RV7 Builder Log - N774DS

First Run of the Engine (24 hrs)

2011-12-02T08:06:00.021-06:00

This post accounts for the various activities leading to the first run of the engine. The steps leading up to the run included replacement of a defective flywheel and installation of the prop. The engine was pressure oiled. Six gallons of fuel were added to each tank which did not leak out! Oversize chocks were built to hold the airplane during high RPM's. A tow strap was attached from the airplane to the Honda Pilot. George was outfitted with a portable radio to watch the engine once started.

Outside temp was 40 degrees with light wind out of the sourth. The engine started without hesitation. Oil pressure was immediate due to the pre-oiling. Oil temperatures were slow to rise but, eventually hit 165. The critical cylinder head temps never exceeded 360 degrees due to the cool temperatures and cooling shroud. We ran the the Lycoming Run-In procedure for forty-one minutes. There were some minor instrument calibration issues discovered but, it was otherwise an unqualified success.

Canopy and Brakes (16 hrs)

2011-11-23T08:32:00.000-06:00

Paul arrived a few days before Thanksgiving to help me with some critical items. These photos show the mess created during the brake bleeding process. The canopy and rear window were also added. The pilots seat was put in for the first time and adjusted. After Paul left I did sit in the seat and make engine noises!

Cooling Shroud (30 hrs)

2011-11-19T08:24:00.019-06:00

I was cautioned many times not to allow high temperatures during the first hour of engine operation. There were two ways to accomplish this. Complete the airplane, tow it to the runway, get your clearance, start the engine and launch without any prior experience with the engine or airplane. The other alternative was to build a cooling shroud-shown here. This contraption was made entirely of 'recycled' parts. My neighbor Ray stopped by one day and recognized the stainless steel firewall he discarded now adorned my engine. After all the time to build this, it will be used about two hours.

Rigging (80 hrs)

2011-11-12T08:47:00.017-06:00

This post describes activities of about a three week period that does not really lend itself to photos. During this period, ailerons, flaps, empenage parts were all installed. Many were installed multiple times! The challenge is to get all of the feathers to move in the right direction without slip or slop. Along the way a number of incidental needed to b be wrapped up. For example, the strobe and running light in which is at the bottom of the rudder fairing needed to be wired.

Panel Progress

2011-10-15T19:26:00.021-05:00

Here is a shot of the panel with everything working - from left to right:
406 mhz Emergency Locator Transmitter(ELT) with GPS input, ADI TruTrak II autopilot and backup attitude indicator, Ray Allen pitch and roll trim(on joystick), Grand Rapids SX200 Electronic Flight Instrument System(EFIS) with Horizontal Situation Indicator(HSI) moving maps and synthetic vision, Garmin 430W GPS with Navigation and Communication radios, Garmin 327 transponder, Grand Rapinds Engine Information System, PS Engineering stereo intercom, Sirius Satellite radio receiver, flap and elevator trim indicators, three dimmable LED cabin lights, master bus and avionics bus accessory plugs. Oh, and two idiot lights above the EFIS to tell you if something really important is going on in case I become mesmerized by the beautiful displays.

Completed Wing Tip Wiring (16 hrs)

2011-10-14T08:33:00.006-05:00

The idea of the wing tip wiring was to allow the wiring to be completed and then flip the tip into position for installation. There was some additional finishing work to get the LED nav lights to fit properly. All connections were soldered at this end of the installation.

Starter and exhaust (6 hrs)

2011-10-07T08:47:00.007-05:00

The starter was exchanged for one with a different flange mounting. Silicone insulators were installed on both starter and alternator. The supports for the exhaust were reinforced with additional clamps. Exhaust pipes were pulled up to cylinder with Lycoming torque values.

Wings Installed (6 hrs)

2011-10-06T08:42:00.004-05:00

After all of the wiring was completed at the wing root, it was time to put the wings on. This is the 'final' installation unless there is an electrical problem when the tips go on. These are temporarily installed with 7/16" bolts. Note the cart system that is used for single-handed installation. The wing is slid into position for the first bolt. The wing is then raised at the outboard end and additional bolts are put in.

N774DS Registration Complete !

2011-10-01T18:50:00.003-05:00

I received the FAA Registration 8050-3 today permitting me to use N774DS. It should be noted that this process took a total of 27 days which included one complete additional turnaround of the documents due to my error in filling out one of the forms.

Port Wing Installed (6 hrs)

2011-10-01T18:44:00.002-05:00

The tank was attached and the conduit was installed though the lightening holes. One miscalculation resulted in the conduit in conflict with the dsub brackets. Once that was resolved, the wing was shimmied into place on the cart. Bolts were inserted one at a time. The bottom outboard is easiest to hit with my one man installation approach. The wing is then jacked up with one 2x4 at a time until each bolt hole lines up.

Wing Electrical Quick Connects (32 hrs)

2011-09-30T18:59:00.013-05:00

The better part of a week went towards the final routing of wires through the fuselage sides to be terminated with dsub connectors. This will permit easier removal of the wing should removal become necessary some time in the future.

