May 16, 2024     Canopy Fixes - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

April 2023 during prep for painting I found the canopy latch handle was hitting a rivet that prevented it from retracting flush. So I took the handle apart and used a drill bit to make a small relief for the rivet which allowed the handle to close flush.
May 2024
Mentioned to Garth that the canopy didn't close right. I thought the seal just needed to compress a bit. However, Garth continued looking for the actual problem and ultimately determined the seal strip was on backwards.
It was a real pain removing the 36 screws, nuts, and washers but flipping the strip solved the problem.

  May 15, 2024     Transition Training w Zack - (5 hours)       Category: Flying

Met Zack Monday afternoon and flew 1.5 hours.
-75 kts!!! From perch and around to short final. Trim and airspeed control
- fuel selector, (mixture), prop, and (fuel pump)
Then flew twice Tuesday (May 14) in the morning and early afternoon to beat the rain. Amazing airplane. Lots of practice flying, especially landing. Some nice, some not so pretty but no blown tires or wheel pants scattered on the runway. Soft field and short field takeoffs. Hard to hold brakes at full power. Takeoff in less than 400 feet.
Trim sensitivity varies widely from pattern work at less than 100 versus at cruise.
Zack also signed off my flight review.
Numbers to remember:
75 normal final
80 no flaps
85 best glide L/D
Great time. Can maintain 75 kts exactly if trimmed and good cross check.

  May 10, 2024     O2 Sensor Unit Moved - (2 hours) Category: EFII Install

Discovered this week that my foam and Velcro mount on the first bulkhead behind the firewall for the O2 sensor unit had to move. It was too high and the canopy pushed it down out of the way when closed. Luckily, just the foam mount was damaged and the unit is fine. Also realized the mysterious square hole I routed the unit's wires through is actually a support for the canopy harness Molex connector. Built a new .040” Sheetmetal mount that I riveted in the open area that was for the emergency canopy release T-handle, now located above the center tunnel. I again used industrial strength Velcro to attach the unit.

  May 08, 2024     Heated Pitot Tube Final Installation - (0.5 hour)       Category: Avionics

The pitot tube was installed this afternoon. Four tiny 4-40 flathead by 1/4” long screws are installed with a 1/16” Allen wrench. I believe medium strength Loctite is a must.

  May 07, 2024     Canopy Wiring, Dynon GPS Antenna, and LED Lighting - (3 hours)       Category: Wiring

May 7
Mounted the Dynon GPS antenna on the glare shield. Slowly making sense of the wiring diagram. Pleasantly surprised to find the canopy open/closed micro switch already in place and just needing to be connected.
May 8
Continued planning wiring for GPS and canopy. Scuffed paint for where LED light strip to be mounted. Carefully centered strip and then pulled protective tape to stick it to underside. (Oops, Next day discovered Van's instructions suggest shortening strip to 25 1/2 inches. We'll see if the ends that wrap down creates unwanted glare.)
May 9
Took a deep breath and cut the GPS antenna wires. Then crimped on Molex pins and inserted in connector. The Van's Section 61 instructions with color photos are a big help. Unfortunately discovered in oops photo below that my foam and Velcro mount for the O2 sensor is crushed by the closing canopy. Luckily, the O2 sensor three wires easily unplug and can be pulled out of the molex mount they were ignorantly routed through and a new mount can be devised. (See May 10 EFII entry for solution.)
Went to Schaefers Hobby Store and bought a .025” steel music wire to help fish the two wires to the canopy locked micro switch. The 36” length was just long enough. Bent a subtle kink 1/4” from end of the wire which helped avoid obstacles by twisting it if it hit something. Worked like a champ. Used a tiny bit of yellow tape to attach the 22 AWG wires one at a time. Then gently pulled the wires to the tiny hole by the switch. Finally, Used fine tweezers to coax the wire out.

  May 07, 2024     Installing Roll Servo in Left Wing - (2 hours)       Category: Autopilot

Started installing the roll servo in the left wing per Van's Sec 57 instructions. They show a powder coated brace W-00824 that I don't have. A distinctive shape that I don't remember seeing. Oh well, another Van's order—$14 I think. Also not sure what hardware to attach the pushrod to the servo arm. So I wrote Van's tech support.
Hi
Working to install the Dynon Roll servo SV42 and confused with hardware called for in Sec 57 instructions. On page 57-05 Fig 3 shows a flat head screw AN509-10R18 to attach servo arm to the pushrod. However the parts bag that came with the kit (I believe) includes an AN3-10A screw with a hole through the head(ref attached photo). I did find a flathead screw from kit bag #1192 but just this doesn't look like the right use of a flathead screw.
Another question is the nut for the screws, the instructions says MS21042-3 but the bag with the servo has a “Nylock” nut.
-So, can I use instead the AN3-10A bolt and washer in the photo?
-Should I use the AN “Nylock” from the kit or an all metal MS21042-3 which I have also.?
Thanks
Frank,
I would use the AN509 (flat head screw) as instructed, but I would countersink the washer a little so the screw head is a little more engaged with the washer.
An AN365 Nylock would be fine for this location. It would not be a suitable substitute forward of the firewall.
You need to be sure that whatever fastener you use has clearance from the servo body through its full range of travel.
Best regards,

Tony
Van's Aircraft

  May 05, 2024     Microphone-Headset Harnesses & Fuel Qty Wires - (8 hours)       Category: Wiring

May 5 and 6
Finally tackling the four harnesses for pilot and copilot headsets and microphones plus a harness labeled “entertainment.” I was able to fit the harnesses in the existing grommets although once again, the process was to thread the harnesses, pop the grommets out of their aluminum brackets, slip the grommets over the wires/harnesses and finally pop the grommets back into their brackets.
Big lesson if I ever build again🤪
First, run all the wires and don't worry about grommets. This, in hindsight, includes coax antenna cables, the fuselage rear harness (WH125 I think), the headset and microphone cables, and fuel quantity wires. Finally, as the very, very last step, cut the 0.75 or 0.625 grommets so they can be slipped over the bundle of wires, and finally pop them into their brackets. Because I ended up removing and installing these pesky grommets at least three times, I did learn that the grommets can withstand a lot of force. I ended up routinely using my fingers, my largest 16 inch screwdriver, oak sticks as punches or levers to insert or remove them.

The morning of May 6th I wrote AFS about the fuel quantity and other harnesses.
Jonathon replied that afternoon (in quotes).
You can see in the attached photo that the microphone and headset cables are up to 40 inches too long.

“Sorry about that, Frank. Our standardized RV-14 harness lengths were calculated assuming a remote audio panel mounted in the glovebox cavity, In your case with a panel mounted audio panel, shorter jack cables would clearly have sufficed.”

I wonder why the pilot's two cables as well as the copilot's are not bound together as one cable?

“We don't feel that this is necessary for these cables due to their relative thickness and rigidity, each being a multi conductor shielded cable.”

In the opposite case, the single fuel quantity left and right wires seem to be 15 to 40 inches too short.

“You have six feet of extension wire coming out of pins 21 and 22 of the EMS-220 DB37 harness already. Our intention is that the wires from the wing root be spliced into these.”

  May 02, 2024     Vertical Stab & Rudder Installation - (3 hours)       Category: Empennage

Reinstalled the vertical stabilizer and then the rudder.

  May 01, 2024     Elevators Rebalancing       Category: Empennage

I asked Van's tech support if there was a tolerance for the elevators being out of balance. The left elevator especially was about 160g out of balance.
This is their reply:

Frank,
The elevators should be balanced so they are "neutral" or in-trail with the HS. They should also be balanced separately from each other and not connected to the elevator pushrod during balancing.

You can rivet the additional weight into each counterbalance horn after you figure out how much weight to add, as seen in the attached photo.
Best regards,
Tony
Van's Aircraft

Oh well, guess I'll disconnect them from each other and the pushrod and rebalance them.
May 2
Found a heavy steel bed rail “L” bracket that initially weighed about 170grams. Cut the L into two strips, cleaned them up and drilled four #28 mounting rivet holes for 1/8” aluminum blind rivets.
Used some white semigloss spray paint so make them less obvious. After riveting the two weights in place, I was pleased to find the left elevator now balanced. Unfortunately, I then found the right elevator slightly out of balance. I found the weight of three dimple dies (found to be 35g) was sufficient to balance the right elevator. I then decided to trust the three dies to be right. So I then went ahead in installed the center bearing AN4-13A and then the elevator pushrod to control horns AN3-12A bolt, washers, nut. I'll make a small 35g weight at home and add to the right elevator next time to complete the elevators' installation.

  Apr 30, 2024     Elevator Trim tab final installation - (1.5 hours)       Category: Empennage

Completed the installation of the elevator trim tab with its linkage to the servo motor. Safety wired the hinge pin and put the cotter pins into the servo linkage.

  Apr 28, 2024     Wire Harnesses for Control Sticks - (1 hour)       Category: Wiring

Finally facing need to run wire harnesses to the control sticks. Once again the installed grommets are a big problem. I installed them innocently when I ran the comm antenna coax cables but like those down the center tunnel, they have to be removed and cut so they can slip over the coax and control stick cable. Unfortunately, it seems even with the grommets removed, the wire harness connector won't fit through the hole. One builder's solution found with a Google search was to grind/file the holes to make them oblong so the connector can fit through. Then slip the cut grommet over the wires and snap it back into place—Ugg! It is sure to be tough to get some of the grommets out and elongate the holes.
April 29
Was able to extract the plastic grommets out on copilot's side after pulling out the comm antenna cable to the center tunnel. I Then used the Dremel tool to widen the grommet hole for the rectangular control stick wire harness connector to pass through. The hole into the center tunnel was especially challenging. Ended up drilling a hole in the adjacent bulkhead and using a rat-tail file to elongate the hole.
April 30
Completed running the copilot's control stick harness and reinstalled the comm coax. Then popped in the grommets. Lesson learned— removing the fuel line from the selector valve to the fuel pump made the installation possible.
Started on the pilots/left side removing the comm coax, then popping out the grommets, and grinding/filing the necessary elongations in the grommet holes. Finished the day vacuuming up the debris.

  Apr 26, 2024     Mystery Wires' Home Finally Discovered - (5 hours)       Category: Wiring

Email I sent to Jonathon at AFS after I finally found the right diagram.
HappyFriday!
Well I finally found the wiring diagram that answered where do those two white loose wires in the tail cone go. This screen shot is the only diagram I found that directs you to plug “C1036” into position#11 and “C1037” into position #12 of connector C411P. Found other references to these two mystery wires but never found exactly where and I know by experience, “close is not good enough.”

May I suggest if another guy asks about these mysterious wires, simply refer them to this Van's diagram WH-00125 Common Fuse Wiring.

Thanks for your patience
Frank Dressel
April 27
Plugged those two mystery wires into C411P today. Also spent some time cleaning up the tail cone area. Also threaded the static pressure line up to the wing. Vacuumed and zip tied the wires. Glad to finally climb out of the luggage area.
April 28
Pulled the static pressure line to left wing root. There was no room in grommets going out to wing root so drill set of new holes for the small 0.375 OD grommets.

  Apr 25, 2024     Final Assembly Has Begun - (15 hours)       Category: FinalAssembl

Jim H and Ken helped put the elevators on the horizontal stabilizer, then installed assembly on the fuselage. Then we mounted the vertical stabilizer followed by hanging the rudder.

Both Jim and Ken were great help in spite of fact that I hadn't found the box with all the hardware for the assemblies. I Used many yellow tape notes for what hardware needs to be replaced. I beamed with a Big smile after the missing hardware bags were found Thursday evening. Praise the Lord😇

  Apr 19, 2024     Fuselage's Return to Airport - (10 hours)       Category: Project Move

April 19, 2024
With help by Paul with his talents, trailer, and truck plus our neighbor Mark, we moved the fuselage back to the airport to join its wings and empennage surfaces. It's been eight and one half months in the garage to get most everything possible done.
I was surprised how long it took me to install the Systems 32 EFII and Advanced Flight Systems avionics components. It was sort of plug-n-play but still lots of decisions for the countless details.
April 21, 2024
Previous owner's son Jason came and picked up his Dad's stuff and cleared out of the hanger. Paul was also there and he got most of his Zenith 650 stuff.
Major sweeping and organizing. Hanger looks much better.
With Paul's help we reinstalled the canopy and I removed the masking from paint.

  Apr 18, 2024     Seats Are In the Mail (UPS) - (2 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

Made final payment for seats, stick boots, and center arm rest lid so should be head our way today.
I think the grey will really pop along side the bright metallic red center console.
UPS probably two days.
April 20 UPS delivered seats, stick boots, and center arm rest lid and they look great. Can't wait to install them on either side of bright red center console arm rest.

