It's been awhile since my last entry, as I've been busy designing/managing construction of a home addition, among other things. I've completed construction of the wing frames, which consists of spars, compression tubes, drag braces and fittings (e.g. strut attach plates, bellcrank braces). Following are pics of the completed wing frames. Everything is final installed, except the diagonal drag bracing tubes, which need to be removed later to facilitate installation of the ribs. I noticed some defects (originating from extrusion process) in the original aluminum spars from Rans; however, they were quick to rush a new set back to me. They were particularly concerned with defects in the areas 90 degrees from leading/trailing edges, as that is where the most deflection (stress) occurs in flight.
I just recently completed my first wing rib out of approximately 26. When installed between the spars, the ribs create the airfoil shape of the wing. It first involves fabricating a jig out of plywood which locks all of the parts together for easy riveting. Following are pics. It took me over an hour to complete just one , so hope I get more proficient at it!
Once the wing structures are complete, I won't be too far off from covering. I hope to attend EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, WI the end of July and sit in on some of the fabric covering seminars in order to get educated on the process.
