2/4/2009 - 3 Hours
Deburred and countersunk stuff. Various things...


 2/5/2009 - 3 Hours
Primed stuff. Riveted the outboard floor ribs to the bottom center section skin and to the rear.


2/7/2009 - 7 Hours
Long day. I joined the tail to the center section. Created stiffeners for the armrests and primed them. Riveted all that I could with the squeezer. Various other things as well...



2/8/2009 - 3 Hours
Started riveting the side skins on myself. Can only get so many of them without help which will come later this week. I did as much as I could on the left side.

2/9/2009 - .5 hours
Started riveting the right side.

2/10/2009 - 3.5 Hours
Riveted everything that I could with the squeezer or bucking bar. I now need another person to help out.

2/11/2009 - 1.5 Hours
Friend Jeff Price came over for a little riveting action. We got the outer baggage ribs done and some of the side skins riveted.. ones that I couldn't reach myself. The pics below are from my phone so sorry for the low res.


Messing around with video on the camera phone.. click here to see it.

2/14/2009 - 7 Hours
Quite the long day. Remade the straps for the baggage ribs. Then my friend Jeff Price came over again to help me rivet the rest of the center section to the aft. After all that was done, Jeff, my hottie wife Jo and Jackie all helped me flip the canoe over! What a great day!



2/15/2009 - 3.5 Hours
Riveted a few things that I forgot when it was upside down such as the brackets on F704 that connect to the floor skin stiffeners, the same floor skin stiffs to the firewall and finally the rear tail skins (no pics of that though). Also bolted the front lower gussets near the firewall which were a giant pain with it being right side up!



2/17/2009 - 1.5 Hours
Did a few small tasks tonight. Riveted the armrests to F705. Riveted the top of the side panel braces to the longerons and also the side panel brace up near the firewall. The pull rivets that are to the inside near the opening of the skin to F704... you have to push on these while closing the handle on the pop rivet tool. The reason being is the rivet is too long.. it starts out hitting the F704 bar. Then I moved onto leveling the fuse which wasn't too hard at all. Simply put a level on the longerons in various places and then on the firewall, F704, F705, across both longerons and then finally at the rear. Clamp the panel on the back, ensure it's still level then drill.



2/22/2009 - 1 Hour
Fabricated F-710C and F-711E Spacers


2/23/2009 - 2 Hours
Rivited F-711D Angle to the tail and then rivited F-714 aft deck to the tail section as well.


2/24-27/2009 - 8 Hours
Installed the F-721B side rails/canopy deck. F-757 gussets as well. Next up was the F695 forward fuse gussets near the firewall. Then the shoulder harness anchors (no pic). Finished the bellcrank support F-728A and fab'd the F-635 bellcrank.






2/28/2009 - 4 Hours
Started the day by installing the F-786A J stringers. These were already cut so it was quite simple. Then installed the aft top skin and drilled to the bulkheads and stringers. Then started to fit F-7112 top skin....



Well, I need a new top skin... look at how the forward section is looking... tried turning the skin over but same result. The forward most holes around the F-7112 skin are ending up in between the holes in the F-706 bulkhead.


There was no way heck that these holes are going to align. So I emailed Vans asking for a new skin... will see what they say on 3/2/09.