Patent ID: 9731809
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: B23B,B23Q,B64C,B64F

Claim:
1. A method of repairing an aircraft wing, the method comprising the steps of: drilling pilot holes in a new skin, wherein each of the pilot holes correspond to template holes on a skin template, wherein each of the template holes correspond to each fastener hole of an original skin, wherein each of the template holes have a diameter no greater than a diameter of the corresponding fastener holes of the original skin, and wherein the pilot holes have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the corresponding fastener holes of the original skin; aligning the new skin with an existing underlying wing structure such that each of the pilot holes is aligned with a corresponding fastener hole of the existing underlying aircraft wing structure such that a portion of each fastener hole of the existing underlying aircraft wing structure is accessible through the corresponding pilot hole of the new skin; aligning a mill bit with the portion of each fastener hole of the existing underlying wing structure such that a portion of the mill bit extends through the corresponding pilot hole of the new skin; and milling material from around an entire perimeter of each pilot hole of the new skin to form fastener holes in the new skin that align with the fastener holes of the existing underlying wing structure.