Aaaah...Fiberglass! HOBBS 1233.0 hrs

I distinctly remember when I took the SportAir "RV Assembly" class out in Watsonville, CA, the instructor suggesting that we also take the "Composites" class. Being the neophytes that we all were at the time, we wanted to politely remind the instructor that the RV is an aluminum airframe...not composite, surely he knew that.

His comment was, there is more fiberglass work than you might imagine on an RV. Well, now being a seasoned builder, I can tell you he was right. It is possible to keep it to a minimum, and a lot of builders do because they despise fiberglass work. In the end, you cant get around doing some fiberglass work on the RV's, so you should have some knowledge about how to work with it. I'm glad I took the instructors advice and took the composites class. I enjoy the freedom of expression and craftsmanship that fiberglass work allows, but the sanding...you can keep it! ;) Dirty, nasty work--it certainly makes you feel fortunate to be building an aluminum aircraft.

So, this weekend I got elbows deep into fiberglass work on my canopy. From my glass work on the empennage, although I am still no expert, I feel pretty comfortable with the process now. Lots and lots of layups during the week and then again on Saturday...then trimming, cutting, sanding on Sunday. Here are some pics...

First of all, I needed supplies to get started...I already had my West Systems epoxy from the emp, but now I needed to procure some 3" and 4" fiberglass tape from Aircraft Spruce.

I was introduced to the of "Perma-Grit" line of products in my composites class. A little pricy ($30) for this sanding block, but they work great and supposedly last forever. As I always say, get the right tool for the job...work smarter, not harder.

And the enigma that I am...I spend $30 on a fancy sanding block, but use hair spray for a poor man's "mold release"! :) Mold release is expensive...hair spray will work just fine for what I am doing, although try to find unscented if you can...I'm already tired of the shop smelling like an old lady at church. ;)

Lay out some good ol' fashioned saran wrap on the work bench for doing layups...I cut my strips to size and then apply my resin on here...doesn't stick, works great...another tip from class.

Deviating from the plans...again...I am doing fiberglass side skirts, rather than riveting on the alum that Van's specifies. This will look much nicer and blend into my "targa" strip much cleaner.

Doing a few more layups with the 3" tape on the front fairing. Structurally this is about done, fill work should be all that's left now to make it look pretty.

And now I start on my 'targa' strip over the top of the roll bar. Overlap the corners, alternating back and forth. Let me add, before I did these layups I put plenty of tape (duct and masking) in all areas I didn't want the fiberglass to adhere to. The last tape layer was clear packing tape since nothing sticks to that stuff, and finally my hair spray...er, mold release...sprayed onto those areas. You do the layup...let it set up good and then go back and pop the canopy loose if all goes well.

I was worried about gluing my canopy shut, and rightfully so, consequently I didn't do it all at once...side skirt first, then most of the targa strip, and lastly the other side skirt and remainder of the targa strip. Three separate steps. Each time, it was a little nerve wracking trying to carefully pop the canopy loose.

Here is a shot of what my targa strip is looking like when the canopy is open...

"Feather" the layers of fiberglass up to the edge so you don't have a big ridge at the transition from plexi to fiberglass.

And again...deviating from the plans...I don't really like the small little handle that Van's has in the plans to open the canopy. I always felt like it was so small it was going to slip out of my fingers. So I purchased a piece of alum extrusion at McGuckins and fabricated this little guy, with a return flange for a good finger hold.

I pop riveted this into place since it would've been difficult to solid rivet it...

...and then glassed in around it to cover the rivets...she's not going anywhere now and will look nice and clean. I like how this turned out...

I know you've seen this before...but I still get a kick out of watching my canopy open and close! ;) Fits like a glove already! You can see how the targa strip overlaps for a good tight wind and water seal...far superior to leaving that joint exposed, in my humble opinion. But remember...although the targa strip is superior in functionionality, it does add weight so make the call on your airplane whether you think its worth it. Its always a tradeoff...just make your decisions to deviate with your eyes wide open.

Ok, so now that I am done with the initial layups...I pop the canopy loose for the last time and remove it for trimming. As you notice, my glass worked was intentionally bigger than what I needed. Now I trim it to size with a cutting wheel in the die grinder. And of course, the fiberglass dust begins...ugh, it gets everywhere.

