Wing tip Rib

This wing tip, when finished, will have a pipe inserted into the front of the wing rib where the circular notch is located.  The pipe will curve back towards the trailing edge and reattach at the rear of the rib.  This will "thin" the wing for less drag, and it will look cooler too.

Wing Ribs-Update

Where's the trailing edge?

"Hey John, did you forget something? Where is the trailing edge.  That is going to create lots of drag!"

"Not to worry, Alan, it is supposed to look like that.  It is a rib that will have an aileron mounted to it."

"Oh, right, I was just checking to see if you knew that."

As you can see, the latest ribs being produced now have a stub where the trailing edge normally resides, and yes, that is where the aileron will be mounted; progress is being made.

P.S. This is Oshkosh week.  Yippee!  See you there.

Joe's new toy

Joe found this scale model on the internet.

The craftsmanship is remarkable.  Carved from hardwood, and painted, it has the look and feel of quality.  Very inspiring.  Most importantly, it gives us a good hands-on, and a three-dimensional perspective that the drawings can't.  

One door on the left.

Two doors on the right.

This helps us get a better feel for what we are building, and how we are going to build it.  The two photos above show the three doors, guess which one the instructor uses.

Fuselage modification

Dick is positioning his toy soldiers on the battlefield  :-)

Actually, the toy soldiers are tubing holders.  Each holder is made from wood, cut to length, and a round notch is added at one end, then mounted with a screw to the plywood.  The plywood has been pre-marked with the pipe layout so knowing where to put them is not difficult.  The tricky part is grabbing the right toy soldier.  Each one has to have the right size round notch that will hold the tubing that will be securely held in place during the welding process.  This is a bit tricky to explain but it will all make sense in due time.  The most important concept is that the tubing needs to be held accurately, and firmly, during the welding process.

Wing Ribs-Update

Leo strikes again!

Last time I checked, Leo (and John)  had two wing ribs.  Hmmm, reminds me of the story about rabbits,  start with two, then . . .

Yes, progress is being made.  The assembly line is up and running smoothly, Henry Ford would have been proud.  A total of twelve ribs are needed for the inner section (without ailerons).  They now have eight.  Four more to go.

John is like a kid with a new toy.  He got a new disc sander that does a real nice job of sanding the edges of the rigs where the gussets hang over the edge a little.  The right tool for the right job!