| Date: 10-15-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 2 | |
| Manual Reference: 25 |
The top coat is a 2K Matt . Concept Paints Unicolour MS22 2K clear (Matt) using the fast hardener. Its a 2:1 mix.
The topcoat is so Matt… it doesn’t look like anything has changed!
I have to wait until tomorrow until its cured, tempting as it is to start peeling back some of the tapes.
The colour depends on the light. Its a darkish grey with white flecks.
A little milestone along the way.
| Date: 10-14-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 4 | |
| Manual Reference: 25 |
More final prep and taping. Finally some colour.
This is the primer Grey.
I was surprised that it took a while to get this rattle can paint onto the job and my finger was getting very tired.
I went for several light coats. Its matt and flat and so very forgiving.
The back seat. I hope it’s going to be comfortable for my passengers. Yes, not exactly big back there and you do have to lay down slightly to fit with that big sump tank to sit on.
I have to admit it looks like a very dark interior in this light. Pre top coat too.
I am painting many of the bits are are not normally seen. I see them. You might notice the panel lower section is masked up. This was after the grey but before the ‘texture coat’. The main panel will also be just grey with no texture.
Here we go with the topcoat ‘speckle’ finish. Maybe its mid-coat? The final coat will be clear.
You can see the colour of the cockpit is lightened considerably now.
I didn’t have to put the textured paint in the nose, but I did. Just a bit for consistency.
The sides look good. The seat bottom is being done separately.
I’m liking the textured look. Do you? Next up will now be a 2K (two pack) sprayed matt finish. This final coating should be really hard wearing.
| Date: 10-13-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 40 | |
| Manual Reference: 25 |
Prepping the fuselage bought a whole lot of surprises and unexpected jobs.
I went to tighten/torque the rear seat belt hardpoints. First I was short on the required threads. I scrapped away some glass to suit but was still short. In the end two new fittings in much thinner chrome molly ‘appeared’. It was looking good until one of the AN525 screw head bolts started turning. This is like an engine stud turning. Not a good feeling.
The solution took over two days work including removing the 4 AN525’s and replacing them with AN4 bolts of a suitable length. I have photos but this stuff just hurts, its now in the past. Except I’m still filling and sanding the outside in four places.
Then I lost another full afternoon with just one nutplate in the panel in a very difficult place. Then there was an issue with the common sump lid. Don’t ask….
Now is the time for all those little jobs as I prep the fuselage interior for painting, for real. There is no putting off anything until later before the paint.
Getting EVERYTHING out was a part of the prep job. I have several big boxes of labeled parts.
Chasing around just one window was a full afternoons work. Razor blades and sharpened chisels and EXTREME care. I just peeled back a little of the protective plastic and cleaned the edge, no scratches were added which is why it took so long.
The canopy had to come off to do the windows. I made a rough jig and this will become a ‘side job’ while fuselage work and electronics go ahead. Always something to do on this build.
There was a lot of sanding and cleaning for the interior prep. Eventually I got to mask edges.
The windows have 5mm tape edges then painters tape. I hope I never get that view for real. It will mean the plane is in deep blue water.
Some last looks of the raw glass colour.
The panel edges don’t need paint. Just like all those click bond threads have to be protected.
Back seat masking up. I’m leaving the sump opening raw aluminium as this will get a cork gasket and hopefully no leaks.
There can’t be too much tape, more means less work to clean up later.
Nearly there.
Everything had to be covered on the outside. Previously I’d blown the insides with compressed air, several times. I finally did the interior with acetone just damp on a paper towel and then a tack rag.
| Date: 09-30-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 30 | |
| Manual Reference: 22 |
The process of labeling the panel, stick and throttle has been on going for many months. What to say and how to present it is a ‘process’.
These switches are after a large order from Digitec and others that finally arrived.
You get the idea. Basic Dymo labeling.
Just getting these on the panel as a mock up has started to make sense.
Finally my white on clear labels have arrived and these look ‘better’. My words can only be about 2mm high to all fit.
White I can do a higher quality on the panel this is getting close for the sticks. Maybe I can still improve the look.
I’m going for just the labels and no extras like lines or categories. The word ‘engine’ for example will not make the final cut.
If I need to read these in detail, well maybe more hanger flying is warranted. In practice the labels are just prompts until things are almost automatic.
