UKFigs RV-7 Blog

Finished Painting

2011-06-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

Have spent a lot of time cutting and buffing the paint to remove orange peel. Final result is not bad and I could do more but it is difficult to cut and buff around the rivets without having the rivet show through which happened in a couple of spots where the rivet head was on the high side. I decided that I would leave it for now as I can improve it a little more when the winter gets here if it bugs me. Finally finished the painting by adding the stripes (thanks Jennifer for the help), decided to go with vinyl as this seemed to work well for others however after trying to put on one on one wheel pant and screwing it up I decided I needed to get some professional input. I tried to install the decal dry which was the first mistake as the moment the adhesive sticks you cannot change the position and any attempt to adjust end up stretching the vinyl. I had to use a heat gun to heat up and remove the decal.
I talked to a friend who has a graphics business that does aircraft and they gave me a gel like substance that you paint onto the adhesive side of the decal and this lets you move the decal until it is in the correct place and then you squeegee the decal to remove the gel and set the decal. Worked like a charm and I cannot image how you would place a large decal (like the fuselage stripes) without it.
here is the final result:

Flying season is here so I am glad this is done. Managed to get all the mods I had in mind done this winter except connecting the trim position inputs to the Dynon so I will live with the LED indicators for a little longer.
Had to replace the Facet boost pump which kept blowing fuses for some unknown reason, not a fun job upside down under the panel. Other than that the plane has been trouble free, still have not had the chance to test the Catto at altitude to check performance but the take-off, climb and slowing down performance have all improved.

Thats about it for now.
TTFN

More painting

2011-01-31T14:06:00.001-08:00

Well have done some more painting when we had a couple of nice days in the high 60’s to low 70’s. Still struggling to get the gun setup consistently and have sanded some parts a couple of time due to splatter, runs and poor coverage. The gun setup is tricky for the second coat (applied within 15 mins) as the gun seems to dry out a bit.

As someone noted getting a finish with no runs and no orange peel is very, very difficult.

Here are some pictures of current status, most of this I can live with as it is not too bad and with PPG DCC you can cut and buff which I may try on a couple of the parts. Worst case I can scuff and re-shoot. One good piece of advice I got from the local paint specialist was to use the medium reducer to allow more time for the paint to “flow-out”, this really worked well for the cowling and the forward fuselage.

Here is the top cowl and the windshield area:

Here is the rest of the fiberglass parts:

And here is the canopy:

All in all they are not show quality but are acceptable, I am also getting better at shooting the wet coat with enough paint for the “wet” look, but not too much paint to cause runs.

I may put the plane back together to get some flying in until we get a forecast of about a weeks worth of decent weather as the next steps are large areas that will require time to prep, prime and paint (fuselage and wings)

TTFN

More prep, painting, annual and mods

2011-01-29T07:22:00.001-08:00

Still working on the painting, weather has not helped but have most of the fiberglass parts painted. Not very easy to get a high gloss finish with no runs or orange peel, seems like a fine line between enough paint to flow out and too much paint which runs. This is particularly true of vertical surfaces. Most of the parts are not too bad but I have some runs and orange peel to fix by either re-sanding and re-shooting or cutting and polishing.

Also been working on the annual inspection and have incorporated the TruTrak Servo modification to add the servo arm retainer, very straightforward to install on both pitch and roll servos.

Added the Menske tip-up mod, had to make a few changes as I have the tonneau cover over the baggage compartment so I had to relocate the canopy lock strut but it worked out fine. I also changed the tip-up forward lock approach so I did not have to cut slots in the guide rails, I basically have the roller lock against the retaining screw head, this way I can change the position of the canopy.

Modification works very well and makes it easy to put bags in the back now.

Still thinking about the slider stop mod but have not figured out the best way to do this yet.

Will be doing some more painting this weekend and then the weather is supposed to cool down again so I will have to wait before I can do the next steps.

TTFN

Getting ready for paint

2011-01-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

Have been working on and off for the past couple of months on getting the plane ready for paint. I have decided to go with the PPG Concept paint system after talking to a number of RV builders and doing some web research and have also decided (for now) to paint the plane white with some vinyl graphics down the sides, I saw a Rocket painted like this in Utah and it looked simple and elegant. The white I have selected comes from another RV builders site and looks like this:

The biggest pain has been finding and filling all the pinholes in the fiberglass sections, there were literally hundreds of them. I now have them all filled and a coat of K36 primer applied, the weather will be too cold this coming week to pain so I will probably work on a couple of mods/updates to the plane and the annual. The mods and updates include:

1. Modify the slider canopy to allow tip-up operation for loading baggage. I have had the kit for ages but did not install it, after a couple of trips with bags last year I have decided the mod is worth doing as it is a pain to load bags over the seat backs.

2. Install the trutrak servo retainer screw mod. Checked this at last annual and did not have a problem but decided to install the new mod as it seems more secure.

3. Wire the allen servo trim position to the Dynon. One of the Ray Allen LED indicators has started to act flaky and this is apparently a common problem. The trims can be wired to the Dynon so I plan to do this as a backup.

4. Add some insulation to the inside of the firewall, Jennifer complained that her feet were getting hot during one long trip and the heater box is on her side so I plan to add some insulation to keep the heat down.

5. Add a canopy stop. I want to have the ability to lock the canopy open about 6-8 inches when taxiing, when fully open the prop blast blows everything around in the cockpit but when closed in the summer it gets hot quickly so I want to lock it open just a bit. I have the canopy lock that does the same thing but it uses a key from the outside which is not practical, I have designed a spring latch system that will manualy latch the canopy but will release when you slide the canopy forward.

