Project: MartinEuroXS   -  
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Builder Name:Christian Martin   -  
Project:   Europa - Europa XS   -   VIEW REPORTS
Total Hours:
Total Flight Time:
Total Expense:N/A
Start/Last Date:Apr 08, 2017 - Dec 31, 2020
Engine:Rotax 912S
 
Friendly URL: https://eaabuilderslog.org?s=MartinEuroXS

Home or Last Project Picture

Feb 01, 2022     New Engine, Cold Intake Air Planum       Category: Engine
I always intended to eventually install a new engine on my plane and the opportunity presented itself a few weeks ago. New engine is installed and runs good (as well as the rebuilt one I had before but confidence in the new engine is higher). I also built the cold intake air plenum and installed an MGL EMS-1 engine monitor.


 
Dec 14, 2021     Some pending items       Category: Interior Finish
It's been a while since I posted but on the mean time I have flown 100 hrs on N11EU. Regarding construction, when I started flying my strategy was to have the airplane completed enough to safely fly but there was still a few things that needed to be completed. Mostly finish type things and panel but other things such as the cold air plenum needed to be completed. The airplane is still unpainted.

In the pictures attached I show current work on the intake cold air planum (I have been flying with K&N cone filters), some work on the cushions and covers and an example of the many things I had to do to this "rebuilt" engine (in this picture I show carburetor overhaul).

On the seat cushions, I made some thin plywood back frames and bonded shaped foam to them. The bottom is Confor foam and the back is regular PU foam except for the headrest which is also Confor foam. The covers are simple pillow covers with some stitching to shape them properly. These covers are mostly to protect the foam since the plan is to have them properly covered once time, funds and finding the right person to do it happen.

In reality a lot more has been worked on in the last months since the airplane started flying but the airplane has been holding well and nothing on the airframe has caused any problems (cant say the same on the engine side of things).

Regarding flying, this is an incredible little plane. On the good side is amazing speed for the fuel consumption. I was not getting much speed initially with the Woodcomp prop (110 knots) but once I changed to DUC (still fixed pitch) I can now easily cruise at 1350-140 knots at 5200 RPM which is quite impressive.

On the negative side the seating is not the comfiest and learning to properly land this thing was a huge challenge but honestly it is worth it. The Monowheel is certainly a fun airplane to fly.


 
Mar 31, 2021     First Flight       Category: Flying
Europa N11EU's first flight finally took place. All went well. The airplane flew great and the flight was uneventful (except that it was a big event). The landing came out well. Just a little bounce but i was warned that would happen.

I really don't have a good picture but I did get a lot of videos from the observers. Here is the link for the first flight video:

https://youtu.be/cmMA6mfZmi0

I took a couple of screenshots of the event.


 
Mar 20, 2021     DAR Inspection       Category: Inspection
A few pictures taken during the inspection process.


 
Mar 20, 2021     DAR Airworthiness Inspection - Passed       Category: Inspection
Today was the big day. The DAR came and inspected the plane. He did a thorough inspection and at the end said the airplane was great and gave me the Airworthiness Certificate (AWC).

I will take this opportunity to thank all the special people that assisted me through the four years it took to get to this point but special thanks go to: Marty Mason, original owner of the kit, for his dedication to keeping this kit intact through so many years so that one day it could become an airplane and all the help he provided me to ensure I could register the plane with the FAA, to Bud Yerly for his patience and invaluable assistance in providing advice which made the build smoother and enjoyable, to my friends Tom Aging and Craig Cousins for the any times they came to my house to lend a hand on those things I could simply not do it alone and finally to Chapter 699 for selling me the kit and also with the help registering the airplane with the FAA.

Now comes the fun part - FIRST FLIGHT!

Stay tuned


 
Mar 05, 2021     Battery Tray Strap       Category: Inspection
Finally made a strap to hold down my Pee Wee battery. Looks a bit over built in but the idea was to have a hinge to allow the top of the strap to get out of the way to remove the battery.


 
Feb 27, 2021     Taxi tests and showing off the airplane       Category: Inspection
Put it all together and took it out around the airport to test the engine cooling and show it off a little. Since the N number is N11EU and, my friend Craig said it sounds like Eww, I guess that is its nickname. Not a very good nickname but it is EU after all.


 
Feb 27, 2021     Wing root fairings       Category: Wings
Fitted the wing root fairings. Looks good although not primed yet.


 
Feb 27, 2021     Retract test       Category: Landing Gear
Performed a gear and flap retract test. Worked well but kind of scary with the engine hoist. Used a motorcycle jack underneath the fuselage as safety.

I need to find a better way to reduce stress a bit.


 
Feb 27, 2021     Fuse panel       Category: Instrument Panel


 
Feb 27, 2021     Smoothing cooling air inlet       Category: Engine


 
Feb 14, 2021     Switch Labels and Wiring Cleanup       Category: Instrument Panel
Cleaned up the panel wiring and made some labels for the switches.It's a very siple panel so no much to label.


 
Feb 14, 2021     Cooling Duct Seal       Category: Engine
Installed the cooling duct seal. Seals well. I am going to smooth out the inlet transition to the duct so this will take a little time before it is all done.


 
Feb 12, 2021     Cowling Screws       Category: Engine
Installed nutplates and screws on cowling. You can see that by building the double flange the screws on the sides is reduced to only 4 per side.


 
Feb 12, 2021     Cowling Double Flange       Category: Engine
Built a double flange as recommended in one of the Europa newsletters. This reduces the number of screws on the cowling sides.


 
Feb 12, 2021     Screws on Aft Access Covers       Category: Fuselage
Finally got around to trimming the flanges, preparing the access covers and installing nutplates for the aft access covers.


 
Feb 12, 2021     Finished Fuel System       Category: Fuel System
Finished installing the fuel tank inlet pipe and the various vents. Followed advice from Bud Yerly on how to setup the vents. The convoluted arrangement ensures proper venting to both the tank and sight gage, helps reduce tank burping during filling and provides for a drain at the bottom of the fuselage in case of fuel expansion with a way to prevent syphoning. Pretty clever, thanks Bud.


 
Feb 12, 2021     Wing all Together       Category: Wings
Ailerons installed on wings. Looks like an airplane!


 
Jan 24, 2021     Ailerons Painted       Category: Wings
Sanded the first coat of primer and poly filling and painted last coat of epoxy primer on the ailerons.


 
Jan 22, 2021     Wingtip Lights/Strobes       Category: Wings
Installed wingtip lights. Not as elegant as the recessed ones but simple to install.


 
Jan 19, 2021     Putting it together       Category: Fuselage
So now that I have most parts completed wanted to put it all together to see how it looks and taxy around a little. Everything worked pretty good. Took he opportunity to take a few pictures. Putting the wings on takes a little practice.

The ailerons still need paint so not installed yet.


 
Jan 19, 2021     Instrument Module       Category: Instrument Panel
So managed to build the instrument module making it fully modular. The pictures shows the sequence of mounting it in the plane. This actually works well and it's pretty simple. Since my goal was to keep the airplane simple not many wires are needed. So far managed to route the wires through the wheel well so no visible cables in the cockpit.


 
Jan 19, 2021     Wings painted, reassembly       Category: Ext Finish
Starboard wing is finally painted and assembling the hardware on them.


 
 
Jan 12, 2021     Port Wing Last Primer Coat       Category: Ext Finish


 
Dec 28, 2020     First Coat of Primer       Category: Ext Finish
Port wing gets first coat of primer. Hundreds of pinholes to fill but is looking good.


 
Dec 21, 2020     Wings ready for primer       Category: Ext Finish
The two wings are filled and sanded so ready to start preparing and shooting primer.


 
Dec 15, 2020     Progress       Category: Ext Finish
Stated working on finishing the wings. Block sanded the top of the starboard wing and applied filler to the skin seam. Sanded the two aileron top filler. The pictures show the Europa invading the house, with the flaps in the dining room and the wing in the living room to let things cure with the colder weather outside.


