Nov 10, 2022     Lower Cockpit glass - (5 hours)       Category: Modification

Added tabs and modified door to allow for formers to create glass on both sides of the cockpit, close to matching.

  Nov 10, 2022     Panel / boot cowl / glareshield - (20 hours)       Category: Instrument Panel

Continue to work on panel, glareshield/boot cowl interaction with new windshield. Lots of time to plan and work out the details but pretty excited about how it will end up.

  Oct 15, 2022     Tabs and more - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Added support tabs for rear windows. Cut off upper former to allow for fuel line to wrap tight to fuselage tube. Moved rudder cable guides up at forward baggage station to give more floor clearance. Added tabs under aft baggage for servo mounting plate. Added tabs at tail clean out to cover.

  Aug 31, 2022     Started Floor fitment and welded trim guides - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Welded in second row of trim cable guides to allow each cable their own guide.
Laid out rear floor and cut carbon s fiber panel.
Trimmed to fit.
Started laying out front floorboards as well.

  Aug 10, 2022     Flap revisit - (4 hours)       Category: Modification

After Oshkosh and lots of fly ins got back to work. Revisited the flap handle linkage and made some adjustments, going to use the factory bellcrank in the wing due to aileron proximity.
Looked at windshield clearance on handle too.

  Jun 28, 2022     Aft Baggage support - (4 hours)       Category: Modification

Welded in support tubes for aft baggage floor and one side of smoke oil tank.

  May 24, 2022     Roll servo bracket - (3 hours)       Category: Avionics

Came up with a roll servo bracket to mount in the wing.
Bracket will span one bay, and rivet to each rib, matched to the original rib stiffeners which will remain.
Second bracket will bolt to the main bracket with the servo, and will attach to the 4130 weldment (aileron cable pulleys and bell crank mount) using two adel clamps.
Servo will connect to the bellcrank using a push pull tube linkage, connecting to the outboard arm that connecys the main cable.

  Apr 30, 2022     Flap handle mock-up - (4 hours)       Category: Modification

Designed, printed to paper cutouts, then cut out on acrylic to test fit handle and bracket design shape within space allowed.

  Apr 28, 2022     More Overhead flap handle - (4 hours)       Category: Modification

Seems I never have just the right size material.
Milled down some tubing to sleeve inside the ends of the cockpit torque tube. This will provide the wall thickness to bolt on the bellcranks in the wing roots.
(They can't be welded or they would nit be removable) All flap linkage is being installed in a manner where it's removable if needed without removing wings.
End welded the inner sleeves into the torque tube. Right side is only 3”. Left sleeve is longer to provide additional rigidity where the handle bracket will weld to the torque tube.

Then milled down outer sleeves that will become the bellcranks to connect to the pushrod.
These are 1” long and also set the length of the torque tube, so I cut that to size.

  Apr 27, 2022     Overhead flap handle mounts - (4 hours)       Category: Modification

Drilled upper fuselage longeron to accept two An-3 bolts per side. Overdrilled and sleeved aft hole to ensure no crushing of tube. Forward hole close enough to spar attach that I felt a front sleeve was unnecessary.

Fitted top and bottom caps (doublers) and welded nuts onto the top one. Attached complete and aligned torque tube attachment points and bearing sleeves, and tacked in place. Removed and finish welded on the table.
Reassembled to verify.
Next step probably paint and install bearings.