Mar 15, 2024     Stick grip labeling - (1.1 hours)       Category: Controls

I used my Brother label maker loaded with white-on-black labels to create some function labels for the various buttons on the FCP and RCP stick grips. (This is the same technique we use to label military grips at my other job, and it has always seemed to work just fine.)

  Nov 07, 2023     RCP stick and grip - (4.2 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Cut the stick grip wires to an appropriate length.
2. Removed 12 extraneous wires from the bundle, trimming them all the way back into the stick grip.
3. Put heat-shrink on the entire length of remaining wires.
4. Measured and cut the rear stick to 6-1/8" overall length, which will give it an effective length of 7-3/4" once it is bolted to the control horn and the grip is installed. This will keep the grip from touching the back of the front seat.
5. Determined a comfortable angle for the stick mounting offset. In this case, I used 25 degrees counterclockwise, which is similar to the front seat.
6. Measured for and marked the locations of the stick pass-through bolt holes and the wire notch.
7. Used a saw, a pair of Dremel discs, files and sandpaper to cut the notch in the stick.
8. Used a drill bit, a step drill, and another drill bit to open up the attach holes to 29/64". Deburred the holes and notch.
9. Removed the powder-coating from the top 2" of the stick.
10. Installed the adapter that allows the 7/8" diameter stick to fit in the grip.
11. Installed the grip onto the stick, running the wires down through the center of the stick and out the wire hole.
12. Researched and ordered some 7-pin Amp CPC connectors and pins, so the RCP stick will be be easily removable.

  Nov 06, 2023     RCP stick grip prep - (1.1 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Removed the outer blue sheath of the wires in the rear cockpit stick grip.
2. Took measurements of the RCP and further researched what length I want to cut the stick to.

  Nov 04, 2023     Rear cockpit stick - (1.2 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Test-fit rear stick to assess its length and get an idea about how much will have to be cut off so it doesn't interfere with the front seat-back. Took measurements.
2. Did some research and came up with a cut plan that will result in a rear stick of suitable length.

  Mar 09, 2022     Throttle quadrant; Flap switch - (2.3 hours)       Category: Controls

Two big successes today:

1. With the help of a dab of Gorilla glue that dried for 21 hours, an X-Acto knife, and some small screwdrivers, I managed to spread the cotter pin on the throttle arm. Then I checked all the other connections in the quadrant, and pronounced them satisfactory. I am done with that major project!

(The first photo below is the pile of tools I used to install the throttle quadrant!)

2. After last night's aborted attempts to get the flap switch panel installed, it finally succumbed to my efforts and slid into position. I installed the final low-profile black Allen-head screws, and gave it a test run. I must say that the position of this switch is absolutely perfect. You can reach it very easily, regardless of the position of the throttle, and it's actually super-convenient to use without looking or fumbling for it. It's actually better than I ever hoped!

  Mar 08, 2022     Throttle quadrant; Flap switch - (5.8 hours)       Category: Controls

1. I spent half my work day attempting to install a single cotter pin, without success. The pin, which secures the clevis pin that attaches the RCP throttle to the FCP throttle, is deep inside the throttle quadrant. I may have to disassemble the entire quadrant and somehow re-design it so I can remove the side plate. I never anticipated this job would be so tough to do.

2. The second half of the day was spent attempting install the flap switch. The wire spacing and bundling, which I thought would be a problem, were no issue whatsoever. But for some reason, the single #8 screw that attaches the angled flap panel on the left side (from underneath) is being really difficult. What's ironic is that this entire assembly was test-fit long ago, and it fit perfectly back then. Not sure what happened in the intervening years...

  Mar 07, 2022     Rear cockpit throttle - (2.5 hours)       Category: Controls

After getting my brand new (replica) rear throttle pate back from the trophy shop, I (mostly) installed the rear throttle today:

1. I started to apply the plastic throttle label plate, but surprisingly, I found it didn't fit very well. So I spent some time carefully sanding the left edge of it, then I re-sanded the two left-side corner bevels. Then I slid the throttle arm into the slot and found that the UHMW plastic guides needed to be filed a bit, too. Once these jobs were done, I used double-sided foam to attach the plate.

2. Attached the throttle arm to the control rod. (There are so many blind connections in these throttle quadrants, I am almost getting used to working while looking in a mirror.)

3. Installed the side plate of the RCP throttle quadrant to the fuselage with low-profile black socket-cap screws.

4. Attached the clevis fork at the forward end of the RCP throttle pushrod to the FCP throttle arm. The clevis pin was pretty easy to insert. The cotter pin was a lot trickier, but I got it done. Now I have to figure out how in the world I'm going to bend the pin. I worked for over an hour, but wasn't able to do it. I'll try again tomorrow, or hire someone with tiny hands to do it.