Here’s one of several test pieces I’ve done. This is the panel colour and the cockpit paint colour next to it. You can see the white will stand out. I’ve ordered some dry transfers to be made up in Canada. Its all getting closer.
| Date: 08-04-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 18 | |
| Manual Reference: 25 |
You know there is some sort of progress when it is time to paint the interior of the plane.
After years of taking notes and reading on line posts, this is my interior paint system. Criteria is for long wearing, easy to maintain and touch up and all done with a rattle can.
The piece on the right of the pic is one of several sample pieces I made.
As you see above, all Rust-oleum. My undercoat is the flat grey, stone American accents for the texture and Satin clear on top.
The process is a light sand of the item. It doesn’t need a careful fill for a ‘perfect finish’. Due to the texture I am quite happy to just prep the surface with a sanding of around 80-120 grit and then clean the surface with Prepsol, a grease and wax remover.
First up, Primer for a full grey coverage. Then spray on the texture which is amazing to see out of a rattle can. Next up a good three coats of clear. Then I sandpaper the sharp edges off the surface as its really rough, not too much sanding here either. Finally I’m using scotchbrite (as pictured) to dull the surface to a matte finish. That takes a good rub for a few minutes.
It ends up with texture that will wear well but OK to the touch. You can see some weave patterns here and there which I like too. From a distance it looks perfect, closer and it still looks good to me.
I made myself a little tent to spray the many bits that go on the inside.
When you get these loose bits together its a bit depressing to think how much they will all weight in total. If I was building a pretty rough plane and didn’t take passengers I could probably leave most of them out.
I’m doing a batch of undercoats first and the canard is as good a place as any for a waiting line of components.
I did spend a whole afternoon making this oxygen holder 100 grams lighter. Despite its many added on surfaces, once painted with the texture, it looks pretty good.
A really big job before I even start prepping the interior is getting everything out. That nose lift will be the last thing to go.
I have several boxes now of electronic bits and controls and so on that have been removed for the painting. You can see the glass frame I made for the instrument panel here and all the many click bonds!
The plane is starting to look like it did months ago when I was adding so much.
As I work I’m thinking about how I will paint various parts. The interior of the canopy and around the side windows will need a few days of extra attention.
Covid19 Update
Its August 9th and I’ve been in lockdown since July 30th. I can’t go to the hangar to work on the plane, I can’t travel more than 5km from home, there is an enforceable 8pm curfew and we are allowed out once for shopping and up to 1 hour a day for exercise and of course with a mask on when not at home.
It’s stay at home the rest of the time for 42 days at least. How long will depend on infection numbers in our state.
This will be my last post until restrictions are lifted and I can get back to work! Meanwhile the plane does need a lot of paperwork that I haven’t done. I guess I’m out of excuses for putting that off!
See you on the other side.
| Date: 08-01-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 32 | |
| Manual Reference: 10_1 Roncz Plans |
The 737-800 has three Vortilons per wing, so why wouldn’t my Long-EZ?
When the original GU canard was updated with the ‘Roncz’, this new canard created more lift. My understanding is that this narrowed the gap between when the main wing stalled after the canard stall. To increase this gap and retain a very safe flying quality of the aircraft, the main wing efficiency was improved with these little ‘fences’.
I am making them now so that they can be painted separately and then installed after the main wings are painted. This way if they ever need to be removed, say if one was damaged, its not a repaint of the wing.
You can always tell a Long-EZ owner at the beach, that will be the person with the deep scars in their back from bumping into these things while working on the plane. This is a vortilon on my flying Long-EZ. I’m sure DNA testing on the very worn tips would detail the previous three owners …and myself.
We start with 4 plies of BID at the usual 45 degree bias.
Fortunately my flying plane came with the Roncz canard plans in full size. On that plane it originally had a GU canard and the builder made another one as the upgrade came sometime after 1980. He had #74 plans so it was pretty early on.
I just did a copy on my printer, cut them out and glued them onto the cured glass ready to cut out. Easy.
Here we are cut out. I was a bit disappointed that the center line was not drawn in on the plans. I had a go on my own. This is meant to line up with the longerons. The metal piece is a template that gets you the correct angle for installation. I used some scrape aluminium.
Their position on the wing is fortunately given as a measurement along the leading edge and very easy to set up per plans.
Oh boy, another exercise in herding cats. How are you meant to line everything up, hold it all in place and glass the things on? I got the wing set at zero degrees by realizing the winglets are at 60 degrees and so very easy to rig level.