 
Dec 08, 2020     Pinholes!!!!!!       Category: Ext Finish
The good news is that this way I'm doing it I only have to chase pinholes once. The bad news is that it's tedious! The good news is that toss is out for the flaps. Still got to do the ailerons but they Are smaller.


 
Nov 29, 2020     Finishing Flaps       Category: Ext Finish
Sanded first primer coat on port flap and sprayed first two coats of epoxy primer.


 
Nov 19, 2020     Trim Tabs Epoxy Primer       Category: Ext Finish
The trim tabs got their 1st coat of epoxy primer. This SPI primer is wonderful. Really enjoying it.


 
Nov 19, 2020     Starboard Stabilizer and Trim Tabs       Category: Ext Finish
Yesterday sanded the first coat of epoxy on the starboard stabilizer and applied one coat of urethane primer. This coat will be mostly wet sanded away. Just there to hide minor sanding scratches. Then one more coat of final epoxy primer.

I painted the anti-servo tabs (lets call them trim tabs) with the first coat of epoxy primer.

Next will be the PORT stab.


 
Nov 12, 2020     Rudder Primer Finished       Category: Rudder
Rudder looks good enough. Since when the plane is ready for topcoat this layer will have to be sanded and another coat of primer needs to be applied I don't want to add any more weight at this point. The pictures shows the hinges being safety wired at the ends to retain the hinge rod in place. This weekend the rudder should be permanently installed in the plane (it's nice to get some things done).

Moving on to the stabs.


 
Nov 11, 2020     Filling, Sanding, Painting       Category: Ext Finish
One of these days, with a little time, I will write down the details on the process I found to finish these parts.

It is my plan to bring them up to primer and then fly it like that for a year. then have the airplane professionally topcoated. I found a very nice company that manufactures their primers in Georgia and are fantastic with the DIY crowd. Their name is Southern Polyurethanes and they are great. They mostly sell primers and clears. They have an epoxy primer that is light and a bit strange. It goes on nice as a single stage urethane (it is glossy) but sands like a primer. Has no fillers so it's quite light. The interesting thing is that you can apply it and then put filler and repaint to your heart content for 7 days without the need to sand Saving a bit of work. You can see it in the picture of the white rudder. the epoxy primer I got from them is white. Its fantastic at showing defects.

Hey Marty, good job on the rudder. Looks really good!

Lots of work but in reality not worse than fabric covering. the Expancell filler with West 105 resin is great. Applies well and is super easy to sand. Cures perfect with no tackiness. Rolling the 5Start epoxy/acrilic primer is a joy and sands well. Then the application of polyester finishing putty to fill pinholes is time consuming but not horrible. Then the SPI epoxy primer, fantastic product. Some more polyester glazing filling (plan to use a little 2K filing primer to speed up the process and last coat of epoxy primer to seal the whole thing. The primer has a gloss to it and is very effective to seal the primers underneath and will not absorb oils. And it is very light. We will see.

The pictures show some of the stages of this process. I got the rudder finished and I am working on the elevator tabs (installed Flettner strips) because tropical storm ETA is keeping me from doing any further painting.


 
Oct 30, 2020     Stabs Primed       Category: Ext Finish
Stabs with first coat of primer. This coat I rolled instead of spraying it. It forces the primer into the pinholes and it simply is much easier to do than spraying.


 
Oct 27, 2020     Filling and Priming       Category: Ext Finish
Finished filling the flaps and found some time to prime one side of a stab. In the following days I will continue to san the filler and prime and sand and fill and sand......

My good friend Tom told me today the work of a composite aircraft builder is never done. Oh well.


 
Oct 24, 2020     Control Surface Filling       Category: Ext Finish
As of today Rudder, Both stabs and flaps except for PORT top are filled. Will finish filling the PORT flap top and then sanding, priming, filling, etc.


 
Sep 28, 2020     Rudder filling       Category: Paint / Decals
Started work on filling the rudder. Finally started the process of filling control surfaces.


 
Sep 28, 2020     Installed all instruments and radio       Category: Instrument Panel
The radio and intercom works! Took a little effort but it seems to be working now.


 
Sep 18, 2020     Overflow Tank       Category: Engine
So spent the last two days making a little contraption to mount the coolant overflow tank. Little things like this are a bit of fun but make you waste a lot of time. Well, at least it is done.


 
Sep 15, 2020     First Taxi!!!       Category: Engine
Today I put all the bits and pieces together and Lo and Behold it is an airplane!! Fired it up and took it for a taxi test. The airplane taxies very nice. I am surprised about the turning ratio which is tighter than I thought it would be. The engine is running great so far. Only problem: the outriggers don't fit my taxiway. Only way I can taxi down my taxiway is to keep the wheel that is on the ground (left side due to my weight) in the asphalt while the other wheel is skimming the grass. That was no problem but not sure ow it will work when I have two people in the airplane.


 
Sep 13, 2020     Brakes       Category: Fuselage
The brakes in this kit had been sitting for 16 years. I had already unstuck the master cylinder but the caliper looked very clean. Not so. The piston was solid frozen. I tried with compressed air and noting. Parties penetrant and notifying. Let it overnight and read l other. I discovered a very neat idea where you a grease gun to create pressure. Worked very well. Cleaned the cylinder and piston ama assembled in the airplane. Bled the brakes and they are working great.


 
Sep 11, 2020     Crutches       Category: Landing Gear
For the last three days I've been working on making “crutches” for the airplane so I could get it out of the cradle once and for all. It really would have helped if Europa had some sort of design and drawings for one. I had to iterate a few times to get it right but I think it will work.


 
Sep 07, 2020     Training Wheels       Category: Fuselage
After a successful engine start this weekend today I worked on designing and building the training wheels so I can take the fuselage out of the cradle. I decided to build them out of 2x4s to keep it easy. I think it will work OK.


 
Sep 05, 2020     Engine First Start       Category: Engine
This morning got last minute electrical system fabrication done. Put fuel and coolant and tied it to a tree. The engine started and ran great.


 
Sep 02, 2020     Panel and Fuel Tank Stuff       Category: Fuselage
First apologies to those who follow this log (Hi Marty) because I've been lazy lately. But progress is happening. I got the panel wired with the essential needed to start the engine. I am also almost ready with the fuel tank (that is a real job BTW).

Note that I wired the panel to 1.- Be simple, 2.- Everything is on connectors so I can remove it from the airplane easily. So far it is working. I did spin the starter yesterday, it was cool to see things moving. My panel is boring but light. No flashy lights to see when the master is turned on.

Some pictures of the fuel tank plumbing. I wont start ranting but boy I wished this whole thing was simpler. And I have the large hole. Can't even start to imagine how you do this with two little holes. I did a combination of aluminum tubes (only to the valve, hoses from that point) and AN fittings with hoses. If you think about it you have fuel feed, fuel return fuel level and drains for two sides. Gets busy and very very difficult to stick your hands in there. I cursed a lot.

For now my goal is to start the engine this weekend. Waiting for some electrical supplies but I think I can do it. That would be a real treat!


 
Aug 16, 2020     Electrical       Category: Fuselage
Started work on electrical items. Got the battery and arranged the stuff that goes on the firewall. I made a little tray for the battery today. It was fun to do layup work again and I'm happy how that tray came out.

Ac ouple fo pictures of panel progress. Put the master, ignition and start switch in place. I also got a USB charger from the aviation section at Amazon. Main reason for it is that it has a small voltmeter in it. Will see.


 
Aug 15, 2020     Fuel, Oil and Coolant Hoses       Category: Engine
Fuel, oil and coolant hoses installed. Fireshield and heat shield where necessary.


 
Aug 11, 2020     Engine Installation       Category: Engine
Got the fuel lines and fireshield so worked on installing those. Ended up a little short of material so had to order some extra. As got the cooling duct in place and painted. Slowly building the supports for the coolers and next will be to install baffles to seal it all.

An interesting picture is the one with the passthroughs. Honestly resisted purchasing one of the available passthrough kits for more than $50 so found these nice shower curtain rod flanges in Amazon, made of stainless, cost around $2 each and they are great. they are screwed to the firewall, an inner firesleeve is installed to protect the fuel lines and cables and an outer then follows. Not shown will be hose clamps that holds the firesleeve to the flange and another seals the firesleeve tight against the lines.The worked nice.

