Panel fitting

I have not remembered to bring my camera in many work sessions, so here is the blanket apology for the poor quality of the photos done with a cell phone camera (it's an early gen iphone).

In any event, we got the panel fit and started to finalize the brackets.  The radio stack was deep enough that we had to make a significant sized cut in the sub-panel, and reinforced in this area with angle aluminum.  We made some brackets to hold some of the torque from the depth of the mount as well, and that brought up the subject of how one gains access to these to unscrew in order to remove the panel, if need be later.  I am currently familiarizing myself with the wiring to attach the engine sensor harness to various components: tach, oil pressure, manifold pressure, oil temp CHT, EGT, etc.  The plug and play panel from Aerotronics simplifies this of course, but there are still a lot of wire runs to each component.

View of panel from left side

overhead view, also taken from left side

While I was up on the step ladder, I took this shot of the engine, showing the harnesses penetrating the firewall:

Lots of wire to hook up

 Mike (the M in N1991M) came over to the hangar and set up shop to study.  He is home from St. Andrews for a bit, so he's teaching himself programming in Objective C.  He is also working on a TV project at the University of Oregon at the moment.  Hopefully showing off his James Franco looks!

Fitting the front cowling

Doug insisted that I take the plane off the cradle we had built to assemble the fuselage on.  He wanted to get a sense of how it looked on it's own three wheels.  Then, of course, he had to sit in it.

Our interior arrived from Classic Aero.  I can't say strongly enough how beautiful the seats, carpet and Sportsman2 side panels look.  I am very motivated to get thie wiring done so I can install them.  This aircraft is starting to look REALLY good.

Could that be the "RV grin" that I've heard so much about?

I had heard that the cowling was quite a rodeo to get everything lined up and to get the top and bottom cowling trimmed.  It seems to be going pretty well, so far, although there is going to be need for a little micro on the inlet apertures and around the transition immediately behind the spinner.

On three wheels

This area will need some filler

Piano hinges sides and aft

Interior shot of Skybolt camlocks on firewall top and bottom

Another view of piano hinges between top and bottom cowling

Extra holes drilled for epoxy to grip once attached

Yet another view of side hinge

Prop is on

In order to fit the cowling, it's helpful to know where the spinner margins are going to be.  Doug and I cut out the sides of the spinner to fit it over the propellor governor.

We then hoisted the the prop and completed backplate assembly on to the flywheel. The prop bolts are pretty tedious to turn, but there is no way they are backing out accidently.

We re-installed the skin with clecos over the foredeck area, then trialed the top cowling half for looks.

This is going to be one outstanding looking airplane.

John Stahr, of Stahr Aviation, and Doug and I, have an interesting paint scheme in mind.  It will be in shades of silver and grey darkening from top to bottom in a gradient.  It will be unusual, and outstanding, again, in my humble opinion

Has it really been two months?

I have been working at the hangar.  I have also been working at work, and at home.  Where I haven't been working recently is on this blog.  Sorry

It is a tradition a chez nous to take a photo of the boys at the pumpkin patch.  We have been doing this for twenty years, since Mike was a baby.  I cherish these photos, since they are a visual timeline of the growth and maturation I see in these two guys.  What hasn't changed in twenty years of photographing is Sue.  She still looks exactly as she did twenty years ago.  I don't.

 

These next shots are in reverse chronological order.  I'm not sure how that happened in the upload, but so be it.  I have been working on the firewall, the canopy and some interior work.  We have painted the interior.  This first shot is a MAJOR milestone.  The engine, and the main gear, are on.  For the first time, N1991M is on her own two feet.

Main gear are on.

IO-360 Aerosport engine is on!!

Adding carbon fiber to center console to match instrument panel

On her side to access interior to paint

Masked off to paint interior

Prepping canopy prior to Sika of side panels (now done and came out great)

My panel is here!!!

I received my "plug and play" panel from Aerotronics.  Thanks so much to Gary, Jason and Jeff (names listed in reverse order of how much work they did!).  They fit an incredible array of stuff on a standard Vans panel.  It's finished in carbon fiber, and features dual AFS EFIS display, TruTrak AP and backup round gauges cleverly placed next to the ribbons on the PFD that they backup.  We went with circuit breakers, rather than Vertical Power (tough call, but my technical advisor, and Aerotronics, both felt this choice would be robust).  The radio stack is pretty standard Garmin 430 WAAS, 327 mode S transponder, SL40 comm.

We kept the necessary wording on the passenger warning placard, but added the phrase, "in the opinion of the builder, it exceeds them", since that is and remains a true statement.

