Jan 19, 2024     Aileron pushrods and slave struts       Category: Wings

Fabricated and installed the aileron pushrods and slave struts. Neat to see the joystick fully operational

  Jan 12, 2024     Javelins       Category: Wings

In keeping with my doing things the hard way, I'm going to mount my javelins by passing the flying and landing wires through them rather than lashing them in place. I made a jig to cut the required slots to pass the wires through. I took a measurement of the angle made between the landing and flying wires so I could cut the middle slit at the proper angle.

  Jan 07, 2024     Pitot static tube       Category: Wings

In keeping with wanting this to look like an airplane from the 30's, I made a pitot static tube out of brass. With annealing, it works just a tad stiffer than 3003 aluminum tubing. I'll cut the strap that mounts it when I attach it to a strut

  Dec 31, 2023     Wing walk       Category: Wings

I wanted to dress up the wing walk, so I made an aluminum frame for it. Got the wing walk stuck down then applied the boarder. I call it wing bling.

  Dec 23, 2023     Flying/landing wire tensions       Category: Wings

With the aid of a tensiometer loaned to me by AC Hutson, I mounted and tensioned the flying and landing wires. Having that tool took the guesswork out of getting all the tensions uniform. While doing so, I confirmed that dihedrals were equal, and nothing was twisting the wings. All in the process of rigging the wings. From what I see, everything looks good

  Dec 23, 2023     Strut switch       Category: Wings

To my dismay, I've come to the realization that I had the wing struts on the wrong sides. First indication was how difficult it was to get the right struts on. This should have shut down the wing mounting process, as they were not that difficult to instal prior to covering. Then I noticed that there was more dihedral on the right side than on the left. So I supported each wing with supports and removed the struts. Got it figured out which went where and sure enough, things were good with the world when I remounted them. I had mislabeled the struts. Just another example of me having crainiorectal inversions once in awhile.

  Dec 16, 2023     New wire lugs       Category: Wings

I had to make a couple new wire lugs to direct the rear landing wire through the two rear flying wires. As it set, they were touching.

  Dec 02, 2023     Mounted the wings       Category: Wings

I assembled a group of scoundrels and n'air do wells to help out with mounting the wings. Everything went quite smoothly. Total time to complete was about four hours, not including installation of the flying and landing wires. Was a fun day for all.

  Nov 24, 2023     Center section accessories       Category: Wings

While I wait for help mounting the wings, I installed all the accessories on the underside of the center section, including the fuel line blisters, fuel sight gauge and compass. Also ran the fuel lines down the cabanes

  Nov 15, 2023     Ready for wings       Category: Wings

The airplane is now leveled and ready to mount the wings

  Nov 12, 2023     Ailerons mounted       Category: Wings

Got the ailerons mounted. They have simple wire hinges that are secured to the aileron bay with safety wired screws.

  Nov 11, 2023     Fuel tank repaint       Category: Wings

After getting the fuel tank out to the hangar and seeing it with different lighting, I unfortunately came to the conclusion that it needed to be repainted. Lots of mottling and streaks. I don't like spraying aerothane in the first place, and doing so with a metallic silver adds to my frustrations. So I took it back to the shop and finally, after at least tree coats (I lost count), I am satisfied with the result.

  Nov 07, 2023     Center section mounted       Category: Wings

Got the center section mounted. I ran two plumb Bob lines down from rack of the root rids down to the floor and marked a centerline on the floor for reference. This assured the center section wasn't tilted one way or the other. Once lined up, the roll wires were tightened.

  Oct 26, 2023     Aileron polish       Category: Wings

I've decided to Polish my ailerons and lave them bare aluminum, like was done in the 30's often.

  Oct 15, 2023     Wing moving day       Category: Wings

Moved the wings and center section to the airport with the help of my long time aviation friend Mark Enderby.

  Oct 13, 2023     Center section handholds       Category: Wings

I wanted to dress up the handholds on the center section, so I replicated an application I saw at the WAAAM in Hood River Oregon. I wrapped them in chord, then coated them with about 3 coats of epoxy resin.

  Jul 10, 2023     Wing paint prep       Category: Wings

Polybrush and poly spray for the wings continues

  Jun 29, 2023     Wing finish coats 2       Category: Wings

First wing with 3 cross coats of Polyspray. I'll move on to another wing while this one gasses off for a week prior to applying paint.

  Jun 23, 2023     Wing finishing coats 1       Category: Wings

Since I had a hiatus over the winter, I needed to reactivate the brushed on coat of Polybrush on the wings. Per instructions, I sprayed a coat of poly brush reduced 50/50, then sprayed two coats with the normal 3:1 ratio.

  Jul 01, 2022     Covering wings       Category: Wings

Completed covering right bottom wing

  Jun 23, 2022     Covering bottom wings       Category: Wings

Completed covering bottom left wing.

  Jun 13, 2022     Set up of aileron pushrod idler, polybrush for sheeting on lowere left wing       Category: Wings

Painted the inboard aileron pushrods. Established proper length between heim fittings on inboard and outboard pushrods. Applied polybrush to sheeted areas on bottom left wing.

  Jun 10, 2022     Top right wing completed       Category: Wings

Top right wing covering completed. Techniques learning from the first wing made the process a bit faster/easier.

  May 21, 2022     Taping completed for top left wing       Category: Wings

Top left wing covering etc completed.

