Jan 29, 2023     Weight and Balance - (4 hours)       Category: Inspection

An IA was nice enough to lend me top equipment to weigh the Sling. Nothing like having the right tools to make the job easy. Unusable fuel added, full oil, fire extinguisher,and documents on board.

The numbers..... 1157 empty weight, 937 pounds of useful load.

  Dec 28, 2022     Interior panels - (16 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

Fitting and adding the interior panels. Lots of work with drilling and adding the rivnuts. Black oxide button heads for the look

  Nov 15, 2022     Farings & finishing - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Now that the wings are on it is time to get some of the finishing work done. Since my paint job is dark grey I opted for black oxide steel button heads for the finishing look. The plain steel is for the light grey

  Nov 02, 2022     Finding Elevator trim problem - (12 hours)       Category: Controls

I wanted to set the trim parameters with the G3X but was having issue with the sensing. I had to try to trouble shoot the problem from the wiring connections thru the G3X setup... very tedious to find the problem. The trim would move normally on the stick and the G3X test panel but not indicate position consistently. Finally, with multiple passes thru the wiring the offending pin was found and corrected

  Oct 28, 2022     Flaps torque tube - (6 hours)       Category: Controls

Now that the wings are attached it is time to get the flaps and other control surfaces connected. Started with the flaps and worked my way thru the ailerons.

  Oct 24, 2022     Install the wings - (16 hours)       Category: Fuselage

After mounting the ailerons and flaps, attaching the control rods, the wings were ready to put on the aircraft.

A little light reaming was required as the spar plates were not perfectly aligned. A consult with my neighbor IA confirmed that this was needed to not damage the bolts if they hung up on any offset plates during install. 4 total persons (brother, wife, hangar neighbor, and myself) made it easy to manage the wings and get the required alignment. The spar and bolt fit was very tight and the IA gave it his ok.

16 hours is a total of 'man-hours' (person-hours? installer-hours?) :)

  Oct 18, 2022     Doors- Making it Rain! - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Even thought the aircraft will be in a hangar at home there will be times it may be parked and flown in the rain. I really wanted to make sure the seals were good. Three times I had my wife 'make it rain' on the aircraft as I sat inside looking for leaks. Finally got it right with the sealant and weather strip.

  Oct 13, 2022     Mounting the Tail feathers - (12 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Starting to look like an Aircraft!

Mounted the Horizontal Stab, elevator (twice), Vertical Stab, and rudder.

Contrary to the build instructions and Maintenance Manual, it is almost impossible to attach the elevator control rod end to the elevator horn through the stated access holes. A call to Torrence to talk to one of the builders revealed that yup, do something different. Take off the the rod end and bolt to the horn before mounting the elevator.

Next, attach the cables and the cable guides

  Oct 13, 2022     Paint Finishing Work - (16 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals

I have kept my paint scheme simple. This finishing involved placing the vinyl stripe and "N" number on. The stripe was a bit challenging to keep straight but it did seem to turn out well

  Jun 03, 2022     Fuselage work - (23 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals

This a rough job for one person. ;)

Endless prep work. I got a reasonably sharp line between colors.

I started on the paint covering for the Sika on the plexiglass. I had to make one repair on the glass

  Jun 03, 2022     Some QB fixing to do - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

The fuselage was a QB that had a few things to fix over this build. The latest was removal of the rivets that will hold the steps on each side of the aircraft. Also, I had to drill out rivets and place rivnuts on the aft section.

Luckily, I notice the need to make these changes before I started painting the lower half of the fuselage

  Apr 27, 2022     Paint education - (18 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals

The regulations talk about building an experimental aircraft ...."that the project is for educational and recreational purposes;"... boy. am I getting educated! My technique is getting better but I have made most of the common errors as I expected.My new education will be fixing the common painting problems..sags, fish eye, orange peel, etc.

I am using a 3 part system; chromate primer, color coat, and clear coat. The paint has a high gloss finish already but I am clear coating to give my self some working room. This will be in the finishing and buffing area. I will be able to fix most of my errors at this point. My goal is to get the aircraft airworthy soon and then, over time, deal with the finishing.

Safety is important so I purchased an external breathing air system. I wear a chemical mask under a paint hood which has the external air pumped into the hood. When I exit my booth I can safely disconnect the breathing air and exit with the hood and chem mask. All doors in the hangar are open to vent the filtered fumes from the booth while painting. The hangar also has an evaporative cooler to pump filtered fresh air into the entire hangar.

  Apr 08, 2022     Endless Prep work :) - (18 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals

In for a penny, in for a pound...since I have chosen to paint my aircraft it comes with a lot of work. Pro Paint shops will have an aircraft for quite a while to prep and paint and have several workers doing it. It's just me so I have been filling/sanding endlessly and also starting some masking.

Every aircraft usually come with control surface balance data. Sling simply states, 'build it correctly and you don't need it".. Hmmm. Just for my peace of mind I borrowed a tool to find pre-painted balance numbers that I will compare to the control surface after paint is applied. I have experienced control buzz from an out of balance surface before and I would like to avoid it.

Much, much more to do..

  Mar 25, 2022     Seats & More carpet - (6 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

Finished the front and rear seats and glued more pieces of carpet around.

  Mar 15, 2022     Build the paint Booth interior - (9 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals

Set up the paint booth and built an interior structure that will serve 2 purposes.

1) When i don't need the booth to be fully inflated it will rest on the structure. Also, this is a safety feature in case of power loss the booth will not fall on the painted work,

2) There will hanging beams to attach the parts for painting.

I added more air filtration to the intake portion to the painting section

  Feb 18, 2022     I made a rotisseri wing stand - (8 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals

I am painting the aircraft myself and I have wondering how to paint the wings properly. Many rotisseries are made for aircraft with a strut but that will not work with this type of wing.

I noticed a jig made for wing construction and saw that a modified engine mount may do the trick. A center beam was place to extend the reach out to about the center distance of the wing. Next, 3/8 plate steel was welded and drilled to form the same structure as the aircraft center spar box.

This arrangement will allow me to rotate the wing in the paint booth to allow better spray position

  Feb 18, 2022     Interior almost complete - (25 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

I really can't set up the paint booth until it warms up a little bit so, in the meantime I have been completing the interior. Many small sections of carpet need to be cut in the complex section of baggage compartment and glued. The rear seat belts were then installed.

The front section had the center console panels installed after final fuel and brake line leak checks were completed.

Floor carpets fit perfectly.

Next the side wall panels were fitted and marked for the M4 button head screws and then removed. After the wings are bolted in position, they will be permanently installed.

  Feb 18, 2022     Engine warrantee Repair - (10 hours)       Category: Engine

After doing the required runs and another oil purge the tappet would still not seat. Sling authorized the warrantee. Before the mechanics came, I had a grounding issue that prevented Lane A or B and fuel pump starting. The guys from Midwest came by after one of their installs and located the offending wires. All is electrically good.

