The fuel tank appears to have leaks… or at least something in the system does. The balloon deflates after a few hours. At times it appears to hold but the falls flat. Other times, this happens quicker. I believe the leaks are in the testing system. I.e. the balloon, balloon fitting, or the tape sealing […]

The first tank is completed. I’ve brought it inside in order to help the tank sealant cure fully prior to testing. The garage is cold, and I thought there might be portions of the sealant that don’t fully cure in the minimum 48 hour time they suggest for curing.

Construction on the right tank continues, this time with sealant and riveting. The tank sealant (tank taffy) is pretty nasty stuff. I got the filler neck on, which was a good introduction to riveting with sealant in the mix. It makes everything more difficult. I wound up being able to do two ribs in one […]

The fuel tanks require some meaty brackets on the inboard leading edge. They’re fabricated from angle stock, cutting an airfoil shape one way, and a bell-curve-esque shape the other. Time and care was spent here, and it paid off. However, I wouldn’t have minded taking a bit more off initially, especially where the curves met […]

The tanks were clecoed together and and attached the wing. My videos go into detail, but this was a fairly painless adventure. I created the first tank on the bench, much like the leading edge. While this was a worthwhile adventure, it wasn’t exactly “correct.” The tanks are built on the wing in a few […]