BD-4C Doors and Ventral Fin

In and around helping Act Two Theatre with our production of Chicago, I have been continuing to work on the doors of my Bede BD-4C airplane. I tack welded the pilot side door together and it came out “OK.” At first, it did not fit as well as I wanted but I was able to cut one weld apart, remove about ¼ inch of metal, and put it back together.

It is hard to believe but I started working on the dorsal and ventral fins last August (see Sheet Metal Bending Brake for Dorsal and Ventral Fins). I did not use my handmade brake for the ventral fin. Instead, I made a wedge and used it to drive the ventral fin into a slot. It worked better than the brake that I used for the dorsal fin. Here is a picture (and you can click on it to see a larger version).

I actually made one ventral fin in January, discovered that it did not fit, and just finished making a second one today. The fin covers the tail skid, which doubles as the tie down at the back of the plane. The front half of the fin will be riveted to the bottom of the fuselage. Here it is, rough cut and held in place with clecos.

The back half of the ventral fine will be riveted to the bottom of the tailcone. It slides inside the front half of the ventral fin. Here is a photo of both pieces.

I am also working on the door hinges, but I do not have anything photogenic (yet) of those parts. Stay tuned.