Empennage

Finishing up the tail

Wanted to knock out the tail area before moving back to finishing up the canopy. Temporarily mounted the horizontal stabilizer and the vertical stabilizer to the fuselage, and then fit the elevators. Completed but not pictured is the final pushrod that connects to the elevator horns. What this means is I can sit in the cockpit and make the elevators go up and down with the control stick! Kind of a milestone, albeit a small one...

Also mounted the rudder and fabricated and mounted the rudder stops.

The fiberglass empennage fairing ( the greenish tan thing) has been trimmed and molded to fit. I used a heat gun to soften it up in areas in order to massage it to fit better. Right now it's pretty good- but will be much better after a few layers of epoxy-micro ballons filler. The blue tape is in place to protect the aluminum from the epoxy. Lots of sanding and the fairing should be good to go.

Beyond that, the rudder pedals can be attached to the rudder cables (required custom-fabricated steel attachments), and the tail should be good to go. Then I'll disassemble it so I can open the garage door again... It will also free up a lot of space in the garage. The tail parts will go on much, much quicker the next (and final) time...

Panel and canopy

Long time no update... kinda slowed down a bit in 2009, hoping to pick up the pace a bit in 2010. Here is a pic of the panel, minus a few instruments. I've just today ordered a few new items, should have a new, even more exciting picture in a week or so.

The canopy sucked away my motivation. Hard to believe I started it 14 months ago.... I finally got to this point before the weather slowed things down again. I had help riveting on the aft top skin (Thanks Duane!) after I finished all of the aft fuselage items. The canopy is drilled to the frame, the windscreen is roughcut and just resting along the roll-bar in this picture. It still needs some more trimming to get it to fit well. I'm working on mounting the elevators and rudder at this time. I'll get pics of that up when I finish.

Holey Panel, Batman

I've nearly finished cutting all the panel holes. I'm proud to say I did it myself and there are only a few slight cosmetic errors. The only one that I think will annoy me is on the map box lower edge- I'm going to try some epoxy filler- hopefully it won't be noticable after painting. 

Only one hole left to do- the big area near the middle is for the AIM-1 engine, which is now back with the manufacturer getting reprogrammed. I'll cut that hole once it gets back here, hopefully in about 2 weeks. Note the dark blue- that is layout dye I used for more precise marking (better than a Sharpie). I used a tool called the ARC-360 to cut all the square holes and all the large (>1.25" dia) round holes. It is a pneumatic angle grinder with a small 1/8" end mill, mounted to a bar with an adjustable post. The post goes through a centering hole and the distance from the post to the end mill determines the hole radius(I should have taken a picture and saved myself some typing). I modified it to make straight cuts by using a peice of angle as a straight edge and replacing the post with a square block. I was then able to push the tool up against the clamped-down angle and make reasonable rectangular cut-outs.

I also riveted in the ELT mount- I bought an Ameri-King AK-451 406MHz ELT that came with all the bits needed for a complete mounting, including the gold anodized bracket seen below. The panel it's screwed onto was a kit from Vans that fit perfectly between the stringers on the right side, just aft of the baggage area.

Drilled and mounted ELT antenna. A lot of people mount it under the fiberglass tail fairing. I opted to put it out in the breeze, on the top fuselage, just aft of where the canopy will stop when fully opened.

Another hole in my airplane! This one is the outside air temperature sensor. I put it on the side of the fuselage, under the horiz. stabilizer. It wires into the Dynon remote compass module, which is also mounted in the tail. 

Coming next- with the ELT located, I can complete the aft fuselage wiring, then rivet the aft fuselage skin in place. Then I can get back to the canopy (it's really warm now!) 

Also, when the panel holes are all done, I can paint it, then start mounting and wiring instruments. This can (and will!) be done in air-conditioned comfort inside the house - a good project for summer...

Tail Mounted

I mounted the vertical stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer in the last week. I had to drill several holes for the many bolts that are used to attach them to the fuselage. I used reamers for this job, to get nice tight tolerances on the bolt holes. It looks kinda cool, with these parts mounted. Unfortunately, I don't have the space to leave them on, so they had to come right off again and go back on the wall.... Later, after the canopy is done, I will break down that large wooden box in the background and there will be lots more room to work- then I will remount the tail parts, and attach and rig  the elevators and rudder.

I also drilled and reamed the engine mount holes and started work on the panel, drilling holes. The 3 1/8" instrument hoels didn't turn out that great, may have to rethink that step...

Plan for the near future- rivet aft top skin, then get going on the canopy again. It's warm enough now I don't have to worry about the plexiglass cracking.

