Nov 28, 2023     Cracked Door Glass Repair - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Completed the repair on my right door window. Had to replace the window and re-install the door latch assembly along with the gasket edge tape..

  Nov 19, 2023     Door Window Repair - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Got my glass ordered from Kitfox and expected it to take a bit before I received it. Guess not. Only took a week and a half from when I ordered it to when I got it. So it was time to take the cracked glass off the door frame and that turned out to be a real bear. That VHB tape really sticks. Uses .030 safety wire to cut through the tape between the frame and the glass. That part was pretty easy. Removing the remaining tape from the frame was the hard part. Rubbed the old mastic really hard with my thumbs and for the most part, it peeled off the frame. Where it didn't, I used acetone to get that off. So now I am ready to fit the new glass to the door frame and the fuselage opening. Think it will be easier to do for the third time?

  Nov 06, 2023     Door Latches - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

So to add insult to injury.......... Went down in the shop to stop drill my door glass and take another look at why my latches were so tight. When I did the original fitting, I thought they were just perfect and that when I installed the doors and the rubber gasket, they would be a bit tight but functional. In the manual, Kitfox clearly says that you 'might' have to install a shim between the latch rods and the door frame. Should have taken that note a bit more to heart. My tight spot was where the rear rod pushed over the fuselage frame. Drilled out the rivets holding the bracket. Made a shim out of some .063 aluminum and cleco'd them in. The door latches both close smooth as silk. Not loose at all. Slightly compresses the rubber gasket. If you are putting in the optional latches, learn from my mistake. If I had just taken a bit more time in looking at this I would not be ordering a new door glass. Took me two hours to do the fix.

  Nov 05, 2023     Window Crack - (0.1 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Was working on getting a better fitting on my door latch and was making progress. Until this........... Oh boy.

  Oct 17, 2023     Camera and cowling fasteners - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

More little stuff. Installed my forward looking camera on my cowling. Hooked it up and it appears to be working as advertised. I didn't take a cool selfie like others have with their camera cause I didn't want to break it before I got to use it for real. So I settled for the view out my shop. Have also run into a bit of an issue with the cowling fasteners. I have had four of them where the cross pin falls out (which means I lose my retaining washer as well). Gone through all the fasteners on the cowlings and found a couple more where the pin will slide back and forth but doesn't fall out. Yet. My fasteners are not hard to set when installing the cowling so I don't think I am putting them under any real stress. Anyone run into this? Am I doing something wrong? Bad fastener batch? Thoughts?

  Oct 09, 2023     Quarter Windows - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Another of those small things off the list of things left to do. I had already done the fitting work on the quarter windows but hadn't actually done the final install. So now that's done. I used kind of a hybrid of the Kitfox instructions in that I used both the VHB tape to seal and rivets to provide that little extra holding force. I am literally ready for the DAR if I could only get my N Number. That's the one thing I wish I had done a lot earlier if I had known it was going to take this long. Passing through 4 months waiting.

  Sep 26, 2023     Strakes, Interior and wing tips - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

More getting ready to weigh the plane. Installed the seat and seat belts as well as temporarily installing the interior parts of the kit. Riveted the turtle deck strakes on and checked the fit installed on the plane. Attached the landing light lenses on the wing tips so they are ready to be reinstalled on the wings.

  Sep 21, 2023     Looks Like a Plane - (10 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Between Fall seeming to come early here with rain and blustery days (20kts gusting to 50) it made it a bit hard to move the airplane out and spread the wings. So have been working on some small stuff. I had one day where it was perfect to paint so I got my VGs, hubcaps, and wing cuffs painted. Been on my list for awhile but just hadn't done it. Got the rubber attached to the cuffs so they are done. Got all my VGs moved to their adhesive pages so they are ready to install whenever I do that. (Probably after getting the first flights under my belt and look at stall speeds). One question I had for those who covered with Oratex and attached the VGs. Did you use the adhesive pages that came with the kit or use another adhesive? I've notices that the Oratex is a bit porous and sometimes things don't stick well to it. Got my cowlings on the plane but had to remove the prop to do it. It just wasn't going otherwise. The piece I put around the naca vent for the radiators and the tailpipe just would not let the lower cowl on with the prop installed. I may do a bit of modification to my piece and see if that won't let me attach the cowl with the prop on. But for right now, I am moving towards getting the plane weighed so that I can do my CG and maybe even have a chat with the DAR and get signed off. Would love to do that before the snow hits.

  Sep 12, 2023     Doors, Nameplate and Alternator - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Mounted my doors and did the final fitting for the latches. They work perfectly and while close, don't hit the wing. Mounted my nameplate below the horizontal stab access panel using a backing plate fixed to the Oratex with adhesive to sandwich the skin between the two plates. Since I have finished the prop balance, I removed the DynaVibe parts and did a final install (read safety wired the bolts) on my external alternator. Did an engine turn after the install and the alternator puts out a nice 14.1 VDC from around 3500 RPM to WOT.

  Aug 25, 2023     Door Hinges and VGs - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I am in the midst of doing little things that need to get done which seem like I am not doing much at all. But rather than program the Garmin, I got to work on hardware a bit today. One of the things on my list was coming up with a way to retain the hinge pins on the door hinges so they don't just slide out. Have read on the forum of many different ways to do this but thought that the set screw method seemed the way I liked most. Drilled and tapped the hinges to accept a 6-32 set screw, filed a very slight flat spot on the hinge pin itself where the set screw hit it and locked all the hinges in. Needed a bottoming tap to make this work and your basic tap and die set or local hardware had none. Hardware store didn't even know what it was; "They all come with that tapered end to get the threads started". Back I went to an old set that was passed down to me from my Dad and there it was - the 6-32 bottoming tap. I just smiled and thought that here I was, a 70 year old man, still being helped out by his Pop. A good thing. Also primed the wing close out cuffs and VGs so they are ready for paint.

