ER Tanks-Planning HOBBS 402.0 hrs

Went out to the shop last night and spent the majority of two hours thinking/planning out my ER tank architecture. I spent a fair amount of time doing this when I decided to go this route but hadnt done anything with it since, so it was time to add some more detail to the plans. Deciding where to place the tank ribs, getting a list put together of extra parts I will need to order from Van's, etc.

Its 'go' time! I have a bad habit of overthinking everything--sometimes I need to just stop thinking and start doing. I think I have reached that moment in time.

I gotta say the planning was fun, this is what gets my juices flowing. Not to offend anyone, but building one of these entirely to the plans holds little interest for a guy like me. 'Making it your own' is what truly draws me to this hobby. I would feel suffocated by building a lightsport RV-12 since you cant alter the build from standard. To me, life is too short to be just like everybody else...what fun is that? The coolest thing is going to OSH and seeing all of the clever tweaks people have done to their planes...even if its just a variation of something that has been done before. Anyway, thats just me...

Right Flap HOBBS 400.0 hrs

Worked on the right flap last night....no pics. Cleco, match drill, disassemble, file, debur, scotch brite, etc. Dimpling and priming next. As you can see, I have reached 400 total hrs on the project...sometimes it seems more like 4000 hrs! haha! Its daunting to think that I am only about 1/5 done. Its a marathon, not a sprint, thats for sure...just settle in and keep pluggin' along.

Access Cover HOBBS 398.0 hrs

Last night I ProSealed my access cover into place. This picture will look a little different than a standard install. The 'extra' hole you see is where my original vent line was before I decided to do ER tanks. Consequently, I plugged that hole with a nut/bolt and sealed it up. Also, the screws are 10-32 black stainless steel--also not standard because of my earlier mistake of not installing the right nut plates. Of course, like I did with the other tank I will spray this with primer when I am done to hide that ProSeal application.

So now, the baffle is the only thing left to finish this puppy up! Before closing it up, I will take pics of every bay for documentation purposes, wipe it out with MEK so its nice and clean (no construction dust) and test the capacitance plate continuity one more time. I've also started on the right flap.

Fun With RV8's HOBBS 396.0 hrs

Over the holidays I recieved an email from a new reader, Kevin in Cincinnati, who is building an RV8 (I'm almost ashamed to admit my secret love is an RV8...). He sent me the link to a great video by Jon Thocker, I've seen this video before and I forgot how good it was--great tune and flying scenes. If this doesn't get you fired up about building one of these I dont know what will?

This week I will be finishing up the right tank and getting started on the right flap.

Happy Holidays 2010! HOBBS 396.0 hrs




ASF Christmas Card "Santa's Hangar"

  A real quick message to wish everyone a safe holiday season! 2010 was a helluva year and I expect 2011 to be even better as I get cracking on the fuselage, thanks for reading along. I'm heading for the high country for the weekend so there wont be any factory activity for a few days.

Right Tank...S'more HOBBS 396.0 hrs

And s'more work on the right fuel tank. Wired up the capacitance plates, continuity-tested 'em...thumbs up. Riveted/ProSealed the last end rib in place. Installed the modfiied (because of my ER tanks) vent tube. And then just some misc ProSeal work getting ready to close it up with the rear baffle being the last component...same song and dance as before...plenty of repitition on the wings.

Although I still contend the fuel tanks arent that bad, I wont lie that I am looking forward to having them in my rearview mirror! :) ...then I have to do the ER tanks, but that's another day.

FAA Photo-Ailerons HOBBS 394.0 hrs

I forgot to upload this self-protrait when I finished the ailerons. This, so the good ol' Federal government, knows I actually built my plane. If you read my blog you know how I feel about this silliness, but it could be worse...we do have great freedoms in our wonderful country, especially when it comes to aviation.

Left Flap Complete HOBBS 394.0 hrs

Finished up my left flap last night. As the plans said, this a pretty easy control surface to assemble. It is a little bit of a tight squeeze reaching inside to do some of the rivets but otherwise its pretty straightforward. I recieved a couple cuts on my hands in the process...and finally joined the "drilled my finger" club!

From what I've heard, I think its a right of passage when building an airplane to drill your finger at least once. It just grazed my thumb, but it was painful enough for me to say a few choice words. haha! On a side note, it sure is nice to rivet without having to deal with ProSeal all over the place!! :)

I would do the pop rivets (red arrows) before the solid rivets (blue arrows)...I didnt. This was a bitch to get into this tight space to do the pop rivets, and you can only do it with your 'modified' pop rivet gun (ground down for tight quarters). Click on the photo for a larger view.

