We’ve been out of town for the last week enjoying some skiing in Whistler, so there hasn’t been a lot of progress. Most of what has been hapenning is prepping for the Finish Kit that will be ready around January 9th. So I’ve been doing odd things here and there that need work.
I realized it was time I got my hands dirty and dig into the fiberglass and epoxy process. The pilot door had had a cut that was too agressive and removed too much of the channel that the seal will eventually go on. So I grabbed some scrap fiberglass from the initial trimming and glued it in to provide a rough skeleton of the repair area. I then mixed up some West Systems Epoxy, 206 Fast Hardner and there 204 structural filler. This I mixed up to a toothpaste like consistency and filled in around the skeleton I glued into place.
After letting it sit for a day (cool temperatures in the garage) I got out my 80 grit sand paper and removed the excess expoy. You would hardly know there was a but cut in the area – I like this repair work!
I also received my door deal material from McMaster-Carr and I test fitted a piece in a few places and found the edge was a little thin in places because of the old channel approach. So I mixed up some more epoxy and filler and applied it around the door opening where the seal will eventually sit. I applied enough to thicken it to approximately 1/4″ and let it cure. I later came back with sand paper and removed excess material and did an initial bled with the original fiberglass door pillars. I will need to use some micro bubbles (407 lightweight west systems filler) to do the blending work eventually once the overhead is ready to go in.
I worked on the Trutrak Autopilot pitc servo and mounted it to the mounting tray. This will fit in the rear empennage and connect to the elevator control. The stock instructions are pretty much non-existant (2 pictures are all that are provided!). So I connected it up and did the safety wire. As others have found, the servo arm comes VERY close to the top two bolts – especially when you use a washer with them as I did. So I am following others and ordering some replacement screws to replace these bolts and the screws will be secured with nuts and some locktite. The screws are on order, so I will leave the bolts for now. I got this mounted on the rear bellcrank and connected to the elevator bellcrank system.
I also got the 2″ ducts for the bulkhead that will connect the rear naca vents and the overhead console for fresh air drilled. They still need to be cut out for the 2″ hole (no picture at this time).
I also began fabricating a mounting tray to place the AeroSportProducts Naca vent controller in the rear tail. This will enable me to shutoff the fresh air to the overhead vents for especially cold days. I cut up some angle and some .063″ stock to support the controller and was about to get things riveted together so I plugged in my compressor that hasn’t been used for a few weeks since most sheet metal work was finished. It ran for about 2 minutes and then suddenly got very quiet. I turned it off and back on, still quiet. So I opened the top assembly and found the piston that rams air into the tank had snapped clean in two. I tried a feeble attempt at fixing with epoxy but that didn’t work.
So I guess it’s time to go get a new compressor – ironic since I wont have to use it a lot going forward. Perhaps I’ll get a better one this time, or one that is more quiet. So for now I am unable to rivet anything.
So I started work on a tray that will sit in the tail and span between the sides skin and the battery box. This will enable me to mount equipment there like the ELT, ADS-B and other electronics in the rear. I am following the plans from ShowPlanes and it is a simple affair. I was unable to bend the .063″ stock using my cheap harbor freight bender, so I am enlisting some help from my tech consuler and his access to a rear metal brake to do the bends for me. He will also bend another piece of .063 that will be used to mount the trim servo auto trim module once it is received.
myrv10factory 