Wing Kit

From Sep 26 to Oct 1, I spent several sessions in the garage working on the landing light lens. Since this was my first foray into working with Plexiglass, I did some research to learn how others have done this. The use of a Dremel tool was recommended, and Vans day to never use a saw, as this will splinter the material. Plexi-bits are also required, but hard to find in the right sizes. I made my own by grinding off the edges of some existing bits, following some advice from YouTube. Then I started with the left wing.

The first steps are to trace lines on the wing and the lens, and then start trimming.

Covering the lens in tape to prevent scratches is a good idea, as is adding some tape to pull the lens into position (I used blue duct tape). I kept the tape on until I was done countersinking and fitting the lens, then I peeled it off to start cleaning up the edges.

I found that my vixen file did a nice job straightening out the sides of the lens, and my smaller round file cleaned up the edges, rounding them until smooth. I used some sand paper to clean up a few spots, then declared the lens “done”.

The screw call outs in the plans were for a slightly shorter stainless screw, but they weren’t included in the kit anywhere. I emailed Vans, they suggested using the longer screw, which I did, and recommended using a carbon screw in the future, as these tend to weaken and snap over time.

After doing the left lens over several days, I knocked out the right lens in one evening. So much faster the second time!

My only concern in this whole step is the gap that exists at the forward edge, between the lens and the wing. This will be ok for first flight, but at some point I may redo these both, or find a way to seal the gaps. When flying through rain or cloud, moisture will easy enter the light cavity.

Tonight I put my new pop rivet dimple die to work, and installed the landing light brackets on the wings. This was the first time I worked on the QB wings themselves. I practiced with the pop riveter, getting a feel for just how much pressure can/should be applied. I snapped the shanks off a couple of nails before settling on the right amount of pressure (not much). I was able to get to all of the holes with both wings in the stands, but it was also obvious I’ll need these wings on a bench to finish the job.

With the dimples set and looking good, I went ahead and riveted the two brackets (one per wing). The rivets were easy enough to buck, even in the wing stand.