  Mar 06, 2022     Cabin heat cable; Quadrant cables; RCP throttle - (2.6 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Attached a rod end on the end of the cabin heat cable in order to make it a bit more flexible for the installation.
2. Attached the rod end to the cabin heat box and attached two sets of two Adel clamps to support the cable -- one pair attached to the engine mount, and the other pair to the prop governor cable.
3. Installed some heat-resistant shielding to the cabin heat able, since it runs within about 4" of an exhaust pipe.
4. Began installing the rear seat throttle by checking all the measurements of the connecting rod, then inserting the rod through the various fuselage bulkheads. The rest of the installation will be done once I get the new engraved throttle plate from the trophy store.
5. Secured and torque-sealed several rod ends in the engine control system.
6. Made a separation between the throttle cable and the other two as they pass near the left NACA scoop. This will allow the fresh air SCAT tube to pass between them. Secured the cables in position with zip ties.

  Mar 01, 2022     Throttle quadrant - (3.1 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Connected the six-pin Molex connector for the throttle grip wiring.

2. Connected all three quadrant cables to their respective controls. After considerable work with a mirror, flashlight, and various needle-nose pliers, I managed to insert all three cotter pins into the clevis pins and get them bent a bit. I still have a bit of work ahead, trying to get the cotter pins fully bent.

3. Tightened all quadrant hardware and tested the throws of the controls.

  Feb 26, 2022     Throttle quadrant - (1.7 hours)       Category: Controls

This evening, I installed the throttle quadrant for what I hope will be the last time. It looks like all the time I spent adjusting the cable lengths and quadrant arm throws has now paid off. The holes in the arms look like they are going to be perfectly aligned with the clevis forks, with a good spacing from the forward throw limits on the quadrant. The next step will be to insert the clevis pins and their cotter pins (which will undoubtedly be a challenge).

I also connected one of the Molex connectors behind the quadrant.

  Feb 22, 2022     Throttle quadrant - (2.8 hours)       Category: Controls

I continued installing the throttle quadrant, but I discovered a couple of reasons to remove it and do some additional work:

1. First, I discovered that the throttle wire harness was rubbing excessively on the slot it passes through. I ended up removing one of the four sheaths of marine heat-shrink to get it down to size.

2. The rubbing had also removed a bit of the paint around the slot, so I touched that up, as well as the four bolt heads that will hold the throttle quadrant.

3. While manipulating the throttle grip, I noticed that the press-fit "smoke on" rocker switch in the grip was a bit loose. To make sure it will never get loose again, I ran a fillet of JB Weld around the edge of the switch. Once it dries, I will paint the fillet with flat black paint to hide it.

4. I repositioned two zip-tie surface mounts located on the fuselage skin behind the quadrant, to get better clearance from the throttle arm. (These mounts will support the two wire harnesses that pass adjacent to the quadrant.) [No photo.]

  Feb 21, 2022     Throttle quadrant - (4.4 hours)       Category: Controls

Worked all evening on getting the throttle quadrant installed and adjusted. This involved removing and re-installing two of the cables, cutting 1/8" off the base of one of the clevis forks, using eleven different wrenches and pliers, twisting my arm and hand into some interesting pretzel shapes, chasing dropped hardware into the dark recesses of the fuselage, and at least one visit to the swear jar. But I'm making progress.

I'm not 100% sure I won't have to remove it all to adjust the cable throws in some way, but I have to be optimistic at this point.

  Feb 20, 2022     Cabin heat cable; Throttle quadrant - (3.8 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Installed the cabin heat knob mounting plate onto the back of the knob.

2. Ran the cabin heat cable through the firewall passthrough and routed the cable to the general vicinity of the cabin heat box. Began planning how I will fasten the cable to surrounding structure to hold it in place and also align it with the heat box.

3. Began the final installation of the throttle quadrant. Measured the final available throw of the levers in the quadrant and double-checked these against the requirements of the items they're connected to. I had to move the throttle and mixture cables slightly forward, which required disassembling their passthroughs. I also decided to use the upper hole on the mixture arm, which will give me just a bit more throw of the arm. Then I began installing the actual quadrant, which I can tell is going to be a big challenge due to the close confines of the area and the fact that you can't see what you're working on. I began by connecting the backup PTT switch harness and prepping the throttle switch harness. I positioned the quadrant and began trying to simultaneously disassemble it just enough to slide it into position, but not let it fall apart completely. (It is made up of over 15 different parts, all held together by the same bolts that attach it to the airplane. Yikes.) I may have to assemble the quadrant in place, one piece at a time, from outboard to inboard...

  Feb 18, 2022     Throttle cable Adels; RCP throttle plate; FCP quadrant - (2.8 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Painted the cabin heat knob mounting plate. [No photo yet]
2. Secured the throttle cable to the engine mount with two Adel clamps.
3. Started to install the rear cockpit throttle, but I noticed that the engraved placard (which had been wrapped in plastic film for a long time) has become streaked with some kind of discoloration from the plastic. You can't really see it unless the light is just right, but then it looks pretty bad. So I'll have to get another one made at a local trophy store.
4. Installed the clevis rod ends on the throttle, prop and mixture cables -- along with the big attachment nuts that hold the cables to the throttle quadrant..
5. Attached the zip-tie mounting brackets that will hold the wires for the backup PTT switch and the throttle grip. [No photo]

  Feb 17, 2022     Cabin heat mounting plate - (3 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Located and drilled four #40 pilot holes in the cabin heat mounting plate I made the other day.
2. Taped the plate onto the cockpit divider wall and match-drilled the four holes.
3. Opened up the holes in both to accommodate #8 screws.
4. Used a one-lug nutplate as a drill template to install four nutplates on the divider wall.
5. Cut out a notch from the cable hole to the right edge of the dividing wall. (I later opened it up even further to better accommodate the attach nut on the cable.
6. Test-fit the cabin heat cable.
7. Removed, Scotchbrited, cleaned, and primed the cable mounting plate. Not sure what color I'll paint the plate -- probably either light gray to match the divider wall, or dark gray to match the instrument panel above.