This week I will be receiving the oil hoses, additional firesleeve and fittings so the goal for next weekend will be to pretty much finish the engine mechanical and start working on the electrical. The main goal is to be able to start the engine in the next few weeks.


 
Jul 28, 2020     Trim and switches       Category: Instrument Panel
Installed the trim switch, trim indicator and by cluster of switches. Yes, that is all the switches I need. This is a copy of what I have in the LongEZ. Small it is but works great. Maybe if my eyesight deteriorates further I'll regret it :)


 
Jul 28, 2020     Fuel pump       Category: Fuel System
Found little tiny people to help me install the fuel pump. I attached it to the wheel well bulkhead per Bud's recommendation. A little tight but doable.


 
Jul 25, 2020     Mounting engine       Category: Engine
Today finished sealing the firewall using intumescent caulking. Completed the rudder pedal tubes sealing. Installed the water pump elbows and installed water pump on engine. Torqued all engine mount bolts and at last mounted the engine permanently on the fuselage.

Added some pictures of previously completed work such as the installation of the seatbelt harness, tire and brake line.


 
Jul 24, 2020     Panel Module       Category: Avionics
Today painted the instrument modules and put some instruments in it. Used Zolatone. Came out nice but a but too "stoney". The intent is to have a CF overlay on the panel face and that should make it look better. For now it's done and will worry about making it look nicer in the future.


 
Jul 24, 2020     Firewall       Category: Firewall
Completed the firewall per Bud's design. Was fairly easy to build. I did use galvanized steel instead of stainless. We will see how it holds over time but it was so easy to build that I don't care if I have to remake it. Pass-troughs are shower rod end flanges from Amazon. Stainless steel and quite nice:)


 
Jul 02, 2020     Bottom Stuff       Category: Ext Finish
I went ahead and performed the Mod 51 to strengthen the retract lever. Installed the swing arm and started work on installing brakes. Right now, with the rotisserie fixture, it is so convenient to work on the bottom that despite me wanting to do instruments, firewall and engine really bad I will first get all items in the bottom such as fuel system and landing gear done before working on the rest.

For those with good eyes and Europa knowledge you will notice I did the Mod 51 wrong. I placed the angle on the wrong side of LG08 (outboard). However, it works OK and provides a little extra clearance to the shock absorber bolt so I will leave it like that for now. Oh well!


 
Jul 02, 2020     Misc Installs - Doors       Category: Ext Finish
Now comes the fun part, miscellaneous install of various components that I removed to paint the airplane. Shown are doors and landing gear.


 
Jul 02, 2020     Completed months of sanding       Category: Ext Finish
Finally got around to posting some progress. In reality there is a lot more in terms of pictures but all this time all I really did was fill, prime, sand, fill, prime sand, fill, prime, sand....... you get the point (and I'm really sick of it but gotta get it done). As you can see from the pictures I did use guide coat for block sanding in critical areas like the seam. Works really well but I warn anyone that wants to do this that you will be trying to achieve perfection forever. I think I took it to about 90% perfect and then called it quits.

I also show the fixture I made to roll the airplane which has proved to be handy and easy to make.

Finally pictures of the plane on urethane sealer. Despite strong advice from Bud to not do this I decided I am not painting this airplane yet. I just lack the strength and my eyes are not as good as they used to be so I am going to have this plane professionally painted after I fly it a bit. The sealer would protect the primer and improve the cleaning before final paint. For now it does look kind of cool. I wanted to apply two coats of sealer but my body just quit after the first. So one coat it is and I will just say that its lighter this way although you can see some of the primer through the sealer :)

Added a picture of the windshield skirt. I think it came out nice!


 
May 05, 2020     Organizing parts       Category: Ext Finish
My good friend Tom just got his new Rans S-21 kit and is doing his inventory. I thought this was a neat picture of how he's organizing his parts. Good luck on your build Tom and have fun!


 
Apr 19, 2020     Windshield Skirt       Category: Ext Finish
Took a bit of finesse but got a nice smooth edge on the windshield skirt. Only time will tell how durable this edge is. I should probably seal it with the primer and paint to ensure humidity doesn't creep underneath the edge.


 
Apr 12, 2020     Windshield Installation       Category: Ext Finish
Fitted and bonded the windshield in place. Came out OK. The windshield is a bit thicker than the rebate in the fuselage so it sticks out a bit (always something). Have a plan on how to deal with that. But overall, as always, things coming out OK.


 
Apr 07, 2020     Bottom Primer       Category: Ext Finish
Today applied the first coat of primer to the bottom. Still much filling to do but getting there. This coat was rolled using a small foam roller that can be purchased at Home Depot. This filling primer actually rolls very smooth and nice. No masking needed, no issue with overspray and it fills pinholes very well.


 
Apr 05, 2020     Finishing the Fuselage Bottom       Category: Ext Finish
Working on finishing the bottom. Not really trying to make it perfect since nobody really can see much of the bottom, and in particular the one on this airplane. But this airplane, probably because of years of storage, had a bit of waviness in the bottom skin. I really couldn't just leave it like that. So on its side the fuselage went and sanding, filling, sanding, filling. It's coming out alright. Hopefully this week I will roll some primer on it and continue filling and sanding. I am really looking forward to finish this phase of the build one day. There is some enjoyment on it (it's neat to see the job once done) but I really want to get into more fun stuff like installing instruments, electrical, engine, etc.


 
Mar 29, 2020     Filling Primer       Category: Ext Finish
Finally, today got to apply filling primer to the fuselage. Came out pretty good with only a minimal number of defects that will need attention.

So the story with the funny looking spray booth is that one day our local EAA chapter offered that if anyone wanted a spray booth please come and get it. They were going to throw it away. So I went and got it. Took me quite a bit of effort to figure out how to put it together but finally I got it. Worked great although it is a little low and had a bit of difficulty spraying the top of the fin.

I did spray the bottom of the empennage but the bottom underneath the cockpit still needs to be filled, sanded and primed. Need to figure how to hold the fuselage up to do that.

The plan is to spray white urethane sealer and fly like that for a year. Then have it professionally finished at one point.


 
Mar 15, 2020     Finishing Fuselage Bottom       Category: Ext Finish
Need to figure a way to rotate the fuselage to work on the bottom. The idea of standing on my back like Michelangelo didn't appeal tp me too much. So made a structure to attach to the engine mount attach points and allow the fuselage to be rotated. Seems to work well enough.


 
Mar 14, 2020     HB Primer Joints       Category: Ext Finish
Today finished sanding filler in the joints and rolled HB primer.


 
Mar 10, 2020     Trim tabs       Category: Ext Finish


 
Mar 08, 2020     Filling seams       Category: Ext Finish
Filled all seams around the fuselage and fin. at least first pass is done.


 
Mar 07, 2020     Firewall       Category: Fuselage
Following Bud Yerly's suggestions on a modification to the mono firewall I proceeded to make templates. I think it came out pretty good, we will see. My plan is to forget making the firewall from stainless steel and will instead build it using galvanized mild steel as it is done in the Maule's, Piper Cubs and probably other aircraft. After hearing about the horror stories of how hard it is to cut and drill stainless why bother. Well, this experiment will show the pros and cons of either material.

This firewall is made from four pieces: two sides which bolt to the foot wells. Then a lower piece and an upper are bolted to these support angles. All pieces are fairly simple to make (mostly flat or with one bend) except for the upper part which requires a space for the bungee. But it's really quite simple.


 
Mar 01, 2020     Filling fuselage joints       Category: Fuselage
Since panting the interior is finished today I finally started to fill the joints in the fuselage exterior. I haven't quite gotten the hang of it but getting there. Initially brushed too much epoxy on the surface to improve adhesion. The problem with that is that the micro filled epoxy will absorb the epoxy on the surface and get too wet. The trick is to apply the coat and then almost remove it with a rag or paper. It will probably take a couple of applications to get the right technique.

