Today I focused on the landing light Plexiglass. Plexiglass is a strange material that holds its own complexities. It is easy to crack and requires another new set of skills to work with.
First I covered the plexiglass with masking tape to stop scratches and marks. Then it was then taped to the front of the leading edge and a bright light was shone from behind to illuminate the hole in the wing. This provided the shape for marking the front of the plexiglass.
Cutting the plexiglass is something that I haven't done before. I setup the die grinder with a simple cutting disk borrowed from the canopy finishing kit. It was actually easier than I expected and the finish of the cut came out well. I took it in multiple small steps and reduced the size progressively.
Next I drilled the retaining plates. Starting in the centre and then cleco'ing as I drilled. There are two of these plates, one on the bottom (as shown) and one at the top of the wing skin.
Next we used a custom 1/8" drill for the plexiglass and these were then enlarged to 5/32" holes for clearance of the #6 retaining screws.
Then more trimming of the Plexi, followed by careful sanding and deburing of the edges.
Finally I finished up by match drilling and dimpling the wing skin, plates and nutplates ready for priming.