Ground Power (15 hrs)

2011-09-22T21:14:00.002-05:00

9/15/11(6 hrs)
Charging the battery in order to operate and program the avionics is no longer working. The trickle charger can get the battery up to 12.3v. In less than an hour, critical voltage sensitive avionics shut down. Wired up a accessory plug to connect to a 12v power supply. Unfortunately, it was reassembled incorrectly with a small gauge spring acting as a conductor. The accessory plug smoked.
9/16/11 ( 3hrs)
Now connecting power supply directly to the Master bus. The Master switch turned off to prevent 20 amps power from overcharging the battery. While removing the starter for exchange, it was noted that the alternator was warm to the touch. After a phone call to Plane Power, I discovered yet another reality about alternators. With the ground power 12v on the buss, the integrated voltage regulator wants the alternator to get going and deliver the full 14v alternator output. The warmth was coming from the alternator field circuit power attempting to energize the alternator. The lesson learned......this is the second reason why alternators must be able be removed from the system.....they will quickly drain a battery on the ground attempting to energize the alternator. The circuit breaker switch was pulled and a good ground power solution is now in place.
9/22/11( 6hrs)
After a few days on ground powwer it has become clear that hooking up to the master bus will not be convenient. Everything is accessible under construction but soon all the access panels will be closed and hooking up ground power would require a gymnast under the panel. So a 2nd accessory plug was added to the panel connected to master bus for ground power. The original accessory plug is connected to the battery to allow a trickle charger connection. Both work from their respective sources in the air.

Flap and Elevator Trim LEDs (9 hrs)

2011-09-21T21:40:00.001-05:00

A potentiometer was added earlier to detect the position of the flaps. Now the wires needed to be routed up the center tunnel and connected to a Ray Allen LED. The panel hole was cutout with a nibbler to allow the flap and elevator trim.Used nibbler to cut out panel for two LED displays. Completed some of the wire trimming behind panel.

ELT GPS connection (7 hrs)

2011-09-20T15:21:00.007-05:00

The ELT required a shielded three wire set to bring the RS232 output from the GPS to the ELT. In addition, an occasional use LED indicator needed to be fabricated for testing. Like so many tasks, reading the instructions is key. I hooked it up once, twice and then had to cut the wire for a third repair to get the transfer working properly.

Emergency Locator Transmitter (6 hrs)

2011-09-13T21:32:00.001-05:00

Fashioned brackets for ELT installation. Used nibbler to cut out panel location. Determined new wiring to connect the Garmin 430W output to the ELT so that the ELT always has current coordinates to beam up the satellite receivers in the event of an unscheduled landing.

Antennas (4 hrs)

2011-09-12T21:38:00.014-05:00

Installed GPS and ELT antennas. Completed first system test of the Garmin GPS 430W which pulled in about nine satellites.

Why you should keep documentation updated (11 hrs)

2011-09-12T06:55:00.001-05:00

I am continuing with the installation of the ELT. These know accept GPS input so that during an unscheduled landing (impact), the GPS coordinates are beamed up and via satellite hopefully resulting in a quick rescue. I have kept reasonably good diagrams of the wiring. However, I did not note the specific pin output from one of my connections. I therefore had to remove the GPS and disconnect the GRT EFIS to verify pinout of one of the cables. It was correct but, required about 4hrs to verify.
Also installed the transponder antenna today.
Began cutting up the discarded stainless firewall to make a cooling shroud.

What does it look like? (8hrs)

2011-09-06T07:28:00.005-05:00

We finished the fifth day of painting on Saturday. I returned Monday(labor Day) only with the support of Pat, George and Denise. George helped move all of the parts from Ron's hangar into my hangar.
Tuesday I returned to begin the cleanup and remove masking tape. Two lads to the dumpster and here we are.

Additional Photos and Movie of Painting Project

2011-09-05T09:06:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to all of the photos related to the painting.

Photos of the painting project

Here is a link to the movie version !!

Painting RV7 Movie

The airplane is painted.

2011-09-04T10:38:00.000-05:00

It is with great pride and relief that I share the news that N774DS has been painted. This part of the project ranks as one of the most challenging. Now we will move on with registration, assembly, FAA inspection and testing. My only hesitation is that is simply too beautiful to fly - what if I scratch it?

It takes a village

2011-09-04T10:21:00.000-05:00

OK, we all hate this quote but, its true. Although I can barely uncurl my fingers to type, its important to share a lesson learned. Building an airplane is a big project. Painting an airplane is a big project in its own right. How many people does it take to paint an airplane?
Thanks to John for recommending premium products and equipment and patiently answering my 1,000 questions. Thanks to Mike who provided me the Apollo HVLP turbine system for my first painting experience. Thanks to Alex and Chris for their help building the booth. Thanks to Rick for his optimism and equipment. Thanks to Marcel and Sue for moral support and coming by to bang rivets. Thanks to George who helped trim the booth and provided essential cardboard. Thanks to Jim who provided a fresh air system and connections to key EAA folks. Thanks to Paul for racking the wings in the rotisserie. Thanks to Dan who helped with the first primer experiments. Thanks to Steve who allowed me to use his rotisserie twice. Thanks to Ed who came and prepped a wing one night when I could not go on. Thanks to Paddy for loaning me a compressor and working fiberglass parts night after night. Thanks to Shaun who insisted at the Christmas party that I should not paint my plane(did I tell you I was hard of hearing?) Thanks to Bernie, Joe and Kim for equipment, moral support and the opportunity to participate in their painting project. Thanks to Ron who allowed my to use his hangar to stage parts and allowed me to convert his fan from orange to Chevron white. Thanks to my wife Pat for her support in my misguided adventures. Thanks to Larry who stopped by one day for moral support and mentioned his friend in Escanaba, MI. Special thanks to Verne and Elaine for travelling here to spend five very long days to right what was wrong and finish this project as if it was their own. I will always see everyone's contributions in the beautiful finish. Thank you.......

