Left Leading Edge Update

Able to get the left leading edge skin and ribs ready for riveting the skin on with the pitot static lines ran.  Just a quick pic today.  See the right wing posts for details.

Some notes:  I do recommend drilling from the leading edge towards the spar on this part.  This way, you can keep "pulling" the skin tight.  I did a few holes on one rib by starting in the middle and working toward the leading edge, but this left the skin and rib far apart, and made the cleco want to dent the skin.  Had to make rib #2 again and replace it.  I also found that 2x4's and clamps/straps are really helpful to get the skin set up like you want it before drilling.  Don't forget to make the distance from the spar to the leading edge match the other wing you made too!

Left Wing Nose Ribs Attached to Spar

We're back from our honeymoon, and I managed to find 5 hours today to remake a nose rib that had some flaws and drill and rivet all ribs to the spar.  Pretty much the same process as before, but here are some pics.  See the right wing posts for more detail.

Me drilling out the holes to mount the ribs.


Ribs mounted to the spar.


Poly tube in place for future wingtip wire if I choose to add tip lights.


Me and the "old ball and chain" in Sonoma (Don't get nervous, she knows my sense of humor).  Highly recommend a trip if you haven't been.


Next step is to bend and drill the leading edge skin.

Left Wing Nose Ribs

Finished the last nose rib for the left wing today.  Same as the right wing so just a quick snapshot of them sitting in place...

Left Wing Ribs

Made two left wings ribs today...and one accidental right wing rib because I bent the flanges the wrong way.  Her is my plan to make sure that doesn't happen again:




Also, just a reminder that the first two inboard ribs are shorter because of the extra material near the wing root.  Look closely at this picture to see what I mean.  The 3rd nose rib is full size.



Two down...

Left Spar Progress

After a little Sun-n-Fun motivation, I got back in the garage.  Today I finished making the left spar rib brackets and mounted them.  Nothing different than the right wing here.  I used two washers on each bolt (one on bolt head and one on nut end).  I used a little blue Locktite again.  There is some debate about using this with nylon locknuts, but I know others have used it, so I'm following their lead.

I got to meet Glen Bradley (CX Yahoo Group) and Patrick Panzera (of CONTACT! magazine).  Both great guys!

Also, I saw the SPA Panther up close and personal.  That's a nice plane, and Dan seems like a good guy.  Might have my eye on one of those in the future.

Right Wing Shelf - Shop Stuff

One of the "joys" of building in a one-car garage is creative/careful use of space.  Today I extended the shelf above the garage door to store the right wing while I build the the rest of the plane.  It's made out of scrap wood I had laying around. It isn't pretty, but it works!  Now I can start the left wing.  I'm not 100% where the left one will go while I build the fuselage, but we'll figure that out later.


I managed to wrestle this up there by myself!

They say at some point everyone gets overwhelmed with the project.  Starring at the left wing spar is that moment for me.  I have to build another one?!  Oh well, all for the greater good, and hopefully this will be quicker with all of the lessons learned on the first wing!

Wing Tip Leading Edge - RIGHT WING DONE!

The right wing is done!

I fit, drilled and riveted the right wingtip's leading edge.  This was a bear, and I'm not sure I have any great advice here.  I would cut the part big and trim later.  I did find that masking tape helped me to hold things in place while I lined things up.  If you bought the fiberglass tips like I did, you'll want to get that out to make sure everything lines up.  I also focused on the top first, then the bottom when drilling.  I then removed the part and trimmed the excess off the tip and root ends.

Right Wing Tip Rivets

I drilled and riveted the majority of the right wing tip today.  I just need to add the leading edge, and the right wing will be done!



I'm 162 hours in right with 12 hours of build time this weekend.  Time for a beer!

Right Wing Skin Riveted

Today I riveted the top right wing skin.  I'm very happy with how it turned out, but I have to admit it made me nervous to seal up the wing in case I forgot something.  I might be a little paranoid.

Anyhow, here is the finished the product.  I'm very happy with the straightness and rigidity of the wing.  More props to Dave Thatcher on his design!




Work is busy, we're planning a wedding, and now a friend introduced me to FPV drone flying.  Build time is at a premium!  I bought an Inductrix, radio and FPV goggles.  I can't believe how much fun it is, and I highly recommend it for those cold winter days when you can't get out of the house.  Feels like your flying, and it's a blast to chase your dog!  Also, I highly recommend FliteTest on youtube.  These guys are from my hometown in Ohio, and are passionate about RC and full scale flying (main guy has a Pietenpol!).

I also received a shipment of GOJO hand soap from Jess's dad this week.  Thanks, Joe!

Left Wing Parts

I need more .020 sheet to finish up the right wing tip, but I figured I can get some other things done while I wait.