  Feb 16, 2022     Firewall passthroughs for engine controls - (3.1 hours)       Category: Controls

Installed firewall passthrough fittings for the throttle, prop, mixture, alternate air, and oil cooler shutter cables:

1. Detached all cables at their forward ends and installed the swivel-ball rings over the cables.
2. Installed the swivel-balls and their holder rings to the firewall.
3. Re-attached all three main cables at their forward ends.

Final adjustment of the three main cables will take place once the throttle quadrant is permanently installed.

  Feb 15, 2022     Cabin heat knob mounting/cover plate - (2.1 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Measured for, and cut out, a cardboard template to help me finalize the design of a cover plate I'm going to make. The cabin heat knob is going to be mounted to the back side of the dividing wall between the pilot's right leg and the avionics "hell-hole." This will be a very convenient location for the pilot to use the control, but it was going to be a magnificent P.I.T.A. to install, and nearly impossible to easily replace or service. So I came up with the idea to cut a 7/16" slot in the wall, and install the control cable in the slot. But since that would look bad and also not be very structurally strong, I will put a screw-on cover plate over the slot, and mount the control cable to that. This way, if I ever need to service or replace the cabin heat cable (or even just remove the dividing wall for some reason), I can do it easily by removing only four screws.

2. Used the template to cut out the plate from a piece of scrap 0.040" aluminum.

3. Drilled a 7/16" hole in the center of the plate.

4. Located and marked where the screw holes will go in the plate. Once these are drilled, I'll use the plate as a drill guide to transfer the holes into the dividing wall, then install nutplates in the wall.

  Feb 10, 2022     Throttle quadrant; Alternate air and oil cooler cables - (6.1 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Spent a lot of time measuring and taking pictures of the seven side interior panels to help Abby at Flightline Interiors finish my interior. [No photo.]

2. Installed my new N-number placard, using low-profile socket-head cap screws.

3. Worked on Installing the throttle quadrant. Had to remove it and the three cables several times so I could file out the top-right edge of the triangular hole in the gear tower, to make sure the mixture cable has enough room. I got it so everything fits great.

4. Final-drilled the four holes (two forward, two aft) in the gear tower for the Alternate Air and Oil Cooler Shutter cables. Deburred them. Installed the two cables.

I decided to install the Alternate Air cable on the right, closer to the pilot's leg, for two reasons. a). It is not a control that is used much (if ever), so the knob won't ever be sticking out and potentially interfering with the fuel selector, and b). if it IS needed, it will be in an emergency situation, and the pilot will need to find it quickly. The Oil Cooler shutter knob might potentially be sticking out at least partway for half the year (winter), so it makes sense for it to be located off to the side where it won't get in the way of the fuel selector.

Forward of the firewall, I routed the cables into the approximate locations where they will be connected.

5. With the help of my friend Tim, we put the canopy on the airplane so he can come over tomorrow and test-fit the fiberglass version of the left canopy skirt, which is now complete. If it fits well, the carbon fiber one will go into immediate production.

  Feb 09, 2022     Alternate Air and Oil Cooler controls - (3 hours)       Category: Controls

I had been dreading this day for a long time, but it worked out fine in the end. Today was the day I had to locate and drill the pilot holes for the Alternate Air and Oil Cooler control cables through the left gear tower. As I mentioned in a previous entry, the tower is full of wires and hoses, the fuel filter is on the front of the gear tower, and there are numerous other considerations such as pilot line-of-sight to consider when locating these controls. After one nearly big mistake, I recovered and managed to use a combination of a drill guide, an angle drill, a 12" bit, two work-lights, duct tape, mirrors, rulers, and some luck to drill the four holes. They will each be opened up to different sizes tomorrow, but for now I can sleep, knowing that the hard part is over!

  Jan 16, 2022     Engine controls - (4.1 hours)       Category: Controls

Continued the installation of the throttle, mixture and prop governor cables, and also the cockpit quadrants.

1. Measured the prop governor throw and determined it was almost exactly 2".

2. Double-checked and marked the mixture and throttle quadrant control arms appropriately. Drilled and deburred the attach holes.

3. Began the process of feeding the control cables through both a rubber grommet and the gear tower, and then adjusting them to approximately the right protrusion into the cockpit. I also had to wrestle them into the proper relative position to each other in my triangle-shaped cutout in the gear tower, with the throttle cable at the top left, the prop cable at the bottom, and the mixture cable at the top right. I also had to further secure the wiring inside the tower to prevent them from being rubbed or nicked during all the wrestling. These cables are really stiff!

