It's actually very thin steel - I am just so used to typing aluminum that's all I know how to write.
[edit]
On fire - with a three-quarters cowl (the lower third is cut away, exposing the engine), fire is going to wind up exiting the compartment and along the bottom of the fuselage if it gets going. That's one of the reasons I opted for a wooden floor (as in the original) versus running fabric all the way up, as a lot of folks do with these replicas.
Last edited by Frank Giger; 05-15-2015 at 07:48 AM.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Yep... Hope for the Best...
Prepare for the Worst...
.
Gotta Fly...
JAM
So my son is graduating High School and apparently my wife thinks that stuff like getting him decent clothes to wear under the gown (they actually have a dress code for that!), getting him to various functions associated with it, and other junk is more important that getting some of the final stuff done on my airplane before taking it out to the airport.
I'm down to mounting the throttle, painting the top of the forward bit of the fuselage, and doing some touch-up paint before making its journey.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Frank, Have you got your engine installation done? You might want to get that done before you haul it to the airport. Don
Nope, it'll be installed at the airport under expert guidance.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Looking forward to hear from your first flight !
Also looking forward to seeing pictures of the engine installation.
.
Gotta Fly...
JAM
Not as much as I am!
With my son's graduation from High School out of the way ("Welcome to the ranks of the unemployed," I said), time to tighten things up in order to take her out to the airfield.
First is that area forward of the cockpit. I was concerned about glare from the off white underbelly of the upper wing, so taped it off:
(if you think that's bad, you should see what I can do to a Christmas present)
And painted it flat black.
Looks gooder enough for me!
Bob Ross said there are no accidents in painting, only happy opportunities. I think I had one of those.
I had done a test piece of sheet using three layers: a primer, white gloss, and then aluminum paint. It was nice and smooth and pretty.
Well, when I did the same for the aluminum of the cheek cowls, I suppose I was a little impatient and sprayed the aluminum before the white was completely dry.
Little ridges popped up all over it in random patterns, giving it a texture.
I'm not sure if I like it or not....gonna take it out into the sunshine to see how it looks. If not, I'll sand it down and do over.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Sometimes a fresh perspective after a day is really helpful. My idea of painting the forward part of the fuselage was sound, but it sure does show every rivet and when I tape up the cable holes they'll stand out like nobody's business. Little ugly things like that can serve to be a turd on top of a wedding cake....that's all anyone remembers.
So tomorrow I'm going to just cover it with fabric, paint it, and make slits for the cables to slip through.
I also got my hangar. It's a bit further than I like - Talledega (yes, right next to the famous race track) - but it has a lot going for it. First, the bulk of my EAA brethren have hangars there. Second, I got a huge T hangar with electricity for 115 USD a month. Indeed, my little plane will probably fit entirely within the back of the T.
The reason for the price is that there's an inch wide gap in the doors at the sides from floor to ceiling. When it rains water gets into the hangar. But it doesn't pool inside and just makes the first three feet wet.* It'll never touch the plane.
Because the two main doors (it's split, rolling left and right from the center) will open wide enough for the plane to fit through, I could just run duct tape over the gap.
So next week after I clean up the plane it's out to a hangar.
* There are water marks on the floor showing just that. One can see where it's been, thanks to pollen and the clean marks.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Well, the more I looked at the top of the front of the fuselage the more I disliked it.
So I covered and painted it:
The color matches, it's a trick of the light that makes it look darker.
The next was my break lines. I had just zip tied them to the gear legs, and it was kind of rinky-dink. So I put them through the gear legs (and painted a little):
And got to my first repair. Well, the first in a long time. My step hole is reinforced with an aluminum U, but it didn't loop around the bottom longeron. Naturally I caught a foot in it and ripped it right on out:
Good grief! Well, I cut some spare tubing, split it, and flattened one end to give me a J shaped piece that fits around the longeron, riveting it into the U shaped piece.
I got so thrilled at coming up with an easy solution I didn't tape over it before covering and painting it.
Oh well, at least I won't be ripping up the side of the plane getting in now. The color actually matches perfectly - it wasn't quite dry all the way when I took the picture.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
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