Left wing panel staged

Pre-drilling rivet holes in upper ribs for fabric attachment later on.  Rib jig courtesy of Mike Watson.

Jig allows for perfectly aligned rivet holes down the top dead center of the ½” diameter upper rib tubing

Bottom panel of inboard box clamped into position, then drilled and cleco’d onto the front spar first

Progressing down the panel from front spar to rear, clamping in position and then drilling & cleco’ing as you go

Drilling carefully to ensure hitting the top dead center of the ½” tubing running underneath

Inserting cleco’s – reusable temporary rivets

Precise measuring is especially critical where drilling must pass through the bottom panel, the tip of the ½” tubing, and the rear spar

Bottom panel of left wing inboard box held in place with cleco’s after drilling is completed

Replacing cleco’s on bottom panel with rivets

Bottom panel of left wing inboard box riveted in place

Bottom panel of outboard box clamped into position, then drilled and cleco’d onto the front spar first

Measuring underneath panel to ensure precise positioning of ½” diameter rib tubing prior to drilling from above through the panel

Bottom panel and ribs underneath clamped into place to avoid movement during drilling

Bottom panel drilled and held in place with cleco’s

With wing panel flipped over (now right side up) 2 curved ribs covered by metal sheeting are clamped into place to form the upper panel

Measuring in prep to drill through upper metal panel through top dead center of ½” diameter tubing

End of panel drilled and cleco’d in place first. Then drilling and cleco’ing down the edges of the entire panel

Clamping carefully as drilling and cleco’ing moves through curved section of the upper panel

1/8” drill bit must pass through top dead center of the ½” diameter tubing beneath the upper

Measuring for placement of upright channel braces once entire upper panel has been cleco’d into position

Drilling forward outermost channel brace for attachment to upper rib

Riveting that forward outermost channel brace to the upper rib

With cleco’s removed and upper panel taken back off for access, riveting the inner face of the rearward outermost channel brace to the upper rib

Now that the channel braces are riveted on, the upper panel is re-cleco’d back in place

Upper panel of the left wing outboard box now permanently attached after replacing cleco’s with rivets

Another view of the upper and lower panels, and the channel braces, of the left wing outboard box after being riveted into place

With upper panel drilled and cleco’d into place, drilling for attachment of the channel braces.

After riveting channel braces on, now the upper panel is riveted on

Upper panel of the left wing Inboard box is now riveted into place (foreground). Outboard box is visible in the background.

Measuring and attaching the curved, upper ribs to the wing panel – to the front spar first. Fourteen ribs are to be placed between the wing end boxes, spaced 10.3” apart. Ribs are attached using triangular gussets at the point of attachment to the spars.

Leveling gusset prior to attachment of rib through it on front spar

Upper rib/gusset drilled and cleco’d into place on front spar

Seven ribs attached to the front spar

All fourteen ribs now attached to the front spar

Process of attaching ribs to rear spar is the same as for attachment to front spar. Prior to attachment on the rear spar, the ribs need to be adjusted so that their apex just touches – but does not push upward on - the reference string stretched across the wing between the wing end boxes at their highest point.

Drilling rivet holes through rib/gusset on rear spar. Cleco’s used to hold gusset in place until last hole is drilled, then riveting starts.

Riveting rib/gussets to rear spar.

Left wing with all ribs attached. FAA A&P certified Tech Rep (sitting down, right) during inspection of our craftsmanship.

That all important endorsement being written into our construction log by the FAA Tech Rep.