Dec 26, 2023     Test fuel tank placement - (1 hour)       Category: Fuel System

Purchased a fuel tank for a home generator and tried the fit. Only 7 gallons but should be enough for my short flights.

  Nov 25, 2023     Replaced short eyebolts - (1 hour)       Category: Wings

Today I replaced the short AN43B 12 eyebolts with AN43b 13A eyebolts. Not a big job but now threads are showing.

  Nov 17, 2023     Tail Wheel - (2 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Today I removed the tail wheel from the Volksplane 2 that I bought in Canada and installed it on my Volksplane 1. I was very pleased that the parts were an exact match.

  Oct 09, 2023     Ailerons - (3.0 hours)       Category: Wings

finished the ailerons by using a few parts from the VP2 I bought in September of 2021. The primary reason I bought the VP-2 from Canada was to scavenge metal parts that were similar or exactly like the metal parts called for in the VP-1. In this example i took the 1"x2" metal spaced from the aileron hinge bolts and the aileron control yokes. I did have to cut down the yokes to size and redrill holes. But a real time saver.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 25TH. THE AN 43B 12A BOLTS HAD NO THREADS SHOWING SO TODAY I REPLACED ALL 12 BOLTS WITH AN 43B 13A BOLTS.

  Sep 25, 2023     finished the woodwork on Ailerons and first coast of varnish - (3 hours)       Category: Wings

Finished the woodwork and the first coat of varnish. Photos look a little "off" as the ailerons are sitting on upright nails for drying.

  Sep 10, 2023     Gussets for Ailerons - (2 hours)       Category: Wings

Cutting the gussets for the ailerons- easy to cut with a razor knife. but measuring was time consuming. I also glued the lower set in place but didn't take photos.

  Sep 03, 2023     Aileron build - (2 hours)       Category: Wings

After about 9 months of relative inactivity on my VP1 I have put some pieces together. The left and right Ailerons are placed together and glued. I thought about adding some finishing nails but opted not to as the glue wen together nicely. As they say "Life happens" - although no consequence to anyone else this is my Builder's log and I need to tell myself so I remember in the future how I built my project. In December of last year my wife was diagnosed with cancer. For the past 9 months I really didn't feel like working on my project.

  Sep 01, 2023     Purchased the wood - (1 hour) Category: Wings

Went to Lowes and purchased the wood for the Ailerons - 1/4 inch plywood is harder to find than I expected. The Trailing edge calls for 1/4 inch ply and the store only had lauan. - Found a sheet of 1/4 ply in the scrap pile that I had them cut length wise to fit in my hatchback. Also bought a couple 1x6 boards for the spars. Wood prices are outrageous since COVID

  Jun 01, 2023     Another month of reading plans - (2.0 hours) Category: Research

Another month of preparing to continue my project. Buying some nice tools and reading up on what to do next.

  Apr 03, 2023     A cold and wet Winter - (2 hours) Category: Research

Although it has been a few months since I have actually placed tools in hand to work on my project - I have been researching what to do next. My fuselage is in the barn and many a weekend has been either very wet or the path to the barn has been through up to 2 feet of snow. My next phase of the project is to begin the main wings and for this I need to move my fuselage to the workshop. I need a clear dry weekend to do this - maybe further in the Spring.

  Nov 20, 2022     Mount Pitch trim control       Category: Empennage

It took 3 hours to drill one hole in the stabilator. Originally I thought the person that fabricated the trim control arm forgot to drill the lower hole. However, I realized while mounting the trim control arm that by not drilling the lower hole I was able to perfectly align top and bottom holes. (of course I did have process of drilling with my standard size bit through 4 inches of material.)

  Nov 05, 2022     Trim Tab - (4 hours)       Category: Empennage

Today I learned I had the wrong rivet gun so had to go buy one and the correct rivets. Replacing the hinges in the trim tab I bought as part of the VP2 then putting the trim tab in place with the hinges placed as in the plans took some time - but a sense of accomplishment when completed.

  Oct 30, 2022     Trim tab - (2 hours)       Category: Empennage

Remembering the VP2 I bought in Canada, I took the VP2 trim tab that was already built and bought a metal blade for my table saw. After taking out the rivets on both ends and removing the hinges I will use after relocating them, I set up the table saw to cut light metal. Took a practice cut and then trimmed each end to fit. Next I will file the edges and fill the end caps with foam.

  Jul 31, 2022     Leading edge 1/16 ply - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage

Today cut the 1/16 ply for the leading edge of the stabilator. Glued and nailed it to the leading edge. I was surprised the plans left a 1 inch gap on the leading edge for the ply. I checked it against the VP2 I bought from Canada and the 1 inch gap is there also. I only glued to top edge and next week I will do the bottom.

  Jul 04, 2022     Working on the Stab Fit - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage

Today I did some more work on the Stabilator: cutting the 1/16 ply for the flat gussets around the trailing edge and taking the stabilator out to see if it fits on the fuselage. One interesting thing (again) was my interpretation of the plans. the quarter rounds that brace the ribs do not look like they have a "cut out" for the hinge pin. The ribs do have a cut out in the center ribs. It looks like the space is not cut out so I left the quarter rounds intact until assembly. So back to my trusty Drumel tool to cut out the quarter rounds to allow the hinge pin access.

  Jun 25, 2022     varnish Stabilator - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage

Some sanding and then varnish on the interior of the stabilator. I took "selfies" to show I am doing the work. The fuselage of the VP2 I bought in Canada is in the background. I still need to strip the parts I need off of it.

  Jun 06, 2022     Parts for VP1 - (0.5 hour)       Category: Controls

A big benefit to the EAA Builder's Log is connecting with friends you never knew you had. A fellow VP1 builder, Dave from Byron NY, called after he saw that I was building a VP1. Fortunately he had some spare hardware he was interested in selling real cheap. I bought them and now my plane has taken a big step forward. Thank you Dave

  Jun 05, 2022     Mounting the end caps that balance the stabilator - (3 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Today I recut the end cap pieces that lead weights attach to to balance the stabilator. I recut them because the first set were 1 inch short. Here are pictures of the end caps mounted. An interesting thing I thought of while scrapping the pieces that don't fit. There is no question that I am doing this work... all anyone has to do is look in my scrap bin at all the pieces that had to be redone.

