May 25, 2024     Rearranging - (1 hour)       Category: Workshop

Helped my friend move his Quicksilver around in the hangar and he helped me move mine.

Rotated 90 degrees and nearly centered up in hangar. If calculations are correct, the wings should have about 3 inches of clearance from both the wall on left and hangar doors on right.

  May 22, 2024     Wing Rigging Supplies Category: Workshop

Bought supplies to see if the brainstorming idea will work for the under wing supports so I can mount and rig the wings solo if need be, and to keep them level with the fuselage so they aren't all wonky. Also bought a bucket for another of the many leaks in the hangar roof.

  May 11, 2024     Fuselage/Tail Tube Bolt Category: Workshop

Bought correct AN6-63a bolt from Van's Aircraft as they had it in stock and are somewhat local. Showed up today.

Also bought a pair of 1/4-inch drill bits for tail work.

  May 02, 2024     Tail Tube Drill Jig - (.5 hour)       Category: Workshop

Had a buddy help drill holes in a steel bar so the H-bracket can be precisely drilled while mounted in the tail tube. No having to question if I am going to hit the bracket or not when drilling through the tube.

  Apr 22, 2024     Supplies Category: Workshop

Due to having to rebuild the horizontal stabilizer, needed more 3/16 x 1/8 rivets so I can attach the RH horizontal. Also bought one AN4-17 bolt to properly hold the tail wheel pivot to the airframe... and some drill bits because you can never have too many 1/8 or 3/16 bits.

  Mar 24, 2024     Rearrangement - (1 hour)       Category: Workshop

Since I am now dead in the water until I get tubing for the horizontal, I decided to rearrange the shop again to make it more convenient for attaching tail boom to fuselage when I finally stop making mistakes.

Based on measurements and uncalibrated eyeballs, there should be enough room to put the tail and fuselage together where I have them now. I will have to remove the sawhorses but for the time being I can still work on both and am far enough from the wall to work on horizontals when I again get back to that point.

  Mar 13, 2024     More Supplies Category: Workshop

Bought some more hardware: nuts, bolts, washers, cloth covering practice kit. Ordered mainly so I had engine mount hardware but also extra if I need it, and to learn how the covering setup works.

  Sep 03, 2023     Construction Supplies - (2 hours) Category: Workshop

After walking around and unplugging and plugging in one power tool at a time, then realizing wing construction could not be done on one small table, went home and collected supplies so no more interruptions in the building process. Extra extension cords, surge protectors, table, and a chair to sit on.

  Aug 30, 2023     Kit and Tools Moved - (6 hours)       Category: Workshop

My friends and I got a hangar so we have more space to build our kits. They are building a Quicksilver Sport 2S so there may be some background pictures of theirs as time goes.
Spent the last couple weeks getting everything moved over to the hangar. Life got in the way so have not had much time to work on the kit. That will change this weekend if I can help it.

Hung the horizontal stabilizers and elevators on the walls to keep them safe. All larger powder coated parts are on the moving blanket on the floor.

  Aug 21, 2023     Tubing Ordered Category: Workshop

.750 x .035 and .875 x .035 tubing ordered for the purpose of finishing vertical stabilizer, rudder, and any other areas that may require it.

Not cheap stuff.

  Jul 12, 2023     Gussets - (4 hours)       Category: Workshop

Took a bit of time to get one of the dimensions but finally got it figured out.
Used my vinyl cutter to cut the patterns out in, you guessed it, vinyl. Proceeded to lay those out on the aluminum sheets in a somewhat orderly manner, then cut out on a band saw. Afterward, fully deburred the edges and points. Now all marked as to which is which and ready for when I finally start working on framework, which will be soon, I hope.

  May 08, 2023     Kit Cost and Delivery / Pickup - (4 hours)       Category: Workshop

Not including the cost of the drive down or Motel room as it was my choice to go.

Collected my Firefly kit from delivery driver, and paid for delivery at pick up.

Edit: This is not a Quick-Build Kit but the cheapy base kit. I have been told that I am probably the first person in the last 20 or so years that is crazy enough to buy a non-Quick-Build kit. To be honest, I couldn't afford to buy the Quick-Build kit. Besides, this gives me more knowledge, and I get to hound Kolb over the multitude of irregularities in the blueprints due to the drawings being from 1995.