Posts by Dave Berenholtz

Dave Berenholtz
1324 posts
http://www.alongwayroundtheworld.com

Tenth Year Summary

Date:  12-01-2021
Number of Hours:  0
Manual Reference:  no ref

Build start DEC 1 2011
Today is DEC 1 2021

Ten Years Building.

My build log now shows 12,904 hours. OK I thought I’d be done by this time in 2020! Wrong. In fact now it looks like I will be well into 2022 before first flight. It is VERY possible I’m on my last year of the build.

Still no engine delivery date although we are looking at early March with the AC-Aero X440 or whatever they finally call it. This is a Lycoming 0-360 angle valve case with the Higgs cylinders and stroked out to 440 cubic inches. We are still going for 300HP non turbo.

I’ve been at the hangar nearly every day since the last summary but this year it was between 4 and 5 months of more Covid19 lockdown. Our state had the most days lockdown in the world. This has hardly helped my build progress although my house is cleaner.

Otherwise I have been at the hangar every single day and I hardly know how I haven’t made more progress or where all the time went.

The airframe is painted, finally. Here is XEZ with JZE which is also getting some maintenance. The engine in the new build is a loaner for sizing radiators.

The paint job is excellent. That scoop in the nose is really where a new infrared vision camera is mounted. That is a game changer for night flying. A significant and challenging install as well. It will display on the G3X.

The paint job even worked out where you can’t see it.

It will probably never look this shiny again.

All the hinges have Teflon liners which was quite a job. The ailerons and elevators have been balanced and installed. The front and rear flow dividers are installed. Canopy seals are nearly done.

Wheel pants and other removable parts all had to be refitted after the paint. It was a LOT of work.

Brake lines, piss tubes and heat shields here and around the spar are all done. I’m yet to fill the brakes with fluid and try them.

Fuel caps are installed.

Avionics are working on a bench. My guy has done an amazing job and fits me in around his usual work so progress has been slow at times.

All that fitting work I did more than a year ago is finally paying off. The screen printed panel is showing here. Fitted into the airframe it is rock solid.

OK, here it is. I expect to fly next year, 2022 in this plane. Engine and avionics to go. Avionics very close, engine yet to be delivered. I have a huge challenge with sorting out radiator placement and building ducts. I’m yet to source radiators that fit!

Who know what will happen next. I’ll just keep showing up to the hangar until its done.

Canopy Seal 1

Date:  11-14-2021
Number of Hours:  30
Manual Reference:  18

Kudos goes to Nick Ugolini for this canopy sealing method. Here’s his blog entry. He does say something about it being a weekend job. There are no weekend jobs on my build if that means it gets finished in a weekend. It MIGHT be finished on a weekend after weeks of work is the usual story.

Here’s Nick’s description:- I have found the V-seal to be incredibly effective. The main problem with most seal systems is over crushing of the seal and using cheap weather stripping to seal the canopy. It means your are ALWAYS fighting the seals to close and lock the canopy, over crushing of the seal, and the mis-matching of the canopy to fuselage causing air leaks where the canopy to longeron distance is too great. Imagine a car door. The door gaps are engineered for the seals. The seals are NOT just haphazardly chosen to fit on to hand made doors after they are made.

First up, make some hard points.

That screw with a washer is one of 4 hardpoints I have put in fore and aft. The idea is that the canopy closes onto a fixed corner and then we have the flexible seal in between.

After several tries I made up plastic pieces the same width as the Vee seal I’ll be using less 30% height. Then I covered sections in release tape and plenty of wax.

Here we are with the canopy closed and epoxy/410 filler oozing out.

After cure this is whats left.

After the first clean up, we are starting to get a base for the rubber seal that is perfectly sized for the variable longeron gap.

This is a bit of the yellow spacer I used. On the front lip it had to be curved in two directions. Then I hot glued it in place.

 

Next up tape and wax. You can see some of the completed inside groove too.

The front edge sealed and waiting for the cure.

After I worked it open and a bit of sandpaper we get a clean result.

This is pretty much the groove done. I won’t mention when the canopy got stuck down so badly I had to cut off one of the canopy latches at the front to work it open. Then I had to make a new canopy latch! This has been a really difficult job over three weeks.

The front edge was challenging.

These long sides had to be cut into the canopy  in places and then built back up.

Overall I still don’t know if this is going to work. The concept is sound.