  May 17, 2022     Balsa wood for trim tab shaft - (2 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Over the past couple weeks I cut and trimmed the 2 pieces of Balsa wood that the shaft for the trim tab goes through. The plans call for 3 pieces of 3/4 inch balsa wood glued together. I couldn't find 3 pieces but I found two. So I very inaccurately cut the same channel down both pieces and glued them together. It isn't pretty but it is functional. I will clean it up with some sanding and add the bolts under it before varnishing the entire stabilator.

  May 04, 2022     read through plans - (2.0 hours)       Category: Research

My stabilator sat on the workbench this month while I read the plans for what to do next and stared out my work window at the airport. But the Builder's site sent me emails asking if I did anything. So this is what I did.

  Mar 26, 2022     Sanding the Leading Edge - (2 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Today I took some advice of a EAA Club member "Take some photos of you doing the work for your log". So today was rather boring but I took a couple pictures anyway. The leading edge of the stabilator needs to be a 1/2 round. So before I attached it I used a hand plane and today I used an orbital sander 40 grit (and a little hand planing). I will probably use a finer grit next to make it smoother.

  Mar 19, 2022     more of last week's 1/4 rounds - (1 hour)       Category: Tail Feathers

This week I glued in the last set of 1/4 rounds on the stabilator. Interesting that this piece is essentially working from the inside out. Next I will work on the balsa wood center piece that surrounds the shaft for the trim tab.

  Mar 13, 2022     1/4 rounds - (2 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Using a little help from gravity - I suspended the stabilator from the ceiling. I placed the inside 1/4 rounds on the inside of the aft section of the stabilator, next week the fwd inside 1/4 rounds.

  Mar 05, 2022     Stab spacers - (3 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Gluing some of the smaller items on the stabilator spar. These "in between" blocks appear to be placed to keep air in the front and back of the inside of the stabilator from mixing. The 1/16 " ply leading edge flashing will fasten to these top and bottom to form a solid wood "pocket". Each of these spacers was individually sanded to fit. Next I'll do the bottom spacers. I did have to trim the over glue from the inside edges of each rib to get a true fit. I am constantly amazed that my little drumel tool has been so useful in this build,
3/6/22 - turned the stabilator over and glued the stab spar spacers to the other side. Also in the photos is the Stab Trim tab I was able to purchase with the VP2 I bought in Canada. It is the same overall dimensions except for length. So I will have to remove some of the pop rivets and the outer hinges - cut to the proper length then reattach the hinges.

  Feb 27, 2022     Stab Trailing edge - (2 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

The leading edge and rib gluing went so well yesterday, I glued the trailing edges to the Stabilator today. I can see that I will have a lot of sanding to trim the remaining Stab pieces to fit.

  Feb 26, 2022     Finishing up adding the ribs to the Stab spar - (3 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Glued the remaining ribs to the Stabilator Spar. Last week I made more jigs to hold the ribs in place so I was able to glue the remaining 6 ribs in place and the leading edge of the left side and the last rib on the right side. Fortunately no ribs were glued to the jigs so after these dry I can determine if I am still as fortunate.

  Feb 21, 2022     First Stab glue - (3 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

After making the braces (jigs) and heating the garage to a comfortable temperature I glued the first ribs to the stab and glued the leading edge to the ribs to make sure all would be true. After completing this step I can see at least 4 to 6 more steps to a completed stabilator. I probably should have made 10 total jigs. One of them a left hand jig - which I made today. The opposite side (left hand) brace for the jig is for the opposite end rib.

  Feb 13, 2022     Spar Endcaps - (2.0 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Today cut the two spar end caps that will hold the counterweights. I also made 4 spar clamping jigs from a description of another builder. Hopefully these will hold the ribs in place on the spar while gluing.

  Feb 06, 2022     Stab Leading Edge - (2.5 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

After a mis-cut set of leading edges for the Stabilator I purchased additional 3/4" x 4" 6 foot pieces of pine. The past few weeks have mostly been either below zero outside or very close in the single digits. The thought of heating my garage up to 60 degrees (which would take about 2 hours) did not appeal to me so I waited until the temperature was at least 20 degrees. So today I measured and measured and measured (seemingly endlessly) to try to get the right length and placement of the 1/4" notches in the leading edges of the stabilator. I have mentioned before how the plans call for 10" inches from the outside edge of the ribs down the length of the stab spar to an 8 1/8 inch spacing on the interior two ribs. This (hopefully) leaves a 7 1/4 inch gap between the interior edges of the two interior ribs. (overall length is 84 inches if anyone wants to play with this - don't bother - the numbers do not add up unless you account for the 1/4 width of the ribs) The problem is that multiplied over 5 ribs the width of a pencil lead can throw off the last measurement on each side and eventually mis place the interior spacing. I solved this issue by cutting the two leading edge pieces together to match the 7 1/4" interior space and then matching each rib placement on the 2 leading edges. The next step before fitting everything together is rounding the leading edges of the two pieces. I roughed these out and will sand them round after assembly.

  Dec 19, 2021     parts       Category: Tail Feathers

Today I finished roughing out the parts for the stabilator. Next I will begin the process of dry fitting the parts together. I will also need to shape the leading edge to a semi half round and both the leading edge and trailing edge will need 1/4 inch slots cut for fitting the ribs.

  Dec 15, 2021     Stabilator - (3 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

No picture this week... I spent a few hours measuring and remeasuring the placement of the ribs on the spar. This came about as I was cutting the pieces for the trailing edges of the stabilator. I thought the easiest way to get the correct measurements (vs from the drawings) was to measure the markings I had made on the spar from the plans last time to position the ribs. WOW the two sides were not symmetrical! So I slid all the ribs off the spar and looked back at the plans and my marks. First I measured my spar - it was exactly 84 1/16 th inches - so I used my chop saw and trimmed the extra 1/16th off. The I added up all the measurements on the plans. form left to right it reads "10"+10"+10"+8 1/8"+7 1/4" +8 1/8" + 10"+ 10" + 10"... I added these up on the calculator and it came to 83 1/2 inches? So now the "head scratching" began. If I missed adding in all the 1/4 " widths of the ribs then it would add eight 1/4" widths. so definitely adding 2 inches to the spar is not right (85 1/2 "). So rereading the plans and looking very closely at the markings on the 11"x17" plan book I saw that the "7 1/4 inch" center measurement is an interior dimension vs the 10" measurements are all from the exterior of the ribs. This led me to realize the 1/2 inch difference was from the widths of the two interior ribs. Perhaps later I will add in a scan of the plans page that gave me so much "head scratching". Took a picture of the page.