Instrument Panel Design

Here is my almost-final instrument panel design. I've already purchased most of the items shown, with the notable exception of the Dynon D10A EFIS. There is a modified 6-pack on the left, where the directional gyro has been replaced with the EFIS. This was done to satisfy several of my "needs" in a cost effective way. I wanted a 2-axis autopilot, a CDI for the NAV radio, and some kind of stall warning. The Dynon with the HS34 *should* work with the analog Collins NAV, to provide a very nice digital HSI. The Dynon also provides the autopilot function, with the purchase of the servos. Also, with the special pitot tube, the Dynon give an angle-of-attack indication, a step-up from just a stall warning.

The engine istrumentation is an I-K technologies AIM-1, it will monitor all 4 CHTs and all 4 EGTs as well as oil temp, pressure, and fuel pressure. I don't plan on using the fuel flow option. It also measures MAP. I plan on using a MGL digital tachometer and an MGL digital volt/amp meter. The fuel gauges will most likely be the analog display units from Vans. 

My handheld GPS will attach to a RAM mount on the right side of the cockpit, not attached to the panel. This will make it much easier to upgrade in the future. I can still use the GPS serial output for the HSI and the ELT.

A few funkier things, not shown, I am going to use NASA space shuttle -style switch guards on the master and ignition toggles. Also from Perihelion Designs, a nice red/white LED gooseneck lamp is mounted to the pilot side and can be directed at the panel or charts at night. Also, I have a "START ENGINE" pushbutton from a Honda S2000. 

Electrical Design

I've spent alot of time recently planning the electrical system and instrument panel layout. This post is mainly about the electrical system. The almost final design is shown here - don't bother with this bitmap- click this link for the pdf of schematic,  (on fileQube page, just look for small "download file" link near the bottom).

The design is based on Bob Nuckolls Aeroelectric schematic Z-11. I really like the E-bus, the alternator loadmeter, and the simpler started control, so I've used those ideas. I've already bought most all of the components shown, as well as wire, crimp terminals, etc.

I've also put some effort into planning the wire and cable routing.

The biggest problem on RVs is routing cable from the panel/forward area through the spar carry-through tot the wings and aft fuse. I have one conduit through the center to route to the aft fuselage. The wings might be tricky since there is only one hole on each side. I'm routing the Dynon remote compass cable along the upper longeron to the fron, to keep it away from the strobe lines and the transponder coax. Also, the strobe lines to the wings have been routed along the outside, under the seats, to keep them away from sensitive lines.

- see the pdf of routing diagram.

Brakes, Wiring started

Lots of smaller tasks have been completed- I installed the brake lines and fuel lines inside the fuselage, plumbed the static line, and drilled and mounted the cabin heat valve to firewall. Also installed the crotch strap mounts. I decided to go with 5 point belts, and bought a pair of harnesses from Crow Enterprises in CA. I'll include those in a pic someday. 

I also installed the smaller,shorter (of the two) elevator  pushrod (after making a new one- long story). Just last Fri. I had help and rivetted the strobe box support, and two antenna doubler onto the fuselage bottom. My plan is to finish up the interior aft area, so I can rivet on the remaining aft top skin. Once that skin is on, access to the region will be much more difficult so I want to minimize what I have to do there. One snag is the ELT (emergency locator transmitter) that will likely mount aft. I've been waiting for a newer, less expensive 406MHz model to hit the market, the ACK E-04. I may just go ahead and rivet the skin on, and resign myself to installing the ELT later. The aft wiring has begun, it looks really bad here, but it's a work in progress. 

The picture makes it look pretty dirty back there- most of that is overspray from the fuselage interior painting. I definitely need to clean that up before rivetting on the skin.

 

Forward Fuse

I went ahead and finished up some of the front fuselage items. I put the rudder pedals, and finished up the fuel line to the firewall. Then I riveted the upper structure you see here. The upper skin will be one of the last things that go on, since with it off, access to the subpanel and firewall aft side is much, much easier. And there's still all the electrical and other instrument panel-related stuff to finish. I also removed the aft top fuse skin (was just clecoed) and put in the static line, and fabbed and installed a bracket for the strobe supply. I bought some items including the strobe & position lights, and the Steinair aluminum vents. I didn't think I would be doing that, but when I took the Van's supplied vents out of the bag and looked at them, I just could not see those things in my panel.

I've spent alot of time lately searching for tools. It's frustrating to log an hour on the plane and know that I spent 20 min. of that look for tools. Mostly it's my own fault, in that the work area is unkempt, but I've also run out of places to put things.... So, I'm doing my best to help China's economy...


BTW, almost all the airplane parts and tools I buy are made in the USA...

