I was out of the country last week so no progress but I've got no excuses for the next few weeks. While I was away I started making a list of the tasks to complete the fuselage structure but when it got over 50 I gave up and decided it was more effective to just get on with building so today I did just that. First, I final welded the rear spar attach brackets. I've been puzzling whether to do these now as the plans suggest leaving them until the wings are attached in order to set the wing incidence. However, most people build the wings before the fuselage so need to do the adjustment at the attach brackets. 
I've decided to match the wings to the fuselage rather than the other way round. Once I'm ready to build the wings I'll level the fuselage precisely set out the spars supported as though built into the wing structure and then match drill the wing spars to the fuselage. I can use a laser level to set the spars before drilling. In this way I can both make sure the wing incidence is perfect and also make sure the flap torque tubes clear the upper longerons before the wings are built - that's the theory anyway! It was also easier doing this fairly tricky welding before the area gets any more cluttered.Second job was to create the mount for the wing leveller autopilot servo. I'm using a Trio Ez Pilot, same as in my RV9A. This unit is fairly competitively priced and works superbly. What does an aircraft with no engine, propellor, wings, or covering need? an autopilot obviously. Actually it is convenient to do all these sorts of jobs while the internal structure is fully accessible. First a attach bracket fabricated from 0.071" 4130 plate was cut out, drilled, and welded to the aileron control horn. The three holes drilled in this will allow the sensitivity of the autopilot to be tuned. Tabs 240-243 were then welded to the rear of the lower cross member under the back of the seats and to the diagonal just behind this. Two pieces of 3/4" * 3/4" * 1/8" aluminium angle were then cut to sit on top of the cross member and diagonal and match drilled to the tabs. Next the autopilot servo was positioned to allow a straight linkage from the servo horn to the aileron horn and match drilled to the support angles. Finally the servo pushrod was fabricated from 1/2" aluminium tube as per the instructions for the autopilot. Note the large washers under the bolt heads that connect the ends. These ensure that even if the Heim joints fail, the pushrod will be retained on the bolts. The Trio instructions call for a control throw of 1.5-2.4". I've got 2" so that should work well.