  Apr 18, 2024     Pitch Servo Install - (3 hours)       Category: Autopilot

April17, 2024
Installed seven Molex socket pins on pitch and roll servos wires and then pushed the sockets into the shells and heard each one click into place. (Still have to figure out the four white wires shown in roll servo diagram but will wait until ready to install in the wing.)
Ended up squeezing into cargo area twice which is quite the feat for this old guy to secure the servo and connect the linkage. Servo kit includes star washers for each head drilled AN3 bolt as well as flat .064 thick washers. Instructions direct use of medium strength Loctite on threads. I elected to use the star washers, Loctite, and then safety wired the bolt heads. The bolts screw into threaded holes in the servo body which I assumed is aluminum so used a final “moderate” torque on the bolts to not strip out the threaded hole. With star washers, Loctite and safety wire, I'm confident they won't loosen.
I will have to squeeze into the cargo area again today to ensure the male and female Molex connections are fully seated—will use small Channel loc pliers, and to add appropriate flat washers to the linkage bolts and then torque them.
Note: the instructions said cut the seven servo wires to seven inches. I probably did 7.5” but still seemed a bit short. Eight inches would have been better I think.
Finally, will confirm the small wire harness connections to the fuselage harness and what ti do with two individual white wires C1036 and C1037. (See April 26, 2024 entry on this mystery)

  Apr 17, 2024     Access Panels Seal - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Originally used ProSeal to form gaskets under avionics access panels but apparently didn't prep surface sufficiently. Unfortunately when I removed masking after painting some of the ProSeal was pulled off.
April 15, 2024
It was time to try again. Scuffed up seal area with ScotchBrit and cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. Mixed up 20+2 grams of goop i.e. ProSeal which proved to be plenty. I seemed to remember a year ago using a syringe to apply the goop but a flat stick worked better this time to smear a thin layer over all the sealing surfaces. I had masked around the opening but the goop was able to push its way under the tape. Patience, water, and some polish with lots of gentle rubbing was able to clean it up.
As a barrier I used Glad Press n Seal which worked well.
Finally, I used nylon washers under each flat head #8 but although thin, the washers noticeably lifted the heads above the hatches surface so I decided to not use them. For the final install with the hatches right on top with potential for rain to pool around each screw, I'll use a small amount of clear RTV to ensure each is waterproof.

  Apr 16, 2024     Models, Serial Numbers, Registrations       Category: Summaries

This is a collection of model numbers and registration documents.

  Apr 11, 2024     Rear Window Final Install       Category: Fuselage

Started the final installation of the rear window. Steve's blog https://vansrv14project.uk/finish/rear-window-final-installation/ again is a great resource greatly augmenting Van's instructions. Steve's suggestion to paint the inside of the window to hide where it is glued is a great idea. So masked the inside and prepped for primer and interior Dawn Patrol light grey interior color.

April 11, start of a long evening. Started at 4:30pm mixing up 50g + 5g of ProSeal CS-3204 B-2 fuel tank sealant. Mixed for ten minutes on a piece of scrap sheetmetal and then smeared it into a 50 ml syringe. Seems there is no good way to apply ProSeal. Turns out the 55g 40ml of ProSeal was not enough and in a rush mixed up another 20 +2 g of goop.

I had mask the windshield's inside behind the roll bar and it's outside in front of the fuselage's top skin. Also mask the inside of the fuselage wall below the window (but this was hardly needed). I had positioned the windshield with a copper cleco in the center rear and a screw in the roll bar center. Then with the syringe I applied sealant on the windshield's outside perimeter and the inside perimeter at the roll bar. Even with masking, it was a mess that took a lot of cleanup with isopropyl alcohol. I was afraid to let sealant setup with the masking in place. Maybe I should have waited?? Another lesson learned was I should have removed all the inside protective plastic at least down the center 3inches. I had removed some of the plastic near the roll bar but it was not enough. It was still a pain all the along the roll bar brace. Finally a thin wooden stick and a lot of patience got it removed. Finally, called it a night around 9pm.
Some lessons learned.
- need two people to install about eleven of the rear #6 flathead screws with a washer and nut inside. Installing a single nut by itself is possible but not with the tiny washer too.
- maybe a two or three person approach would be better? Apply a bead of ProSeal on the roll bar and inside of fuselage skin first. It's plenty viscous and wouldn't move. Then with a person on each side, lift and slowly move windshield into place. Maybe with a third person inside with an ice pick probe to align rear of windshield as it's raised up into the bead of sealant and underside of skin?? The challenge remains at the base of the roll bar with the fuselage skin keeping the windshield tight to the roll bar. Oh well, something to consider. Thanks to my wife for rescuing me after her work to get those pesky eleven screws, washers, and nuts installed. 🥰
Woohoo, the rear window is in and it's starting to look like an airplane.

  Apr 10, 2024     Note to Robert Paisley and Protek FlyEFII - (2 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Hi Robert,
It's been a few months since I asked for your advice. A little bit of background. I'm on the home stretch building a RV 14A with your EFII System and Bus Manager on my Lycoming IO-390-EXP. The normal extension is -119 but the Lycoming data plate is "-248" since I ordered it without fuel or ignition systems.

Next week I'm planning to return the fuselage to the airport hanger and hopefully will be ready to start the engine in the next 30 days. It's been a long trail to get here. Last June I quickly reinstalled the landing gear and engine after painting but ultimately had it trailered back to my garage to finish installing your systems and the Advanced Flight Systems IFR components. So hopefully this spring I finally get to start the engine and see and hear the benefits of your fuel and ignition controls. A few questions. On your website, the "user manual" doesn't download. Do you have a users manual you could send me? Are there any checklists or procedures to guide me when I first connect the batteries to check my wiring? Then any guidance when I go to start the engine the first time? I appreciate your help and guidance here.

Finally, some thoughts about installing your systems in the RV 14A and on the new IO-390 EXP.
The need to tap the 1/4" NPT oil return lines was a surprise. Turns out to get adequate clearance I had to tap each hole about seven more turns than what the engine came with. There was sufficient depth in the heads to allow this deeper penetration but clearly the valve covers need to be removed to flush the cutting chips out--cleaning with a cotton swab doesn't do the job.
The throttle body IAT sensors need the three inch pigtail extensions which you provided to allow the sensor wires to properly connect--thank you.
Tom Swearengen with TS Flightlines who supplied all my aircraft fluid lines was a great help in providing the fuel lines. The challenge was the cross-over line from the #1 to #2 injectors which we came up with a real elegant solution on our third try. He now also has the four oil return lines that I'd use next time--I had already bought and bent solid tubing.
Finally,my biggest challenge was getting the throttle cable to the throttle body lever. I went with a custom McFarlane cable which should withstand the exhaust pipe heat. You can see in the attached photos there is a solid stainless steel sheath about 9 inches long that the moving cable slides though. This keeps the flexible cable portion about 5 inches from the exhaust pipe. However, there is only about 3/8 of an inch clearance from the bottom of the crankcase and the exhaust pipe heat shield. That's the reason for my aluminum "L" fitting between the threaded end of the control cable and the bolt to the rod-end bearing at the throttle lever. Sooooo, any throttle body where the lever is on the opposite (right) side would be a great help. That's where the Lycoming throttle lever is and where the exhaust system designers give the greatest clearance for.
Finally, finally, I didn't know it at the time but I chose a center quadrant for the throttle and prop control levers. The decision to run the control cable through the center tunnel with your two fuel pumps and all the IFR wiring to the tail, wings, and control sticks, was quite the challenge I'm still battling. In hindsight, having the throttle and prop control up under the instrument panel would have simplified things considerably.
So, I'm excited about getting the airplane back to the airport and hopefully, starting the engine soon. Any help you can give me for initial system checkout and then routine startup checks will be appreciated.

  Apr 04, 2024     AeroSport Interior panel Installation - (2 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

Began the fitting of the interior panels beginning with the rear cargo area ones. The left one has to fit around both the canopy latch torsion bar and the ELT antenna base. Took my time and both fit well. The rear edge needed a bit of trimming, maybe 1/4” max but cuts nicely with tin snips and clean up with coarse file. Material allows significant flex to pop over torque tube and antenna base. (Two hours for rear panel fitting.). Still need to drip and tap #6 screw holes and apply Velcro to hold in place.

  Apr 04, 2024     Autopilot Servos - (4 hours) Category: Autopilot

Considerable time was “wasted” trying to find the Molex connector housings and sockets for the pitch and roll autopilot servos. The positive outcome is that the shop is better organized and cleaned. Not sure how I missed them but did get them ordered from Vans for both the pitch and roll servos.

  Mar 30, 2024     Fuselage Wiring Harness Install - (8 hours)       Category: Wiring

Installing the AFS fuselage rear wiring harness was an intimidating task. First, where should the ten or so connections go? Jonathon (AFS) answered this. So used tape to make four groups of wires: to left wing, down center left side to aft luggage bulkhead, down right center, and out to right wing.
The actual insertion went easier than expected. I suspended the end with four cockpit connectors from the ceiling so I could slowly gently thread the four wire groups into the center tunnel.
Lesson learned earlier is to first thread the wires groups through the bulkhead grommet “holes.” These grommet support holes are actually C-shaped with a slot maybe 1/8” wide. At first I didn't know how to push a 1/4” or bigger wire cable in but realized the sheetmetal support can be bent sideways to allow the thicker cables to get inside. It took me one whole evening of contortions, pulling, or pushing to get the harness wire groups in place. Then another whole evening to pop the protective plastic grommets in place. The center tunnel supports take xx 0.750 grommets and the eight supports out to the wings 0.625” ones. Boy

  Mar 25, 2024     Final Throttle Cable Bracket & Hardware Install - (10 hours)       Category: McFarlane

I'm Pleased the way the control cables worked out.
The prop governor control cable was pretty straightforward. The cable throw (full motion of inner cable) was enough to push or pull the governor lever from stop to stop. However, the Van's kit bracket at the governor didn't align with the cable very well. Decided to move the cable housing termination outboard about half an inch to better align with the governor lever rotation plane.

When I ordered the two control cables from McFarlane I didn't realize how much the actual throw can shorten. I specified 2 1/8” minimum but the order form fine print says something to the effect, “measured when straight.” With my convoluted routing, an “S” route up from the center control quadrant up to the firewall penetration and another “S” route back down to under the engine and the throttle body lever left of center, the actual throw is less than 1 3/4”.

The cable shorten throw is caused by the outer housing stretching as the wire spiral has to bend. The shorter throw can be compensated by a shorter lever arm. I used a “dummy” wood lever on the quadrant to find the best hole location.

A major concern is the ambient temperature the cable has to withstand as it passes right above the exhaust pipe. The tight clearance is further reduced by the obvious need for a heat shield. But with a lot of trial and error, I came up with a cable bracket held by two engine case sump bolts. The McFarlane cable might be able to withstand temps over 800 degrees. But the plastic light blue housing is held at least six inches from the exhaust and only the solid stainless inner housing passing over the exhaust pipe and its heat shield. It will be a test of the McFarlane longevity.

Lessons learned.
Maybe the pretty, center arm rest and control quadrant was not worth the effort. The center tunnel with the fuel selector valve and two EFII fuel pumps is crowded and I still need to route the major wiring harnesses to the wings and aft fuselage through this tight area.
Second, in hindsight, I moved the firewall control cable pass-through once to left of center but the Van's hemisphere part doesn't even fit the larger 5/16” McFarlane cables. Instead, I should have drilled the 7/16” firewall penetration down low so the throttle cable stayed low from the control quadrant, through the firewall, and to the throttle lever. Oh well, I'm not going to spend another $550 for a new cable.

  Mar 19, 2024     Installing Control Cables - (5 hours)       Category: McFarlane

Prototyped throttle linkage. Lots of issues to figure out. With Steve's help, we figured out the linkage. Used some hickory for the prototype piece to jog up to throttle body.
Also used a wood piece next to the cockpit throttle levers to prototype the lever arm hole location. Y,

  Mar 07, 2024     GPS Antennas - (2 hours)       Category: Avionics

March 6, 2024
Started the installation of GPS antenna behind rear window. This is for the Avidyne system. Another GPS antenna will be mounted on the glare shield for the AFS.
Initially concerned the coax cable would be too short. The AFS diagram on page 140 of v8.2 suggest it should be 190 inches but 165 inches is long enough.
This was the first antenna I had to actually drill mounting holes. All the rest of the antennas had mounting holes already in place by the amazing Van's kit parts.
My original intent was to place the antenna on centerline but then realized there is a structural rib down the center. So I moved it slightly to the left so the 5/8” cable connection hole would miss the rib but two of the mounting screws would go through the rib and miss the rivets. Photos show the result.