6. Install my Catto 3 blade prop. After attending the Weatherford fly-in I loved the look of the 3 blade prop plus the fact that it is smoother and will give me better take-off and climb performance than my Sensenich cruise prop. I aquired one througn VAF and sold my Sensi the same week. Here is the prop installed to check clearances:

General update

2010-09-07T06:28:00.000-07:00

Have now put around 120 hours on the RV, this summer we have been to northern Wisconsin and to Blakesburg Iowa to visit friends and attend fly-ins and have been to numerous local area $100 hamburger events. The RV has performed admirably the entire time and the Dynon, TruTrak, Garmin suite has been rock solid. The only maintenance issue has been with the ECI push rod oil tube retainer clips all of which have cracked or broken and they have all been replaced with Lycoming parts. Oil consumption on the ECI 0-360 has been excellent although it has taken me some time to figure out that it does not make sense to fill more than 6 quarts as it blows the additional oil out very quickly. I now fill to 6 qts and top up when it drops to 5 qts and am getting about 10 - 15 hours between top ups. Oil temps in the summer have stayed in the 175 - 190 range and CHT's have been in the 365 range, I still have high #1 CHT's on initial climb out even after cutting down the air dam but they stabilize as soon as I power back or get into the cruise configuration. I will have to decide whether to cut down the dam some more during the annual.
Mostly fly at economy cruise settings at 55% power slightly ROP and at these settings I am getting about 165 mph at a fuel burn of 7.8 gph, not bad at all.
Also have had the opportunity to check out the cross wind handling at the Antique Aircraft Fly-In at Blakesburg last weekend, field is about 2300ft grass strip oriented North South (18 & 36) and wind was variable from 270 to 310, 18 gusting to 30+knots !! Decided to try one pass before diverting and while the final approach was exciting, once the RV was in ground effect I could eliminate the drift and straighten it out and with the stick held back stopped without brakes a little past the halfway point. The trees helped mask some of the wind but it shows how solid the RV is in a cross wind.
All in all still very happy with the plane, next step is to figure out the paint.

Latest status and update

2010-05-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Been awhile since I updated the blog so here is a quick summary:
1. Baffles redone with new stiffeners and new stainless support bar to the engine case, trust this will stop the cracking problem. Oil change coming up in about 10 hours so it will be a good time to check.

2. Checked the oil tube retainers again and they seem OK but this seems to be a consistent problem with the ECI spring clips, I think I will replace them with the Lycoming version during the oil change for peace of mind.
3. The primer/filler I put on the cowling started to crack and peel, I think I sprayed it on too thick and at too cold a temperature. There was no easy solution so I had to sand the cowlings back to the fiberglass, what a royal PITA. It took ages as I did not want to sand through the fiberglass particularly in the honeycomb areas. Found a good article on prepping the surface from a boat site using a small roller and raw epoxy (no thinning) and it worked like a charm, looks good too.

4. Put another 20+ hours on the plane, flying in Oklahoma means learning to deal with wind as it blows most of the time, flew to Stillwater and the wind was gusting to 40MPH when I arrived, no fun but good practice as it was mostly down the runway.
5. Have been checking out the $100 hamburger sites and there are many in the area, they get over 500 people sometimes at the Ponca City fly-in breakfast!!! It is a zoo on arrival!!
6. Longest X country here so far is to Kansas City to cash my Costco check as they do not have a Costco on Oklahoma. I hope they revisit that as they will make money in Ok City and Tulsa where the only choice is Sams (not very good). Will be hoping to fly to Wisconsin around July 4th weekend to visit a friend of mine and to Texas this summer to visit some of Jennifers friends.
7. Plane is still flying great and the avionics systems seem to be very reliable (Dynon, Garmin and TruTrack), only issue I have is occasionally the elevator trim indicator goes dark, think it is a flaky connection that I will have to chase down.
8. Still no plans to paint but maybe this fall.
9. Did add a crotch strap to the pilots side so I now have a 5 point harness, have not done any aerobatics yet to check it out as I want to take the traveling kit out of the back first and I keep forgetting.
10. Decided to buy a hangar that came up as the payment was not much more than the cost to rent, now have a 40 X 45 space that is gradually filling up. Any RV reader that will fly into the area is welcome to hang out and hanger overnight if the plane will fit.
Thats it for now
TTFN

Old web site back

2009-12-17T15:23:00.001-08:00

Well I have figured out how to host my old web site on windows home server so the link is now active again. Still working on the baffles and have received the new parts from Van's and have stiffened up the outer corner, still need to rivet it all together and reinstall. I have completed the carb and slick mag SB's and reinstalled them, I decided to go with the Kelly metal float over the new foam float based on a lot of conversations with people, hope this is a good decision. The slick mag SB was a different issue, parts covered by the SB looked OK to me but I decided to change them out anyway as the mags were disassembled, should not have to worry about them for a couple hundred hours (I hope)
Weather is cooling down but today was still a decent flying day and it is mid December, nothing wrong with that :>)
I will post pictures of the new baffle mod when complete.

Tulsa

2009-11-20T06:05:00.000-08:00

Have now bought a house in south Tulsa and relocated the RV to Riverside Airport (KRVS), it is only 15 minutes from the house which is great. With a few exceptions it is still decent flying weather here and Riverside is very active with lots of warbirds, experimentals and other interesting aircraft (not to mention the many students at Spartan).
Just downed the RV for the annual and have found one problem which is a cracked baffle where the oil cooler mounts in the rear, I did put a brace in but that was also broken at the bend line. From what I have read this is a common problem and I should have beefed up the left rear corner when I built the baffles. I have ordered the parts from Vans and will be taking the rear baffles apart this weekend.
Another note for anyone who has used the link here for the old build web site, I have taken them down because they pointed to the comcast web site and since I moved (and canceled my comcast broadband) the site is now gone. I have a copy and will see if I can host it somewhere, if not maybe I can convert it to a blog or Picassa album, we shall see.

Now in Oklahoma

2009-07-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

Have now relocated to the northeast corner of Oklahoma on Grand Lake, so far we are enjoying the lake and the people and last week I flew the RV from Salt lake to the lake. It was the first time I have flown that far (1000+ miles) and the RV is a great traveling machine, door to door with two fuel stops (Laramie and Great Bend) took 7 hours for an average speed of 140 mph. This was also at 55% power turning around 2350/2400 rpm and burning 7.9 gph.
Only issue I had was I still have high CHT's in particular on #1 cylinder on initial climb-out , cruise CHT's were all fine and ranged from 360 to 375 with EGT around 1375.
Oil consumption on the ECI 0-360 is still good and I am about to add the first qt after about 20 hours after the oil change, the motor isalso running very smooth with the Landoll harmonic balancer
So far I have been to one fly-in and it looks like there is a very active aviation community here, I am hoping to go to the Ponca City fly-in this Saturday weather permitting as I understand they get over 200 aircraft on a decent day.