  Aug 23, 2023     Baggage Area, Wing Close Out and Cowling Heat Liner - (12 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Still working on getting some of the small stuff done with with programming the Garmin G3X and G5 along with the auto pilot. Got the auto pilot arm limiter installed on the roll servo but still need to do the pitch. Built backing plates for the hold down attachments for the baggage area, installed carpet on the floors and installed the floors back into the fuselage. Fabricated and fit the left wing closeout cuff, installed the attaching nut plates and got it ready for paint. Not as cool as the ones people are making with the carbon fiber but they will do the job. Installed heat reflective material on the base of the lower cowling that is just below the muffler/exhaust of the engine. Hoping to keep the cowling itself a bit protected from the heat.

  Jul 08, 2023     Wind Screen, Glare Shield, Taxi Lights - (14 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Received my new, longer bolts and was able to install and wire in my taxi lights. Covered my glare shield and installed the LED lights I am using to 'flood' the panel should I need it. Have to wait a couple days for the adhesive to totally cure before I can finish fitting the glare shield. Installed the wind screen completely (i.e. all the top, back and front screws). In looking at the screws on the side-front of the wind screen, I thought it might be better to make a long piece with plate nuts to do that attachment. That way, instead of the individual pressure points running down the screen, it would be a more even pressured attachment. Built them up, painted them flat back (no reflection) and installed them. Made that a really easy install and kept my ham hands from dropping the nuts and washers inside the cockpit.

  Jul 01, 2023     Turtle Deck, Trim Panels, and Glare Shield - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Got the glare shield fitted in between the panel and the boot cowl/windshield. Looking at the possibility of putting in a stiffener in the middle between the panel and the brace tubes. There is a bit of 'oil canning' when I have it screwed down and think that might alleviate that. Finished up the turtle deck after getting the hinge installed. The plans call for a single aluminum brace across the deck at the hing and I thought that a brace on each side of the hinge had some merit so I made another one and installed two braces. Fit the deck to the fuselage and installed all the Dzus fasteners. Last but not least I installed the "whisker' mod on the trim access panels.

  Jun 11, 2023     Turtle Deck - (9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Started fitting the turtle deck. Got the cut outs for the cross member done and the upper edge fit into its slot under the rear of the windscreen. First off, anyone reading this that is going to install the hinge option with their deck, I would really recommend finding Harlan Payne's You Tube #42 where he shows installing his. Harlan did not follow the directions as they were laid out in the book (don't mistake this comment to say he did it wrong - he didn't). Instead he used some very common sense changes to the order of things. An example would be not drilling or setting up the lower Dzus fasteners before cutting and fitting the hinge. Just install the upper two fasteners on each side to lock the deck in place but leave wiggle room for fitting after you cut the hinge. Installed the Dzus fastener sockets on the upper section just as Harlan suggested and am now ready to locate my holes for the flapperon control rods. He also had some solid insight on cutting the side cuts at the hinge to keep things from binding up. Made this job a lot easier for me for certain.

  Jun 08, 2023     Lower Cowl and Waiting for Paint to Dry - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I have painted the horiz stab covers, the spinner and the lower boot cowl now. The good news is that I am about done with all but some of the light trim when it comes to paint. Part of the issue I have had is painting outdoors and getting the parts moved back into the shop before it heats up outside and the trees start sending pollen and such to attack my fresh paint. It makes what I can do in the shop a bit limited so I don't raise any dust from sanding, drilling or whatnot. While waiting for paint to dry, I fit the landing light lens on to both of the wing tips. When I did the landing light mounts and did the work on the wing tips, I put in metal mounting plates behind the fiberglass and built the wiring harnesses which means that my tips are ready to mount. I also hooked up the Sony jack that lets me hook up the GoPro to the aircraft audio. Tested that out and it's good to go. Gotta like Garmin making it so easy to get that in.

  Jun 05, 2023     Painting Cowlings and wing tips - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Have started working up the cowlings getting them sanded and such for final paint after primer. Got the upper cowling, boot cowl and wing tips painted now with the final color. The wing tips still have some trim to paint but all in all, pretty happy with the way these first attempts came out. Especially after my initial experience with shooting primer on the wing tips and all the runs I had to sand out and re-prime. Got some good tips from some of the builders on the forum on the process which was a real help. Very happy with the decision to go with the Oratex so I am not facing having to paint the whole plane........ More sanding to get done on the lower cowl but it's getting there.

  May 24, 2023     Windscreen - (10 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Got the rear cross piece installed on the crossover and then started in on fitting the windscreen. Must have installed both the windscreen and boot cowl half a dozen times but the fitting is finally done. I left a quarter inch over lap on the windscreen and butt rib. Got the edges all polished and dialed in. On to actually getting it permanently attached.