The Fuselage (12 hrs)

2011-09-03T08:11:00.007-05:00

Saturday. We were looking forward to the final day. This is the fifth day for Verne. All of yesterdays parts looked great. We stored them away and prepared the fuselage painting. Verne fixed up the patch on the aft longeron. Several areas needed to be masked off.

We needed to switch to a new bottle of conversion coating because the previous mix had exceeded its pot life. I was ready to pour it into a gun when I noticed that it was not the same blue color as the previous material. We took a look at the label and found it was a different product. I was able to contact John(PPG) who told us to use the new DesoGel - same product without a blue tracer.
Today was also the day we exhausted the PPG 7700 epoxy primer and converted to PPG DP40LF. Once Verne began spraying it had orange peel. He changed over to the SATA 4000 gun and the primer coat went on smooth enough to proceed.

Ultimately, the fuselage got a coat of DesoGel, prime and three coats of Desothane and came out beautiful A thunderstorm rolled in at the end of the process to let us know we were done. This front that brought the storms also brought us mild weather. We labored for five full days in temps ranging from 85 to 95 - Verne liked it hot for painting and he got his wish.

2nd wing, aileron, flaps, tanks (22 hrs)

2011-09-02T06:21:00.021-05:00

Friday 9/2. Another 7:30a start. Larry O. came by with an update on his new home and RV in NC. Verne fixed the wing damage by converting a dent from an 'outie' to an 'innie' - a problem I had given up long ago. All of my etching primer was removed from the tank by Verne with 320 and elbow grease. Dropped Verne off at the hotel at 7pm and returned to work with Paddy on the fuselage.

First wing, empenage (18 hrs)

2011-09-01T21:46:00.013-05:00

Ed came and helped by preparing 2nd wing. We also added hoist for wing rack. Vern claims it's easier to paint in hot weather. Today was (hangar) record of 95 and 51% humidity. Priming all parts was about 34 oz. Three coats of finish was approx 60 oz.. Desogel went on as a mist but, did not visually alter the look of the metal.
Verne fixed the lower cowl. The booth was abandoned today.

Before and After

2011-08-31T23:29:00.001-05:00

The first money shot!! (18 hrs)

2011-08-31T20:00:00.003-05:00

Wednesday. When you see the incredible hours in the painting posts you need to understand there are always two of working the painting in the last week. Today, we finished the fiberglass parts preparations. Cloths lines were hung for the small parts. Large parts went to the booth. This was the first 'money shot' and it came out well. Tim and Steve stopped came by.

Canopy and Fiberglass remediation (17 hrs)

2011-08-30T06:36:00.020-05:00

Tuesday. Paddy told me the canopy fairing was 'wavy' and needed to be fixed. Instead of fixing it, I declared victory completing the masking and hoping to paint. Vern was also drawn to the unique shape of the canopy fairing(?). Apparently the problem was that in an attempt to get it right I was chasing the shape with bondo - layering on more and more material. Verne worked most of the day shaping the canopy fairing by cutting it down with 80 or 100. Then, two or three patch cycles with Kombi were required. I spent most of the day learning to sand properly on the fiberglass parts. A much finer sanded finish was required than I had previously sought.
I finished the day shopping for supplies. Quality automotive masking tape for the glass was finally located at AutoZone. Bulk packs of 320 are only available at Menards. Througought the day I had gone to Menards, Lowes, Ace, Home Depot, AutoZone, Menards and Ace again. Once home, I continued sanding parts for another hour or so.

The Darkest Hour (12 hrs)

2011-08-29T06:52:00.027-05:00

Monday. Found the tech sheet for DesoGel. Now requiring that all metal be abraded to Red. Regretably, entire plane was never abraded during the comprehenive cleaning. Now, all parts need to be unpacked. abraded and prep'd again. Lesson learned, read the tech sheet which I had been unable to locate.

Paddy arrived in the evening to resume fiberglass remediation. Verne and Elaine arrived around 7pm. Verne's reaction was immediate - you can't paint this! He proceeded to review the parts and point out the problems and what we needed to fix them. However, he seemed confident that it could be fixed.

Today marked a turning point. I had worked nine consecutive full-time days to prepare. In sum, I had accomplished very little to prepare. My repairs would all need to be reworked. Of the 60-70 hours preceding, I could have skipped 50 and been no worse off.

Two lessons learned. Read the manual. If you don't know what you are doing - get knowledgeable help!

Canopy and pinholes (12 hrs)

2011-08-28T08:21:00.005-05:00

Sunday. Because each day ends with painting, the following day starts with cleaning up. It is taking between one to two hours for cleanup each day-this does not include cleaning the gun after shooting. The canopy required a couple hours of special preparation due to its odd size and small area to be painted. Yesterday Paddy added additional finishing layers of glaze to smooth out several rough patches. Today, they were all sanded down to finish levels. Combi was then applied to a small number of remaining holes. The canopy skirt was then sanded to finish.

Another half day was committed to the continuous improvement of the fiberglass parts(pinholes). One day I will need to learn just what the correct way was to fill them in one shot. Today it was sand and prime(again).

Prep canopy opening and canopy (15 hrs)

2011-08-27T07:33:00.022-05:00

The open cabin area needed to be closed off and masked. This was accomplished with a combination of cardboard and plastic. The instrument panel was double bagged. Paddy did two additional coats of glazing and associated sanding on the canopy. Wing tips, leg fairings, rudder fairings and intersection fairings were all set aside to be scuffed as the final step in their preparation. All other fiberglass parts were sanded and primed again in the on-going battle with pinholes using the Apollo 800 HVLP.