  Nov 28, 2021     lay out stabilator on spar       Category: Tail Feathers

finished the Stab Spar today by trimming and drilling the last holes. I measured out the placement of the ribs and lined them up to get an idea of correct measurements. The designed used "on center" for some alignment and from the starboard or port to out side edge for others. Very confusing. So I started from the 3 5/8" centerline measurement and the 7 1/4 center measurements and worked my way out. This gives me a good idea of where the ribs will be glued. I marked the spar and over the nest few weeks will get all the pieces together before assembly.

  Nov 26, 2021     varnish inside of stab spar - (1 hour)       Category: Tail Feathers

Day after Thanksgiving - applied masking tape to areas not wanting to varnish (to apply glue to later) and then varnished the inside of the stab spar. Also put another coat of varnish on the rudder.

  Nov 25, 2021     Boxing in the Stab Spar - (1 hour)       Category: Tail Feathers

Applied one side of the 1/8 inch ply to the Stab Spar. It took longer than an hour to get the garage up to 60 degrees.

  Nov 21, 2021     Stab spar gluing phase 1 - (2 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

A short day today to glue the two lengths of sitka spruce to the spacer blocks. Next week (a long weekend over Thanksgiving break) I plan to glue the 1/8 inch ply to both sides of the stab spar. With varnish inside this should complete the stab spar. Of course one very critical part of this process is first getting the garage over 60 degrees for the glue. The wood stove in the background is responsible for that.

  Nov 14, 2021     Stab Spar parts       Category: Tail Feathers

Today I did a little work on the Stabilator Spar. First I had to lengthen my workbench. Then I cut the 1/8 ply to 2 inch width. Lastly I placed all parts in position for gluing. My primary goal was to ensure I have a 2"x 2" spar after gluing. Yes, it all fits. Next step gluing.

  Nov 07, 2021     Stab Spar parts       Category: Tail Feathers

Over the weekend I spent a lot of time on making sure the Sitka Spruce Stab Spar 84 inch lengths were exactly 1/2 " x" 1 3/4 ". This is because the square holes in the Stab ribs are exactly 2 1/16" square. I also used a Maple block vs a Birch block because I could not find a 1" thick birch board and maple is an acceptable substitute. Also in the picture are two Balsa wood blocks to be used in the filler space where the Stab trim rod passes through the Stabilator.

  Oct 26, 2021     complete Rudder       Category: Tail Feathers

Finished the Rudder with a few coats of spar varnish. Also went to lumber store and bouget the 3/4 round, birch and maple for the Stabilator Spar. I had to order the Balsa in 2"x3"x12" blocks from Amazon as no hobby stores in the area carry anything larger than 2" or 3" squares. Of note in the background is the fuselage of the VP2 I bought from Canada. My barn has my VP1 fuselage in it and until I figure out how to dismantle the VP2 for parts it will probably act as a "parts storage" area.

  Oct 03, 2021     Rudder trailing edge       Category: Tail Feathers

A few hours on a Sunday cutting and fitting the trailing edge of the rudder. Also a shot of the VP2 rudder I bought for parts from Canada. It is interesting to compare VP1 to VP2 and the workmanship of the other guy to mine. Of note the "other guy" intended to have lights on his VP as you can see with the tail light he mounted to the top of the rudder.

  Sep 15, 2021     VP2 for parts       Category: Research

This past weekend I drove to Canada with another member of our EAA Club. I went up and picked up a VP-2 that a builder had 70% completed. But must have lost interest. 1200 miles round trip and 3 days, but I have lots of parts I will use on my VP1. And some I will try to sell if anyone is interested in a VP2 with optional skis.

  Aug 29, 2021     Rudder - (2 hours)       Category: Tail Feathers

Small pieces eventually add up. Today I shaped the leading edge of the rudder and glued it in place.

  Aug 07, 2021     Rudder Ribs       Category: Tail Feathers

Today I fit the ribs on the rudder tube. A rather long process but it looks like it came out just right. After gluing the ribs to the blocks I used a long level as a straight edge to line up the rib ends.

  Jul 18, 2021     rudder blocks       Category: Tail Feathers

Trimmed the blocks for the rudder ribs and trimmed the washers to fit the blocks. Added a coat of enamel to the rudder tube and the bare surfaces of the washers I trimmed. The plans look as though they used a 3/4 inch washer but the washers supplied in the Aircraft Spruce hardware kit is a 1 inch washer. So each washer I trimmed 1/4 inch off of 1 side to fit the washer to the rudder rib. Many thanks to Stephen Vorkoetter http://www.stefanv.com/volksplane/rudder.html for his detailed page on how he built the Volksplane rudder.

  Jul 11, 2021     Rudder       Category: Tail Feathers

Finally got back to the rudder. The original blocks I cut were ok but the 2" holes were a little bigger than 2"... so I cut new blocks and cut new 2" holes. These turned out much better and more snug. I drilled the attachment holes and then clamped them to my worktable to drill holes in the rudder tube using the 3"blocks as guides. The AN4-40 bolts fit perfectly. Next take it all apart and put it back together. This involves painting the metal parts, varnishing the wood and gluing the ribs to the blocks. After that the vertical fwd and aft pieces will be cut and fitted.

  Apr 25, 2021     before storing in barn       Category: Fuselage

Today I attached the lawn mower wheels to the landing gear struts and then wrapped the fuselage in plastic before moving the fuselage into the barn for storage until wings are complete. I also started laying out the rudder pieces and cut the support blocks.

of course I had to sit in the fuselage and make "Vroom - Vroom" sounds.

  Apr 18, 2021     A few nuts and bolts - (3 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Sometimes a few little things move the project forward. Today I placed nuts on the bolts holding Service Bulletin #2 in place. 8 nuts and washers doesn't seem like a lot but getting them in right took some time. Next I fabricated the fuel tank deck (F-17). I glued the 1/4 round to the aft end of it before placing it into position. Because I cut the 1/4 inch slots for the wing struts last week, I decided to measure the wing ribs to see if the slots lined up... they do... so another piece of gratification that I measured and placed cuts and materials correctly.