Firewall and other things

With the canopy set aside, I got started on some of the firewall items that are easier to do now before the engine mount is in place. Here you can see the black battery box (w/o battery for now), and below that, the master relay and the starter relay. Just to the right of the relay is doubler that will soon have the fuel bulkhead fitting. I want to finish the cockpit fuel lines so I can go ahead and bolt in the rudder pedals and rivet up the forward fuselage stucture (except the skin). You can also see the brake fluid reservoir (upper left) and the manifold for oil temp and pressure and fuel pressure sensors (just clecoed on for now in upper right)
I also riveted in the baggage floors and the seat floors. They are pop riveted in place since there is no access for a bucking bar.

I also fabbed up all the aileron and elevator pushrods. Here are the two large aileron pushrods and the large elevator pushrod. The large aileron pushrods go from the control column to the aileron bellcranks in the wings. There are also two much smaller pushrods that go from the bellcrank to the ailerons. Likewise, the elevator uses a smaller pushrod from the control column to a bellcrank just aft of the baggage area, then the large pushrod goes from the bellcrank to the elevator itself. In the photo above the tunnel for the smaller elevator pushrod is visible between the floor skins.

canopy progress

There was progress on the canopy before winter took hold here. I made the big cut, separating the plexiglass bubble into the fixed windscreen and the sliding part you see here. I stopped working on it in Nov, it is cooler and it's best to work on the plexiglass when it is warm. It's more pliable and less likely to crack. The next step in the spring is drilling the plexiglass to the sliding frame.

Canopy Start

Finishing kit parts in the house!?!
I took most of the fiberglass parts inside to protect them from the heat. Here they are with the wingtips and some firewall forward parts. Also the rudder and elevator bottoms are just visible. The greenish colored parts came with the finishing kit- wheel pants, spinner, and empennage fairing.

I got started on the canopy frame yesterday. Installed the roll bar last week as a precursor to fitting the canopy frame. The canopy process has been cited as the most difficult building step by many RVers. I've taken this to heart, and am moving very slowly, double and triple-checking measurements and plans before doing anything permanent. I haven't riveted the front fuselage parts in place yet since I wanted to get started on the canopy while it's still warm. The plexiglass canopy is more forgiving when it's warm.

Another view of the canopy frame. It's just setting in place, nothing has been drilled to the fuselage yet. The first steps are to bend the frame to fit the fuselage. It would appear at first blush that I've lucked out- the fit looks good. A little tweaking of the side rails, some adjustment at the rear and hopefully it's good to go... Wish me luck....

More Fuselage Stuff

Some progress in the last month- nothing big but lots of smaller tasks. I've bolted the landing gear weldments in place- the bolts that appear loose in the photo will eventually be special close-tolerance bolts that hold the wing spar in place. Also, I've run the aluminum fuel line tubing from the wing root to the valve, and the brake lines, and the vent lines. I haven't run the fuel line from the pump to the firewall, so the pump is not ready to be put in it's final place yet.


I went ahead and painted the interior- it turned out ok, but I think I will have to redo some areas. I wanted to do this before I started work on the canopy. I went ahead and final riveted the baggage area side panel you see here. All the unpainted areas still showing will be covered eventually with panels (that are finished.) I also ran the black wiring conduit down the center tunnel shown here. It is actually 1.2" polyethylene tubing for sprinkler systems, but it works great here as conduit from the spar carry-through to aft of the baggage area. The smooth walls will make it easy to run wiring for the transponder, aft lighting, and possibly other things such as ELT, strobe supply, and magnetometer.

Not shown, I made up some antenna doublers and drilled and dimpled them, one COMM antenna under the left seat and the transponder antenna just aft of the baggage bulkhead on the right side. I plan to use a wingtip NAV antenna. Also torqued the seat belt anchors. Forward upper fuselage parts are all drilled and ready to rivet- I'm going to wait a bit before finishing that up since it will get in the way for some firewall and rudder pedal installations. I also riveted the aft-most top fuselage skin- waiting on the forward aft skin until the canopy is further along.


FINISH KIT ARRIVES:
Huge box full of steel and fiberglass and plexiglass. Here is the box, showing the pink!? 2-piece cowling and the canopy. Other things in the box: engine mount, roll-over bar, fiberglass wheel pants and fairings, wheels and tires, and more. Coffee cup for scale, was not included ...

fuelage update

Since the last update I've drilled the landing gear weldments, assembled the electric flap actuator, assembled the seat backs, and started on the fuel line plumbing. Also many other small tasks that would take too long to describe...

