Project Log - March, 2005 
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March, 2005

March 5, 2005 - 2 hours
Coated the inside of the lower cowling with epoxy / acetone mix (50/50). Prepared the roll bar brace for installation. I had to pull a string through it for the canopy latch switch and I had to feed the compass light wires through it.

March 6, 2005 - 4.5 hours
Shannon came out and helped me rivet most of the top fuselage skin on. We didn't finish before she had to leave but we got enough of it done so that I could install the roll bar brace and wire up the compass light and canopy latch switch.

This is the SIRS compass installed on the roll bar brace.

I ran the wire for the canopy latch switch through the roll bar and then down the roll bar brace with the compass wiring.

March 7, 2005 - 0.75 hours
Installed the foil heat sheild material on the inside of the bottom cowling.

I probably didn't need to put the foil heat sheild over this much of the cowling but I just kept putting it on until I ran out.

March 9, 2005 - 1 hours
I kinda messed up on the wiring that runs down the center of the firewall and back across the floor. The radius of the bundle was too tight so I had to do a little more fiberglass work on my little cover to get it looking decent. We'll see how it turns out.

I had to modify my little fuel flow transducer cover that I made because the radius of the wire bundle was too tight and it conflicted with this thing. I guess I'll have to paint it again.

March 12, 2005 - 2.5 hours
I cut out the upholstry for the top of the glare sheild, sanded the area where I was going to spray glue. I had to mask off a bunch of the plane to put this down. Ironically I had decided to put down cloth to keep from having to mask everything off. I glued the cloth down and I think it will look fine.

I used the windsheild to make a template for the glare sheild upholstry.

I think the upholstry turned out really nice. This is just some tweed cloth from a bodyshop

March 13, 2005 - 3.5 hours
I used a soldering iron to cotterize the edges of the upholstry on top of the glare sheild. I also used the soldering iron to poke the holes up through the skin where the GPS antennas will mount, and mounted the GPS antennas. I put the windscreen on and screwed it down along the roll bar and permanently installed the little clips that hold the front and sides down.

The big GPS antenna is the GPS-35 self contained GPS unit that feeds the autopilot and the smaller one is the remote antenna for my GPS-296

March 13, 2005 - 1.5 hours
Shannon helped me finish the top fuselage skin. That's the last big piece of aluminum. It was a real pain. I'm glad that I made a point of leaving plenty of room to reach up from under the panel to get to those rivets. The map box really got in the way and I wound up having to put in one blind rivet.

When Shannon comes to help so do the dogs. Cotton is less than excited.

Curby never gets far from Shannon.

March 19, 2005 - 2 hours
Figured out the line for the fiberglass on the windscreen, and put some electrical tape on it. I also made up some microballons and put some filler between the windscreen and the fuse skin to smooth out the transition for the fiberglass that is coming soon.

This a small fillet of microballons to fill that little gap between the skin and windscreen

March 20, 2005 - 9 hours
Finished riveting up the canopy. WHOOOPPP!! I really didn't think I'd ever get that thing finished but it's done, it didn't crack and it fits pretty well. Vern came over and helped me get the windscreen ready to fiberglass. We sanded the filler, the plexi and the fuse skin. I wound up moving the tape a little bit because I had gotten some filler up next to it and couldn't clean it up without hurting the tape edge. No sense in getting this far and not doing it right. We decided that I didn't have the right epoxy (I have the fast West Systems and we need the slower 207 stuff) so we postponed doing the layup. The canopy rails moved a little when I had them off for painting the cockpit last year so I piddled with that a little bit and I also added some more filler to a few low spots on the windscreen transition and also on the blind rivets holding the aft canopy skirt. I cut a bunch of strips of fiberglass cloth in anticipation of "The Layup".

The windscreen is ready for the fiberglass fairing.

The canopy is finally finished.

Another shot of the canopy, showing the fit of the aft skirts.

Yet another shot of the canopy, it fits okay. It needs a little tweaking there on the bottom of the left side skirt.

March 21, 2005 - 1 hours
Finished wiring up the GPS antennas.

March 25, 2005 - 6 hours
Today I needed to get ready for Vern to come over and finish the fiberglass on the windscreen. I sanded on the filler that I put on the windscreen last time and finished masking everything off. I swapped out the hardener pump on the West System epoxy and did a couple of layups on the empennage tips to make sure that I had all the fast hardener out of the pump. I figured while I was messing with the tips I'd keep it up so I spent the rest of the day doing that.

March 26, 2005 - 3 hours
Fiberglassed the windscreen today. It's off to a real good start. Vern did a fantastic job so I don't think that we'll have to spend much time sanding it.

The layup on the windscreen is done.

March 27, 2005 - 6 hours
Spent the day working on the empennage tips. I mounted the Vertical Stabilizer on the plane temporarily so that it would be easier to work on. I discovered that the rudder bottom that Van's sent with the kit doesn't fit. It interferes with the tailwheel spring. I cut a chunk off the bottom of it and fiberglassed what amounts to a flat spot in the bottom of it to clear. It turned out okay, I guess.

I used the same procedure as before, bondo a plate to the tip while it is clecoed in place and then lay up the glass on the inside.

This is the plate bondoed to the tip of the vertical stabilizer.

This is what I had to do to the rudder bottom to get it to clear the tailwheel spring.

Here you can see why I had to cut the rudder bottom. I don't think anybody will notice.

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Disclaimer:
This web site and the infomation contained within it are for entertainment purposes only. The opinions expressed on construction techniques are my opinions only and should not be confused with proper construction techniques. There is undoubtedly more than one way to build an airplane and some methods that I use may or may not work in any given circumstance. If there is any question please call the kit manufacturer. I love to help but I am not responsible for the misuse of any information contained on this web site.

 February 3, 2021
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