That solved, the tappet was replaced. No damage to the engine running the bad tappet was discovered The Rotax installed tappet did not have the spring installed during manufacturing. I am surprised that issue was not discovered during the Rotax engine test stand run

  Dec 19, 2021     First Start - (18 hours)       Category: Engine

Fitted the propellers, Checked all fittings and performed the oil purge.

First start went ok, however, the intake valve on the #2 cylinder would not check. The problem is not the clearance with the valve and the rocker but that the lifter has no compression at all. The instruction say that if you have a "soft" lifter to run at 3500 rpm for 5 minutes to purge the remaining air out but I am hesitant to do so with such a loose lifter.

I have a question in to a Rotax mechanic to see how I should proceed.

  Oct 31, 2021     WIndsheild - (14 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Measure 6 times... cut/grind once!

The advice was to work with the plexiglass and not against it. Compound curves on both the aircraft with even the slightest variations of the surfaces made this a tedious process. Remembering that you can not put back what was ground away I took my sweet time. Shaving and fitting to see how the plexiglass reacted to the last bit of cutting.

I used a carbide cutter that also had not only an edge but a face that allowed fine shaving. I combined this with a hand file and a precision motor grinder. I intentionally used low grit so as to not accidentally take away to much material at any one time.

Sika and straps with soft insulation blocks to hold in place as the adhesive cured.

  Oct 31, 2021     FInal Engine & Cowl instal/fit - (12 hours)       Category: Engine

Installed the oil and coolant radiators. The oil radiator fit perfectly and all parts were there.

The coolant radiator did not fit well into the supplied lower cowling. The lower cowl has been quite difficult from the start. Of the 2 points for the radiator to fit and attach, one side was done well and the other was not. I had to grind down where the radiator would not lie flat. Also the support of the bad side had to be reinforced with epoxy & fiberglass mat and reshaped to accept the mounting hooks.

The angle brackets supplied came with 2 large holes drilled (?!) that made riveting the hinges impossible. Soooo..., I made new ones. I am getting more comfortable fabricating my parts rather that waiting (how many months?) for new ones to be sent from South Africa.

The remaining hoses were wrapped with heat shield and fittings finally torqued and torque seal applied. I am going to have an IA inspect the firewall forward before engine start.

I epoxied a layer of heat shielding to the exhaust area of the cowing.

  Sep 29, 2021     Cowl Part III - (25 hours)       Category: Engine

It's been a tough month to get things done as they are flying me quite a bit.

As I stated previously, the lower cowl was not in the best shape (in talking to other builders, the consensus is that my composite issue are most likely caused by the worker removing the parts from the mold before they were fully cured).

1) The lower cowl was mis-aligned.. 2) the nose gear fairing was not centered. 3) the air filter intake was significantly out of alignment. 4) the cowl sides fit perfectly but the nose are by the prop is off.

The following are the fixes applied to the above issues. The heat gun got quite a work out. "Rolling" the gear fairing to center it with the gear. Fabricated a new air intake and attaching to the cut down portion. Trying to align the nose pieces together.... this required adding some fiberglass to the bottom lip and building up to match the top lip. Finally, the exhaust fairing was epoxied and Superfil used to make a smooth seem.

I only used the larger 4002 camlocs on the portion that attaches the cowl to the fuselage, I used 7 smaller 2700 camlocs for the sides and the inspection doors. TAF Torrence was using more of the larger camlocs along the sides which I thought was a good idea but I decided the smaller camlocs in the greater number would be fine

Whew! Next? Install the props and run the engine, finish paint prepping and get the booth set up

  Aug 23, 2021     Engine Cowl II - (7 hours)       Category: Engine

I have a mis-formed lower cowl and was having trouble getting things even remotely to fit. I had some down time in LAX so I went down to TOA to see what I could learn. I talked to the man that puts on the cowls for the Sling assist build there. He showed me a jig he made and the process and steps they are using there. It's a bit different from the manual.

I made my jig and started as instructed by TOA. Mark a centering line on the aircraft on the upper fuselage by the firewall. Rotate the prop hub to create a level center on the spinner. Put the jig in 2 spinner screws. The jig has adjustable jam nuts to set the vertical and the jig mounting holes are elongated for horizontal fore/aft. Drill #30 and put clecos to set (to be filled later). I attached the bottom cowl to check fit and luckily the offending side just barely fit.

Now that the upper cowl is fixed and will be the reference for the bottom cowl after the edge is trimmed and cam-locks installed.

  Aug 16, 2021     Engine Cowl - (11 hours)       Category: Engine

Started fitment of the cowl. I added the inter-cooler and intake box to make the fitting better. I will add the oil cooler and engine coolant radiator at a later date.

First, getting the cowl front edges aligned. The usual sanding and heating to Get the upper and lower halves edges mostly in alignment. Next I needed to fabricate a 5 mm spacer between the spinner and composite cowl. Oddly enough, Home Depot has a 5 mm underpayment board that is perfect for this. Next, I will then fit to the aircraft.

  Aug 16, 2021     Passenger strut Bracket. Reshape the wrong Part - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Once again, I received the wrong bracket part. Right and Left are defined (at least in the USA) as if one is sitting in the aircraft. I have requested the right (passenger side) several times now and I just received another LEFT. So, fed up, I decide to modify the part into a RIGHT (passenger). So digging onto the metal shop brain and consulting an IA, the process is this, Carbonize the Aluminum part, this establishes a heat point for softening the metal. Next, using a metal brake, reshape the part 180 degrees and the hammer into the proper shape.

  Aug 16, 2021     Vertical Stab Fairing - (13 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Fitted the fairing for the vertical stab. As usual with the composite pieces, sanding, heating, shaping was the order of the day to make it fit.

  Aug 16, 2021     Finish Brake System - (4 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

After putting in the Throttle/Brake quadrant I filled an leak checked the brakes. I had to make a small mod on the threaded portion of the piston to allow full freedom of movement. There was not enough movement to allow the piston to the full extension and I was concerned there may be pressure to the brakes which could result in dragging.

A 1/4 inch was removed and full freedom was noted. Brakes were set and checked next day for leaks.

  Aug 16, 2021     Fuel Mod Complete - (11 hours)       Category: Fuel System

After mounting the w new fuel pumps in the wing roots I then had to wire the the pump switch. This is an ON-OFF-ON. I want to have a microswitch in the fuel selector valve that would automatically switch pumps with the valve position, but the area was just to limited in space and I needed a more secure location for any movement.

The switch obtains power from either main fuel pump A/B switch. I opted for an OFF position in case of any problem with the wing pumps. The switch contains lights that show power to the pumps when selected.

  Aug 13, 2021     Propeller fitting - (4.5 hours)       Category: Propeller

Putting the prop hub on with the electric prop control plate. I will wait until the cowl is fitted to put the props on. Customs inspectors tore the dust covers off the hub (looking for smuggling!?) but did not put them back. I inspected for debris then covered the prop hub in new tape.

