We got some good use out of our bead roller/flanging tool to make flanges along some of the edges on the aluminum side panels for the footwells. This wasn't really required, but it looks and fits nicer, and should also help seal a bit better around some of the edges. We made the panels out of 0.025" thick aluminum, and each side was individually measured and cut to fit. It took a few iterations to flange the edges so that they were rounded just the right amount, but that work actually went quicker than we originally thought. We had some extra aluminum just in case we screwed one up and had to remake it, but we didn't have to dip into these extra supplies.
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| Closeup of right panel with flange shown |
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| Bead Roller/Flanging tool with a Tipping Die installed |
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| Left Panel installed with Clecos |
We also made progress on the baggage door. We made this door out of 0.032" aluminum, and also formed the top edge using the bead roller (with a tipping die) so that it had a flange to better mate against the fuselage. The bottom edge was also flanged to bend around a stringer. One half of the hinge was drilled and riveted to the door, and the other half was temporarily installed with Clecos to attach it to the fuselage. We are also adding a stiffener bracket to help keep the door from flexing which should help it seal better when closed. We installed this bracket temporarily, but have a bit more work to do on it because we want to introduce a small bit of arc to this stiffener to help seal the door better when it latches closed. We plan to have two latches (not yet installed). Hopefully this will be enough (with the stiffener) to seal the door along the top and sides with a gasket. If not, we will have to tweak the design a bit. Hours: 14.5
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| Baggage door with hinge installed on left side |
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| Baggage door partially opened. |
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