The Big Frame

The next step is to assemble the main landing gear frame.  This is the heart of the plane.  The wing lift struts attach to it as well as the landing gear legs.  First I had to flip the back of the fuselage upright and add the front longerons and forward bottom skin.

This really begins to fill up the shop as it is nearly the full length of the airplane.  Bleriot helped a lot too.

I also had to clean up the floor from riveting the bottom skin.  There were a lot of stems laying around.  I had five magnets full of them.

Here is the bulkhead.  The black machined fittings are riveted with CherryMax rivets which are quite stout.

Next you put the aileron brackets with pulleys on.

Here it is in place on the fuselage.  This is temporary as I still have a bunch of Avex rivets to add to the doublers/frames but I just wanted to see it in place.

I should get that done tomorrow night.