  Apr 11, 2021     review and clean up       Category: Fuselage

Today I started going over the fuselage for things I had put off until later: The eye bolts in the tail; the gluing of the 1/4 ply doublers; and the interior 3"x7" cover pieces on the landing struts. The eye bolts I had only put off because I had not ordered them initially. The other pieces I had waited until the landing gear was in place the ensure I could easily get to the bolts holding the landing gear in place. Next I will fit the fuel tank support floor. Another piece I waited until the landing gear was in place.

  Apr 10, 2021     Landing Gear fitting       Category: Landing Gear

Today I decided to see if everything fits.. the holes in the second hand landing gear cross piece to the holes I drilled in the fuselage and the holes in all the connecting parts. "YES!" everything fit. However, (why is there always a "however"?) The after construction notes on the last page of the plans say to use a 2"x2" 1/8 inch aluminum angle iron in place of the flat piece to more evenly distribute the landing load. Here is the however, I had not placed the 1/4 inch spar reinforcing doubler on the fuselage. I had it CNC cut with the other 1/4 inch ply. So I had to take it all apart to cut a notch out of the angle iron and reassemble.

  Mar 28, 2021     life's lessons - (10 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Many times "life's lessons" are costs in: time; experience; mistakes; blood; money; embarrassment; and other costs too numerous to describe in one entry. Today's life lesson was a small amount of money ($10.57) and a great deal of time. Today's life lesson begins with Service Bulletin #2 on page #1. This simple precautionary addition of a couple of about 3/32nds of an inch of angled 4130 steel. Now we go to page #70 where 1/8th of an inch of 2" x 2" alum angle "iron" are added. No big deal right? But adding thicknesses of material changes the length of the bolts needed. AN5-30a bolts are called for so I figured: hell I'll be safe and order AN5-40a's to give myself extra room. This gives me an extra inch to tighten the bolt and I'll just cut off the rest. Experienced builders will at this point say: "oops, he doesn't know about the short length of the threaded area." Yup. Too short So fortunately there are AN5- 32 and AN5-33 bolts in the parts list. So I place those in the holes. Still too short - I think - I want the min of 3 threads showing after tightening them in place. From the looks of it I could fit AN5-33's in place but no threads - so for about another $10 to AC Spruce I will order AN5-35's

  Mar 03, 2021     VW Engine       Category: Engine

Not much to brag about this month. I ordered a little research material "The Great Planes VW conversion manual". so some light reading on cold March nights.

  Jan 03, 2021     Service Bulletin 2 (problem solved)       Category: Landing Gear

Yesterday I finally drilled the 1/4" holes in the landing gear mounts for service bulleting 2. This was particularly difficult because of the 4" space needing to get the drill into. I used stubby hex drill bits on 90 degree adapters. Although the pictures are grainy it shows the successful bolts through the landing gear mounts. The blue tape is because I still need to place 1/4 inch ply on the mounts. Fortunately I did not glue them in place before the service bulletin. Of course, (by increasing the amount of metal involved) the bolts are now too short for mounting the rest of the landing gear so I need to order longer bolts.

  Jan 02, 2021     Wing Ribs on CNC       Category: Wings

I was able to get a local "incubator" workshop instructor to cut the 1/4 inch ply for my wing, stabilator and rudder ribs. Wow! a tremendous time saver.

  Nov 29, 2020     VP Service Bulletin #2       Category: Landing Gear

Today I worked on the VP Service Bulletin #2. After 3 hours I drilled 8 holes! I have posted a question to the VP Builder's site online. Maybe next week I will drill the remaining holes. The issue is to get all the holes lined up and to get the Service Bulletin pieces lined up.

Hello everyone,
You have all probably succeeded in this (probably obvious) procedure that has me temporarily baffled. If I had looked ahead I probably would have drilled the 1/4 inch holes before assembly but now after installation I am at a quandary. How do I get a drill bit in the small spaces to drill the 1/4" holes described in VP Service Bulletin #2? the space between the gear braces is only about 4" and the space between the fwd cockpit wall is only about 3". Fortunately, I have not installed the 1/4 inch thick ply to the bottom of the braces yet. Please forgive the dark photo.

12 APR 2021 - I realize I never answered my question... I purchased a set of stubby bits and 90 degree offset attachment for my drill. It barely fit but it did fit.

The answer is probably obvious to those of you that have done it - but for now I am wondering if I need to take a 1/4" bit and cut it down so my 90 degree drill bit attachment will fit in a 4" space.

  Oct 24, 2020     misc clean up       Category: Fuselage

Today did some clean up inside the fuselage. Installed the rudder pulley in the cockpit, the aft pitot static lines, added a 1/4 inch cut for the rudder bearing plate and the bolts to VP service Bulletin #1.
I also realized that I am not going to install the top skin until later. There are inside fuselage things that need to be done before I seal it in and I do not want to work through 3" inspection holes. I guess the biggest moment of realization was looking at the 1/4 inch by 5 inch cut in F15. A 5 inch triangular aluminum plate slides in this hole and a 5 inch plate will not go through a 3 inch hole. There is a 6" hole in the seat back but somehow sliding it all the way aft seemed counter productive.

And if you look closely at the pitot static opening in the sides of the fuselage - yes, they are covered in cut out pieces of a Coke can. This is as per the plans.

  Oct 17, 2020     skins for the fuselage       Category: Fuselage

  Oct 04, 2020     another missed brace       Category: Fuselage

I had an experienced builder tell me once: "The second aircraft you build will be easier." Today I was looking at the cut diagrams (for about the 100th time) to determine if I had enough 4x8 sheets after cutting out some more fuselage skins. This was on about page 56 + of the plans. I casually turned back a couple pages and looked at page 53... and noticed a 3/4" x 2" cross brace. My first thought was "Where the hell is this located?" and how did I miss this? So looking back to page 3 there are 2 miniscule lines noted at 8" on center from the stern post. The result is a painful reexamine of the frame and then gluing in place of the 2" Douglas fir brace for the rudder trim.

I also taped and varnished the undersides of the top skin and aft rear skin.

