Some folks have asked for the file that I featured in a recent video related to laser cut parts. I’ve created a similar file that has the parts listing for the five most popular (I believe) models. This should save those that aren’t as Excel savvy some grief. As usual, I’m not responsible for errors, […]
There was not a fill of work here, or at least not in the traditional sense. This part of the build was very technical. Very much nuts, bolts, and hardware, and less aluminum art. Maybe it is just the machined and anodized parts getting in my head. There’s a lot of rivets to attach all […]
Complete always comes with quotes. Nothing is ever “done” on this project… I primed the stiffeners and supports with the new white primer. I love the look. Everything was riveted together, but not without issues. Backriveting, no matter what I tried, did not produce great results. I’ve heard others have had this same issue. Best […]
We’re off and running on the fuselage. Starting with the firewall, I was able to get most of the supports clecoed to the stainless steel firewall. There are formed angles that have a “joggle” in them that I thought were malformed from the appearance versus the online image. Online shows a coordinated “lift” in the […]
Well, as a birthday present to myself I went ahead and cracked the case to the fuselage. Inventory took about a week, two more parts organizers, and an overhaul of shelf space. I also had to cut up all the Van’s crates I paid hundreds for… Inventory was fairly uneventful. A handful of missing pieces, […]
The wings are done (for now) and pushed to the front of the garage! Now the next few days to weeks will be filled with inventorying the fuselage kit. What an exciting day! I have some serious counting to do, but also some serious reorganization. If I am to fit a full fuselage in here […]
Can you feel it? I’m nearly to the point of opening the large box containing the fuselage. It’s KILLING me. Completing the linkage is quite fun. All the mechanical bits–it’s nice to have a break from sheet metal. This was my first venture into the land of white primer. It’s tough to work with. It […]
Well after this image I took several hours getting the flap hinge drilled to align the flap exactly how I wanted. The video goes into detail, but it wasn’t easy. Challenge is keeping all training edges in trail, flap-to-aileron gap consistent and correct (1/4″), and hold it all there without the use of clecos until […]
Final riveting of the flaps proved difficult. Sealing without a warp was tough–though I found that many flying planes sport a 1/8″-1/4″ warp with no perceivable flying impacts. I was able to eliminate nearly all warps by working with a flat surface, a lot of weights, and actively working out warps with shims. Riveting the […]
Still on the flaps. Again, easiest doesn’t mean easy. There are some stumbling blocks here, but I should be able to bust up and prime soon. Instructions said shims might be necessary, but I’ve determined my “rear spar” can fit against the ribs nearly perfectly with some adjustment. Be careful doing this, as my video […]