Included are a few pictures of the painted interior. The plan was to cover the sides with panels but since I had the paint in the gun decided to spray the sides anyway. Actually it doesn't look that bad so probably will leave doing panels for last. Yes you can see a few wrinkles in the glass but looks OK and its light.


 
Feb 22, 2020     FWD Interior Paint Finished       Category: Fuselage
Forward section of cockpit is painted and clear coated. Need to finish aft bulkhead and the door frame. Still need side panels, floor carpets, etc. A bit tedious and progress has been slow but its coming out nice.

Included a few pictures of the interior.


 
Feb 16, 2020     Interior Paint       Category: Fuselage
Finally, sprayed Zolatone! Overall, the process went well. The outcome was good although not perfect. One thing is that there is a technique to applying this product. It's actually not as bad as I expected but the instructions on how to apply must be followed. A little practice before applying the product would have been nice but in reality you don't want to waste product and where are you going to find a surface large enough to really get good practice? The second thing that hindered perfection was the use of a cheap Harbor Freight pressure pot spray gun. The gun is not that bad but for some reason the paint would not flow at times. That caused the coverage to be a little uneven. But honestly, unless you are going for a Grand Champion award, to spend $300+ on a good gun was outside of my budget. Anyway, the result was actually quite good except for a couple places were it could have been better.

The pictures don't do much justice to the job but here they are. The areas you see unpainted in the pictures will be covered with upholstered panels. Interestingly, Zolatone hides a lot better than I was told it would. The baggage compartment ceiling was sanded but had a good number of wrinkles in the glass. Although that area was a bit if a challenge to spray, it resulted in the best finish. So yes, you do have to hide big imperfections before spraying Zolatone, but it does a great job of hiding small ones.


 
Feb 10, 2020     Interior Finish Continues Category: Fuselage
Entries to this log have been few. I have been working on the plane but progress seems slow. Mostly filing, sanding and priming the interior. Maybe I am overdoing it but I do wan't it to look good and the surface finish of the interior as it comes in the kit is quite bad. But I have pretty much finished prepping the interior and it's primed. Just need to finish some detail on the aft bulkhead and its ready for final Zolatone spraying. Today I ordered the Zolatone and the pressure pot spray gun needed for application. I am hoping to start applying Zolatone in a couple fo weekends from now. No new pictures today because it all looks just like the previous pictures of the interior priming.
 
Feb 01, 2020     Interior priming       Category: Fuselage
After filling and sanding the CM primer was sprayed. Only the areas that will be sprayed with Zolatone are being primed. At this point, since I can't really paint during the week, I just keep fixing little imperfections on the primed surface. then when the weekend comes I spray the areas that need it.I expect to have the Zolatone and its spraying equipment by next week. It;s looking pretty nice.


 
Jan 26, 2020     Cockpit Module Paint       Category: Fuselage
Some work done this weekend filling imperfections in the cockpit module. Ready for another coat of primer.


 
Jan 20, 2020     Interior       Category: Fuselage
Rolled primer on the CM back seats and headrests. Now comes the filling, sanding repainting phase........Once all primed it will be Zolatone time.


 
Jan 01, 2020     Interior Finishing Continues       Category: Fuselage
More sanding and application of primer on the interior. The front part is starting to look better with only some minor blemishes needing attention. Rolled fresh primer on the baggage area, leaving areas that will have carpet unpainted.

Panel module still needs work but primed the instrument face to continue the finishing process.

Once the priming is finished the application of texture paint will follow. Installation of carpet and side panels will complete this finishing process.


 
Jan 01, 2020     Paint Category: Fuselage
 
Dec 27, 2019     Interior Finish       Category: Fuselage
Although I have not updated the log in some time I have been working on the interior finish. I will post pictures as soon as it starts looking like progress is made. For now it's all filling and sanding and dealing with pinholes so it doesn't look like much progress is being made. I had a big issue with the mix ratio of the filler I was using (polyester) and had to remove the filler and redo the work. Fortunately not much was done before the mistake was caught.

What I am finding is that the interior molded surface is so rough that my original plan to use texture paint throughout the interior, as in my LongEZ, will be very difficult and time consuming. So I will change the plan and use more upholstery fabric to finish the interior. Certainly not my preference but necessary given how bad the interior surface really is. Don't know how other molded composite airplane kits look like inside but this one is pretty wrinkly and not very attractive.


 
Dec 16, 2019     Started painting       Category: Fuselage
Progress is now a bit slower than in the past. I am starting the process of preparing the fuselage for painting and working on the interior paint. Pictures show some of the progress.


 
Dec 07, 2019     STBD wing spar pin latch       Category: Fuselage
Completed the installation of the starboard pin latch base. Still need to come out with a way to keep the pin in the base. Unfortunately, the dimensions given in the manual to construct the base make it too short to make a latch the way indicated in the manual. I'll have to come up with something different.


 
Dec 07, 2019     Getting ready for finishing       Category: Fuselage
Removed all components from cockpit (controls, rudder pedals, etc) and closed holes to start cleaning and sanding the fuselage.


 
Nov 22, 2019     Glassing Latch Base       Category: Fuselage
In the process of glassing the starboard latch base.


 
Nov 16, 2019     Door latch bushings Category: Fuselage
For those following my build will have noticed I haven't made much progress in the last week or so. Work and health challenges kept me away from working as much as I used to.

However, I have opened up the holes for the door latch bushings and slowly finished bonding the door latch bushings to the fuselage one at a time. I am happy with the end result on the doors. They fit quite nice considering they where already built for another plane.

Also finished clecoing the cowling in place. On the cowling my feeling is that it came out so-so. Not too bad but the fit is not as perfect as I would have liked. I do think at this point that the issue has to do with slight mismatch between top and bottom cowling moldings. Oh well, I may do something about it when I am in the finishing phase. No pictures this time around (not much to see anyway)
 
Nov 07, 2019     Door Latches       Category: Fuselage
Today reinforced the door frame and made the holes for the door latches to latch the door to the frame. Came out good but now I need to enlarge the holes to install the bushings. We will see how that goes.


 
Nov 01, 2019     Engine       Category: Engine
Nice picture of the engine. That muffler is a thing of beauty! And the fit was superb.


 
Nov 01, 2019     FWF Progress       Category: Engine
The following pictures show the progress made to date on the FWF. As you can see I got the cowling fitted. Put a lot of effort to make it perfect. Came around 90% of what I wanted to achieve but I know what to tweak to make it nice.

Then muffler came in. Super nice and something that fit perfectly for a change.

Last was fitting the oil reservoir, which is the reason why I installed the cowling and muffler before doing this. Just to make sure I had proper clearance.


 
Oct 27, 2019     Engine Alignment and Cowling       Category: Engine
Performed alignment of the engine and started fitting of the bottom cowling. It's not attached yet as there is some thinking to do to ensure is it in its proper place.


 
Oct 26, 2019     Finished Baggage Compartment Aft Bulkhead       Category: Fuselage
Today I did a build marathon and finished the aft baggage compartment bulkhead. I was really concerned about this job since it seemed pretty much impossible. Reality is that the tapes at the floor ribs and sides were a bit hard, but the aft side of the bulkhead was not too bad and relatively easy to do (despite how tight that bulkhead hole is). Yes, my ribs are probably going to hurt for a week but this is now done. Big milestone, the airplane is pretty much structurally complete (yes, you survive the aircraft building process by setting all these little milestones, then you realize how much you still have to go). But hey, lets keep ""Drinking the Kool-Aid""! But seriously, I am very happy to be at this point.

I guess every Europa builder out there had to take a selfie of how it looks like when working on this bulkhead. I'm still amazed its done.