These ends are interesting. They should seal although maybe there will be a very slight gap that I’ll have to deal with. On the plans canopy it would be a MUCH easier job. I just had to do this ultra wide canopy mod didn’t I?

Its going to look better with a little paint. I still have the seals to put in too!

I’ve now added some grey undercoat. It looks better. After the seals it will need proper speckle topcoat and thats going to be a lot of masking work!

 

 

 

 

 

Aileron Refitting

Date:  11-01-2021
Number of Hours:  10
Manual Reference:  

The ailerons are back in the wings. Maybe for the last time.

Some time ago I prepped the long pushrods with primer and topcoat. Not my best painting but I have protected the aluminium and those rods are not on show. I do like to do my best when I can noting…

Voltaire said, “The best is the enemy of the good.” Confucius said, “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.” And, of course, there’s Shakespeare: “Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.”

Did I mention the over two month wait for special liner for the hinges after I ran out? Then many hours putting them in. Please pretend you can see them.

While the ailerons had been on pre paint, after paint it was a problem. I had to sand carefully for some hours to get it all to fit again.

The specs are 2.1″ +-.3″ I think. Deflection in both directions inboard end. Up is easy.

Hard to see here but I made 2.2″ down on both sides. From here its just stick and pushrod adjustments to make it all correct. I needed to ensure I had the possibility of the 2.1″ all over.  All is good. Roll rate for a swept wing is slow anyway and I’ve never run out of aileron on my flying LE with the 2.1″ deflection.

I’ve used these small metal locknuts and a thin washer and have thread showing in spec everywhere. As is my practice, once tightened for the final time I add a little blue torque seal to remind me no need to re tighten here. I just wish the seal came in a better tube, its a mess.

Wilhelmson Rotary Canopy Latch Mod 2

Date:  10-17-2021
Number of Hours:  6
Manual Reference:  18

This is my second major mod to this rotary latch. Despite being a very clever design that solved a problem for me, it created other issues and was perhaps not mature enough a design for our tiny canard market. The supplier has ceased production. I make no criticism, doing it all again I would go in a different direction.

My lack of side door, large throttle placement and large side window still makes it a good solution.

Here it is with those two worm screws showing. The inner one of them is critical. The outer one just holds on a guidance shaft for the Allen key entry.

Here is the critical screw.

That tiny worm holds the big one place. IF that very small worm, with only 4 threads, slips on the flat part of the big worm. BIG TROUBLE.

In fact I would be locked out of the plane and no way to get in without either smashing the canopy or drilling out  the worm and maybe using an ‘easy out’ to activate the handle on the inside.  No problem if you are already in the plane then you use the canopy handle not the rotary latch to get out.  It is potential lockout that is scary.

What I did was engage a master machinist. We got a longer main Allen key worm and set it in place with a countersunk screw on the end. Then for that side worm screw, we got a longer one and instead of a flat, drilled a side hole so the small worm screw engaged positively into a hole. With two different pitch threads on the big worm it can not undo. The side worm is just a bonus.

I ‘Loctited’ the whole thing together and forgot to take pictures. Sorry. Now it can’t come loose and is 100% positive with zero slip. I have confidence again in the latch.

Vortilons and Wing Fences Installed (post paint)

Date:  10-10-2021
Number of Hours:  3
Manual Reference:  no ref

The Vortilons and Wing fences were painted separately and now the plane is white they need to be installed.

I used quality 5 mt epoxy with a little micro to thicken it.

After laying out the positions and checking 3 or four times I got to work.

Given its an awkward spot to clamp, I just held each of the six pieces in place one by one until they cured.

Now it looks like a Long-EZ wing that has a Roncz canard up front.

The fences were a bit easier to glue in place as they stay put.

Lots of checking of angles here as you can’t really tell by eye if they are right. I had to trust the numbers.

I’m sure this will make transport more difficult when I have to truck the build to a remote location for testing.

Another small but necessary job done.

Final Elevator Fit and Ice Shields

Date:  10-02-2021
Number of Hours:  8
Manual Reference:  11

This is the post paint elevator set up where I get to put the hinge pins in… again.

Here the long pins are not yet installed. Its a bit of a fiddle as the center torque tube and offset pieces all have to fit together. Getting these pins in is a bit of a horror job on these planes.

Sadly the hinges went in and out a few times. I did have metal washers installed to eliminate end play. It is very hard to get these in with the pins. The elevators were too stiff so I took them out, with the pins of course having to come out again. I checked the plans and there were no washers showing. After a bit of a think all I could see them doing would be the reduce end play.

