Alex's Vans RV-10 Build Log

I'm planning to attach my tail cone to the fuselage after the holidays, so for now I am skipping around a few section performing tasks that don't require the tail cone to be attached.  Under the rear seats, I will need to install access panels so that I can gain access to the COM antennas. There's not a lot of space in between the ribs so the access will be somewhat constrained. I wanted to make sure the panels sat flush with the rear seat floors, so I designed 3D drill templates for a doubler and a cover that will maximize the opening while still allowing the cover to sit perfectly flush with the rear seat floor when attached. 3D design for an access panel doubler. Nutplate holes (missing from the drill template) would be drilled after drilling the screw holes. Doubler fits precisely between the rear seat ribs, and opening is maximized while respecting appropriate edge distances 3D printed antenna access panel doubler and cover drill templates I started by tracing the dou...

I will be installing a Garmin GHA15 Height Advisor, and based on recommendations in the installation instructions and seeing what other builders have done for their RV-10's, I am planning to install the antenna under the tunnel (below the fuel selector).  After determining a suitable location, I 3-D printed a drill template for the doubler plate that I will need to fabricate. The antenna mounting holes were located per the measurements given in the G3X Installation manual, and I then marked additional locations for nutplate attach holes and rivet holes to attach the doubler to the bottom skin 3-D printed doubler laid in place to verify that everything fit within the tunnel as expected Next I took a piece of 1/16" aluminum and cut it to the same size as the doubler template using the bandsaw. After deburring all edges, I used the template to mark the center 1.25" hole and used a hole saw in the drill press to cut it out. Drilling the center hole in the GHA15 antenna double...

After priming all the tail cone pieces, I realized that I had forgotten to mask off the area around the holes where the static port is attached. This was easily fixed after the fact by masking with painters tape and wiping with acetone. Taping off the area around the static port hole so that primer can be removed Static port hole with primer removed where port will bond to skin I plan to back rivet as much of the tail cone as I can, and will therefore be clecoing it together from the inside as I start to reassemble it. So that the protruding cleco tails don't interfere with back riveting, I also cut up some carpet (pile ~ 0.5") to support the skins and allow the cleco tails to sink in.  Carpet panels will be used to support skins and clecos while back riveting I also had to tape a 1/4" piece of MDF hardboard to the underside of my back rivet plate to raise it to the level of the carpet and ensure that the skins would have good contact with the plate while riveting. In add...