  Mar 02, 2024     Seats - (3 hours)       Category: Interior Finish

In October we visited AeroSport in Ohio and ordered seats. We already had their center console and interior panels. We hoped to pick them up the first week of March but they weren't assembled yet. The sewing is done and told probably take another week to finish.

  Feb 27, 2024     Monster Wire Harness - (2 hours)       Category: Avionics

Spread out the AFS main airframe wiring harness on our dining room table to try and make sense of it (see first photo below). Sent the photo to Jonathan for help and he replied within 24 hour with the answers shown below. Boy, wish the connections were labeled explaining where they go. Jonathon explained nicely and promptly but it was a hassle to ask for his time.

  Feb 27, 2024     ACK ELT Installation - (4 hours)       Category: Avionics

Feb 26, 2024:
- Ran phone wire from tail-cone join or rear baggage compartment bulkhead through tunnel and up to the left side of instrument panel.
- Also ran RG-400 coaxial cable from ADS-B antenna behind spar under right baggage area forward through tunnel and spar up to transponder mounted on right forward bulkhead. Boy, 50/50 chance, and I lose. This coaxial cable has one BNC connector and a TNC connector on the other end. After running the cable I found I installed it backwards and had to pull it out and reverse it. Did find either BNC or TNC connectors slip easily through the 0.750 plastic grommets except where the grommets are in the spar holes. There I learned to use a big screwdriver to push the connector and wire through those grommets.
-Also went to install small screws to retain the three ribbon cable connections only to find they're too long. They're maybe 3/8” and only can be 1/4”. Will look to shorten screws or make 1/8” brass spacers out of some small brass pipe.
Feb 27: started installing the ACK unit on the tail cone.
I wrote Jonathon about making the connections the small DIN.
Using a magnifying glass I see they have a small square shaped open end that might be pushed onto the tiny square pins of the DIN connector (pins 1,3,&4). Is that what most builders do?

It's certainly what Vans shows to do in the manual

Using micro-molex sockets to facilitate soldering to a DIN connector with solder cups is indeed a bit silly, but it looks like they fit. I suppose this will facilitate soldering the DIN connector without needing a set of helping hands to hold the wire in place; there is no other point to this that I can discern.

Van's instructions talk about crimping on a molex connector onto the test wire WH-TP 3015. However, I can't find a molex connector of that tiny size and ACK instructions doesn't mention using molex connectors but rather suggests making solder connections (which I comfortable with using a small soldering pencil/iron.

A permanent connector is overkill. You're going to test this once, if even that, and never again. However you choose to make the connection from the stub to the resistor+LED is fine.

On Thu, Feb 29, 2024 at 6:01 AM Frank Dressel wrote:
Reference Van's instructions pg 53-04 ACK ELT and ACK Installation manual pages 7 & 8.

Maybe a simple question. I'd appreciate your suggestions or directions.
The Van's kit wiring for the ELT (left three wires in photo) have a small, maybe molex connector. Using a magnifying glass I see they have a small square shaped open end that might be pushed onto the tiny square pins of the DIN connector (pins 1,3,&4). Is that what most builders do?
Van's instructions talk about crimping on a molex connector onto the test wire WH-TP 3015. However, I can't find a molex connector of that tiny size and ACK instructions doesn't mention using molex connectors but rather suggests making solder connections (which I comfortable with using a small soldering pencil/iron.
What do you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
Frank
(Hopefully I remember to slide on the heat shrink before making the connections. )

Reference Van's instructions pg 53-04 ACK ELT and ACK Installation manual pages 7 & 8.

Maybe a simple question. I'd appreciate your suggestions or directions.
The Van's kit wiring for the ELT (left three wires in photo) have a small, maybe molex connector. Using a magnifying glass I see they have a small square shaped open end that might be pushed onto the tiny square pins of the DIN connector (pins 1,3,&4). Is that what most builders do?
Van's instructions talk about crimping on a molex connector onto the test wire WH-TP 3015. However, I can't find a molex connector of that tiny size and ACK instructions doesn't mention using molex connectors but rather suggests making solder connections (which I comfortable with using a small soldering pencil/iron.
What do you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
Frank
(Hopefully I remember to slide on the heat shrink before making the connections. )

Jonathon Severdia
jonathon@advanced-flight-systems.com
(503) 263-0037 x2402

  Feb 20, 2024     Cables arrive and Disappointment - (3 hours)       Category: McFarlane

The two McFarlane cables arrived Friday and looked good. Sunday began installing them, first the prop and then the throttle. A bit of a mind game to get the internal star washers and nuts in place but just a matter of planning ahead.
The cable to the prop governor is fine but I discovered that the throttle cable doesn't have enough throw or movement. The design sheet I approved specified 2 1/8” minimum movement but both cables only have at most 1 13/16”. This is not enough for the throttle unless I change the lever. So emailed photos and my concern to McFarlane and see if they can explain or make a new one.

  Feb 19, 2024     ADS-B Antenna Install & Cable Run - (3 hours)       Category: Avionics

Today I mounted the RAMI ADS-B blade antenna in the fuselage tail under where the horizontal stabilizer mounts. A bit of a contortionist required to get to interior mounting area. A big help was again was Curtis' hole wire brush to remove the primer around the screw holes. Then connected the coax cable and installed 0.625” bushings. Found it much easier to slide the right number of bushings onto the cable first, then thread the cable through the bulkhead holes, finally then push the bushings in place. At the spar, I didn't do that. Rather, I pushed the bushing into the hole and then found it very hard to push the BNC connector through the grommet. Oh well, cable first, then the bushing.
Ended the day finding that the coax cable won't reach the ADS-B box where I conveniently mounted months ago. Oh well, tomorrow's task.

  Feb 18, 2024     Comm Antennas Cables - (4 hours)       Category: Avionics

Oops in the shadows
The two COM RG400 coax cable installation seemed pretty straightforward. The diagram called for two 65” cables. In hindsight, the cables are different, as noted on their ziploc bags—one BNC-BNC and one BNC-TNC. Bayonet versus threaded, but this detail escaped me.
Threading the cables through the 0.75 plastic grommets from the center tunnel through the seat formers appeared to be easy except…. The two holes through the tunnel wall to the first former are only about an inch apart and not coaxial. After many trials and many errors, determine that you thread the cable through tunnel wall and its grommet. But you can't thread cable with its connector through seat former if the grommet is installed first. I first threaded the cable through the loose grommet, then the cable with connector through the seat former hole, then I pushed the grommet into its hole. The rest of seat formers with grommets were easy to thread. So just needed to screw the connector onto the antenna. But no go…. That's when I discovered the two cables aren't the same and I instead needed a bayonet or BNC connector. So this was a great learning effort but a waste of time. Oh well, redoing the threading with the other cable didn't take quite as long but still required lots of patience and persistence.

  Feb 14, 2024     Connecting AFS Components - (3 hours)       Category: Avionics

Continuing to connect Advanced Flight Systems (AFS) components around the cockpit. Wire harnesses are nicely labeled so clear where they go and usually connect easily, just like connecting computer desktop components. Had trouble with one connection, the cable going from the SV to the EMS. The EMS analog-to-digital box did not want to let the cable connect. Ultimately I took the box out and after some fiddling got both mounting screw threads to catch its nut nut and secure the connection. The unit was then reinstalled.
I emailed Jonathon at AFS how to route the cables behind the panel—over, under, or through the center stack. He quickly replied:
However the cables can reach their destinations is fine. Cable management is an art; not a science. But personally I would put grommet edging around the lightening holes and just go through them, right on top of the radio stack.
(Jonathon' answer from AFS. On Wed, Feb 14, 2024 at 1:43 PM Frank Dressel )

  Feb 14, 2024     Comm Antennas - (3 hours)       Category: Avionics

Installed the two RAMI whip comm antennas last evening. They both are mounted on the bottom of the fuselage approximately under the seats. These antennas come with a teardrop inside backing plate that replace the Van's kit backing plate previously installed. The RAMI instructions include a mounting hole template that line up perfectly with Van's doubler rivet holes. So effectively you drill out the four #3 rivets and enlarge for #8 mounting screws with a #19 drill. Instructions explain the need for good electrical connection to the aircraft skin for a ground plane. On the left side I cleaned the paint off around the four screws on the exterior side but then realized the antenna includes a rubber seal for the outside. So, ended up extending the wire brush tool with a dowel so it could be used on the inside. It worked great and I then was able to install the four screws, washers, and nuts mounting each antenna. Thanks to Curtis for loaning me these neat wire brush hole tools.

  Feb 07, 2024     Engine Compartment Inspection - (3 hours)       Category: Wiring Power

My friend Curtiss, A&P, came by to inspect my work in the engine compartment. We checked the continuity of the power wires referencing the diagram below. All checked okay except we realized the diagram needed updating. The blue editing line (Van's white 8AWG “P912”) shows power to charge the primary battery actually goes through the master relay which makes sense. Otherwise, all power to the Advanced Control Unit and the EFII Bus Manager checked out
Also checked bolts and fasteners and found a few not tightened or not meeting standard of 1 to 3 threads showing. We marked them with yellow tape to be fixed later.
Generally, great confidence building check. Thanks Curtis.

  Feb 07, 2024     Five inch SCAT Tube Challenges - (3 hours)       Category: Engine

One of the last tasks under the cowling is to run the five inch SCAT tubing from the upper high pressure ram air “plenum” to the oil cooler heat exchanger. Once this big tube is installed, it blocks lots of components behind it. So, finally now is the time to perform this “simple” task.
But after 3 hours of frustration trying to put a square plug in a round hole (okay rectangular shaped octagon) and starting to really abuse the soft orange rubber, I stopped, to try something else. I had already tried prying, pulling, pushing, bending the wires sort of. . .
What I came up with was to cut a piece of oak to the “rectangular octagon” shape of the oil cooler intake. I then made a wedge shaped cut across the rectangle, sanded both sides of the cut smooth and flat, and waxed them. It took four hands to hold the pieces and slowly tighten the small C-clamps. We did this twice, to include the lowest three wires and each time, once stretched, I lightly hammered the wires to the shape of the cooler intake.
I think most of the damage to the soft rubber was from my earlier 3 hours of frustration but some may have been done by the wedge stretching/shaping tool. Regardless, we decided to seal and secure damage with more red hi temp RTV and let that cure before trying to install again. Fingers crossed.
Curtis, thanks for your help.
Feb 8
Boy, even with the tube stretched into shape, getting it on was a challenge. Turns out, the only way was to treat the wire as it is, a coil, and pull, following the coil round from corner to corner until three loops were pulled on. Then I could tighten the two hose clamps and cut off the excess.

  Feb 05, 2024     Oil Cooler Five Inch Scat Tubing Installation - (3 hours) Category: Engine

Cut the kit tubing to 16 inches per plans and applied the red RTV to secure the outside wrapping string in case it breaks. Also formed the round “hose” clamp to fit the rectangular inlet to the cooler. Wow, two big clamps. I will cut off some of the excess strap once the SCAT tubing is installed today.

  Feb 02, 2024     Cowl Flap or Cooling Exit Door Installation cont. - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Connecting the cooling door control cable is quite the trick. The tunnel is really tight for my large hands, the screw and nut is barely visible from the front, and it's just plain awkward trying to ratchet tight the nut on the AN 3 bolt to secure the cable. I asked a neighbor 8th grade friend to see if they can better ratchet it tight and install the safety wire per instructions on the top cushion clamp. Unfortunately this calvary didn't show. By the way, instructions say the cable housing should not extend beyond 3/4 inches from the last cushion clamp. Mine is at 3/4” and that is now the open stop for the door.
Feb 2, 2024. Last evening I finished tightening the AN3 nut on the screw of the “VA-219-2” clamp that locks the control cable wire to the exit door. Wow, my hand is still cramped, but it's done. The neighboring teenager was otherwise tied up and couldn't help. Oddly, the small 1/4” drive ratchet didn't work as well as a small open-end box wrench. Maybe because my thumb was worthless. I only had two fingers to work with and they could manipulate the small wrench better than the ratchet.
I also got the safety wire installed securing the cable housing to the cushion clamp. Checking the door operation from cockpit, it all seems to work smoothly.

