First Engine Start

 

Finally, the big day has arrived. Thankfully, we good a good sunny day in Seattle in Dec and decided to give it a go. Tied the tail down did all the checks, came up with a plan to check the engine at various settings, check for idle mixture setting, cycle the prop and test the mags. Here is the first video of the engine start:

 

 

 

 

We let the engine run at 1000 RPM till the oil temps got up to 90 deg F. Did tests for the idle setting - the airplane idles nicely at 650 RPM. Did a mag check at 1800 RPM as well as PMAG power check at 1000 RPM. Also cycled the prop and finally did the  quick PMAG check where they want us to note down the RPM where the power generation from internal mags goes back to the ship's power (it was around 800 RPM). As we shut down the engine we also verified the RPM increase as the mixture is cut. Everything looks good.

 

 

 

Here is the snapshot right after the first engine start. Since the aircraft was outside we also verified that the GTN 650 was seeing the satellites as well as calibrated the Dynon compass! One big step towards final inspection! Approx 5 hours in prep and the tests.

 

Final Assembly

 I have send the paperwork to DAR, who then suggested I forward it to MIDO. So preparation for inspection is in full-swing. I have been busy making decals and placarding the aircraft appropriately. Ordered and applied the N-numbers, which I think came out pretty nice:

 

 

 

Also, many small details to take care of. E.g. figuring out the batteries for the ELT, noting down their expiration dates. Updating all the avionics software, taking care of any service bulletins and making a list of the ones that are applicable etc. Pretty time consuming but its another step towards final inspection (approx. 20 hrs).

Weight and Balance

Big day today! Last few days we have been spending all our energy taking care of million small things. But today everything was put together and we were ready to go ahead and weigh the airplane.

 

 

We borrowed actual aircraft scales from an A&P/IA, levelled the fuselage, marked the positions with chalk lines and measured everything (2 hrs). Here are a few pictures of the airplane on the scales:

 

 



 

Here is the final reading. I am happy with the weight. My goal was to have it under 1100 lbs, so 1080 lbs is definitely pretty good. Spent the evening doing the final calculations and getting it ready to send the info to the DAR.

 



Here are the measurements:

Main Wheel, Right: 510 lbs, Arm at 68.92
Main Wheel, Left  : 509 lbs, Arm at 68.92
Tail Wheel             : 61  lbs, Arm at 251.8125

Total Weight: 1080 lbs
Empty CG    : 79.25

Bonding Canopy Skirt

We waited quite a bit to get the Sikaflex. It amusing how long it took (almost 2 weeks). We just went ahead took the prepped canopy skirt, applied the cleaner and the primer and bonded the frame (6 hrs). Here are some photos:

 

Canopy was one of the big jobs! I am glad its behind us now!

Wiring up the wings

With the wings finally on, we can now finish up all the wiring: the nav/strobe lights, pitot heat, autopilot on the wing, fuel senders, pitot and AOA plumbing. Took almost a day to wrap this up (8hrs).

Also had to finish the wingtips, wire them and test everything for operation:

 

The images below show how the wiring to the tax/landing lights were secured. Here is a place where experience really counts. For example, you don't want the power connection going to the lights ever touching the airframe. Consequently its imperative that you insulate it well. Harley (Glenn's brother) advised on how to insulate using wrap around the connection. Lots of small details took quite a bit of time (6 hrs).  

 



 

Here is the final product!

 

We test fired the strobes and landing/taxi lights. Everything works except for the wig-wag functionality. Realized that we need to get a new flasher module. Its on its way from B&C and once that's in, we got everything wired up in the panel!

Installing the Wings

Last big piece of the puzzle: Installing the wings. Before that we needed to make sure that our gears tracked straight, and had zero tow-in/out. We had to use one 0.5 degree shim. We also went ahead and finally installed the brakes, finalized the axel assembly and started to work on the brake line (8 hrs).

 

 

 

With the gear out of the way, it was time to install the wings (2 hrs). We were able to easily fit the wings between Glenn, Dennis and I. I held the winds at the outboard end, while Dennis helped slip the wings in the correct position. Glenn inserted the bolts in the fuselage. This looks like an airplane! Here are some shots on the big day:

We also drilled the rear spar bolts as well. Took 4 plumb bobs, a fishing line, a couple of levels and lots of patience to get this right (5 hrs). The plans mention clearly that there is no scope of any mistake here, so we took our time and spent an entire afternoon measuring and then finalizing where to place the hole. Also needed to finalize the holes where wiring from the wing would enter fuselage.

Also, we ended up test fitting and rigging the ailerons, flaps etc. It took few hours (10 hrs) to get that right. Once done, we pulled the wings out, painted the area on fuselage where the wing will bolt on and then did the final assembly! The wings are on for good now!

Canopy skirts and windscreen

The third and the final stage in building the canopy is really the fiberglass skirts. As expected out of the box fit for the skirt is poor. Had to spend quite a bit of time (10 hrs) trimming and fitting (With some layups at the aft end). Here is the canopy skirt trimmed, fitted and primed:

 

 

 

We also tackled laying up fiberglass fairing around the windscreen and above the roll bar. Here are the fiberglass pieces measured and cut:

 



 

The final product, dry and sanded. We still need to prime, but all in all this bit is done (10 hrs) !

 

Here is how it looks like. The canopy skirt is cleco-ed. We are waiting on an additional order of Sikaflex 295UV and will bond it once it arrives!  

 

Finishing fiberglass tips

Since we have doing a lot of fiberglass work, we decide to finish the small remaining items as well. Tackled the empennage tips. It required some sanding, priming, re-sanding. And after 4-5 hours of work we were happy with the final product:

 



 

 

All that needs to be done is prime them and then pop-rivet on the airplane!

Sikaflex the Canopy

Doing an update after a long time! We took some break from the build. I had lots of travel to take care off. Plus we moved to a new house and that took a lot of my time. Glenn and Dennis were gone quite a bit as well.

 

Last few months I have been mostly taking care of small things such as finalizing the manual trim cable, fitting and installing the interior, finalizing the battery compartment, installing the control sticks, tie wrapping the wires in the fuselage etc. These little things take a lot of time and still there is a tonne to do.

 

Once Glenn was back, we decided to get the canopy out of the way. Its really hard for one person to do this, and I am glad I had some help here. The canopy was already fitted and cut. We decided to use sikaflex instead of the traditional vans method. The sikaflex method is somewhat crack-proof (only time will tell).

 

I did some research online and asked questions on VAF. We used Activator, 209 primer and Sikaflex 295UV black. Here are the shots of canopy during the process of scuffing, cleaning, activating and priming: 

 

 

 

 

Same process on the frame as well:

 

 

 

Finally, applying the sikaflex. Applying the sikaflex probably took 30 mins or so, but the prep time was brutal (10 hrs).