Dont forget to machine countersink the main spar on the side where the hinge attaches.

I left the hinge pin uncut at full length since I'm not sure if I may need the extra length to secure it to the wing. I could've read ahead in the plans I guess? This works for now, I can cut it later.

And here is the finished product, sitting in its stand.

Rolling Wing Stand HOBBS 390.0 hrs

I recently got a request from one of my readers about my rolling wing stand and how it was constructed. I wanted a rolling wing stand for a couple reasons. One, I didnt really want to drill into my garage floor nor my ceiling...not a big deal, but if I could avoid it I would. Second, I wanted to be able to pull my car into the garage if I really wanted/needed to...ie, snow days. I kept material costs to a minimum, but also plan to re-use them for the wing cradles when I am done.

So, with that in mind, I wanted a wing stand that was easy to move but also sturdy and straight. And it couldnt be any bigger than about the size of a car since I have a two car garage. I kept mine pretty wide so I have plenty of room between each wing for working...you could go narrower if you wanted. All of my mission parameters were satisfied and halfway through my wings I have been very happy with the results and I would do it again.

One thing I didnt do very well is square it up. Do a diagonal dimension check before locking it down as mine came out a little parallelogram. Just sloppy carpentry skills on my part. One other tip, you will have to acomodate for a more than likely sloping garage floor so keep that in mind as you build it and position it. Here are some pics...

Cheap Harbor Freight wheels...swiveling and locking, rated at 150# each

Support for the center of the wings to take out the sag...just a piece of all-thread, but the key is to integrate it into the stand so it is completely mobile

I positioned the wheels so that it wouldnt tip over when only one wing was mounted and I also wanted to avoid a tripping hazard and minimize width...this is the position I came up with

The center beam is great for hanging lights (as shown) or prints or air hoses or anything else you might want. I actually used it as a paint stand to paint my HS before I started on the wings.

Tank Success! HOBBS 390.0 hrs

I finally got around to doing my left fuel tank pressure test. And low and behold, we have SUCCESS! That was a good feeling for sure. But it didnt come without some sweating.

I had purchased the tank pressure test kit from Van's so I was using that to conduct my test. It is cheap and a pretty simple setup, it includes a plug for the fuel pickup fitting and a bicycle style valve that screws into the fuel drain sump. I then inserted a glove into the cap to help seal it better, taped over it with duct tape and then attached a 'balloon' to the vent line. I didnt actually have a balloon handy so I just cut off a finger from a rubber glove and used electrical tape to attach it. It worked just fine...well, sort of.

For some reason I thought I was supposed to pressurize the tank and leave it overnight to see if the balloon stayed inflated. So I pressurize the tank...no problem, set the tank off to the side and start doing something else. I checked back about ten minutes later and the balloon was already deflating. Are you kidding me right now?!! Let me just tell you, a feeling of dread came over me at the sight of that! Ugh!

Well, so not to throw my arms in the air and panic, I decide to work the problem. I went back and read the directions that Van's supplied with the kit in their entirety. Sure enough, it says to pressurize the tank and then use soapy water to check for leaks. No need to leave it overnight. So, extra soapy water it was...and sure enough it was leaking pretty darn good around my electrical tape holding the balloon in place so that concept didnt work too well. But, I checked the rest of the tank and besides the fuel cap...it was all good! woohoo!

So, I think I have a good seal on my tank. I personally wont be 100% positive though until I fill it with fuel and use it for awhile, that will be the real test. But for now I will accept this victory and move on to the next one.

A glove inserted into the fuel cap...

After inserting the glove, I added duct tape. I think this worked ok until the soapy water hit it, then the tape started to peel away. No worries though, the cap is not of consequence for the pressure test and can be ignored.

Fill it up with an ordinary bicycle pump. Do not use your air hose, that is way too much pressure for this. The amount of pressure should be 1.0 psi or less according to Van's...doesnt take much.

Here is my simulated balloon...the finger of a glove. This acts as a sort of safety pressure valve so you dont add too much pressure in the tank and rupture or damage it...that would suck. Worked just fine...the electrical tape holding it in place, not so much! :)

And...although I havent seen other builders do this, I'm sure its been done before, I taped off the tank and threw a coat of primer on the baffle and end ribs. It will obviously add some corrosion protection but it also made it look much more professional...hide all that ProSeal goop.

