Post No20

Complete since last post:

• Ailerons sanded/installed with counterbalanced on and cleared. Control linkages from aileron to control sticks are all complete. Aileron stops confirmed complete with full deflection. Routed air and electric through wing from center to Pitot tube 100" out at access panel. Emergency locating transmitter (ELT) bracket design upgrade on stowage panel. Installed Whelen strobe power supply below aft stowage compartment. Maybe last dorsal fin bondo. Elevator/rudder linkage cleared from stabilizer and counterbalance cleared from rudder (sanding). Empannage 2 bolts castlated. Brakes WIP (work in progress), design complete, fab 97% complete. Pitot instl wire run complete. Final sand/bondo dorsal fin. Battery installed in fabricated bracket. Closed wingtip lights.  Cleaned out many items from original kit as 30 years, things have changed, move away from shop. Upper cowling cleared at new fastener locations. Purchased ELT antenna ebay & final brake lines. Installed instrument nuts on steam gages (airspeed, vert a/s, compass..), researched old notes and cleaned shop. New nuts on starter, some baffling on motor. Ordered missing seat belt shoulder straps.

Next:

• In shop: Finish last part of brakes, suppt bkt interface to wheel pants and new nuts. Per inspection, sand more elevator. Measure throttle/mixture/heat cable lengths. Prop/spinner cut/fasten. Finish baffling (pg G107). Install ELT switch on panel. Clean old masking tape off windows. sand flaps lower surfaces. upper cowling (7) locks. Research, bring tailwheel fairing and main gear wheelpants to hangar and start. Headlight system. Complete fuel lines fwd & aft firewall, Dynon fuel transducer, oilp pressure and all Dynon probes. Order transponder from spruce, attach new ELT antenna. Create path for Empannage systems (connect static port air, light power supply, radio antenna, transponder antenna). Finish electrical connectors at wingtip lights, pitot probe & bus bar under seats. Location and mounting of A/P servos.
• outside shop: Contact FAA for tail#'s again (lapsed timeframe for original number). If a reader has a good tail number for me, let me know! Research Remote fwd camera. Design & research HID headlight. Research windshield defroster (pg 522), removable glare shield (pg 333). Ask on forum regarding cheap but good headlight.

Decisions:

• Lower rudder hinge safety wire? Terry regarding wingtip electrical connector question.

After wing installed:

• Rudder pedal stops, complete linkage between wing and rudder pedals, elevator trim system, and flap stop adjustments. Calibrate and multi-configure Dynon system (zero system, inclination and magnetic intensity). Flap clearance, Seat bulkhead then door locks. Contact FAA inspector for review.

Well, Last post was a week ago. I guess Friday nights are the slowest so I can take time to write and get organized for the next stretch of work on the Glasair. It's really starting to look more like an airplane. We've had a week of snow and a cold spell to keep most people off the roads and even away from work. I've been virtual at Boeing a bit, but still managed to work on the plane last weekend and a four days this week, finishing sometimes late. Power may go out as I'm writing tonight.

Arlington airport is getting some attention airport but nothing new. I've got the control stick in place and completely hooked up to the ailerons, with rubber between all the rod ends and may be all attached for the last time before flight! This is some incentive to keep moving.

Smartsheet, a local spreadsheet company not associated with Microsoft has extended my account to let me finish the project. You may be able to find my project file on smartsheet.com . If you have any hints to be more organized, let me know!

I read an article regarding building good and fast and here is a summary:

1. Hit the shop running - Production time is not staring at the project - study outside the shop and research everything.
2. Pre-visualize the work thats needed - have a plan each time you go to the shop to do and complete.
3. Break down the tasks - The way to conquer the feeling of helplessness (yes, it happens often) is to forget that you are building an airplane, and concentrate instead on building airplane "Parts"! Just build the side body panels....forget about how complex the brakes may be. Or, break it down even further....just form a couple of flanges for the panels.