I am trying something that I haven't seen anyone do (although I'm sure I'm not the first). I am overlapping the side skirt to have a nice seal..again for wind and rain. The plans say to bring the side skirt down to the edge of the fuselage skin and leave that gap as is. I did some research to see if anyone has tried this and I found an old post in the archives where someone had asked Van's about doing this and their response was "it cant be done since it will rub the paint off." Well, I don't like to be told "it cant be done"...its my rebellious side I guess...so I'm going to try this, we'll see how this comes out, see if I'm successful. So far, its looking real good and I don't see any reasons why this can't, and won't be successful. I have a couple ideas about the paint rub problem too.

Trimming the targa strip....

The long sanding process underway...notice the white, fine, dust...everywhere...my poor shop, and me!

Cutting the corner radii for a nice, finished look...its starting to take shape, exciting stuff.

She's Got Legs! HOBBS 1214.0 hrs

Over this past weekend, I really started getting back into the groove...it was a productive weekend. I spent some time working on my empennage fairing, getting closer to getting that thing done thankfully. But...the coolest part, by far, of the weekend was attaching the engine mount, the gear legs, main gear and tailwheel. I couldn't help but drift back to days of my youth and think about the ZZ Top song, "She's Got Legs" as I stood back and smiled at seeing my baby on her legs for the first time. The milestones are coming fast and furious lately and its a lot of fun...this was another big one. Put an engine and wings on her and she's ready to fly! ;)

Attaching the engine mount...I started by drilling the first hole (upper left) directly through the existing hole in the firewall. I then checked for alignment with the other holes to match drill. The upper right hole was just slightly "off"...but instead of match drilling, I drilled directly through the firewall hole again and just flexed the engine mount into place. The bottom two corners I did have to match drill...its not going to flex in that direction. But, I'll tell ya...they were damn close to being right on, they do a good job welding these engine mounts so they don't warp. The two center holes (6 total) were a non-event...match drill those too.

For the -7, you will need to notch the corner of the firewall and fuse sideskin here for clearance. Standard practice. Here you can see a 'before' pic.

And notched...do it like this or a round radius to match the contour of the leg, doesn't really matter...just remember, no sharp inside corners...radius them. I'll also tell you, this wasn't enough clearance...I had to go back and trim this further back later. I added a little extra clearance for gear flex too.

The plans say something to the effect, "mounting the gear legs could not be more straightforward". Well, this is true to some degree...there is amazingly only one one bolt holding each leg. But what they don't tell you is its not entirely easy to get those buggers (the legs) in place. I had to use Emory cloth and some hand tools to polish the inside of the mount tubes and some of the powder coat on the gear legs...plus some LP3 lubricant (you can use grease too), to get them in place. Just took a little elbow grease...they are, by design, tight. Once you have them in place...again, the plans don't mention this, but you have to ream the mounting holes to size. I used my 5/16" undersized reamer, bought specifically for this task...worked nicely.

So shoot, I was only planning to mount the gear legs...and then disassemble it all since I am going to have my engine mount powder coated red to match my paint scheme. But, all of a sudden...a light bulb went off and I said, how can I not attach my wheels if I have legs in place??? Well, I cant...I had to throw them on for a look see. Oh yeah baby!! nice huh? This was cool...even though I didn't attach any other hardware for the brake assembly.

Again, I was ready to call it a day...happy to have it sitting on its main gear. Then, that same damn light bulb went off and I said..."how hard would it be to now attach the tailwheel assembly?" "Well, not hard at all", I told myself...this was my ongoing discussion in my head...I do this a lot. :) And sure enough...5 mins later it was sitting on its tailwheel too! Ah, behold, the beauty of a tailwheel aircraft in its tail low orientation...soooo cool.

The Good "Crack" HOBBS 1204.0 hrs

After 2 1/2 days of letting the SikaFlex set up, I finally removed the straps and "cracked" open the canopy as a fully intact unit. It was an exciting moment filled with anticipation. Well, I tried to crack it open I should say! When I first removed the straps and tried to lift the canopy on the co-pilot side it didn't budge!

