Inspection frames, Nutplates

Inspection frames

Today I installed the remaining inspection port frames in the lower surface or the right wing. Initially when match drilling the rivet holes to the wing skin I had used the guide holes as alignment and this resulted in many of them being too close to the skin edge. AC43.13 specifies a minimum edge distance of 2d to the rivet center.

After consulting with Mark Goldberg, Bob Barrows, and my mentor Bob McGarry, it became apparent that there were 2 options available to correct the issue, either cut a larger hole and remake the frames, or add additional rivets in between existing ones, with the correct edge spacing. I elected the second option, and did this this afternoon.

So now, all the frames are finished and reinforced where necessary. Actually a lot of them were done conservatively on the side of caution.

Nutplates

I finished drilling and dimpling the holes for nutplates on the wing root and tip lower skins, and riveted the nutplates in place on the leading edge. I'll do the remainder once the wing skin is closed up.