Registration Number Reserved

Yes!
I got the N - number I wanted. Six Tango Tango. The letter arrived in the mail very quickly, a lot quicker than I thought it would take, so hats off to you folks at the FAA! The letter came from:

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
Civil Aviation Registry
Aircraft Registration Branch (AFS-750)
P.O. Box 25504
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0504

Now for clarification, this is just the reservation for an N-number. The airplane has not been assigned that N-number. So the next step is to submit in writing the aircraft manufacturer, model, serial number, and current registration number. Oh yes, and send in the fee!

Thanks FAA, look forward to doing business with you in the future!

Lightening Holes And Dies

Today's task is to start construction on a pair of dies that will be used to make the flanges on the lightening holes I plan on cutting in the ribs and bulkheads. Having lightening holes will save a tiny bit of weight, maybe just enough to allow me to add a 1 or 2 lb instrument though, so that's a good thing. The real reason however is to add stiffness to a part that would otherwise be quite flexible made from .020 or .040 inch thickness aluminum sheet.

Also, having holes in the wing ribs will allow me to run plumbing for the pitot tube and wires for the wingtip lights! To a lesser extent, it will allow me inspection access to various parts of the wing after I've installed some access ports.

I figure two size holes, 2 and 3 inches in diameter should suffice. I'll post more details as I progress, but the dies will be made of hardwood and cut using an attachment for my Dremel motor tool. Dremels are the Swiss Army knife of the handheld tool world!

Rivets Arrived

I ordered some rivets and they finally arrived, 3 boxes of Marson aluminum rivets with steel mandrels. I am starting out with about 1000 with two different grip lengths, for .040 and .080 inch fastening of aluminum. I need two more sizes but I will be using steel body / steel mandrels for those I believe.

This is mostly just to practice my technique as I have no experience in the riveting department.

Wish me luck.

Send More Rivets

I have been practicing my riveting technique. My technique isn't riveting, but I have been doing some riveting. My technique is "fair." So I went online and purchased a bunch of 1/8 inch rivets from blindrivetsupply.com . I have never dealt with this company but their prices seemed reasonable so why not. Shipping costs for rivets via UPS is not cheap, just as much as a small box of rivets!

But I need to pay it or my cardboard mock up plane will be as far as I get LOL!

Now I need to order some aluminum angles and maybe by the end of summer I can have a wing! Sweet...

N-Number

Reserved the Teenie's N-number tonight. What is it? I leaked a bit of it earlier, the last three characters are 6TT.

I won't say anymore until I get the confirmation letter, three weeks from now I am told.

Botched Firewall

I couldn't make the firewall work the way I wanted it to. I didn't want to change the firewall or the two rear bulkheads but that is going to happen now. As I sat in my cardboard airplane, winging over the Sierra Estrellas, I realized my feet were binding on the rudder bar. The lower side rail was pushing my feet together and squishing them up against the fuel feed line.

And if that wasn't bad enough my toes kept pushing against the cut out I had to make to accomodate the rear mounted mag. The thermals were gettting a little uncomfortable and my rudder work was making me wish for a bigger firewall.

I sat back, reached outside and picked my beer gingerly off the wing root. Cardboard airplanes make a lot of sense. I need to stretch that firewall 2 inches wider to conform with the 2 inch stretch at the cabin seatback. This will make my size 12 boats a little less claustrophobic and less likely to put me into an unwanted rudder throw.

I sure wish I hadn't cut the plywood form blocks for the plans-sized firewall though! I was premature on that but I can use the wood for something else, nothing goes to waste here. The good news is that the side rails won't have to bend as much because the firewall will be scaled up appropriately.