  Feb 01, 2024     Cowl Flap or Cooling Exit Door - (20 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Last spring in preparation for painting, I assembled (per OP 62 for the EXP119 engine) the tunnel closeout and cowl cooling exit door assembly. The assembly exterior was painted by Mark Moser with the rest of the airplane. January 2024 I applied the friction reducing HDPE film to the moving cowl door sides.
Also in January I followed instructions to rivet the brace and control cable mount to the top of the tunnel.
Last week, following the instructions led to costly mistake in cutting the $160 control cable CT A-700 too short. “Luckily” I had a spare on hand. After searching VAF I found I wasn't the first to be tricked by the instructions. Oh well, cut the second cable in place to make sure it was the right length.
This is what I wrote Van's tech support:
Hi, I noticed that OP 62 for the RV 14A -119 engine needs a clarification. On page 26, Figure 1A shows directions to cut CT A-700 to 19 inches from the control cable's housing. What's meant instead is to shorten the cable 19 inches not from the cable housing but from the far end. I discovered (after this $160 mistake for a replacement cable) that someone else had made this same mistake last year and wrote about it on Vansairforce.net. https://vansairforce.net/threads/dont-make-this-mistake-exit-door-cable.211335/ Maybe Figure 1A can be interpreted to mean “shorten” 19 inches but a much better direction is to show how long the shortened cable should be.
After this mistake, I then installed the new cable first and then carefully cut it 3/4 inches from the last cushion clamp. (The cut off cable sheath length for me then was 22 inches, not 19.)
I know you've had its on your plate with all the laser cut parts to analyze but I hope you can clarify Figure 1A on page 26 of OP 62 before someone else make the same mistake us two builders have.
Thanks for all you do.
Respectfully,
Frank Dressel
140816
Tom at Van's replied:
Hello Frank,
OP-62 is already "in-process" of being revised!
Thanks!
Tom
Van's Aircraft

  Jan 27, 2024     Cooling Cap for Backup Battery - (10 hours)       Category: Engine

There were concerns that the backup battery's life would be shortened by engine heat at its position low on the firewall. There is a source for cooling normally used to cool a magneto so I decided to use it to cool the backup battery instead. We considered various ways to best use this cooling air and decided to fabricate a fiberglass cap.
I first started with a chunk of 2” Dow blue board closed cell foam and started shaping it with a coarse rasp and adding to it with wood and hot glue to attach cereal-box cardboard. So the first picture is the result of several iterations. The grey pipe has the same approximate OD as the cooling air flexible hose. So I hope that the final fiberglass cap with this short tube will allow the hose to slide in and be glued in place with RTV.
Well, this project didn't go nearly as easily as I had hoped. I coated the foam, cardboard, and filler plaster with a sealing coat of epoxy thickened with cab-o-sil. All good so far.
Mistake number one. I should have used a good coat of car wax or bought some real mold release to make sure the fiberglass cap could be released from the plug mold. Instead I used a cooking Pam substitute that did not work at all.
Second mistake was using the gray plastic pipe with no taper. Maybe it would have worked if I had wrapped it with wax paper which later I did with the flexible bleed air hose supplied by Van's. Anyways, I spent a lot of time digging out the foam and then the gray plastic pipe.
But, one reality for working with fiberglass is that any nearly any mistake can be overcome with lots of sanding and more epoxy and fiberglass.
Ultimately this backup battery cooling cap came out out well. The bleed air hose fits nicely in the tube. The cap is held in place by the two screws that secure the battery case cap and the associated battery.
Finally, today, January 31st, after sanding, the inside was spray painted black. The outside is then covered with the aluminum foil leftover from the inside of the cowling. I think it will work well.
Feb 5
Visited Garth's hanger at Spirit to see his progress and he graciously gave me more than enough leftover aluminum foil to finish coating the outside of this battery cap. Then applied a coat of resin over the foil and black paint on the inside which finished the project. The black flexible bleed air hose slides nicely in maybe two inches so will see if it will stay put without any retainer. Not a big deal if it blows out one time. Clearly something to check on at least early in flight test.

  Jan 21, 2024     Blow-by Device Installation Continued - (3 hours)       Category: Engine

After the Prop and throttle cables firewall pass through was moved, hopefully for the last time, I was able to place the AntiSplat canister. The best compromise for:
- lowest possible to avoid interfering with inserting the canopy hinge pins'
- highest possible to allow downward flow of return oil to the engine,
- outboard to nicely “stretch” oil return line,
- inboard to best avoid oil pressure line to transducer, and
- space to allow the oil filter to be spun off and changed.
Attached the canister with two AN 1/4-28 bolts, washers, and nuts.
Nice that the installation kit includes plenty of blue rubber hose.
Looks like I'll have a good location to drill hole for exhaust vacuum device and 0.5 psi back pressure safety device. I noticed that the half psi safety device is easy to check by blowing at it and seeing if it opens.

  Jan 19, 2024     Move of EFII Fuel Cannon Plug - (4 hours)       Category: EFII Install

The unfortunate difficulty in installing the top cowling hinge pins was due in large part to the EFII fuel cannon plug being too high on the firewall. So, today I finished the two-day task of moving it. The challenge, once the location was determined, was again drilling and grinding the 1.1” diameter center hole and its four #6 mounting screw holes. The step drill in the right-angle drive worked fine up to 1/2” but grabbed and tore the thin stainless steel firewall trying to expand to 5/8”. So I used the Dremel and small grinding wheel with the vacuum for 20-30 minutes to open up the hole to its final size. Unfortunately, in spite my best efforts, I had to use a round needle file to open up and finalize the four mounting screw location. Finally, I used red high-temp RTV to seal the cannon plug.
A hopeful development is that the primary alternator current measuring shunt may not need to move but still fit next to the cannon plug. We'll see.
We were lucky with the shunt. It almost fit as is, but it did need a little elongation of one mounting hole which was done with a round file. I Retighten the electrical connections and will make a Lexan shield of the shunt to avoid a dangerous short circuit.

  Jan 18, 2024     Installation of Anti Splat Blow-by Unit - (1 hour)       Category: Engine

Jan 17, 2023. Started the process to install the AntiSplat blow-by components. The oil recovered by the system goes back to the crankcase via a port on the right side above the lower engine mount. I could see the plug and eventually figured out how to reach it. The plug has a 5/16” hex socket that I could put an Allen wrench on. However, I could not apply enough force on the wrench to remove it. Plan B worked though using a T-50 Torx “socket” and long extensions to reach it.
The installation kit includes a steel pipe adapter adapter to go from the crankcase 3/8” to 1/4” pipe threads for the 90 degree brass elbow that then connects to the system's 18” long oil return line. (Their standard oil return line is only 12” long but they exchanged it for what I needed.) I used Permatex high temp thread sealant 59214 which will be tested since applying/measuring a standard torque for pipe threads was impossible due to the location. I'm confident it will be leak free, but time will tell.
Next task is to mount the actual AntiSplat blow-by device on the firewall. Also it's now time to move the EFII fuel cannon plug and probably the primary alternator shunt to give needed space for installing the top cowling-to-fuselage hinge pins. Oh, how clear hindsight is.

  Jan 17, 2024     Alt Air, Cabin Heat, Cowling Flap Category: Controls

Jan 16, 2024 completed alternate air door control cable. I had painted the cockpit control knob red but still need to add label: “Emergency Use Only, Engine Air Filter Bypass.”
Jan 17 secured both cabin heat cables and connected them to the heater door. Seems to close tight although other owners note their doors leak heat in the summer. We'll see.

  Jan 17, 2024     Summary 3 January 2024-       Category: Summaries

January 16, 2024 completed Canopy and engine baffling.
April 6, final safety wiring of throttle linkage

  Jan 15, 2024     McFarlane Order for Two Cables - (4 hours)       Category: McFarlane

This morning I Finalize the order with Randy at McFarlane for the custom propeller and throttle cables. Honestly, $550 per cable was more than I wanted to spend but I'm confident they're top of the line. And for the tough throttle application environment, right above the exhaust pipe, it is probably the best system available to withstand the heat.
These cables will come with a 7/16” threaded firewall pass through sleeve. So, unfortunately, or maybe for the better, I won't be able to use the Van's supplied CT-00102 (page OP 62-03) double spherical grommet which I move once already and now will abandon. So potentially I can drill a 7/16” hole through the firewall anywhere and add maybe a 7/16” ID washer for stiffness and to distribute the bending loads. I probably will create another firewall patch where the CT-00102 now is and center a new 7/16” hole in its center. Then locate and drill a new hole for the remaining cable nearby. Finally, Van's double spherical grommet was a son-of-gun to install while holding the two cables and two hemispheres on the crowded firewall.
The cables will be ready in five weeks although they hope to finish sooner.

  Jan 14, 2024     Air Inlet and Cowl Baffle Seals - (6 hours)       Category: Engine

Well, finally the baffle and inlet seals are installed and look pretty good. This step was started in June 2023. First, was the discovery that some of the seal numbering was wrong, then that the part numbering might be on the inside or outside. Finally, the structure behind the inlets, especially the air inlet filter box, was too high relative to the fiberglass inlet.
With Curtis' help, we discovered that the blue silicone tube between the snorkel and throttle body was too long. It was forcing the snorkel forward and twisting the air filter box up in the front. We shortened the blue tube to 2 1/2” and the fit was much better.

  Jan 02, 2024     Cowling Issues - (4 hours)       Category: Engine

New Year's Day 2024 brought two disappointing issues.
First, putting the hinge pins across the top rear cowling is too tough. The EFII fuel” wire harness is too high and interferes with reaching in to install the long, left pin. Thinking I've got to lower it—ugh. Also, I dropped a dowel used as a handle to push on the pin “handle” and realized that if happens before a flight, this would mean starting all over. So these installation aids need to have a lanyard attached to retrieve them if dropped.
Second, I'm not moving/modifying the beautifully painted fiberglass cowling. So I'll have lower the filter box on the left side somehow and maybe the right side too. The left cowling inlet to the filter box is 7/16” too high for air to flow nicely into the air filter and engine cooling. The right side isn't as bad but also high. I wonder how this critical fit was missed when fitting the fiberglass upper and lower cowlings. There are lots of builder instructions for fitting the two together but don't remember a check for this. Oh well, one more thing in 2024 to fix.
Finally, I need to build some sort of stand to support the lower cowling during installation. Before it was painted, so what if it was scratched on the floor or bumped the prop. I saw some solutions on Van's Air Force website. Maybe this is the first task to tackle this morning.
Jan 2 2024
Some progress, yesterday the rear, top hinge pins were very hard to insert. In fact, I couldn't get the left pin fully inserted. Well today I discovered that the pins' points weren't shaped right. Two problems: First, the angle was located based on the pin's “handle” being vertical or in the final locked position instead of horizontal as it is when being pushed in. Second, the angle was too steep. It can be up to a 1/2” long spanning adjacent holes. So after regrinding and polishing the reshaped point, the point's angle can now span and guide the pin from hole to hole all the way in including the curved sides. (See photos below.) Then I realized wiping Boelube on the pin before helped, but more lube is better. So, by pushing a dab of lube in each hole in the side curved sections (only the fixed half on the fuselage); pushing the original 1/8” hinge pins is now relatively easy. Woohoo.
Also built a carpeted stand to protect and aid the installation and removal of the lower front cowling.
With the lower cowling removed, I found the fiberglass snorkel was indeed hitting the starter. So, it looks like to solve the filter box being too high and the snorkel hitting the starter, I need to reshape the fiberglass snorkel.
Jan 7 2024
Curtis came by this afternoon to help align the the left inlet to the cowling. I had added a 1/4” wedge to the outboard filter box frame and slotted the inboard mounting screws. This allowed the front of the frame to settle down hopefully enough. We removed the blue silicone coupling to check the snorkel's alignment with the throttle body intake and were surprised to find very little misalignment. Much of my problem was caused by the 3 1/2” blue silicone coupling being too long. I cut it down to 2 1/2” so the snorkel wasn't pushed too far forward.
So we installed the lower and upper cowling and pleased to find the left inlet aligned nicely with the filter box and its snorkel.
The right inlet is still a little misaligned so I will remove the cowlings again and tackle that tomorrow.

  Dec 31, 2023     Anti Splat Aero Blow-By System - (2 hours) Category: Engine

Here is Aero Splat's system for reducing oil loss by blow by and the mess under the fuselage.
https://antisplataero.com/products/the-asa-oil-separator
Garth from St Charles recommended it along with their associated crankcase vacuum system.
https://antisplataero.com/products/crankcase-vacuum-kit-complete
Not much supporting info about Aero Splat on Van's Air Force other than cleaning the mess off the bottom is good therapy.
At my hint, my son gave me the main blow by device for Christmas—Thanks😀
I spoke with Garth and then AeroSplat about the associated crankcase vacuum device. There is some promised HP increase but what sold me was the promise of less seepage from valve covers and other points when the engine is running. So with the 10% discount offered before 2024, I ordered the vacuum kit and install kit which should arrive in a few days.