  Oct 03, 2020     VP 1 Service Bulletin #2       Category: Fuselage

Fortunately, looking at the VP service bulletins I found VP SB 1 and 2 that should be done before sealing in the fuselage. For SB #2, I ordered 1 1/4 inch 4130 steel from A/C Spruce and got some new hacksaw blades. They cut very easily and bent clean. For SB #1 I ordered the nuts bolts and washers but I'll do that install another time. Expenses listed for the nuts, bolts and 36" of 1 1/4" 4130 steel

  Sep 28, 2020     Top Skin       Category: Fuselage

In my SEP 12 entry I noted that I had to remove the top brace for the rudder. This past weekend after removing the top brace I (mostly) cut out the top 1/16th inch ply skin and spliced it to the 1/8th inch ply skin after of the main fuselage. Because this top skin will seal in the main fuselage I tacked it to the longerons and used my router to trim. I used masking tape on the underside of the skins so next week I can varnish it without varnishing the wood to wood places. I also cut the 1/8th inch aft section of the top skin and glued the two pieces together. It did take me some time to figure out how to trim 1/16th off the 1/8th ply to splice the two parts together. Finally, by carefully setting my table saw to 1/16 inch depth I cut a couple "guide" grooves then used a very sharp chisel and trimmed off the excess. The photos show the two skins being glued (spliced) together for one long top skin. Next I will remake the top rudder brace with the 2 1/2 inch rudder tube bushing hole and fit it all together. the expenses listed above are for a gallon of spar varnish and more nuts and bolts from A/C Spruce.

  Sep 12, 2020     Rudder support       Category: Fuselage

After varnishing the interior of the fuselage I started working on the top skin of the fuselage. When I was following the plans and the advice of prior builders I decided to skin the bottom of the fuselage before the top. This way when I applied the varnish it would run down and seal the gaps and cracks in the bottom vs the top. This makes sense as the condensation after build would also run down in the bottom of the fuselage. So when I progressed to the next step and built the rudder supports I put the top frame of the rudder in place and forgot the top skin was not installed. Today I removed the rudder support and next week I will rebuild.

  Aug 30, 2020     Varnish       Category: Fuselage

After trimming the bottom 1/16th inch ply to the bottom of the fuselage I applied a coat of varnish to the interior. I was a little surprised the bare wood soaked up a whole quart but it went on nicely. It did run through in a couple spots and I will have to sand a few places where I didn't think to put masking tape. As a side note: the T88 epoxy does not stick to polymer - what a surprise. I sent a question to the volksplane builder's forum and got a great response from Fritz Wagoner:
(ref: page 15) The gap between the bottom of the rudder and the top of the
1/4" ply plate is ~5/16". There's plenty of room for bolt heads, especially
if you use something like an AN525 machine screws. ...maybe put AN970
washers under the heads.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/hapages/an525.php

You could also cut a shallow grove (or two) around the OD of the bushing
that will fill with epoxy and mechanically hold the bushing in even though
the epoxy won't stick to the bushing.

Don't loose sleep over it though, the top bushing can't fall out. The
bellcrank sticking through the slot in the F-15 bulkhead keeps the rudder
from moving up and down.

HTH
Fritz

  Aug 23, 2020     skins for the fuselage       Category: Fuselage

today glued the lower 1/16th ply fuselage skin on the plane. After the glue sets (next week) I will trim the skin flush to the sides. With a little extra T88 epoxy I glued two scraps of the rudder bushing material together - to see if I can epoxy the bushing to the fuselage later. After typing this I realized I need to glue this to wood to see it that is successful. I did that without photos and will see the test results next week.

  Aug 10, 2020     Craigslist       Category: Research

Just for fun... actually a roll of the dice. I thought that perhaps I would get lucky so I put an ad in Craigslist "I would like a Volksplane project for parts or to complete. I am building a Volksplane and if anyone has an incomplete project or a decommissioned plane for parts please contact me. I am not interested in a complete flying aircraft." So far I have had 2 responses 1) a person with a Parker Teeny Two and 2) a person with a VP1 in pieces. If it pans out I'll post it...

  Jul 18, 2020     rudder pedals       Category: Controls

with the outside temps in the high 80's or low 90's I did a little work on the airplane. I built the rudder pedals and tested the fit of the rudder shaft for ease in movement and level. I had to pull the aft end of the fuselage outside to clear the garage ceiling.

  Jul 12, 2020     rudder tube support       Category: Empennage

tested the rudder tube in place and used multiple levels to be sure the fittings that hold the rudder tube are level in place and the bushings will not bind when turning. Some additional dremel trimming on the ID of the plastic bushings to ensure clean and free movement. Sorry about all the pictures of levels.... but I wanted to be sure "level" in all dimensions.

  Jul 05, 2020     polymer       Category: Controls

Thankfully a 3 day weekend. During the night I thought that perhaps my trusty Dremel Tool could save the day again. The Dremel can be run at a very low speed to keep from melting the plastic. Also a few years ago I had purchased some carving bits for the Dremel.
Side note: The Dremel tool has been a versatile tool throughout the building process. Many times a little glue drop will be in the wrong place or a little bit of wood will overhang and prevent a tight joint. Using the Dremel with either the cutting bit or a carving bit makes the small adjustments needed.
05 July 2020 the Dremel tool was able to trim the inside (ID) of the bearings to make a snug but not too tight fit on the rudder tube.

05 July 2020 the close fit on the rudder tube left me with a little time to cut the cable fairing for F4.
The only difficult part was the longer stainless steel bolts needed to attach the fairing. Fortunately AN bolts were not specified so I used a couple ��ainless bolts in the shop. The plans called for a ��ick fairing and my material is ��Also nothing except magic marker would write on the plastic so digging around my shop I found a purple marker.

05 July 2020 the holes line up so when cables go through they won't sand away the wood on bulkhead F4.

  Jul 04, 2020     Bushing       Category: Controls

cut two 4” x 4” pieces and placed in the lathe for turning. This proved to be a little more difficult than I first thought. The arms for the chuck for the lathe hold onto about �nch of material. The ��terial needs to be trimmed in to ��In order to do this I made a smaller than 4” x 4” “spacer” out of ��ywood. This way the chuck holds onto �� plastic while I can cut away �� also tried a short video of turning the bearings.The block can be seen in this picture with the plywood block behind the plastic. Carefully turning these plastic blocks into rudder bearings.
4 July 2020 after trimming the blocks down to 2 ��D I placed them in the drill press with an adjustable bit and cut 2” ID holes. The aluminum tube for the rudder has a 2” OD. So this should be perfect. Damn no!!! Either the adjustable bit was slightly smaller or the aluminum tube is slightly larger. Not a problem (or so I thought I started on the ID of the plastic bearings) the rest of the day (about 2 hours) I tried to file away the inside of the bearings. My half round rasp files and rat tail files did almost nothing to the bearings. I did purposely try to find very strong plastic materials for these bearings.