4. Began attempting to fit all three cable ends through the quadrant cable-holder. It became apparent that, although the current triangle hole in the gear tower would work for Vans smaller cables, my thicker, better-quality cables will need a bit more room. Two of the cables fit into the holder plate, and one did not, so I decided to enlarge the hole a bit. I pulled the ends of the cables out of the gear tower and used an edge-marking tool to mark a line about 1/8" outside the edge of the hole. Used a large round file to enlarge the corners, and began filing the flats away. I am actually going to try to fit the cables without filing all the way to the remaining line.

5. Prepped and painted the throttle arm with flat black paint to match the other controls.

6. Prepped and painted the rear seat throttle pushrod. [No photo.]

7. Because of the larger triangle hole, I filed a bit of material from the attach angle that will hold the forward edge of the throttle quadrant to the gear tower. [No photo.]

  Jun 28, 2020     Throttle quadrant - (2.7 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Installed the two nutplates that hold the aft end of the throttle quadrant to the airplane.
2. Drilled and riveted the quadrant shims to the quadrant. They fill up the gap nicely, and I think they'll make the top of the quadrant a lot more stable.
3. Took apart the entire quadrant and cleaned all the hardware and aluminum pieces, and polished the brass pieces that had tarnished over the years they've been sitting.

  Jun 26, 2020     Throttle quadrant improvements; cable hole placement - (2.7 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Planned the locations of holes for throttle, prop and mixture cables as they pass through the gear tower. Trimmed the edge of the forward attach angle that holds the quadrant, where the throttle cable will pass close by.
2. The aftermarket DJI Deluxe Throttle Quadrant I have does not exactly fit the stock Vans enclosure, There are some slight corrections that can be made to make it fit better and look better. One of these relates to the gap between the top of the DJI quadrant and the top plate. I thought I might be able to use a couple of pieces cut from some 0.125" aluminum I had, but after I measured the gap at 0.080", I decided to stack two pieces of 0.040" together. I will flush rivet them to the top of the DJI quadrant, and that will hopefully stabilize the top plate a bit. I cut and prepped four 1-3/4" x 1/4" shims, then drilled six rivet holes through the quadrant. Next, I will clamp the shims to the quadrant and back-drill them.

  Apr 23, 2020     Front cockpit stick grip - (4.5 hours)       Category: Controls

1. Took apart the front stick grip and figured out how the stick was going to be mounted. The Infinity Aerospace instructions for their grips are voluminous and a tad psychotic, so you really have to study them carefully.

2. Clecoed the panel in place and took a measurement from the stick's pivot hole to the bottom of the instrument panel. This gave me a number I could work with to figure out where to cut the stick. My diagram said I should make the cut 10-1/2" from the pivot hole, which would give me about 1/2" clearance from the top of the stick to the panel. Many builders say you should wait to cut the stick until you have all the seat cushions that you'll be using, but I know for certain that I want my control stick to be as long as possible without hitting the panel -- and I definitely would never want it any shorter. So after marking the line, I committed and hack-sawed the tube to length, then filed the cut edge.

3. The grip manufacturer directs you cut a 1/2" wide slot, 1-1/4" long, into the back side of the stick. But first, I had to determine the grip's "clocking" so it will be comfortable to grip in a natural seating position. I played around with various positions, and finally determined that 28 degrees counterclockwise was a good number. So I drew a template, marked the tube, drilled a 1/2" starter hole, and cut out the slot. After working with aluminum for so long, I'd forgotten how hard steel is to work with. It's hard to drill, hard to cut with a Dremel tool, and hard to file.

4. Now it was time to cut the transverse mounting holes, which must be exactly 29/64" in diameter, and 90 degrees to the slot. I finally got to use my tube drilling jig, which has been sitting in my toolbox for years, just waiting for this moment to get clamped to my drill press. I stepped up the hole sizes, one drill bit at a time, and it worked well. Filed and dressed the holes.

5. Installed the grip onto to the stick. This is a pretty fiddly process. You have to get the 17 wires inside the grip to lay down in one half of the grip in some semblance of order before you carefully lay the other half down on it -- all the while trying not to dislodge the trigger switch and the trigger. Once you're sure no wires are getting pinched, you fasten the four allen screws and hope you'll never have to open it up again!

6. Once it was all closed up, I had to temporarily bolt it to the control column, just to see how it looked and felt. (It felt good!) I also fed the wire bundle through its spar hole and marked it for cutting to the appropriate length. (This wire bundle will eventually get a poly sheath over it,) I did notice that the distance from the top of the stick to the panel is actually about 3/4". Not sure how that happened, but I'm not too concerned about it.

  Apr 08, 2020     Stick hole reinforcement and powder coating - (1 hour) Category: Controls

A local welder welded the curved washers onto my control sticks, and I spent some time grinding them and filing them smooth. Then I took them to the powder-coaters, where they will be media-blasted and powder-coated satin black to match the cockpit roll bars.