Been a while

2009-06-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

I have not updated the blog for a while as there has been a lot going on in other areas the same as for many people the past 18 months also the weather has not been great in Utah this spring with incessant rain/thunderstorms for most of May and June. I have managed to get some flying in and the hobbs is now at 75hrs, only issues on the plane have been broken cowl retaining hinges on the bottom of the cowl, I used the standard kit supplied hinges which are of rolled construction and and I noticed about 6 of the lugs had broken off during the last oil change. This is apparently a common problem and I replaced the hinges with extruded hinges which are stronger (Van's sells these as replacements, surprise!!), the worst damaged place was on both inboard sections and I concluded that this was exacerbated by the exhaust resonance vibrating the retaining wires. To correct this I bent the wires and locked them in place with a hinge lug screwed into the firewall flange, so far so good, we will see at the next oil change.
I found out I do have to do the carb SB and the slick mag brush SB so I will do these the next time I have the cowl removed, I decided to go with the Kelly metal float rather than the foam float as each foam/plastic float version seems to generate another SB a few years later. The only issue with the metal floats is wear after about 20 years of flying, this should not be a problem for me. Other than these few relatively minor issues the plane is working and flying great,I did install the latest Dynon 5.1 release and the update went off without a hitch, still debating whether to mount the DB 9 connectors for the D100, D120 and HS34 directly in the panel so that they are easy to get to but so far the updates are few and far between so it may not be worth the effort.
Still have not painted the plane, decided I will do this when I am doing the annual in October when the plane is somewhat pulled apart anyway, I do have the paint scheme picked out (ripped off from another builder).

That's it for now, the next blog will be from our new location in Oklahoma where we are moving to next month.

Cross Country

2009-02-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

Now have 50+ hours on the hobbs and recently took the first quick cross country trip with Jennifer to Jackpot Nevada for brunch with a bunch of other pilots. As Jennifer does not like flying at all and did not like to fly in the Pacer I was hoping that she would like the RV better and she did!! Comments were "more comfortable", "more room" and "great view", this worked also because I made the passenger stick removable and had it removed so she could knit while we were flying with her water bottle in either the cup holder or the side panel pocket, all worked out very nicely.

The other planes consisted of RV-9, PA-12 Super Cruiser and a Maule, quite a gaggle and I was the one with the power pulled back to stay with them ;>)

Pants and fairings are now installed and the speeds are similar to the Van's numbers but a few mph slower, not sure why but still not cleaned up and painted so that may help. Economy cruise burns around 7 gph at 165 mph, not too shabby. WOT at 8500 ft was around 195 mph at 12+ gph.

I have been working on a few small items such as co-pilot stick stowage (behind passenger seat), travelling tools & equipment stowage (behind pilot seat between seat and flap rod), updated POH and check list (done) and a few electrical system mods to get everything talking together properly (all done). I do have a couple of small system mods to make as a result of operational experience, these are to add a red LED light when the fuel boost pump is ON, I have found that I can forget to turn the boost pump OFF after take-off and it screws up the fuel flow computer by about 2 gph which is no big deal locally but is an issue for a long cross country where I want the fuel remaining and flight times to be as accurate as possible. I plan to put the LED on the left side of the engine controls sub-panel so it will not be in my direct line of sight (for night ops) but will be in my peripheral vision when I look at the GPS. The second mod is the add a ON/OFF switch for the LED map flood lights so that they can be controlled independently, I decided to do this as I believe that they will probably be OFF most of the time and currently they will be ON all the time when the NAV lights are ON. I plan to add a small switch to the switch panel for this function.
A mod that I did recently when I had the upper cowl off to do the gear leg intersection fairings was to change the oil cooler brace from the push rod tube to the engine casing, I was told that bracing to the push rod tube could cause damage to the tube and an oil leak, I have already had this happen once due to a broken retainer clip so I did not want this to happen again.
Next up is paint but that will have to wait until I sell my Pacer, I have found a scheme that I like ripped off from another builder but I will modify it a little.

Few more tweaks

2009-01-13T16:27:00.001-08:00

Now have 42 hours on the hobbs and have completed the test phase, flew the plane up to 1850 gross and it still handles great. One thing I did notice is that as the weight goes up due to passenger and baggage the CG moves to the rear and the pitch stability changes from positive stability to neutral stability such that as you pitch up it has a tendency to stay pitched and the speed decays, just something to stay aware off.
Made a few small changes along the way, fixed a wiring issue where I had the 496 wired direct to the SL-30 for frequency uploads and hence did not wire the Dynon HS34 to the SL-30. Impact of this was that OBS could only be controlled from the SL-30, I did not realize that the Dynon had a pass through mode to send the 496 data to the SL-30, I rewired the Dynon to the SL-30 and now everything works great and the OBS can be changed by the HS34.
I also reversed the strobe/nav light switch connections to have strobes only on position 1 and strobes plus nav lights on position 2. This means I can run the strobes and the wig/wag lights during the day without having the nav lights and the interior lights on. I still may add another seperate switch for the interior flood lights seperate from the dimmer circuit.
Few other mods included adding the aileron rod boots to cut down on the cold air draft throught the sticks and floor, adding a slide out cup holder on the passenger side and changing the prop at rest position to the typical 10-4 diagonal position.
I also changed out the standard Van's tail-wheel bracket for the aviation tech products version to give better clearance for grass strips such as Smiley Creek Idaho. Looks good to me and handles well.

Winter has kicked in

2008-12-25T07:37:00.001-08:00

Well winter has finally kicked in here in Salt Lake so no work has been done on the plane in a couple of weeks, I have bought a couple of items to install once it clears up (and warms up) a bit. I have a slide-out drink holder to put under the panel on the passenger side and a different tailwheel fork to install, the new fork has better ground clearance than the stock Van's unit which is better for the occasional grass strip landing such as Smiley Creek Idaho. Reviews say the ground handling is also improved a little so we will see.
Next job will be an oil change, think I will stick with the XC and will now add some Camguard to improve the wear characteristics of the engine, got good reviews in the Aviation Consumer magazine.

