Some airplanes have steps, mine has an elevator!

Posted on September 9, 2013 by admin

Yikes! We fit the elevators this week-end in 105 degree heat!

Careful planning, measurement and drilling means we have a pretty straight tail.

Elevator installed and aligned.

After installing and sizing the elevator tie rod ends, we drilled the center elevator horn with a very small bushing. I was able to borrow one from a guy, with the agreement that I would mail the part on to the next builder. Done! It is VERY important to get the tops of the elevator horns correctly drilled. You have to live with the results for the life of the plane!

RV-9 elevator horn drilled and aligned.

The vertical stabilizer is already drilled but we removed it to make this work easier. The easier it is, the more accurate it will come out.

After it hit 105 F, we called it a day.

A Tail to Tell…

Posted on August 31, 2013 by admin

Well, LOTS of things going on, but mostly moving forward!

We have a new hanger partner, we have the engine back, and mostly, we have the vertical stabilizer mounted!!!!

We are mostly cleaned up and back to work, even though it was HOT today. We helped Don move some stuff in,and Tom and I went to wok on the vertical stab. We found that I had mis-mounted the bottom hinge support, and had to move that, then got the basics into place, drilled the holes, and we are back in the game!

Vertical Stabilizer on Loud Emily

How hot was it today? Have you ever used a cat thermometer? When a cat is cold, they curl up into a tiny ball. As the temp rises, they stretch out.

Here is how hot it was today:

Cat Thermometer – It was HOT!

Engine is back home….

Posted on August 20, 2013 by admin

We are still cleaning the hanger to get ready for new tenant, with LOTS of stuff moving, selling and giving to the EAA hanger here on the field. BUT BEST OF ALL, the engine is now back. My A&P did a beautiful job of inspection, gaskets, hoses, and making sure we complied with the oil pump AD. Nice paint here and there too! The engine is used (about 900 hours) but we did a careful inspection and I’ll get a few hours on it before I need to overhaul. Pretty stock 150HP with std mags, carb and fixed pitch prop.

Lycoming O-320

Nice.

We are still working on the hanger but I really want to fit wings this week-end if possible. We have the space now, and all will be better if we can get the wing incidence set before the new partner plane arrives.

Forward!

More later.

The times they are a changin’

Posted on August 11, 2013 by admin

Well, my old hanger partner has moved out, and my new hanger partner will be moving in, so this is a good opportunity to do some serious house cleaning!

We started by doing a quick evaluation of all the stuff we had that has been pieced together as we have been building. Work tables, donated stuff, old Cessna parts and duplicate tools and supplies.

We decided to build a few new wall racks, remove some old tables and decommission duplicate equipment. A stop at the local EAA hanger with an offer for some sturdy work tables had the guys stopping by and picking up a few donations.

Part 1: Tear down. And clean the floor!

Out with the old…

I’m finding TONS of stuff that I really want, and have not seen in awhile. This has been a good lesson about being a pack rat. Sometime you get so much stuff, you can not find it anymore.

Well, the floor is clean anyway.

Next Week: Part 2 –

Members of the panel…

Posted on July 6, 2013 by admin

Here is a look at the panel plan. Radios are in and here is what I’m looking at for flight information systems. Pretty cool huh?

Panel so far…

We started the installing tail today.

FYI: Next week-end (July 13th) is an aviation swap meet at Cable airport in SoCal. Free to get in and you get to see TONS of stuff. If you ever wondered what it takes to build an airplane, here is your chance to see the stuff it takes.

She’s on the ramp! (sort of…)

Posted on June 30, 2013 by admin

The new fuselage stand has wheels so we were able to roll it out and FINALLY sweep the floor. The plane has officially been on the taxi way, but it will still be a bit before first engine start. Engine mount is drilled, and the cowl mounting plates are installed. These will be Skybolts on the cowl to firewall, hinges for the cowl halves.

Fuselage of N18TD

The engine went to the shop for a review and some cleaning. The A&P want a new fuel pump (or a rebuild) and remove the accessory case. OK, have a look. I believe the mags will be overhauled, but I need to see what kit I need. The standard kit or the deluxe kit. The only difference is the deluxe kit includes new coils and gear.

The Engine is off to camp…

Posted on June 24, 2013 by admin

Saturday was a big day for the engine. We are taking it over to my friend the A&P for inspection, new gaskets, and a little paint here and there. We will change rubber parts, remove the vacuum pump (not needed on my plane) and generally check it out.

To slip these surly bonds…

I bought a used engine that was flying (HP upgrade) and I hope to bolt it on and fly for awhile. The engine only has 900 hours on it, so I’ll have a little time before it goes back to the shop. Maybe ask for 160hp.

I hope this takes less than a month. I forgot to drop off the logs books so I still have to do that.

More later.

Motor Mount Mounted!

Posted on June 16, 2013 by admin

We got the motor mount attached this week-end! Of course, it hits the plate nut for the electric fuel pump. Even after I carefully measured the position of the pump. Really?

Plate nut hits motor mount

OK, we go that fixed, and we are moving forward.

Motor Mount

Sorry about the quality, but I forgot my camera, and just got a shot or two on my crummy phone. I gotta get a new phone one of these days.

We also had a long meeting with my friend the A&P and he agreed to look the engine over. I do his computer work, so this is a trade. He will put the engine on a stand, and chek out all the rubber parts, make sure stuff is tight, and try to keep oil leaks to a minimum. Remember, this is a Lycoming.

Question: How to you prevent oil leaks in a Lycoming engine?
Answer: Don’t put oil in it.

I bought a running O-320 from a minister who was upgrading to a 160 HP for his Cessna 150 (a story for another time 🙂 and I plan to plug it is and run it. It was running just fine when removed, so I plan to do little to get it in the air again. I’ll still have the A&P look it over though.

More later!

Major Milestone!

Posted on June 2, 2013 by admin

This has been a BIG week-end for us. We have finally built a stand to allow us to attach the motor mount, wings and landing gear. The fuselage stand was a re-purposed stand we had used before the rotisserie, and part of the wing stand. Here is a BIG hint: never throw out old lumber. You will be needing it again. Here is what the new stand looks like:

Also, for the first time, we were able to sit in the fuse and make airplane noises! Wow. I still have chills!

Have a seat.

For folks building an experimental, sitting in it for the first time is a big deal. I finally know how I will fit while flying. I fit pretty well. I need to lease a few pounds tho. *sigh*

Where do we stand? Wings and done, Tail is done, flight surfaces are done, Instrument panel frame is done. Radios are mounted but not wired. Ready for motor mount, tail and wing install.

We are staring to wind down on the riveting, and I think I’ll miss that. To see the process, check out:

Riveting Wings on You Tube

We have the motor to install, lots of wire, and now all we need is the time.

More Later.

Wire, Wire, pants on fire!

Posted on May 25, 2013 by admin

We took a big step today with wiring! We finished (for now) the wire that comes from beyond the spar! This includes a bunch of electrics, and the four antennas (2 comm, 1 nav and a transponder)

This wire travels through the spar with pre- drilled holes and moves up the center channel of the floor. Wow. looks Great!

Wiring in RV-9A

Here is what it looks like from the spar side.

Wiring Pass-thru

Tom and Dave's Aircraft Factory

Building a Sonex Model B Experimental Airplane