March and April

Friends offered to loan me a C set and help rivet, so I started on the machine angle parts I will need for the spars. I'll finish the ailerons and flaps once I get the spars done.  My friend Jim Gates has a great wing cradle he built from 1" X 3"s for his Onex.  I'm adapting that for my Sonex.  I made a full scale template from the drawing above of the Tip Web.  It made it easier to check my measurements.

using the plans as a template to line up the parts of the wing attach assemblies.

The machinists on the field did not have much advice on bending the angles.   I called Sonex and they said to use a dead blow hammer and get the angles close.  The assembly will snug them up.  So that's what I did.

All the assembles machine angle parts for the right spar

This was the hardest piece.

 All parts assembled for right spar.

January and February

 I remeasured and marked new holes

checked the fit

assembled piano hinge

following advice from other builders, I filed the overlap to bring the counterweight farther forward, and seat it better

 now it fits

checked inside fit

December 2013

Now it's time to assemble the left aileron and see if I am close.

cutting the slots was easier than I thought it would be

drills and files to the rescue

aileron at first assembly

I'm having a problem getting the counterweight to seat properly.  I don't want to drill anything until I know this part fits.

The first things that did not fit were the drill holes drawn in the plans.  I can change that.  the next problem was getting the aileron to close properly.  after checking other people's blogs, I re-cut the small bracket. That helped.  I think I will re-make one of the ribs.  It may not have been drilled quite right.  I will try this .  I think I have a handle on it.  Wish me luck.

October-November 2013

When I finally got home and settled in California, I finished assembling the counterweights and drilled and assembled the drive ribs.  

glad to have these completed

especially the lead, wow,that was slow going

the drive rib is now done

decided to make both drive ribs and both counterweights at the same time

August 2013

I didn't get much done in Michigan this summer. I got very busy with other things.  A friend of mine had 2 strokes during the winter and asked if I would fly him around in his Luscombe.  I usually fly my Citabria while my husband drives the SUV.  He is not a pilot and does not relish 2400 miles in a small aircraft.  This year I left the Citabria in California, drove with my husband, and flew the Luscombe in Michigan.  I got much better at propping and my friend got to fly.  I also discovered that a Luscombe is slightly aerobatic.  It was interesting to try a little acro in a Luscombe, without my friend, of course.

I did get the counterweight ribs and brackets cut, drilled and fitted

meanwhile, updrilling the lead was a slow process.

by the time I returned, they were drilled and fitted

May 2013

I measured and cut the right aileron, then drilled it wrong.  I sent for a new one.  Meanwhile, I measured and cut the left aileron, using the right as a pattern.  I had cut it correctly.

measuring

one more check

cutting left aileron

I could only take small parts with me, so I decided to cut the lead and take the counterweights with me.  I drilled the first holes, then packed counterweight pieces and left for Michigan

March and April

My next challenge was riveting in too small a space.  My first try left some sticking out, which I had to drill out.  I didn't want to repeat this, so I got on the EAA and watched videos of people solving this problem.  I decided to make a tool for the occasion.  I filed down a rivet puller on one side only.  The mechanism still worked and I got the rivets in.

bad rivet

new tool, from old tool

it works!

almost done

finifhing up

rudder complete!