  Feb 10, 2020     Stick hole reinforcement - (0.2 hour)       Category: Controls

If you install an Infinity Aerospace stick grip, you'll have to contend with a fairly large bundle of wires that must protrude from the stick, near the bottom. Most people just drill a 3/8" hole in the stick and call it a day. But if you consult an engineering book, you'll see that this weakens the stick quite a bit. One solution is to weld a steel washer around the hole. But how do you bend a pair of steel washers to a 1" radius? In my case, I have some very clever and inventive friends. One of them, Keith, CNC'd me a tool to make them. Here they are. Thanks, Keith!

Next, I will media blast all the factory powder coating off the sticks, weld a washer on each one, and re-power coat them.

  Aug 15, 2015     Throttle arm modification; Control-fit - (2.2 hours) Category: Controls

After fitting the mock instrument panel, it became apparent that the Fatboy throttle grip was going to rub against the lower left portion of the instrument panel, so I removed and disassembled the throttle quadrant, and modified one of the bends in the throttle arm. After reassembly, the grip now clears the instrument panel by about 3/4", which should be enough. I also fitted the flap quadrant to check its clearance from the throttle. Everything looks great.

[Superseded.]

  Jan 18, 2015     Flaps-up microswitch installation - (1.1 hours)       Category: Controls

I'm working on re-designing the "flaps-up" microswitch assembly. Today, I remade a test striker, to see if it will work with the new microswitches I'll be using. The jury is still out. More later.

  May 10, 2011     Aileron rigging - (2.2 hours)       Category: Controls

Today I installed the aileron pushrods in the wings. The first thing I did was to adjust the bearings so the overall pushrod length was exactly the length called for in the plans, and made sure the bearing orientation was correct (90 degrees apart on each end). Then I fed the pushrods through the wings from the tips. I attached them to the central control column with temporary hardware. In each wing, I ensured the aileron bellcrank jig was installed correctly (flush against the spar) and adjusted the large pushrod length to fit. Next, I clamped the right aileron in its neutral position, lining up the tooling holes in the end rib and the aileron trailing edge as depicted in the plans. Then I installed the smaller pushrod from the bellcrank to the right aileron. I managed to shorten the pushrod slightly, which raised the aileron slightly, which is a good thing in my case. This will allow the right flap to come up a little bit, which is what I need.

  Jan 28, 2011     Throttle quadrant (v.1) - (.6 hour)       Category: Controls

A big improvement to the airplane today! I test-fit my new FatBoy throttle lever and grip. The grip is a Hogue firearm grip with a push-to-talk button mounted in the end. It's bolted to a stainless steel shaft that pretty much drops into my existing DJM throttle quadrant. I think it looks really great! In fact, it may be the most badass thing I've added to the airplane yet.

[Superseded.]

  Jan 09, 2011     Left brake line - (.3 hour) Category: Controls

Installed the left brake line, since the fuel selector lines are now complete. I just need to seal it with Fuel Lube.

  Apr 05, 2009     Brake lines - (.2 hour) Category: Controls

Put some heavy-duty heat-shrink tubing on the bends in the brake lines where they enter the gear towers. This will provide some additional anti-chafe protection.

  Apr 04, 2009     Brake lines - (2.1 hours)       Category: Controls

The brake lines are finished except for the 90-degree bends at the bottom that will connect to the landing gear legs. (These bends will be made after the gear is attached for good.)

I spent a lot of time getting these lines just right, especially the double bends near the center fittings, since they'll be partially visible from the cockpit.

I ended up supporting the lines with an Adel clamp on each side. Because there's no stiffener angle at the bottom of the bulkhead on the left side, and therefore no convenient place to fasten an Adel clamp, I made a standoff from a short piece of 1/8" aluminum tubing and a couple of washers.

For anti-chafe on the brake lines where they enter the gear towers, I installed a grommet hole protector on the edges of each of the holes. Eventually, I might also put some heavy-duty shrink-tube on the lines in those locations.

  Apr 03, 2009     Brake lines - (2.0 hours)       Category: Controls

Riveted the F-866D mounting plate for the brake line fittings on the bottom edge of the cockpit bulkhead, attached the angle fittings and pedal brake lines, then began fabricating the pressure lines that will go down to the gear legs.

  Apr 01, 2009     Brake lines - (.6 hour)       Category: Controls

Today, since I recently decided to not engineer and install a parking brake valve, I fabricated the F-866D Mounting Plate that attaches at the bottom edge of the F-866A bulkhead. I primed and painted it, and it'll be ready to install tomorrow. The brake lines will go in right after that. It feels good to get out of the rut that parking brake valve was causing. Now I can just keep moving forward.

  Mar 29, 2009     Parking brake deletion - (.3 hour) Category: Controls

I had an epiphany today: I simply cannot figure out an elegant way to install a parking brake valve and push-pull cable in the RV-8 without far too many follow-on implications. I've temporarily suspended my efforts to engineer a solution, and have decided to press ahead with the standard setup. The few times when I would have liked having a parking brake don't seem to justify the effort right now.

