Contruction Log The Plane About Us

Last 25 Entries

Entry Date: Thursday, Mar 11, 2010 (details)
We're on the GROUND!
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 1 hours

Hurrah!

Entry Date: Wednesday, Feb 10, 2010 (details)
Mount Tubes & Tires on the Main Wheel Assemblies & Mount Wheels
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 2 hours

Seperated the wheels (manual calls for 7/16" tools, ours needed 1/2" - We have 8's).
Insert tubes inside tires and put together the wheel halves.
Checked for pinches and inflated the tires.
Attached remaining axle hardware, packed the bearings.
Slid on the wheels and drilled the final outboard cotter pin hole.

Entry Date: Wednesday, Feb 03, 2010 (details)
Install the Brake Mounting Flanges & Torque Plates on the Axles
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 4 hours

Positioned the Brake Mounting Flange on the axle with the proper angle for our taildragger configuration.
Marked and drilled using the step-method.
Installed brackets/flanges/etc.

Entry Date: Saturday, Jan 30, 2010 (details)
Drill & Bolt the Main Gear Legs
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 4 hours

Check final bolt placement before drilling and recheck alignment.
Drill main gear legs using the step method.
Clean and deburr.

Entry Date: Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 (details)
Insert & Position the Gear Legs
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 3 hours

Test-fit gear legs in sockets to check if honing was needed.
*Left-side fit in perfectly, so this was marked "L" and we moved to the Right*
Used honing tool as necessary, cleaned and regreased between fittings.
Used a steel bar to align gear legs with proper taildragger shims.

Entry Date: Monday, Jan 25, 2010 (details)
Support & Level the Fuselage
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 1 hours

Position fuselage to assist in gear leg insertion.
Level and support.

Entry Date: Thursday, Oct 29, 2009 (details)
Fuselage Control System Pulleys Installation
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 2 hours

(still working on)
Prepared the forward pulley group for installation and made guards.
Installed the following pulleys: Lower Aft Aileron, Center Flap, Lower Outboard Flap, Upper Crossover.
*No cotter pins have been installed yet*

Entry Date: Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 (details)
Install the Cable Fairleads
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 0.5 hours

Trimmed the four plastic fairleads and installed in the fuselage cage.

Entry Date: Monday, Oct 26, 2009 (details)
Control Stick Assembly & Installation
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 2 hours

Assemble the elevator/aileron control.
Prepare the control yoke bearing blocks.
Install the assembly.

Entry Date: Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 (details)
Assemble & Install the Flap Handle
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 0.5 hours

Press dowel pin into the flap handle plunger.
Superglue flap button and plunger into the extension.
Gather all pieces, grease moving parts, and assemble.
Install the handle in the fuselage after reaming excess paint from the attach area.

Entry Date: Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 (details)
Fabricate the Rudder Pedals
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 1 hours

*Purchased Pre-Made!

Entry Date: Sunday, Oct 18, 2009 (details)
Rudder Control Support Brackets
Assembly: Fuselage
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 2 hours

Drilling - Already completed in the kit.
Press bushings into rudder control support tabs.
Check fuselage level and level the pedal assembly.
Press bushings into rudder control supports.
Install rudder pedal controls into the fuselage.

Entry Date: Tuesday, Oct 06, 2009 (details)
Set the Dihedral Angle of the Wings, Mark & Drill Struts
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 2 hours

Check lateral-level of fuselage and set each wing at a 1.5 degree dihedral angle.
Checked wings for twist, adjusted as necessary.
Marked the struts for drilling.
Drilled outboard ends of the struts using the Glasair jig.

Entry Date: Monday, Oct 05, 2009 (details)
Mount the Wings to the Fuselage
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 5 hours

(combining in one post - includes both sides)
Install the inboard wing strut fittings.
Mark the bolt centerlines on the strut attach arm and wing strut.
Triming of attach areas already completed in our quick build.
Mounted wing, inserted pins, fitted the struts for drilling.

Entry Date: Thursday, Oct 01, 2009 (details)
Wing Riveting - Left
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 50 hours

(Trying to figure out complete hours.)
General Order Follows:
1) Main & cove ribs to the spars.
2) Leading Edges of the nose ribs.
3) Leading Edge assembly to the spar.

Entry Date: Friday, Jul 31, 2009 (details)
Wing Components - Cleaning/Corrosion Protection Note
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 1 hours

During cleaning and corrosion treatment we implemented a new 'tagging' system.

Entry Date: Sunday, Feb 22, 2009 (details)
Assemble & Mount the Flap Tracks
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 1 hours

Lay out and set out rivet pattern of the flap tracks. Cleco with the ribs.
Checked clearances and drilled.
Cleaned, deburred, painted and riveted the assembly together (repeated for both inboard and outboard).
Installed flap tracks on the spar.

Entry Date: Friday, Jan 30, 2009 (details)
Assemble, Rivet and Mount the Flap Bellcrank Assembly and Bracket
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 8 hours

Assemble pieces, lay out rivet pattern per specifications and drill.
Clean, deburr, corrosion protect.
Rivet the assembly together and press the flap bellcrank bearing housing in.
Loctite and press the bearing in.
Assemble, punch, drill and prep the brackets.
Rivet the angles to the brackets, mount the bellcrank assembly, and rivet to the aft spar.

Entry Date: Friday, Jan 30, 2009 (details)
Assemble the Aileron Hinge
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 3 hours

Assemble the aileron hinges based on manual diagrams.
Align, clamp, drill, deburr and clean.
Rivet pieces together and rivet to spar.

Entry Date: Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009 (details)
Assemble the Aileron Bellcrank & Mount the Hinges
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 3 hours

Align the pieces of the bellcrank, clamp and drill. Assemble the brackets as well.
Deburr, clean, and corrosion-proof everything except the bearing.
Rivet brackets, assemble and fit to spar.

Entry Date: Saturday, Jan 03, 2009 (details)
Fabricate & Mount the Outboard Pulley Brackets
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 1 hours

Fabricated the brackets, assembled the pieces and aligned on the spar.
Drilled, cleaned, deburred and painted.

Entry Date: Monday, Sep 01, 2008 (details)
Finish Drilling the Skins
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 15 hours

Completed drilling on both sides.
Aligned and drilled the nose ribs.
Dimpled skins, countersinking on forward spar and flanges.
Deburr.
*Added 5 hours for cleaning, corrosion-proofing, and painting of all wing-bits. (estimated) Completed in stages through 8/1/09.

Entry Date: Saturday, Aug 16, 2008 (details)
Position & Drill the Upper Skin Stringer Channels
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 1 hours

Since the channels were already in place the skins didn't have to be moved again for this step.
Re-positioned the channels with the lower skins off, supported and drilled.

Entry Date: Saturday, Aug 09, 2008 (details)
Position & Drill the Upper Hat Stiffeners
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 4 hours

Remounted upper skins, removed lower. Repeated procedures to prepare the hat sections.
Position and drill.
Enlarge all rivet holes through spars and where the skin splices to #30.

Entry Date: Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 (details)
Position & Drill the Lower Skin Stiffener Channels
Assembly: Wings
Sub-Assembly:  General
Work Time: 1 hours

Fit the skin stringer channels underneath the lower skins.
Centered as well as possible and drilled.
(We changed the order from the manual and did this before the upper hat sections. Seemed to make sense not to waste time removing skins inbetween tasks)