And of course, dont forget to celebrate the small victories along the way. One of my favorite quotes is by the former tennis champion Martina Navratilova, "The moment of victory is much too short to live only for that and nothing else." Here is a self portrait while I enjoy a Cuban cigar I smuggled back from my Costa Rica trip...dang, that is one ugly dude!! haha! KPR...

Back in the U.S.A. HOBBS 385.5 hrs

I am back in the good ol' U.S of A. I had an amazingly good time during my first visit to Costa Rica. Beautiful 'ticas' (Costa Rican women), gorgeous country and 'muy' friendly people. I will certainly visit again. I love to travel, but I always say, the best part of every trip is coming home. I am anxious to spend some time with my 'Aluminum mistress'...I missed her. ;) My left tank pressure test is the next order of business, stay tuned. (Edit 12/27/10; added some of my pics from the trip to this post)

Costa Rica HOBBS 385.5 hrs

Just returned from my trip home for thanksgiving, now making last minute preparations for a trip to Costa Rica. I've never been to Costa Rica before but did spend two years living close by in Panama when I was young. I am looking forward to seeing this area of the world again, it is beautiful from what I remember. The geography and wildlife should be pretty much identical to what I recall from Panama.

I was hoping to do a pressure test on my left fuel tank but its not looking promising that I'll have time to fit that in before I depart. So, the blog will be on hiatus for a while longer, sorry about that. I am itching to get back at it though, so I expect it to be fast and furious once I return. I'll have a month long break from school until the spring semester starts in the new year. Here are some pics of Costa Rica that I found on the internet...yeah, I'm trying to make ya jealous! ;) Dont let my vacation haitus stop you from pounding some rivets however.

Left Tank Closed Up HOBBS 385.5 hrs

Over the weekend I tackled those fuel tanks once again. I was determined to get at least one of them closed up and ready for a pressure test. I was successful, finishing off the left tank and starting the finish-up work on the right.

The last steps were screwing the access cover in place and sealing it up followed by the rear baffle and tank attach brackets. All went pretty well, its pretty straightforward but it was still a fair amount of work to do those tasks. I then came back later and added ProSeal to all of the shop heads on the baffle and the pull rivets on the tank brackets.

I have been letting the ProSeal cure for the last couple days so it is now ready for a pressure test. Unfortunately I am leaving town tomorrow to visit the folks out in WA and eat some of dear ol' Mom's good cookin'! So, the pressure test will have to wait 'til after turkey day.

All together now, lets chant..."no leaks...no leaks...no leaks!" We shall see...

Have a safe Thanksgiving, and as one of my builder friends, Sean told me the other day..."we've got much to be thankful for...don't we?" He's definitely right on about that.

Here is a shot of the left tank mounted on the wing (looks cool eh?). I wanted to do a fit check after I got it sealed up just to give me a warm fuzzy because there is not much I could do at this point if it didnt fit. I will tell ya I was nervous for a minute as it was a pretty tight fit. The buildup of primer on the attach brackets along with the ProSeal most likely contributed to this. So, my advice is keep it to a minimum if you are doing it like I am. But, tight is good...as my old construction boss, Buster used to say, "tight is right". :) I attached the tank and let the ProSeal dry like this overnight. Not sure if that made any difference...but thats the way I did it.

Lakota Sue HOBBS 377.5 hrs

I try to keep this blog mostly about the build process, but I also use it as a sort of journal to document what is going on in my life (or at least the significant happenings) so that I can look back at this 20 yrs from now and remember. Well, this post has nothing to do with airplanes.

Yesterday afternoon I had to put my trusty dog Lakota, and loyal companion of almost 15 yrs, down. She was named after the proud people of the Lakota Sioux, the western-most tribe of the Sioux Indians. I always have had a great respect for the Native American's of the 19th century. The name of my plane, which I have already picked out, will also reflect this 'Lakota Sioux' theme.

We were inseperable for all those years, she was literally my shadow wherever I went. You might imagine how attached a single guy and animal lover might be to his canine sidekick. She was an amazing dog and she lived a long, happy life with good health right 'til the end and I take great comfort in that fact...but even with that being said, it was still a very tough day for me. If you're a pet owner and have ever had to experience this, you'll know what I mean.

RIP old girl, you did it right and your companionship will be sorely missed..."there will be others, but never another"

How To Build Your Own Airplane HOBBS 377.5 hrs

Here is a rather amusing video posted on Bob Collins blogsite that I frequent. Enjoy and KPR!

