NEW Week 10:

The Long Hiatus is OVER!

If you remember a few months ago, we shared some of the life struggles we were working through and promised that the hiatus was over. Well… life had other plans. Instead of focusing on our build, we’ve been busy living life to the fullest. While we’re a little disappointed in ourselves, we also have some very exciting news to share.

Sam and I got engaged!

AND…

Sam bought property at an amazing airpark in Texas! It feels like the best of all worlds and checks so many of our boxes: airplanes, golf, disc golf, a lake, a campground, horses, some great little diners, and… pickleball. The land is beautiful, filled with gorgeous pecan trees, and has that small-town, farm-like feel that reminds me of my family’s farm and the little town I grew up in—before it was swallowed up by the ever-growing suburbs of D.C.

This new chapter has truly lit a fire under us. We’re more motivated than ever to get back to work on the plane, because now we have a destination—our trees—waiting for us.

DAY 1: Oof, where do we even start?

Our partially finished right elevator had been sitting on the shelf for four months. We pulled it down, dusted it off, and reread the instructions—several times. Then it was time to get moving.

We started removing the clecos and dove into the next step: “complete the boring (but necessary) deburring, dimpling, and priming.” Of course, we questioned everything. Were we deburring enough? Or maybe too much? Why did the pop rivet dimple dies feel like that in the holes? Have they always felt that way when squeezed?

Needless to say, after the day of questioning everything, and all our airport buddies popping in to see us, happy to see us back to work. We could finally check off one more step in the instructions. We may not have completed a big step, but we feel proud and excited to finally get it started.

DAY 2: The Rat-a-Tat-Tat of the Rivet Gun

There’s something so satisfying about riveting—that sound, that rhythm, and the feeling of real progress as the pieces finally come together. We didn’t realize just how much we had missed it until we picked up the rivet gun again.

We started by riveting the ribs, reinforcement plates, and nut plates onto the spar, then moved on to the tip rib assembly. Step by step, we could feel the project taking shape. Next came the counterbalance skin, which we riveted to the tip ribs, and suddenly the whole structure started to feel more substantial.

Finally, with a big breath, we tackled the back-riveting of the skin stiffeners to the elevator skin. It had been ages since we’d done this, and we were a little hesitant at first. But Sam’s muscle memory kicked in—he seemed to know instinctively just how long to hold the gun for that perfect set.

By the time we finished part of one side of the skin, we knew it was the right time to call it a day. Not everything was complete, but the progress (and the rhythm of that rivet gun) left us both feeling proud and energized.

DAY 3: Ringing Ears and a Headache

Back to back-riveting the skins! By now, we’d really found our groove and quickly knocked out the second half of the front side. Next up: riveting the spar into place.

We reached as many rivets as possible with the long-reach yoke on our pneumatic squeezer, but eventually it was my turn to grab the rivet gun while Sam held the bucking bar. Just like him, the rhythm came back to me, and before long we had finished the rivets we couldn’t squeeze. Then it was Sam’s turn again—back-riveting the stiffeners to the bottom side of the elevator skin.

Piece by piece, the elevator started transforming from flimsy sheets into something much more solid and stable. We move on to riveting the tip rib to the skin… and that’s when we hit a wall. The fit just wasn’t right.

After a lot of head scratching, Sam realized what had gone wrong: we had riveted the counterbalance skin backwards. Doh! In our excitement the day before, we never double-checked the orientation. That meant one thing: drilling out 50 rivets.

It wasn’t fun, but Sam tried to lighten the mood by pointing out how much faster (and neater) he’s gotten at removing rivets. Apparently, he’s perfected a “new technique.” Small wins, right?

Once everything was free, we re-riveted the skin onto the tip ribs—this time in the correct orientation—and clecoed it all into place on the rest of the elevator assembly. The elevator is really starting to look like an elevator now, and we’re one step closer to riveting the whole assembly together.

DAY 4: Tight Spaces and Tired Hands

With the elevator fully assembled, we moved on to riveting the tip rib assembly into place. It was a little precarious—tight spaces don’t make for easy riveting. Poor Sam had to squeeze his hands and arms into awkward positions while I handled the rivet gun

Next, we attached the spar and rib assemblies to the bottom skin, which required a lot of pop rivets. Sam took the brunt of that job, using the hand squeezer over and over until his hands were sore. He powered through like a champ, and before long that section was complete

Finally, we turned our attention to the trailing edge. We started preparing the AEX wedge for drilling, but decided to hold off until we could devote the proper time and focus it deserves.

We’re getting very close to finishing the right-side elevator—just a few more steps—and then it’ll be time to move on to the other side.

This week may not have been without its hiccups, but it felt so good to be back in the shop making real progress. With each rivet set and each piece coming together, the project is starting to look and feel like an airplane part instead of just a pile of metal.

More importantly, we’re rediscovering the rhythm, patience, and teamwork that this build requires—and remembering why we started in the first place. The dream feels closer with every work session, and now with our future airpark home waiting for us, we’ve got more motivation than ever.

Here’s to keeping the momentum going as we finish up the right-side elevator and move on to the next big chapter!

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