Installation of top rails into rear fuselage

Custom reinforcements that slip inside the longeron 301/2, forming a doubler for the top-rail end piece (which has a notch missing)

Test cleco exterior

Test cleco interior

RHS completed, exterior view. Note notch in arch skin for rivet head clearance. 4x10mm rivets were used along the exterior lines, while the top rivets (some visible here) were 4x13mm. The rivets along the bottom edge of the arch skin were used to reference holes along the refabricated RF-ANG-004. These will be dimpled and countersunk riveted later.. Note the bottom two rivets on the fore and aft arch ribs are also countersunk for maximum clearance.

LHS exterior view

LHS interior view. Note the flange holes of the refabricated RF-ANG-003 will be made later, match drilled to the inner arch skin holes.

General view

RHS, showing how the skin does bend out for the top rail. This is correct, verified on a club aircraft. Unlike the club aircraft, I have added the rivet (is 4.8mm here, due to misalignments within) which keeps the side skin against the rear skin in this region. In the club aircraft, a gap of up to 2mm was evident here.

LHS, same situation

LH aft rivet. Very difficult - needed angled head. Stem still broke, but rivet almost fully set. So I tapped out the stem and retrieved it with a magnet.

RH aft rivet. Very difficult. I used an angled head, but stem broke as well, but enough left to get ordinary rivet gun onto it. The rivet set fully but the head got asymmetrically flattened. Pain in the arse.