Engine Cowling
2017 Engine Mount Bushing Issues
Total Build Time: 1290 Hours After about 2 years of having the engine and cowling fitted to the airframe, when I put the cowling on the airplane I noticed that the prop hub was rubbing on the cowling. What can be seen in the above photo is the top and bottom of the propeller hub … Continue reading
Hangar Completion #7 (Finalizing Firewall Forward.)
Total Build Time: 1198 Hours This post details most of the final details and preparations that allow me to say the following: the engine is ready to fly. To summarize, I’ve performed my initial ignition and fuel test runs, made my final cutouts and adjustments to the cowling and baffles, and made some small tweaks to … Continue reading
Time-lapse Video, 900 hours of work and move to airport.
This video includes all the time-lapse footage I have from January 2014 until August 2015. It’s essentially the entire build of the airframe. It’s missing the first 200 hours of the project because I didn’t have the camera setup for that portion of the build.
Engine Cowling #3 (Hinge Fitment, cutouts and final fit.)
Total Build Time: 1082 Hours. With my repairs/reshaping of the cowling complete, I could now focus on the full fitment of the cowling. I noticed that there was some slight interference between the top side of the cowling and the oil cooler in the Turbo Aerovee installation. Removal of the small flange on top of … Continue reading
Engine Cowling #2 (Reshaping the cowling)
Total Build Time: 1060 Hours. Continuing from my previous post on the cowling, I had to find a solution to the over-sized cowling provided in my airframe kit. The following sequence of pictures show how I marked a cut line on the side of the cowling, and proceeded to cut a relief line in the … Continue reading
Engine Cowling #1 (Preparation and fitting)
Total Build Time: 1044 Hours. The fiberglass engine cowling shrouds the engine compartment and becomes the nose of the airplane. This was the last large component of my airplane that I wanted to complete prior to moving it to the airport/hangar for final assembly. Following the assembly instructions provided by Sonex, I began by fabricating … Continue reading