Page 12 - August 2019

Jack McWilliam I am optimistic we should have the 2 mm skins finished
for the aft fuselage before the end of April and then be
Here we go for Q1 of 2019 and how we stand for the
able to move onto the 3 mm skins around the wing
first part of the year.
opening.
We continue to install new skins on the left side of the
fuselage moving forward past the window positions. Right now I am hoping to clean up a lot of the various
parts, with a different crew assigned to each area. The
The skins are installed with the windows and Andy's
regular crew will each focus on just one spot as they deal
ground power plug cut out.
with parts that have been cleaned and painted as well as
trying to locate those that are either missing or
misplaced. Of increasing value as we start to reinstall
parts is the illustrated parts manual for proper assembly
which has helpful pictures for comparison and
installation.

Two new skins which encompass the porthole
windows and the ground power plug.

Dick has started the next row of skins higher up the
same side of the fuselage with the first sheet giving us
the usual aggravation. This time it is the new plywood
scarf joints not fitting as well as previous joints. We
have also encountered some areas where the balsa is
a little proud. Nothing that can't be overcome but the
fine fitting process is very time consuming.
Roger and Peter have worked on the upper, exterior

center line of the fuselage repairing plywood damage All of the green painting boards hold dozens of small
with layers of veneer then constructing a new strip of parts from which we can start building assemblies and
skin. We will be working on some final fit and finish then install the assemblies into the fuselage.
issues before gluing the material on.
Andy has been installing the hardware around the armor
plate in the cockpit with Davey's help as Dave had built
the mockups holding the hardware. Communication is
important in the assembly process as other people not
directly involved can often contribute important pieces
of the puzzle.

Peter and Roger working on the upper fuselage
centerline joint and cover strip. This work will be
complete by the time this report is published.