 
Oct 25, 2019     The "Layup from Hell" Continues.       Category: Fuselage
So the saga of the ""Layup from Hell"" continues, but at least now I know that it is possible to do. But painful it is. For those who haven't built an Europa and are reading this, this layup consists of reinforcement tapes around the edges and ribs of the aft baggage bay bulkhead. The manual calls for taping both sides of the joint. Now, the side facing the cockpit is easy. Those areas reachable through access holes are OK. But then there is all the corners that face inward into the fuselage and are almost impossible to get to. I was told I needed to grom foot long fingers to do this. Anyway, today I did one of the most difficult edges. With the use of a stick I was able to position the tape in place. It was OK but my ribs hurt from doing gymnastics to reach thorugh the bulkhead's aft opening. Well, the good news is that I am getting this done. I consider this the last painful structural job in this build. Much more to do but mostly finishing and systems.


 
Oct 23, 2019     Oil Tank Bracket       Category: Engine


 
Oct 23, 2019     More Bulkhead Tapes       Category: Fuselage


 
Oct 19, 2019     Starting Da Tapes From Hell !!!!!!       Category: Fuselage
Started installation of the tapes from hell: the tapes in the aft bulkhead. Scratching my head as to how you really do it. I did the easy ones today (accesible). We will see how it goes with the non accessible ones. I decided to go slow on this so as to not hate this airplane. One at a time.

I also did the small cutout on top of the rudder.


 
Oct 17, 2019     Some instruments installed       Category: Instrument Panel
Some of the holes cut and instruments mounted. Looking great. I'm happy I decided to restore the faces and cut the holes. Restoring the faces took some time (I actually used this opportunity to start practicing finishing) but cutting the holes didn't take more than an hour and they came up perfect.


 
Oct 13, 2019     Sanding       Category: Instrument Panel
Sanding, filling, sanding, filling. But it's looking nice.


 
Oct 09, 2019     Module restoration       Category: Instrument Panel
I am restoring the instrument panels module faces since I have decided that it will be easier and quicker to just make holes on a composite face than to make a flange and install aluminum panels. At the time I make this entry I have already cut the holes and it was a very quick and easy job. I designed the location of the instruments to allow space for a flange so that in the future I can make aluminum panels. But honestly, my longEZ has composite faces like these and it has served well for 20 years.


 
Oct 05, 2019     Restoring Instrument Module       Category: Instrument Panel
The instrument module in my kit was used and had some rather large cutouts that I didn't care for much. So I decided to restored them by closing and glassing the openings. I also built couple of flanges, that point in the right direction mind you (the module had flanges but pointed the wrong way and were pretty much useless), at the bottom of the module to screw it to the firewall. The pictures show the flanges as well as the plywood covers installed and glassed on the inside. Next to do is to glass the plywood on the outside, fill and prime the module. The the fun part, install the instruments.


 
Oct 02, 2019     Fixing module       Category: Instrument Panel


 
Sep 29, 2019     Boding Aft Bulkhead       Category: Fuselage
Today bonded the aft bulkhead to the fuselage. Now need to apply the countless tapes to reinforce the bonded joints. Some avid Europa builders may notice that the perimeter of the bulkhead is bonded using a white epoxy. This is Aeropoxy 6240. This is a toughened epoxy recommended by them and it is equivalent to the one Cirrus buys to manufacture their aircraft. Since Redux is so hard to get and expensive I save it for the structural items (wings, fuselage joining) and use the Aeropoxy for many other less demanding areas in the Europa.


 
Sep 28, 2019     Aft Bulkhead       Category: Fuselage
Taped ribs to bulkhead floor. Bulkhead is now ready to be installed in the fuselage.


 
Sep 28, 2019     Throttle Quadrant       Category: Engine
Marty made a throttle quadrant housing from a neat wooden plug. A little sanding, paint and a pretty assembly is born.


 
Sep 28, 2019     Aileron Quick Connects       Category: Fuselage
Installed the aileron quick connects.


 
Sep 22, 2019     Repositioning Aileron QC Pivot Bolts       Category: Wings
After stretching my fingers to make them as long as E.T. (for those old enough to know what I am talking about) I re-positioned the aileron Quick Connect pivot bolts. Yes, you need those un-earthly long fingers to reach stuff in there. On a serious note, over the years I amassed a collection of small and large hemostats that are invaluable to performing such jobs. I just need to remember to recover all the parts that fell into the fuselage that I can't retrieve until I remove the wings (nope, the bottom hole, albeit large, wont allow your hand to fit!!). First I drilled the counter-bores on the spar. Then checked the alignment of the bolts as instructed in the manual. The port wing was almost right-on requiring minor enlargement of the existing hole. The starboard side was a little off but not much. A little filing, epoxy mixing and bonding and it's done (or so I think).


 
Sep 14, 2019     Engine Install       Category: Engine
I haven't done much work for some days due to hurricane Dorian woes. This weekend is tropical storm Humberto but I managed to get some good work in despite the distraction. In the last week I worked on getting the engine prepped and the ring mount painted and installed. I also spent a bit of time getting the cradle reinforced and providing better support to the fuselage since the its weight is increasing considerably.

Regarding engine install, one of the pictures shows the ring mount on primer before top coat. Today my friend Tom and I hung the engine on the fuselage. I kind of installed the prop to see how it all looks like together. This thing is starting to get long :). Some of the pictures shows the progress. I may do some engine related work in the next few days but need to get back to the baggage compartment bulkhead and finish that so that I can call the airframe mostly done.


 
Sep 06, 2019     Survived       Category: Workshop
So hurricane Dorian went by. I know this spot was probably the closest it got to Florida. The eye wall bands were just touching Port Orange. Massive and scary category 5 hurricane that destroyed Abacos and Grand Bahama. I was convinced we where going to get hit hard. Moved the LongEZ to Tampa and piled up the Europa parts against the hangar walls to protect it (not shown in the pictures). The hurricane went by and we only saw gusts of 30 knots. Phew!!! We got VERY lucky. Slowly getting back to the build. Started prepping the engine ring mount for painting which I hope to do tomorrow.


 
Aug 28, 2019     Aft Baggage Bulkhead       Category: Fuselage
After a week of in/out, in/out, in/out ......... I finally got the aft baggage bulkhead trimmed and in place. Fits really well. I had to do this job twice. I found out when I finished fitting the first time around, but luckily before I bonded everything, that my cradle was deforming the fuselage in the aft part where the bulkhead fits. When I discovered that and moved the fuselage to relieve the pressure on the bottom all the rib measurements and trimming I did was wrong. No problem, the beauty of composites is that anything is fixable which I did and all is good now. If you look at the bottom of the ribs up close in the picture you will notice I had to extend the rib a little (about 10mm). I learned this lesson, the fuselage bottom is very flexible aft of the cockpit module so it can't be supported at all in the empennage. So I modified the cradle (once again) to ensure all support is only in areas where CM bulkheads are located. I also increased the area and placed more cushion to spread the pressure.

BTW, a bad hurricane is coming this way and I don't feel like doing any building until the thing decides where it wants to go. I am really hoping to still have a project next week....


 
Aug 20, 2019     Rotax Ring Mount       Category: Engine
A little reaming of the engine mount bolt bushings was necessary for the 10mm bolts to fit. Good fit now. I got this ring mount used so need to strip and paint to make it look good.


 
Aug 18, 2019     Making Engine Noises       Category: Engine
Broom Broom. Modified my Lycoming engine stand to mount the 912 on it. Put it in front of the airplane to make engine noises. Man! that engine look tiny!!


 
Aug 17, 2019     Wing Root Plies Category: Ailerons
Completed the wing root plies. Something I left for later and finally got it done.
 
Aug 14, 2019     Mass Balance Arms       Category: Ailerons
Finished layups of the STBD aileron balance arms.


 
Aug 11, 2019     Mass Balance Arms       Category: Ailerons
Bonded all lead tips to the aileron mass balance arms and check for proper throw. I am getting 24 degrees with no problem. I then made the UNI layup on the STBD aileron.


 
Aug 10, 2019     Aileron Balance Weights       Category: Ailerons
Bonded foam aileron arms, checked for aileron travel, adjusted and bonded the lead weight.


 
Aug 10, 2019     Bonding Aileron Hinges       Category: Ailerons
Bonded the aileron hinges to the ailerons.