  Jun 26, 2021     Fuel system redesign - Part 2, preliminary work - (11 hours)       Category: Fuel System

06/26/2021

Back to work full time so the Sling build really slows down.

Finished the install of the 2 wing root fuel pumps. The plumbing is finished for the fuels systems and should add robust safety with pressure supplied form each tank to the selector then to the Rotax pumps.

I will put the wiring/switch work under electrical when that taks is completed.


06/15/2021

After replacing most (but not all) of the rubber hose fuel lines in the forward firewall I began to re-think the fuel delivery from the tank to the firewall. I have never been happy with the TAF fuel pump added just down stream of the Fuel Select Valve for the following reasons....

1) It is one pump (with a bypass) for both tanks. The reasoning is for the vapor pressure of the fuel. This is a valid reason as my airport is 6000' MSL and I routinely fly at 12, 000+ MSL. However, still not happy with just one pump.

2) The pump is located in the cabin. Multiple leaks points after the Selector Valve with the pump, bypass, and other connections

3) Noise and safety. Fuel pump instructions (on most pumps) ask that the pumps be installed near the fuel tanks and at the same level of the tank. While many pumps have a stated "Lift" height and should suction from the tank the best application in nearest the tank. I did a test on the suction Lift of the pump and was not impressed. For these reasons I would prefer the pump to be in the wing roots.

I decided to purchase 2 Facet electronic pumps that will reside in the wing roots. The power to the pumps will be supplied to each individual pump at any one time via an SPDT NC-NO micro switch. This switch will be located on the bottom side of the selector plate just in front of the valve assembly and the fuel selector arm will activate the respective pump with the selector lever position. All power for these pumps will come from the A or B pumps switches on the main panel.

Anytime the A or B Rotax pumps are selected, power will be supplied to either wing root pump based upon the fuel selector position.

First, I removed the installed TAF pump and bypass. The supply line then was connected directly to the firewall ( as in older designs!). I then had to decide how to mount the pumps in the wing root. Using the existing rib required additional support and stiffening. I fabricated additional support plate and shaped it with a metal brake to add stiffness. These will be riveted to the rib.

  Jun 13, 2021     Exhaust - (6 hours)       Category: Engine

Made the modification to exhaust pipe to fit the cowling. The cut was in 3 parts. Cut away the welds. Cut the lower half of the pipe. Removing that section allows the final cutting of the upper section. The fit was fine but the support clamp had gaps and I did not not like the firmness of the fit as it clamps over the half shroud. I fashioned a piece of metal to fit the other half and make a smooth complete circle. The support stack fits fine.

  Jun 08, 2021     Alodine & Tedious Filling of rivets - (15 hours)       Category: Paint / Decals

Alumaprep & alodine the empennage and a few other parts. Wear gloves!

I do a set of rivet filling when I just want a mindless diversion. If I do a little at time it will not seem like so much. I not tracking the time filling rivets because I do it so randomly.

  Jun 08, 2021     Fitting the Doors and Latches - (26 hours)       Category: Fuselage

The fitting of the doors and latches has been more of a challenge than expected. After mounting of the hook latching to the doors ot became evident that the latches won't clear the fuselage lip. The passenger door was significantly ill fitting. After looking carefully at the door and canopy it became evident the canopy center portion where the doors bolt was slightly askew. Add to to how the door fits in the fuselage made things problem. I took a lot of measurements and sent them to the TAF. They came back with the advice of of bending the latches to fit however, that much bend would not allow the latch to properly retract. TAF said they would get back to me but I haven't heard back.

After some consultation with an IA I came up with a plan.

1) Treat the door installation as a new install.
2) Fill the TAF drilled bolt holes where the hinges attach with epoxy
3) Re-align the hinges with the best fit possible.
4) find the high spots and sand door and fuselage edges, in general, a bit of reshaping the door to fit.

Finally, I extended the passenger door rear latch hook out a couple of mm with a new spacer. I used 5/16 bar stock and made a new handle center post that is slightly longer than the supplied and tapped a new screw mount to hold the forward latch hook.

Today I put everything together and got the passenger door mounted. Not going to lie... It's ugly but it will now open/close/lock.

  Jun 08, 2021     Revising the fuel lines - (21 hours)       Category: Fuel System

6/8/2021

Finishing up the firewall forward metal fuel lines. The lines have heat shield wrap and I also wrapped the fuel filter bypass. I am still not very happy with the rubber supply line to the engine so I may redo to reposition the line with the jet "T"

5/9/2021

I have decided to redo the firewall forward fuel lines. I want to install metal lines as much as possible. I will leave the fuel hoses that attach to the engine for vibration purposes. The fuel pressure sensor should be located as close to the pressure source as possible so I fabricated a mount for the sensor above the gascolator.

More work to do but here is the initial work on the fuel lines

  May 09, 2021     Intercooler and Oil Lines - (12 hours)       Category: Engine

Test fitted the intercooler and and mounted for radiator hoses, oil lines, and put the heat shield on the required hoses.

When the fuel lines are finally fitted the Fire sleeves will be installed

  May 09, 2021     Putting the panel back together - (4 hours)       Category: Avionics

Now that the dash is back in place with the defrost system and the forward fuselage piece put on the avionics can be reinstalled.

  May 09, 2021     Finishing Air system - (12 hours)       Category: Cabin AIr

Finishing up the air system. I isolated the defrost section of the dashboard by using a foam that will compress and allow some leeway when installing the dash.

The CEET duct has been attached to the new Airmaster panel valves. I will get new plates to cover where the old valve levers were positioned. I am considering running a small heat duct down the center channel to the rear seat area.

  Apr 19, 2021     Forward canopy Composite - (16 hours)       Category: Fuselage

The composites that came with the kit have been quite a challenge. Miss-shaped and and some times a little damaged (see my post on a wing tip)
I have become accustomed to heating and shaping along with some filing to get the proper fit. I sent a lot of time fitting, removing, heating, (repeat) to get a fitment I could use to final rivet.

The canopy composite seems to come with pilot holes..... Do Not Use them. I thought they were a guide but it turns out not to be the case. Fit with straps and use the fuselage rivets and center measurements as your guides. The newer manuals have more photos to help with alignment. The rivet hole finder is your best friend in this procedure.

I found it easier to epoxy the spacing strap, firewall, and cowling attachment together so that there was not metal straps flopping around. After aligning the metal pieces the holes were up-sized to 4.0 mm (5/32) with a reaming bit. These bits are really nice because of how smooth they leave the hole.

I had one particularity badly shaped corner that I managed to get into reasonable fit. Holes were counter sunk and generous amounts of Sika was applied

  Apr 19, 2021     Adding Interior skins - (10 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

Finished cutting and adding the Super SoundProof to the interior and affixing the skin. I had to remove the rear seat stops to get the skins installed. The build manual shows the stops installed many pages before this step. Some portions of the skin did not have all the rivet holes punched so my handy rivet hole finder to the rescue.....again.

