Author Archives: pclifton

SB failure

Well, this isn’t the most pleasant post to write, but it’s the way things are. Upon reviewing the work I’ve done so far on this service bulletin, the long and short of things is that I’ve ruined some parts and … Continue reading

Posted in Empennage | Hours Logged: .5

SB 14-01-31 pt 6

Whew…more fun. Tonight I got the doublers fitted and all the drilling done…and there was quite a bit of it. As of last night I’d clamped the doublers in place, but not really done anything in terms of positioning them … Continue reading

Posted in Empennage | Hours Logged: 1.5

SB 14-01-31 pt 5

OK, so I didn’t get the SB done this weekend like I thought I might. Temperatures here have finally been crossing into the 100s this weekend, which definitely is keeping the work sessions short. And today, I spent some time … Continue reading

Posted in Empennage | Hours Logged: 1

SB 14-01-31 pt 4

Whew…it’s a hot weekend in Houston. The rest of the summer has been relatively balmy, with his peaking in the 90s, but this weekend (and for the next several days), we’re sitting up over 100°. I got an early start … Continue reading

Posted in Empennage | Hours Logged: 3

SB 14-01-31 pt 3

Tonight, I’ll start this post a bit differently from usual, with a story of sorts. A couple years ago, I decided to get myself a new tool: a cordless impact driver. My reasoning for this was to facilitate swapping out … Continue reading

Posted in Empennage | Hours Logged: .5

Project planning

So, there was no actual work on the plane today, at least not in a physical sense. After thinking things over, I’ve decided not to continue with the HS SB until I can get my hands on the rivet removal … Continue reading

Posted in Preparation

SB 14-01-31 pt 2

Whew. While I’m making decent progress on getting this SB done, it’s proving to be a real drag, and I can say with conviction that I’ll be happy when it’s done. First up today was drilling out the rivets common … Continue reading

Posted in Empennage | Hours Logged: 3.5

SB 14-01-31 pt 1

Back at it again! Before I got to actual plane work tonight, I had a goodie box from Aircraft Spruce waiting for me at home. There was only one thing (well, four things) in there I really needed – four … Continue reading

Posted in Empennage | Hours Logged: 1.5

SB 14-01-31 prep

OK, again not a lot got done tonight. What was supposed to be a quick adjustment to the riding mower ended in a stripped bolt and general annoyance, but even though I wanted to go inside and mope, I decided … Continue reading

Posted in Empennage | Hours Logged: .5

More painting

Well, this wasn’t the productive day I’d hoped for after all. Not sure if I did too much yesterday or not (in fairness, I was going strong from about 7 AM to 10 PM), but today I was just super … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 1