Priming Begins (7 hrs)

2011-07-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

The time came to pull the trigger on the paint gun. I have received a very consistent message that painting is 99% preparation. Those people could not have been accounting for the time to clean up after spaying epoxy primer which amounts to another 99%. Today's first shoot was off to a fantastic start and then the gun fell from the table, broke and paint spewed forth in a nightmare scenario. But, I wanted some paint applied and it happened. The first photo is before starting. The second photo shows some primed parts drying on chicken wire. Faithful followers will soon notice the fiberglass colors changing from Pepto-Bismal Pink to Exorcist Peas Soup Green.

Relocating Outside Air Temperature Gauge (2 hrs)

2011-07-08T07:47:00.033-05:00

It pays to hire good help! Here, Mac and Harry Smigielski team up to move the outside air temperature sensor to the lower side of the port wing to increase accuracy of the readings. Harry uses his bionic arm to drive the center punch at a specific location for the gauge.

Mac follows up drilling a #40 starter hole. He then increased the hole size with a unibit.

The OSHA representative is in the background behind Harry.

Undeterred, they moved immediately to removing the protective coating on the wing in preparation for painting.

Wire Connection at Wings (6 hrs)

2011-07-05T07:32:00.004-05:00

It's necessary to finalize the route of the wiring through the wing and into the fuselage. I considered cannon connectors at the fuselage but they would protrude out into an area with limited space. Instead, I decided to use dsub connectors and pull them up parallel to the fuselage. I decided to over-engineer the solution by making these brackets. They are made from 3/4" aluminum stock with #4 nutplates to pull the dsub pair down with 1-1/2" screws. Dsub 9's are 1" hole spacing, 15's are 1-5/16". The additional holes drilled in the surface are to capture zip ties for pulling up additional wire slack.

Flap Sensor (12 hrs)

2011-06-29T16:02:00.009-05:00

I decided that it would be nice to have a visual flap indicator on the EFIS or the panel. But, that requires a sensor that had never been contemplated. Bernie produced a 10k potentiometer which compelled me to follow through with an installation. These photos show the fabrication of a bracket to achieve a 2" movement of the sensor as the flaps go up and down. I found .039 piano wire at Ace and then drilled a hole through the center of 3/16" screw. The sensor and the wiring are complete, next I will need to decide to have it display on the EFIS or an unused Ray Allen LED indicator.

More Wing Root Faring (3hrs)

2011-06-28T07:51:00.009-05:00

Imagine all the time you would save if you ever built another !! While fitting the upper fairing I realized that locator marks necessary to install the bottom skin fairing had not been marked on the wing. Therefore, the wing would need to be removed, the locator lines added and reinstall the wings to drill the holes. Marcel DeWulf came by to remove the wings and make other adjustments.

Wing Root Fairing (6 hrs)

2011-06-27T16:14:00.003-05:00

The wing had already been on at which time I attempted the installation of the root fairing. I incorrectly assumed that I had to shape the fairing so I tried to beat into submission to form the leading edge shape. After searching for help and calling Van's I found out that you muscle it into place by attaching one end and pull it around. I found it easiest to attach the bottom of the wing first and then pull the top (the wing is upside down on the cart in the photo) A few lines were pre-marked to insure proper placement.

Wing Alignment (6 hrs)

2011-06-23T14:30:00.000-05:00

The front of the wings are locked into position via several holes in the main spar. However, the rear spar is attached by a single hole that must be drilled to 5/16" by the builder. In order to locate that hole, the airplane must be leveled in all dimensions. Once the fuselage is level, the wing angle of incidence must be set with levels. Then after a solemn ceremony known only to airplane builders, the hole is drilled. Here you can see the various plumb bob systems and level configurations. There are no photos of drilling ritual.

Wings Installed (4 hrs)

2011-06-18T14:45:00.003-05:00

I spent Father's Day weekend with Paul Brady(pictured) hanging the wings for the first time. This was a great accomplishment and the first time N774DS really looked like an airplane. I built a simple wing carriage to go on top of one of the carts. This allowed the wing to be moved around the hangar easily and made installation relatively straightforward. Thanks to Ray Seivers who provided his set of drift pins to drive the main spar holes into alignment.

Paint Jigs (9 hrs)

2011-04-29T07:22:00.001-05:00

Many parts must be painted on two sides. To make this easier to manage, many large parts were attached to boards with screw eyes and propped up with aluminum angle and other solutions. This will facilitate easy handling in the paint booth.

Epoxy Coating (3hrs)

2011-03-26T17:18:00.002-05:00

The set up and clean up for glass work is time consuming. I have finally learned that it is best to collect as much of this work to do it at one time as possible. Here is one picture of the parts waiting for epoxy. There were a total of nine parts. Using a small batch scale I completed the parts in three mixes. Small epoxy batches keeps the material thin and provides breaks if necessary. Larger batches tend to kick off by the end and are too thick to work with. A 1" brush and and a high density foam roller were used. Each mix was 2.4 to 3.0 oz total. If there are no pinholes evident, these will be ready for primer.

Pinhole Filling for Fiberglass parts(20 hrs)

2011-03-26T17:06:00.001-05:00

Here are the wheel fairings, intersection fairings and the nose cover. My approach to preventing pinholes was to sand the 'good' parts down with 120, put a coat of epoxy on. Then, if pinholes persist, apply another coal of finish epoxy(a thinner wood coating type of epoxy).