Cleoed from center outward to ensure alignment to keep the large sheet from 'stretching' in any one directionm

Skins and rear stops now installed properly,

  Apr 19, 2021     Adding accessories - (6 hours)       Category: Engine

Cutting and fitting coolant hoses, oil hoses, fuel lines and running the Rotax wiring.

I decided to upgrade the oil hoses with MIL 6000 hose. It has a 10 year life and it a bit more robust. Cutting and fitting is actually easier than with the hose supplied by TAF. The problem is the AN8 fitting with a 12mm ID hose.... difficult to fit is an understatement.

I will go with with metal fuel lines as much as possible in the engine compartment.

My son (also a pilot) was visiting so, of course, I had to put him to work!

  Apr 02, 2021     Re-Thinking Cabin AIr - (6 hours)       Category: Cabin AIr

I have heard that the airflow to the rear seats from the side channels was minimal, at best. The air goes through a mixing chamber on each side mixing outside air and air from the heater core. It then goes into a side channel, making a 90 degree turn. Halfway down the channel there is a tab protrusion that blocks a portion of the channel. Also, there have been reports the the supplied vents did not sufficiently close off the cold outside air in flight.

I had thought about adding something like CPU fans at the vents to draw air in but thought about the added weight, power problem, and complexity. While installing the avionics tray it became obvious that the air system was making things difficult.

I decided to simplify the system by removing the mixing chambers and side channel transitions. I purchased AveoMax vents that are now directly duct by CEET to the vents. I believe the airflow will be increased out of the vents. Heat is solely provided to the floor and defroster. I may run a smaller heat duct down the center channel to the rear floor.

  Mar 24, 2021     Preliminary Fit of Rotax 915 - (4 hours)       Category: Engine

I took the engine off the shipping mount and put in on the aircraft mount loosely.

A special shipping riveted nutplate had to be removed from the engine itself that facilitated bolting to the crate. I had to grind the steel rivet to remove the plate. Once completed, the engine was hoisted into position and the mounting bolts finger tightened. Now the task of finishing fitting the accessories.

  Mar 23, 2021     Install the avionics & antenna cables - (15 hours)       Category: Avionics

With rack installed the avionics came next. The main wire bundles were pre-made and run through the aircraft. The comm and GPS antenna were then run. I added a tiered support through the center channel to support various items.. AOA, Pitot, and static on one level. Fuel lines bottom level, Wire bundles and antenna mid level going to the lower levels.

I had already wired the connectors to the landing/taxi, position/strobe lights, trim motors and servos. These were happily found to be of the correct length with only one connector miss-pinned. The wings were rolled around to check panel switches and pitot heat...I fabricated battery cables and ran power to the relays and mounted an aircraft ground on the firewall. A final check of the Garmin systems with software updates was completed

It was nice to have help in this important task

  Mar 23, 2021     Panel Supports and Rack - (10 hours)       Category: Instrument Panel

The guys from whom I ordered my panel came to help install the panel and test the avionics.

First order of business was to install the back panel support and make a vertical rack bar to strengthen the avionics rack. While that was going on we had a discussion of the air system and its effectiveness with air handling, especially to the rear seats through the side channels

I made a decision to rework the air system so some panel mods were made by first removing the airflow levers from the panel.

  Mar 07, 2021     Interior Lighting - (16 hours)       Category: Lighting

The canopy over head light wiring was supposed to be pre-wired by the manufacturer when the composite canopy was formed. Mine was not. This was confirmed by a series of emails with the company.

The canopy is formed as two pieces with foam blocks separating the the pieces as it is put together. I had three options. 1) Skip the standard overhead lighting all together, 2) rig an in place battery system for over head lights, 3) tunnel like a fracker thru the curving canopy to create a path for the wiring. After consulting with engineering on structural integrity of the canopy I chose option 3. If option 3 didn't work then I would do option 2

I purchased long 12'" 1/8 bit that I could slightly bend as I manually turned through the foam blocks to create a path. Then I pulled through slightly bigger stiff wire to help make the paths larger. My borescope was put to good use to keep me straight and to insure I didn't start accidentally head for the canopy walls and punch a hole.

Tedious but, successful.

I pulled all the wiring for the rear push-on type lights and the forward red dimmable lights. No to make wire connector to the panel for the lights

  Feb 28, 2021     SERVICE BULLETIN #0002 - (4.0 hours)       Category: Fuselage

2/28/21

Got the email response and it is clear the pattern and fix I have to do. Not to bad to make this SB complete. The "??" pointing at the odd rivet is what came from the factory in that position (oops?).. Engineering said to leave it alone.

I really feel for the guys that have to this to a painted aircraft



2/18/2021

A Service Bulletin came out about the attachment of the the two halves of the fuselage and the rivet pattern that connects them. The rivet pattern is not symmetrical on each side so careful counting is in order

My pattern looks different from the 'before/after' descriptions so I marked the the area and have sent an email to technical with what I think the fixed should be for my aircraft.

We have been moving to another town (5 minutes from the hangar!) so work on the plane has slowed to a crawl for a while.

  Feb 11, 2021     Battery and start panel rack - (3 hours)       Category: Avionics

Got an EarthX battery which saves some weight. Also starting the initial fitting of the avionics rack.

  Feb 11, 2021     Run Fuel lines and boost pump - (10 hours)       Category: Fuel System

The have been many changes to the fuel system of the TSi since the kit was delivered.

1) There used to be 2 inline fuel filters that have been replaced by a single large filter on the fire wall (I think that's good)
2) After the fuel selector valve the is now a single extra boost pump that feeds the the ROTAX pumps and is used mainly for takeoff and high altitudes when using Mogas.
3) the addition of a Fire Wall mounted fuel filter
4) the Addition of a gascolator.
5) The routing of the fuel lines through the firewall is different.

The addition to the center channel of the boost pump interferes with foot warmer because of the needed bypass check valve. So a slight reroute from the pump to the firewall had to be planned out.

I have to plan differently as the firewall is getting crowded and the running of the fuel lines (with fire covering) has become a Gordian knot of a problem. This is also the general area of the inter-cooler.

I may relocate the galscolator as well add AN6 90 degree fuel fittings in different spots to accommodate the fuel lines.

I was having trouble reconciling the fittings with how the instructions are depicted so I sent an email to TAF. The factory sent a photo of the new way the fuel lines go through the fire wall and the now use fittings that attach to the firewall vs. the old way of running the hoses through rubber grommets. Instead of drilling new holes in the firewall I have decided to use the existing holes with different grommets. I am happy with the result, a firm attachment point and grommet protection.

  Jan 30, 2021     Install Auto Pilot Servos - (5 hours)       Category: Avionics

Installed the Garmin autopilot servos. The kit had too many LH thread eybolts (not enough RH!) so I ordered them online rather than wait for South Africa to ship. I also installed in the same area two missing support channels that were supposed to have been installed at the factory according to the plans.