Merry Holidays to all and great and safe flying in 2009

Up to 35 hours

2008-12-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

Have 35 hours on the plane now and time for another oil change, things have settled down with the engine and while I can still see high CHT's on the intial climb out they settle down quickly in the cruise. At full throttle at 6500 I am seeing fuel burn of 12+ gph and 200 mph ground speeds, at 2400 rpm I am seeing fule burns around 8 gph and 175 mph ground speeds with predicted range of over 800 miles!
All the systems are now checked out and I really like the dynons, the fuel flow sensor is now so accurate after I adjusted the constant that at the last refuel it was accurate to .009% also all the information available makes it easy to adjust the engine performance. Also the nav and autopilot system work well together and are a breeze to use.
Have completed all the flight tests including basic aerobatics and the numbers seem close to the Van's numbers, I do not yet have the wheel fairings installed so I should pick up a few more MPH when these are done. I do have the pants installed and I had to adjust one of them to deal with a slight left yaw that was induced after the install, I will be more careful with the fairings as they can have a big impact apparently.
The plane is just a blast to fly and seems much more stable in the landing configuration than my Pacer, I am still 3 pointing the landings at this time but will try wheel landings soon.
I have decided to make some changes to my electrical system after practical use to make a few things a little easier, for example I have a dual action switch a la Aeroelectric connection that operates the nav lights and strobes, I wired mine a little differently than the Aeroelectric book as I thought I would like to switch off the strobes in clouds but leave the nav lights on, practically speaking this means that during day VFR the nav and interior lights are on all the time as I have the strobes on all the time, this does not work well and dims the trim indicator lights so I plan to reverse the connections to have strobes first and then add the nav lights.
The wig wag circuit works well and I have already had comments about how easy it is to see them when looking head on.
I have added two extra pockets in front of the seats on the forward spar area to store check lists etc and they are very handy and easy to reach in flight between the knees, they are held on with velcro so they can easily be removed for aircraft maintenance etc. Good place to keep the flight book also.

Test Phase Progress

2008-11-25T06:08:00.000-08:00

Now have 28 hours on the plane and have sorted out a number of configuration issues many of which are to do with the setup and communication between the various digital subsystems. Now have all systems talking correctly to each other and all systems are working, I also checked the transponder with SLC center. Have on apparent bug in the Dynon 5.0 release of firmware that activates the AoA alarm after the stall has actually occured, this worked fine with the 4.2 release so Dynon is checking the backup files to determine what the problem may be.
Tip for the taildragger builders is to calibrate the tank sender units with the plane in the flying attitude, I did it in the at rest position and they were way off, much better now.
So far I have checked all the stalls, handling qualities, and various V speeds, all are within 1 or 2 mph of the published Van's numbers. Stalls are relatively benign but I have not been at gross weight yet so this could change (so far have been at 1576 lbs).
Yesterday did loops and rolls, loops were very exiting particularly as I have not pulled that much G since the early eighties, also went a bit negative over the top (pushed too much to keep the loop round) and immediately got a low fuel pressure warning as I do not have inverted fuel or oil systems. I also had to watch RPM on the down line as I have FP so could easily overspeed the engine (would get another warning)
My Master Caution system is working great and for those going digital I highly recommend this very simple modification to the Van's oil pressure switch circuit.
Have assembled the wheel pants and will install them today and test fly to see if they impact handling, gear leg fairing will be done later as they take some time to align which is apparently critical for longitudinal trim stability.
On the stability front I have done the various phugoid/stability tests and best I can tell I have positive stability in the pitch axis and what appears to be neutral stability in the roll axis. Yaw forces are very positive and rudder pedal forces are significantly higher than the Pacer, this may be a function of the higher speeds and the large rudder. In this area I found slips to the right to be easy to accomplish but slips to the left I found difficult to get coordinated, need more practice I guess.
Other items of note are speed management in the pattern with FP, takes some practice as the plane does not slow down quickly, numbers I am using now are 120 mph into the pattern and on downwind, slow to 110 mph at the numbers for 20% flaps, 95 mph base leg slowing to 85 mph and full flaps on final and 75 -80 mph over the numbers. Seems to work out OK for now and gives reasonable margin for error as I learn the plane.
Thats it for now although I have to say the plane is just a blast to fly and was worth all the effort and frustration of the past 4 1/2 years, cannot wait to get the 40 hours flow off and start to go places.

She Flies!!!!!!!

2008-10-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

Inspection completed on Saturday with no squawks, Plane was reassembled on Sunday and yesterday the weather was perfect for a first flight so I had no excuses. First flight was very interesting as I had no airspeed indications, high CHT readings and a very loud side tone on the SL-30 that made in flight radio use virtually impossible. Needless to say it was a quick jaunt around the pattern and land. I used the panel page of the Garmin 496 to get speed cues and came in hot to make sure I did not have a problem, fortunately the runway at U42 is over 5000 ft long so plenty of time to float down.
I found the pitot problem (not reconnected after the wing was removed and replaced), adjusted the SL-30 side tone to 50% and tried again, another quick trip around the pattern but now with airspeed and a usable radio but still (to me) high CHT's, these may actually not be as bad as I think based on feedback from the VAF site so I will try a cruise flight today to see if they stabilize.
Pulled the cowl and no leaks so onto the next step of the test phase.

Inspection scheduled

2008-10-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

Received the registration back from the FAA and have the DAR inspection scheduled for next weekend, insurance is in place so we will be ready to go. Still working through the various paperwork requirements to make sure I am prepared. Also working on the flight test program using the FAA and Van's documents as a guide.
Biggest issue will be the new engine that needs to be run at full power for a few hours to break-in the ring/cylinder wall seals as this makes it a) somewhat nerve wracking for the initial flight and b) difficult to do any real slow flight as it is not recommended to do multiple power changes during this phase. Guess I will be burning holes in the sky for a few hours initially.
Had a RV builders group at my hanger this weekend which was fun, people are in various stages but we have two new flying RV's this year in the group already.
Plane is apart right now for the inspection, I will post pictures when it is all back together, painting will not take place until I have finished the test phase.
Still chasing one issue with the ID function on the SL-30, pumps very high volume white noise into the headset, not sure if this is because I cannot yet tune in a VOR or some other problem. Other than that all the electronics seem to be working as designed.

Sent off registration paperwork to FAA

2008-10-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Paperwork for registration went off to the FAA this week, need that back to schedule the DAR for airworthiness inspection. Had the plane inspected by the EAA local chapter and everything looks good.

Built up a printout of the website for proof of build and made up POH etc.

W&B on plane performed, plane came out at 1115 lbs with interior etc but no wheel pants or gear leg fairings or paint, apparently this is a fairly typical weight (seems a bit on the heavy side to me based on the Van's numbers)
Now working off a small punch list of cleanup items and building a flight test program for the first 10 hours. Will have to get a few hours of transition training according to the insurance broker and still waiting for the quote!!!

Will get some pictures this weekend.

