Andair Throttle Quadrant HOBBS 144.0 hrs

This is a throttle quadrant I came across, made by Andair, that I really like. I first became aware of Andair because of their nice fuel selector valves, which I plan to use. Turns out they do more than just fuel selector valves, they have some nice stuff on their website. Besides looking nice, I like the fact that this has flap control buttons on the throttle lever. Very handy for not only normal approach and landing but also for the surprise go around when not having to take your hand off the throttle is nice.

Andair Throttle Quadrant

Last night, did some more work on the HS and elevator tips. Put on another coat of fairing micro to fill in some low spots on the HS and also glued in aluminum strips on the inside of the elevator tips for added rivet support...pics to follow.

Sheet Metal Work Done! HOBBS 138.0 hrs

I had to add a shot of me with my completed left elevator. As you can see, I have already attached both elevators to the HS in this view. Cant tell ya how cool it is to see the individual parts assembled for the first time!!! Now for the fiberglass tips to finish up the empennage work.

Left Elevator Complete! HOBBS 138.0 hrs

Finally getting around to posting this, I finished the left elevator a few weeks ago and have already moved onto the empennage tips. Its safe to say all of the metal work is done for the empennage, from here on out it will just be 'glass work. The trim tab is not 100% done yet, but it just needs a little fine tuning and shaping, which I will do later. The left elevator is a little more involved because of the trim tab and the servo motor. Beyond that though, it is identical construction as the right elevator. So, rolling the leading edge needed to be done again. I felt a little more comfortable with this because I have now done it three times...with that being said, I'm still not going to miss this task, its kind of a pain. For aerodynamic reasons, the shape is not critical because this is never exposed to the airflow. But I do worry about induced stress at the rivet line in my leading edge and cracks forming because of this. We'll see as the airplane ages how well I did. It is something, that as the builder, I can be sure to keep an eye on as the plane ages. Another one of the cool things about being the builder, I will be completely intimate with every detail of the construction. That, in of itself, will make my flying safer.

My leading edge rolled and riveted, it'll fly!

I needed to find something to create a 'mold' for a custom semi-circular fairing for the leading edge of the trim tab. So I found a piece of PVC that was about the right diameter for the job. Cut it in half and 'voila' I had a suitable mold. I used some clear box tape and hair spray for cheap mold release and the part popped right out when the resin had set up...nothing to it.

Here is a shot of the part after removing it from the mold. This is my first attempt at making a custom fiberglass part, came out alright. I wanted a way to close the gap on the bottom side of the trim tab to cut down on drag. I have not permanently attached this yet...still mulling this over whether to actually incorporate this into my design or not, but I probably will. Just trying to think about all scenarios that may cause me problems before installing it.

Here is another shot of the trim tab as I shape it. You can see I have sanded the trim tab skin in preperation for a coat of filler primer later.

And of course, the other side is also closed off...once again for aerodynamic purposes.

With this design I am able to really close up this gap nicely. I am not quite done yet, but its getting closer to being where I want it. I really like the look of this design deviation. I have to admit, moisture retention in the foam and added weight are concerns. I will address these topics again later.

Here is where my servo motor will reside for the electric trim. You can see I painted the inside of the skin in this area for added corrosion protection and for a more finished look if this area is ever accessed. It sure made me glad I wasnt doing all of the skin interiors.

I added some double stick tape to add a little height when the servo motor was mounted because there was an interference with the mounting screws. You can see it in the following pictures if you look closely.

Russian RV7 HOBBS 138.0 hrs

From time to time I like to post photos of planes with paint schemes I like. Here is one such example, this is a nice looking RV7. I think this is a Russian plane although I am not sure of the owner. I like the swoops on the wings and tail. Similar to paint schemes I am considering now.

Trim Tab-New & Improved! HOBBS 138.0 hrs

Recieved my replacement elevator trim tab the other day so it was time to enter the 'skunkworks' phase of my build. I had been kicking around ideas of ways to do the trim tab better. Let me start by saying there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the way Van's designed it, I just thought I could do it better. As you know, I've always been intrigued by Composites because of the slick, aerodynamic airframes you can achieve. Although I am really enjoying working with Aluminum, I can't help but wish the airframe was cleaner and more aerodynamic. So, my thought was to combine some of the clean lines of composites with my aluminum airplane. Keep reading for what I came up with...

Here is my new trim tab sitting next to the first one. I will keep the original as a backup in case I totally screw up the new one. The original is just fine to use if needed. But, the fact remains, I am kind of really going EXPERIMENTAL with this new design. I'm not positive this has ever been done before (although I imagine it has...there are some clever builders out there for sure).

