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| Been riding the motorcycle to the hangar as the Spring weather approaches |
I always like to say that this project, the last four years, has changed who I am today. How I approach difficult problems, the things I've learned about myself, some of which are not complimentary by the way...my "lazy" streak, for example.
Four years ago I was very impatient. I grew up during the start of the "always plugged in" generation. Instant gratification and getting things done, right now, were the hallmark of my personality. I will say, in four years I have come a long way with being more patient. Although, even now, I am still learning to tame this beast.
Case in point, when I moved into the hangar I thought its full speed ahead to the finish line...this thing will be flying in no time! Well, I am now realizing that, even at this stage, things don't happen fast when you are building your first airplane...not sure why this lesson hasn't sunk in with me yet?
Think about it, EVERY SINGLE THING you do while building one of these is most likely a brand new learning experience. As such, it ALWAYS takes longer than you anticipate, get over it. You have to research, read, think, analyze, learn...then do, and maybe do it again.
So, whats my point? Well my point is, I am finally reserved to letting go of my self imposed hurry to get it flying...letting go of any imaginary deadlines I have set, and just enjoying the process...one slow step at a time. One day, it will take to the skies...just take a deep breath and relax until then...the good news is every step brings me closer to that first flight.
I purchased a 12x12 piece of stainless steel screen from McMaster Carr. I wanted to add these to my fresh air vents to keep critters and other creepy crawlies from entering the cockpit. Great idea and easy to implement.
Plenty of ways to tackle this...some guys go to the trouble of ProSealing this in place. Jason Beaver did it this way and I liked the simplicity of it....worked just fine...and no ProSeal needed. Wrap it around like this...then just insert the hose over the top. The hose clamp will hold it all in place.
Peering in from the outside...hole is covered, next task.
Labeling my spark plug wires...regular label with clear heat shrink. I also drilled access holes in my baffling as I get these finished up and ready for paint.
Adding flanges for the P-mag blast tubes. These will have 1" SCAT tubing attached to direct cooling air to each P-mag. Again, screen added for keeping unwanted debris from entering the engine compartment.
Jumping back to my center console briefly. I added a clearance hole for the throttle and prop cables...I need to this finalized so I can get lengths and order those cables.
And continuing with my stick install. Here is the co-pilot side. I am fine tuning the length. As I mentioned these need to be cut down as desired and for panel clearance. Some guys like to cut them as short as possible. I am in the opposite camp...keep them as long as possible. For two reasons. One, mechanical advantage...the longer the stick the more force you can exert on the mechanism. Two, the longer the stick the more precise you can be with your control inputs...one inch movement on a shorter stick equals more control surface deflection than a longer stick...i.e., less resolution. All unlimited aerobatic planes have long sticks...there is a reason.
So in this picture you can see I am free and clear straight ahead.
But moving it to the side, I am almost touching the panel in this position. Probably ok, but I decided to cut it down about 1/4" more just for a little extra clearance.
After cutting it down...much better, I think we are good to go with this length. I will measure this and publish what worked for me later. I also, although hard to see from this picture, rotated the grip slightly to align with my hand-to-shoulder angle. Pretty much everyone does this.
Still wresting with the removable stick design for the co-pilot. From a mechanical standpoint...not a big deal...the electrical side of it, not so much. I just bought some of these "dogleg" style button-type springs from McMaster Carr. I had to buy 7 so if any of my local readers need one, send me an email.
Pop that baby inside the stick and bam, works like a charm...that puppy isn't going anywhere yet easy to remove with the press of a button. I like it.
Getting the stick to fit inside the Infinity grip is a royal pain in the ass. You have to open up the grip and carefully install the stick while somehow keeping all of the wiring and switch relays in place. Its kind of a mess inside there. You really need some patience when you tackle this.
Here you can see, I removed all of the powder coat on the stick and also cut an optional slot in the side for wire clearance. There is nothing to be afraid of from a structural standpoint in doing this so I figured why not. I also had to ream out of of the holes as it wasn't perfectly on centerline, preventing the two halves of the grip from closing nicely. This project is still ongoing...working on the aforementioned electrical hurdles of the removable stick.
One of the cool things about the Vertical Power unit is its ability to position your flaps with incremental settings. But to do this, you will need to buy this POS12 position sensor which will give feedback to the unit where the flaps are. Also in the pic is a leftover threaded rod from my roll trim motor...I am going to try and use this for the POS12 sensor to attach to the flap bell crank. I still have no idea how and where to mount this puppy yet?
Painted my GPS antenna tray that will sit inside the engine compartment.
Painted and attached the baffles. Be sure to get this screw before putting your oil filler dipstick in place (resides where the duct tape is). Once you get that screw in...you can put your filler back in and safety wire it. I put a star washer on this to keep it from backing out from vibration.
And a nice view to leave you with of my baffles painted and installed for flight...hopefully. Looks cool! This was a nice boost for my morale to see.
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