Broken Tap Extraction
Spent most of the time getting the broken off tap out of the canopy frame. Tried to remove it with cutting fluid, heat, and punches but would not budge. Ended up purchasing two solid carbide drill bits and slowly drilling…
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Canopy Trimming – Part 4
Updrilled canopy alignment holes in upper longeron with #F drill bit. Continued to trim, sand, and deburr canopy to achieve 1/16″ gap all around; finally achieved. Worked on latch mechanism by removing lower nylon washers to lower latch assembly slightly.…
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Canopy Trimming – Part 3
Continued to trim and fit canopy. Matched drilled final holes in LH side of forward and aft canopy bows and realized that canopy was pulling up the frame in the front by about 1/4″. Unbolted front left corner of canopy…
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Canopy Trimming – Part 2
Continued to trim canopy by taking small bites with 80 grit sandpaper and scotchbrite die grinder. Cleaned edges with deburring tool after each cut. Trimmed canopy so that majority of it would fit in between windshield and turtle deck. Once…
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Canopy Trimming – Part 1
Started the tedious process of fitting and trimming the canopy. Started by marking the center of the front and rear edges of the canopy and aligning them with the fuselage center line. Scooted canopy up to the front and marked…
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Canopy Frame Installation
Began assembling canopy frame to fuselage by locating canopy frame hinge on RH longeron. Since clecoes would impede placing the canopy frame on the hinge, installed three rivets in the canopy frame hinge to make it easier to remove (if…
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Fresh Air Vents
Rather than installing round vents in the windshield as is shown in the plans, decided to use the Vans vent sidewall kit. Worked on fresh air vents by cutting apart components from Vans vent kit and cleaning edges of parts.…
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Windshield Installation – Part 6
Finished installing windshield onto fuselage by installing screws from front to back, skipping last bottom screw on each side. Aligned windshield bow with top center screw and installed sandwiching strap in between. Needed to run tap through each screw hole…
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Windshield Installation – Part 5
Using two people, reinstalled bolts in upper longerons, windshield skirt, and upper motor mounts. Applied torque check to bolts to monitor torque. Slid windshield into place and began installing bolts starting from forward center and working backwards. Used a piece…
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Rudder Control System – Part 2
Heated up C01-03 rudder spring stock with propane torch and bent springs to specs in plans. Previously tried to bend springs without heat and spring steel broke rather than bent. After installing springs into fuselage, discovered that plan dimensions were…
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Rudder Control System – Part 1
Installed rudder pedals and mount blocks into fuselage. Applied white lithium grease to rudder pedals before tightening rudder pedal mount blocks. Fed rudder cables through aft fuselage and temporarily installed AN23 clevis pins into rudder horn. Installed cable fairleads into…
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Rudder System Prep – Part 2
Removed forward fuselage floor for better access to rudder pedals then removed rudder pedals and mounting blocks. Used die grinder to remove powder coating from pivot points on rudder pedals. Created cable adjusters from aluminum bar stock. Hours Worked: 1.62