May 20, 2023     Day 72 - (20 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

A big day for visible progress on the 750. The main gear was permanently installed. Wheels and brake assemblies were added. Then, for the first time, the plane was set on its own gear. One of our veterans even got in and could make airplane noises. Meanwhile, the reassembly of the vertical stablizer was completed and progress was made on mounting the gascolator to the firewall.

  May 13, 2023     Day 71 - (20 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

The landing gear parts finally returned from the paint shop, so work was begun on fitting the main gear and assembling the nose gear fork and wheel. This involved a lot of installing, removing, adjusting, and reinstalling. There is still work to do on that, but it is getting close to being finished. Meanwhile, due to the backwards hinge, the vertical stabilizer was disassembled, the hinge reversed, and riveted back together. It was a perfect opportunity for one of our young members and his dad to learn about riveting. They did a nice job.

  Apr 16, 2023     Day 68 - (15 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

The avionics installer finished using the instrument panel for measurements and layout and so he returned the panel and console. He will be making another heavier gauge overlay panel on which the instruments will be mounted. The nose gear assembly is closer to completion. Steering rods were added. The engine mount was also permanently installed. The main gear is still at the paint shop. Once that returns, the plane will soon be on its gear.

  Apr 08, 2023     Day 67 - (20 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

The goal of getting the 750 on its gear is getting closer to being achieved. Further work on the main gear has gotten it ready for paint. The nose gear strut and its shock absorbing system have been installed. Shelves were made for instrument components behind the instrument panel. The panel is now with the avionics installer who is preparing the panel so that it can be riveted to the rest of the surrounding structure. Holes were drilled and the engine mount was bolted to the firewall, but has not been permanently torqued down yet. With more things in place, it was also possible to permanently rivet more of the forward fuselage. The main gear is now off to the paint shop and will be ready to install once it returns.

  Mar 18, 2023     Day 66 - (25 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Progress was made this week toward getting the airplane on its gear. A call to Zenith resolved the issue with the notches in the main gear not lining up. They told us to grind down the notch on one side just enough so that the gear will fit. No other fix is needed. This means the gear will be off center by a small fraction of an inch, but that apparently won't matter. The main gear was also sanded down with fine sandpaper to remove any rough edges and to prepare it for painting. The back edge of the gear leg ends also had to be ground down to accommodate the brake assemblies. Meanwhile, work continued on the nose gear. Proper hardware was installed on the upper brackets and further fitting and drilling for lower brackets begun. Preparations for dealing with the instrument panel were also begun. Shelves for instrument components will need to be fabricated between the panel and the firewall. Since the panel, shelves, firewall, cabin frame, and forward fuselage panels are all tied together, it is necessary at this point to get the panel to the instrument installer so that he can get the panel ready (less instruments) for assembly along with everything else. An appointment has been made for this to happen next Wednesday.

  Mar 11, 2023     Day 65 - (20 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Getting the Zenith on its gear was again the focus of efforts today. The nose gear, complete with its shock absorbing assembly and firewall brackets was test-installed. Everything seems to fit perfectly. One odd discovery was that Zenith supplied fiber lock nuts for the bolts that hold together the upper brackets. Our understanding is that fiber lock nuts should not be used in the engine compartment because of heat. We substituted all-metal lock nuts instead. An attempt was made to fit the main landing gear to the fuselage. Unfortunately, the notches in the gear do not quite line up with the mounting brackets. The notches in the gear will need to ground to the the proper position and material added to fill any resulting gap.

  Mar 04, 2023     Day 64 - (20 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Landing gear work continued today. Main wheels are now complete with tires, tubes, and brakes fully assembled. A lot of work was done on the nose gear fork assembly which is now complete. Parts for the main gear are also being fabricated. Meanwhile, the gascolator mount was finished and the gascolator mounted to the firewall. The location for it is different from the plans, but will be less exposed to the elements inside the cowling.

  Feb 19, 2023     Day 63 - (15 hours)       Category: Landing Gear

Work continued today in preparation for getting the 750 on its gear. The firewall was again reinstalled. Attempts were made to get tires and tubes installed on the newly assembled wheels and brakes. This turned out to be a challenge that has yet to be successfully completed. Work also continued on the gascolator project.