  Apr 19, 2023     Cowling, Exhaust and Thermostat - (9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Installed the Dzus fasteners between the upper and lower cowling as well as the ones between the upper and boot cowls. Due to the fit between the lower cowling, the boot cowling and the firewall foot wells, I needed to order some longer fasteners so am awaiting parts on that. I also cut the access hole for the exhaust pipe stinger and have the desired 1/2 inch clearance around it. Finished plumbing in the "Thermobob" thermostat into my cooling with a 180 degree thermostat installed. Should help get my engine temps up when warming up and keeping them stable when flying in colder weather;

  Apr 10, 2023     Cowling, Naca Duct and Seat Brace - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Finished off the oil level access door on the upper cowling with the Dzus fasteners. Decided that I wanted to improve the seal around the cooling radiators so I added a seal strip around them. I have read that some people put a wooden spacer around the flaperon control rod to protect it should the fiberglass seat collapse. Haven't actually heard of this happening but thought it would be a good insurance step so I made and installed a couple spacers.

  Apr 03, 2023     Cowling, Wing and Wiring - (18 hours)       Category: Fuselage

With the help of my wing crew, I attached the port wing so that I could get a bunch of stuff dialed in. My Magnetometer, OAT, Nav/landing lites and the heated pitot tube are all on that wing. I installed a wing root electrical disconnect connector there so if/when I need to take the wing off, I can do it without cutting wires. Happy to report that all those parts worked as advertised and the G3X was all green checks except for the Rotax FADEC. Started troubleshooting what the problem was with that interface and finally found it: me. Didn't quite understand how the interface worked between the Start Power switch and the Lanes. Once I got that straight, Lane A wasn't responsive or at least the light wasn't working. Turns out Lane A was fine (G3X made that easy to determine once I knew what to look for), I had just wired the LED backwards. Got that all dialed in now. Decided it was time to start work on the oil access door on the upper cowling. Made a pattern for the inside dimensions of the opening. Taped that to the rough door and made sure that the door followed the contour of the cowl. Sprayed a little black paint on the door with the pattern attached so I now had a shape to cut to. Cut out the door opening on the cowl and did the final fitting of the door to the opening. Still have to make the cutout for the hinge.

  Mar 26, 2023     Naca Duct, Radiator and Wing Wire - (9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Finished fairing in the naca duct on the lower cowl and gave it a coat of primer. Fabricated the brackets to mount the oil cooler to the radiator and then mounted the assembly on to the plane. Finally achieved one of the first rites of passage where I took the left wing off of the rotisserie and pulled the wiring and pitot system tubing through. Secured the wiring at the wing tip with Adel clamps and then consolidated all the wiring in the left wing into a single connector so I have a wing wiring disconnect should I need to remove the wing at a later time.

  Mar 22, 2023     Cowling, Radiator and Naca Duct - (22 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Been working getting the interface between the upper and lower cowlings faired in. Fabricated the brackets for installing the radiator. Instructions said to hot glue or strap tape the radiator into position on the lower cowling but that didn't work for me. The strap tape just kept pulling away from the fiberglass and let the radiator move out of position. So I taped a piece of plywood across the cowling to keep the radiator in its fore/aft position and spacers to provide the correct height off the cowling. That worked perfectly. Mounted the radiator and then fabricated the third support bracket. Got that all installed and verified that both the radiator did not touch the cowling and it was still in the proper position to mount the naca duct. Got the naca duct positioned, drilled/cleco'd the guide holes, did the rough cut out and finally Hysol'd the duct into the cowling. Now it's on to body working the duct and installing the oil cooler.

  Mar 12, 2023     Cowling, Pitot System and a little Avionics - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Started working on fitting the upper and lower cowling. Worked very slowly and got some good advice/suggestions from Brandon on how to proceed. I have read on the forum about how unhappy some were about the initial fit of their fiberglass cowlings they received from Kitfox. I had also heard that Kitfox had undertaken an effort to improve those molds and think my cowling, while still having some issues, was better than some of the pics I had seen. I got the cowling fitted to the nose and then drilled and cleco'd together. Will start on some basic body work on the leading edge of the cowling and once that is roughed in, will install the Dzus fittings. I also installed the pitot tubing from the wing root area to the avionics so now both the G3x and the G5 are plumbed. The 'little avionics' comes from an issue I had with the VHF radio not powering up when installed. Did the requisite troubleshooting and found that the radio was bad. Contacted Garmin who was great in getting me a replacement. Installed the replacement radio and it all checks out.

  Jan 27, 2023     Brake Lines - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Still waiting for a couple parts to proceed with the boot cowl/firewall so working on a few things that I either needed to get done or sub-assemblies for later. One of the major things to get done was finish up the brake lines to the calipers from the parking brake valve. Wanted a bit more of a robust brake line down the struts to the calipers than the stock Nyloflow lines. So I changed over to 3/16" stainless braided PFTE lines. Bought an extended length bolt for the caliper where I mounted the Adel clamp to account for the thickness of the clamp. Fitted in the seat pan to insure that the upper adapters from 3AN to nylon fittings didn't interfere with each other. Was pretty happy with the way they turned out.

  Jan 25, 2023     NACA Vent and Console - (10 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Started work on the two NACA side vents for cockpit air vents. Located them according to the directions but had to make my own cutout template since the one in the instructions must have been an older one that was not the same size. Made the cutout on both sides and Hysol'd the vent into place. Let that dry for a day and then used the filler to smooth in the sides of the vents into the boot cowl and fill the Cleco holes. After it dried and I could sand it smooth, I primed the vents so they are now complete. While waiting for things to dry, I worked on a little more wiring (couple grounds I forgot to account for) and decided to mount the Parking Brake/Pedal Adjust placard. My locking tail wheel control was encroaching on the space that placard would normally take so I modified it a bit (gotta love a table saw) and mounted them as shown.