I decided to add a small piece of angle to the bottom wing skin because of some oil-canning I ran into (result of porn technique on my part).  I know they do something similar on the Zenith too.  Might take some flack for this about building airplanes to be light, but I'm happy with the reduction in oil canning. Here is a shot of the finished product.



And a reminder to install the tie-down nut before I close up the wing!


Taking inventory of parts for the left wing, and some cutting.  The video is Greg Swingle touring the Bearhawk factory on Youtube if you're interested.  Looks like a nice plane!



Leftovers...



Majority of the parts ready to form for the left wing.  I'm hoping this wing goes faster since I learned a lot along the way on the right wing (a.k.a. made the same parts 3 times).



I recently picked up a little Ruger SP101.  I'm going to head to the range for a bit and see if my recent LASIK surgery paid of, and hopefully come back and form the parts above so I can keep moving!

Aileron Progress

There's something about announcing that you're building an airplane that immediately makes a million things pop up to take your time.  Over the past month and half, I have snuck away here and there to make progress on the ailerons. The challenge is to get a long, consistent bend without a wavy surface and without breaking the bank.

Take 1  - Hit it with a Hammer

I started by trying to bend them by hand using a rubber mallet, a board, and an 8' long 3" angel bolted to the bench as an anvil; but that resulted in scrap metal (at 91" long, that's more aluminum than I prefer to waste).  Not that others couldn't do it, but it is just not a skill that I have mastered.

Take 2 - Build a Brake to "Save money"

Next, I decided to build a bending brake using some plans I found online.  Overall, I think it would work fine, but one of my angles has a bow in it, and I do not have the talent or the tools to straighten it.  This ended up costing at least $150 when all was said and done.  I'll keep it, but without spending more money on it, it just isn't up to the task of making airplane parts with that bow in it.  Here's the brake I made.

Take 3 (Recommended) - Rent a Brake

This one is a big hit on the Thatcher Yahoo Group, so I should've started here.  I rented an 8' brake for about $75 for the day from Home Depot and a U-haul truck for under $50.  I ended up with nice straight bends for less than the cost of the homemade brake.


I was able to move this by myself, but just barely.


It is hard to see it here, but you can see that I used two long strips of sacrificial aluminum (from my previous failed attempts) to make a larger radius on the bends.  Just cut two 8' long and 2" wide strips of .020, and bend them in the brake together.  Then keep them in the brake when you bend the actual airplane parts.  I was happy with the results.  The tape kept those pieces from moving in between bends.



Here is the end result.  I made two ailerons, two trailing edges for the wing tips and some new wing tip spars in just a few hours.  I WANT ONE OF THESE BRAKES!


The bends a little closer up.



To get the ailerons to take the final form, I had to manually manipulate the bends to make the two ends touch.  I did a lot of this with my hands, a couple pieces of plywood, and a mallet.

At first, I did not make the bends tight enough, and I ended up with some "oil-canning".  Here is a video of the problem.  Making the bends a little tighter fixed this.

And here it is next tot he wing with the ribs in place and some masking tape holding things in place.  Next step is to measure and cut the hinges so I can mark the rivet holes and drill them.

Merry Christmas!

Right Wing Tip Cont (Ribs)

I made both wing tip ribs and right wing tip center rib.  Looks cool, but I really need to find a way to bend my ailerons.  I think a guy at work might be able to help because he knows someone with a shop and a 10' brake.  In the meantime, I'm going to try to produce all of the left wing ribs and center ribs over the weekend while I wait.  I don't want to rush things, but I think "analysis paralysis" is slowing me down too much.

The parts in these pics are just sitting in place.  No rivets or holes yet, but cool to see it come together.  The reality of a one car garage is setting in!

Starting the Right Wing Tip

I received some more rolls of sheet metal and decided to cut some pieces out to save space in the garage.  I also started to make the wing tip parts.  I bent the right main tip spar by clamping it between a board and an 8' long piece of 3"x3" 1/4" angle steel attached to the workbench as recommended by Dave in the build manual.  Placing a board between the hammer and the part being bent seems to really clean up the bend over striking the part itself.  I'll post some pictures/video of the process if it keeps working for me.



I also received the wing and elevator tips from Earnest Martin today.  I really wanted to try to make these, but his parts look great, and I really like that it gets me that much closer to flying.



Time to watch the tribe beat the cubs in game 2!  Go tribe (but seriously, who hates the Cubs?)!

Fuselage Bulkheads Arrive

Hurricane Matthew slowed things down this week, but I did receive the bulkheads that I ordered from Greg Westberry.  I'll do a full review of these and the tail kit when I get to them, but there's a lot of wing left to build yet!  Looks like they make nice quality parts though.