On Tuesday I did get some priming done over the lunch hour and started riveting the back seat bracing together. I'm not riveting the mid-fuse longerons into place just yet, in fact I may hold off until tailcone attachment if possible. It seems it may be easier to rivet the whole piece in at once rather than have it half-installed for a few months while we get to that stage.
Other than that, the only noteworthy progress was on Wednesday when I started riveting the forward fuse channels on the upper and lower sides. A few of the rivets are pretty tricky to get to and clumsy for one person to rivet and buck, so this may need to wait until after AirVenture to get any further.
Speaking of AirVenture... the time has come! Looking at the forecast, we're thinking it may be a better idea to try and sneak into the N40 tomorrow (Friday) rather than risk being grounded for weather on Saturday. We're hoping to get a good spot near the west bathrooms! Wherever we end up though, I'm sure it will be a great week regardless.
If you're planning on being at OSH15, we hope you'll find us and say hello at any of the Van's social events that are occurring throughout the week, particularly Sun-Tue (RV-10 dinner, RV social, Van's banquet, respectively)! As a sign-off for the week and tribute to AirVenture, I'm sharing a poem I just wrote, shamelessly stealing the theme and several verses from a similar poem I saw on VAF (Credit: Bill Greenley). Cheers, fly safe, and enjoy!
A Visit To Oshkosh
'Twas the night before Oshkosh, up reading the blogs
We could all feel the excitement-- even the dogs
Making a list, and checking it twice
All the stuff that we'll need to camp for eight days and nights
The charts were laid out and a yellow line drawn
With checkpoints from home base straight to Ripon
That's where it begins, now you must fly precise
I know this for sure, I read the whole NOTAM twice
From there we'll find the tracks and continue toward Fisk
Single file, ninety knots they say, to lessen the risk
We'll listen to controllers call out plane after plane
Telling us how to proceed, now that we're in their domain
"Rock your wings to acknowledge," they say with some haste
Making sure all the airplanes stay evenly spaced
Continue up the tracks, or turn right towards the east
It doesn't matter to me, just so we get there in one piece
Turning base in the pattern now, it looks like we're high
On path to land long, on that dot colored with dye
It's hard to stay focused, I hear someone take pics
Of a mustang holding short, and on final a T-6
I see thousands of people standing there at the fence
To know my landing's being judged is making me rather tense
Passing over the dot I hear tires go squeak-squeak
Heading for the grass, we're now home for the week
Taxi to parking, call "mixture, master then mags"
A volunteer in orange stops by as we start unloading our bags
Whisked over to the booth where we get bands for our wrist
Registration and info, and any way they can assist
On the way back to our site, registration in hand
We see more and more airplanes coming in here to land
Spots filling up quickly with planes big and planes small
Some eighty years old, and some built last fall
With excitement we cry "look, an RV!" as an airplane comes near us
But then we look closer and say with dismay, "it's only a Cirrus"
A Trimotor takes off with a great sound of thunder
Where else in the world can you see this kind of wonder?
With our bags unloaded and the plane tied down tight
We put up our tent and bed down for the night
Dreaming of forums and workshops, maybe meeting Bob Hoover
Or flying a simulator to try out that new maneuver
Here’s to the day and night airshows, and friends having a ball
Wishing for fair skies all week, and a "Happy AirVenture" to all!
