I just read this thread from start to finish....one of the best build logs out there, well done and keep up the good work!!
I just read this thread from start to finish....one of the best build logs out there, well done and keep up the good work!!
Well, it's "best" in that it is almost pedantic in detail....and most of it ain't pretty. But the idea behind the thread was to show the not-so-good more than to serve as a vanity achievement. That and to show that if a hack like me with the bare minimum skills, tools, equipment, and workspace required can build a plane, anyone can!
Thank you for your kind words, though.
Today I got the harness installed (mostly).
Since I had to pull out the MF'er and swag a cable there was going to be some fun and games.
But first I had to make the mount for the cable. It's a small steel lift tang with the rear hole secured to the gusset with a bolt and the thimble and cable going through both the tang and the gusset on the other end.
It was kind of tight getting the swagging tool in there, but that's okay - I got to do it twice. Seems that I got it twisted on the fitting and one of them didn't pass the go-no go gauge. Sigh. Cut it out and do over. Fortunately I managed to catch my thumb on some cable and leak the red stuff, so with the appropriate sacrifice the second attempt went without a hitch.
The lap belt mounts were a cinch, though I did wind up putting some washers in the standard hole to make them fit an AN4 bolt.
The (mostly) part is that the shoulder strap ends have to have safety lines put on them, but that's pretty straight forward.
Before I put the sheeting over the cockpit and the forward portion to the firewall I needed to drill the holes for the panel. No way I'd be able to easily get a drill in there once the sheeting is in place!
It needs sanding and the holes for the instruments cut before varnishing, but it's a panel. The little "tabs" to the left and right hanging down are for switches, if I need them.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
I'll try to put up pictures tonight or tomorrow morning, but I put a safety cable on each of the shoulder straps and locked down the bushings for the rudder cables.
So I'm ready for the top sheeting, and with that covering the fuselage.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Well, let's catch up!
First off, here's how I resolved the harness "safety" issue, and turned it into really a primary.
I got some really big, beefy thimbles and put it around to where the cross cable is under it. That way the cross cable is still pulling on the harness mount.
Then that was ran back one station on the fuselage and attached in the same manner as the cross cable. The gusset, not the tang, is the securing feature here!
The cable running back is firm when the harness is over one's shoulder and locked into the seat belt. So it's up for grabs on whether the cross cable is the primary and the long ones are the safeties or vice-versa.
I then took some electrical tape and wrapped the harness mounts on the cable to where it won't shift left or right.
One of the small items on my list was to lock down the nylon bushings where the rudder cables exit the fuselage. I used my patented "copper conduit mount covered in spray rubber" technique to hold them in place.
Cockpit and forward fuselage sheeting were up next. I just sort of went for it using a piece of poster board as a template to make circles and stuff on.
I couldn't resist throwing a piece of rubber pipe cover around the cockpit!
The forward piece was a bit more challenging. First off, it came out to 28" from firewall to cockpit piece. All the sheeting I had was 26" stuff. No matter how I oriented the sheeting I came up short.
So I took three of the pieces that were included for leading edges and riveted them together, taping the seams with aluminum tape. I plan on spilling gasoline on that part of the aircraft, and it won't be bothered by it.
Measuring and then cutting to allow for cables, the aileron push/pull rods, and the gas tank was a huge pain.
The edge that bends down over the fuselage got cleaned up after this picture was taken, and I put a strip of tape where it went over the piece over the cockpit. The neat thing was I managed it without having to put a single hole into the longeron, which was a goal of mine.
Next up is a check of the weather. If I can get three days without rain, I'll cover the fuselage. If not, I'll work out the panel stuff and cut holes for the instruments and work out the rudder stops.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Top and bottom of the fuselage covered. Nothing but straight lines makes covering it seem like cheating!
Like everything, though, there's a snag. Measuring for the holes for the tailwheel and rudder wires is no problem. But I failed to measure the push rod for the elevator! So tomorrow I'll have to put it on and find out where exactly it exits near the tail.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Here's three sides of a fuselage covered:
The fabric for the left side is on the seat of the aircraft. Also the tail is up on a little table so I can sit on the dirty concrete and work on the bottom of it.
From the tail. Of note is that while the glue past the tape looks ugly in the picture, it's smooth to the fabric and will be invisible when painted.
It's taken me this long in the process to realize that if one wants a really sharp, clean glue line it's as simple as putting down some painter's tape, putting the glue on the fabric, and then pull up the tape.
So finally, on the fuselage where it would really be noticed, I have straight clean fabric lines under the tapes.
Also note the inspection panel rings at the top of the turtle deck. That's where the harnesses will come through. I plan on just slitting them (if my measurements were right) rather than cutting them open.
There's also an inspection ring at the tail which will have a cover to have access to the vertical stabilizer nuts underneath.
Tomorrow I have to pull the Bebe out of the tent and mount the vertical stab to measure where the push-pull rod exits it before I can cover the left side. Then cover it, cut it to let everything that needs to exit the fuselage have a way to do so, and then make covers for them.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Tip for the Stewart Systems glue: If you have some excess on the outside you want to remove, it can be rubbed off with a sanding belt cleaner stick.
Or a regular rubber eraser will do it.
What you're seeing in the overage there is the glue discoloring the fabric - it's actually smooth to it with no ridges. Once the latex paint goes on it's invisible!
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
A lot of people really like covering. I like it when it's done....it's rewarding to see the fabric tighten up and make things look pretty, but I went through the learning curve process which kinda takes the joy out of it.
Well, fuselage is covered...
Okay, to start out I had to mount the horizontal stab and elevator and hook up the push-pull rod to mark where it exits the fuselage...
A series of marks with a sharpie showed where it exited - it's not a circle, but a long hole!
Also note the little spacer for the rear bolt that holds up the stab just sitting on the gusset. When I pulled the stab up, I had one of the forward spacers in my hand and the other fell to the floor. I tracked it with my eyes and recovered it no problem.
So I had three bolts from the stab and two spacers accounted for. Thus began The Great Pointless Search for the rear spacer on the floor, as I was sure it had fallen down. Fifteen minutes later I stand up in disgust, thinking that since it's untrimmed I could easily replace it....and then saw the bolt came through it cleanly and it was just sitting there as if to say "what are you doing?"
All done, with edging tapes top and bottom! The ones underneath went on without a problem, which shocked me.
Of note is the place for the foot hole. That's some excess T3 aluminum from the leading edge material cut into a horse shoe and then patched over like an inspection ring. I'm undecided as to whether I'll put a match for it over the fabric when it's done, but if I do there's something to rivet into.
From the tail, with it on the ground. I'm offset to the left, so it looks like the fuselage is seriously warped (it's not). The glue across the top towards the back is a splint, btw. I'm gonna put a stripe across the fuselage there to help disguise it.
Tomorrow, if the weather works out, I'll start the painting process.
Oh, question - have y'all been covering the top sheeting of the cockpit forward, or just painting it? I have the fabric, but was thinking it might be overkill.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
Since the temperatures today weren't amiable to painting (looks like I gotta wait until next week for it to warm up), I settled for working on the panel:
The compass still has to go below the slip indicator. I was going to do a typical overly complicated rig with a full cutout of it into the panel and a mount behind it, but looked again and I can just make four holes and tie it in from the rear mounting bolts.
It'll stick up from the panel, but not much and it'll be okay, I reckon.
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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