Started Engine

2008-09-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the controls were finished and set-up, used Mickey Coggins Delrin idea for the aileron stops with some nylon spacers from Lowes, worked like a champ.
Kim Mathews (KW Aviation) who built my ECI 0-360 came down to install the front crankshaft plug and we decided to try starting the engine, first loaded the left tank with 5 gallons of 100LL, no leaks!!! The checked out the fuel pump and primer system and again no leaks.
Added 8 quarts of 100 mineral oil and hand turned the motor for a while then turned the motor on the starter with the bottom plugs out until oil pressure started to show to ensure the oil filter and cooler were filled. Installed the plugs, rechecked all the connections, followed the normal start procedure (fuel pump on, short prime, mixture rich, cracked the throttle, switch to start) and engine fired on third blade and ran like a champ, very cool.

Brakes worked fine (primed with the lowes hand pump method), matco parking brake worked great (forgot it was on and came back to plane 10 minutes later and brakes were still solid).
Overall a very satisfying day after 4 years of work.
Now down to working off a list of small item on the punch list, have sent off for the EAA registration package to start working on the paperwork.

In hanger and wings mounted

2008-09-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

Project has been moved to the hanger and with the help of the local RV builders group the wings are mounted. Now on to finishing the wing wiring and the installation of the aileron pushrods.

Bits and pieces

2008-09-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

After summer vacation back to work on the RV with a lot of the smaller jobs and glassing the front windscreen into place ( I have decided I hate fiberglass). This is now done and I am in the sanding and filling (and sanding and filling.................) phase.

Brake system has been filled and bled and Avery wheel jack modification has been installed.
Also installed the seat belts and glassed in the fin and empennage tips.

Finished up the wings to add the fuselage trim piece and the wingtips and installed the tank sender units (had to turn the float around to miss the tank internal stiffener), still have to seal the cover and will do that with proseal, will also replace the screws with allen head screws to make it easier to remove if necessary later.
Trying to finish as much as I can in the garage before I move the project to the hanger which may be as early as this week. Still have more fiberglass work to do on the cowling to make the two halves fit better.

Closing up the front

2008-07-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

Finished trial fitting the wings and checked all the wiring in the cockpit was complete and clamped/tied etc. Finished the install of the forward floor tunnel and the engine controls and screwed everything in place (did check all the fuel connections were tight).
After talking to Tim ( a RV-7A builder) at a fly-in this weekend I added a conduit from the cabin heater box to the windshield to provide some defrost capability and also added a hole for the gps and XM weather antenna cables as I have decided to mount these on the glare shield for now.
Then closed up the top skin, all future panel work etc will have to be done either through the panel or from underneath, hope I got everything 8>)
Put the cowl on and the windshield ready for the fiberglass work that is one of the next big jobs, I am not looking forward to this work as I do not have any real fiberglass expertise and I am sure I can screw up my good work with crappy fiberglass work, just take it slow I guess.
Quick picture:

Fitted the wings

2008-07-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

With help from Bill (another builder) we fitted the wings yesterday, eveything looked fine and the rear spar attachment had the required 5/8" edge distance so no worries there. Mated up the fuel and vent lines and hooked up the flaps, also drilled the tank attach bracket.
I am still wrestling with the decision about putting connectors for the wing wiring in the fuselage versus wiring everything directly, this will allow me to finish the wings before I move to the hangar leaving only final assembly at the hangar.
Here are some pictures:

Finished firewall forward

2008-07-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

Finally finished the firewall forward except for a little fiberglass cleanup and pinhole filling on the cowling (and the spinner). The baffles drove me nuts and is one of those tasks where the instructions make sense when you have finished the job but do not seem to make much sense when you are actually trying to do the work. There is a surprising amount of metal that has to be trimmed off which makes you nervous and the cowl is on and off dozens of times to check fit etc.
One trick I found is to take off the ring gear as it makes cowl removal and installation much much easier, I will find out later how easy it is to install and remove the cowl when the prop is installed, hope I can do it OK.
One other trick is to get the rear baffles installed and fitted BEFORE you position the oil cooler so that the cooler can be as high as possible, I also installed a brace on the inside to further reduce any tendency for the baffles to crack.
Here are a series of pictures of the finished engine installation.
Here are the baffles from the front:

Left and Right

Front view

FAB Assembly and exhaust

FAB Assembly from front

This shows the wiring runs

Here is the oil cooler installed

Now on to finish the final cockpit wiring ready to fit the wings, I have decided to run all the wing wiring from the panel and coil it up in the wing root so that I can put on the forward top skin and finish the forward windscreen. I can do all this in the garage before the move to the hanger so that the hanger work is largely final assembly rather than construction, this means I do not have to move ALL my tools etc to the hangar.

More wiring and firewall forward work

2008-05-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

Almost completed all the wiring in the fuselage, just have some of the engine based sensors such as tacho, EGT and CHT to connect to the Dynon EMS and the big cables to the alternator and starter to complete. I now have received all the sensors and cables so this can be done next week.
Here is how I finaly decided to wire the sticks and trims using a DB15 connector:

The panel is also complete and to the extent possible all systems seem to checkout and work as designed. All the audio signals from each subsystem are summed into the intercom (PS3000A) and I also have the ability to switch the 496 XM or external IPOD music into the system, it would be nice if I could include the voice warning from the 496 via the data cable but apparently this is designed to drive a speaker directly and would destroy the input section of the intercom (still thinking about this). Here is the final panel:

Then moved on to installing engine components, installed the mags and had them timed with help from Kim at KW Aviation, installed the fuel pump and the various fitting for oil cooler, manifold pressure, oil pressure etc. Some of these did not fit in accordance with the instructions as they either interfered with something or I could not get the correct angle without over tightening (and worried about breaking off the fitting in the engine), anyhow got most installed OK but may have to change some of them later as more equipment or the baffles are installed.
Installed the exhaust and the carburetor then had to take off the carb as it had to be drilled for the inlet air temp sensor, did that and reinstalled.
I had to order some more parts (cables, fitting, screws etc ) to complete the engine work so I decided to move onto the cowling while I waited, the cowl was a real PITA but I got it mostly completed and lined up:

The fit of the two fiberglass halves is not very good in the spinner area, the molds do not quite line up and the face is not square, there is enough overlap to install the holding screws and nut plates but I suspect I will have to do some work with glass and microballoons to make it look good (although it is behind the spinner so you cannot see it). It was a pain to get everything lined up and drill the hinges especially working alone but in the end everything lined up OK and the hinge gaps look OK to me. One area that was frustrating is the top hinge which uses smaller .090 hinge rod in the 1/8 inch hinges to enable the hinge rod to form around the curve, this makes the hinge loose and lets the cowl pull forward which makes the gap with the fuselage larger than I liked, I adjusted out as much as I could as I did the other hinges by tightening the whole system with a strap and then drilling the hinge cowl combination in place (also not easy to do).
As you can see the project is now begining to look like a real plane.