Whoopsy, apparently I had inadvertently glued my canopy shut! Sean, John and I had discussed this possible scenario but I assured them it would be ok...hmm, maybe I was wrong?? ;) I moved over to the pilot side and tried again and it easily lifted a few inches, so I stopped to think it through before proceeding. I figured I would give it a little bit of extra force on that side and see if it broke loose...sure enough it did, whew! It turned out that some of the Sika had oozed out onto the tape protecting the roll bar. When I cracked it open it actually pulled the tape off the roll bar.

I was pretty impressed with how sturdy it already felt, even without the side skirts. This was pretty exciting to open and close it (even without the struts re-installed)...I kinda felt like a kid in a candy store...again. :) Check out the video...

Re-Energized! HOBBS 1200.0 hrs

Now that I am getting back into the groove with building, I can feel the momentum picking back up where I cant wait to get back out in the shop. This weekend, my friend Sean Blair (RV7, Fuse) and his friend, John Armstrong (RV9A, Fuse) drove up from Colorado Springs (60 miles south of Denver) to help me glue the main canopy. They also wanted to get a tutorial on Sika as they both plan to use it on their canopies.

Getting over this hump was huge for me on an emotional level. Not only did it go really smooth, but I was so relieved to have that plexi attached to the frame so it is more sturdy and less likely to crack. I took a big sigh of relief when we finished up and Sean treated John and I to lunch.

In addition, it was so nice to finally have some help (I've done most of this build solo), it was also refreshing to have two more sets of eyes looking at the project. John pointed out something I hadn't realized about my transponder antenna (I'll post on this in a follow up) that I'll need to fix. Its amazing how, you, as the builder don't see obvious things sometimes.

Big thanks to Sean and John...really enjoyed the company and conversation. Sean also brought his full CAD interior package that he just received so I could 'oooo' and 'aaaah' over it. CAD interior is expensive, but they do make a darn nice product, I was very impressed and cant wait to order mine.

Here is my setup for holding the canopy in place for gluing. Before John and Sean arrived at 9am, I had been working on the setup/prep since 6:30am. I must've put the canopy on and pulled it off 20 times in those couple hours. Checking, double checking, thinking it through, did I forget anything?...masking...etc. Notice the pink foam pad on the side of the canopy...this helps pull the sides of the canopy into the frame nicely when strapped down.

Masking for application of the SikaFlex system. Notice the duct tape to keep the canopy from having too much stress on it while it rests on its back like a turtle. I was nervous with it in this position for obvious reasons. Make sure you have all your edges dressed before even thinking about doing this...even then, be careful.

Another last minute fit check to see how my interior masking lined up...I think we are good to go!

While I had some extra hands in the shop, I wanted to knock out these fuse rivets I couldn't reach solo. Sean ran the gun and I crawled inside the fuse (that's a bitch!) to buck these bad boys. Nice to have that taken care of.

My helpers for the day, introducing Mr. Sean Blair...

...and Mr. John Armstrong. Thanks again guys! I owe ya. :)

Sean was playing photographer while I put on the Sika primer with my foam brush.

A shot of the canopy strapped in place to allow the Sika to dry. I left it this way for about 2 1/2 days before removing the straps. As you can see, I did this while the canopy was in place on the fuse..not on a table. I know the slider guys take it off and do it on a workbench but I wanted to ensure I had the exact alignment to the fuse and the rear canopy. Since I wasn't using any holes in my canopy...not even cleco holes, I figured this was the only way I could pull it off. There were some drawbacks to this since you can't get inside to clean up the excess Sika before it dries, but all in all it worked out well, I liked the fit.

Also, my process for doing Sika was two steps. First step is to do a "structural" bond with the Sika, i.e., don't worry about doing the cosmetic fillets. Second step, later after the first batch has set up good, remove spacers if used, and then do your cosmetics...you know, make it look nice. I had a 65 degree shop in a pretty dry climate and really had no problems with the Sika drying too fast. I might have been able to combine the steps into one...but why put the pressure on yourself. Two steps is a little extra work with extra taping/prep and such but it came out good.

By the way, when doing the second step, I reapplied the Sika activator...I think you technically have a 24 hr window (check the literature) but I just did it to be safe...figured it couldn't hurt.

