Chapter 6
11/25/01 – Started Ch. 6 by test fitting and trimming F22, IP, and seat back to both fuselage sides. 5.0 hrs.
11/29/01 – Sanded fuselage sides where bulkheads will be floxed. Sanded bulkheads. Drilled holes in fuselage sides to hold bulkheads. Disassembled fuselage jigs. Removed legs from work bench and leveled work table top on floor for fuselage assembly. 3.0 hrs.
11/30/01 – Drew center line on table. Mounted F22 and firewall to 2x4’s at 101.75 inches apart. Verified both were 90 degrees to the table. 3.5 hrs.
12/1/01 – Fitted fuselage sides to firewall and F22. Sanded to size (101.75") Verified top longerons were at WL 23". And parallel to each other. Test fitted seatback and Instrument panel bulkheads in place. 5.3 hrs.
Photos showing perpendicular firewall and parallel upper longerons.
12/2/01 – Finished fitting seatback and IP to fuselage sides. Verified all measurements and floxed seatback, F22, and IP in place. 3.0 hrs.
I used 2 pieces of wood with threaded rod as a giant clamp to hold the fuselage sides in place while the bulkheads cured. This was recommended buy other builders and it worked very well.
12/7/01 – Sanded bulkheads for bid tape reinforcements. 2.0 hrs.
12/8/01 – Applied bid tape enforcements to forn and back of the IP, front of seatback, and rear of F22. Added additional 4 ply reinforcement to F22. 4.3 hrs.
12/13/01 – Fitted, floxed, and taped F28 into position. (the photo below shows this step) 1.8 hrs.
12/14/01 - Measured, trimmed and floxed rear landing gear bulkhead in place. 2.5 hrs.
12/15/01 – Trimmed and fitted front landing gear bulkhead in place. Fabricated 8" spacers. Hot glued spacers to bulkhead. Floxed and bid taped front landing gear bulkhead in place. Checked for square and plumb. 6.0 hrs.
12/16/01 – Drilled aft landing gear bulkhead attachment holes using wood spacer guides. .5 hrs.
This photo shows the landing gear bulkheads in place with the spacer being used as a guide to drill locating holes for the landing gear bolts.
12/17/01 – Sanded and applied bid tape to front side of Aft LGB. .8 hrs.
12/21/01 – Sanded, fitted, floxed, and bid taped upper portion of front LGB. 3.0 hrs.
12/22/01 – Sanded front LGB and applied additional reinforcement layups. 2.8 hrs.
12/23/01 – Rearranged garage. Shortened worktable from 11’ to 7’. Leveled table. Cleaned garage. 4.8 hrs.
12/24/01 – Inverted fuselage onto saw horses and leveled. Sand aft side of both front and rear LGB and aft side of seat back bulkhead. 3.3 hrs.
12/26/01 – Layed up 6 ply of Uni on L & R sides of bakside of front LGB. Layed up 2ply of Bid between fuselage side and backside of front LGB as per plans. 4.3 hrs.
Picture at left shows Front and rear Bulkheads in place with reinforcement layups in place.
12/27/01 – Cut out longeron holes into permanent lower firewall. Fitted lower firewall in place. Trimmed 6 ply layups on LGBs. 6.0 hrs.
12/28/01 – Floxed, taped and peel plyed rear seam between upper and lower front LGB. Floxed, taped, and peel plyed lower firewall in place. Fabricated 2 birch plywood fuel selector supports. Layed out foam for seatback support and heat duct. 5.5 hrs.
12/29/01 – Cut glass and layed up seatback brace, spacers, and heat duct pieces. 2.5 hrs.
Fuel selector valve supports were cut out from ¼" birch. (left). Seatback and heat duct foam are layed up before assembly (right)
12/30/01 – Trimmed heater duct and seatback brace layups. Refabricated birch fuel selector supports because valve did not match plans. Fabricated aluminum fuel valve attachment. 5.0 hrs.
12/31/01 – Riveted nutcerts on fuel selector supports. Floxed birch selector supports to seat back brace. 1.0 hr.
Fabricated fuel selector support with nutcerts and valve installed
The birch fuel supports are in the process of being floxed in place.
1/1/02 – Fitted and floxed seatback brace together. 2.0 hrs.
1/2/02 – Trimmed seatback brace. Floxed fuel valve support and landing brake tube into seatback brace. Floxed air duct together. 2.5 hrs.
1/4/02 – Trimmed seatback and trial fitted brace and heat duct in place. Floxed 2" aluminum seat belt anchor on top of heat duct. Cut glass for seatbelt anchor reinforcements per plans. 2.0 hrs.
1/5/02 – Layed up seatbelt anchor and heater duct reinforcements. 3.0 hrs.
1/6/02 – Floxed, taped, and peel plyed heat duct and seatback brace in place. 5.0 hrs.
The brace and heater duct are installed in this picture. You can see the birch fuel supports also.
1/10/02 – Sanded lower longerons. Layed out bottom foam, traced IP, Seatback, heater duct, and longerons onto bottom foam. Cut out bottom foam to shape. Cleaned shop. 2.5 hrs.
1/11/02 – Made bottom jig from 1x2’s per plans. Glued jig to foam. Drew lines for belly brake. Cut out belly brake. 2.0 hrs.
In this picture, the foam is cut, the jig is in place, and the bulkheads have been traced from underneath.
1/12/02 – Started cutting and fitting spacers for bottom. Cleaned garage. 5.0 hrs.
1/19/02 – Finished contouring spacers. Cut bid cloth for bottom layups. Microed spacers in place. 4.0 hrs.
Spacers are microed and weighted in place with water jugs.
1/20/02 – Trial fitted fuselage bottom in place. Spacers lined up perfectly. Returned bottom to work bench and layed up fuselage bottom. 6.5 hrs.
1/25/02 – First Tech counselor visit from Greg Duda. His comments read "Initial inspection, very good workmanship and glass work." 0.0 hrs.
1/26/02 – Sanded bottom and side joints and floxed bottom into place. 3.0 hrs.
Sanding bottom before install (Left picture)
Applying Flox before bottom install. (Right)
1/27/02 – Taped and peel plyed half of fuselage bottom-to-side joints. 3.5 hrs.
1/28/02 – Sanded, floxed, taped, and peel plyed remaining fuselage bottom seams. 4.0 hrs.
The bottom is floxed in place and weighted down while cure. I used some old skis with adjustable belts for the main "clamps" (left picture) I did the bid tapes in two steps so I didn’t have to attempt any upside down layups. This worked well.
Chapter 6 Construction time: 116.6 hours