The first task was to cut up my new $18 skin. Seemed a little crazy to me at first and I really was hesitant to get started. But, eventually I dove right in. You can see where I cut off the bend tabs since my new design wouldnt use them...consequently, they weren't needed where I was going.

I used the dremel tool with a cutoff wheel, this really is a great tool for cutting aluminum. Goes through it like butter. Much better than using snips in my opinion.

So, here is my idea, I am adding fiberglass endcap ribs to the trim tab and elevator. I researched bonding fiberglass to aluminum and was told it works just fine. I just acid etched the aluminum and scuffed it up so the epoxy had a surface to bite into. On top of the fact, these end pieces are not key structural components since there are spars that would keep the structure intact if these failed or delaminated. I have seen people creating their own custom aluminum end ribs here and I considered doing that. The reason I wanted to do it this way is the superior aerodymanics of this design. It will seal the endcaps off nice and smooth. Not only will it look nice when done, but it will have less drag.

Here it is with my homemade fiberglass endcap. I cut it to fit on the band saw and fine tuned it with the belt sander.

Here is a picture of the foam core laminated with fiberglass. After the epoxy cures, you just mark out your rib and cut it to size. Works slick, finally found something that my bandsaw is useful for.

And here it is after cutting and shaping, ready for install.

This is another idea I read about and decided to implement. I sprayed in some contractor foam in the center of my trim tab. This will serve as an vibration dampener and also add a little structure to the center where there is no ribs. This acts as a foam rib of sorts. Notice I primered the inside of the skin since I was concerned with water/moisture causing corrosion from the inside.

Also notice how I made sure not to go all the way to the trailing edge here. The reason being is, once again, water. I dont want water getting trapped inside there so I left a path for drainage if water does enter the trim tab assembly.

Here you can see after the first coating of flox was applied. I used liberal amounts of flox to basically glue this puppy in place. I am liking the look of this so far, nice clean edge and it will only get better as I fine tune it.

This is after I applied the second coat. The rust colored epoxy has West System 407 fairing mixture designed expressly for thin coats like this. It is also lightweight, so very suitable for aerospace applications.

In this view, you can see the buildup of this layer. I didnt get my mixture quite thick enough for this. It should be peanut butter consistency, but I was a little closer to mayonaise. Lesson learned, but it came out ok when it set up as you'll see.

This is just a teaser of how nice this 'reveal' is going to be with this design. I will fine tune this by adding more fairing mix and sanding/shaping until I have it exactly how I want it. Since there are no rivets (as with the original design) to interfere with each other, I can really close up this gap nicely.

One last shot of the trim tab after some preliminary sanding. Havent even gotten very far on this yet and it is looking pretty darn good. I am happy with this idea so far. The end caps are really solid and dont appear to be going anywhere. That epoxy is some good stuff! You can see in this photo where I kind of outsmarted myself. Notice the holes in the endcap? I drilled these before adding the resin figuring that this would give the epoxy some good anchor points...almost like simulated screws. Good idea in theory I suppose, but gosh those holes dont want to fill up with resin. I created my own monster-size pinholes with that idea! haha! Oh well, just one more lesson learned...dont do that! :)

Shop Improvements HOBBS 127.5 hrs

I took a little time away from plane building to add a few things to the shop that I have been thinking about for awhile. Its one of those things that you know will make the job easier but you also dont want to stop progress on the plane, so I kept putting it off. Now that its done, very pleased with the improvements. I should've done these things earlier.

This is a drawer I added to the workbench. I had some ball bearing drawer slides laying around from a past project that I was wanting to put to use. Since I dont have enough room in my small shop for a peg board to store tools, I constantly have tools laying around on the benchtop. I found a solution with this drawer. Now I can store all of my air tools and other commonly used tools and have them at my fingertips. At the end of the day, they go back in the drawer and I have a clean work space. I now have been using this for over a week and absolutely LOVE it!

Its heavy duty 2x6 and 3/4" plywood glued/screwed construction, probably a little bit overkill but I like it...it feels substantial. :)

This gives you an idea of the stuff I am storing in it. Air tools, bucking bars, cleco's, nitrile gloves, dies, paint brushes, composite mixing sticks and sandpaper.

This is a 2x6 block I created to hold my rivet gun die sets, as you can see, plenty of room to add tools as needed.

I bought some plastic scrap pieces at a local plastic supplier in Boulder. I put some of it to use to make a cleco holder. I really got a kick out of the way this turned out. It kinda looks artistic to me...I could make a poster out of this. I know, I must be some kind of dork! haha

And here is one more small holder for drill bits and countersinks. And yes, I think this looks cool too!