The elevator servo and control rod is completely installed. I will finish the aileron connection to the control stick when the control stock is installed at a later time.

  Jan 30, 2021     Fabricate wire shelves - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

The center console is where all things go forward and aft. Brake lines, fuel lines, rudder cables, pitot-static lines, and wiring.The channel soon gets stuffed with these items and it can be a challenge to keeps things from getting in the way of other things. I saw another builder had the observation that there is a lot of unused vertical space in the center console and place two small shelves to run wiring bundles.

I only learned a few things in Engineering school.:

1) I can't study after a kegger..
2) Don't reinvent the wheel
3) If someone has a good idea, use it

So I am fabricating these same shelves to make using the center console easier for running the wire bundles. Here is 1 of 2 I made.

  Jan 30, 2021     Seat Belts - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Installed the 3 point front seat belts. The center latching will not be installed until the rear portion of the center console is complete.

The shoulder attachment point needed both sides to be reamed with a Dremel tool for the bolt to fit. I found the bolt to put too much pressure on the composite so I made a spacer to prevent seating pressure on the composite..

The inertial reel had to have the belt removed so as to feed the belt through the side longerons. The trick is to make sure the inertial reel doesn't spin back to the retract position.

  Jan 30, 2021     Assemble Selector valve - (12 hours)       Category: Fuel System

The fuel selector valve is pretty straight forward. LEFT/RIGHT/OFF. a pull knob to get to the off position with return lines. Fitting the valve is another story. The valve sits at a slight angle with respect to the panel an transitions to the center console. It is required to dismantle the valve to fit the barbed fitting at a certain angle both on the left and right and on the top.

Once this was done a test fitting was done with the composite housing that makes up the dash.... it did not fit.

Ideas were tossed about like tapping the fitting so they would seat lower (tried it, minimal help). Heating the composite to make room for protruding fittings. (did it, but I did tnot ake it too far so as to not distort the composite). Finally, an email to Sling (TAF) to see what the deal was. They admitted it won't fit as is and said they grind down the corners of each brass fitting and sand the composite away.

So I ground the corners of the brass fittings and used my own heat method on the composite because I was not comfortable sanding the material away

  Jan 30, 2021     Cowling and accesories - (7 hours)       Category: Firewall

The strips to which the cowling will eventually attach call for 3.2 mm(1/8) rivets but the skin was dimpled for 4.0mm (5/320 rivets). the 3.0mm flush rivets sat too deep in the dimple so I made the decision to up size to the 4.0 flush rivet to match the skin. This leaves the upper 3.0 mm rivets for attaching the forward windscreen dash.

Attachment holes at the end of the strip did not line up with the skin so I used the rivet finders to match up 2 new holes.

I have been adding rivnuts to the firewall for items not listed like the gascolator. I had to procure more grommets and fit for firewall pass through.

  Jan 07, 2021     Installing Cowling Strip & firewall Items - (10 hours)       Category: Firewall

Started to add the Rivnuts to the firewall and add items. I added the coolant overflow tank, battery box, Brake reservoir, and the rubber support mount for various other items

Much more difficult was the fitting of the cowl strip. This required aligning 4 pieces of metal that run from the top center along each side of the fuselage (right & left). Starting from the outside you have.... fuselage skin (dimpled)...a spacer strip (need to dimple) .... then the firewall (came dimpled).... then, finally, a thick metal strip (need to dimple) this holds the Dzus fittings. Most of it aligned however, at the bottom ends the factory got a little wonky with the pre-drilled holes. I decided to use one of the pre-drilled holes and then offset and drilled rivets equally to make the last part of cowl strips secure. I am starting to get used to fixing these type of problems (always consulting AC 43, of course!)

  Jan 07, 2021     Brake Lines - (8 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

The "upgrade" brake line kit comes with the lines having a tunnel at the back of landing gear. I like the protection it affords the line and looks nice. The only thing is that as the line comes up the gear it terminates at a place that doesn't allow access to the fuselage. I consulted other build logs and referenced some photos I took while at Torrance. I opted for what Torrance did.

This required drilling an access hole that would be just below the floor boards of the rear seat. I also required removal of about 50mm of material from the back of each landing gear to allow the brake line to make the turn.

  Jan 07, 2021     Starting carpet installation - (2 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

Sometimes, multitasking helps keep things moving so I started to install individual carpet pieces starting with baggage extension or tunnel. Even though there is adequate ventilation in the hangar a good respirator is a must.

  Jan 07, 2021     Finishing up Gear installation - (12 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Solved the upper bushing problem., Individually, each bushing fit and had good freedom of movement. Once the strut was fitted with both bushings the gear became difficult to turn. The problem was either the center of both bushings when mounted to the strut was slightly off (call it Z-axis) or, the X-Y plane of the bushings were not parallel. (or a bit of both?)

I slowly ground the insides of each bushing until I felt there was adequate freedom of movement. Since things loosen up over use/time I did not want to take away too much material.

Final fitting of the main gear and bolts secured and witness marks applied.

  Dec 17, 2020     Initial Landing gear installation - (6 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

12/17/2020

Got some muscle to help me put the fuselage on saw horses.

The plans also called for shortening the Main gear bolts by 6.5mm to a length of 163.5 mm. I got them close enough :)

I started the fitting of the nose gear strut bushings which many builders have had issues with binding. Some solutions have been to remove the powder coating, grind the inside of the bushings or a combination of both. I sent an email to the manufacturer asking how best to handle this issue and the response was just to grind the bushings until the strut moves freely. Before I do that I have been test fitting the 4 halves of the two cut bushings to see which pair mates up the best. It appears that I may only have to grind one set of bushing. Also, I made sure of the brackets fittings. All parts have been marked by me for proper installation order as I can best work it out.

My brother is helping me place the single piece main gear. The adjustable horses will make the amount of lifting into place minimal using a floor jack. The trick will be making sure the lift is a balanced as possible

  Dec 13, 2020     Interior Seats/carpet/walls - (2 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

Received the seats, wall, and carpet. The only issue I am trying to resolve is that the aft baggage area. My build does not have the rocket chute but it seems that some of the cuts were made for an aircraft with the rocket chute.

The inventory list is also based upon an old parts numbering system so I am trying match the carpet/leather interior cuts to what I actually have.

  Dec 13, 2020     Propeller - (2 hours)       Category: Propeller

The Aeromaster electric propeller came with the engine and other kits. Everything seemed to be in order. My only complaint is that two of prop hub that were greased were supposed to be taped sealed to prevent dust entering were not. I wrapped the the hub in shipping plastic to preserve the seal until assembly.

  Dec 13, 2020     Firewall Forward Kit - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall

The firewall forward kit came with the engine. This was inventoried and mounted on a rolling board for easy visual.