The intersection fairings were made formidable by laying 2-3 layers of 8.8 oz glass on the semi-finished fairings provided by Van's. There were several lessons learned when finishing the intersection fairings. First, if the last layup of glass is a heavy weave, you get to sand more later. Second, if you are sloppy about the lap joints you will get to sand more. Third, if you don't peel ply your layup when done, you will get to sand more. Sanding the intersection fairings to a decent quality averaged about two hours per. Started with 120 grit, then 100, 80, 60 and finally 40 grit. Sincerely, Sandy.

'Block's sanding(as opposed to using your hands) is recommended so as to reveal high and low spots for filler. Some of my specialty tools here were a couple pieces of unused rubber engine cowl seal for a semi-flexible block sander. Also, water pipe insulation proved to be very helpful in many areas.

Cowl 2nd Coat Epoxy (3 hrs)

2011-03-22T18:00:00.006-05:00

I decided to do a full coat of epoxy inside and out. The inside is coated to aid in clean up through the life of the airplane. On the outside, it's in preparation for the paint finish.

Cowl Finishing (sanding) 6hrs

2011-03-21T17:39:00.006-05:00

Do I have pinholes? What is a pinhole? Over a year ago when the cowl was fitted I sanded and brushed on a coat of thinned epoxy. Continued research revealed a couple of things. Thinned epoxy might not be the best first step because you really need to fill more than finish. So, I started sanding with 120 grit and these pictures pretty well show what pinholes are. Another coat or more of epoxy would be required. The cowl halves were sanded inside and out.

Empenage Fairing (12 hrs)

2011-03-05T18:06:00.006-06:00

This involved both the fiberglass fairing shown as well as fitting the aluminum pieces underneath the horizontal stabilizer. First, the horizontal and vertical stabilizer needed to be temporarily installed, and uninstalled and installed again, etc..

Install Polystyrene Rib in Tip (11 hrs)

2011-02-26T19:01:00.004-06:00

Another improvement involved supporting the wingtips at the center. They are a bit flimsy as received. The rib was fabricated using 1/2" polystyrene. They were then bonded to inside of the tip with glass tapes. The two pieces with red duct tape are temporary to hold the shape during installation.

Installing Archer Antennas in Wingtips (6hrs)

2011-01-16T18:59:00.005-06:00

The wingtip antennas were installed under the hinge strips. The goal is to get the comm radio antenna to be vertical. The best I could do was to prop up the antenna by attaching the end with rubber cowl seal.

Installing Hinge to Tips (9hrs)

2011-01-15T18:59:00.023-06:00

Installing Hinge Strips to Wing (9hrs)

2011-01-13T18:57:00.002-06:00

Wingtips can be installed with blind rivets permanently or with screw/nutplate combinations. I reviewed other installations and found a hinge installation that appealed to me. With this installation you push a long hinge pin through to hold the tip on. It is a much cleaner look on the tips.

Here I am squeezing one of a thousand rivets necessary to attach one side of the hinge to the wing.

Aileron and wingtip alignment check (8hrs)

2011-01-01T10:55:00.027-06:00

This post summarizes activities from the past several days. Ailerons were attached to the wings. Then, an alignment 'stick' need to be created. The ideal solution would have been about 4' of plexiglass 2" wide. Unfortunately, I could only come up with about 3'. So, I had to attach an extra foot of aluminum on to the plexiglass piece. Then, I had to make a straight line and 3/16" holes for alignment. Never underestimate the difficulty of making a straight line and then drilling on the center of it !!

These wings were built by the previous owner. He chose to drill through the upper tooling hole for a conduit run. The lower tooling hole was altered for some reason and could not be relied on. The upper alignment point was determined by transferring measurements from the other wing. I am using the adjacent tooling hole from the forward 709 rib instead of the specified 712 rib.

Bottom of the wing - straight edge touches the wing trailing edge

2010-12-31T10:34:00.013-06:00

This is a shot of the right wing with the straight edge flush to the aileron. (ignore the magic slipper-it is my low tech friction control to keep the aileron from moving when set)

The straight edge is is flush from the top to the bottom of the aileron. It then touches the bottom of the wing at the trailing edge. As you continue down, a gap develops.

Top of the wing - there is a gap between straight edge and wing surface

2010-12-31T10:24:00.009-06:00

This is a shot of the right wing where the aileron joins. The aileron is believed to be aligned according to the tooling holes in the wing ribs. The straight edge is pressed against the aileron.

The straight edge is not touching the top of the wing surface - it is about 1/8" above the wing surface.

I challenge you to a duel....winner gets the garage

2010-12-11T16:48:00.004-06:00

Here we are.......shoot out at the rivet bangers corral. I lost, so the plane had to go !!
This is my last post for 2010. It has been a very fun and productive year. The move to the airport is a very big milestone. Patti is already checking her speed dialer to keep tabs on me. Now she gets to park her car in the garage!
Thank you to all of our family and friends who support this boondoggle with your help and encouragement.

Smoooth Landing

2010-12-07T16:41:00.008-06:00

George followed me up the tollway to Kenosha on Friday December 10th. No turbulence, no engine problems, no shoe bombers. We landed on schedule and the airplane is moved in and ready for the next phases.

Over the river and through the woods.......

2010-12-06T17:03:00.001-06:00

Here we are checking the load before getting on the interstate to head to the Kenosha airport.

