This page picks up where Ch 21 Part III leaves off and generally deals with finishing the leading edges done and any loose ends with the Strakes Ch 21.
Fuel Probes:
I'm using capacitive fuel probes as mentioned earlier and with the L tank sealed I could do the insertion. This was a multi-step process because I need to be careful not to harm the 3/8" NPT threads in the probe hard point. Here's what I did: - tank under 6" H2O pressure (manometer and bicycle pump) - Dremel the top skin off of hard point (I'd masked the NPT hole before applying top skin) - mark the center of the hole needed through bottom skin with Sharpie fine point - carefully drill through the inner skin with .27" bit (careful to stay away from hard point threads). When the bit goes through, the higher pressure air in the tank blows out carrying debris with it over about 4 seconds) - insert probe and make sure it threads all the way down snug - remove and install 3/8" NPT plug and re-pressurize (holding pressure for over a week and counting) Note on Fuel Cap: I masked over the removable cap when I applied the top skin and Dremel trimmed it off the same way after cure |
Leading Edges:
With the L strake tank sealed and it's top skin on, I can start work on it's Leading Edge (LE). Since my extended strakes run to just in front of the IP, I'm routing the wing antennas and Nav/Strobe cables directly through a conduit in the LE. Here are the steps I'm using (not completed yet):
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This is a staged photo just after I actually did the hot wire cut (when I could get Dianne to be photographer). It shows how I used some leftover wooden foam packing slats from ACS to guide the hot wire for cutting the piece that's leaning on the table in the background. The slats are just held in place with 3 sheetrock screws, and I put some weights on the back of this blue foam to keep it from moving while I cut it (just because it was an unusual shaped piece of left over blue foam).
Preparation for glassing LE: Because the plans call for UNI you can butt sections together. Most of this was cut from scrap UNI from strake skins and TB. Scraps are kept rolled up and sealed in a big tub. I cut 7" long first ply and 10" long 2nd ply to get 0.75" overlap and 1.25" overlap on both the top and bottom skin everywhere except in the transition region. I had to custom measure, cut and apply in these areas.
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