  Mar 20, 2009     Brake lines - (1.0 hour)       Category: Controls

Installed the F-8105 brake lines that connect the master cylinders to the parking brake valve. I also final-torqued the brake fluid reservoirs to the master cylinders using Fuel Lube. I spent quite a bit of time trying to come up with a usable location for a parking brake valve. It's not easy in an RV-8 -- there's just not much room. Still not sure where to put it where it will be relatively easy to plumb, and won't be in the way.

  Mar 17, 2009     Rudder pedal assembly shims/wear-strips - (1.0 hour)       Category: Controls

I prepped, drilled and riveted the shims to the floor under the nylon blocks on the rudder assembly. These will not only stop the slight rocking motion of the pedal assembly, but will provide some anti-wear protection to the floorboards when the pedals are adjusted fore and aft.

  Oct 22, 2008     Rudder pedals - (2.0 hours)       Category: Controls

In preparation for the installation of the rudder pedals, I installed all the cotter pins and checked the torque on all the nyloc nuts. I also installed the adjusting mechanism and the cable handle. (Tying a knot in galvanized cable is not as easy as I thought it would be.)

Because the pedal assembly rocks side-to-side a bit, I fabricated two shims out of 0.032 aluminum stock, and I'll blind-rivet them to the floor under where the UHMW blocks sit. This will also provide some measure of wear-protection for the floor when sliding the pedals back and forth.

  Oct 17, 2008     Pedal assembly - (.4 hour)       Category: Controls

I got my rudder pedals back from the powder-coater the other day, so today I installed them on the pedal/brake assembly. They look great!

  Jun 06, 2008     Elevator horn drilling; Fairing test-fit; Tail removal - (1.4 hours)       Category: Controls

Today I enlarged the bolt holes through the elevator horns for the center bearing bolt, then mounted both elevators and checked the hole alignment by installing an AN4-17A bolt. It turned out better than I ever could have hoped. Sweet!

Before disassembly, I decided to test-fit the empennage fairing I bought a few months ago from Fairings Etc. The fit was pretty good right out of the box. It looks like it will require very few modifications.

The main part of the empennage installation is now done, so I removed the entire tail assembly from the airplane. I carefully bagged and labeled the various bolts, washers, and nuts so I can identify them later. All the tail surfaces will now go back into storage for a while.

I removed the elevator "up-stop" angle and began sanding it and cleaning up the rough edges. I also vacuumed the fuselage out and ran a magnet-on-a-stick down into the nooks and crannies of the aft fuselage. It was amazing how many steel shavings I got out of there.

  Jun 04, 2008     Elevator horn drilling - (1.0 hour)       Category: Controls

I received the $11 drill bushing I ordered from McMaster-Carr (A 1/4" OD, #40 ID steel bushing), so with the limited time I had today, I drilled the main attach bolt holes in the elevator horns.

First, since the bushing wouldn't quite fit inside the horizontal stabilizer bearing, I chucked the bushing in the drill press and turned it down (with 100-grit sandpaper) until it would fit. I inserted the bushing in the bearing, and slid a 6" #40 drill bit through the bushing to check the position of the hole on the horn (remember that an AN4 bolt head has to fit alongside the bead of the horn weld), then I drilled the holes.

I drilled the left horn first, then removed the left elevator, installed the right one, and drilled the right horn. I'll enlarge these holes to slightly less than 1/4", then ream them for a perfect fit.

I noticed that the plans call for an AN4-15A bolt in this application, but after measuring a bit, I think I'll need at least an -18A.

  Jun 02, 2008     Brake return springs - (.2 hour)       Category: Controls

Installed the second brake return spring. I located the spring collars about 3/4" down from the top attach bolts and each side.

  May 31, 2008     Pedal return springs - (.3 hour)       Category: Controls

I test-installed a return spring on one of the brake pedals, just to test the concept. Each unit is composed of:

1. A nylon collar (McMaster-Carr # 6389K625),
2. A 3" spring (# 9657K115),
3. A set-screw shaft-collar (# 9946K13).

I'll have to do some tests to see if I like the way the spring works. So far, I like the concept.

  May 28, 2008     Pedal tension springs - (1.0 hour)       Category: Controls

I've never cared for the slack rudder springs in RVs, so today I began experimenting with a solution.

My thought is that I could rivet or bolt a 1" piece of U-channel to the firewall. Through this would pass an AN3 bolt, which would provide an attach point for two 4" springs that would attach to the inboard sides of the rudder pedals. The springs would keep the pedals pulled forward when the pilot's feet are not on them, but would be barely noticeable and would not affect the throw of the pedals in any way. I made a mockup of what I have in mind, and I'll think about this as time goes on.

[Never installed.]

  May 26, 2008     Rudder stops and cables - (2.1 hours)       Category: Controls

After fooling with the rudder stops and rudder cables for a while, I decided to re-fabricate the stop. The stock Van's stop dimensions and shape are good, but the mounting hole pattern they depict in the plans (and which I drilled several weeks ago) will not work for me -- the rivets would have overlapped some of the existing skin rivets, and violated edge distance on the aft fuselage bulkhead. I positioned the new stops on the fuselage and checked the rudder movement at 33 degrees each way (near the middle of the 30-35 degree specification), then drilled and clecoed the stops in place. They will be cleaned up and primed later.