****Any Comments? Let me know, thanks. I can use any help and appreciate the feedback*****

Log 19 - January, Friday the 13th

Storm moving in, might snow in a few days down to sea level. Flew after work - Paine field to Arlington for project, twilight flight to Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island and back to Paine Field. Since last post, I've flown two other evenings to Arlington this week. Not much work...I was down with a cold.

Complete:

• elevators/stabilizer fastened, rudder/elevator/aileron deflection clearance finished. Horiz stab closed. Installed Dynon remote compass/magnetometer/bracket & located in place. Closed horiz stabilizer, attached elevator. Cut holes/riveted, glassed/installed static ports, installed Dynon ammeter shunt. ProSeal'd NACA inlets in place. Purchased AK-450 emergency locating transmitter, tested/ designed/fabricated bracket& installed. Delivered impulse coupler magneto (slick 4373) to Tom Downey for test/refurb at OKH.

Next:

• Elevator/rudder linkage clearance from stabilizer (sanding). Empannage 2 bolts castlated. Complete brake lines, pitot insl, run light wires, fuel lines firewall fwd & aft, Dynon fuel transducer & , sand/bondo dorsal fin more. Battery in bracket. Install ailerons after sanding & linkages. ELT switch on panel. Close wingtip lights & finish electrical connectors. Location and mounting of A/P servos. Clean old masking tape off windows. sand flaps & aileron lower surfaces. FAA for tail#'s again (lapsed timeframe for original number). Measure throttle/mixture/heat cable lengths. Prop/spinner cut/fasten. Finish baffling.

Decisions:

• Fuel injection throttle body control arm change not needed. Magneto impulse coupler to be checked/refurbed. 

Way later (after wing instl, after all electronic fields established for some items):

• All control stops, rudder pedal stops, gap unit between wing and rudder pedals. Calibrate and multi-configure Dynon system (zero system, inclination and magnetic intensity). Flap clearance, Seat bulkhead then door locks. Need transponder & ELT antenna's. Remote fwd camera and headlight?

log18 - New Year 2012

January 1st & 2nd, 2 more commuter flights to Arlington Airport:

• More closing of elevators/stabilizer, started running new brake lines. Dorsal fin bondo, sanded,  mill fiber resined bad spots..more sanding later. Ailerons hinges are now drilled full size, countersunk & riveted in place, removed by hinge for sanding with flaps - bondo'd. rudder, aileron, elevator deflection clearance finished. Horiz stab closed.
• Ordered Odessey PC680 battery, went to Dynon - traded low pressure sensor for HP sensor.

Next:

• Dynon Remote Compass bracket & locate in chosen place. Finish brake lines, pitot insl, run light wires, close horiz stabilizer, attach elevator to close all empennage. Install static port system, install Dynon ammeter shunt , Dynon fuel transducer & lines firewall forward, sand dorsal fin, sand elevator. ProSeal NACA inlets. Dave Wheeler for ELT. Install ailerons & linkages. Close wingtip lights & finish electrical connectors. Heater hose in cabin routing. Other idea's....I've got to figure that out. Location and mounting of A/P servos. Clean old masking tape off windows.

Questions:

• Is one servo installed in wing? Remote fwd camera?

Decisions:

• No gascolator, no oil breather, no serial to parallel converter needed for transponder, no new safeair fittings for air system for now. ELT, just go 121.5mhz along with using SPOT.

Way later (after wing instl, after all electronic fields established for some items):

• All control stops, gap unit between wing and rudder pedals. Calibrate and multi-configure Dynon system (zero system, inclination and magnetic intensity). more later..

Log 17 - Last Log of 2011

New Years Eve, commuter flight to Arlington Airport today:

• Mounted LSE capacitor discharge ignition unit on hinges fwd of instrument panel aft of firewall. Riveted and fiber glassed in place. Made bracket and mounted Dynon Manifold Pressure Sensor fwd of instrument panel aft of firewall. Finished hp fuel boost pump and filter, mounted on fabricated bracket and cover and installed on firewall. Melted led counterweight, attached, bondo'd, and closed elevators. started running new brake lines. Cut-out created with fitting riveted for electrical through location. Last fiberglass layers in radius of dorsal fin completed. Removed old gascolator (will not use one). Removed oil breather/seperator (will not use for now).