I sourced some nylon ones just for the outer edges.

Well the elevators were still a bit tight. After more goes I had one pin all the way in. Then I realised the washers had to go. I cut them out with a razor blade in-situ. Fun? Not so much.

I got the other pin almost fully in and that was it. I finally realised that it was hitting a through bolt inboard of the offset crank. I thought about it overnight and just shortened the rod. It was doing nothing being 2 inches longer hanging in space. Yeap, the pin came out and went in again. Vise grips, WD40 and anything else in the cupboard.

At the end of the second day, well after dark, they were in.

I finished off the center section with new hardware and a bit of blue torque seal. That’s my code for ‘this item is secured ready for flight’.

I made these Ice shields that fit over the counter weights ages ago and they were painted with all the other bits. I don’t know if the larger sleeker format that the usual covers was a good idea or not. Better airflow over them maybe but bigger wetted area too.

They fit, the elevators swing full  range, they are balanced and the full up, full down are within specs. We are good to go.

Fuel Cap Install, Safety Line and Earth

Date:  09-29-2021
Number of Hours:  25
Manual Reference:  21

Now the strakes are beautifully painted I need to cut two big holes in them for the fuel caps.

The exact position for the fuel caps just took too long. When I built the strakes I made plastic templates so I would know where the flanges were to allow the caps to go close but not on top.This is for strength.

I used the tennis ball to help visualise what would happen if I spilled fuel. I wanted to gauge the runoff and its direction relative to the caps.

I didn’t want to be too near the passenger and right in the middle of the highest point would give me maximum fuel if I ever wanted every drop possible. The downside of this was it put the caps too far from the leading edge to be comfortable when juggling a heavy fuel nozzle. It also had me or a refueler leaning well over my nice pretty paint with rivets in jeans scratching my while plane. Hey!!

I ended up going on the ‘down slope’ after calculating how much less fuel I would carry if the caps were in a sensible position. The answer was less than a liter fewer a side.

Marking this out after measuring and remeasuring and second guessing myself over a few days was a big deal.

Once I had a tiny hole marked it was on! This first hole took ages, the second one happened in about 20 minutes.

I used lots of toys including the improvised sanding drum aka red tape with sandpaper glued to it.

You can see I have just gone down to the inner skin at the bottom. At the sides I have removed material so I can get flox under the top skin. When that bonds to the fuel cap to will give extra strength to hold the cap in place.

I made a bunch of key holes via a round bit to give the flox something to grab onto. I also roughed out the cap bottom with 80 grit after this photo. I took the shine off the key surface paint as well.

Then I had to cut through the hole to the tank itself. I had my vacuum cleaner on hand and if any debris got in the tank it is too small to see. I will be flushing fuel though them later when I do W&B.

Given I am not exactly to plans on this I want to weigh with different fuel loads when I have the aircraft scales hired.  That’s when the fuel calibration will be done.

I used a lot of flox and cleaned up a good squeeze out. I think there are no voids to worry about. I used the same epoxy the tanks were built with. Old school and proven fuel safe over many years.

The fuel caps are now permanently in place.

A very important safety item is to ensure the caps do not depart the airplane if they are not locked in place.

Of course I will never forget this but I’d hate to have even the possibility of a cap go into the prop . I also chose to have the caps inside the prop arc, even when outside of this a lose cap can still make its way into the prop.

I’m using 2024T3 0.063″ aluminium and shaped so it JUST fits sideways in the fuel cap opening. Once tethered at the apex it will keep the cap from departure.

The length of the cable allows the triangle to sit on the bottom of the tank even when the cap is off and resting nearby.

I used simple attachments and rudder cable, During refueling an earth strap can go on the cap latch. The other end needs to penetrate the surface of the fuel. The body of the cap is ‘coated’ and will not earth, so use the latch!

I have also put some braid inside the tanks so earthing is possible from the external vents assuming I connect them at the vent manifold. There are options. The cap seems the simplest.

Touching the fuel nozzle to the cap latch initially may be good practice. However the fuel running quickly through the metal hose also builds up static.

This is how it will go during refueling. If I’m smart I’ll have a rag handy to put on the strake.

Cap in place, job done.

 

Brake Lines at the Wheels 2

Date:  09-30-2021
Number of Hours:  3
Manual Reference:  9

My new brake lines, +20mm longer, showed up today so I could finish things off at the wheel.

You might see that the braided lines now look the right length.

