank just to confirm it was all put back together correctly.
Next up is electrical connections on the fuel pump.
Instructions require some pipe thread sealant so I shall check Steve’s excellent blog and copy his purchase!
I thought I would have a look what the baggage bay floor panels look like. It’s amazing how everything lines up.
Good to see you back in the workshop Chris!