  May 17, 2022     Wing tapes and access panels       Category: Wings

Placed the chordwise rib tapes, located and installed the wing access rings and gussets.

  May 15, 2022     Rib lacing       Category: Wings

Completed the top left wing rib lacing, or as I call it suturing.

  May 10, 2022     First coat of polybrush.       Category: Wings

Applied the brushed on first coat of polybrush. Rib lacing locations were marked

  May 08, 2022     Covered bottom of top left wing       Category: Wings

Covered the bottom of the top left wing. The leading edge at the tip required being slit to accommodate the slight taper there. The arc that the leading edge sheet makes at the wingtip was followed with the top and bottom covering.

  May 07, 2022     Top left wing covering       Category: Wings

Poly brushed the leading edge plywood sheet. Covered the top of the wing first, thus being a top wing. Instead of having the seam between the top and bottom covering, I displaced it aft. The seam is located just forward of the trailing edge of the leading edge sheet. The bottom covering will wrap around the leading edge.

  May 02, 2022     Prep for wing covering       Category: Wings

As I had to do some sanding on the ribs, I had to reapply some epoxy varnish on the wings prior to covering. First wing up is the top left wing, named Melanie after my oldest daughter.

  Jan 04, 2022     Center section underside       Category: Wings

located and installed the tank support stiffeners, fuel line blisters and compass fairing

  Dec 08, 2021     Center section stiffeners       Category: Wings

Again wanting to recreate a nostalgic look, I'm simulating wood stiffeners located under the fuel tank on the center section. I made 6 stiffeners out of red oak. Picture shows them stained, after which I touched up the spots I missed on some of their tips.

  Aug 18, 2021     N struts pt 1       Category: Wings

Began the construction of the N struts. I chose to build them “in place” so I moved the fuse into my larger garage with assurances to my wife that her car's need to be parked outside will be short lived. I used a friend's scaffolding to aid in supporting the upper wing and had a few friends over to help who accept compensation in cold beers.

  Jun 20, 2021     N struts pt 2       Category: Wings

I began N strut construction by doing the middle strut first. This duplicated the dihedral of the bottom wing at 1.5 degrees. Th3n I made the front and rear struts to fit. I used a method of a tab welded to a bushing that mounts to the wing, then a bolt is passed through the strut and tab to secure the strut to the wing.

  Jun 19, 2021     Lower wing root fitup pt 4       Category: Wings

After applying the rear most MonoKote, I fit the wine root to the covered fuselage contour. This again was accomplished after assuring the wing was at the proper dihedral. Having the wing resting on two sets of rolling supports allowed me to fool the wing in place, see how much I had to trim, then roll it out of the way. Time consuming, but effective. Once the rear area was completed, I did the same with the front. Same process was repeated on the other wing.

  Jun 19, 2021     Lower wing root fitup pt 3       Category: Wings

My plan to get a nice close, even fit between the wing root and the fuselage includes simulating the fuselage covering in the area where the wing mounts. I'm going to use some leftover MonoKote covering from my RC days. A concern I have is the bottom stringer is long between the bulkheads and has a tendency to bow inward. The MonoKote sill not have the same amping of shrink, thus pressure as the cecinite will, so if this stringer bows, the gap will be increased with the final covering. To prevent this bowing, I made a support for the stringer.

  Jun 17, 2021     Lower wing root fitup pt 2       Category: Wings

I began the process by accommodating the stringers. After assuring the wing had the designated 1.5 degrees of dihedral, In the forward area, I simulated where the lower stringer would penetrate the wing walk plywood. Then I carefully relieved the plywood to allow the wing mount fittings to contact each other.

  Jun 14, 2021     Lower wing root fitup pt1       Category: Wings

Pulled the fuselage out to begin the process of matching the lower wing root contour to the fuselage.

  Jan 16, 2021     Riveted ailerons       Category: Wings

Primed the internal surfaces of the skins as well as the ribs and trailing edge with Marhyde primer, then NAPA 7220 when the Marhyde ran out. Started riveting with the lower skin to the spar first. Riveted control horns to ribs prior to ribs being riveted to the skins

  Jan 14, 2021     Aileron hinge       Category: Wings

Drilled aileron hinge to wing aileron spar

  Jan 12, 2021     Closing aileron skin corrugations       Category: Wings

Began process of closing the ends of the skin corrugations. I used a slitting tool from Klein Tools to cut a 3/16” deep wedge out of the corrugation ends. Then a homemade tool was made out of a 1/2” bolt that was used to tap the ends closed

  Jan 05, 2021     Drilled bottom aileron skin       Category: Wings

Taped the Vans trailing edge in place. Trimmed the bottom skin oversized using the template made prior. Drilled bottom skin in place

  Jan 04, 2021     Aileron ribs located       Category: Wings

Located and drilled aileron ribs. Temporarily taped them in place prior to drilling

  Jan 03, 2021     Aileron spar located and drilled       Category: Wings

Marked skin for outboard curve with template. Temporarily taped hinge to skin leading edge, located spar and drilled to aileron skin. Hade a 3/4” mount to raise top skin off of the work table to allow the bottom skin to hang past the trailing edge and later trim to top skin

  Jan 02, 2021     Aileron rib forms       Category: Wings

Aileron ribs. Made blocks to form them.

  Feb 12, 2019     Aileron skins       Category: Wings

Stamped out all my aileron skins out of 1/16��aluminum using a press that my buddy Rick Shultz rigged up.