Mar 14, 2024     Wing Nav and Strobe Lights Connected and Tested and Fuel Senders - (4 hours)       Category: Lighting

With wings installed I completed the connection of the wiring and connection for each wings navigation and strobe lights. Completed and tested. Success and the strobes are very bright! Also installed wire and electrically connected the fuel senders on each tank so the MGL fuel gauge on the panel now registers each fuel tank level.

  Mar 13, 2024     Wing Fuel Line and Fuel Vent Line Install - Connection - (6 hours)       Category: Fuel System

With wings now installed it was time to complete the fuel line and fuel vent line install and connections from the wing fuel tank to the AN fittings on the fuselage.
The fuel 6vent lines were long enough as installed that I just had to install the AN fuel fittings and flare the end of each line and connect them to the fuselage fitting. For the fuel feed line I had to put sealant on the tank fittings and then fabricate / bend the 3/8 inch aluminum tube to go from the fuel tank to the fuselage fitting. Once I had one cut and bent to correct shape I used this as a template to make another fuel line for the other wing. AN fittings and sleeves installed and both ends flared to the 37 degree spec using the flaring tool borrowed from Bob May (great tool!). Then using my AN6 specific fitting tightening tool they were installed and tightened (just snug then loosened then snugged up again). Next week I plan to put fuel into the tanks and do a leak check of the tank and fuel fittings / fuel lines. Looking good!

  Mar 12, 2024     Finish Wing Install - Rear Bolts - (6 hours)       Category: Wings

Adjusted the wing sweep to get proper edge distance for rear wing spar drilling and bolt install. Also used digital angle gauge and shimmed the wing up at the back to get a consisted wing incidence angle at the root from front to back of +3 degrees per the drawing. Once both of these items (sweep, edge distance and incidence angles) were set I drilled the rear spar to match the rear fuselage attach fitting and installed the AN5 bolts. Achieved about 18mm of edge distance for each. (min e/d was 15mm). So with this completed the wing is fully installed and bolted in place.

  Mar 08, 2024     Installing Wings! - (15 hours)       Category: Wings

Well it was finally time to install the wings. My son Matthew took the day off to help with this big milestone and was a big help. Also used a drywall lift from Kip who bought it used specifically to install wings (he is an AME) and the lift was used to hold and raise each wing into place and it worked out very well. First we leveled the aircraft. Then each wing was raised into position and the front AN6 bolt was installed and then a 6 foot ladder with a piece of 2 inch hard foam was put in place under the outboard end of the wing to hold it in place. Once both wings were installed with front bolts and a 6 foot ladder under each wing we used fishing line to set the dihedral. Made up two height marker tabs and taped them in place at the inboard wing station as per the drawing and marked with the 85mm +/- 5mm target height for setting the dihedral. Then put the wing struts in place and took a measurement for length required to maintain the correct wing dihedral. Note the lower wing strut bracket which attach to the fuselage were previously installed on the struts several months ago. WIth the measurement for strut length taken and double then triple checked we cut the struts to length of 2188mm. The round strut fitting that attaches to the wing was then put in place with the AN5 bolt and strut installed and position marked per drawing at 52mm from front edge of strut to allow the three 1/4 inch holes to be drilled for the three AN4-21 bolts that secure the fitting to the strut as per the drawing (ie: 30mm from top edge for top bolt, 12mm from bottom edge of fitting for bottom bolt, and the middle bolt is place equidistant between the top and bottom bolts. Made up a wooden jig to keep the strut fitting in line inside the strut and then marked and drilled the strut starting with a #40 drill and working up progressively using about 5 drills until we got to the final 1/4" final drill size. This ensured the holes were straight and aligned. Deburred, fitting installed and AN4-21 bolts installed and torqued to spec of 50-70 inch pounds. Then each strut was installed using AN5 bolts at each end. This was completed over the span of three days.

  Feb 27, 2024     Clamping / Securing Hoses and Lines in Engine Area - (4 hours)       Category: Engine

Clamping and securing the fuel feed and return lines, oil feed and oil return line, oil vent line, coolant lines, electrical cables, etc, etc.