Next job is to finish the cockpit wiring and the engine accessory installation and then move to the baffles which I believe are another PITA installation, getting closer to the move to the hanger though.

Tail Wheel Connected

2008-05-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

Have been working on the tail section to get it all completed, basic fiberglass is done except for glassing in the tips which I will do later when it is a bit warmer. Decided to rivet on the lower empennage gap fillers as I cannot see a reason to ever remove this and the screw method is a lot of effort for no real purpose, decided to leave out the rubber filler (optional on plans) as it did not fit very well and did not look good. Also fitted the upper fairing.

Finished hooking up the tail wheel, started with the plans approach but noticed a better way at a fly-in last weekend on a RV-3 using eye bolts which allows you to change them as they get worn rather than wearing out the horn on the rudder. Ordered them from Aircraft Spruce and installed then yesterday, they work well and also allow you to easily adjust the chain length and then install the bolt rather than struggling to install the clips:

Next job will be to finish wiring on the elevator trim tab (after a lot of research I decided to go with the DB pin/socket/heatshrink connection method for the 26awg wire on the Ray Allen servos as this will allow the removal of the elevator) and then bolt the elevators in place, this should wrap up the tail section.

Finished replacement rudder

2008-04-21T06:57:00.001-07:00

Finished the replacement rudder, couple of things I learnt along the way:
1. I built the first one wrong by riveting the counterweight skin on the outside of the rudder skins, no big deal and I have noticed the same mistake on a couple of RV's recently. On closer inspection of the drawing it shows the skin on the inside (dotted outline versus solid) and it looks better this way.
2. For the -7 version the lower cap interferes with the tail wheel spring so you have to trim the fiberglass, easiest way is to measure the distance between the bottom of the lower hinge bracket and the tail wheel spring, subtract about 1/2 inch for clearance and then transfer that measurement to the front of the lower cap. Then draw a line from the rear to the revised front point and cut the cap. (easiest way I found to cut the fiberglass was a Dremel with the 2 inch fiber cut-off wheel, wear protective glasses and mask as the dust is fine and goes everywhere, also wear long sleeved shirt to prevent itching). I cleaned up the edge with the table belt sander.
Here is the result:

Also fitted the tail/strobe light, as I did not want to have a removable cap I needed to find the best way to mount the light so that it was removable to get at the wiring, there is no space for anchor nuts so I ended up using auto style upholstery clip nuts which were a bit of a pain to fit (had to grind the shape to match the fiberglass inside) but ended up working great.
Next job is to figure the wiring run out of the rear of the fuselage.

New Rudder

2008-04-17T06:12:00.000-07:00

finally the weather has improved and my chore list has reduced enough to get back to work on the RV, decided to attack a job I have been putting off for a year and that is to build the replacement rudder. The original lost an argument with the garage door and it irritated me so much I stuffed it in the back of the garage to get it out of my mind, fortunately I found someone on VAF who had a spare 7/9 rudder kit for $100.
So far drilling off the damaged skins and building the replacements has gone quickly and I should be done this week, then I can finish the rudder cable connections to get the pedals in the correct place.

Engine hung

2008-01-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

KW Aviation finished building the ECI 0-360 AIA engine this week and we hung the engine today, looks great!!!!.
It was not as much of a pain as i expected, we got the lower mounts in first and then installed the top mounts and used the engine lift to help position the engine to start the bolts. I think putting the cotter pins in the lower bolts will be a pain however as there is no room to work.

Still looking for a deal on the mags and carburetor and waiting for the governor cover but I can start to wire and plumb the main engine stuff.

Also worked on the intercom wiring and found that I need more shielded wire so ordered more stuff from Stein. With this order I think I will be able to complete the wiring.
I decided to use DB connectors for the sticks and trims rather than a terminal block, I think the crimped pins will be better than crimping fast-on connectors on such small wire, again a matter of personal taste.

Pitot Static Lines

2008-01-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

I decided to put service loops in the pitot static lines to allow the Dynon to be removed without crawling under the panel, used flex tubing from air conditioning systems which seems to work well (same approach used on a couple of other RV's locally ).

Also torqued up and cotter pinned the bolts that hold the engine mount to the firewall as the engine may be ready to hang next weekend

Time to get back to work

2008-01-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

Well after a nice Xmas vacation in Maui followed by a terrible cold (first I can remember in years) that laid me up for ten days it is time to get back to work on the RV. My engine is going together nicely (an ECI kit that is very complete) and may be ready to install next weekend, and today I was at our monthly RV builders group meeting looking at a very nice completed RV-9A that is waiting for the DAR inspection. Great motivation to get on with things even though the weather has been very cold recently and the garage is freezing.

Tomorrow I will install some flexible service loops in the pitot static and AOA line to the Dynon D100 so that I can pull the unit forward enough to disconnect the tubes to remove the unit (I used the safeair kit which has quick disconnect couplings) this means that I do not have to crawl under the instrument panel. I have mounted the fuse panels behind the dynon units such that I can check/update them from the front with the Dynons removed.
The flex tubing is from air conditioning condenser units and is impervious to chemicals and aging and fit tightly on 1/4 inch pitot tubing.

More wiring and finishing

2007-12-24T06:59:00.000-08:00

Accomplished more wiring runs and finished the installation of the aileron trim system, decided to connect the sticks and trims with DB connectors rather than the terminal strip. Reason for this is that the small wires seem to crimp better onto the DB pins than the ring terminal connectors.

Also wired up the pilots stick and this will be connected next, will make the co-pilots stick removable as it only has the PTT installed, will use a 2 pin micro molex for the connector inside the stick.

Also have been reviewing where to mount the headset connectors as I cannot put them where I had originally intended as this location is covered by the Oregon Aero interior (which looks fantastic BTW). Think I have decided to mount the jacks between the seats on the seat back horizontal member so I can get to them in flight, some people have mounted them on the rear of this location under the tonneau cover but this location may be hard to reach in flight.

Have a very merry Christmas and a good build ing year in 2008

Finished in the back....Yeah

2007-11-25T16:09:00.001-08:00

Finished the wiring in the back and got it all trim and tied down, glad to be dome with this as it is a pain (quite literally) for me to squeeze back there.

