This weekend I finished building the wing table, and also started unpacking the foam cores for the wing plug. I started with the inboard cores, since I think we'll be skinning the inboard sections first. My thinking on that is based on the expense of the .014" mylar that I'm using as a layup surface. If I do the inboards first, I can later cut the mylars down to size to layup the outboards. That will save me about $100 in mylar.
The next step is to glue the inboard core sections together and then glue the carbon stiffener strips into their trenches. After that, I'll start cutting the layup plies for the first vacuum bagging session. The plan is to do the layup on the right top inboard, get it bagged, and then do the left top inboard and bag it. That'll take about one whole day. On the next session, we'll unbag the two inboards, scarf the leading edge, and then do the two layups on the inboard bottoms. That might all fit into one weekend; but it might also stretch into two weekends.
I'm thinking of ways to splice the inboard sections to the outboard sections. I might use some little splice strips of the carbon ribbon to bridge between the inboard and outboard sections. That way I can smooth the planform break in my own shop, and not on the table at the molding shop. That joint wouldn't be as strong as the rest of the plug, but after all it is only tooling and doesn't need much strength.
Sometime in the next four weeks I need to get a garage heater for the shop and get it installed. I'll also need to have the local gas company (believe it or not, it's Ebbett's Pass Gas) bring in a tank. Fortunately, the building is already plumbed for gas, and there's already a platform and standpipe for the tank. Winter hasn't yet come to Arnold, but when it does there'll be plenty of snow to go around.
page updated 13 October 2003 all text and graphics copyright (c) 2003 HP Aircraft, LLC