13 Dec 2025 - 3.1 hours
It was very cold out today but I still managed great progress in the garage (with the help of my Dexter-esque plastic shed in the corner and a space heater).This is the only picture I managed to take today...I guess you can see the first baffle bead I laid down, the plastic bag turned sealant applicator I used, and the space heater. I again spread a thin layer of sealant on the baffle flanges. Everything went pretty smoothly and I'm looking forward to having the tanks behind me.
I feel like it's a big turning point in building the wings so to be close to finished with them is a nice feeling. I bought some tubing that snugly fits around the 1/4" vent line so I can flare a little piece and hose clamp the tubing to it to make a manometer to leak test the tanks rather than using a balloon. The right tank should be just about ready for testing.
I didn't get all the Z-brackets attached, just the inboard and outboard ones. I will probably grind down my rivet puller to make getting those on easier than using a wedge, which kind of fell apart... Attaching those brackets and doing the access panel cover and fuel float should be manageable next time.