  Jan 20, 2023     Boot Cowl and Firewall - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Wiring is almost complete behind the panel so I thought I would move on to installing the boot cowl. Fitting it took some time and a very cautious approach before I started drilling holes in the fuselage and firewall. After wrestling with the cowl a few times, I realized that I couldn't get a real good fit where the bottom of the cowl wraps under the fuselage. The area below the front of the door was pushing out on the cowl so I figured I needed to relieve that interference first and then fit the rest of the cowl. Worked out great and I was able to get a good line on where to cut the cowl forward of the door. Drilled all the holes in both the fuselage and the firewall. I am planning on screwing in the boot cowl to make it easier to remove for any future maintenance should I need to. It's an airplane - what can go wrong? I also fitted the side panels on the firewall and riveted them into place. Added a little Hysol in that joint just for fun.

  Dec 08, 2022     Wiring, Wheels and Panel - (14 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Received my panel back getting it labled from Stein and am really happy with it. They did a nice job and were great to work with. Looking forward to populating it with the avionics and start the wiring. I finally secured all the wiring coming up from the back of the fuselage and the wiring from the wings (Magnetometer, nav lights, landing lights and pitot heat). Built a cross beam to secure the wiring to which will keep it clear of the tension rollers for the rudder cables as well as away from the two fuel lines going to the firewall feed through. Attached the trim tab to the rudder. Might have to make this a bit larger but decided this is my starting point. Will zero on on the size once we start flying. Last but not least, I mounted the brakes and tires to the struts. All these little things I wanted done before I actually start wiring.

  Nov 02, 2022     Baggage, Main Gear and Vertical - (9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I got my baggage sack back from the seamstress who sewed in my zippers and modified my Velcro so I can fold down the opening but the back sides of the sack are still supported. Really happy with the way this came out. Makes access to my transponder, trim control and auto pilot servo pretty easy. I also completed the covering of the vertical stab to fuselage finishing tape as well so that's all complete now. While waiting for the glue to dry on that part, I installed the Monster Shock Cabane main landing gear struts. Set the camber at 4 degrees but didn't attach the axles yet. I know the pic makes the plane look like it's not sitting level but that's the camera angle. It really does sit perfectly level.

  Oct 28, 2022     Covering - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

My fuselage is finally fully covered. The last top section is done and for all who read this and are thinking about using Oratex, that curved transition to the vertical stab has been the hardest part of all to cover for me. Getting the material to lay over that curve was a bear. I needed to use the heat gun to do it with the wife pulling on the material to get it. I had to cut small strips to relieve much of the stress and then we did each small section one at a time. I still have to do the finish tapes along the top center there and know that there is a trick to that as well but don't think it will be as much of an issue as this was. My panel layout, cutting and fitting is complete. I decided to send the panel to Stein Aircraft to do the engraving and labels. My experience getting this set up was the same as my experience buying the avionics: great. They estimate 3 to 5 weeks to get the panel back to me.

  Oct 17, 2022     Panel and ELT - (14 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Installed the ELT antenna on the mounting tab that Kifox has on the airframe. Used the coax cable that is supplied by the manufacturer which is a requirement from them to insure proper operation of the ELT. Started cutting out the panel and took it very slow to get the openings correct. Completed that and installed the panel (temporarily) in the fuselage. I installed the Garmin panel, the G5 attitude indicator (my back up if the main panel fails), the autopilot and the radio to get an assessment of where I might want to put the other Garmin G3 system boxes once I start wiring. While the radio sticks back from the panel a bit, the autopilot and the G5 don't so there is quite a bit of space there. Decided to add in a shelf behind the autopilot that will hold my engine monitor which is also a short box. Plenty of room for the autopilot electrical connectors and makes the wiring that comes from the engine to the monitor also very easy to access and wire. The shelf structure also provides a support brace for the rear end of the radio mounting rack. Not quite done with the shelf yet so that's still a work in progress. I also modified my baggage sack with two zippers on the back which will allow me to access the transponder and autopilot servo that are mounted back behind the baggage area. Once I get this shelf done, I am planning on installing the baggage sack and floor.

  Oct 08, 2022     Brakes and Instrument Panel - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Have been working on some painting before the weather turns cold but have been somewhat hampered by smoke from our fires up here in the PNW. The smoke is getting old. I also went back and looked at how I might possibly do the brake lines differently since I wasn't really happy with the way my original attempt turned out. The two big changes were routing three of the lines through the holes in the rudder pedal assembly mounts (think maybe that's what Brandon put them in there for to start with) and putting loops in three of the lines to let them flex better with full deflection of the pedals. Much happier with the way they work now and keeping them away from moving parts. I also started laying out my panel. Haven't started cutting anything yet. Wanted to ponder this design a bit and see if there isn't something I might like better after thinking about it.

  Oct 03, 2022     Static Ports, Fuel and Brake Lines, Tail Wheel - (16 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Laid in two of the fuel lines from the header tank to the main fuel valve and the return line check valve. Made sure they cleared the seat and the floorboards. Started putting in the brake lines from the master cylinders to the parking brake. Not sure I am happy with those but actually putting them in gave me a real look at what's there and maybe some other options. Also installed my static ports. I installed two of them, one on each side, in the suggested Kitfox locations. Should help me with my airspeed indications while slipping. I know many have just terminated the static input within the cabin and if I don't like what I see with what I have, I can always revert to that. I cut the tail wheel locking cable to length, tinned the cable per the instructions and attached the tail wheel to the T3 suspension. The pic of the channel locks in the vise is how I tinned the cable. I used a copper plumbing termination, heated it using a Mapp gas torch, loaded it with solder and it worked perfectly.