  Dec 30, 2023     Cowling Final Heat Shield Foil Installed - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Putting the aluminum foil heat shield on inside of lower cowling was the typical challenge of covering a 3D surface with 2D film. But as a friend observed, “It's the lower cowling and no one will see it.” The foil is surprisingly strong and can be rubbed vigorously to firmly bonded to the underlying epoxy surface. I had earlier last spring brushed on a sealing coat of West Systems epoxy. I did vacuum and then wiped with alcohol the epoxy surface.
I was able to cover the cowling with just one of the two rolls provided in the kit. (Had less than one square foot of aluminum foil pieces left over.)
Did brush on epoxy to seal all the edges. (Took just over one pump worth of epoxy.)
The lower cowling is now ready for fitting on the last of the baffle seals at each inlet.

  Dec 25, 2023     Summary Two, May to December 2023       Category: Summaries

Summary of key events starting May 2023
Prep and Painting, Mark Moser, Wooster, Ohio. March 31 to May 27, 2023.
At Paul's hanger at St. Louis Downtown airport June and July 2023.
August 4th project Moved back home to Smithton garage to pick up the pace.
August to November engine wiring for EFII systems and other engine sensors.
December center console with throttle and prop controls. Heat, alternate air, and cooling flap control cables. Also steps installed.

  Dec 24, 2023     Steps Install - (2.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Installed the steps today for the final time. I first used a 0.250” reamer to clean out a small amount of paint in the steps' bolt holes. During installation Jan helped hold and adjust the step on the outside so I could insert and tap the AN4 bolts into place with a stick and hammer.
Boy, what a son-of-a-gun location to first get the two washers and then the nut started on the bolt. Then tightening! Used forceps, open end and box end wrenches, 5 and 7 sixteenth sockets and ratchets to tighten the four bolts and nuts. Finally got the 5/16 universal socket held with forceps onto the nut and then on to the ratchet. Good practice says should turn-to-tighten the nut, not the bolt, but there is no way possible for the lower two nuts. The best I could do was use the universal socket and ratchet to hold the nut as I slowly turned the bolt with another ratchet.
Van's instructions caution against this to avoid loosening the fit but afterwards each step seems tight and rigid.
I still need to add some no-slip tape to the steps but will probably wait and maybe use the same stuff I apply to each wing's walkway.

  Dec 23, 2023     Final Cowl/Cooling Flap Installation       Category: Engine

Excited to get to finally install the bottom cooling flap that was assembled and painted months ago. I found the UHMW tape and installed two strips on either side of moving cooling door.

Small Disappointment— Van's kit has been overall outstanding but I've found with the EXP-119 (248) engine installation some frustrating missing parts in their kit. These parts are called for in the OP 62 instructions but were not on the FWF inventory or in the kit.
- CT A700 control cable for cooling door (ordered from Vans $139 ish

Got the exit door installed in the tunnel cover. Unfortunately scuffed the metallic blue paint at a screw. Had to use vise grips to remove a stripped screw. Next time I will protect the paint with tape and be more careful with the pliers. Luckily in a hidden spot on the bottom and can I touch up later.

Got the control cable mount riveted to the tunnel cover and now will wait for the control cable to come from Vans.

  Dec 17, 2023     Center Quadrant Finalized - (4 hours)       Category: Controls

Well, happy how the AeroSport carbon fiber center arm rest, throttle and propellor control quadrant, and control cable end mounts have finalized. Honestly won't be complete until arm rest is prepped and top coated red and the control cables received but I'm pretty close.
A lot of consternation over the mount to fix both control cables in front of the quadrant. I won't recount all the iterations but you can see the final mount made out of 0.040” aluminum held in place with the three screws. The aluminum has a large radius bend up of approximately 69 degrees. The two 7/16” holes for each cable were located 1 3/16” from the mounting hole center-line (flat panel perspective) and 3” apart. This gives an almost straight line for the control cables from the control cable rod-end bearing, through the mount and down to the outside of each fuel pump.
Took some time to fit the armrest carbon fiber structure to the floor. It is outside of the floor's pan head screws except for two on each side up front. I elected to have six angle brackets on each side but only have three #8 screws and nut plates on each side. I believe the major load is downward when a crew member is either getting in or out and pushing down on the armrest. So I'll watch and listen for the armrest potentially vibrating and needing more screws but for now, three on each side should be sufficient.
Contacted McFarlane for the two custom control cables. My drawing (with correction at quadrant range to be 3 7/8 to 6 3/8 inches or 2.5 inches of travel) was sufficient for them to design from and now I'm waiting for a quote.
Roughed up surface of carbon fiber with first detergent and Scotch Brite and then 120 sandpaper in preparation of filling irregular mold joint line. Hopefully smooth out nice in prep for primer and red top coat.

  Dec 16, 2023     McFarlane Controls 2 - (4 hours)       Category: Controls

Honestly, figuring out how to route the throttle and prop control cables to the center quadrant and then secure them with some sort of end mount was intimidating, frustrating, head scratching. One starting point was a bracket design drawing onhttps://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=206202&highlight=AeroSport+quadrant&page=2
by Mark Wright. It is a machined part bracket that was a great starting point for me.
I made a prototype half mount out of .040” aluminum with the 7/16” mounting hole 1 1/4” off center and an approximately 30 degrees from horizontal. In the photos below you can see I used a 1/8” rod of carbon fiber from model airplanes to gauge how well the control cable will align with the quadrant levers. I plan on using rod-end bearings on the outboard side of each lever, the same as Van's plans call for at the governor and throttle body. I'll have to order one more set of bearing, washers, nut and AN 3 screw as called for at the governor on page 50-3.
Finally, on Friday afternoon I emailed my sketch (below) to McFarlane custom controls and spoke to them on how to convert my sketch to their custom control order form. We'll finish it Monday when their expert returns. I asked for a tentative cost—probably $475 to 525–ouch. Lead time of 5-6 weeks. Plenty of motivation to get the design right the first time.
Note: Flight Chops RV 14A got their control cables from McFarlane and in theory at least their prop governor control cable should be close to what I need. I don't know where Flight Chops firewall pass through is but probably in the original location. I moved mine left about 6 inches to better align with the EFII throttle lever on the left, rather than right side. Monday, I'll discuss my rough design with what they used for the quadrant connections and the prop governor.

  Dec 12, 2023     Center Console Throttle-Prop Quadrant - (4 hours)       Category: Controls

Focus now is installing the AeroSport throttle-propeller control quadrant and the associated carbon fiber “map case” arm rest. Both items are from AeroSport and are nice quality but without any instructions or mounting hardware. I got lots of ideas from Garth R and Van's Air Force entries.
The armrest required some prep including cutting out the opening for the quadrant including the side friction adjustment. I used a friend's carbide 3/8” hole saw for the corners and then the Dremel with a cutoff disk for the straight cuts. Did most of the work outside with a light breeze and wearing a dust mask to minimize breathing dust. The material sands nicely to clean up and round edges. I used a 1” hole saw for the side friction hole and then a sanding drum in the drill press to finish.
I installed #8 nut plates to secure the throttle quadrant to the floor.
Cleaned up the molding split line and decided to fill imperfections with body putty and the prime and top coat this armrest like the rest of the interior.
Went to Shapiro's and got various angle profiles for brackets. Decided to use the 3/8 x 3/8 inch profile. Plan to rivet to center floor panel and use nut plates and maybe #6 pan head screws.

  Dec 09, 2023     Throttle & Prop Control Cables - (10 hours)       Category: McFarlane

Began tackling figuring out the throttle and propeller control. The propeller cable seems pretty straightforward. The throttle is a different story.
Started fabricating the throttle bracket out of____ mild steel from Kent S. The second iteration seems to fit the bill. Pictures below show layout, cutting, and forming of the bracket.

  Dec 03, 2023     Oxygen Sensor Installed - (5 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Expenses: Unit- $176.00, welding bung on exhaust-$60, SS welding rod 1 lb.-$30 = $266.
Rather straightforward installation but still w challenges.
+ Michael S in Denver had extra bung which he gave me when we met at AirVenture
- Ordered unit in July but system didn't arrive until October.
- The six wire sensor cable came with about 0.5 x .5 inch square connector that wouldn't fit through firewall pass-through. Wrote PLX for right tool to remove tiny pins but no help. Elected to just cut cable, pass it through, and then reconnect shortened cable six wires with solder and heat shrink.
+ A bit of a challenge task was determining which of six is the #3 socket for the 0-5v wide-band signal but got that figured out. After I tinned wire, crimping was easy and pin popped right into place.
+ Decided to get power from the EFII bus manager's “main bus” terminal which is its only user. Instructions call for 5A fuse protection. Decided to use an automotive inline mini fuse holder connected to the main bus and then soldered to the system power cord. A long story but simply connecting a ground point took over an hour but again came out nice.
+ Chose to use black packing foam hot glued to bulkhead and then a bit of Velcro to hold small unit to the foam. Made for a neat, clean looking installation.

  Dec 01, 2023     Oops, Loose Purple Wire - (3 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Found a loose, unconnected purple wire coming out of the bus manager wire harness. Did some research and then emailed Robert to confirm my understanding. And his answer is below.

On Thu, Nov 30, 2023 at 4:03 PM Frank Dressel wrote:
Robert, I found I've overlooked the purple fuel pressure signal wire in the bus manager control harness.
Can I use the fuel pressure signal from the Dynon Kavlico 0-150 psi sensor? (I've already provided a ground and 12v+ power to this sensor.)
I see on your Installation Instructions, page 6, that the purple wire “taps into the output wire of the fuel pressure sender that is part of your engine monitor system.”

So I guess, I'd just like confirmation that the 0-150 sensor will work.
Thanks
Frank Dressel
Answer
Yes it will work.
Robert

I'll extend the purple wire and connect it to the AFS EMS brown wire.
Extended purple wire with extra brown I think and made connection to sensor splicing into wire already going to SV-EMS-220 unit. Looks nice.

  Nov 30, 2023     Ignition Wire Install - (6 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Completed installing the top and bottom spark plug ignition wires today. I waited until I had the recommended Taylor brand crimping tool. Only $30 or so with shipping from Amazon Prime but in hindsight it probably wasn't needed. I spent quite a bit of time and effort routing the wires the “best” way. Goal was directness balanced with avoiding as much as possible the sensor wires and hot exhaust pipes. I marked the wires where they passed over the plug and the cut it there. Then stripped the blue and inner white insulation off 1/2” which was done easily using the 12 wire gauge spot on the tool. (Easier than originally feared and only nicked one core wire that was just cut away and then redone.) The provided silicone boot grease applied with a Q-tip really made installation on each plug easy. The first boot I didn't push down enough. When the second boot made a clear “click” when pushed down, I pushed more on the others to heard the click.

  Nov 25, 2023     Project Summary #1 Documents       Category: Summaries

Archive of our RV 14A project documents
September 2020 to April 2023.

  Nov 24, 2023     Sensor Connections are Complete - (3 hours)       Category: Sensors

This morning and afternoon I completed connecting the SV-EMS-220 two wiring harnesses to the myriad of sensors. Well, not quite. I just coiled up the two wing fuel quantity wires to wait for the wings to be attached. But it did include eight temperature and pressure sensors plus the four EGT and CHT sensors. Also connected for the EFII systems are the four fuel injectors, the crankshaft position sensors, two manifold pressure sensors, air inlet temp sensors, and an engine temp sensor. At this point, all I can say is they're connected and I hope they work. I tried to label most wires and keep the wire runs neat and supported with cushion clamps, Zip-ties, and heat shrink.

The list of tasks left to do here in the garage is shrinking. I think the next task will be the ignition wires. A lot of the work is done. The list of tasks remaining that can be done in the garage is getting shorter.

  Nov 23, 2023     Connecting Sensors continued - (3 hours) Category: Sensors

Connected both the oil and fuel pressure sensors as well as the oil temperature sensor. Had a note to safety wire the oil temp sensor but there is no hole to safety wire on the nut. I remember measuring the torque applied to properly crush the washer. Decided to connect the sensor wire and apply torque seal to watch if it should loosen with time. I doubt the temp sensor “nut” could, regardless of engine vibration.
The oil and fuel pressure sensor black ground wires each had their own wire harness ground wires. I connected those as well as the green signal wires.
However, the 5v power supply white-red wire is shared with both pressure sensors as well as the manifold pressure on the far side of the firewall. Decided to solder the two red sensor wires together with the smaller wire harness white-red wire, then crimp this solder connection into one side of a butt splice, and then extend this circuit with a 14 AWG white wire crimped in the other end of the butt slice and run this sturdier wire across the motor mount to the manifold pressure sensor. This white wire will be soldered back to the small white-red harness wire for proper identification at the sensor and go to the “C” terminal.
Finally decided to pull the manifold pressure sensor's other two wires, black and green-red, back out of the firewall original pass-through and move it to the other one closer to the sensor.
Only have these two wires left to connect to finish this task, woohoo!

