Back to the avionics panel for a bit. With the final placement now determined for all avionics, I had the stock Van’s panel cut by water jet at a local fabricator. Really this should still be at the fabricator, as they still have work to do. But so do I. Before the panel can be […]
The post here is somewhat short, but the video will be detailed. The big cut was a big task. I think the preparation, buildup, stress, and anxiety made this one of the most intense days in the shop–at least this far. Heat: Keeping the shop heated is key. The material will get brittle below 70-ish […]
I couldn’t help myself from test fitting the canopy. This did little more than get me excited, as there was no valuable information gathered from this experience other than, “It looks like an airplane–cool.” I think the more exciting part–depending on who you ask–is that we’ve regained some space in the living room now that […]
With aft skins on, and roll bar attached, it meant I could test out this canopy frame. From what I hear, I could plan on wrestling with this thing for months. I also feel like I’ve been semi-consciously building this up in my head so that I can be pleasantly surprised. The slider space and […]
The roll bar was an apt introduction into the canopy, from what I hear. Mine was very close to plan, avoiding the big adjustments required by many. Still, this piece won’t bend. I needed about 1/8″ of twist which I achieved at the cost of risk of great personal injury, and 1/8″ of “squeeze” which […]
I wasn’t quite expecting to be here, but here we are. I had a volunteer available, and I’ve been a little aimless as I try to figure out the panel, so we took on the aft skins. It took about 4 hours from initial rivet training (this volunteer hadn’t helped out on the project yet) […]
I went ahead and installed the heat box. This still needs a cable run, which pains me because my panel is nearing completion and I don’t know where this and a few other runs (alt air) will penetrate. The hole in the firewall proved to be a bit tricky to add, but a brand new […]
This piece of the build has been giving me anxiety for months. Today, I feel it’s been put to rest. First, let me say, this wasn’t without great amounts of trial and error. Everything from the order in which items are run (does coax go to the right or left of pitot/static?) to the foam […]
This pun brought to you by some hilarious YouTube followers. First off, I love these grips. I’m super excited about them. The functionality, without looking like a F-16 wannabe, is great. Modern looking without the cosplay feel. The button quality, especially the PTT, is excellent. Wiring these bad chickens in was a bit of feat […]
Today was ELT day. I had prewired much of the ELT, so this wasn’t an incredibly taxing adventure. Still, between the physical mounting, final wiring, and alteration of panel, this took a couple days. Testing the ELT proved successful after I remembered to configure the system properly in the G3X–an incredibly easy task. It’s incredibly […]