  Dec 13, 2020     Rotax 915is - (1 hour)       Category: Engine

Engine arrived! Rotax 915is turbo. fully assembled!

  Dec 13, 2020     Super Sound Proof - (4 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

12/13/2020

I've been adding more of the Super sound proofing material. It really seems to be robust material and should provide nice insulation. Note the difference between what was installed and the extra material


12/09/2020

Started measuring and fitting the Super Sound proof without permanently gluing in place. I like this upgrade because of the sound proofing as well as the insulation factor. I am only test fitting until I get a full idea of the wiring and other items that my require adjustment of the insulation.

  Dec 09, 2020     Seat Rails - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Since I am again waiting for parts I am trying to get things done on the kit wherever I can.

I fitted the front seat rails with the nylon guards. The rails also double to hold the flap motor bracket into a solid position. The kit specifies counter sunk rivets but there is no mention of counter sinking the the rails. I measures the different size rivets and began to counter sink the rivet holes.

  Dec 09, 2020     Admit defeat - (4.0 hours)       Category: Cabin AIr

I wanted to have the ducts be CEET but I found with the complex curves from the heater core to the mixer chambers and to the windshield defog it was not going to be easy. It seems the duct length cuts recommended include the aluminum duct fittings instead of the just the ducts. No biggie. TAF only sent me one side of the 80mm ducting to the mixer but it is close enough to 3 inches that I can make it work. Gotta love SIKA ..

  Dec 09, 2020     Prefit Center Consol - (3 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

12/09/2020

TAF Engineering confirmed the center console bracket that was mounted by TAF in the quickbuild was, indeed, too long. I thought since the M4 rivnuts match up I could trim the bracket to size. The problem became evident that I could not to that because 2 of the rivet holes that were drilled into the misinformed bracket just set up right next to the holes I would have had to drill. I will just wait for the new bracket.


12/02/2120

I pre-fit the center console skins and found an issue with the Quick Build. The center support appears to be too long by 19 mm. In looking the base that was attached I may just be able to drill out rivets and shorten the structure by the proper amount and rivet back to the base.

  Dec 03, 2020     Quick Build Fixes - (6 hours)       Category: Inspection

The new build manual now comes with each page delineating what items should have been built as part of the QB and which items should be installed by the builder. I found some items missing from the Quick Build that the plans listed as installed.

This has prompted me to do a page by page review of the build and I found some more missing or incomplete items. Incomplete as in parts not installed or in one case a bracket clecoed but not bolted. Parts with some rivets missing.

Missing parts have been ordered such as the supports for the rear seat and baggage floor. Because of the completeness of some sections getting to these areas is going to be a challenge. Ex..I had to use locking forceps to hold small nuts tot get at least the first threads going.

I've spoken to some other builders of different kits and they say this is not at all unusual. The nice thing is the new TAF build manuals are going to make this task much easier.

  Dec 01, 2020     Flap Motor & Aft control stick mount - (3 hours)       Category: Controls

Installed the flap motor. After I lay out the wire bundles I will go back to this to wire up the connectors.

Added the aft bushing mount on both control sticks.

I have found an issue with the autopilot aileron servo mount. It was supposed to mounted under the spar but it arrived unattached. I am still trying to figure out how to get this bracket installed properly.

  Nov 28, 2020     ELT - (2 hours)       Category: Avionics

Mounted the ARTEX ELT under the rear seat. Most builders are mounting the rather long antenna under the baggage floor facing aft. The avionics guys and my neighbor IA are not keen on this mounting. I have an email to TAF to see where they have been mounting it.

The ARTEX installation guide said to mount the antenna vertically and be 36 inches from other powered antennas. I have a possible solution that my IA neighbor is ok with that I will run by my avionics vendor

  Nov 28, 2020     Install Heater Core - (5 hours)       Category: Cabin AIr

The ROTAX 915is has liquid cooling that is routed to an automobile type cabin heater , The nice thing about this is forced fan air is available in the summer as well for ventilation.

The aft mount was supposed to have pre-drilled holes but I had to measure and drill on the C channel support in place... a little awkward.

The NACA ducts were riveted in place with SIKA Flex . The aircraft has a ducting channel for air to the rear seats so I started the sealing process for that duct by adding foam blocks to form the aft portion of the channel and applying Sika Flex for the seams.

I added the OAT probe to the pilot side of the NACA duct.

The kit comes with aluminum type dryer duct. I decided to go more standard aircraft ducting and I will install the next build day

  Nov 28, 2020     Prelim work on Firewall - (9.0 hours)       Category: Firewall

11/26/2020

Not all the cutouts were current form the summer and TAF has a much better diagram guide for it. I permanently mounted the firewall shield to the firewall.


7/22/20 Made a template of the fire wall and made cutouts. Reinstalled the engine mount. Had to adjust for the missing parachute brackets. I ordered the aircraft without a parachute but they sent me the hardware for the parachute Brackets. No big deal just shorter bolts.

The main section of the firewall blanket is not attached to the frame just yet. I will made a few known cutouts but I will wait for the engine/prop kit to get a more accurate sense of the additional cutouts required.


7/17/20Removed engine mount to start the preparation of the firewall. Installed some rivnuts and reviewed the heater installation behind the firewall and the coolant hoses that go through.

  Nov 18, 2020     GMU 11 - (1 hour)       Category: Avionics

TAF has moved the position of the GMU 11 in the tail. The reasoning is that when the tunnel baggage compartment is used it may have had metal that interfered with the unit. I have been in discussions with the panel builders about this position and they think that i should slightly elevate the GMU11 on the new mount to give it better clearance from distortions from the rudder cables.

Stand by.

  Nov 18, 2020     Rudder Cables rear fuselage - (4 hours)       Category: Controls

Been off the build for a week. Back to work.

The cable go thru the center fuselage, by the springs, and cross over each other to the rudder. This was to install the rivnuts for the guides . Be careful installing the springs! One got out my hand trying to pull into place. I'll get them installed tomorrow.

  Nov 06, 2020     Gather the wire bundles and inspect the Panel - (3 hours)       Category: Avionics

11/6/20

I have been making the connections from the tips through the wing tips and now that I have received the proper male connectors from my panel builder I need to mate to the installed wire bundles. I spent most of today inspecting the pre-built bundles and tracing to connectors. Some connectors were unmarked by the builder so I marked them. It seems I am missing a tail beacon wire connector and have a call in. Also, the manual that came has differences in the pin arrangement so that question on the list as well.

My most favorite tool has been the Milwaukee Rivet gun but my second favorite has been the Dymo label maker for shrink wrap wire.


8/17/2020

I received the panel and wire bundles a while ago and i am reaching a point in the build to start getting the electrics ready for install. I need a number of male connector ends for exterior lighting, trim motor, etc.

  Nov 02, 2020     Wiring - (7 hours)       Category: Avionics

I am just going to lump wiring into avionics since it all ends up at the panel and the Garmin system anyway.