  Nov 22, 2023     Connecting Sensors to Harness - (4 hours)       Category: Sensors

The spreadsheet guided organizing the wire harness linking the sensors to SV-EMS-220 analog to digital converter.
I laid the harness out on our kitchen table and sorted them into:
Not used--to cut short and seal with heat shrink
-- wires to pin numbers 1, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 22, 23, 29, 33, 34, & 35 (fourteen total)
Wires that don't penetrate firewall (nine total)
-- to left and right fuel tanks P20 & P21, these emerge from harness at about 10 inches
-- to Hall Effect backup alternator current sensor P5-Grd, P15-positive voltage, P31-current signal
-- fuel flow P14 to EFII "blue" signal wire
-- to Shunt for primary alternator current P24 & P25
-- engine RPM to EFII "green" signal wire
Wires that penetrate the firewall (eight total)
-- grounds P3, P16, & P17 for fuel and oil pressure sensors and manifold pressure "A" terminal
-- to oil pressure P6
-- to oil temp P7
-- to fuel pressure P8
-- to fuel and oil pressure sensors' positive "C" terminal P18
-- to manifold pressure "B" signal terminal P26

  Nov 20, 2023     Connecting Engine & Other Sensors Planning - (6 hours)       Category: Sensors

Spent considerable time figuring out the AFS sensors wiring harness. This is the second harness that connects into the Skyview Engine Monitoring System (SV-EMS-220) analog-to-digital converter. The other harness for analog inputs is for the EGT and CHT thermocouples. Out of the SV-EMS-220 is one Skyview Data cable connecting to the rest of the systems.
Earlier I fabricated a neat bracket that the box is mounted on so the cable connections can be made outside of the "glove box." Once the cables are connected to the box, the cables, box, and bracket can be easily mounted with the five screws through the bulkhead.

The summary of the work this weekend is the spreadsheet of below which lists the wires by their pin number, colors, and functions. The wires then are grouped by those going through the firewall to engine or firewall mounted sensors, those going to sensors behind the firewall, and a large number not being used. This spreadsheet was emailed to Jonathon at AFS for his review and suggestion or corrections.

Jonathon wrote back 11/20:
So back to page 126, pin #15 is Red and "+8v . . . Hall Transducer Power. (*Must have SV-EMS Network Pin 7 jumper to Pin5)" Unfortunately I don't know how to follow this.

In the SkyView Network standard cable the orange wire exists for only one purpose, which is to supply +12V to pin 15 on the EMS-220 37 pin cable for powering fuel flow transducers and hall effect sensors. This is only possible with HDX displays, however. Your AF-6600 displays lack the circuity necessary to distribute +12V power. Instead, we have you jumper the orange and red wires together on the SV-Network cable specifically that plugs into the EMS-220, which allows +8V SkyView Network power from the red wire to go into pin 15 instead. +8V is perfectly sufficient to power the fuel flow transducer and also the hall effect sensor.

This cable modification has already been completed for you. It is only necessary to observe that one of your SkyView Network cables, 3 ft length, has an "SV-EMS" label on one end instead of the customary "SV-NET" label. The SV-EMS end is the one that should plug into the EMS-220.

  Nov 17, 2023     EGT & CHT Wires - (5 hours)       Category: Sensors

With the EGT & CHT sensors installed, I then connected them to the brown thermocouple wire harness. Advanced Flight Systems does a nice job labeling and color coding. Yellow label and yellow and red wires go to EGT, white label go with white and red wires are for CHT. I confused them once and had to disconnect the Faston connections but with help of a couple pliers and strong grip, it wasn't a big deal. There was plenty of length in the brown wires. Tried to leave enough for a small wire “Z” in each to allow for vibration and flex without pulling connections apart. I used small clear heat shrink over the wires after stripping brown sheathing off to stiffen and protect. Also added heat shrink labels to identify the wires. Finally, I added large heat shrink over two Faston connectors and the zip ties to ensure they won't pull apart. The sensor wires were then laid along the injector wire's fire sleeve and secured with more zip ties.

  Nov 08, 2023     Installed EGT & CHT Probes - (3 hours)       Category: Sensors

Finally got to install the EGT & CHT probes today.
The CHT fit in a deep cylinder head hole next to the spark plug. The probe actually has a removable screw-in-mount with a straight screwdriver slot. The mount makes a definite bottom seat and is tightened. Then the probe with spring is installed with a bayonet like connection.
Two of the EGT probes were easy to install. But the other two were challenging because my oil return tubes were in the way. In hindsight, I'd get the flexible lines by Aircraft Specialty to replaced the rigid tubes and the short flexible black hose with two hose clamps in the Lycoming design. Aircraft Specialty is a much more elegant solution but just pennies shy of $350. Oh well, I will keep an eye on things and maybe at an annual inspection replace my rigid tubes. With the help of a big C-clamp and dowel I gently bent my rigid tubes out of the two EGT probes way.
Both the EGT & CHT sensors came with a female spade or Faston connection. Jonathan at Advanced Flight Systems reminded me their kit includes the mating male connectors I can use to connect the probes.
Decided that the critical wires to protect with fire sleeve are the injector wires. The EGT & CHT sensor wires will run along the fire sleeve, but on the outside.

  Nov 08, 2023     Completed Exhaust Pipes Installation - (6 hours) Category: Exhaust Inst

Completed the installation of the exhaust pipes today. Unfortunately I Found I had used the 5/16 or -5 washers in other places so Chp 64 helped me out with some AN washers the fit the bill. Alternated gradually tightening the flange nuts up to recommended 180-200 in-lbs. Connecting up the two exhaust extensions was fairly straightforward. However, the supports with tubes, hoses and clamps were a little temperamental to get the hose clamps in the right spot so the desired 3/4 inch clearance from the aircraft bottom was maintained. The two heater muffs assembled easily but their final position will be determined by the scat hose installation. These hoses internal spring wires had been prepared last June. Used some high temperature red RTV per Van's instructions to make a line down each SCAT tube to secure the outside string in case there is a future break.

  Nov 05, 2023     Oil & Fuel Pressure Pressure Sensors - (2 hours)       Category: Engine

Decided to use the VA-168 manifold to link the sensors to their pressure sources. Called and spoke with Tom Swearengen from TSFlightlines, now Aircraft Specialty Flightlines. He helped me sift through options and settle on a plan. We discussed the need for a restrictor fitting and agreed, with the quality of the hoses, the chances for a leak is small, and maybe the pressure fluctuations small too. But, since Vans provided a restricted elbow at the engine oil pressure tap, I decided to put one at the bottom of the fuel pressure regulator. Tom sent me one free which certainly was appreciated.

  Nov 05, 2023     Installing O2 Sensor - (4 hours)       Category: Exhaust Inst

EFII instructions suggest benefits of adding an O2 sensor for better tuning of fuel-air ratio. Ordered the recommended PLX sensor in August and it finally arrived in October.
At Oshkosh this summer Michael S had an extra sensor bung he shared that just needed to be welded to #4 exhaust pipe approximately three inches down from the flange. A experienced welder from Chp 64 did a very nice job TIG welding the bung in place for reasonable price.
This afternoon I used the bung to guide drilling a concentrate 5/8” hole through the pipe wall for the O2 probe.

  Oct 31, 2023     Making Connections - (6 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Spent much of today continuing to route wires and make connections. Multi wire connectors such as for crank position sensors and to the coils have exposed individual wires. To protect them, I found one inch heat shrink can be pulled over the connector and when shrunk offers some protection to the exposed individual wires. The two coil connectors were further sealed with Liquid Tape to avoid rain water collecting in the “upright” connectors.
Started laying out the ignition wires. Robert's (EFII) guidance suggested that there is no problem running ignition wires together but separate from sensor (CHT, EGT) and injector wires as much as possible.

  Oct 31, 2023     EFII Wire Harness Ground Wire Extended - (2 hours)       Category: EFII Install

The EFII Fuel wire harness has a ground wire that's really four small wires that came together at the ring terminal. After talking with Michael S in Denver who already did connected it, decided to ground it on the engine where the battery's braided ground strap connects. Unfortunately the ground wire was about 3 inches short. So found an unused 8AWG wire already with ring terminals that I could use. I connected this extension with a solder splice covered with two layers of heat shrink.
Shown below is my technique for installing cushion clamps. I use safety wire to close the clamps so the bolt or screws can be inserted and the nut started. The safety wire is cut away after the nut is started but before it is tightened.

  Oct 30, 2023     IAT 1&2 and TPS Wiring - (3 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Photos below show the two Inlet Air Temperature (IAT) sensor wires and connectors as well as the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS). Will have a cushion clamp off a sump bolt as primary support. Will also thread a zip ties along the connectors to ensure the don't come apart.
Frustration is the price of a longer 1/4-20 bolt (1 1/4”) is $7.50 at Aircraft Spruce. I was tempted to just go to Ace but since it's on the engine decided to bite the bullet and buy two.
Because of the new IO-390 119EXP configuration, there isn't room above the IAT sensors so Robert at EFII made two sensors with short 3” pigtails to move the connection point. As shown below, works great.

  Oct 25, 2023     Connecting B and C External Regulators - (10 hours)       Category: Wiring Power

Hi Kyle,
Making progress with our RV 14A. The EFII Bus Manager wiring is complete and I'm moving on to wiring the two B and C Alternator remote regulators and have some questions regarding how the AFS components connect to the regulator.

Referencing:https://bandc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/LR3D-Technical-Manual_RevIR_5-13-20.pdf#page=12
with this figure. (note: the backup alternator regulator has similar connections)
image.png
Well, I have the two ground connections figured out! And the optional connections at #1 and #2 terminals I won't concern myself with at this point.
So, I conclude:
Terminal #3 "Bus Voltage Sense input". I connect with 16 AWG wire to the 8 AWG wire somewhere between the alternator and the PCU, maybe right after the shunt which is physically close to my voltage regulator.
Terminal #4 "Field output" I use the B and C provided field wire and connector from the regulator to the alternator.
Terminal #5 "Low-Voltage Warning output" I'm not sure what to do with this connection. I'm thinking this regulator warning that the alternator has failed is also noted by the AFS components with its own warning flags. I'm I correct? If so, I'm thinking I can leave this output not connected. (I couldn't find a spot on any of the three panels for an alternator warning light after a cursory inspection.)
Terminal #6 "Bus Field Supply input" I'm thinking this is what I connect the AFS "ALT FLD" wire to which is part of the Fuselage Forward wiring harness. Likewise for the backup alternator regulator, I connect the "ALT 2 FLD" wire to my backup alternator regulator. And if this is correct, are both alternator field wires coming from the PCU protected by the desired 2A "circuit breaker"?
Finally, in a somewhat related observation, last night as I looked at the AFS documentation again, it finally started to sink in what is available and I should focus on.
The PCU manual: ADVANCED PANEL and Advanced Control Module Manual v 7.5.
For my 6000 series flight displays: AF-5000/6000 Series Install Manual v 16.1.
Then the seven ACM wiring diagrams for various systems
And finally the nine RV 14 wiring documents.
I did find page 189 of the ACM manual talking about B & C Alternators but it didn't answer all my questions. Both regulators have a terminal #5 "Low-Voltage Warning output."

Thanks again,
Frank Dressel

Answers from Jonathon Severdia, Advanced Flight Systems Tech Support, 10/25/23,
Right--ignore terminals #1 & #2
Terminal #3, correct. Get system voltage from convenient source like after the shunt. Note, I will use this source for both primary and backup alternators/regulators. This wire from the shunt goes to the ACM as well as the backup alternator supply. So voltage will be sensed and accurate whether supplied by either alternators. Suggested a 20 AWG wire would be sufficient but think BandC calls for 16 AWG.
Terminal #4, correct. Use BandC wire to go from regulator to alternator.
Terminal #5, ignore also. Warning signal already in AFS system and separate light unnecessary.
Terminal #6, correct. Each regulator will get their control/activation signal from the AFS wire harness.
Ah Haa moment. Had planned to wire the two external alternator regulators outside the access hatches and then mount on right A-frame with six screws. Well, just not doable. But looking up from below, it was apparent I could install the regulators on the underside and then easily connect the wires.
The EFII Bus Manager was mounted on the top side of the right A-frame with Ziptips.

