Gluing the windscreen on the airplane was nerve-wracking. Sika Flex was again the weapon of choice, and even though I’m feeling more confident with the Sika Flex system, it’s still a messy and permanent approach to windscreen and canopy attachment. The important part was getting both clamping and spacing worked out. Spacing was required to […]
Getting the roll bar correct is pivotal to getting the alignment of windscreen to canopy and the gap therein. My roll bar was exactly perpendicular to the longeron, but I wound up having to shim one end and grind level some of the weldment to better suit the alignment of the actual canopy pieces. With […]
Getting the avionics in place has been something I’ve been working on behind the scenes. I had the stock van panel water jet cut and powder coated–this after making some file adjustments based on the trial panels I’ve created to date. Dry transfers were created through Color Vu. The glare shield was primed and painted […]
I did an initial trim of the skirt, cutting along the far line that I made (approximately 3/4″ outside of the “final” trim line). I like the proportions of this so much it may become the final trim line. The low spot, created by the rear canopy lip, is visible when holding a ruler to […]
The windshield on the plane has been perfunctorily cutout and set on the plane. The fit, overall, looks pretty good, with minimal areas of adjustment needed. However, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that these areas where you have to adjust for a perfect fit are deceptive, and likely you’ll spend roughly 143 weeks taking the […]
There’s a notable dip in the skirt, stemming from the high lip on rear of the canopy. I hoping a little filler will be able to go a long way here. Otherwise, the skirt is pretty fair from the tape technique used, and I’m overall very happy with it.
The first removal of the rear skirt proved is didn’t have enough structure. A few more layers of good cloth and it now proves to be structurally sound–remember, this piece will also be fastened permanently to the canopy, offering ample rigidity and suppport. Now it is time for careful trimming, filling, and sanding to prepare […]
Getting the systems in the center tunnel corralled has long been on my list. This goes hand-in-hand with prep for the stick grips, which also require a clean exit from the tube, and insurance that none of the wiring will infringe on the stick movement–even as we add a massive 9-strand cable into the mix. […]