2023 has arrived - lets get moving

Happy New Year everyone!

Back in the shop over the holiday weekend and moving forwards with the build-up of the rear fuselage.

With the passenger side fuselage skin now in place (see above picture), I can duplicate drill the forward side gussets.  A LOT of the parts on the fuselage are left/right clones of each other, so once I have the right side skin in place, I can match drill the right gusset, then backdrill through it so the left gusset is a perfect match.  Both of these will be added later, once the cabin floor and sides are fitted.

Disassembled the passenger side skin, and prepped it for priming paint at the join locations:

​Prime completed on all sections aft of the baggage support channels.

While the passenger side priming paint dried, I rolled out the pilot (left) side skin, clecoed the diagonals into place and mounted it in place on the left lower longeron, same method as the right side.  The only difference on this side was matching the exact fore/aft position of the right side.  A bit of measuring from several locations confirms all is square:

With the primer now dry, I added the diagonal supports back to the right side skin and prepared to lift it back into place on the lower right longeron:

Both fuselage sides in place, clecoed to the bottom skin.  Here I've temporarily added the torque tube bearing support angle in-front of the hell-hole, and started fit-up of the pilot side baggage support channel:

​Wood supports screwed to the table helps support the skins and keeps the fuselage somewhat close to square:

Top longerons in place (these were fitted to the side skins previously when I was completing the diagonals):

More looks rearwards inside the rear fuselage.  Even without the top skin or forward uprights installed yet, the fuselage is fairly straight and stout.  The passenger side baggage angle is now fitted:

Camera doesn't capture the full length of the boxed up fuselage, but it takes up most of the entire workbench:

Next up, finish upsizing the pilot side rivet holes at the lower longeron, and complete the horizontal tail support structures/bulkheads.  Also need to run the wiring conduit along the inside edge of the fuselage  that will carry the wiring for the tail navigation lights and the control wires for the elevator trim system.

With those done, I can start adding the top skin.  That will require standing up on the table I think!

Thanks for following along, lots more to come.