 
Aug 07, 2019     Port Aileron Mass Balance Arms       Category: Ailerons
Cut the mass balance arms out of foam (including the shape of the lead tip) for the Port wing and taped them to the aileron to verify proper aileron throw and location. Cut the slots in the Port wing to install the aileron. Next step is to adjust the position of the foam mass balances, bond the lead and permanently glass them in place.


 
Aug 04, 2019     Rudder Hinges and Baggage compartment       Category: Fuselage
This weekend worked on permanently attaching the rudder hinges (bonded and riveted) and on repairing, trimming and fitting the aft baggage compartment bulkhead. The bulkhead needed repair because the access holes were cut too large and the flanges were gone. With this repair the flanges are repaired. The bulkhead access holes were then opened up with a proper flange and the entire bulkhead was trimmed to fit in the fuselage.

Next the ribs that support the floor of the baggage compartment need to be built and the entire bulkhead needs to be bonded and taped in place.


 
Jul 31, 2019     Got Radiator!!!       Category: Engine
First entry on the engine section. I found a radiator. May need to send it out to inspect it and fix a couple dings but looks great.


 
Jul 31, 2019     Door Hinges and Gas Sturts       Category: Fuselage
Yesterday worked on the doors and finished fitting the hinges and struts. Still need to finish the shoot bolt holes. But now the thing looks a little more like an airplane :)


 
Jul 28, 2019     Progress this Weekend       Category: Fuselage
Work completed this weekend: tailwheel and door installation


 
Jul 26, 2019     Progress to date       Category: Fuselage
I'm starting a phase where I am catching up to a bunch of tasks that I didn't complete in previous chapters. My goal was to complete the larger structural items and then get back to these. In the pictures here I installed the rudder cables including the rubbing blocks to protect the engine mount and part of the nylaflow tubing routing.


 
Jul 20, 2019     Seat pans       Category: Fuselage
Seat pans


 
Jul 14, 2019     Flap Drive Tube       Category: Fuselage
Installed the flap drive tube in the fuselage. The bedding for the tube hinge brackets was done using regular flow with release tape on the brackets. Now that all the components are installed and aligned properly I am going to pop loose the brackets and bond them to the floor using Redux.


 
Jul 12, 2019     Flap Drive Tube Slots       Category: Fuselage
Marked and partially opened the flap tube slots in the fuselage.


 
Jul 09, 2019     Flap Drive Pins       Category: Flaps
Finally got around finishing the flaps by installing flap drive pins.


 
Jul 07, 2019     Retract Lever Safety Latch       Category: Fuselage
Installed the retract lever safety latch. At the end worked out OK but it turned into another one of those little projects that should take one hours but ends up taking the whole afternoon.

BTW, I think that the lever sits a little low for my taste. If you follow the instructions, they tell you to have a height of 3/4"" clearance under handle. But this is at a stage where the aluminum gate plate is not installed. Bu the time you add the plate and the safety latch not much space is left for your fingers. It will be OK though but I would have given it just a tad more space since the lever doesn't go into the instrument panel recess too deep right now.

One last thing, follow the instructions in the manual on how to install the safety latch at your own peril. They are awful in that no dimensions are given. You are led to believe the bottom edge of the latch should be almost touching the gate plate (per the picture in the manual) but don't do that! If you don't leave some tolerance under the latch at the pivot bolt area then the lever won't come out of the gate. I had to grind material off the latch after installing it when I discovered this clearance is a must. Very annoying indeed.


 
Jul 07, 2019     Flap/Gear Lever       Category: Fuselage
Installed flap/retract lever today. Showing retract and extended positions.


 
Jul 06, 2019     Mounting Instrument Panel Module       Category: Instrument Panel
Attached the instrument panel module to the firewall. A bit tricky since this module was already used and I wanted to reuse the attachment points. Ended up drilling through the nutplates to place the holes in the right place. Worked fine and not the module is attached. A bit of work will be needed to rebuild the flanges where the panel will attach. I'm not happy with the way the flanges were cut in this module. In places it cuts into areas outside were the panel would be and an opening would show.


 
Jul 06, 2019     Wing Pin Bushing Reinforcement       Category: Fuselage
Got around to competing the pin bushing reinforcement


 
Jul 04, 2019     LE Lift Pin Fuselage Reinforcement       Category: Wings
Completed the leading edge fuselage lift pin reinforcement. I guess at this point the wings wouldn't fall of the airplane If I could fly it ��icture of port side here. Starboard side is similar.


 
Jul 02, 2019     Wing TE Tie Bar is completed       Category: Wings
Today the tie bar tunnel closing was completed.


 
Jun 30, 2019     Wings TE Tie Bar       Category: Wings
The TE tie bar is painted and installed. Coming up next is to tie it to the tunnel.


 
Jun 22, 2019     Glass TE Tie Bar Gusset - STBD Side       Category: Wings
STBD side gusset glassed


 
Jun 20, 2019     Glass TE Tie Bar Gusset       Category: Wings
Glassed the port tie bar wood gusset.


 
May 31, 2019     Trailing Edge (TE) Tie Bar       Category: Wings
Today I made the gussets for the trailing edge lift pin sockets tie bar. I also bonded the gussets to the cockpit module.

One thing to be clear is that I did not follow the manual to build the tie bar and mount it to the fuselage (that doesn't mean I don't carefully read the instructions, then change them as I see fit). I seems to be doing that a lot and with good success lately (until it bites me I guess). The reason I deviated from the manual is that the way they have you build this requires that all holes drilled through the round steel bar and gussets (both steel and wood) be drilled in the airplane, right against the cockpit module's aft bulkhead and with limited space. I hate doing things like that!

So I built the tie bar, including all gussets, outside of the plane. Drilling all holes that go through steel in the drill press and then bonding it to the fuselage cockpit module. It worked very well but it does require a bit of precision. Would I recommend it to other? Well, yes but again it depends how confident you are of your ability to be very precise when drilling holes and lining up things.

The pictures show the process of installing the wood gussets to the tie bar and then bonding them to the fuselage.

I am going on a family vacation for a week. When I come back I will glass the wood gusset (that should be fun), paint the tie bar steel parts and finally permanently install the tie bar in place. After that the front sockets internal reinforcement. Did I mention the reinforcement jobs never end? Why wasn't all this molded to the fuselage to start with? Not whining since I do have fun building this thing but no wonder the build time is more like 2000 hours instead of Europa's claimed 500 hours.

Enjoy the pictures.


 
May 29, 2019     Bolting Lift Pin Sockets and Installing Tie Bar       Category: Wings
Made a contraption by gluing a bubble level to the drill and it that worked well to drill the tie bar flange holes. I had my doubts but it actually worked very well. Don't ask me how :) Anyway, tie bar cut, holes drilled, LE lift pin socket bolts installed. Work to continue installing the LE tie bar. It never seems to end! Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce. Well, one day it will be done.


 
May 25, 2019     Wings Successfully Attached       Category: Wings
Completed installation of TE lift pin sockets. The wings can now safely stay on the airplane without support and can be removed to continue work to reinforce the wing attach points/


 
May 19, 2019     Bond TE Lift Pin Sockets       Category: Wings
Today was a BIG day! Did the layup over the TE Lift Pin Sockets and it was so hot that it was cured early afternoon so, what the heck, I decided to bond the sockets in place. All went well and I believe it all came out very accurate. We will see once it flies I guess.

The pictures show the finished TE shims, shims after glassing and the sockets bonded in place.


 
May 18, 2019     Trailing Edge Hardpoints       Category: Wings
Today I shaped and bonded the training edge hardpoints.


 
May 14, 2019     Fuselage Lift Pin Attachments       Category: Wings
Found a way to reorganize hangar and place the airplanes inside while having the Europa with the wings on. This will allow me to finish fitting the wings to the fuselage. Today checked incidence, sweep and dihedral and it's all looking really good. Fabricated the plywood shims for the TE lift pin socket mounting. As predicted (brought up by Bud a while back) the port side LE pin is almost against the fuselage while the starboard side one is separated a bit. He mentioned mold defect. So shims will be required for that side. But everything is looking good so far.