  Sep 24, 2022     Vertical Stab and Rudder - (14 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Finished both sides of the vertical stab (except for the finish tapes) and also completed covering the rudder. I used the envelope method on the rudder just to try it out and while it's a bit more cumbersome to work on the piece with that full second half of fabric hanging out there, it does make for a nice leading edge without a seam. I also painted all the flaperon brackets so they are all ready to install later this Winter. Painted the cover I made for the bottom of the rudder as well. While I was painting, I thought I would paint my inspection panels as well. Was really happy with the way they came out and thought I had picked the perfect day for it (no paint booth - outside on a table). Left them to dry out in the sun and came back to find that the wind had come up and blown the plastic covering the table (that I thought I had secured) up and on to the panels. So it's back to the sandpaper and paint them again.

  Sep 17, 2022     Vert Stab and Misc - (11 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Got the right side of the vertical stab covered but have to wait 24 hours before I can shrink the skin. I refit the rudder to the vertical just to verify the separation between the two items so that the rudder swings clean but not a large gap. In attaching the rudder, I decided I liked the opening on the bottom of the rudder to put that first lower bolt in but I didn't like the thought of leaving it open to the elements. Think it's normally closed up by the skin. So I built a cover that I will place over the opening that will allow me access but keep stuff out of there. I also installed the tailwheel locking cable out the rear of the fuselage. Didn't like the idea of just running the cable out like that so I took a piece of carbon fiber (shaft for an arrow) and slid into the fuselage and then ran the cable through that. The black bracket in the pic is the rear mount for the T3 tailwheel spring.

  Sep 13, 2022     More Covering - (16 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Been busy working on the right side of the fuselage and the horiz stab. The right side of the fuselage is done. I made some doublers to go around the fitting where the rudder cable exits the fuselage. They will support the Oratex there so I don't have any issues later on. The plan is to make a fairing that will go over the exit point and nicely cover this spot. The doubler will provide me some support for the fairing as well. I completed the horiz stab covering so that part is ready for finishing tapes along with all the rest of the parts. I did put finishing tapes on the fuselage so that's complete. Since I am getting ready to close off the right top of the fuselage, I installed the transponder so it is good to go.

  Sep 04, 2022     Left Side, Horiz Stab and Strut Cover - (17 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I completed covering the left side and left half of the top of the fuselage along with the right landing gear strut and the bottom of the horiz stab. I think I am about half way done now. I have read other logs where builders are happy when done with the covering. You may count me as being among that group. With the left side done, I will be installing the static ports since it will be easier to put the left one in and fit/cut the tube for the right side without the right skin installed. Also going to install the baggage sack and mark off where I want to install the zippers in the back of it to gain easy access behind. My transponder and trim controls are back behind it so I want it to be easy access.

  Aug 28, 2022     More Skin - (18 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Rolled the fuselage over on its side to begin doing the side as well as setting the rudder deflection. Just easier when it's on its side. With Oratex you have to put a coat of glue on, let it dry three hours and put another coat of glue on so that both the skin and the frame have two coats. So while one is drying, I am either tacking on the skin or shrinking skin on another part. Right now I have the elevator done, the horiz stab is half done, left strut is done and I've gotten started on the fuselage. I would agree with Harlan (Farm Fox) that the side is a LOT harder than it looks. I also had quite the mistake. I thought the way to go was bottom, sides and then top. So I cut my pieces of Oratex to length for the sides and the top. Cut the first side to size, marked where the framework hit it so I could glue, and then laid out the piece for the top. It was real obvious to me that the top piece was never going to go on as one piece and I had not cut it large enough to split it in to two pieces. Went back to some of the builders logs on the forum and some videos on You Tube only to find out that you did the side and half the top as one section. The piece I had cut was now too small and I didn't have enough left to cut another. So my haste to get going cost me another 5 meters of Oratex. Not a cheap lesson for certain but that's what happens when you get in a hurry and don't listen to your own advice to check before you cut.

  Aug 12, 2022     Bottom skin and Elevatoor - (14 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Got the fuselage bottom skin glued and tightened. With Oratex you need to glue the skin pretty much all the way around the tubes (where possible). I flipped the fuselage back over (with some help from my son) and did the trimming of the excess and got it glued to the tubes. Pretty happy with the whole process and alot of the consternation I had about doing the covering is easing up a bit. You watch enough videos and read the instructions enough times and it seems to work. Had to order a bit more glue to finish off the fuselage so I started on the elevator. Got the right side glued but have to wait a day for the glue to set before I can fully tighten it. Certainly not as easy as the wings or what I've done on the fuselage but not crazy hard either. Made good use of the hold downs on the table saw outfeed table which made controlling the elevator while pulling on the Oratex much easier. If I hadn't had them, I would have had to wait for someone else to come hold the elevator while I did the pulling. Will start the left side tomorrow since it doesn't seem to use much glue at all to get them set up.

  Aug 06, 2022     Bottom Skin and Stuff - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Flipped over the fuselage to start the prep and covering of the bottom. Funny how when you do something like and and change the perspective of how you are looking at stuff you find more to do while it's flipped. I installed the avionic trays that go behind the panel, the header tank drain, the transponder ground plane and then, finally got to lay the skin over the bottom. Traced out all the fuselage points that I will glue the skin to and have started brushing on the glue.

