More Seats and Flaps

Slowly the cabin is taking shape. After returning from a cabin in the woods I worked on the cabin in the garage. The seat back hinges were finally riveted to the aft seat pans. Then the seat pans were installed permanently to the center section ribs. Tonight I made all the hinge pins for each of the seats. Two for the bottom of each seat back and one each for the seat back braces.

Up next was the mid-cabin flap actuator brace. It was trimmed to size and drilled for the mounting bolts. A notch was also cut into the baggage tunnel cover where the brace block is installed so you can take the tunnel cover off without having to unmount to the flap hardware.

Cabin Progress Photos

I had taken some pictures of the interior as I’ve progressed the last couple of weeks but I couldn’t locate them till tonight. So instead of recreating a bunch of posts I should have been writing all along, I’ll just dump them in one post with some descriptions.

The seatback frames waiting for the reinforcement angle and the upper hinge to be added.

The forward covers and valve bracket cleco’d together to check fit.

Back to the front seats with upper angle and hinge drilled.

The seatback rear mounts get lightening holes. I screwed up the first part so I ordered this fly cutter which did the trick.

Here’s the left rear seat mount all done.

The flap motor is hidden in this center triangle.

Here is the center tunnel cover.

The intersection of the center tunnel cover and the flap actuator channel.

Another view.

The rear brace screws into the floor,

The flap actuator channel mounted to the 705 bulkhead.

More Interior Work

The last two weeks have been dedicated to fabricating and finishing all the cabin parts. I had planned in priming today but the weather wasn’t cooperating. No biggie though as there is still lots of parts I can prep ahead of priming.

• The seats are drilled to final size.
• The forward seat covers are drilled and prepped.
• The front spar covers are done including the PITA angles that get drilled to the outboard doublers (pics attached).
• The center tunnel cover between the seats is drilled and waiting to be primed and riveted.
• The flap motor attach channels are mostly fabricated; a few holes are left to drill.
• Starting to drill the Center floor cover and heat baffle.

To drill the angles that the outboard cover attaches, I clamped some scrap angle to create a reference line.

Be sure to use some scrap wood on other side of clamp or risk a dented skin.

With the reference line established you can drill the angle in assembly.

The plans give you the upper and lower marks and a mid line drawn on the angle provides the vertical reference.

Drill the cover and angle to #40 in assembly. Then remove from fuselage to expand to #19 and drill the angle for the nutplates.

Seat Week 2

The joys of seat making continue. The angle is drilled on to the seat back and all the components have been cut from raw stock.

I might have a solution for riveting the hinges to the aft seat floor. Hopefully I can borrow a c-frame with Cleveland Tools’ backrivet set up from another local builder.

In the meantime I am continuing to knock out all the parts in prep for a massive primer session so I can finish out the fuse in prep for finish kit arrival in early June.

Seat Week

Methodically getting all the seat back pieces cut and prepped to drill. These are mostly formed from raw stock so nothing is prepunched. I mangled a seat back brace last night attempting to drill lightening holes with a 2.25 inch hole saw meant for wood. Luckily, I didn’t loose any fingers when the drill press grabbed the part from me and spun it around. Ordered new part along with lighting package from ?

No pictures tonight so I’ll take extra tomorrow.