  Oct 19, 2023     Connected ECUs to Cockpit Switches       Category: EFII Install

Completed connecting the two Electronic Control Units (ECUs) to their controlling switches in the cockpit. One to select which ECU controls the fuel injection. And two switches to turn the engine ignition on or off. The wires from the ECUs came about 36” long which turned out to be about 12” too short. So chose to extend the wires with a solder connection then sealed with two layers of heat shrink. The connections at the switches are by crimped ring terminals. They were sealed first with Liquid Tape and then covered with heat shrink.

  Oct 18, 2023     Bus Manager Connections to Switches - (16 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Completed connecting the EFII Bus Manager to its control switches. It came with two wiring 36” harnesses. Unfortunately both were about 12-14 inches short so luckily had 16 and 20 AWG wire on hand from wing wiring. I chose to make the connections with solder, then water proofed with two layers of hear shrink and Liquid Tape to seal the ends. The ring terminal connections were crimped, but the wire strands were tinned with solder first, then heat shrinked, and sealed with Liquid Tape.

  Oct 07, 2023     EFII Circuit Breakers - (4 hours)       Category: EFII Install

The EFII system calls for five CB's powered by the Bus Manager Essential Bus. Two 5A for the two ECU's, two for the two fuel pumps, and one for the ignition. A key consideration is to avoid the potential for single point failure. So I considered running a separate power supply wire to each CB. However, this requires running five wires from bus manager to CB's in the lower center panel. So decided to run only two 10 AWG to a brass”bus bar” that connects the five CB's.

The following understanding was confirmed by Robert Paisley
On Thu, Oct 5, 2023 at 2:52 PM Frank Dressel wrote:
Robert
I'm wiring up the five circuit breaker for the system.
The two fuel pump CB's are easy. Take power from the bus manager essential power post to each CB's and on to the pumps. (I have a good ground from my firewall ground post to each pump ground post.).
I see in the fuel firewall connector, three red wires tied together with a “IGN 15A” label. I take it I need to wire these together to my 15A CB which also gets power from the essential power post in the bus manager.
Finally, there are two pairs of red and black wires, labeled “ECU1 5A” and “ECU2. 5A.” Do I ground the black wires and wire the red to the 5A CB's with power also from the essential power post?
Robert confirmed my conclusions. However, I missed the fact that the fuel pumps are controlled by a relay. So after I nicely wired and labeled the five CB's, I reread the instructions during lunch and realized things would have to change. My solution was to disconnect the essential bus bar from the four outer 5 and 10A CB's and swap them so the 10A fuel pump CB's are on the outside. Then reconnect the bus bar just to the now inner 5A ECU CB's and wire the fuel pump relay in between the essential bus and their 10A CB.
The fuel pump relay was mounted right above the circuit breakers. The challenge was understanding how the wire female spade connectors fit into the plug. I made numerous mistakes out of ignorance. First, there is no room or need for heat shrink around wire connectors. Second, how the connectors slide into place. One of four I inserted upside down and proved to be tough to pull out to correct. In hindsight, installing the wires in the spade connectors and inserting each into the housing should/is easy knowing now what I know.

  Oct 04, 2023     Canopy Release T-Handle Installation - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

This effort was initiated by the decision a year ago to move the canopy release from right under the glare shield to a safer location over the center tunnel. Then, yesterday the next wiring project was the fuel pumps but I realized that the long forgotten canopy release might be in the way. So, starting yesterday decided to bite the bullet and figure out the canopy release.

Curtis helped figure out instructions. A key step is removing the existing canopy release lever mechanism and using the guide provided, rotate the lever on the shaft and drill a new hole. This is so you pull the lever forward to release instead of to the rear.

To make this work, I had to remove maybe a square inch of aluminum with a carbide burr tool in the Dremel tool. The only way I figured to do this was on my back with ear and eye protection with all the debris raining down on me. Oh well, the burr chewed up the aluminum quickly and the pushrods gained the necessary clearance.

I deviated from the instructions for the grommet hole in the forward tunnel cover to center the cable between the two fuel lines.
October 12
Finished wiring the five CB's so time to finish the canopy release. I thought the cable collet might need to be reamed out slightly but the problem was just a burr on the cable housing end. Used the Dremel cutoff wheel to cut it which worked great.
Major, maybe costly mistake. I misread the instructions and cut the control wire too short. I should have cut it with the T-handle pushed in but with the lever aft (pins withdrawn). Unfortunately I didn't think it through and cut it with the lever forward (hung pins inserted). Oh well, will try and make it work but a new cable from Van's is “just” $95.

  Oct 02, 2023     Debris Cleanup From Tapping Oil Return Port - (3 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Friends recommended I remove the valve covers to ensure any debris from tapping the oil return port was cleaned out. I was skeptical that this step was necessary after tapping from below and thinking I cleaned out and chips with a cotton swab. But all four oil return ports had aluminum chips laying in the area.
So used a solvent (paint thinner) in a squirt bottle to flush the chips and any debris out with the oil return lines removed.

  Oct 02, 2023     Wiring from Batteries and Alternators Complete - (100 hours)       Category: Wiring Power

October 1, 2023 declared the wiring of electrical power sources to starter, EFII Bus Manager, and Advanced Control Module (ACM) is complete.
The last component added was a Hall Effect sensor for the backup alternator current. The sensor had no protective case so mounted it on 1/16” Lexan sheet and with Velcro mounted it in a small plastic box from grocery store for sesame stick snacks. Ultimately it will be mounted with Velcro to the access hatch underside.
One challenge was crimping ring terminals onto 8 AWG wire used from the 60A primary alternator to the current limiter to shunt to ACM, Bus Manager, and master switch. Ultimately used a generic 8 ton capacity hydraulic crimper and small #2 SHCS head to form the locking dimple.

  Sep 07, 2023     Guidance for ignition wires Category: EFII Install

Robert Paisley
3:27 PM (0 minutes ago)
to me

Hi Frank,
The spark plug wires do not need to be separated from each other.
The spark plug wires do need to be separated from low voltage wires (EGT, CHT, injectors)
You can bundle EGT, CHT, injector wires. Keep this bundle as far away as is practical from the spark plug wires,
Looks good!
Robert

  Sep 01, 2023     Fuel Pressure Regulator mounting - (3 hours) Category: EFII Install

Figuring out the mounting of the fuel pressure regulator has been a challenge. First the oil blow-by tube was clearly in the way. I made the decision that it wasn't as critical as the fuel regulator. Since then, both Michal and Garth suggested alternatives to the blow-by tube.
With the master relay and two starter relays position established, I found a place for the fuel pressure regulator that avoids the firewall raised stiffener. So, the short rigid fuel line to the 90 degree return line fit, the long flexible fuel line from #4 injector connector also fit, and finally the fuel pressure adjustment screw was still accessible.
The regulator includes a steel 90 degree bracket. The bracket was removed, a small aluminum doubler was added to the firewall and prepped for riveting.

  Aug 24, 2023     Elec Power wiring settled - (20 hours)       Category: EFII Install

The electrical power supply, sharing, and control took three weeks or more to be settled. The basic agreement between the Electronic Fuel Injection and Ignition (EFII) designed by Robert Paisley of Protek Performance and Advanced Flight Systems' Advanced Control Module (ACM) spoken for by Kyle is basically EFII will keep the engine running and ACM will do everything else. This was simple in concept but took me to diagram it out to fully understand. The diagram below is my attempt of a block diagram of this (I won't dignify it as a schematic drawing.).
It also found some things as I went searching for components I found the current measuring device for the 60A circuit--a shunt, but didn't find the one for the 40 alternator. Also the AFS "fuselage front" wiring harness only had one alternator field wire instead of two. Speaking with Kyle I learned the 40 alternator current device is a "Hall Effect" sensor. I mailed the wire harness back to AFS for them to add the second field control wire which brings me to another back-and-forth decision. Does the ACM control the field for both alternators or just the 60A with the EFII Bus Manager controlling the backup 40A field. Pros and cons for both ways. Decided to leave the field control of both alternators with the ACM. However, will attempt to set the primary voltage regulator voltage a few tenths higher than the backup voltage regulator. That way the backup will be inherently in standby until the primary voltage drops indicating impending failure.
The diagram also helped me with the ordering of components. I used cheap clothes line to mockup the wire runs which also gave me their lengths. This I marked on the diagram along with their AWG and terminal post sizes--#10, .25" or .31".
Nathan from B&C Specialty Products was a great help with choosing components both at Oshkosh and this week on the phone. For instance, a 60A circuit breaker was something like $179 but a 60A current limiter was $18 plus $31 for a covered base. My order to them came to about $440 and items ordered are shown below.

  Aug 23, 2023     Component Locations Front Bay Rack - (10 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Wiring plans are dependent on where the numerous components are located. The Advance Flight Systems (AFS) component locations are pretty well defined and I don't see any advantage in moving them. The two included ribs were prepped for installation and I realized that then don't replace the standard kit components but are new and line the "glove box" opening so that components can be mounted on them. I'll install nut plates to help the components ultimate installation.
I had months ago installed the optional front bay access panels. I'm glad I did. However, the thought of laying on my back to install components was daunting. The solution that evolved was to build two "pup tents" or folded component rack to mount components. The photos below.
show the unfolded sheet metal parts. The racks are 0.032" 5024 aluminum that will be folded as shown in the line drawing. I'm currently waiting for the two ECU's which hopefully are in the mail and the Hall Effect current sensor coming from AFS. I'm planning to drill the mounting holes for #8 screws and dimple them but wait until the racks are bent to install the nut plates.

These racks took time but turned out nice. The wiring harnesses that connect to the ECU's demand they are mounted almost back-to-back. However turns out the rack can work for the ECU's if they're slightly staggered so the cable connections don't collide.
The components were mounted with #8 washer head screws and nut plates.

  Jul 28, 2023     Move Back Home to Garage - (5 hours)       Category: Project Move

In July it became apparent that my progress while hangered at the airport was really slow. This confirmed the old adage, it's called a "Homebuilt" for a reason. So late in July Paul volunteered his truck with flatbed trailer and himself to move the fuselage out of his hanger and back to our home garage. This has really helped the build progress. We won't fly by Labor Day but still hope for a first flight this fall.

  Jul 04, 2023     Backup Battery Case Design - (4 hours)       Category: EFII Install

Second cardboard prototype of my backup battery case design. I emailed Odessey Battery and their tech support said it's okay to mount the battery on its side, just not inverted.
Aug 14, Curtis helped finalize battery components and installation. Unfortunately, when actual parts were Cleaco'ed in place, a motor mount tube was too close and prevented the battery from sliding in or out. So wedge shaped spacers were made to tilt the case forward allowing the battery to slide in and out. The photo shows the spacers which go from about 1/8 to 5/16 inches.

  Jul 04, 2023     Exhaust System Install - (2 hours) Category: Engine

July 3, 2023, 2 hours, Temporarily installed exhaust cross-over pipes from #3 and #4 cylinders to check clearances. This followed installing pipes from #1 and #2 last month. Surprised by lots of preservative oil flowing out of #4 when white plastic cap was removed after relatively none from #3.

  Jul 01, 2023     Throttle linkage solution - (4 hours) Category: EFII Install

Designed an aluminum lever or adapter to the throttle body arm and will ask friend to machine it. Made a prototype out of 0.040 aluminum and geometry looks good. I have plenty of other things to do. Also have a bracket for the throttle cable to make.

  Jul 01, 2023     Mounting Ignition Coils - (2 hours) Category: Engine

June 28, 1 hour. Removed Lycoming's plastic cover plates over the magneto mounting ports and examined two EFII ignition coils and their aluminum mounting plates. Used UltraBlack silicone to seal plates on ports. (Only applied sealer on opening and not around studs. Michael suggested a leak might develop around stud. Just have to wait and see. Left plate was later removed to install baffle bolt above it and then sealer reapplied also around studs. If right plate leaks, and left doesn't, I'll know why.)

