RE: please relate your experience with fuselage joining

["Chuck Caldarale" <n828cl@ix.netcom.com>]

> From: Schweitzer, Bill [mailto:bill.schweitzer@compaq.com]
> Subject: please relate your experience with fuselage joining
>
> What have you tried?  How did it work?

I left the flanges on where openings were going to be cut out later (i.e.,
canard, doors, strakes). Got the top and bottom lined up as well as I could,
and cleco'd the flanges together. Inside, I used some wooden braces running
from one side to the other to correct the slight misalignment at the nose.
Once everything was in position, I filled the gaps with micro, and did the
corresponding inside and outside layups at the same time. This avoids having
to resand the outside join line to get rid of excess micro, because there
isn't any excess.

I haven't put my windshield in yet, and that let me climb in and out. It's
so useful not having the windshield in while I'm now working on the panel
that I think it may well be the last thing I do on the plane.

 - Chuck