Wings

Today I primed the leading edge's 408-I rib and splice plate, drilled the tank, and began work on installing the Duckworks Landing Light.

Nothing real exciting here, just lots of holes to drill out to full size. Then move all the clecos and drill some more.

I cleaned and primed the end rib and splice plate for the leading edge. These are ready to rivet on, but for now I'll cleco them in place. I want to make sure the fit of the leading edge and tank skins is good before final riveting, in case I have to insert any shims or make any tiny adjustments.

Before riveting the leading edge to the wing, I want to do the work for the Duckworks Landing Light. I figure it might be easier to work with now while the leading edge is off the wing. You can see the cutout hole is marked in the above shot. My tool of choice is the die grinder with a cutoff wheel, for the initial cut.

Here's the rough-cut hole. I have to admit, it takes a bit of nerve to cut into the leading edge of the wing like this. But I plunged ahead. Pun intended.

I trimmed fairly close with my snips. Be careful doing this. You can easily distort the metal around the opening if you're not careful.

Now it's ready for deburring and smoothing.

All finished, ready to install the lens. Next, the holes for the retaining strips will be drilled, and then the lens trimmed and fitted.

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