All in all, Sika, like most of the stuff on this build wasn't nearly as bad as some make it out to be. I think sealing the tanks was worse..ProSeal is nastier to work with than Sika. With Sika, the worst component is the primer. My concerns for structural integrity are non-existent...I did a test piece and was very impressed that not only did the Sika stay flexible, but it was very strong (and this was only about 1 or 2 in^2 piece)...I'm confident this canopy isn't going anywhere in flight.

I was so pumped up after getting the canopy glued in place on Saturday, I was dying to start fairing in the front of the Plexi on Sunday. Here you can see I started using "fine line" tape for make my contour line (1" up from the edge of the plexi)...no bueno! Fine line tape works well if you have a good guide to follow or need to do sharp radii. Otherwise it is just too wavy for my taste, as you can see here. I switched to good ol' electrical tape and it worked much better.

Black dye for my fiberglass layups so you don't see it from the inside of the cockpit...not convinced you need this since I will probably paint the inside of the plexi, but it was only a few bucks at ACS. I also used this bondo spreader for the contour from the sheet metal to the plexi...because its flexible you can control the radius, worked really nice.

First layup...filling the gap with a cotton Flox mixture...since the canopy was still strapped down while the Sika dried, I could only go so far until I remove the straps later. Also note, I didn't add Sika to the front area of the plexi (although I did tape for it)...didn't see a need since the fiberglass fairing will structurally hold this in place and Van's doesnt have screws in this area either.

More filling....I added 1" strips of fiberglass tape over my first layer of Flox that I had left over from my emp tips. I have since ordered 3" and 4" fiberglass tape from ACS, which I will used extensively for the remainder of this fairing work, the side skirts and the targa strip.

And, another layer of Flox to smooth over the 1" strips...its looking good, larger strips and filler will be the last steps before plenty of sanding to make it look pretty.

Engine on Order! HOBBS 1200.0 hrs

Today I made the call to Aerosport Power, talked to Bart & Sue, and officially ordered my engine. In 4-6 weeks I think I may be excited enough to cry when this puppy arrives...its not everyday you take delivery of a $30,000 chunk of equisite machinery that can only be an aircraft engine--because no other 4 cylinder, internally combusted, 195hp engine in the world costs this damn much! :) I may as well bask in its splendor, hell I may move it to my bedroom so I can sleep next to it. It is, the single most important part of a single engine aircraft after all, so I wasnt going to skimp on this purchase! This baby is top of the line.

This is what I settled on after plenty of research over many months (and even several seminars in OSH last year) on horizontal vs. vertical induction, P-mags vs. Slick mags, port and flow matching, preliminary electrical load calcs for alternator selection, mogas vs. avgas, etc...

• IO-375-B1B (Vertical Induction)
• 195+hp (8.5:1 compression) so I can run Mogas if desired
• Red paint (duh...of course!)
• Plane power lightweight 60 Amp alternator
• 90 deg spin on filter
• Oil sump heater
• Dual P-mags with auto harness
• Precision Silver Hawk Fuel Injection
• Sky-Tec lightweight Inline Starter

Cracked Canopy!! HOBBS 1188.0 hrs

Yep, I cracked my canopy...you read that right, its not a typo and your eyes aren't deceiving you. I danced through the 'big cut', laughing it off as being a piece of cake, only to crack the canopy later! Ironic isn't it?? This actually happened about a month ago, before my Mexico trip and I'm just now getting around to posting about it.

When I started this blog, I told myself, as bad as it is to be in the spotlight...I wanted full disclosure about the build process...including my knucklehead mistakes. I know there will be readers that rightfully so, say, "what an idiot"...but that's ok, I can take the heat. I figure, if my posting about it here helps someone coming behind me to avoid this, its worth it to me. I like to "pay it forward"...like all the guys (Dan Checkoway, Bruce Swayze, Chad Jensen, Jason Beaver) who went before me and helped me get to this point. And to those builders out there that make no mistakes...good for you, you are far superior to me because I make plenty. There is no way you get through one of these builds without some frustrations...some bumps in the road, this just happens to be one of them for me.

So, when I first saw this crack, I thought it was just the black SikaFlex primer that had somehow managed to get under my tape so I was trying to clean it off...that's why the area is scuffed up. Upon further inspection with better lighting, it was pretty apparent that sure enough, it was cracked, but good! The feeling of dread cant be described in words...I felt like I had been gut punched and all the air had been knocked out of me. I was so proud of my new glued in place rear canopy only to find this...it was a long emotional fall. 