Flight Attendants-Prepare for Departure

2010-12-05T16:04:00.004-06:00

Here is George Moyse helping to secure big bird to the trailer with some temporary cleats. George was my wingman for the trip up to the airport and insisted on the red ribbon safety marker to help propagate his festive attitude to one and all. Thanks George!

Now boarding row 1

2010-12-03T15:53:00.008-06:00

Here is N774DS leaving the garage. I was never sure how we would get the plane up the ramps. Then I recalled Marcel DeWulf had gifted me an unused electric hoist. Cushioned clamps were attached to the gear legs. The hoist was kludged together at the head of the trailer. With the push of a button it was up on the trailer. It was one of those tricks that was either going to go very well or very bad - we got lucky. My friends at the nearby Ace Hdw allowed me to purchase(and return) the 480 lbs of rock salt. Without the salt, the trailer would have been very 'tail heavy' which could have resulted in other unplanned incidents.

Re-entry vehicle

2010-12-01T15:41:00.003-06:00

The time came for the airplane to move from the house to the airport. There was little more that we could do without all of the other parts. I had already missed my goal to get the airplane out of the garage after two winters. With temperatures already below freezing, I was about to head into my fourth winter. Its one thing to miss your project plan by 50% but, quite another to miss by 100%. Thankfully, Jim Hull provided his trailer to facilitate the evacuation. Thanks to John Tierney who stores the trailer in a secret location yet to be revealed by Wiki leaks. Here, the trailer is brought to the hangar for planning purposes with boards marking off every 2'.

Intersection Fairings (12 hrs)

2010-10-22T15:36:00.004-05:00

There are intersection fairings at each end of the gear leg fairings where the intersect other parts. I used Van's starter mold. These then required shaping and the addition of two more layers of 8.8oz bi-directional glass. After that, they were shaped again and located for drilling.

The ol' String Trick? (repeat as necessary)

2010-10-20T15:32:00.001-05:00

Fairings are about speed. Alignment is critical to get them right. To do this, you must establish a grid to make sure that all fairings align properly to airflow. One picture depicts the grid being laid out on the floor. The other picture shows a string being pulled around the wheel pants. It is a very clever but time consuming process which needed to be done several times during fairing installation.

Wheel Pants (10hrs)

2010-10-18T15:25:00.001-05:00

These come pre-molded. However, there is a considerable amount of shaping and adjusting to get them to fit. There were at least four adjustments to get the correct spacing around the tire. I laid in strips of glass at the seams to build them up and eliminate bumps. There will still be considerable filling and sanding in later steps. About one-third of the time for the wheel pants was for installing nut plates for all locations where you see clecos. The support at the rear of the wheel fairing was cut to ~14 degrees to set the alignment.

Gear Leg Fairings (9 hrs)

2010-10-17T15:09:00.003-05:00

These arrived as preformed fiberglass. The goal is to get the fairings to be as straight as possible. It turned out that getting them straight was a lot harder than it sounds. One had to be rebuilt.

Brake Lines (8 hrs)

2010-10-16T15:03:00.003-05:00

The brake lines were made of a soft aluminum and routed down the gear legs. The toughest part was wrapping the tubing around the gear leg near the bottom to provide some flexibility to the lines where they connect to brake.

Tires (4 hrs)

2010-10-11T15:00:00.002-05:00

Tire installation is straightforward. However, one of my tubes had a faulty valve stem and required an exchange. So, this short task took over a week to complete. Thankfully, Bernie was not calling for his engine hoist yet !!

Install Wheels (12 hrs)

2010-10-05T14:50:00.005-05:00

The assembly for the wheels came in kit form and the process was well documented. But, like everything else, it takes quite a bit of extra time when doing it the first time.

Gear Down (6 hrs)

2010-10-01T09:34:00.035-05:00

The fuselage was on carts for nearly two years to make it easier to work on. Now comes the time to lift it off the carts and put the gear down. This involved a considerable amount of reorganization in the garage because the tail wheel adds about 2' and the engine hoist needed another 2'. Until now there was 120lbs of ballast in the rear of the fuselage so the engine would not flip the fuselage over. Here, Mike Rogers lends a hand during this high anxiety process. The entire fuselage was lifted from the engine mounts and the engine. During this transition we determined there was probably 30-50lbs on the tail.

Forward Skin Committment (2 hrs)

2010-09-26T08:12:00.014-05:00

The final step of the panel is to install the forward skin. This goes on permanently with rivets. This is significant because any further work on the panel will need to be done through these access holes or from underneath the panel. Today the blue protective coating is removed, the access panel holes were dimpled for rivets and the bottom of the panel was primed.

Pedal standoffs (3 hrs)

2010-09-25T09:20:00.009-05:00

The design of the rudder and brake pedals results in inadvertent brake application when trying to use only the rudders. The inexpensive solution for this was to fashion several layers of rubber hose to the rudder pedal portion of the controls.

Flap Motor Wiring ( 3 hrs)

2010-09-23T09:06:00.003-05:00

It turned out best to route the flap motor wiring through the aft bulkhead and then up the support. This routing provided the opportunity to secure the wiring to the tunnel support as shown. However, it also required a do-over of the wiring including the Molex connector and a couple of nut plates to carry the wire.

Tunnel Wiring (2 hrs)

2010-09-13T09:13:00.001-05:00

This photo shows the baggage floors in place. The wires from the panel to the aft of the aircraft route through the elevator control tunnel and therefore require careful dressing. The hole at top is where the strobe light controller mounts underneath the baggage floor. The hole at bottom of photo is where the emergency locator beacon installs underneath the baggage floor.

