I had planned this weekend to test the fuel tank for leaks but discovered quite by chance that I need to do some more work on it. The left tank (and maybe the right one too) has a second fuel line hole, apparantly for a fuel return line. I had seen it but for some reason that is clearly foolish I had decided to just leave it with the plastic stopper inside. Clearly this has to be plugged with a proper plug. Unfortunately, on the website that I read this on, a couple of people had already sealed their wings without doing anything about it. I am so glad I caught it before I did the same. But nowhere in the guide or video does it say anything about this, there are definitely a lot of gotchas in this plane building business.
Instead I decided to go “off plans” for the first time and install some l-angle stiffeners around the pitot tube. A fellow builder on the building website had suggested putting some l-angles around the pitot tube to add some strength to the skin in case (or rather, when) someone hits the tube with their head.
I cut an l-angle into four pieces, pre-drilled some holes and then back drilled into the bottom skin in the wing.
I tried hard to get the holes in the same place in each bracket so it will look nice on the outside but I am sure I didn’t do that great. My plane is not going to be a thing of beauty (except to me!). Drilled the holes to size 30, deburred, primed and riveted.
Hopefully next week, with the long weekend, I’ll get the tank tested and the top skin and nose skin riveted to the spar.