I started adding the wire connectors using Deutsch brand sealed connectors. With the elevator trim. Motor -> Horizontal Stab->Fuselage tail section. The ultimately to cockpit trim control

  Nov 01, 2020     Paint Booth       Category: Paint / Decals

After talking with builders, and considering the expense of transporting the aircraft, the cost of paint shop, in addition to many shops being booked extremely far out, I have decided to paint my aircraft myself.

A builder recommended a inflatable booth after he built a standard type paint booth. The nice thing is the ability to store it away. It comes with 2 blowers for inflation and a 3rd blower for air into the spray area itself. The air is filtered entering the booth and the spray is filtered as it exits out 2 side panels.

I live in a very dusty area to I am going to build a filter box around the booth blower to pre-filter the entry air.

I will be adding interior scaffolding that will have 2 jobs. First, it will holdup the parts to be sprayed and second, it will support the booth in case the inflation blowers stop running.

  Nov 01, 2020     Flap & Aileron Alignment - (12 hours)       Category: Wings

Been a busy couple of weeks and over the last 2 weeks have accomplished a few items that I need to post.

This is the area where the alignment of the flaps and ailerons was done for both wings. The leading edges of the these surfaces (and a few rib rivets) were intentionally left open pending this process. I ran a line from the root to the last rib as a reference. Then, I temp mounted the aileron and flap and clamped in the the proper alignment. I then taped the leading edges and rechecked the alignment. A laser was also used for sighting. I noted what rivet holes properly lined up and riveted just those. I constantly rechecked alignment every few rivets with the line to keep any unwanted twist out. With the alignment firmly in place the remaining rivet holes that were slightly off (not many) were reamed and riveted.

Time consuming to say the least.

  Oct 31, 2020     Wing Tips - (21.5 hours)       Category: Wings

11/01/202

Fitted the wing tips along with the other wing work these last couple weeks. There is a requirement that the edge of the composite tips line up with the edge of the flange of the outer rib. Sometime when fitting this edge would slip over that edge so I decided to epoxy some small plastic "L" shape inserts to provide positive alignment.

I also wasn't satisfied with the dent I previously tried to get out so I gave it another go with much better results.

The tip lights pigtails were lengthened and Deutsch connectors assembled.

An aluminum backing strip was attached to the inside of the composite to add some strength when riveting. A rivet "hole finder" proved to be an especially useful to for drilling the aft rivet holes in the composite. Both tips seemed to be aligned nicely in the transition from the wing to the tips.

6/26/202

Fitted wing tips and found to be miss shaped. The indent in one wing was heated and I will fill after the tip is attached to the wing. The tips are compressed so as to not sit against the skin for rivet alignment. Styrofoam was cut and placed inside the tips and heated in an attempt to reshape.

6/30/20

Fitted the rivnuts for the combination Strobe/Position light. I need to lengthen the pigtail from the strobe due to the curve of the "winglet"

  Oct 16, 2020     Wing & Taxi Lights - (11.5 hours)       Category: Lighting

10/16/20

I have to add on to the pigtails of the Nav lights so they can reach the connectors at the wings. I used self soldering shrink connectors and then shrink wrapped the entire wire. The right wing tip is shown and I will have to do both tips



10/8-9/2020

There are a number of tasks with each wing I need to accomplish. The wet wing fuel tanks are off for pressure leak checks . With the wing on the bench(s) I will install the taxi & landing lights in each wing. A taxi and landing light (2 per wing) are in located on the outboard and will also have the wig-wag configuration as well. There is a lens mounting mod that I will be doing to have a cleaner look that involves installing nutplates and countersunk screws. Also, I will swap the adjustment springs and adding spacers. I also added wire sleeves for protection.

  Oct 16, 2020     Remove Right wing tank for Leak check - (6 hours)       Category: Fuel System

10/16/2020

Did a soap bubble check after pressurizing the tank to 1 psi. I noted the temperature and used the ideal gas law as a reference (PV=nRT simplified to PV=T) and monitored (time lapse) for a day. Pressure held.

10/5/2020

Moving on to removing the leading edge tanks for pressure/leak check. After a successful check I will rivet to to wings. The only problem is that it seems some one at the factory was a bit careless with some adhesive and glued the tanks to the wing!

After consultation with a mechanic he suggested working some solvent in the seam with some really thin aluminum sheet acting to cut through the errant adhesive. After about 4 hours the tanks were successfully freed from the wings and the setup for the tank test was started.

  Sep 23, 2020     Elevator - (38 hours)       Category: Empennage

10/04/2020

Finished up on the elevator by hooking up the trim tab and safety wire the piano hinge. Also had to install the grommet for the the trim wiring between the horizontal stab and the elevator

9/23/2020

I've been in my AQP training so I had to take time of from the build to study and get ready of fun filled training in Dallas.

I'm back with more on the elevator and the alignment with the Horizontal Stab. The plans call for a way of putting together and aligning the elevator but I happen to have an IA in the hangar next store to my new hangar. He has been kind enough to wander over and offer suggestions. The suggestion was to cleco together the elevator and do an initial check of the alignment. If reasonably close in alignment then to clamp the ends in line and make sure both sides don't twist and correct of they do. Then random rivet both sides on the upper and lower sides... removing the clamps to make sure all stays in line. It so far has stayed perfect.

THe leading egde will be last with a final check for alignment. (string and laser)

9/3/2020

More work on the elevator. The composite tips were a bit of work because the skin was already dimpled it made the drilling and counter sinking a bit sporty getting the alignment correct. Starting with leading edge of the tip and using the metal skin alignment notch as a center guide I alternated the drilling and counter sink working my way aft one hole at a time. To reinforce the composite when riveting to the skin I will be using rivet backs.

The inspection plate for the trim motor. The plans didn't call for dimple and counter sinking but the parts came with the holes set up for that so thats what I did.


9/2/2020

Completed the internal portions and started the skin process. Awkward by myself so I strapped to a rolling cart to check and the position to place the skins on.
The directions call for doing the top skin first and then temporarily attach to the horizontal stabilizer. There is an interesting internal rib on each side that I call a "floating rib" it does not attach to any internal structure, only the skin. I used a trick I saw from other builders to place the stabilizer on a large work bench to hold in place and stable. I can then put the elevator and make sure things line up.

8/27/2020

Worked the last few days on the elevator. i had to deal with incompletely punched rivet holes on a center spare channel but it all line up ok. Added rivnuts to the trim motor and test fitted to the elevator.

The hangar dog had other ideas than for me to work

  Sep 02, 2020     Canopy - (4.0 hours)       Category: Fuselage

9/23/2020

My canopy lift strut assembly was different from the plans so another email to TAF for information. They sent me an update but it still lacks informations

9/02/2020

Removed the doors/window to have better access to the internal fuselage. I will also start on the latching mechanisms and the gas struts. Other builders have alerted that some latching parts may be for an older version of the door. I will soon find out.