Also checked out the power to the avionics and fired up the panel, looks good to me, still more wiring to do but it is coming along.

Also managed to get the aileron trim installed, do not like the safety wire approach as it is impossible to get a nice twist in the confined space. Think I will pinch Matt Burch's idea and use the radio control links, I have some and just need to get the rod to make the Z bend, next weeks project. Still trying to get the sticks complete, cut them to length but they hit the engine controls at full range, do not know how much this will be restricted when the control stops are in place but cannot check until the wings are installed. Think I will place a quick post on VAF to see what info I can get.

Installed pitch servo

2007-11-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

Decided to focus on getting all the equipment and wiring in the back of the fuselage done as it is a pain to work back there. Got the pitch servo installed and ran the servo wires to the panel, started to work on the strobes to the tail only to find that the strobe wires for the wingtips will not fit through the snap bushing that are installed in the fuselage through the center tunnel, bummer :(

After some thought decided I needed to cut a hole in the side of the tunnel under the baggage floor but this is all riveted in place at this time, finally figured how to cut this out with my Dremel tool and make a cover that will contain the snap bushings. Wires will now run forward to the wing routing area. Also found that the pre made coax for the ELT will not reach the antennae in the rear cone mount position that I have chosen, more parts on order from B&C to make the cable.

Received the HS34 today so will install that this weekend, can now finish the avionics wiring.

It's on Wheels!!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

Tough choices this weekend as the weather was great for flying but I also needed to contniue to make progress on the RV. In the end I decided to keep going with the RV. The engine kit is on order and should arrive soon so I can install, decided to go with the ECI kit in the end, straight 0-360 A1A built locally.
Decided to take a break from the wiring and assemble the gear, went together very easily once I downloaded the pictures from Dan Checkoway's site, the drawings are virtuously useless in this area. Was not easy to get the gear attached to the engine mount with the mount on the fuselage so I decided to mount the gear to the engine mount and then mount the whole thing to the fuselage, with the help of my son to lift the assembly into place the whole exercise went fine.

Then went back to the wiring, Dynon returned the D-100 and this is now installed and working fine with the D-120, have been wiring the other bits and pieces and this time did the Ray Allen trim indicators using the DB9 connector method recommended. Turned out OK but I need to figure out where to get the parts for the fixed connector to allow the shell to screw together.

I also bought the Ray Allen cable to make the installation a bit easier, just have to seperate the two white wires near the sticks and hook them into the top hat switch in the stick.
Also fired up the Dynons to check out the main Avionics Master and the E-Bus Alt Feed switches and it all workes as designed, I decided to put the D-120 on the main bus so it comes on with the Master Switch, this allows me to check engine parameters on engine start. The D-100 is on the avionics bus so I can switch this in when the engine is running (and no spikes I hope) along with the rest of the avionics.

Dynon update..its the fuse stupid

2007-10-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

Well the Dynon update problem turned out to be my own stupid fault, Dynon could not find anything wrong with the unit and it had successfully updated the firmware to 4.0. They were concerned that there was some other problem so I decided to do some more checking and I checked the power to the E-Bus everything OK, power from E-Bus to pin one on connector...NO POWER, checked fuse and found the fuse had blown (probably during the reboot phase after the update). It was difficult to see the break in the fuse wire so I missed that but I could not believe that I did not do the basic trouble shooting to check power to the unit, I guess I assumed as the D-120 came up everything was OK and it must be a box problem......DUH.
Turned out after talking to Dynon that I had put a 2A fuse in the E-Bus slow and it should have been 3A (think 2A was for the EMS.
Anyway problem solved and I feel better that the unit updated fine and that the firmware update process is not flaky as I am sure there will be numerous updates in the future as Dynon adds functionality.

Up and Down Weekend

2007-10-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sort of an up and down weekend, got a lot of the wiring on the panel completed and installed the manifold pressure sensor. Also sorted the engine build with a local builder.
Downside was I attempted to update the Dynon D-100 and D-120 to firmware release 4.0 which implements the DSAB bus allowing communication directly between the Dynon units, the D-120 updated fine but the D-100 black screened after the update and will not reboot or power up, called Dynon today and had to send the unit back, bit of a bummer to say the least as I wanted to see it all working.
Did decide to order the Dynon HS34 control panel as this will make switching between the GPS and the SL-30 easier. Still have a question on the AoA audio with this setup.

Did also end up making some minor schematic updates and corrections which I will upload probably next weekend.

Finished Panel Layout

2007-10-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

Finished the panel layout and installed the equipment to check final fit etc. Started the wiring and finished the routing of the wires through the firewall.

Equipment include Dynon D-100 and D-120, Garmin SL-30 and GTX-327, Gamin 496, TruTrak ADI II Autopilot and PS3000 Intercom.

Back to the wiring

2007-10-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Back on the panel and wiring, finished the mechanical installation of the GTX-327 and SL-30 trays and the panel for the PS3000 intercom.

Have been working on the wiring schematic and have a lot of the basics done, still detailing the avionics interconnects, the basic ExpressPCB schematic is here in.sch format if you want to download it and I will post a .pdf later when finished.

Schematic is based on Aeroelectric Z-11 diagram with some changes, uses fuses rather than circuit breakers and ended up with nine switches and one breaker on the panel.

Back to the panel

2007-10-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Well the slider canopy is basically complete (and the weather is getting cold) so I am back to the panel work. I may still put in the rear brackets on the canopy to improve the lower rear fit but I will leave that until it gets warmer next year.

I now have all the panel equipment and electronics so I can complete the fuselage wiring this winter, the panels are basically done so I am now finishing the radio intercom section to install the SL-30 Nav/Com, the GTX-327 Transponder and the PS3000 intercom. I decided to get the radios etc from Stark Avionics which included the harnesses pre-wired to my particular equipment installation, they did a great job, no muss no fuss.

As you can see you have to cut another hole in the center panel support, I cut this above the engine cable support panel as I wanted to maintain as much rigidity as I could, I may still rivet an additional angle across the panel for stiffness as there is a cut-out also for the map box.

Intercom will probably go on the filler panel below the SL-30 and will include a music input jack for the passenger to plug in an ipod etc, still have to figure dual inputs to include the 496 as this uses the same input to the PS300

Finished the Canopy

2007-09-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Finally finished the canopy, the fit in the lower rear is not perfect but close enough for me to be OK.