  Jun 08, 2022     Inspection Panels - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I have heard that fitting the tail inspection panels is a pain - there is truth to that rumor. Took two days to get them in the way I like them and fit. Lots of putting them in, checking the fit of the horizontal stab and elevator in the full trim range, seeing where the panels interfered with the stab and elevator, removing the panel, trimming and re-installing. Just to do it again when it still wasn't right. It's not a flat surface to this panel so that complicates it a bit. I found that once I had it pretty close, I started making reference lines on the panel and the fuselage so that I could come back after trimming and place the panel exactly where it was when I pulled it out. Lots of clamps and clecos but they are fitted to the fuselage now.

  May 30, 2022     Clean Up and Fix Stuff - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

It's amazing how your perspective changes when you get a different view of something. I had pulled my fuselage off my roll around cart and flipped it over to gain access to the bottom of my wiring channels so I could Hysol them. Looking at my wiring from the bottom up, I really didn't like how the wires exited the channel and crossed under the control column crossover. In a bundle like they were, they were rubbing more than I thought was a good thing. I was lucky enough to travel down to Homedale and pick up my firewall forward kit which allowed me to see Brandon and pick his brain on how they addressed this part of the wiring on a factory build. Brandon indicated that they "fan" the wires out so they go under the column spread out rather than in a bundle. Made sense but when I looked at how my channel was positioned right next to the column I realized there wasn't going to be any kind of fanning. The wires were held into a bundle. Only solution was to pull the channel out (heat gun and remove the Hysol), cut the channel back and then re-install the channel so that the mouth was about 3 inches or so back from the control column crossover. Now I can fan the wires out a bit and it's a lot better. Second thing I saw with the fuselage upside down was that the rivets holding my roll autopilot servo stuck up and looked like they would hit the skin of the aircraft once I shrunk the skin down. I put a straight edge on that area and while it didn't hit, it was less than 1/32" away. So I laid a layer of Hysol down and then on top of that I laid a layer of fill. I sanded that all down so that I could just see the very edges of the rivets, and primed it with 2K primer. Now the rivets won't run against the skin. That last pic is for Eddie - I took your advice and got rid of the safety wire around the fuselage frame. Hysol holds the channel just fine.

  May 03, 2022     Trim and Elev Rig - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Did the trim motor screw adjustment. Used the battery from my Jeep to run the trim motor full nose up and setting the distance between the horizontal stab and the fuselage frame using a block I had cut that it was 7/16 of an inch. Ran the trim full down to verify full motion. Disconnected the trim motor from the horizontal stab and used another block to set the distance from the stab to the fuselage from at 1 and 5/16 inch. With that clamped in place, I rigged the elevator controls to spec. With that done, I was able to center my autopilot servo and install the servo arm stop.

  Apr 20, 2022     Trim Tab, Panel and Engine - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Not a lot of work done and the real reason for this is to note that I received my 912is yesterday!! Yahoo! I am also starting to layout my panel. Slowly. Last but not least - I added a mount for a trim tab on the rudder. The wood in the pic is to make sure the mount is flush with the skin when I do my covering.

  Apr 14, 2022     Header Tank Install - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Not a lot of visible progress. Doing a lot of prep work on metal parts and getting the aluminum stuff primed with 2K primer. Did the final fabrication on the spacers for the header tank. The three 1/8 inch and one 1/4 inch spacer worked perfectly. Hysol'd the spacers to the tank mounting tabs, primer and painted the tank, installed the fittings and mounted it into the fuselage. Holds the tank away from the fuselage structure about 1/8 inch all the way around. Now I can mount the drain hose and skin reinforcement for when I start my covering.

  Apr 10, 2022     Various Stuff and Header Tank - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Have been neglecting my airplane work due to real work (the kind that pays for the airplane work) and Winter clean up on the property. But today the weather gods cooperated (meaning it snowed this morning and rained all afternoon) so I was able to go play in the shop. My goal is to finish off stuff in the fuselage so that I can start doing the covering. I ordered and received my Oratex glue so now I am on the clock so to speak. I installed the rear equipment tray for the trim boost and (later on) the transponder. I have the wiring there so was able to get that set up. Just need to put the pins in the connector for the transponder - all marked and ready - just need the connector. I also ran the static line from the back where the static ports are going, up to the front where they connect into the Garmin. Guess I really didn't realize how much stuff is at the rear of the plane that needs to go up to the front. My coil of wire, coax and other stuff is getting bigger and bigger all the time. I also started installing the header tank for the fuel system. There is a drain on the bottom of the tank that has a fixture that attaches to the skin of the aircraft so I need that installed before I can cover. In getting the tank ready to install, I didn't like the way it mounted with respect to parts of the fuselage. I initially thought a 1/4 inch spacer between the fuselage and the tank would do the trick but once I fabricated one up, I thought a 1/8 inch spacer would be better. As it turned out, three of the four attachment points got the 1/8 inch spacer and one got a 1/4 inch spacer to make up for a little more of a gap between the tank and the one mounting tab. Just made the tank set better and now the fuselage structure won't vibrate against the tank because it doesn't touch it. The bonus is that it appears tomorrow might actually be a shop day as well!!!

  Apr 10, 2022     Various Category: Fuselage

  Mar 29, 2022     Two Point Door Latchs - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I opted for the two point door latches and what a pain to get installed. Almost wish I had just gone with the single point latch. Had to cut an access in my bubble door windows which was certainly not my favorite thing to do. Getting the fore/aft rods dialed in took a lot of time and patience. One of the issues was installing the spring on the forward rod. Turns out the washer that the spring pushes up against the guide bracket does not sit straight. It hits the bracket which makes it sit at an angle to the shaft and causes it to drag. The fix was to file a notch in the washer to clear the bracket and let it sit flat to the bracket and straight on the shaft. Back to doing fun stuff.