I will start the wiring of the overhead lights.

  Aug 23, 2020     More Moving - (4.5 hours)       Category: Workshop

August 23, 2020

Moved the fuselage today... another nerve-wracking trip along the Spanish Trail route (now a frontage road) to the airport hangar


August 19,2020

Moved the wings out of my buddies shop to the hangar.

9 miles to the airport on a frontage road that was part of the Old Spanish Trail. Nervous, but it made it.

  Aug 17, 2020     Right aileron - (3 hours)       Category: Wings

My shipment of missing parts has allowed me to finish the right aileron.

  Aug 11, 2020     Finish the Seats - (5.0 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

A box of parts that were missing from the original kit shipment arrived. I inventoried most and rather than to keep setting up the hangar I had to pull some rivets and finish the front seats.

  Aug 05, 2020     Set up - (6.0 hours)       Category: Workshop

Lots to clean up and still setting up.

The hangar door piston seal needs to be replaced so it was removed and sent out for repair. Luckily , the hangar has a side garage door entrance to keep bringing in materials

Under the supervision of the 13 y.o hangar dog!

  Jul 31, 2020     Time to Move - (9.0 hours)       Category: Workshop

8/2/2020

Still moving out of the old shop (My buddies 3 car garage). I negotiated for some of his work benches so I am more than flush with work spaces. I will organize as best I can before the big job of moving the wings and fuselage.

7/31/2020

I obtain Hangar space and will be moving this next week. The shop I have been using has been great but it is time to to have more room to maneuver!

Started packing parts and completed assemblies today. The final item to move will be the fuselage. Before moving I will attach the main landing gear using the shops hydraulic lift.. then off to the new hangar

  Jul 31, 2020     Throttle & Brake Quadrant - (10.5 hours)       Category: Controls

7/31/20

My 1/8 BSP (British Standard) die arrived today so I changed the 1/8 NPT to 1/8 BSP and fitted to the Parking Brake valve. The Throttle/Brake assembly was completed with the cable bolts and brake line fittings left finger tight for final installation.

7/26/2020.

Added the 1/8 NPT fittings to the hand brake cylinder but I could not fit to the parking brake valve. It was a different thread.

An email to the factory got the following response:

>>>The thread on the fittings is 1/8” NPT and inside the valve is 1/8” BSP – the 2 threads are almost the same but don't quite fit. What we do is get a 1/8” BSP die nut and clean the thread of the fittings. Apologies – it should be in the manual.<<<

So off to Amazon to get a BSP die.



7/24/2020
Assembled most of the throttle and brake quadrant. This is a steerable nose wheel with a symmetrical hand brake system. I will add the brake line plumbing tomorrow and the parking valve.

As is throughout the whole kit ALL M3 Rivnuts are to be upgraded to the M4 size this has required much time reaming the M3 sized holes to the larger size (and the screw holes as well). This assembly was 18 rivnuts alone and I know I am approaching over 100 holes reamed out....very time consuming.

  Jul 28, 2020     SB # 18 Insufficient swaging of oval sleeves on the rudder cables - (4.5 hours)       Category: Controls

7/31/2020

Completed the SB#18. This is a 2 part process: first, inspect the crimp width of less than 8.9 mm and then to put corrosion resistant grease on the fittings. It was not required to re-wrap the ends but I did anyway.


7/28/2020

Received a SB for inspection of the Rudder cables crimps. So a read over and inspection will push aside the next few days plans. I will need to order some materials to comply.

At least I get some of the SB's during the build so it is relatively easy to take care of them. The numbering system is a little odd even though it is SB#18 it does not mean there are 18 SBs for this particular model.

  Jul 22, 2020     Starting AIr System - (6.0 hours)       Category: Fuselage

7/24/2020 Counter sunk the NACA ducts . I wanted to seal it but I want to do both sides of the intakes as well as the side ducting to the rear seats all at once. I wasn't sure I had enough SIKA so I am ordering more.


7/22/20
Starting the duct work. The NACA ducts will have to be counter sunk and sealed with SIKA. The forward part of the ducting to the rear seats has been fitted and I will seal with SIKA as well

The kit came with standard aluminum "clothes dryer hose" but I have some CEET on order instead

  Jul 22, 2020     Better Sound Proof - (3.0 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

The kit came with some foam attached to the side wall but I decided to up grade. I ordered Super Sound Proof. I will only add a few pounds to the overall weight. You can see the factory installed foam on the left

  Jul 14, 2020     Setting control Tubes (part 2) - (6 hours)       Category: Controls

After compliance with Service Bulletin regarding the elevator stop brackets I then completed the installation of the Bushing parts and part of the seat mounts.

Also, The factory has decreed that all M3 rivnuts should be M4 size now. So much time has been spent reaming the holes before setting the new size.

  Jul 01, 2020     Rudder Pedals - (6.5 hours)       Category: Controls

Assembled and installed the rudder pedals, stops, and rod ends. The mounting plate was already installed in the fuselage even though they sent me the plate anyway. This made installation a bit difficult as it would have been easier on the bench and the rivet the entire assembly in place. I made good use of a swivel head hand rivet gun

  Jun 30, 2020     Take Apart the Brakes & Axle - (1.5 hours) Category: Landing Gear

Just when everything was completed according to the Assembly Manual supplied with the kit I noticed a part that had an PN number that was associated with the gear. A question to the factory returned an answer that the part has to due with a Service Bulletin issued last Summer! My kit was supplied with some (not all!) the parts to comply with this bulletin but NO instructions.

I can comply with most of the Service Bulletin but I have to wait (months) for the missing parts to arrive.

  Jun 30, 2020     Setting Control tubes - (5.0 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Setting the control tubes in the cockpit in place. There are 2 elevator tubes. The rear tube is missing parts to rivet in place. Also, a Service Bulletin came out today (6/30/20) for a control tube stop to replace rivets. Much time spent figuring out exactly where the factory is referencing.

(7/1/20) Figures out the service bulletin with a military aircraft mechanic buddy and we complied with SB#12.

  Jun 26, 2020     Pitot Installation - (25 hours)       Category: Wings

Assembled all 5 inspection plates since I needed one for the Pitot installation. GAP 26 with auto controller . Marked Pitot & AOA tubes. Added Garmin control wire thru the wings.The control box will mount to the inside of the inspection plate. Pitot Tube is difficult to install because of the quick built wings and having to do much of the work thru an inspection panel. Got a tip from a Hill AFB mechanic to save my arms

  Jun 26, 2020     Front and Rear Seats - (31.5 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

Inventory Front Seats and found them to be different from the plans. Contacted the company and found these were a new design and the sent assembly instructions.. Some hardware was missing so I cannot complete the whole front seats.

The Rear Bench seat was completed and is awaiting installation of the mounting hardware.

  Jun 26, 2020     Flaps - (21.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Have all the correct parts for the flaps. Assembled both . Assembled control rods but was missing half of the correct eyebolts.