What happened, from what I can tell, is this. I had used Popsicle sticks as my spacers for the SikaFlex like many builders do. I then used several clamps, with rubber boots mind you, to secure the plexi to the roll bar over the spacers. I think, on this particular one, I didn't get the Popsicle stick inserted far enough so the edge of the stick caused a pressure point when I clamped it. The plexi didn't like that pressure point...and bam, crack! My advice...make sure you insert it far enough in or do like some builders and use 'O-rings' as your spacers which I would do if I did another one.

After gathering my composure, I did what any good builder or pilot does. Remove the emotion from the equation, take a deep breath, assess the situation and consider my alternatives. First thought was of course, its ruined and cant be fixed...I'm fu#$%ed! Which turned to, great...you cant just buy the rear half, so all of the work done on the canopy (like the big cut and all the trimming) so far would be out the window if I ordered another one. Beyond the fact that it would cost in excess of $1200 to replace it. This idea was making me rather nauseous, so I immediately changed my thought process. Yes, I was in denial. :) 

Ok, what else can I do?? There had to be a way around this without starting over? Right? Paul Dye, who is a NASA flight director, RV8 owner/builder, KitPlanes contributor and VAF stalwart said something in one of his VAF posts that I really liked. He said, and I'm going on memory... part of the build process, part of becoming a skilled builder is learning how to overcome your mistakes...sometimes buying a new part is just not going to happen, and you're not going to throw away the entire airplane and start over. You have to find a solution. It reminds me of a saying I always like to use that I stole from the Clint Eastwood Marine Corp movie, Heatbreak Ridge..."Improvise, Adapt, Overcome". And thats exactly what I shall do...

With that quote fresh in mind, I did a google search on repairing cracked plexiglass. First order of business...stop the crack from getting worse. Stop drill that baby immediately! That almost made me cry to drill several holes in my new plexi--but I knew it had to be done. During my search, I also found out there are special 'Weld-on" products for plexiglass. Ok, now I felt I was getting somewhere...I had alternatives. 

But...the problem is, filling the crack and stop drilled holes will leave it opaque and look like crap. Then I thought...well, how about I paint a black strip on the outside of the plexi, over the roll bar. The 'slider' guys do this and it looks nice...Chris Sands exquisite RV7 had something like this as well. Shoot...although I hadn't planned it, this could work...my spirits were lifting. In addition, I planned to do a 'targa strip' anyway so this would work well with that design scheme and still look nice...almost like I planned it that way. ;)

After a month of really having the wind taken out of my sails over this cracked canopy, I am finally getting past it and feeling much better about it as I move forward. It wasnt easy, anyone who has cracked their canopy will attest to that, its a tough hump to get over. But, get over the hump you must...and build on! I hope my experience will help you avoid a similar fate.

Here is the massive spider crack...ugh!

Stop drilling it...you can see I missed a couple...

This is Chris Sands' plane and the canopy scheme I am referring to...notice the black strip over the roll bar and the 'targa strip' on the canopy. My canopy will look just like this when I am done....it doesn't look too bad does it?? :)

Team RV HOBBS 1188.0 hrs

Team RV is going to be putting on a presentation at Oshkosh AirVenture this year as part of the Van's 40th anniversary celebration. Check out this cool video of them in action. Pretty cool to see what these planes can do in the hands of skilled aviators!

Summit Ascent HOBBS 1188.0 hrs

Hello! No I didn't disappear, or give up on the project...but I did take about 3 full weeks off from building. Very strange pause in the action for me...the only other time during the project where I took that much time off was when I was saving money for my wings.

So, why the pause? I think it was a confluence of quite a few external issues in my life. First, I headed south of the border to Cabo San Lucas for a week of R&R. In addition, work's been busy...as has school as the semester is coming to a close, and of course a little touch of spring fever makes it hard to focus. All of this, combined with the fact I have been working pretty hard the last six months and suffered a little burnout.

Add it all up, and you get a much needed rest break...I am using the analogy that this is my rest at base camp before making the final push for the summit. I am hoping to be flying one year from now...a lot has to be done in the next year for that to happen so its going to be hectic.