 
May 12, 2019     Wing Lift Pin Hardpoint Reinforcements (Fuselage)       Category: Wings
This weekend was quite productive. I am finally fully engaged into the build chapter covering fitting the wings to the fuselage. I know I keep saying that everything I am doing lately is a milestone. But this one is a biggie. Although after fitting the wings there is still a ton to be done, I feel that fitting the wings signifies one of the last items that are critical to the success of a great flying airframe. Do it wrong and you have a crooked airplane. And so, I am taking my time to do it right.

Once thing worth mentioning is that this is a tough part of the build since it would be nice if the wings could be fitted and left in the airplane until the wings are fully fixated to the fuselage. But although I do have a large hangar, I would have to leave the LongEZ outside for a long period of time and that is not an option with the storms we have been getting lately. But the work is progressing and I hope to have the wings attached to the fuselage in a couple of weeks.

So to the progress this weekend, I reinforced the fuselage in the areas where the wings lift pin sockets are installed. Not a hard job. Next step is to install the sockets at which point the wing's incidences will be set.


 
May 05, 2019     Bonding Wing Pin Bushings       Category: Wings
This weekend the wings were rigged to the fuselage, all angles checked (perfect) and then the wing attachment pins were bonded to the cockpit module as well as the starboard side spar socket.

This is a deviation from the manual since it instructs to bond the bushing to the cockpit module even before it was installed in the fuselage. This made no sense to me since it could easily result in the bushings not being properly aligned (and in fact many builders report issues in this area).

I had to design pins to allow the spars to be pulled together toward the cockpit modula but this process worked very well.


 
Apr 30, 2019     Wing Spar Sockets       Category: Wings
So it is said that you will always hit a plateau during any serious activity. I got the wings closed and slumped. Haven't done much to the Europa in a few weeks. To be honest, I did work hard on the LongEZ annual and it's back in the air. Also worked on reorganizing the hangar which was much needed to create additional space for the next phase of the Europa build.

In the mean time and, in preparation for mounting the wings in the fuselage, I have modified the cradle to make it sturdier (the airplane is gaining weight) and installed the wing torque pins on the root rib. I put the wings together in the hangar and today installed the starboard spar socket. I was planning, probably unwisely, to not install them. But when I tried to mount the wings on the plane it was so hard to align the spars and insert the pins that I changed my mind :)

Next step is to install the port wing socket and then install the wings in the fuselage. Very exciting stuff indeed.

Some pictures of the progress:


 
Apr 12, 2019     Finished Vertical Fin, Rudder Install       Category: Fuselage
A couple of weekends ago the vertical fin was finished (ribs, radio antenna and tip), rudder was installed and wings trial fitted to the fuselage. The following pictures show the progress.
Pictures:
Radio antenna installed. Connection shown below lower rib:
One side of the antenna dipole goes up into the fin through slots in the ribs. The antenna is bonded with epoxy:
Wings fitted for trial. The spar pins are in place but the torsion pins are not hence the need to support the wings with cradles still. The sternpost and rudder installed in this picture:
Another view of the plane. All major components together for the first time. It's starting to look like an airplane:


 
Mar 24, 2019     Fin Assembly       Category: Fuselage
Bonded the three ribs in the inside of the vertical fin. Not shown in the picture is the completed installation on the COM antenna which was installed on the inside of the fin. Preparing the assembly to install the sternpost.


 
Mar 24, 2019     Wings Completed (Almost)       Category: Wings
The wings shown here. Skins closed and in the racks. Still needed to be done is a small torsion layup on the skin on the root.


 
Mar 16, 2019     Both Wings Now Closed       Category: Wings
Today I completed to what is to me the biggest job, closing both wings. As always, first wing was a learning process with the second wing coming out better. Both are fine, just different level of perfection :) As previously explained, didn't want to go through the process twice so decided to close the wing in one step (instead of pre-filling the gaps). I think came out good although I am sure quite a bit extra epoxy was used out of fear of going too dry. It seems that in this process you either have too much adhesive or too little. Some picture of the process and result:

Pictures:
- Inboard portion of wing with adhesive
- Outboard portion of wing with adhesive
- Picture of me ready to close wing
- Wing with weights holding skin down
- Today is getting a little cold so tent with some heat applied


 
Mar 10, 2019     Bonding Top Skin (PORT)       Category: Wings
Today the port wing's top skin was installed. Process worked well and did the job in one pass without pre-filling the rib gap as many people do. This I did because I found a way to check the gap between the top skin and the ribs. With this knowledge it is then easy to apply the appropriate amount of adhesive and bond the skin. Some pictures here to document the process:

Pictures:
Wing ready for closing:
Top skin ready for closing:
Determining gap between ribs and top skin:
Top applying adhesive while I mix:
Weight applied to the top skin:
Top skin clamped to the root rib flange


 
Mar 06, 2019     Sanding Bonding Areas of Wing Top Skin       Category: Wings
Today started sanding the bonding areas of the wing top skin. The wing is now fixtured over the table and need to get ready for the skin bonding process.


 
Jan 08, 2019     Aileron Hinges       Category: Ailerons
I waited until ready to install the ailerons on the wing to install the hinges. Both Port and STDB ailerons have the hinges but held with clecos in the wing until all is shown to be perfect.

Pictures:
1.- Here you can see the extent to which I held things in place to ensure the hinges are properly aligned


 
Jan 08, 2019     STDB Wing Aileron and Flap Fitting       Category: Wings
So I am building the wings in a completely different sequence than what the plans call for. Because the plans SUCK!!!! At least in this section. So I am holding everything in place with clamps and clecos and slowly placing things in their corresponding places. Once happy I will glass and bond things in permanently.

Port wing has ailerons and flaps staged with clecos and clamps. I find that working on both wings at once the things learned (and tools on the table are readily available to make faster progress). Yes, the second wing comes out better, Argh!!!

Pictures:
1.- Here is progress on the STDB wing. Ailerons mounted with clecos and the flap in place held by clamps


 
Nov 20, 2018     Reinforcing the Wings       Category: Wings
Progress has been slow. Life obligations caught up and I had to take care of them. Unfortunately the Europa build progress suffered a little. But I got the tapes that reinforce the wing spar to the skins done, including the root ribs. I also finished the aileron closeout reinforcement on the starboard wing. Unfortunately the weather is getting colder and it's becoming hard to find days where it is warm enough for me to do epoxy work. Started working on other things but really wanted to get the wings reinforcements done.

Pictures:
1.- Spar to skin reinforcements
2.- Root ribs reinforcements
3.- Aileron closeout reinforcement starboard wing. The tent is because its starting to get cold and needed to blow some hot air in there.
4.- One thing I have been doing on the side is working on my panel planning and electrical. Decided to make the panel in small sub-panels for ease of maintenance and for a different look. The subpanels will be made of aluminum and covered with carbon fiber with a gloss finish. Some items are duplicated to experiment with location. I am trying to go for the round gage look. Don't like EFIS instruments too much (although my LongEZ has one and I used to fly airliners). I modeled the entire panel in 3D using SolidWorks. Sounds like a lot of work but it wasn't too bad. And now I can move things around. This is where it stands today.

Next in line is the port wing aileron closeout reinforcement. Waiting for warmer days (even in Florida we have low temperature problems).


 
Nov 04, 2018     Work started on the wings       Category: Wings
Work started on the wings. Fitted the W18 pates although decided not to fix them in place until time comes to fit the flaps. Don't see the point of fixing them now until alignment of flaps can be verified.

The bottom wing skin to spar tapes were installed today. Root ribs still need tapes and then will place the wind LE down to install the tapes I=on the upper skin side.

Pictures:
1.- W18 plates in place but not fixed yet:
2.- Started work on flaps hinge plates but will not fixate anything until all is verified.


 
Oct 21, 2018     Finished Fuselage Chapter       Category: Fuselage
Milestone achieved! This weekend I taped the firewall aft face to the upper fuselage, finished the lower corner straps and bonded the landing gear engine mount frame to the lower fuselage. I still have a few minor things here and there to complete from previous chapters but now need to go ahead and work on the wings.