Torque Seal Application HOBBS 377.5 hrs

In my last post I showed an application of torque seal for my aileron attach bracket. One of my readers, Pat from CA, pointed out this EAA homebuilder hints video as a good reference on how to properly apply torque seal. For those of you who dont know about this series of videos, you are certainly missing out, this is a wonderful benefit of being an EAA member with lots and lots of great information. Check it out if you havent already.

So after watching this, it appears the opinion of this gentleman is to not apply the torque seal directly to the threads. Sounds like a good idea but as an Engineer, I tend to question everything, I apologize but its my nature. My only argument against this idea is, at least in this particular case, the entire bolt/nut assembly could turn even though the nut hadn't loosened. You would see a movement/break of the torque seal but that wouldn't necessarily mean the nut was coming loose. My goal is to know if the nut, independent of the bolt, has moved. Applying it the way he instructs may or may not accomplish this. One counter-argument is, if its torqued properly, the amount of pre-load on the bolt will be sufficient to prevent the bolt/nut assembly from turning? I plan to test this theory in the shop. I will also research this more for my own sake...as for other builders, as I always say, its your butt...your call. My advice if you are uncomfortable about this is seek out someone ( EAA Tech Counselor) who is knowledgable and you trust and ask them, or do further research like I am.

By the way, many thanks to Pat for bringing this to my attention. Discussion is always a good thing. Anyone who sees something in my posts that doesn't make sense, feel free to post a comment or email me about it. As I always say, I am no expert when it comes to building airplanes, just learning as I go just like you. For me, the learning is half the fun! ;)

Flaps and Fuel Tanks HOBBS 377.5 hrs

Last week I acquired a new toy, an Apple iPad. My laptop had grown pretty old and decided to go TU so I figured, lets buy an iPad. I had heard that they were great in the cockpit, so that made it a lot easier to justify. I am still feeling out its capabilities, especially for flying, but so far it is a pretty amazing device...its a "game changer" in my opinion. So, what does that have to do with building an RV you ask? Well, I spent all of my weeknights playing with it so I didnt spend as much time working on the plane. Anyhow, I will keep you updated as to what I think about it for aviation purposes. I can tell you the free weather apps that I have downloaded are quite amazing...flight planning just got much more convenient.

This weekend, I still logged 7.5 hrs in the shop working on the fuel tanks and flaps. Yes, the fuel tanks...gosh these things will never end! :) I think I am ready to seal up the left one...attach the baffle and the access cover and then pressure test it. The right tank should follow closely behind.

Started the left flap construction. The instructions say, this is the easiest assembly on the wing. So far, I would agree with that statement. Not much to it, especially at this stage of the game...your building skills should be getting fairly advanced by now. A control surface like this is now a piece of cake...much different than when I first gazed at the elevator and stumbled through that.

Here is my fuel tank access hole, and also the place where I mistakenly installed 10-32 nut plates instead of the correct 8-32 nut plates. Click on the next pic for more detail.

Unless I am missing something obvious, this is a little confusing. Dont go by the pictorial representation of the nut plate like I did. The picture looks just like a 10-32 nut plate, but the callout correctly says 8-32 (K1000-08). I am leaving them as is, the access plate will be plenty secure on my plane. ;) So, thats why I had to order new nut plates from Van's...those buggers are about 0.50/ea so it wasnt a trivial mistake as I ended up ordering $17 worth of nut plates. doh!

And here is where all of those 10-32 nut plates went...left fuel tank attach brackets (Z brackets)

Here is a quick shot of my aileron trailing edge. I just wanted to note, I am not too proud to put pull rivets in the last hole. To try and drive a solid rivet in this small space is just silly in my opinion. I will use my filler to make that appear to be a solid rivet later on. Nobody will ever know...at least if they didnt read my blog they wouldnt. :)

Another shot of the aileron. A quick note, my policy in the shop is, torque it and immediately apply torque seal...that way you know later upon visual inspection...if its got torque seal, it indeed has been torqued...no questions asked, no mistakes.

The left flap getting assembled for the first time

Van's say you can build a jig to hold your flaps if you want, but its not necessary. Well, I thought...heck I have the materials laying around (those end pieces are on old desk that I disassembled) and it took me about 15 minutes to slap it together. Voila! Glad I did, it really helps when assembling the structure and certainly will be helpful when riveting it solo.

The continuous hinge (piano hinge) match drilled to the flap, this will attach to the wing structure later

Fabricating the attach bracket, you have to put a 6.3 deg bend in this bugger in a later step. I went too far and had to bend it back slightly. Beware, 6.3 degs is not much of an angle. You dont want to bend these things back and forth too much...it will work harden the material and it could crack, now...or worse, later.

Hole layout...