  Jun 28, 2020     polymer       Category: Controls

June side note: ordered plastic for the Rudder Bushings. A few varieties of plastic is available. According to the plans “Teflon” is called for. In 1969 Teflon was probably a more available and less expensive product. Now more plastics are available. Some builders use Delrin (an Acetyl Homopolymer) some sites use the terms Acetyl Copolymer and Acetyl Homopolymer as interchangeable. The other plastic that is used in industrial settings for bearings is UHMW. I examined the characteristics of a few of these options and fortunately had a structural engineer working for me part time in my office (the New York Naval Militia). He compared the plastics and recommended the UHMW. Delrin was available in 3 inch diameter rods. This would make turning the bearing very easy but one side effect to Delrin is an increased porosity at larger sizes. Some forums identified mold showing signs of growing on the Delrin. I decided to order a �nch thick piece of UHMW 4” x 48”. These I will try to cut into 4” square pieces and turn on the lathe to 2 �nch stepped rounds for bearings.

  Jun 28, 2020     control stick installation       Category: Controls

Today I installed the control stick assembly under the seat. More work than I expected because of aligning it down the center line of the aircraft. Another minor mistake shows up in this set of pictures. I placed the seat support forward of the mark - this placed it 1 " closer to the fwd bulkhead. this also placed the control stick mounting hardware inside the seat support. I had to cut a "tunnel" in the seat support to mount the control stick hardware.

  Jun 27, 2020     stab pulley       Category: Controls

mounted the stab pulley mount

  Jun 20, 2020     rudder tube support       Category: Fuselage

Worked on the bracing support structure for the rudder tube. This took a great deal of time to trim the �nch plywood to be level with the top of the fuselage. This according to the plans is a ”wedge” shape. The “wedge” is only on the sides where the plywood glues to the longerons. Lots of trimming later the lower “platform” pass through is level with the top of the fuselage. I can't find the photos with just the "wedge" in it so this is a later photo showing the rudder bearing in place.

  Jun 19, 2020     Control stick       Category: Controls

Picked up the control stick assembly from the auto body shop that fabricated it for me. Really great workmanship!

  Jun 15, 2020     polymer       Category: Research

During lunch hours this week I did some research on POLYMERs. The below information is from ReadingPlastic.com
UHMW is a low-cost plastic that can be found in everything from hip replacements to military vehicle armor. Its properties and benefits include:
• Highly resistant to abrasion and corrosive chemicals
• Low friction
• Extremely low moisture absorption
• High impact resistance
• Suitable for machining and fabrication
UHMW has surface and chemical properties that are rare to find in high-performance polymers. It is very resistant to most chemicals, UV radiation, and micro-organisms.

  Jun 14, 2020     bolts       Category: Firewall

After a break returned to the airplane. Today finished the inside mount supports for the landing gear and placed the flush bolts on the firewall. This time (like many times) I wonder at what the aeronautical engineer was thinking and how the increased strength of bolts vs only glue figured into his calculations. Also in these photos are the cross braces for the fuel tank.

  May 09, 2020     Cross stiffeners       Category: Fuselage

Installed the cross stiffeners with gussets. I also ordered the hardware kit package from Aircraft Spruce… they got $775.09 from me this time.

  May 04, 2020     Iron for control stick Category: Fuselage

Ordered the iron tubes and plate steel for the control stick assembly. ($142.16)

  May 03, 2020     sternpost       Category: Fuselage

a second sternpost I finished and now I can glue it in place. It does fit this time and the stabilator holes are on the left side of the

  Apr 18, 2020     Sternpost       Category: Fuselage

work on sternpost. Once again after gluing and trimming I set the sternpost in place before gluing. A few clamps and photos later… It doesn't fit very well (gaps around the longerons) and I am not satisfied . Just as well because now that I look at the photos I drilled the holes in opposite (left for right and right for left).

  Apr 18, 2020     sternpost Category: Fuselage

First I cut and glued F11 and the cockpit gussets in place.
April 18 2020 work on sternpost. Once again after gluing and trimming I set the sternpost in place before gluing. A few clamps and photos later… It doesn't fit very well and I am not satisfied . Just as well because now that I look at the photos I drilled the holes in opposite (left for right and right for left).

  Apr 12, 2020     cockpit floor Category: Fuselage

glued the cockpit floor in place
April 14 2020 I contacted the VP forum group and asked about the glue for the lower longerons. MISSED ANOTHER PLACE IN THE PLANS! The lower longerons were supposed to be glued in place back in February. Only the upper longerons were to be help off until later to ensure a good fit Now I need to use Popsicle sticks to slide glue between the longerons and the skins.

  Apr 05, 2020     firewall       Category: Fuselage

much easier day, today I glued the firewall in place. I also glued in the upper longerons. The plans do not indicate the lower longerons get glued in at this point so hopefully they will get glued in later.

  Apr 04, 2020     fuselage gluing Category: Fuselage

This was the hardest gluing job I did to date.
I glued both sides of the fuselage with the cockpit longeron doublers in place. I dropped the sides on the floor of the garage a couple times, got glue all over my hands, slipped the clamps a few time, and finally got everything in place with about every bar clamp I own.
As a former Naval Aviator I was told a thousand times – maybe- that engineers “over-engineer” their designs. I hope this is true of Bud Evans with his VP 1 design. I have extra glue in places where I will have to sand or chip off later and places where I have no idea if enough glue worked its way into the cracks. I did my best and searched for missed areas and carefully measured and “eyeballed” the mix of T88 glue to a 1:1 mix.

  Mar 29, 2020     fuselage set up       Category: Fuselage

After pasting these photos to the building log I noticed a very important detail I should have noticed before. The plans do not give a very good indication of “forward view” and “aft view”. I ending up drilling new holes in the bulkheads (F3 and F4) for the left side rudder cables.

  Mar 15, 2020     test positioning       Category: Fuselage

March 15 - 29, 2020 This week I set up a centerline down the length of the workbench. Positioning the bulkheads F3 and F4 on the table I saw that I never drilled the holes for the bushings. I thought I would get these by now from Fritz Wagoner. But either way I realized that next week I would have to drill these holes on the drill press. I set the bukheads up and positioned the left and right sides together with clamps.

