Mar 28, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 11 - (2.4 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

Back to section 35. I got the Vertical Power unit that will go underneath the front fuse skin and new fuel tank sealant.

My objective now is to install the VPX in such a way it is serviceable from underneath the instrument panel whilst leaving space for instruments on the mid-section of the instrument panel.

I found that installing 2 angles and placing the VPX hanging upside down would be a good plan. looks like. all connectors have plenty of room for wire turns, the main power lug is the closest to the firewall passage, possible water leakages from the canopy hinge are out of the way, and the unit is not directly attached to the firewall, nor close to it. I think and hope this will turn out to be a perfect location. There is also the plus that the ethernet port is easily accessible from a seating position.

https://youtu.be/AzyYJllkPRU

  Mar 22, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 10 - (5.2 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

Continued the work on the upper fuselage. I prepared the canopy release system to be installed, installed the canopy decks with the fresh tank sealant, and installed the instrument panel frame. I decided to wait for the VPX system to arrive before closing the upper fuse skin. In this work session, I also installed the power module assembly and remote canopy release. The parts are all in place but still need some final alignment and tests after the top skin is closed.

I will be installing both, VPX and IBBS backup battery systems between the firewall and panel deck, just hanging over the pedals, minted on aluminum angles.

100 grams of sealant used.

https://youtu.be/P0T4HlzQi_w

  Mar 21, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 9 - (4.8 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

Continued working on the upper fuselage assembly and repositioned brake hoses for better hose relief when moving the pedals.

https://youtu.be/QUmOEpIpUfM

  Mar 20, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 8 - (1.6 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

I started the final assembly of the upper forward fuselage now that I have all parts primed, painted, and ready to go.

https://youtu.be/BqP6YPSXwYg

  Mar 16, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 7 - (4.7 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

Priming and painting Upper Fuselage parts. I painted the gray visible parts 1h after priming. This is the minimum time before the top coat, according to the primer manufacturer.

Paintwork is looking professional, although I still don't know how I am going to handle the rivets that will be installed later. I am thinking about painting them individually with a fine paintbrush.

350ml of primer used.
150ml of paint used.

https://youtu.be/SUqJqScQ9e4

  Mar 15, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 6 - (6.9 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

Long work session today but concluded preparing all parts for the upper fuselage assembly. I started with the fabrication of the rods and pins of the canopy jettison system. Following that, I moved on to machine countersinking the very tiny rivet holes for the canopy hinge cover doublers. This is a 426D2-2 rivet and I found out that the easiest way to do the countersink would be to use the deburring bit and do it slowly. It worked well for both the doubler and top skin.

The next step was to match drill the piano hinges. This is a fairly straightforward process but takes time and attention to keep the correct distance of the hinge to the firewall.

Next was to glue and rivet the canopy hinge cover plates, machine countersink the last #30 holes in the longerons, and dimpled the remaining holes in the top skin.

The final step of the day was to finish deburring the last pieces of the center console and taping everything up for washing and priming.

https://youtu.be/eRAZm0Gfuj0

  Mar 13, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 5       Category: Sec 35 UFF

In this work session, I continue working on preparing the parts for assembly. The main work today was fabricating some parts for the canopy release mechanism. I have come up with a solution to drill straight and parallel holes in tubes as per picture 261.17. The pre-drilled hole is clecoed in an aluminum angle and this makes it much easier to drill the other end of the aluminum tube.

The canopy release mechanism that I will be using is the remote version. I have followed the instructions from OP63 KAI and the changes to the assembly are minor. The parts I got for the upper fuselage came pre-drilled for the remote canopy. so no alterations were necessary. Straightforward work.

Only a few parts missing now to conclude parts preparation and move forward to washing, cleaning, priming, and painting.

Today I also got a response from Vans about the alignment of the canopy deck and side wall skins. According to them, the small pre-load inboard is not an issue. I can force the parts together and live with it.

https://youtu.be/wvlKzwCRYZ0

  Mar 11, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 4 - (4 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

While waiting for Van's advice on the curvature of the right wall skin, I decided to try and force the parts into position. I was able to reduce the gap from 5/16 down to 1/8. (pic 259.5) After that, I decided to try and flute the longeron but it didn't result in any visible effect. Although now, I am able to force parts in position when clecoing them.

I believe that another session of pressure on the wall will bring the parts in alignment. In this work session, I also finished to machine-countersink the longhorns to receive the dimpled canopy decks.

As part of the preparation to install the decks, I have sanded off the primer on longhorns to apply fuel tank sealant. Bought a new can and this step will have to wait now.

https://youtu.be/WBqzjS6ExWI

  Mar 09, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 3 - (2.2 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

Continued working on the upper fuselage parts preparation and pre-assembly.

While working with the canopy deck, I found an issue with the right aft canopy deck. The fuselage curvature is not perfectly matching the canopy deck curvature. Check picture 258.16 there is probably a 5/16 misalignment.

The left side decks are perfectly aligned. I believe the only reason for this misalignment is that the upper longeron was somehow bent prior to installation. I will try to bend it back but seems like a hard task now that everything is riveted together. I will also call Van's to ask their opinion on the matter. I am thinking the solution might involve fluting a little bit of this section of the longeron.

Thought that having the fuselage on its side could be a reason, thus I tumbled it back up. But it didn't make any difference. Look at the attempt to restore longeron curvature in picture 258.17.

https://youtu.be/Tq_pHUc7pno

  Mar 08, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 2 - (2.5 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

In this work session, I am following the steps in the instruction manual and cleaning/deburring parts as I go. Not riveting anything until all is done and parts are washed and primed.

https://youtu.be/6wakSvvVsUQ

  Mar 07, 2023     Section 35 - Upper Forward Fuselage 1 - (2.8 hours)       Category: Sec 35 UFF

Started section 35, upper forward fuselage. Mostly, this is the entire assembly that will hold all instrumentation and canopy hinge mechanism. This section will be full of smaller parts and, in the end, I will have a better visualization of what the instrument panel is going to look like.

The first step, as usual, is finding parts and cleaning them. I have all parts required for this section and I am doing a little bit differently this time, I am going through the build steps and preparing all parts that require machine countersinking, parts separation, parts fabrication, and drilling. After all that is done, I will go back and debur and prime everything. The upper forward skin will have a large contact area around it which will require sealant. I don't want to prime parts that will be covered by tank sealant and, for that, I will mark those parts now, even before deburring.

https://youtu.be/lhEDO2Uj2oU