28 April 2012
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Not a lot of progress since the last update but we were able to work on solving some problems.We managed to get the oil filler tube reworked, again, so that it now sits inside the cowl profile.
The radiator inlet cowl has been progressed and is almost finished.
This will be removable and is secured with screws and anchor nuts.
The Tost CRG reel required a cover over it and it needed to be see thru.
This was so the pilot could see if the cable was fully retracted.
We discussed a number of options but Gordon and Mike came up with the idea of making it a hinged cover.
This required bending Lexan plastic sheet over a frame.
The Lexan was too strong to hold the curve, so we made a slave frame and put it in Gordons oven for 10min at 140 deg.
This was just a guess and it turned out great, well worth the effort. The completed cover looks great and works ok.
This will also act as a FOD barrier for anything in the baggage area.
The engine has been removed and soon will be on its way to Bendigo where Phil Organ will commence fabricating the composite engine cowl.
Work is also continuing on installing wiring.
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All for now.
- Man hours to date:
- 928 hrs
- Man hours to date:
- 965 hrs
Regards Jack
16 May 2012
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Last week we delivered our engine to Phil Organ in Bendigo and already he has made great progress in shaping the cowl.The intention is to have a 2 piece cowl where the upper section is easily removable for daily inspections.
We wanted a cowl that would provide good cooling during days when the temperatures get up around the high 30s.
With this in mind, a more open than usual cowl (for a liquid cooled engine) was decided on mainly because any cooling is good cooling.
Phil reckons he spent about 20 hours shaping the foam and is almost ready to start laying up the fiberglass.
Phils 19m Kestrel glider can be seen in some of the pics below which he repaired from a wreck, you would never know it had been broken looking at it.
Phil asked us all to come and look over his idea for the cowl shape and we were all impressed.
A couple of minor alterations were requested by us but overall not much was required to be changed.
It was good to discuss the next phase of the lay-up and how the 2 piece cowl might work.
Other items that we have been able to address have been the seat belts and an indication system for the flaps.
This was achieved by using a bell crank to get the indicator to go down as the flaps went down.
A push-pull cable driven by the flap actuator enables the pilot to easily see an indicator bar which is clamped on the cable.
Gordon fabricated some hooks for the seat belts when not in use which was a great idea.
Due the shoulder harness attach point being at the rear of the baggage hold, he felt it would be awkward trying to get your hands on the shoulder harness while strapping in.
We also continued working on installing some wiring including the antenna cable. A wiring support channel has been added to the instrument panel.
Next week sees the Hornet getting moved back to Bacchus Marsh for the final time.
We are hoping to knock over some painting jobs and then begin the final assembly very soon.
Again the Gliding Museum has kindly allowed us some space to carry out this work which is fantastic, thanks guys.
With the Hornet build now moving to the final assembly stage, I have paid for the C of A pack from the SAAA.
It is time for the paperwork to commence and this will be my focus over the next few weeks.
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All for now.
Regards Jack
24 May 2012
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This week the Hornet left its place of creation in Gordon's garage, travelling by low loader kindly provided by Mr John Woods.John is the Melbourne principal of Dominions Group http://www.dominionauctioneers.com.au.
and a colleague of Chris Thorpe..
We are extremely lucky to have Gordon grant us his time and space to produce this project. Thank you Gordon.
The Museum group at Bacchus Marsh have kindly granted us space in their facility where we will be able to carry out final assembly and rigging..