Once the Swagelok fittings were installed I finished off with some heat shield material. This went on the piss tubes or relief tubes if you prefer, as well as a little extra to keep the brake line stable.

Here we are on the other side. I expect I will be inspecting this area after the taxi tests and again after a few landings to ensure all is well. The brake lines are done now, they just need fluid and testing.

Brake Line in the Nose

Date:  09-24-2021
Number of Hours:  6
Manual Reference:  13

Time to finally get the nose brake line sorted out.

After a lot of thought I went for a clickbond to hold the 1/8″ line with a hose clamp.

You can see the hose clamp in place at the right of the pic. Next up was to secure the brake line so I wouldn’t kick it every time I got in the plane. I went for flox, a two ply BID tape and as you can see sticks to hold it in place while it cured.

After a clean up I painted the newly secured brake line to match the interior. Almost no one will see this but I feel good about it.

The Swagelok lines are easy to install but I was very careful anyway. Here you can see I have a connected brake system up front.

Brake Lines at the Wheel

Date:  09-20-2021
Number of Hours:  3
Manual Reference:  9

As I get closer to the finish line little jobs need sorting out. I though I had this one nailed.

These are very expensive Swagelok fitting for my 1/8″ stainless steel brake lines. We need a little flexibility at both ends.

Someone didn’t leave enough brake line. I wonder who that was?

I can make it fit but the hose is 20mm too short really. I’ve order new ones. It will be three weeks. <sigh>

I have double wrapped my special ceramic heat reflectors here.

The heat wrap is also behind a heat shield. No melting down of the gear legs after heavy braking for me!

The blue line is the piss tube end. I have one on each main wheel. When the new brake hoses show up I’ll wrap that AND this piss tube outlet in heat protection. I know I will get a dribble that might need a clean as the exit is in the pant area. BUT, who needs more drag?

Some Post Paint Refitting, Pant and Nose Wheel Sorting

Date:  09-14-2021
Number of Hours:  20
Manual Reference:  no ref

After Paint I found that things didn’t really fit anymore and it was time to sort out some nose wheel issues too.

After some work the hell hole hatch fitted again.

This RAM air scoop is another experimental modification that I hope pays off.

A lot of careful sanding got the paint boarders back in the ball park.

The pants look good if you photograph from the best angles. These took quite a bit of careful sanding to make them fit again too.

They do look good.

A reasonable fit and the lines are nice.

Another little job was to get the static vents placed.

Here’s one side installed. They are just press fitted for now. It will get sorted out when we plumb everything and then test fly!

Quite some sanding and fit work was needed to get the nose gear happy to retract with its Garolite G10 nose shield, now painted, in place.

This little spring loaded cover needed a fiddle as well.

I have a nose bumper and thanks again to ‘Marco’ who made it for me. I can’t say who Marco is as he doesn’t want the world to be asking him to make them more nose bumpers. So don’t ask me OK? He does great work.

Quite a bit more work went into this nose gear. It had issues. Lateral play side to side. I had to get the AN5 bolt out holding the NG6A and it was a nightmare. I ended up making a special tool just for that and spent more than a full day trying to stay …cool.

The side to side problem was because the mushroom spacers that came with the NG6 I had purchased were a little too long. There were also a sloppy fit for the AN5 bolt. I got a precision bolt and then had new spacers machined up and those a fraction less in length. Long story short… its rock solid now.

This part seems OK and has a mod I must have documented somewhere in this blog!

The next problem was the side to side play at the wheel. WTF?? I had purchased mushroom spacers for this too that matched my wheel. NOT! These got a tickle on a serious lathe and after adding a the AN960L washer my nose wheel was also rock solid.

Elevator Balance

Date:  09-11-2021
Number of Hours:  2
Manual Reference:  10

The elevators must be balanced to prevent flutter below VNE and then some. Of course where VNE is will come down to flight testing. The plans have it at 190knots. I’m going to need it higher so I’d better get my ducks in a row before testing.

I had previously build a couple of knife edges for this balance test. There are instructions from Mike Melvill on balancing the elevators for the Roncz canard which is a little different from the GU canard in the plans.

You can see with the pin and hardware installed its all good.

Here’s how it goes. Interestingly the other side was much more positive so its good to see this one still in balance. In short we want the trailing edge up and the leading edge down. It end s up that way meaning the weight is forward of the elevator pivot point.

This is unedited but maybe I should have more videos on this site to reduce your boredom?