  Mar 07, 2020     Gluing skins to the longerons       Category: Fuselage

I joined the left side skin to the longerons. Using the �nch a/c nails from Aircraft Spruce Co. The next day after drying I trimmed the skins to the longerons using the flush bits purchased from Amazon. DAMN! The ball bearing flew apart – thankfully wearing a full face shield as I trimmed – the broken bit dug a 1/8 inch dip into the longeron and skin. Not a big bite but unsightly. I will fill with wood epoxy when time to “finish” the fuselage.

  Feb 29, 2020     skins for the fuselage       Category: Fuselage

February 26 2020 my 3rd sheet of 1/8 okoume plywood arrives.
February 29 2020 attached the vertical “Stiffeners” to the longerons and the aft and fwd skins of the fuselage together with a 9 inch doubler.



Setting a spare section of 4'x4' �nch ply on top of the longerons I used a spare lawnmower battery as the “clamp” to glue together the left and right (fore and aft) skins at the 9 inch doublers.

Realizing that the 9” doubler makes the skin 1/8 inch thicker I had to plane the vertical stiffener under the doublers 1/8 inch thinner.

  Feb 21, 2020     dry skin on Fuselage       Category: Fuselage

I laid the �nch longerons on the workbench to get a sense of how the left and right “skins will fit” on the longerons. (photo also shows my “3-piece” worktable in detail)
AGAIN I SCREWED UP! THIS ONE COSTS ME $ THOUGH… I DID NOT CUT THE EARLIER 1/8 PIECES FROM THE “CUT PLAN” IN THE EVENS DRAWINGS. NOW I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH CLEAR PIECES OF 1/8 INCH PLY TO COVER THE SKINS OF THE AIRCRAFT. I order another piece of 1/8 4x8 ply from Boulter plywood. ($130)

  Jan 12, 2020     Bulkheads Category: Fuselage

ordered 2nd quart of T88 epoxy. ($39)
The remaining weekends in January 2020 was spent building a second set of F3 and F4 bulkheads. I sent a note to Fritz and he told me that by the end of my building project I will feel as though I have remade enough VP parts to build a second airplane (I hope not)

  Jan 02, 2020     Bulkheads       Category: Fuselage

A new year and back into weekly VP progress. Carefully measured �ound circles in the F3 and F4 bulkheads. Cut them carefully on the bandsaw. SCREWED THE POOCH ON THIS ONE! I CUT THE �OUNDS IN THE BOTTOMS INSTEAD OF THE TOPS OF THE BULKHEADS! DAMN I MAY HAVE TO REBUILD THE F3 AND F4 BULKHEADS. The old saying of measure twice and cut once implies that you measure in the right place!
I also ordered �bs of a/c quality nails from AC spruce and specialty company – my first order and probably not my last from AC Spruce. I set up an account. ($5)

  Dec 29, 2019     Fuselage, beginnings       Category: Fuselage

Exchanged more emails with Fritz W. When I laid the longerons on the workbench I could see that connecting the cockpit bulkheard to the rear sternpost becomes a “narrowing” both bottom and sides. My question was is the bottom “curved or straight”? He replied that a gradual curve is preferable so not to make the VP into a “pregnant Guppy” shape.In these pictures I placed the right hand fuselage longerons on the workbench with blocks and the vertical risers approximately in place.After placing these in place "dry" (no glue) I realized I needed to use shorter blocks so the gussets and skin would be above the blocks.I replaced any oversize blocks with 1/2 inch thick blocks.

  Dec 26, 2019     Longerons       Category: Fuselage

I cut and planed the 16 foot longerons. WOW! What a job. The picture of the longerons shows a couple of interesting things about my workshop. 1) I had to assemble my workbench made of three sections. A 60” x 36” maple old teacher's desk top, connected to a 48” x 36” section of a plywood shipping box and lastly a hollow core wooden door (maybe seven foot by 30 inches). Overall I ended up with 15' 6” of workbench. 2) The entire workbench sits on four saw horses made from 2x4's and pallet wood. And 3) cutting and sending 16 foot boards was its own unique issue because my workspace is only about 16 feet (as is visible in the above photo). So (the weather was cool but sunny) I put my table saw on 2x4 pieces in the driveway and cut toward the table saw (which leveling both so the boards landed flat was another issue). The finished but not mounted cherry mantle is also on the workbench.

  Dec 22, 2019     Free Gear       Category: Landing Gear

After some online discussions with Mr Eddie Clark of Tripple Tree Aerodrome in South Carolina, he brought me the aluminum landing gear piece that a friend of his salvaged from a VP1 near the Aerodrome. He and his wife were visiting family in Massachusetts for the holidays and he brought it to me for free. How could I say no?

  Dec 21, 2019     Bulkheads       Category: Fuselage

F3 had to wait a month while I built a spice rack and a cherry mantle as Christmas Presents.

  Nov 24, 2019     Bulkheads       Category: Fuselage

Today I got back to gluing the F3 bulkhead. I glued both front and back at the same time and used the clamps I got at the NWA auction. As one person on the VP forum said “you can never have enough clamps”. The glue looks good all around with uniform seepage. The fit is a little over on the edges and I will have to trim using the router table and a “0” clearance flush bit. The bushings for F3 and F4 are machines from solid steel rods and Fritz Wagoneer and Albany Metal superstore have the ability to machine these for me. Fritz will do it for the cost of materials and postage so I will wait for him.

  Nov 23, 2019     Bulkheads Category: Fuselage

I sent a message to Fritz Wagoner asking his advice on a section of the plans. The measurements on F4 show 7" but the 1/4 scale looks more like 6".
Fritz Wagoner has built at least 2 VP airplanes and has probably the most informative web site on VP building. http://www.zianet.com/fwagoner/ Fritz also told me about the Volksplane builder's group page (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/volksplane/info) with a lot of very good detailed photos. (Note: this page has been become obsolete because of Yahoo changes in policy a new VP builder's group has taken its place. https://groups.io/g/Volksplane. Unfortunately all of the Yahoo group photos were not captured and moved before the Yahoo group went under)
Fritz informed me that on the F4 plans the 7” measurement on the plans was a misprint and should be 6” to accommodate a 45? angle at the 2” measurement fits the cockpit seat better.

  Nov 10, 2019     Bulkheads       Category: Fuselage

clamped and glued the F3 & F4 plywood to fwd sides and top.

  Nov 03, 2019     Bulkheads       Category: Fuselage

removed the F3 from the frame and set up F4 into the frame. Bought more Douglas fir/Birch/ �arine ply. ($67). On November 10, 2019 took both F3 and F4 to our EAA meeting in Bennington – “show and tell”. Not a tremendous start to the airplane but something to show I started. In the picture the 3/4 marine ply is in the background.

