14 September 2011
click on images for a bigger view.
This past month we have had a lot of smaller tasks to complete. 90 percent complete and 90 per cent to go they say. Oles visit left us with a lot of homework but we have been doing these one by one. Ole did manage to send us a parcel with some parts we needed along with a VDO tachometer which he has donated to us, thanks Ole! Gordon has managed to complete the LH cockpit door and has started final fitment of the RH door. He also designed and fabricated a trim handle with a friction lock which will mount on the seat rails. The rudder required a small modification as it was too long and rubbed on the lower end near the drive arm. We simply removed the end rib cut what we needed and reinstalled the end rib. A similar problem with one of the flaps found it needed the same modification. Battery leads and other wiring below the baggage floor skin were installed. The fuel lines to the header tank were also installed and this allowed the baggage floor skin to be installed. Care was taken to ensure all controls maintained full and free movement. We decided to alter the wingtips. Chris Trewern our club composite guru has undertaken the task of lengthening the wingtips so they meet the trailing edge of the aileron. Chris will use the existing wingtip as a tool to make a mould then lay up a new one. This is going a bit overboard with the build project but is a straight forward job for Chris. Looking forward to seeing the new wingtips. This is a job we chose to undertake ourselves but will greatly improve the look of the Hornet. Slava from GA Prop has finished our propeller and it should be here soon.All for now.
Regards Jack
- Man hours to date:
- 740 hrs
- Man hours to date:
- 760 hrs
30 September 2011
click on images for a bigger view.
The past few weeks we have concentrated on completing the doors and beginning the other window installations. We also finished the instrument panel support structure including some isolation mounts for the panel. I spent some time going thru our clubs storage cabinets and came up with a few surplus flight instruments which was a bonus. Some very generous donations of a Altimeter (Roger Druce) and Tachometer (Ole) have also helped keep a smile on our club Treasurers face. This meant that all we needed were the engine instruments. As you can see in one of the pictures we started planning the layout of the instrument panel, but I am sure there will be a few revisions on what goes where. Another job which we are looking into is the fuel system plumbing in the fuselage. The fuel lines from the wing root to the header tank have been installed along with the wing fuel tank shut off valves. The header tank has also been installed now. Next is the fuel pump installation and the fuel lines to the engine firewall. Attention has been paid towards corrosion prevention especially with steel fittings on the fuselage. Also the fuselage skin lap joints have sealed and when the finish coat paint is applied it will form a good barrier preventing moisture between the skin joints. All steel tubes that have holes drilled in them will have corrosion compound sprayed inside them before fastener installation.All for now.
Regards Jack