Rear fuselage: rib 2,3,4,5 and longeron 8
TLDR
- Built rear fuselage ribs 2-5
- Built longeron assembly 8
- And misc inventory
Details
Ribs 2 - 5
I built the ribs using the jig from the smallest to the largest. It took surprisingly long for each rib, partially because the parts were fairly delicate and cleaning took a while, and also because I spent a long of time looking for parts.
Rib 5
Rib 5 was uneventful. After cleaning the parts, I clecoed the parts to the jig and riveted them together.
Rib 4
This was a tough one. It has more parts, and requires a guide bushing for the elevator tube.
I spent an entire night tracking down the bushing but just couldn’t find it. I then asked on Facebook builder group, and some builder said it came in the same bag as the rest of the rib 4 parts. So this bushing is definitely missing in my kit.
I logged the missing part in SlingSHOT and built everything else on the rib 4. Hopefully the bushing will arrive soon so I can wrap on this rib.
Rib 3
Rib 3 was easy. I followed Evan’s video and skipped a few holes to rivet. I am not sure when I need to rivet those holes. I will keep an eye out for those.
Rib 2
Rib 2 doesn’t have a jig, I just riveted the parts together on a table. This rib is angled. It’s SUPER soft and bendy. I am actually worried the bend line will have a lot of stress before I put skin on…
When the rib is laid flat, I put a yoga block on the top like pillow to provide some support to the bend
Longeron
Concern on inventory
The next step is to build longeron 8. So I opened the plastic tube containing the longerons.
I immediately found some damage on parts.
This is RF-STR-003-L-F-0
. I have not yet found out what this part is for yet. But I am concerned about the bend, and I will send a question to sling tech support.
Longeron 8
On the other hand, I found the part for Longeron 8 assembly, and quickly put them together.