  Feb 03, 2022     Wiring and Baggage Bag - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Installed the baggage sack and baggage area floor boards. The floor boards are set into rivnuts which made getting it located and attached really easy. The plan is for my son (who sews climbing accessories and such) to install a zipper in the back section so later on I can easily access the back of the plane during inspections and such. I also installed the horizontal stab and elevator so that I could insure that my VHF antenna was clear of all the moving parts and start running the antenna cable. It also allowed me to figure out how I wanted to run my trim wiring from the motor towards the front of the plane. Got both to a point where I can now look how I want to run the wires along with some other items that I am installing (autopilot servos, transponder, trim booster and such). Where I spot tied the cables to the frame, I wrapped the frame at that point with silicone tape. Started working on the roll trim servo install by fabricating the bracket and getting the aluminum parts primed.

  Jan 24, 2022     Door and Closeout - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Having read the instructions for mounting the doors to the fuselage, I decided I didn't like the fact that I was doing it using the real bubble glass for the doors. Mess it up and that's a bunch of money to replace that glass. So I had a bunch of the glass left as a result of fitting the glass to the door frames so I made a piece that I could substitute for the real thing. I added a small piece of the tape that goes between the door frame and the window as well as a piece of the gasket material that goes between the window and the fuselage frame. I still had the door frame set into the fuselage in the same position that I had it in when I did the window fitting so I clamped my fake window on to the door frame and fuselage and also clamped a couple pieces of wood to make sure the door didn't move in or out of its frame. Part of the instructions that I didn't give myself a solid chance of getting right was to drill the hole for the hinge into the door frame and make it as centered in the door frame as possible. So early on I had marked on the door frame where the hinge was going to locate, centered between those marks on the door frame where the hole should be and drilled it on a drill press before I set the door into the frame to do the original fitting of the window. That hole was straight and in the center of the door frame as it was supposed to be. Added a couple more clamps that held the hinge in place. I was able to drill the lower hinge hole through the all ready drilled hole in the door frame, through my glass spacer and through the hinge. I installed a screw and nut through that hole that was just like it would be when the window was installed and then drilled the two holes up through the butt rib flange. Kind of the opposite order the instructions called for. But the bottom line is that the door opens perfectly and is still aligned with the frame as it was when I did the glass fitting. Now all I need is to drill the through the window for the hinge when I do the final mount the window on to the door frame. I also started the fitting of the close out between the butt rib and the fuselage. Got both sides fitted and in paint but won't do the final install until I am ready to do the final install on the butt rib itself since the close out gets riveted to the lower cap strip of the butt rib.

  Jan 21, 2022     Doors - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Installed my covered center console and am happy with the way it looks. Installed the left side stainless steel threshold so now both sides are done. I decided on using rivnuts to attach my door glass to the doors. I am aware of the issues with rivnuts spinning in their mounting holes after a while but I have successfully used them many times without an issue. I did however take some Hysol and coat the inner edge of the hole for the rivnut before doing the install. When you squeeze the rivnut during installation, you cause the rivnut to expand a ring that goes all the way around the hole. When I did the squeeze, that ring got set into the Hysol so I am now certain I won't have any issues. I set the both door frames into the fuselage and 'adjusted' them so that they are the shape as the fuselage opening. I shimmed the door frames into the openings so that they have a pretty even space all the way around between the door and the opening. Once I had that dialed in, I did the fitting for the glass on both sides. I rough sanded out the cutting wheel marks on the edge of the glass and once that was done, polished the edges so I won't have any cracking issues later on.

  Jan 17, 2022     Door Frame, Window and Center Console - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I have finished sanding the door frame and window moldings. I was so sad - NOT!! Today I sprayed primer and got them all dialed in. Really happy with the way they turned out. I had purchased carbon fiber vinyl covering for my center console so for a change of pace after all that flipping sanding and waiting for the primer to dry, I did the covering. I used the 3M 2080 vinyl that is 3.5mil thick so I think it will wear well. If not, it comes off and I can do something else. I was also getting fired up to start fitting doors until I realized that I had bought the stainless steel door channels to keep from beating the heck out of my door frames while getting my empennage in and out of the plane. I need to get them installed before I can work the doors. So a little more fitting in my future I guess.

  Jan 15, 2022     Stringers - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Worked on installing the bottom stringer to the fuselage today. Got it fitted, safety wired and Hysol'd in place. Yeah I know the pic of the front connection doesn't have the safety wire installed. I liked the idea of setting it up with Hysol and clamping it in place for a secure bond. Right after I took the pic I slipped a piece of safety wire through the holes and once the Hysol sets up, I will safety wire the joint.

  Jan 12, 2022     VHF Antenna, Door frames and Wiring - (9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Sanding the door frame joints which is messy and a pain but almost complete. In between sanding and re-applying the bondo I have been finishing up the VHF antenna mounts in the vertical stab. Mounted the center mount that supports the antenna cable BNC connection as well as the lower mount. Once the Hysol had set, I installed the antenna and am happy with the results. Others who have mounted this dipole antenna in the stab have reported good results so am happy with this. I also started building the electrical cable for the trim motor and antenna cables that will run back to the far rear of the fuselage. Need to do the cable for the position light in the tail but am looking at how to run the cable from the fuselage into the rudder.