I painted some of the interior parts, and decided to cleco some of the parts inside the plane to see what it will look like. I use rustoleum silver "hammered finish" and I kinda like how it turned out. I will still need to spray the fixed interior parts that will show in the end- so eventually no yellow chromate will show and very little bare Aluminum (unless you stick your head under the panel, since I don't plan on painting the forward area.)

Here is the painted baggage bulkheads clecoed in place- baggage floors are still unpainted, but the seat floors have been partially painted -- seat cushions will eventually cover the unpainted areas. The white bar across the bottom is the flap actuator weldment.


The flap mechanism clecoed in place- still unpainted- The motor is visible but the part that moves up and down is not. It will eventually be bolted to the weldment but for now it is in the way.
This is the Airflow Performance electric boost pump. This kit from Van's included the filter, pump, bypass valve, and pressure relief valve as well as the Aluminum bits and mounting instructions. This pump is required for the fuel-injected engine I plan to use. The fuel selector valve is just above it to the right and, once plumbed, will allow one to switch between left and right fuel tanks.

All covers in place over the flap mechanism and fuel pump, and with the seat backs in place. Not in place: control sticks (ready to bolt in but waiting on push rods and they get in the way), landing gear weldments (ready to bolt in but I'm leaving them unbolted until I run the fuel lines through them, hopefully soon), the rudder pedals are also ready to bolt in but I'm waiting until after the fuel, vent and brake lines are run first.

Fuselage Aft Top Skins

Lots of progress- aft top skins have been clecoed and drilled, and the baggage bulkhead has been trimmed and drilled, and the nutplates that hold it on have been installed. Also the baggage area floors and side panels are ready to go. I'm currently working on the forward floors and the seat backs. Lots and lots of smaller tasks have been completed and many more still to do.

I ordered the finish kit this week. Since the cowling and motor mount depend on the engine type, that decision has to be made before ordering the finish kit. I agonized a bit, and decided on an IO-320. Thats the fuel-injected version of the O-320.

Forward Fuse Riveted

It's been a while since I posted, and lots of stuff has been done since the last post. The forward fuselage has been riveted together! This is kind of a big deal, now I'm looking at a much larger piece of airplane when I go in the garage.
I did all the side rivets myself, but had help (Thanks Austin!) doing the bottom rivets. We rolled it on its side to finish up the several rows of rivets along the bottom. After that, I put in the little legs you see in the photo, and took it off the sawhorses. The level is used to check for any twists (there are none, mainly due to pre-punched kit rather than my skill.)

Lots of other things have been done: steps drilled and ready to mount, I redid the brake pedals a bit to make them better, put in static ports, and various other bits here and there. Next up are the aft top fuselage skins.

Forward Fuselage

Lots of parts needed to be fabricated and modified to fit in the forward fuselage. Most of that is done and it is almost ready to be disassembled.

The rudder/brake pedals have been made up- I thought about painting them but they look pretty good raw so I left them that way. I have dual brakes- brake pedals on both pilot and passenger side.

Join center and aft section

Due to work, I haven't been putting in as much time on the plane as I would like, but progress is being made. I finished the center section- riveted up the center bottom skin and the seat and baggage ribs- and bent the main longerons. Here you can see the aft and center sections joined together for the first time, and the main longerons in place. I added the forward side skins too- for the first time, it's starting to look like an airplane!



Next, the firewall gets added, lots of stiffeners and angles and doublers get put in the forward area, and then it's the usual drill: drill everything, uncleco, deburr, dimple/countersink, prime, and then finally cleco back together and rivet.

Center section begun

The center section has been clecoed together for the first time. It is upside down in this picture, only one seat rib is visible on the left. The center section bottom skin is on top. The next step is to drill all the holes, and then, once again, disassemble, deburr, dimple, prime, reassemble, and rivet.

Aft fuselage

Aft fuselage
After being disassembled, all the holes were deburred, then dimpled, and then the mating surfaces were primed. All was clecoed back together, and then riveted.

The upper rivets are left out to make room for the main longerons to be inserted between the skins and the bulkheads. Also the forwardmost bulkhead is not riveted at this time since it will be assembled with the center section.

The aft bulkheads have been clecoed up with the skins (bottom and both sides) In this picture I have clecoed the aft top skin on but that was just to get everything to stay straight while I put the rear tail piece in. That was the hardest part, the piece is thick, and it wasn't pre-bent very well. So it only went in after a lot of trial and error- a lot of clecoing and unclecoing...
The aft fuselage shown here starts just aft of the baggage compartment- which is about 2-3 feet aft of the seats. The J-stringers can be seen on the lower sides- 2 on each side- they need to be positioned and drilled.

Once everything has been drilled, all the parts will be disassembled, deburred, dimpled, and primed before being reassembled for riveting.