Fuselage Construction Overview

The fuselage consists of a series of bulkheads connected longitudinally by longerons (aka stringers). All of this is wrapped in an aluminum skin. The skin is structural and the construction technique is called semimonocoque construction. It's a mouthful of a word but simply put it means the skin is a necessary part of the structure and the skeleton alone won't support the loads. From a practical perspective it means cracks and wrinkles in the skin are very important because they degrade the structural integrity of the plane.

The building plan is something I'm still reading about but it appears that the process amounts to first constructing the bulkheads starting at the firewall (a stainless steel bulkhead) and moving rearward to the empennage. Next you bend the longerons by putting them in a padded vice and beating them into shape with a hammer. No, I'm neither joking nor exaggerating. I have a mantra I sometimes repeat, "I'm building a plane, not a watch" and I suspect I'll be repeating those words a lot as I bend longerons.

Skinning the skeleton is starts with the frame upside down resting on three sawhorses. It appears that getting some of the compound bends in the sheet metal without getting creases can be a challenge. I'm looking forward to it (I reserve the right to change my mind).

This is a pretty simple overview and I may expand on it over time. There are a lot of important details, like the first bulkhead behind the firewall includes the spar center section (what the wings will "plug" into). The spar is the structural heart and soul of the airplane. The controls are located in the cockpit (well, duh!) and all the control conections to the ailerons, flaps, rudder, and elevator will need to be made. There are also seats, a baggage compartment and even armrests to build so it looks like once the fuselage is build I'm going to be crawling into and working in awkward recesses to assemble the rest of the guts of the plane.

I did not order the panel (where the radio and instruments go) from Van's. I save 20 odd bucks. Instead the plan is to go with the XL panel from Affordable Panels for $295. Oddly, it doesn't strike me as nearly as affordable as Van's but it is a practical panel.

And for those of you who are wondering, the canopy, the cowling, the engine mount and the gear legs all make up the next kit, optimistically misnamed the finishing kit.

Don