The challenge is how to rearrange things in my hangar to gain the space to work on the wings. That is the reason I went ahead with the fuselage before the wings :)

Pictures:
1.- Upper mass balance stop
2.- My dear patient wife with the fuselage
3.- The fuselage with stabilators


 
Oct 14, 2018     Bonding Fuselage Top       Category: Fuselage
This weekend the top of the fuselage was bonded to the bottom fuselage. Now that the top is on, I needed to make a platform to crawl into the tail of the airplane. I then proceeded to install the mass balance column upper brackets. Despite seeming like a really difficult job it was not that bad. Here are some pictures:


Pictures:
1.- Trimmed the reinforcement layup around the spar opening
2.- Mass balance top brackets
3.- Stuck inside the roomy tail
4.- Bonding at aft bulkhead. Interesting but doable
5.- Daughter Michelle pulling rivets
6.- Top bonded


 
Oct 01, 2018     Fuselage Progress       Category: Fuselage
Again, more time spent working on plane (and family) and less on keeping this diary up to date. I have pretty much completed all tasks required to bond the top. The following pictures show some of the progress to date:

Pictures:
1.- Torque tube installation:
2.- Rudder cable guide at rear bulkhead:
3.- Rudder cable guides at mass balance column. Composite with Nylaflow tube inside. I will regret this design if I need to remove the column one day :):
4.- Stiffener rib behind aft bulkhead at torque tubes bearing level. This was done to reduce flexing of the skin that leads to the torque tube bearings and minimize binding:
5.- Stiffener rib behind aft bulkhead at bonding flange level:


 
Jan 21, 2018     Remove Pushrod Bracket       Category: Rudder
Some time has passed since my last posting. The Holidays and the cold weather has delayed progress some but I'm getting back to speed again. Most of the progress has been on the cockpit module and you can read that in that section. But I also worked on the rudder a little. Removed the hinges since I didn't find them straight enough for my taste. And call me crazy but my goal in this plane is to keep weight low. So I am removing the rudder pushrod system and going back to cables. May have it's problems (and I may regret it) but I want to try the cables and simplify the system. I will keep the hardware to go back to pushrods one day if needed.

So I removed the bracket, sanded all fiberglass that was added during it's install, replaced foam and covered with BID. Here are some pics:


 
Dec 28, 2017     Aileron Root Closeout       Category: Ailerons
Got all control surfaces done (well, skinned) so just finishing left over stuff, in this case the root closeout.

Still have the hinges and aileron counterweights. After reading about people having issues with location of mating stuff in the wing will wait until I begin the wings to finish this. I want to work on something different anyway.


 
Dec 28, 2017     Trim Tabs Tips       Category: Trim Tabs
Just getting some of the things that needed finishing done. Tip ends. This completes Chapter 4.


 
Dec 21, 2017     Trim Tabs Drive Pins Glassed       Category: Trim Tabs
Completed glassing the trim tabs drive pins.

They say you must have a picture of yourself doing something so that the FAA believes you built this thing :) I cut the pre wetted glass in poly sheets for glassing the tabs. Worked very well. You can see the patterns on the table.

Both trim tabs done


 
Dec 17, 2017     Trim Tab Drive Pins       Category: Trim Tabs
Bonded the Starboard drive pin plate. Got things aligned and Port drive pin is ready for bonding.


 
Dec 17, 2017     Pip-Pin Holes Drilled       Category: Tailplanes
Got the tailplane pip-pins holes drilled. Will leave openings small for now until later in the build when I will decide what to do with them. Right now I got 3/16"" holes.


 
Dec 13, 2017     Tailplane Assembly       Category: Tailplanes
Started tailplane assembly. Checked and corrected alignment of the drive pins.

Pictures:
1.- Used bushings to mark drill points and use as drill guides
2.- Drilling holes using drill guides
3.- Bonding bushings
4.- Complete assembly


 
Nov 26, 2017     Tab Hinges Installed       Category: Trim Tabs
This week completed installation of the trim tab hinges. Still need to do some trimming for free movement, installation of the drive pins to finish chapter 4. I still need to glass the tab tips, which I decided to do after hinge installation to be able to sand and get an even gap.


 
Nov 22, 2017     Trim Tabs LE and Root Glassed       Category: Trim Tabs
Finished glassing and trimming the Trim Tabs LE and Root. Next the hinges.


 
Nov 18, 2017     Started Trim Tabs       Category: Trim Tabs
Go started with the trim tabs. Got one ready for glass today.

I think I already explained this but I added a foam wedge instead of following the plans and using flox to set the tab drive pins at the correct angle. This should be cleaner than a big blob of flox that is hard to control.
The Port tab ready for glass (tomorrow)
They say you need to have a picture of yourself building the airplane for the FAA to believe you did :)


 
Nov 18, 2017     Starboard Inboard Rib. Chapter 3 Complete!       Category: Tailplanes
Big milestone. Chapter 3 is complete!

Finished Starboard inboard rib and rebates. Lets see if I can finish the tabs to start putting some hardware on these things (getting a little tired of doing fiberglass all the time :)


 
Jul 17, 2017     Aileron Tip Closeouts       Category: Ailerons
This weekend got the aileron tip closeouts done.


 
Jul 09, 2017     Aileron Hinge Recesses (Vees)       Category: Ailerons
Well, I got the hinge recesses done. What a PITA!!!

First I cut the foam in the Port aileron and the foam didn't cut very cleanly. Bunch of gouges but at least the angle was OK. Stardboard aileron was much better by cutting the foam and leaving a good amount which I then sanded with a wooden block that I cut at the correct angle of the Vee. That worked a lot better. Then I glassed the Port aileron first following Rowland's advice of placing all layups in poly sheet and then transferring. That worked well except that the line of glass at the LE came out to wavy for may perfectionist taste. I changed the technique a little bit and the Starboard layup came up much better. Oh well, I guess that in these cases you get to perfect the technique in the first and do better on the second.

In any case, it looks like such a small job and it ends up taken an inordinate amount of time. But this is a milestone. The ailerons are now skinned.

Following are some pictures of the work during the weekend.
Port Aileron done. Note the cradle. It's amazing what you can do with stuff you find around the house and it actually worked great :)

Here is a picture of my epoxy pump setup. Pictured here is a mixer I build many years ago for the Cozy build. Everyone says you cant use mechanical mixing because you get too many bubbles in the epoxy. So I designed this mixer to turn very slow and to scrape the walls and bottom of the cup as it is mixing. I have a timer that runs it a preset time (I have it set at 5 minutes now). When the mixer finishes, I manually mix for another 30 seconds making emphasis in scraping the walls. The epoxy comes out perfect with no bubbles. This lets me work while the mixer mixes another batch. I'm just too lazy to sit there mixing epoxy :)

Next weekend I will trim the glass layup I did this weekend and will start work on the flaps. I am trying to get all large layups done this summer to take advantage of the heat to keep the control surfaces as light as possible. I will work on the closeouts during the week if I can since there is no need to do large glass work for those items.

So to close this posting, yesterday I was working on this layup and by my taxiway, Lo and Behold, a Europa taxies by!!! I ran after it to find out that it belongs to my neighbor Alan Burrows. Just two houses from mine! This is a gorgeous airplane and it sure is a motivator for my project. He's going back to England for the summer but told me he would take me for a ride when he got back. Can't get any better than this :)


 
Apr 29, 2017     Straightening the Rudder       Category: Rudder
The rudder was pre-skinned when the original kit was delivered but it seems that over the years a bow set in it. I took the opportunity to post-cure and straighten it. It took 60C to make the epoxy reach Tg and reshape the part. A small ceramic heater, a lab grade temperature controller and multiple thermocouples provided peace of mind while post curing.


 
Apr 08, 2017     Project Start       Category: Buying Kit
First entry of build log site entry to initiate Martin Europa XS A291 Project.

Included picture of the aircraft to set as project picture. The other two pictures show the pickup form the EAA Chapter in Atlanta that sold it to me and then the kit unloaded back home in our hangar. Parts organized to start inventory.

My son participated in the pickup and transportation process so it was quite fun and a good experience for him.


 


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