Entry: Sat Jul 11 2026

Covers the period 22 April - 7 July 2026. Spent the majority of this period chasing leaks in my left fuel tank. Given the trouble I had 1.5 years ago with leaks on my tanks, I decided to take them off and leak test them one last time. Unfortunately a few of the screws were galled and very difficult to remove. Fortunately, David Howe had a clever tool he built that he copied from Boeing that exerts a lot of force on the face of the screw, providing sufficient friction to turn the screw head despite it being somewhat stripped.

My first test revealed 3 leaks from the rivets securing the tank baffle. Fortunately, I had previously purchased to tank repair kits from Vans so I leaped into action.

After cutting the hole in the rear baffle and applying a liberal amount of tank sealant, I closed it up and checked it again a week later. To my surprise, ~4 more leaks appeared in the rear baffle rivets. I drilled those out, upsized the holes using "oops rivets" to ensure a good seal, applied the tank sealant appropriately and re-tested. An additional 3 leaks were discovered in other areas of the baffle! So I repaired those the same way. A week later I tested them again and discovered 3 more leaks along the same baffle row. I'm currently waiting to test those.

In the meantime, work has progressed. With David Howe's help, we managed to find an excellent way to secure the pitot heat controller on the spar. Dave made a fixture that was attached using 3M DP190. It contains nut-plates so that the controller can be removed and inspected/replaced in the future. Turned out really nice.

Section 37 install was delayed while I mounted the antennas and ran the RG400 wire. The bundles were getting exceptionally large and I had to order a few .75" nylon clamps that mount near the fuel selector valve to accommodate the large bundles coming from the center tunnel. Currently awaiting for those parts to arrive.

I also ordered and received 90 degree connectors for the GPS/WAAS/XM/XPDR antennas. Awaiting install.

With all my wires finally installed, I went ahead an finished Section 37 by mounting the roll bar assembly.

I also made the final determination where my Pitot / AOA lines will run through the fuselage. I began drilling those holes but had to wait for a stubby step drill bit to arrive.

David Howe was also nice enough to create a small plate to cover the hole in the aft lower fuselage where the ATSU antenna was supposed to hang from. That way if I ever decide to use that hole for something else, I can simply remove the plate.