  Jan 05, 2022     Left Window, Baggage Floor and VHF Antenna - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Hysol'd in the left window frame parts today. Happy with the way these are turning out. One thing I learned from Brandon at the factory was if you dimple the rivet holes for the rivets, they sit a lot closer in to the frame (read less work fairing them in later). So I tried it on the left side and it's really an improvement. The rivets are very close to being really flush. I also Hysol'd in the upper VHF antenna mount. Once it gets set up I can proceed with installing the antenna into the vertical stab. I need to build a support for the RF connector to the antenna but want to do that with the antenna supported by the upper mount. While I was waiting for all this Hysol to dry, I fit the baggage floor, drilled the mounting holes in the boards and installed the rivnuts to secure the baggage floor. Big fan of rivnuts after using them on a couple old cars I have rebuilt and my Jeep. Never had one spin on me but I also use the same Loctite bearing lock (580 I think) when I press them. Doesn't take much and it seems to really let them take a bit of torque when I tighten in the screw/bolt.

  Jan 03, 2022     Seat Pan and Window - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I was having a problem figuring out how to layout the slots for the seat belts on the seat pan. One guy from the forum came up with the idea to draw radial arcs from the starting point of the two location measurements from the drawing and then find the point where the length of the slot intersected the two arcs. Gave that go and it got me a location that looked right - so I went with it. Got the slots cut and smoothed so they are done and ready for seat belts when the seat is finally installed. I also Hysol'd the right window frame so that tomorrow I can permanently install the right side stringer.

  Jan 01, 2022     Small Stuff - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Worked on some small stuff today. I am mounting my dipole VHF antenna in the vertical stab so I need to fabricate mounts that won't interfere with the antenna. Built the upper mount and glued it up as well as figured out how I think I want to support the antenna cable connection. The lower mount should be a walk in the park once I get the other two mounts dialed in and attached. Fabricated the door hinges, backing plates and the gas shock mount so they are ready once I reach the point of installing the doors. Before I get there, I need to install the door and window moldings. I started with the right side door molding and got that Hysol'd and clamped along with riveting the joint. Liked the idea of getting these two set solid before I went ahead and did the rest of the window moldings. Just taking this part slow and easy since I want it to be right. Besides I ran out of clamps!!

  Dec 29, 2021     Seat, Stringer, Door Jamb and Windows - (13 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Have been working through doing preparations on parts while it snows and VERY cold outside. Cutout the required notches on the seat pan so that the seat set in the fuselage nicely. Back drilled the six attachment points, installed the nut plates on the fuselage brackets and verified that the screws all lined up. Still need to locate and cut the holes for the seat belts but have some location questions that I am working out before I do that. Have begun doing the prep work on the floor boards for the baggage area. Multiple coats of exterior poly on those. Installed the parking brake mounting bracket on the center console. Flush riveted and Hysol'd that. Cut the stringers to the correct length for installation to the fuselage. Drilled and cleco'd the stringer to the mounting brackets, filed in the notch required to fit the stringer past a fuselage structural member and notched the ends. Had to hold short from the full install till the window frames are all installed. Speaking of windows as we were ....... Fitted both left and right window frame pieces as well as the lower parts of the doors. Once done, I painted them with some 2K primer along with the stringers. Once they have dried, will complete the installs on the window frames and the stringer. As usual, doing all the prep work on this doesn't really look like much progress but once that is done and I get to really install those parts - it will look more like an airplane!

  Dec 10, 2021     Floorboards and Rudder Pedals - (16 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Have been working but a little slack on the documenting....... Finished multiple coats of poly on the floorboards and got them installed. I put a piece of aluminum sheet on the floor boards where my heels will hit. In my whole life I think I have only flown one plane that didn't have major wear marks from the pilot's heels and that plane I got to pick up from the factory. Moved ahead with the rudder pedal install and was moving right along until I got to fabricating the clip that goes over the wheel on the pedals. Not sure what the deal was with me but I think those were the UGLIEST clips ever made by man. There was no way I was going to install them. They were either too high or too wide at the top. So I went to the Kitfox Help Line (Debra, Heather and Nicky) and ordered another set of the stainless steel sheet to do it again. While I was waiting for the new stock, I decided to build a jig to help make these clips. Took a piece of plywood and cut two grooves the same width and depth as the stainless steel stock. Glued another piece of wood over the top of the grooves so that the stock would slide in. Measured and drilled where the holes in the clips should be when the clip was installed in the jig. I got the stainless from Kitfox today and made all four clips using the jig and am really happy with the fit and finish when installed on the rudder pedal brackets.

  Dec 04, 2021     Center Console and Flap Lever - (12 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Assembled the detent brackets for both the flaps and the adjustable rudder pedals. Located and installed the center console on to the aircraft frame. Once done, I installed the flap lever detent bracket by match drilling the bracket to the console with a #40 drill and once the install was tested to insure that the flap handle operated as it should (full range of motion and the lever locked correctly into each of the bracket detents), opened the rivet holes up using a #30 drill. I chose to use flat head vice pop rivets to attach the bracket because my current plan is to cover the console and didn't want the heads of the pop rivets to show up under the covering. I am also not using the trim switch location as defined by the kit so I fabricated and filled the hole with an insert. My trim will be controlled by a switch on the control sticks.

  May 11, 2021     FWD Brace Paint - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Between my consultant job and winds here at home taking out eight trees, my time has been sucked away from working on the plane. Last night I decided I needed to do something short and easy. Painting the forward braces on the fuselage so that they wouldn't reflect on the windscreen came to mind. Got it all taped off so I wasn't spraying what I didn't need flat black and got them done. Hopefully I'll get some more time here this week as I still have to epoxy prime the insides of the wing spars.