Next, I drilled the cable attach holes in the rudder arm and attached the cables. Then I adjusted the length of the cables by adding washers to the clevis bolts that go through the firewall. The rudder cables still sag a bit, which is normal for RVs. I'll consider adding lightweight return springs from the pedals to the firewall in an effort to eliminate this sag.

I moved the rudder pedals to the forward-most position that will allow the brake reservoirs to clear the firewall, and marked this position so I can drill the holes for the stop collar and the forward-most adjustment hole.

  May 24, 2008     Rudder pedals, cables and stops - (1.2 hours)       Category: Controls

Not much time for shop work today. I removed the rudder pedal assembly and tapped the mounting nutplate on the firewall that I feared was stripped. Tapping it seemed to fix the problem, so I re-installed the pedal assembly and re-ran the rudder cables through the fuselage. Tip: When you install the rudder cables, feed them from the tail forward, not the other way around. Trust me, it's much easier that way. :-O

In order to locate the rudder stops, I mounted the rudder and positioned the cable ends where they will attach to the rudder. I taped the rudder stops to the fuselage sides in accordance with the plans, and realized that the stops will have to be trimmed and possibly relocated a bit. They don't quite hit the rudder bottom the way I want them to. I might even re-fabricate the stop entirely. We'll see. [Superseded with the installation of internal rudder stops.]

  May 22, 2008     Rudder cables and pedals - (1.8 hours)       Category: Controls

Prepared the rudder pedal assembly for installation. Drilled the final holes through the UHMW slider block, attached some final hardware, and installed the pedals in the fuselage. While doing this last time, I noticed that one of the pre-installed nutplates that secures the assembly to the firewall is apparently stripped. I verified this after attempting to insert one of the bolts today. I left the bolt out for now, but I'll either have to tap the nutplate, or replace it somehow (probably by drilling out a row of rivets on the cooling air ramp.)

I might also have to fabricate a shim under each of the UHMW blocks, because the pedal assembly rocks slightly around its longitudinal axis.

These issues demonstrate some disadvantages of the QB kit, because these kind of problems simply would not have happened if I'd built the floor myself.

With the pedal assembly in place, I began installing the rudder cables so I can connect them to the rudder and adjust their length. I got them installed and connected all the way from the pedals to the aft tailcone. The remainder of this job will have to wait until the horizontal stab is removed. My arms and hands are just too big to get in there right now.

  May 21, 2008     Elevator controls - (2.2 hours)       Category: Controls

I got my nerve up to drill the oh-so-critical pushrod attach holes in the elevator horns today. It was one tenth as stressful as I figured it would be.

First, I drilled the #12 hole through the left horn, which is my forward-most horn. I did this on the workbench to make sure it was perfectly straight. Then I reattached the left elevator.

Next, I very securely clamped the elevators in trail and measured everything again, just to make sure. Then I measured the distance between the horns and cut a small block of hardwood that would fit perfectly between them. I drilled a #12 hole though the wood block with a drill press, then positioned it between the horns and clamped it. Then I simply drilled though the block and made a perfect, matching hole in the right horn. Worked great.

Next, I attached the elevator pushrods from back to front, making sure the control sticks were vertical. I had to do a bit of trimming along the edge of one hole though a fuselage bulkhead in order for the pushrod to clear sufficiently. At long last, I was able to move the sticks and feel the glassy-smooth elevator control, and watch the control surfaces move! Cool! Too bad it'll all have to come apart for painting soon. Oh well.

  May 20, 2008     Elevator and rudder mounting - (2.1 hours)       Category: Controls

I spent quite a lot of time perfecting the elevator "up" stops today, mostly by filing away the stop material bit by bit, and checking & re-checking the elevator angle as I went. I set the maximum up angle at 27.5 degrees, right in the center of Van's 25-30 specification. The slots I made will be cleaned up later, after the horizontal stab has been removed.

The elevator down-angle will have to be set a bit differently from the plans, since the elevator horns don't even touch the stop at their maximum specified angle. I think I'll end up fastening "stop shims" onto the horns themselves.

With the elevators in trail, I marked the left horn for drilling the pushrod attach hole. (It's the aft-most horn, so it will be the "master" for the hole position.)

Oh, and I mounted the rudder, too. I had to make a slight adjustment of the bottom rod end, but once it was mounted, the rudder moved as smooth as glass. So far, I couldn't be happier with the alignment of the tail section components.

  May 19, 2008     Elevator mounting - (1.8 hours)       Category: Controls

The first thing on the list of projects today was to trim the right edge of the aft fuselage deck so the right elevator horn would clear it. I used a cutoff wheel in the Dremel to make the cut, then a series of files, to get it looking good.

Next, I set the elevators in trail and verified the up and down deflections, then trimmed the lower HS spar flange so the horn will hit the "down" stop. I used a tapered grinding stone in the Dremel for most of the serious material removal.