Took quite a while but I managed to get done before the weather gets cold so I can get back to the wiring. The last thing I did was add a handle at the rear as it is not easy to open the canopy from just pulling on the front handle until the rear starts to lift (I think the plastic hold down pin blocks hold it tight which is what I want anyway)

I might try to pull the rear skirts in a little more later but for now I am done. More pictures are in the on-line construction album.

More rear canopy skirt and Flaps

2007-09-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

Finished the left side rear skirt using the same technique as the right, both sides now fit pretty well with just a couple of high spots where the skirt does not quite touch the fuselage. Gaps are about 1/16 inch and are probably OK but I might try to tweak them some more.

Next steps are to clean everything up and then rivet the canopy together, I need to paint some of the inside side skins as they will be difficult to get to when the canopy is installed.

Also drilled out the top end rib rivets on the flap to see if the skin will relax to the correct shape as suggested by Van's, skin did not change so I sent another email to Van's for more suggestions. I may have to rebuild the flaps or live with the current slight curl.

More Canopy skirt tweaking

2007-09-25T05:50:00.000-07:00

Tweaked the rear skirt by rolling over PVC pipe and hand twisting along the length, fitting better and closer at the bottom but still have a slight lift as you can see. A bit more work should have this solved

Rear Canopy Fairings

2007-09-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Worked on the rear canopy fairings and have them in reasonable shape. The top part of the canopy had a slight ski jump like other people and I did not want to cut any more off the canopy plexiglass so I used my flange tool to make a small flange on both sides that brought the skins down in contact with the rear deck. It looks like it is supposed to be there and still allows the top hat section to fit in place.

The lower part of the rear and side skins seem to be about 1/4 inch out from the fuselage at the rear and I am not sure what to do about this as it would mean re-bending the frame and redoing the rear pin housings. I will get it all together and see if it ends up OK if I tweak the skins.

Flap skin problem update

2007-09-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well I received feedback from Van's and while they say the flaps would be fine they also said that the skin bends were not correct and they would replace them if I wanted. First they suggest I try drilling out the rivets on the top of the end ribs to see if the skins will relax into the correct shape, if this works they will send replacement end ribs that are not drilled so I can match them to the existing skins and not have to rebuild both complete flap assemblies.

I plan to try this this weekend.

RV-7 Panel Log from Web Site

2007-09-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Ordered more equipment

Received the Dynon systems after only a few weeks. Ordered the SL30, GTX 327 and Tru TRk ADI II from Stark Avionics (best prices); they should be here in 2 to 4 weeks. That completes the panel equipment buys and am now into the wiring, have run a number of wires and have the remote compass and OAT mounted in the rear by the tail. Fired up the Dynon and it recognized the compass and OAT, cool :>)
Have finished the left and right panels and painted them, will finish the center when the radios arrive and the mechanical installation is complete.
So far the panel looks the way I had hoped and has all the functionality I will need.

Pilots Side has D100 plus 496 with ADI II, ASI and ALT, Copilots side has D120, Trim Position, Hobbs and 12V outlet

Ordered equipment

Ordered the dual Dynon system (D100 and D120), 12 weeks backordered but got the wiring harnesses etc so I can get wiring. Planning on the Z-11 basic diagram with fuses and some mods of my own.
Also ordered the backup instruments (ASI and Altimeter) and am planning on the ADI 2 Autopilot (also as backup ADI). Already have the 496 in my Pacer.

Panel thinking and avionics (updated again)

After more thinking and spreadsheets I am closing in on the panel layout, just bought a Garmin 396 to use in my Pacer and it is a great device. Also found this panel which seems to match my desires perfectly and is a very clean panel. Now I have a real baseline ;>)

Panel thinking and avionics

It would certainly seem that the digital revolution has caught up with experimental aircraft and many people are opting for an all electrical system which seems attractive for many reasons, panel space and layout, advanced features, redundancy with battery backup etc etc.
Currently planning to build a slider with a day/night VFR instrument suite complemented by either a Garmin 396 or Lowrance GPS/moving map system, I have a Lowrance 3300C on my boat and it works very well and is very readable in bright sunlight and at night. Again trying to balance cost versus utility.
So far I have come up with the following major component wish list:
1. EFIS D-100 and D-120 from Dynon Avionics http://www.dynonavionics.com/
2. ADI II Autopilot from http://www.trutrackflightsystems.com/
3. Garmin 496 coupled with the Garmin SL-30 and GTX-327 for integrated Nav/com and GPS guidance including XM weather and traffic alerts http://www.garmin.com/
Still thinking of some backups such as ASI, ALT, VSI and Turn and Bank but we shall see

Flap skins

2007-09-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

I sent this picture to Van's today to see if my flaps were OK as there was a problem with the skins in 2005 which is when I built mine. You can see a slight ski jump effect on the bottom of the trailing edge but I do not know if it is enought to worry about. I am sure Van's will let me know

2007-09-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Nice flying RV-7, hope my turns out like this

Construction Photo Album

2007-09-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

As I move over to this blog to capture my contruction progress I am trying to figure out how to shift my web site to this blog as there is a program that will convert the blog to .PDF format which is a great way to have a hard copy for archive.

I have added the link to my web site construction photo album to see if it works as a direct link.

Ordered more stuff

2007-09-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

After reviewing the VAF site I ordered the fiberglass equipment I will need to finish the canopy and the elevator tips, will use the epoxy and microballoon mixtire to fill the errant holes in the canopy. Ordered the entire kit from www.ctssales.com based on RV7guy recomendation.
Have no experience with fiberglass work so this will be a new world (and probably sticky too)

Also ordered a bunch of tinnerman washers to use where the rivets and screws hold the canopy in place, figured that spreading the load will help prevent future cracking. Will also use these for the removable wingtips and probably other fiberglass retaining areas (had to order in quantities of 100)

Still working the canopy

2007-09-16T07:40:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a trip and the replacement canopy parts had arrived from Van's and others. Fortunately my side skin error was such that it is rectifiable by new skins and new holes in the canopy. Received a couple of tips from VAF that I can fill the canopy holes with plastic filler or epoxy and microballoon mix

(I am obviously at the stage where I need to order this stuff from Aircraft Spruce)

Also received the last of the avionics from John Stark, nice job on the wiring harness.

Decided to try to finish the major canopy effort while it is still warm and then get back to the wiring which I can do through the winter, also just about to order the engine which will take about 4 months to deliver.

Most people have recommended leaving the forward top skin off until the last moment as it is much easier to get at everything, guess I will do that after the engine is intalle, plumbed and wired.