Closing the floors (6 hrs)

2010-09-12T08:39:00.014-05:00

Closing the floors signifies another milestone because they are also installed permanently. This involved the floor panels under the seats and the baggage floors. A considerable amount of finishing work went into securing wires properly because they will no longer be accessible.

Baggage tie downs (6 hrs)

2010-09-11T08:51:00.008-05:00

Progress stopped when I realized there was nothing to secure baggage. The better part of a day was spent designing and locating six hold downs that were then integrated with the baggage floors.

Polyethylene or nylon lesson (4 hrs)

2010-08-30T10:34:00.001-05:00

The EFIS and autopilot both connect to pitot and static lines to calculate airspeed and altitude. I used the black polyethylene connectors a month ago when I first connected them. I then found one broke so I replaced it. Later I found two of the four broke so I had a breakdown. Then, I replaced them with nylon and routed them through the sub panel for less stress on the fittings.

Interior first look

2010-08-29T10:38:00.002-05:00

The interior was picked up from Abby and Brad at FlightLine interiors on Saturday. Here are some of the pieces temporarily installed.

Intercom and stereo (7 hrs)

2010-08-16T11:25:00.003-05:00

This was put off to the end because it was both difficult and would likely lead to do-overs. Headphones, microphones, Sirius radio, aux inputs, push-to-talk all come together at the audio/intercom. There was very little rework and all of the audio worked as advertised. All connectors were soldered and double shrink wrapped.

Center Wiring Route Trimming (5 hrs)

2010-08-15T11:33:00.007-05:00

After coming through the wing spar there were two more turns. Up the firewall and then from the firewall to the panel. These photos are primarily to document the wire protection at every turn.

Navigation, Landing and Strobe Lights (3 hrs)

2010-08-14T11:38:00.003-05:00

Chris is trimming the Molex connector for the Nav, Landing lights and Strobes. Molex connectors were used here to allow the switches to be wired out 12" because they are underneath the radios. They then connect to this point which should be easier to maintain.

Panel with power (1 second)

2010-08-09T11:18:00.005-05:00

First picture of everything working. Although the flashing lights are exciting, I get more joy from the lack of wires hanging all over the place!

Port Side Panel Wiring (9 hrs)

2010-08-07T11:09:00.004-05:00

The TruTrak autopilot is removed in these photos. This shows the final switch termination for Master, Mags and Fuel Pumps. The autopilot pitch and roll servos were terminated in the 25 pin dsub connector.

Wires through the wing spar with joystick (12 hrs)

2010-08-04T10:59:00.009-05:00

It's hard to appreciate the significance of these photos. The wiring is generally worked from the device back to the panel. There are four wire routes through the wing spar. These two in the center are the busiest. When one route does not work, you start over. All of the Ray Allen joystick connections for trim and audio were also solder terminated at this junction. Then, it all needs to lay neatly to go under covers. The first photo shows all the Ray Allen wires before connection. The second photo is the finshed routing.

GPS Antenna (3 hrs)

2010-08-02T10:54:00.005-05:00

This is the antenna for the Garmin 430W GPS. This receive only antenna will be mounted on the turtle deck of the aircraft with the round portion forward. This connection required a TNC (threaded) instead of a BNC connector for 400 spec cable.

Brake Lines (1 hr)

2010-07-20T10:50:00.004-05:00

This is a shot of the brake lines installed from pedals to firewall. It must be done now because a wire conduit will soon be installed above this point making it very difficult to access later. The black is all of the soundproofing.

Pitot Routing (4 hrs)

2010-07-20T10:44:00.017-05:00

This is a look at the pitot tube route. It is aluminum from the bottom to the top and through the pilots armrest. Plastic hose is connected with safety wire from the top and the bottom to their respective destinations. The bottom will go out to the pitot inlet. The top runs to the instruments.

Floor pans (6 hrs)

2010-06-19T08:55:00.000-05:00

Floor pans were desired in order to reduce sound and protect the sound proofing material and conduit that would run under them. There are two layers of 1/2" sound proofing holding up the pans. The pans were made with two scrap pieces of .016 laid into position to get the correct position. They were then attached with pulled rivets and painted. In this picture you can also see the finished fuel line routing.

Fuel lines to wings (10 hrs)

2010-06-13T08:48:00.005-05:00

The fuel line routing needed to be completed in order to know what space as available for the routing of wires. The support brackets that were midway through the run needed extensive modification in order to carry the lines without stressing the lines. Specifically, an angle bracket needed to be fashioned and attached to the bracket to carry a cushioned clamp.

Vent Line Support (2 hrs)

2010-05-23T09:06:00.007-05:00

Preparing for the soundproofing I noticed that the fuel vent lines might benefit from increased support. Unfortunately, there is no convenient way to attach in that area Furthermore, the attach point should ensure that chafing is prevented with and without the attachment. A 1/4" piece of vinyl is first wrapped at the attach point. Then, a 3/8" piece of fuel line is overwrapped. That is then safey wired to the gusset.

Landing Light Wig Wag Circuit (5hrs)

2010-05-23T08:14:00.005-05:00

A wig-wag circuit is similar to auto emergency flashers. It causes your landing lights to switch on/off in an alternating pattern to make you more visible. Here is another example of why it takes so long to build an airplane. How and where will you mount it? A carriage was fabricated from angle stock and mounted to a panel support arm.