Next:

• Finish brake lines, pitot insl, run light wires, close horiz stabilizer, attach elevator to close all empannage. More clearance on rudder left deflection (add 2 degree's or so), ProSeal NACA inlet. Find and install static port system, install Dynon ammeter shunt , Dynon fuel transducer & lines firewall forward, , sand dorsal fin, sand elevator. I need to order a battery and used 121.5 mhz ELT. Install ailerons & linkages. Close wingtip lights & finish electrical connectors. Other idea's....I've got to figure that out. Location and mounting of A/P servos. Clean old masking tape off windows.

questions:

• Do I already have a serial to parallel converter for Dynon to transponder? Which battery to order? Magnetometer parallel to flight, or is it the remote compass module port pointing forward or both? Is one servo installed in wing?

Way later (after wing instl, after all electronic fields established for some items):

• Dynon remote compass module & magnetometer. All control stops, gap unit between wing and rudder pedals. Calibrate and multi-configure Dynon system (zero system, inclination and magnetic intensity). more later..

Holiday 2011/2012 Build Log 16

Pics.                       It's extremely exciting to work on a project like this and put everything together. If anyone local is reading this and would like to input their idea's in design or fabrication, by all means, please let me know.

I've created a new PROJECT file for reference.

I've flown twice lately to Arlington to work on the project and making a little progress. Most of the work is a continuation of older logs. Next steps include mounting the magnetometer for the Dynon system, mounting the Lightspeed Engineering Distributorless Capacitor Discharge ignition system unit on the firewall, and cutting a hole in the firewall for electrical passage. These will be clean systems and hope they will ground test successfully. Last few days:

1. cleaning and sanding the dorsal fin,
2. fiberglass, closing, and sanding of the flaps, ailerons, elevator tip for the counterbalances.
3. closing and checking all fasteners on the empennage, internal to the controls.
4. finishing and sanding the NACA cabin air inlets. Will attach internal fittings next.
5. re-installing instruments on powder coated panel, and electrical systems wiring for radio, intercom, Dynon, jacks, switches, and breakers.

Pitot Tube was built and fiber glassed on the outb'd access panel but is only 2.5" below the center of the wing. If anyone thinks this is not far enough below, I haven't seen any scientific evidence to prove otherwise, but would like to know. Most are mounted further away. Will watch for indicated airspeed corrections compared to GPS and other systems. Not a safety issue though.

build log 15

2011dec22 - Flew to Arlington after work from Paine Field.

pics updated on sidebar of blog

• Next steps on dorsal fin including bonding on. More on NACA inlet clean up.
• Cleaned out right hand wing for counterbalance on aileron, sized and cut. Aileron hinge holes full size and countersunk.
• Pitot system started. electric heated pitot assembled, cut to fit, checked and installed in lf outb'd access panel. 
• Visited Dynon Avionics 12/17. Purchased outside air temp probe and fuel flow transducer.
• More work on elevator counterbalance. 
• Received beautiful new ground adjustable composite propeller and my brake and fuel lines parts.. Merry Christmas to me.

Still may want to convert this builder log more system oriented. Maybe next blog.

Building Log 14

I haven't posted since Dec 8th. Been up about 7 times since than. In work since last time:

• Panel powder coated and partly assembled.
• NACA cabin air inlets received, holes cut, lh & rh.
• Dorsal fin on step 8, almost complete.
• Elevator counterbalances almost complete. Ailerons closing up and counterbalance area cleaned up.
• New whirlwind ground adjustable composite prop and spinner ordered along with brake and fuel lines. passenger brake system...more progress.
• Rudder controls almost complete. 
• Research on fuel, wires on glareshield and other research in work.

I'm thinking of changing my blog to more of a systems breakdown.
more pics at here .