Finally, I began trimming the "up" stop to achieve the desired elevator deflection.

  May 18, 2008     Elevator mounting - (1.2 hours)       Category: Controls

I clamped the elevators in the trail position, then took various measurements and noted the following issues I may (or may not) have to work out:

1. With both elevator counterweights perfectly aligned with the stab skin, the elevators are about 0.3 to 0.4 degrees different. Not sure if this is a problem or not. My gut says no.

2. The right elevator horn rubs slightly on the side of fuselage deck. I will trim the opening in the deck slightly.

3. The maximum elevator deflection is currently about 20 degrees, so I'll have to trim the "up" stop.

4. The maximum down deflection is currently about 25 degrees, and the horn hits the flange of the stab spar before it hits the stop. Since the deflection is adequate right now, I may have to fabricate a second stop and attach it to the fuselage deck or the elevator horns.

5. The elevator horns are slightly misaligned by about 1/8". This is very common with RVs, and should not be a problem as long as I assure good edge distance for the pushrod attach holes.

I clamped the control sticks in the "elevator neutral" position and checked the positioning of the aft elevator bellcrank and where the rod end meets the elevator horns. Both look great.

  May 12, 2008     Elevator mounting - (2.0 hours)       Category: Controls

I began mounting the elevators today. First, I installed the remaining two elevator pushrods through the aft fuselage. Attaching the small (forward) one to the bellcrank requires a lot of ingenuity and squirming around in tight quarters, but I got it done without drawing any blood, or cussing too much.
I noted that one of the pushrods makes contact with the bottom of one of the bulkhead holes, so I'll have to enlarge the hole slightly (see photo #3 below).

Next, I bolted the elevators to the horizontal stabilizers and clamped them in the neutral position. I centered the sticks in the vertical position, and noted the position of the aft end of the large elevator pushrod against the elevator horns. It looks like things will work out very well here. I'll need to do some trimming of the sides of the aft fuselage deck so the horns clear.

I also took some initial measurements of the elevator up/down travel. Right now, with no adjustments, I get 20 degrees up and 25 degrees down.

  May 10, 2008     Flight controls - (3.3 hours)       Category: Controls

With the help of a friend, I removed the fuselage stands and lowered the fuselage onto the floor mounts. I did this because the next tasks will involve a lot of climbing into the fuselage.

First, I inserted the aft cockpit floorboards and the wooden work-floors, then mounted the elevator bellcrank. I plan to leave it permanently installed from this point forward, since I won't be painting the inside of the skins back there.

Next, I re-installed the control column, then installed the front and rear control sticks. I had to ream out the brass bushings to 1/4" for a good slip-fit with the long AN3 bolts that attach the sticks. Next, I mounted the forward elevator pushrod -- the one that interconnects the sticks. Once it was connected, I just had to play with the controls for a bit. Fun!

One you install the sticks, it becomes clear that you'll have to trim quite a bit from the front stick length in order to clear the instrument panel. In my case, I'll have to check the clearance with my Infinity stick grips, as they're pretty tall.

  Oct 16, 2007     Large elevator pushrod - (1.3 hours)       Category: Controls

Finished assembling the large elevator pushrod. Drilled, deburred, and riveted the end caps in place, then primed the pushrod.

  Oct 15, 2007     Elevator pushrods; Control stick - (2.3 hours)       Category: Controls

Marked and drilled the F-840 elevator pushrod and the threaded pushrod ends, and riveted on the ends. I primed the pushrod and painted it light gray.

Finished assembling the mostly pre-made F-839 elevator pushrod by screwing in the appropriate rod ends. Here, I encountered a slight problem: The drawings specify a 30-1/8" distance between the centers of the rod ends. One end of my pushrod allows the rod ends to be screwed in only about 5/8" before apparently "bottoming out." The other end is normal, but the pushrod is still 1/8" too long with both rod ends screwed in as far as they will go. I might have to tap the hole.

Finally, I drilled the 3/16" holes in the aft control stick that take an AN-3 attach bolt. This bolt secures the upper and lower pieces together, and allows the aft stick to be removed if desired.

  Oct 08, 2007     Elevator pushrods - (.5 hour)       Category: Controls

Began fabricating the two elevator pushrods: Cut both pushrods to length and primed the interiors of both.

  Sep 26, 2007     Elevator bellcrank - (.8 hour)       Category: Controls

Riveted together the elevator bellcrank, and drilled the holes where the TruTrak autopilot servo arm will attach.

  Sep 25, 2007     Elevator bellcrank - (1.6 hours)       Category: Controls

Began assembling the elevator bellcrank by clecoing and drilling all the holes, then polishing the edges of the plates. Fabricated the small spacer that goes between the plates. Scuffed, cleaned, and primed all three pieces. Painted all thee pieces white. Tomorrow, I'll rivet them all together with the bearing. I still need to drill a hole in the assembly where the TruTrak autopilot servo attaches.

Speaking of the autopilot servo, the replacement mounting angles that came with mine are slightly asymmetrical and might be mis-drilled. I'll have to decide whether I can even use them at all.