Feb 15, 2022     Ribs finished and spars continue - (56 hours)       Category: Wings

All ribs and false ribs have been built. The final rib was built on 12/5/21. With the ribs wrapped up, I have turned my attention to the main wing spars. Both I-beams have been built and stiffeners have been added. Now internal blocking of the main spars is ongoing with en eye towards starting the rear spars soon. I took time to mock up a wing to give a little inspiration too.

  Feb 15, 2022     Paint scheme       Category: Paint / Decals

After talking it over with my father we decided to go with a liaison type paint scheme. We have decided to name the airplane after the plane named in honor of my grandmother by my grandfather in WW2. It was a C-46 named Betty Jean. So we have included that along with many other “family heirlooms” in the paint scheme.

  Oct 01, 2021     Continued progress on the wing - (41.7 hours)       Category: Wings

Progress continues on the wing. I've been busy with work and family time, but I've tried to be as steady as possible. Most of my time has been focused on building the wing ribs. I can get one completed in an hour and let it dry overnight. I've also started work on the wing spars. The first jig I built I was unhappy with, therefore I rebuilt the jig and I'm happier with the newer setup. Now I've been working on trying to make sure the spar dimensions are correct. I've had my friend Alshae and my father stop by to check out the project and learn along with me. I had to take a moment and set up some ribs to see how the wing will look. It's one of the motivational moments that help remind you of the end goal. Hopefully the next update will have a glued up spar.

  Jul 28, 2021     Wing rib construction - (30 hours)       Category: Wings

After breaking open the crate I spent time completing an inventory of all parts. I then organized my work space and started on building my first wing rib jig. There are two separate rib types based on location along the wing spar. The spar is wider in the area of the wing struts. I started with the wider spar area ribs first since there are only 6 of those ribs to construct. I mocked up my first rib in the jig, trimming everything to fit nicely, then broke the rib back down again to use the individual parts as a template for creating the other 5 rib's parts. I organized those and placed them in appropriately labeled cups for storage. Then I began to construct each rib. Each one took a bit of finessing as no two wood parts are exactly the same. I currently have the 6 rib drying in the jig, and once complete I will trim them to the correct dimensions and clean extra glue from the parts. Note: I also created a mock spar section to use as a template for checking my cross member spacing inside the rib caps, and to check for correct vertical spacing of the rib caps.

  Jun 23, 2021     The wings arrive! - (6 hours)       Category: Wings

I was able to sneak out and pick up my wings from the shipping depot today. I've been anxiously awaiting this day for awhile now. My wife and neighbor helped me to break down the crate and shift the components onto the work table. We then unloaded the crate and placed it under the work table for storage of the parts. I will work through completing an inventory of the parts over the next few days and place them back into the crate. I also had to take time to unroll the plans and see what I've truly gotten myself into! The next project after inventory is to get the wing plans up on the wall and then start the wing rib jigs.

  Jun 20, 2021     Garage Workshop is Complete - (40 hours)       Category: Workshop

My garage transformation is complete. I had to completely redo and rearrange my garage for the project. The goal is to allow my wife to continue to park in her spot while I work through most of the project. We purchased new metal shelves for our normal garage type items, and shifted those shelves to my wife's side. Then I purchased unfinished cabinets from Lowe's to hang on the wall and build up a tool workbench. After that I attacked the work table. Mine is 16' long by roughly 5' wide. There is a notch in the last part to allow backside access around the water heater. The top was sealed with oil based clear coat then over painted with lacquer white paint. This should allow for a good seal and help with contrast and ease of marking the bench as needed. One last addition was a second fan, as it is noticeably hot here in Dallas in the summer! A few photos show the lighting with the door closed. I hung two shop lights over the bench, and that combines with LED lighting in the normal garage light socket.

  Jun 06, 2021     Paint idea - (5 hours) Category: Research

My father and I have spent time going over how we will want to paint the airframe. The first components are yet to arrive from Fisher, but I believe the overall design idea is important and deserves to be thought of now. So many decisions from light locations to the type of landing gear are based on this final concept. We decided that the Horizon 2 looks like an Aeronca Champ had a baby with a Cessna birddog. Because of my dad's service in the Marines, we decided to go the route of a Marine Corps liaison aircraft. We will modify the base blue color slightly, but overall the aircraft will resemble an OY-1 from VMO-6.