I went to the airport today for the first time in quite awhile. Last week, Papa’s Shoe Repair had called to tell me the repairs on the tank sling and seat were completed. I went out to Waconia and picked them up. Looks like the repairs were very well done. So that part of the project has come to a satisfactory conclusion. And then yesterday, I went to Victoria Repair to check on the repair to the keel spar, and they are finished with it. Looks like a good job of reproducing the original spar, with the correct length, the inner and outer sleeving done, and holes drilled. So with the keel and the leading-edge spar (that I didn’t have them work on) sticking out of the car trunk, I arrived at the airport at about 9AM.
The first thing I did was check to see if the replacement leading-edge tube fit on the inner sleeve. I had thought that it was the wrong wall thickness, but it fit perfectly. So the good news is that my new tube will replace the bent one, but bad news it now I have to haul it back home, but that’s a minor thing. Better to be safe than sorry. Hey! I just invented a cool saying!
I worked most of the morning on re-attaching the keel spar. It wasn’t as easy as taking it off of the wing. That’s essentially all I got done today. I had taken some pictures of the wing before I dismantled the keel, but I am mad at myself for not taking more pictures. The nose piece was difficult to get all three attachments (actually four), the two leading-edge spars, and the two attachments for the keel. The forward attachment connects the keel to the leading-edge spars, but right behind the front bolt is an attachment of the main wing batten and the front kingpost cable attachment, along with the control bar attach cable tang. Just getting that done took most of my energy, so after completing that task, I knew I was finished for the day.
One other thing I did was to inspect the wing fabric for tears. There were none, although there are several small holes in the fabric that look like they might even pre-date the accident. But they are imminently repairable with some repair tape. Overall I think the wing is in excellent condition, but what do I know!?! I still will want to get it inspected by an expert.
I brought the rest of the tubing home with me, the leading-edge spar and all the carriage tubing. I made a detailed list of all the carriage components and will take it to Victoria Repair. The only real items to get yet are the cable replacements and bungees. That’s the project for next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment