Flop tubes
Sat, Sep 6th 2008
Today ended up being one of those days that just didn't feel like a good day to be in the shop. I started by prosealing the flop tubes to their respective AN fittings, then safety wiring them to prevent them from unscrewing themselves over time. Then I drilled a hole through the T-405 and T-410's for the AN fitting to pass through. I drilled it close enough to one of the rivets I had set previously, that I was able to notch the inside shoulder of the fitting for the shop head to sit in, thereby preventing the AN fitting from turning after it was tightened. I followed with installing a "brace" of sorts to prevent the flop tube from getting caught between the aft stiffener and the T-704 next to it. I then fabricated trap doors for both tanks to help prevent fuel from flowing out of the inner bays of the tanks.
