Matt's RV-8 Project



Matt Dralle's RV-8 Project
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Date:  7-1-2011
Number of Hours:  2.00
Manual Reference:  
Brief Description:  Deconstructing Ruby - Part 01

The last couple of weeks since I brought Ruby home from the hangar have been depressing for me. Weekend before last, I started the arduous task of deconstructing Ruby. First the tail members had to be removed which wasn't too bad since they mostly just unbolted. Next came the removal of the rear turtle deck skin. This involved drilling out the hundreds of rivets that Craig and I so painstakingly installed about a year and a half ago. Next, the riveted floorboards all had to be drilled out. This actually was an upbeat moment as it looks like these are all reusable for the most part.

Then, the instruments all had to come out. It was about this time that I really started to realize the incredible amount of work that was going to be required to rebuild. As you can see from the pictures, there are a ton of wires behind the panel and down under the floor. None of these cable assembles came "pre-wired". I literally pulled each wire separately, deciding exactly where each end needed to go, adding a verbose label to each end, and then either terminating or soldering each end to the precise location required. When I look at all those cables behind the panel, its a little overwhelming, but probably more disheartening than anything else. In 170 hours of flying, I didn't have a single electrical-related issue with the airplane. That's a pretty good testament to the quality and design, I think.

Cont Next Log...
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Deconstructing - Tail Removed

Deconstructing - Tail Removed

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Deconstructing - Turtle Deck Skin Removal

Deconstructing - Turtle Deck Skin Removal

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Deconstructing - Turtle Deck Skin Removal

Deconstructing - Turtle Deck Skin Removal

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