Fuselage Completion
Fuselage Completion #12 (Canopy frame, trimming)
Total build time: 866 Hours. With my Mom and Bill in town for the week, I wanted to use their extra sets of hands to help me with moving and fitting the plexiglass canopy. I began by preparing the canopy frame. I’m actually installing a swing-back style canopy which I will detail more in another … Continue reading
Aerovee #8 (Mounting the engine, oil cooler, exhaust manifold)
Total Build Time: 846 Hours. So I had an engine resting on a table next to the airframe, and I took these pictures while trying to decide how many people I should invite over to help me mount the engine to the airframe. Upon looking at those photos, a thought dawned on me, and I … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #11 (Windshield fitting)
Total Build time: 820 Hours With the fuel tank and glare-shield temporarily in place, I turned my attention to the Polycarbonite (Lexan) windshield. The typical (plans) method is to fit the bow first, then cut the windshield to fit the bow. Since I am tall, I decided to follow a method advised by some other Sonex builders, … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #10 (Fuel tank fitting)
Total Build Time: 806 hours. With my Aerovee engine build on hold due to cylinder head issues, I turned my attention back to the airframe. I moved forward with the initial fitting of the fuel tank. The very durable rotationally molded polyethelyne fuel tank sits beneith the glareshield (and in front of the pilot). It is held … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #9 (brake system)
Total Build Time: 745 hours. For the brake system I intended to use the system as called for in the plans, with an addition of a turnbuckle to allow for easy brake cable tension adjustments. Sourcing the parts for the brake system ended up being more of a chore than I’d imagined. There were several … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #8 (Flight Control pre-rigging, VIDEO)
Total Build Time: 730 Hours. With my wings still attached, I decided to do as much as I could before removing them once again. Space in my basement is limited, so eventually I will need to remove the wings both to continue working, and to get the plane out of the basement at the end … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #7 (Wing Rigging)
Total Build Time: 722 Hours. Finally, the big day has come. My wings have been sitting on a rack in the corner of my basement for the last 7 months. Now I will finally be able to pull them off the rack put them onto the plane for the first time. To prepare the fuselage … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #6 (Rudder Pedals and Flap Drive tube.)
Total Build Time: 705 Hours. The rudder pedals are held in place using phenolic blocks. I used a 1″ forstner bit to bore the holes in the blocks, and then used a brake hone to ream out the holes for a good fit. I removed the powder coat from the pedals where they will be … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #5 (Control sticks and mixer assembly)
Total Build Time: 698 Hours. The Waiex comes standard with dual-control sticks. For roll input, each stick is connected to its respective aileron, and the sticks are linked together. For pitch input they are both mounted on a frame that pivots fore and aft. Basically the parts are fit together, clamped in place and drilled to … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #4 (Rear spar carry-though assembly)
Total Build Time: 691 Hours. I pulled out some of the last remaining aluminum laser-cut parts from my aircraft kit that arrived last November. It was nice to be working with aluminum again after having done so much work recently with steel and titanium. Once I had these parts on my workbench I realized how … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #3 (Wheel and Brake Assemblies)
Total Build Time: 681 Hours Putting together the wheel assemblies mostly revolved around the brakes and wheel bearings. I don’t have any pictures of the wheel bearings themselves, but I used an automotive synthetic wheel bearing grease to pack them, using the palm of my hand to press the grease through the bearings. Here is … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #2 (Main Landing Gear Legs)
Total Build Time: 681 Hours Installation of the main landing gear began with inserting the titanium gear legs into the engine mount. I then drilled through the titanium gear legs (no easy feat indeed!) to position the rods inside the engine mount, and set the camber of the main landing gear. To set the camber … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #1 (Tailwheel)
Total Build Time: 670 Hours The tailwheel consists of a titanium spring, welded steel pivot points and a wheel. Drilling through the titanium proved to be the most difficult part of this process. Basically it took a LOT of cutting fluid and a LOT of patience, along with the best drill bits I could get … Continue reading