Sky Trax Adapter

I just received the Sky Trax Adapter for the Yamaha Apex engine. This adapter is made by Teal Jenkins and is a work of art! It bolts on to the front of the Apex and provides gear reduction (3.47:1) and a mount for a propeller. Can't wait to install it!

Right WIng Tip Install

Spent this morning attaching the right wing tip. I've got it cleco'd in place. The factory (manual) has you rivet the tip on. I prefer to have it removable for inspection purposes. A bit more work, but it'll be worth it. So, I will have to install nut plates for screws in the last rib for a flush mount.

Right Wing Mounting

Installed the right wing and jury strut. I began by grinding the bushings welded on the fuselage to fit into the spar over the doublers. Once I was happy with the grind, I lifted the wing using the drywall lift and slid the wing into place. I used a couple of thin screw drivers to align the doublers and the bushings. Once closely aligned, I inserted the AN4-16A bolt in the rear spar and the AN395-89 Pin in the front spar.

I then positioned the jury strut on the fuselage mount and inserted the AN6-16 bolt. I worked on inserting the AN5-27 bolt into the front jury strut bracket, but encountered binding between the strut and the bracket. I slid the strut out to the rear of the wing so I could grind some weld material off for a better fit. I used a screw driver as a place holder in the front bracket and adjusted the rear bearing for a good fit and inserted the rear AN5-27 bolt.

Right Wing Spar Doublers

Today I installed the four remaining steel doublers in the right wing spars.

First thing was to drill out the rear bottom hole in the spar to the correct 5/16". Next was to prepare the eight doublers for installation. I had to drill out, using a #40 bit, the three rivet holes and the 5/16" bolt holes in each doubler.

Next, using the 5/16" bolt to align the top doubler with the spar, I clamped it in place and used the #40 hole in the doubler as a guide to drill through the spar. Once drilled, I cleco'd it in place which clamped the doubler while I drilled the remaining two holes in the spar. I then placed the second doubler on the inside of the spar aligning it with the bolt and the clecos previously installed. Once both doublers were in place, I used a #30 bit and match drilled the rivet holes.

Once all the doublers were drilled out, deburred, sanded and cleaned, I mixed just enough Hysol to do two of the doublers at a time since they are top and bottom of the same 5/16" hole. I gooped the Hysol on the mating surfaces of the doublers a put them in place using a #30 cleco in the middle rivet hole to secure them for riveting.

I repeated the process for the remaining doublers and left them to cure overnight.

Left Wing Install

Got the left wing installed this morning. I ground the bushings that are welded to the air frame to match the width of the interior of the spar. This is necessary to allow the wing spars to slide into place. I reamed the doublers in the spar and the bushings on the fuselage.

Then I was able to use my Harbor Freight Dry Wall Lift to lift the wings into position by myself. After jockeying the wing into place I was able to get the front pin into place and started the rear bolt. The manual says it is not necessary to install the rear bolt all the way through at this point.

Next I grabbed the wing strut and required hardware and installed it. I put air in and out of the shocks to help with aligning everything.

There were no real issues, need to ream the bolt holes some more at the root attach points. They are really tight.

I did some rearranging in the shop to get it to fit. I think it will fit with both wings installed and open and have the truck inside too. I'll know soon as I plan to get the other wing installed this week.

Left Wing Spar Doublers

Well the heat of summer is here, so work is slowed down considerably. However, I have been working on selecting the avionics and I think I have that all worked out, more on that later.

Today I started mounting the steel doublers required to beef up the wing attach points on the left wing. The manual calls out for two doublers, one on the inside top and inside bottom of each spar. Apparently, there was a mistake at the factory and the rear bottom hole was drilled oversize for some unknown reason. After a call to the factory discussing the repair, it was suggested that I add another doubler on the bottom outside of the spar. I asked if there was any reason not to add them at all stations to beef up the wing attach points? The answer was no so I asked for another set of doublers so I could "double" up on all of them. This will give twice the wear surface for the bolts and pins, can't be a bad thing.

So, I began by preparing the eight doublers for installation. I had to drill out, using a #40 bit, the three rivet holes and the 5/16" bolt holes in each doubler.

Next, using the 5/16" bolt to align the top doubler with the spar, I clamped it in place and used the #40 hole in the doubler as a guide to drill through the spar. Once drilled, I cleco'd it in place which clamped the doubler while I drilled the remaining two holes in the spar. I then placed the second doubler on the inside of the spar aligning it with the bolt and the clecos previously installed. Once both doublers were in place, I used a #30 bit and match drilled the rivet holes.

Once all the doublers were drilled out, deburred, sanded and cleaned, I mixed just enough Hysol to do two of the doublers at a time since they are top and bottom of the same 5/16" hole. I gooped the Hysol on the mating surfaces of the doublers a put them in place using a #30 cleco in the middle rivet hole to secure them for riveting.

I repeated the process for the remaining doublers and left them to cure overnight.