  Jun 25, 2023     Throttle Linkage Solution Maybe - (3 hours)       Category: EFII Install

June 24, 2023, 4 hours. Received the correct throttle body and adapter today and installed it. The adapter plate has the inlet air temp sensors on top, the manifold pressure ports on the aircraft's right side and the throttle lever on the left. Like Michael's case in Denver, my stock throttle lever collides with the exhaust crossover tube below and limits its rotation.
I removed the stock throttle lever and will attempt to make a new lever to bolt onto the existing throttle body control. Interesting, the front bolt is 1/4-28 with a split washer for a spacer in the excessively large approximate 0.400" diameter hole. The rear bolt is 10-32 and has an elongated hole. We'll try and find a better spacer than a split washer.
June 25, 1 hour, Yesterday designed and built a new throttle lever and today prototyped it with some thin 0.040" aluminum. Results are in the photos below. Determined that the the throttle rotates approximately 88 degrees from closed to fully open. With the new lever, we have approximately 5/16" of clearance between it and the exhaust tube. And the new linear throttle movement is approximately 1-7/8 inches compared to the stock lever's 2.3 or 2.6 inches of travel. We'll just have to wait and see if that movement is sufficient to get the desired sensitivity or controllability in the cockpit.
Started designing a bracket to hold the throttle cable. In my case, I'm currently planning on two cables. One going to a center console between the pilots and a second going to a throttle lever going to a throttle lever on the left cockpit side. Determined there is insufficient room to have a cable rod-end bearing on either side of the lever. The inboard rod-end bearing collides with the throttle body. So if I use two cables for two cockpit throttle levers, their rod-end bearing connections will both have to be on the outboard side of the throttle body lever.
Seems the new throttle control cable/s bracket need approximate 15 degree up angle to have equal deflection at idle and full power positions.

  Jun 23, 2023     Engine Baffles - (8 hours) Category: Engine

June 19, Started Chp 47 assembling the engine cooling air baffles. A lot of parts, typical Vans. I decided not to prime and topcoat these engine compartment components. Easier and quicker. And other components like the battery box with primer and black topcoat got easily chipped. Decided to use the Permatex Ultra Black silicone for the baffle cushioning.
June ??, Two day project to install the forward and aft baffles. The left aft baffle assembly initially needed to be tapped into place with rubber mallet.
June 28, 1 hour, Just tapping 0.120 stainless steel rods for 6-32 threads. Uneventful, but used lots of tap cutting fluid.

  Jun 21, 2023     Throttle Body Problems       Category: EFII Install

June 19, 3 hours Tried to install the throttle body and it's adapter plate but it doesn't fit this engine's intake opening. Robert Paisley said I need a RSA-10 sump but they sent me is for a -5. Oh well. I emailed my friend Cliff in CO about the challenges I'm having with the EFII installation and learned I'm not alone. Cliff noted that his friend Michael is also building a RV 14A with EFII and discovered that there is interference with the throttle lever and the cross-over exhaust pipe. Seems to me either the exhaust pipe is moved if there is room with the lower cowling and a reconfigured tube can be welded in or the lever is shortened and the resulting shorter stroke and greater sensitivity is compensated by the throttle lever mechanism.
June 20, sent throttle body back to Robert and learned the correct one should arrive Friday.
June 22, with help from Jan, we installed the lower cowling to measure the clearance between it and the offending cross-over pipe. Conclusion is there is 1 5/16" clearance. The concern for me is how much added heat stress will potentially lowering the exhaust pipe and reducing this clearance? Honestly, I'm leaning to shortening the throttle body lever and making adjustments to the shortened lever-arm over moving the cross-over pipe.

  Jun 16, 2023     Injector Interference Problem Solution - (9 hours)       Category: EFII Install

June 15, 3 hours, Worked on installing injectors and discovered oil drain line interference.
June 16, 4 hours, Worked today to resolve the interference between the fuel injectors and the oil return line and fitting out of the cylinder head. Ultimately solved by taping the 1/4" NPT about 4-5 threads deeper and angling the oil return fitting from inward to downward. Finally had to slightly file one corner of the screw boss in the cylinder head for the valve cover to relieve the last interference with the injector. Then remake the oil return pipes. Cylinder #3 was completed today. The other cylinders hopefully tomorrow.
June 17, 3 hours, Worked on tapping cylinders 2 & 4 oil return ports deeper. Seemed to really need 5 to 7 turns deeper. Also filed the one corner of valve cover screw boss in head slightly to remove its interference. Injectors now in place.
June 18, 2 hours, Created new oil return tubes for cylinders 2 & 4. Had enough tubing starting with total of six feet of 5053 aluminum 3/8" line with .049 wall thickness.
June 19, 3.75 hours, Frustration, Adjusted the angle of the fuel return line elbow going through the firewall. Removed the Van's kit started solenoid which last week I had just reinstalled. The EFII system used automotive style solenoids for primary and backup batteries. I did receive from Van's Tech Support their guidance to include a doubler plate when mounting various components on the firewall. Also, to tie mount to some structure beyond just the stainless steel firewall.

  Jun 14, 2023     Installing Fuel Injectors       Category: EFII Install

June 13, 3 hours, started by reviewing installation instructions and hardware. Decided to work on fuel system first starting with installing the injectors. Found interference between 45 degree elbow for the oil return line and where injectors need to go. Emailed Robert and got a quick reply that if 1/4 NPT female threads in cylinder head are taped deeper, than the elbow should be out of the way. Got a 1/4 NPT tap from Steve will tackle tomorrow.
June 14, 2 hours, Did deepen the tapped holes for the engine oil return from the cylinder head. Now the elbow is about 3/16 deeper and it's a little better but both the #4 and #2 cylinders still have interference between the elbow and injector. I sent more pictures to Robert and potential solution is to turn the elbow straight down and form new aluminum tubing from the offending elbows back to the crank case oil sump. Will discuss this with Paul and tackle tomorrow.

  Jun 12, 2023     Propeller Prep for Final Install - (5 hours)       Category: Propeller

June 10-11 prep propeller for final install. Bolted and safety wired bolts holding front spinner plate. When installing rear spinner plate, found 3/8" locknuts (MS21045-8) had lost their friction. Will check with Hartzell and consider using medium Loctite.
June 12, Called and spoke with a Hartzell rep who said use of Loctite on prop spinner back plate nuts was fine. Next time prop is removed, I'll order four MS 21045-8 lock nuts. Appear they are a one time use item.
This time I removed the plastic dust cap from the rear of the propeller hub and the steel cap in the engine crankcase. This steel cap was too thick to pierce with an ice pick so used Paul's suggestion and a slide hammer tool. Drilled an 1/8" hole in the cap, then screwed the slide hammer to it and tapped the cap back out. Cleaned the debris and also had about a 1/2 cup of preservative oil drain out which was mostly caught. Then started installing the six mounting bolts by hand. Jim and I took our time and snugged them up uneventfully.
Installing the propeller went uneventfully with the help of Paul's engine hoist and Jim's help.
I couldn't find the bolt torque values. Paul reminded me later of the Hartzell 3-ring binder. I found the torque values later for a R flange propeller is 60-70 ft-lbs. (pg. 3-9 Table 3-2). Will ask to borrow Paul's torque wrench and 3/4" crow-foot attachment tomorrow.
Oops--With the propeller and engine installed, I decided to temporarily install the spinner and engine cowling. So we rolled fuselage out of the hanger for photos. We then discovered the castering nose wheel doesn't like to roll backwards without towbar guidance. So we had to use a bar clamp on the nose wheel yoke to guide it back into the hanger. Got a nice photo though.
June 13, 2 hours, borrowed Paul's torque wrench and 3/4" crow's foot and torqued six prop studs to 65 ft-lbs. Paul came by and helped safety-wire first pair of studs. Completed the last two pairs myself.

  Jun 08, 2023     Final Engine Install - (4 hours)       Category: Engine

June 7, 2023, With help from Jan we loaded the engine with it's stand onto my trailer for the move to the airport. Well, it hadn't rained for weeks but today's move was delayed a couple of hours to let some light rain pass by. Curtis volunteered to help and with Paul's engine stand we borrowed from his shop, it was short work to align the six 3/8" bolts that hold the mount on. We torqued the nuts inside on the firewall to 160-190 in-lbs. Just need to mark with torque-seal.
Also mounted the nose gear assembly with it's three bolts. Just need to torque and install cotter pins.
Tomorrow plan to torque and install cotter pins for the nose gear and finishing main gear axle alignment double-check and final mounting.
I still need to torque the actual four engine mount bolts. The top were snugged up but the bottom ones are much looser.

  Jun 06, 2023     Landing Gear and Wheels Final Installation - (6 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

June 3, 2023 2 hours--Worked on installing main gear. Realized had to loosen some bolts but still unable to insert main gear leg up and into final position. Tomorrow will try using a bigger mallet and grease.
June 4, 4 hours--with grease on top tip of main gear and cardboard to lay on was finally able to raise right gear leg up and into final position. Still missing one clamping bar bolt for left gear leg. Realized one of the three 3/8' bolt heads was behind the gear leg top bolt that pins the gear up. Will have to grind a 9/16" wrench to allow it to fit and hold the bolt head for final torquing.
June 5, 3 hours--success, got a set of open end-box wrenches from Harbor Freight and in Paul's shop ground both the box end and the open end to fit. Width is only 0.900 so the wrench now is much thinner and weaker but was strong enough to hold the bolt head for torquing the nut. Note, all related 5/16" and 3/8" bolts holding both main gear in position were torqued and marked with yellow seal. A conventional torque wrench wouldn't fit in the confined locations so calculated force on various length wrenches and measured necessary forces with luggage pull scale. Calculations are documented in Section 40A. Began installation of TS Flightlines brake hoses and discovered calipers were in the wrong position. Will need to confirm new location, clock position, is correct and bring fluid line sealant and bimetallic sealant for bolts tomorrow.
June 8, spent the evening checking the main gear axle alignment. Turns out the alignment has changed after the main gear was originally aligned, then removed for moving to Ohio for painting and then reinstalled. Luckily the Grove wheel alignment wedges were swapped and the alignment checked out. Results: Left main axle has a 0.75 degree shim for toe-in. Result was a gap of 0.025" on the 4" block of toe-in which equates to approximately 0.36 degrees. (Section 40A pg. -09 states 0.50 degrees is the limit, so axle alignment is okay.) The Right main axle has a 0.25 degree shim for toe-in. Result was a negligible gap on either side of the 4" alignment block or effectively zero toe-in or toe-out. This according to the main is the ideal condition. Note, these alignment results are also documented on page 40A-09.
After the alignment was checked and verified, the axles' four bolt mounting was cleaned and "a thin coat of corrosion inhibitive sealant type CA 1000 or equivalent on contact surfaces -between axle / gear leg and on axle bolts." Generally a messy process similar to applying fuel tank sealant. Generally anywhere steel components touched aluminum the sealant was applied to reduce dissimilar metal reactions that might be accelerated due to brake heating.
I still need to lightly grease the big axle nut and then torque per Beringer manual for the RV 14A installation (nominal 407 in-lbs.).
June 13, safety-wired the left and right disks with 0.041 wire. Still need to check torque on 32mm axle nut and install cotter pin in each axle.

  Jun 04, 2023     Move from Wooster OH to St. Louis Downtown Airport - (100 hours)       Category: Project Move

While airplane was in Ohio for painting, friends and I prepared the enclosed trailer for bringing the parts home safely.
- Added upper and lower wall rub-strips (similar to those in a U-Haul truck or trailer to securely anchor parts racks to.
- Built six open and padded racks to hang from the trailer walls: two racks for the left and right wings, one rack for both ailerons and flaps, one rack for the VS and rudder, one rack for the elevators, and one for the HS.
- Racks were padded with 1/2" and 1" thick seat foam from JoAnn Fabrics which worked great. For instance, the heavy wings leading edges compressed the 1" foam on the bottom maybe a 1/4". Half inch foam was used for padding on the four sides and top where needed.
The Memorial Day weekend move
- Paul graciously volunteered his Ford 250, enclosed trailer, and himself to make the move.
- Saturday we got an early start and headed for Ohio. We added a surprise stop for breakfast in Pocahontas, Illinois when we locked the keys in the truck at a gas stop. Oh well, we were luckily rescued by Paul's wife bringing a spare set of keys which from then on, we carefully guarded. Otherwise the trip east was rather uneventful although we luckily dodged an interstate road accident closure outside of Indianapolis. Saturday evening we got to see Mark's beautiful work and plan for loading the next day.
-Sunday morning the planning paid off as we loaded the major components relatively quickly. The 50 or so other parts were wrapped in paper and/or packing blankets and secured in the back of Paul's truck. We were headed home by 2 that afternoon headed for Cincinnati for the night and with a stop in Worthington for family inspection. For my five-year old grandson the fuselage was shiny and smooth and for his three-year old sister, it didn't look at all like any airplane she'd seen.
-Monday we got another early start headed across Southern Indiana to avoid Indy 500 traffic and find smoother roads than I-70. By late afternoon we arrived safely at St. Louis Downtown Airport and parked it by the hanger.

Saturday, June 3, 2023 many friends converged to help unload the trailer, Paul whose hanger we moved into, Bill--J3 Cub owner, Mike-neighbor, Jack--RC model plane pilot and his wife Sue. We started at nine and were finished by one with a lunch and beer at a neighborhood establishment.