Flight Instructor Ratings

I took my flight instructor test this morning and passed with a 97! It was the military competence instructor exam which allows me to use my military flight instructor experience to get my CFI, CFII (instrument) and MEI (mulit-engine) civilian instructor ratings. All I need to do now is take my paperwork to the FSDO (Flight Standards District Office) and apply. Not sure if I'll use the ratings but nice to have.

Real Purpose of Lightning Holes

I think I found the real purpose of lightning holes. Gotta' love those old Wurstfest beer pitchers used as cleco buckets. Perfect fit.

More Ribs Starting to Look Like a Wing

Got some more ribs done this morning. I had enough hung on the left wing to attach the rear spar. Looks vaguely like an airplane part.

Still Working on Ribs

Man-o-man, there are a lot of ribs. I have an assembly line set up but it takes a long time to deburr all the little nooks and crannies.

I have been putting the ribs on the wing spars when I finish deburring and straightening them although I'll have to take them back down before final assembly. Seeing them hanging makes it look like I'm making a little progress and motivates me to deburr some more.

Time to Start the Ribs

No, I'm not barbecuing. The ribs are the internal bracing that go between the spars. There are a lot of them in the wings and they all have to be deburred and straightened. That's going to take me a while!

Finished the Rear Spars - For Now

Finished up the rear spars. Several other parts attach to the rear spars so I haven't seen the last of them but I've done all I can do for now. I sure like having a pneumatic squeezer for the bigger rivets like on the reinforcing plates below (painted grey). Big rivets are hard to accurately squeeze by hand. Almost feels like cheating...but I'm not giving it up.

Nifty New Seat

Here's a new addition to the Aircraft Factory (garage) I got for my birthday from my Mother and Father-in-Law, Dean and Jerry. Since I'm building the wings, there will be a lot of work that can be easier accessed from sitting height. The stool is on rollers so I'll be able to scoot around. I'm using it here to finish riveting the rear spar. Thank you for the present. It was the only airplane related one I got.