CHAPTER 65 – Final Wing Attachment

The reason that the wings had to come back out is that the nutplates for the wing fairings could not be riveted in while the wings were on; it was just too close quarters. So I fitted and drilled the fairings and also drilled the lower fuselage skin to the wing. Then, because the landing gear could not support weight without the wings bolted in place, I used an engine hoist to lift one side up using the step as a lifting point. I then unbolted the wing and drew it out of the fuselage about a foot, supporting the tip end with a workstand.

With the wing pulled out, I could vacuum out the aluminum shavings, dimple, and install nutplates where needed. Then the wing was pushed back in, the proper bolts installed and torqued. The wing/fuselage skin joint also was screwed together and the wiring was reconnected. Next, the tanks were reattached using screws and the fuel connections were made. Finally, the tank brackets were bolted together and safety wired. Once the wing was finally on, the hoist was lowered and moved to the other side to repeat the process. When both wings were on and the aircraft back on its wheels, the fairings were clecoed into place to await final inspection.