  Oct 26, 2019     Bulkheads       Category: Fuselage

Cut the remaining pieces for F3.
Online I saw a few posts from other builders about building a frame for gluing both F3 and F4. I found a piece of flat plywood with reinforced backing from a plywood shipping crate and made a frame from scraps of wood.

I cut a couple replacement frame pieces for the F3 and F4 because the 90 degree cuts didn't fit closely enough. I put them in the frame (dry) to see how they fit. Not bad. So I put them back in after mixing the T88 epoxy glue. This was my first time with the glue mix and probably made more glue than I needed. I used small 4 oz. dixie cups and wood popsicle sticks to stir. The garage temperature is within the range recommended for the glue (50? +). I put the piece of the douglas fir and sitka spruce in the frame. I cut the �nch ply for the covering pieces on the bandsaw and perhaps will glue those tomorrow.

  Oct 23, 2019     Bulkheads Category: Fuselage

I did some basic calculations on building the VP1. Published forums indicate 700 to 1000 hours are needed to complete the project. If I only work on it for 2 or 3 hours a weekend then it will take 4 to 5 years. I think I should try to budget 10 hours per week.

  Oct 20, 2019     Bulkheads       Category: Fuselage

Put the new saw blade on the table saw and made the first cuts for F3 and F4. Douglas Fir and Sitka Spruce. Unfortunately I did not check the new blade to be sure it was 90?. I had to re-cut the boards. All boards had to be planed to �nches. I found that my table saw is about 3?off. Now cuts are at 90?. As a first step in my project I started on the cockpit bulkheads (F3 and F4 in the plans). This was also my first use of the T88 epoxy for joining wood. I put a couple pieces of scrap Sitka Spruce in the vise after it dried. This stuff is great the glue joint held and the wood splinters!

  Sep 28, 2019     Bought Douglas Fir Category: Fuselage

Bought Douglas Fir at Curtis Lumber ($20.34) I also ordered my first quart of T88 epoxy from Amazon ($39)

  Aug 24, 2019     NWA Tool and Wood Auction Category: Tools

Northeast Wood Auction at Albany Shaker Museum. Bought clamps (you can never have too many clamps) and Elm boards ($195) This is an annual event and lots of fun. Last year I bought some nice cherry board that I think I will make into a fireplace mantle. The elm board I think I need for the hardwood inside the fuselage. (Note: my mistake I need birch. I will figure out something to do with the elm)

  Aug 13, 2019     VW Engine (2nd) Category: Engine

Found another single port VW engine on Craigslist for $100. The seller was in Balston Spa. He bought the engine to rebuild a VW Bug but ran out of time. He was selling the VW Bug for $1,000. Not interested - don't need another project.
August 17, 2019 bought a new table saw blade. ($49)

  Aug 03, 2019     Wood Storage Category: Workshop

One thing about planning ahead and buying the majority of the aircraft suitable wood. What do you do with 9 sheets of aircraft plywood and 8 Sitka Spruce boards that are 16 to 20 feet long? So now I went to Home Depot. Bought enough wood and materials to build a Plywood cart. I also built a set of angle racks to put the 20 foot boards on the back wall of the garage. ($167.59) I am amazed at the builders that claim they build their airplane in a one-car garage. They must have a very large barn behind their garage.

  Jul 20, 2019     Wing       Category: Research

With the plywood and spruce order I also received 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch ply as "protective wrapping" to protect the spruce and Okoume. So I decided to take a piece of the 1/4 inch ply and make a "wing template". Here I found an interesting "engineer thing" (oddity?) - perhaps every other place in the VP1 plans measurements are in fractions (fortunately in American Standard vs. Metric). However, on the wing the designer (Evans) uses 100's of an inch? So I go to the web and search for decimal conversion to fractions in 1/64ths. It wasn't until about a month later at Home Depot I found a 6" ruler calibrated in 100's for about $5. So I used my ruler and made a template for the wing ribs. After I bought my 100's ruler I checked and sanded any variations between my 64ths measurements and the 100ths.

  Jul 10, 2019     Materials       Category: Fuselage

Took some time trying to find the best place to buy local materials and found Boulter Plywood in Massachusetts https://www.boulterplywood.com/. Chris at Boulter Plywood had just received an order of aircraft quality Sitka Spruce material for ship masts. Originally I was only going to buy the minimum amount of Spruce but I decided to buy all the spruce he had. The Okoume plywood came bound in 1/2 inch A/A quality birch and 1/4 inch ply.

  Mar 18, 2019     VW Conversion Category: Research

I sent a picture of my VW Engine to a Volksplane group and one member thought it looks like a European style - so after some searching I found the UK LAA site (Like the EAA) and they had a CD for sale on VW conversion for only 30 Euros. (about $33.75 American)

  Mar 15, 2019     VW Conversion Category: Research

Now that I have a VW Engine I decided to buy some VW Engine conversion materials. First is the Wicks Aircraft VW Engine Conversion book. ($32.50)

  Mar 12, 2019     VW Engine       Category: Engine

March 12, 2019 I found a VW engine online. Bought it for $600 it came with a Hegy Prop. The back story is that the guy I bought it from: His step father bought the engine and prop in Florida at an airshow in the 1980's . His stepfather always wanted to build an airplane but never got around to it. The seller lived in Northern Vermont and was a delivery driver for a seed company. He brought the engine to a feed store in Bennington, VT. Some time when I have some time I will take it apart and give it all new seals.

  Nov 17, 2018     Beginning the Volksplane       Category: Research

Perhaps this will be the first entry. Around the end of November 2018 I decided to join the local (Bennington VT) EAA chapter 1325. I also decided that the Volksplane (VP-1) was the aircraft that fit my desires and modest woodworking skills. I purchased an engine stand on Craigslist and started looking for a VW Air cooled engine. With my decided aircraft project I also started looking for the required technical manuals. I bought a VW engine overhaul book by Tom Wilson.($18) I also found a very detailed builder's site http://www.stefanv.com/building-a-volksplane Stefan Vorkoetter is in Canada has not completed his project and has spend about 12 years (on and off) building it. The other site I visit often is Fritz Wagoner's http://www.zianet.com/fwagoner/. I also bought and adjustable drill bit for my drill press ($14) and the Volksplane complete plans for $114.