Too busy working to post

Doug and I finished adjusting the canopy frame, installing (temporarily) the rails and bolting on the roll bar.  The rear track is in positioned and held briefly with duct tape prior to drilling final position.  The plexiglass canopy has been positioned, and we actually made the trim cuts and the "big cut", separating the windscreen from the canopy, but no photos of that yet (next post).

For fun, we are working on louvers for the cowl to be installed later.  Since Doug is a huge fan of the Shelby Cobra 427, we are adapting some Shelby replica louvers for the cowl (see photo).

Finally, my panel is on it's way: a "plug and play" from Aerotronics.  Finished in carbon fiber, it will blend down in to a center console that I am doing which is also finished with a carbon fiber look (again, more pictures later)

rear slider rail, held with duct tape

Shelby Cobra 427 louver

Doug and my panel!!!

Plexi in place prior to the big cut and trimming the side rails

Summertime

We have done a little traveling this summer, which is good, but that means less time in the hangar, which is bad.  During a trip up to Seattle, we stopped at Boeing Field, which has an absolutely wonderful museum and collection of significant aircraft.  It turns out we were two days too early for the airshow this summer (who knew?), but we did get up close to the Blue Angels, parked behind the cyclone fence.  We were able to walk through the Concorde and the Air Force One from the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon era.

Slightly faster than an RV7

Air Force One and Concorde

Doug was given an RV12 rudder by the local EAA chapter to assemble "for fun".  I have some concern that I may have to spring for the rest of the kit when he is done!

riveting the RV12 rudder spar

We also traveled to San Diego.  At Gillespie Field, Doug and I spent time in their Redbird full motion simulator, set up to simulate a Cessna 172.  Very realistic, right up until Doug decided to do a carrier landing in San Diego harbor.  Nailed it!!

On short final for the deck of a carrier in San Diego harbor

Back in the hangar

Back in the hangar after a long absence.  I had the idea that I would have MORE time to work on this project in the summer, but the opposite has been the case.  Between vacations by my partners, and an increase in my practice and in ER trauma volume, I have not been out to the hangar for meaningful work in a while.

Doug and I did make it out today though.  The camera we brought unfortunately had a full memory card, so only two photos.  There will be more photos soon of our center console project.  We are doing some things that I think will look killer good.  More to come..

We finished the rudder and brake assembly, with custom brake pedals that Doug sand blasted, then clear coated.  The brake lines, like our fuel lines, are from Bonaco.

View of brake/rudder pedal assembly, also showing the Andair extension (which will intersect a fuel selector mounted on center console)

Another view of brake pedals with Bonaco lines

Flap actuator, elevator bell crank, tank attach bracket and more...

I have been busier doing than photographing, but here are a few of the recently completed tasks.  Unfortunately, I have entered the phase of building where an awful lot of work done doesn't translate to obvious progress, at least as far as a photo blog goes.  Trust me, there is a lot of effort in each one of these pictures.  Tomorrow I'll finish the right wing fuel tank attach bracket, then start on the rudder pedals inside the fuse.

Left wing fuel tank attach bracket

Elevator bell crank (not hooked up yet)

flap actuator weldment

The electric motor and actuator rod for the flaps

A tail dragger's gotta have a tailwheel

Rudder stop- port side (needs riveting on to the fuse)

Attaching the elevator push rod to the elevator yokes

Flaps, seats and rudder

Doug finished at St. Paul elementary school.  Now on to high school next year at Marist.  It was a nicely done graduation ceremony; and Doug looked killer in his suit.

Last day of elementary school!!

Receiving diploma from Fr. Steve and Principal Kelli Braud

On to the plane.
Doug is away now on a summer vacation (to London!) with Mom, visiting his older brother who goes to University in Scotland.  Since there isn't any family left here, I'm on my own for three weeks.  Unfortunately, they took the camera I was getting used to, but I had a backup, and I finally remembered to bring it to the hangar, so I have documented several work sessions here.  I finished the seat backs, started the center console, installed the flap hinges and flaps, and hung the rudder.  The wing tip fairings took a while; I used nutplates and screws to attach, and there were nearly eighty of them in total.
Next up, either the elevator bellcrank assembly, or the flap actuator mechanism (or the fuel vent lines, or the rudder pedals, or...)

Wing tip fairings are on (and the LEDs work)

The rudder is on!

Making the rudder stops

Seat back stops for adjusting degree of recline

Seat backs

And, for fun, started work on the center console