Firewall Soundproofing (5 hrs)

2010-05-22T08:55:00.002-05:00

1/2" closed cell soundproofing material is being applied to the firewall and floor area. This needed to be done now because wire routes from the panel to the rear are embedded in the floor area. It was best cut with an electric knife.

Grip Wiring (7 hrs)

2010-05-09T08:44:00.003-05:00

The control grip includes six switches in a 2" diameter head. There was a considerable amount of hand-wringing over how to proceed with this. A couple of key items included 1) reading the instructions! 2) getting a lower powered 23w soldering iron 3) grinding a sharper(finer) point on the tip for this small work. There was no pre-tinning of these small clips. I would describe the soldering process as 'touch and go'. Once each piece was positioned and the builder was steady, the soldering went very smoothly.

Flap and Trim Circuits (5 hrs)

2010-05-05T08:08:00.002-05:00

This is an example of the locations that were very difficult to access with the panel in the airplane. Here the panel is back on the bench and the EIS needed to be removed. Then these connections were made to these switches and terminated about 24" out with a molex connector. This 'should' make panel install and removal 'easier'. Note the audio aux input far left in the photo underneath the intercom.

Aux Audio Inuput (5 hrs)

2010-04-24T07:48:00.002-05:00

This is from the list of unnecessary enhancements. I wanted to be able to plug in an IPOD or similar device as stereo input. This jack needed to go in line between the intercom and the permanently mounted Sirius satellite receiver.

Warning Lights (4 hrs)

2010-04-17T07:59:00.003-05:00

There are two conditions that I wanted warning lights for. The first will be alternator out signaling a pending lack of electricity. The other will be a yellow light that indicates the engine monitoring system(EIS) is detecting something. The EIS is down low in the panel-this is an attention getter. These LED's include in line resistors to permit direct connection to 12V (from Digikey).

Panel Crutches (2 hrs)

2010-04-17T07:52:00.001-05:00

Putting the panel in and out is challenging-dropping it is expensive. It is difficult to move the panel fore and aft lacking support along the sides. So, these crutches were made so that the panel can be moved fore and aft about six inches during installation without removing the panel completely from the airlane.

Conduit (7hrs)

2010-04-10T07:38:00.002-05:00

Once all of the wires were through the firewall, it was time to return to the panel connections. One of my greatest dilemmas working with the panel is whether or not to finish connections while the panel is in the airplane or on the bench. One attempt to finish connections in the airplane while upside down under the panel helped me decide. I returned the panel to the bench where I would finish more connections-some with various dsub and molex connectors. This photo shows a conduit that was added for lateral wire routing. It was also key to stabilizing the panel while it sat on the bench.

Tach Connection (3 hrs)

2010-03-24T07:19:00.001-05:00

Now each engine wire needs to be hooked up, one by one. The P-lead to magneto was done. Now, it had to be opened up again and the lead for the Grand Rapides EIS tachometer had to be added. The bulk of that lead is due to an inline resistor.

The Longest Day(s) (25 hrs)

2010-03-21T20:23:00.003-05:00

Over the last ten days I managed to position the wiring harnesses relative to the panel. From there, they were routed through the firewall with appropriate shields and grommets. Routing was determined for each of the many engine instruments. All wires were cut, fit and bundled. Total hours are probably understated. Very tedious work.

Fuel Pressure Sensor (3 hrs)

2010-03-20T07:30:00.002-05:00

Several gauges require controlled voltage to work. This is the fuel gauge. The Grand Rapids EIS outputs 4.8v and then the gauge requires a resistor. The resistor is being put in line here. Once soldered on the other quick connect, the entire assembly is shrink wrapped.

Engine Controls @ Engine (12 hrs)

2010-02-14T21:41:00.004-06:00

There were five connections to be made. One of the more time consuming aspects is that each of these connections is quite final. They are central to the engine area and require trimming that would prevent much further adjustment. Controls included throttle, mixture, carb heat, oil cooler and cabin heat.

Fire Shields (2 hrs)

2010-02-13T21:47:00.001-06:00

Fire shields mount to the firewall around the cable opening to slow fires that would be headed to the cabin. There are several alternatives to do this. I used split prefabricated shields. Then, I went to the Ace Hdw aviation department (hillman) and found some steel bushings that fit close over the cable OD. I then put these in a vise and scored a 1/16" line all around the bushings at the midpoint. Next, I split the bushings in the other dimension so they could be put around the cable. This was then put within the fire shields to both prevent fire and properly support the cable. If I were doing again, I would have used scrap stainless for the shields along with these bushings saving about $10 per shield.

Oil Separator Output Lines (7 hrs)

2010-02-06T19:43:00.004-06:00

Another lesson learned is that several things in the firewall forward area are immovable such as the exhaust and fuel lines. Once I had a clear view of them, it was time to finish routing the outputs from the oil separator. One returns oil to the crankcase, the other relieves the crankcase pressures overboard. I had determined previously that it was best to optimize the position of the separator so that the oil return worked well(first picture). This resulted in a pretty challenging routing of the larger 5/8" overboard line that required routing all around some of the immovable objects to eventually find a route out between the exhaust tailpipes.

Engine Controls @ Panel (11 hrs)

2010-01-29T21:36:00.003-06:00

I could not use the stock control panel bracket due to the addition of the oil cooler louver control. The new bracket was fabricated. All of the controls were installed to the bottom of the panel. It was then determined that the throttle cable was 2" short which required another week in turnaround of the new cable.