  Feb 23, 2024     Magnetic Compass Install - (2 hours)       Category: Avionics

Installed magnetic compass using nutplates under the glarshield. Also there is a doubler under the compass to stiffenen up the area. Also a 3/8" hole with grommet for the two wires for the compass light. Works great!

  Feb 22, 2024     Airbox / Air Filter Install - (8 hours)       Category: Engine

Using a 4 inch diameter 6061 aluminum seamless pipe designed for truck or automotive air intake systems I fabricated my air intake system. Measured the spacing for each of the four rubber air intake velocity stacks that feed air to the engine and transferred this to the 4 inch pipe. Cut the pipe to the calculated length of 15 inches need to allow room for the air filter but not block access to the oil tank or other systems, and to allow the engine crackcase vent to be attached to the front of the intake pipe. Used a 1 7/8" hole saw to cut the four holes for the rubber velocity stacks. Also marked and drilled a 0.25 inch hole at the bottom of the 4 inch pipe near the rear of it for the engines air intake temperature sensor. Then marked the location for attachment bolt hole and drilled and tapped that to size and then installed the sensor. On the front end of the 4 inch pipe I used a 4 inch (100mm) end cap and drilled a 0.500 inch hole in the center of it for a 90 degree fitting for the 5/8" crackcase vent hose to attach. Pleased with how this all turned out. Only thing left to do is to silicone the four velocity stacks in place and also but a bead of silicone around the front end cap and fitting. Note this air intake design was based on testing done by Bryan Dacus / BD Turnkey System who is a member of the Yamaha Aircraft Engine Facebook group. A write up and a video of the dyno testing of his engine using this style of air intake and several others is shown on his BD Turnkey website.

  Feb 16, 2024     Filled / Bled Brake Lines - (4 hours)       Category: Engine

Using a brake fluid pressure pump I pumped 'red' hydraulic brake fluid into the left and then right brakes line from the bottom caliber bleeder fitting up to each master cylinder until fluid appeared at the top of the master cylinder. There were a couple air bubbles due to having to refill the brake pressure pump reservoir. We (actually was Dad's idea) simply lowered the tail and let it sit overnight and the bubbles moved up and formed one single bubble near the top of the tubing near the master cylinder. By pumping the brake it pulled the air bubble into the master cylinder and the vented out the top. All good! I used Nylaflow nylon tubing for the brake lines rather that aluminum tube and it worked very well being able to see the few tiny bubbles through the clear nylon tubing. Also that Nylaflow tube is very durable and not easy to mark, or cut, etc but still flexible enough to be able to run a single piece from the brakes up to the master cylinders without having to use another fitting. Work very well and I can see why all the Rans RV builders like using this Nylaflow tube material.

  Feb 05, 2024     Lower Cowl Modifications - (20 hours)       Category: Engine

I've been working on and off to modify the 912IS cowl i purchased from Zenair to fit my engine installation for quite a while now but decided to add it to the build log at this point as we are nearing completion of it . Overall the 912IS cowl fit very well but I did have to close off the large air intake hole / scoop where the 912IS has it radiator (just under the spinner) and open up the intake below that where the 912IS would have its oil cooler and where for my install it will feed air to the radiator. Also had to make several other small modifications to eliminate a few minor interference issues. A slightly bigger modification was to make a cutout in the left side bottom aft of the cowl for the exhaust pipes. I then had to fabricate and install an aluminum angle support bracket to stiffen and strengthen the back of the cowl in the area cut out to ensure it does not move or 'flap' during flight.

  Jan 26, 2024     Radiator Lower Support Brackets - (4 hours)       Category: Engine

Removed the one prototype multi-piece fabricated bracket and used this to make up two new one piece and stronger lower support brackets for the radiator. The purpose for these two brackets is to prevent the radiator from moving forward or aft. The radiator itself is held in place in four other locations, two at the side and two at the top. Worked out well.