I had this idea of hot gluing the above little blue level to the centerline I’d made. Good idea but if the line is a fraction out then the bubble is WAY out, and I was really only eyeballing that line.
My process was to get that vortilon hot glued in place on one side and then glass the other. After cure I could carefully remove the glue and then do the opposite side.
Haaaa but where is that jig going? I decided it needed to be right on the center of pressure of the wing (leading edge) and parallel to it as best I could make it. Otherwise the gap you see above would not be consistent and wouldn’t have my 67 degrees.
Each side gets a two ply layup to connect it. We just need .4″ on the sides for attachment.
Once both sides are done its fun and games getting the thing off! Yes I used the usual grey release duct tape. As the nose wraps a little it is not as simple as you’d think.
After a bit I understood that the main thing is the angle to the wing. The angle of the vortilon relative to the longerons is perhaps less critical and maybe thats why it was not drawn in on the plans. It turns out if you have profiled your wings correctly and made the vortilons to plans they tend to sit in the right place anyway.
I got less anal about the waterline and found that if I used a mixing stick I would get the vortilon nice and straight. I’d made one that ended up with a bend so got to do another. <sigh>
Without the bubble level I could do three at once instead on one at a time. Much more efficient.
Now here’s a tip. When you make the two sets there is a left and right of course. They are not the same. You need to ensure that the 67 degree jig tool is on the correct side when you are setting them up. They can go either side on both wings!
So you might consider which way the vortilon is pointing when you make them. Otherwise you might have to make an extra set! That is all I’m saying on the matter, I make no admissions.
Here we have one of the six cleaned up and almost ready for paint.
| Date: 07-24-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 12 | |
| Manual Reference: 22 |
Opps, I haven’t yet mounted the emergency or backup battery for the nose gear retract system. The emergency extend is a feature to get the nose gear out if everything else has failed.
It bypasses the limit switches and the usual circuitry and batteries and just gets the gear down with the small pictured battery. I hope I never need it. The little power cell is constantly recharged and ready to go.
There is not a lot of space left to put things but I found a spot as you see above. Of course it doesn’t quite fit.
I remade that corner of the nose gear box to give a little more space.
Now it fits.
I’ve gone for a frame made up of aluminium angle to hold it in position. No, velcro won’t do although it would have been lighter. Yes if I had better metal skills I could have folded up a little box. I can rivet a bit and cut things so this will have to do.
I have tried to lighten it with a few holes. I added an extra rivet on the side so I felt OK about cutting through some others. I really wanted good clearances from those contactors nearby.
In place with clickbonds, I’ll put the nuts in later. I’m actually pretty happy with this as its a forward position for the C of G. The only downside is that the battery will have to come out before the nose lift cover is removed. Not too bad as I hope once flying it will only be once a year at the annual.
| Date: 07-19-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 10 | |
| Manual Reference: 10 |
I’m not even sure where this is in the plans but I do know an ice shield for the canard counterweights is needed. Without it the canard could freeze in position if I ever get stuck in where ice forms and can’t get out. Sure the whole plane will freeze eventually! I understand those counterweights would be first to go so it is prudent to add the shields and delay a possible issue.
As I have a flying Long-EZ with these I went out and took a couple of pics.
It looks like the idea is that you direct all that icy cold air over the counterweights so it can’t get in easily and freeze them in place. The 1″ height allows the counterweights at full elevator deflection to be shielded, but why the stumpy design?
Here we are on my new build canard and I’ve sanded a block of foam to the bottom contour.
Now I’ve sanded to a more aerodynamic shape and a little longer. I bit like half a blue carrot?
I used two ply of BID and held the edges down with taped sticks to get a crisp edge.
Functionally similar to the first example but more streamlined.
Yes I do have my bare sanded canard and wings in thick plastic. Its getting cold here and moisture condenses on the hangar roof interior girders and it then rains a little inside right over my build some mornings!
I’ve sanded them but left the blue foam core inside for now. I’ll remove that when its time to silicone them in place after the canard is painted. I might trim the edges a bit more too.
I’ve got these done now so they can painted easily at the same time as other things rather than a separate job much later..
| Date: 07-16-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 22 | |
| Manual Reference: 22 |
Yes I know this entry is about the throttle switches. I still want to mention a couple of small jobs I did along the way.
This is a mount for the G3X GPS antenna. I could have used velco and done it in 5 minutes but you may know by now I just can’t do that sort of work. I’ve used the two existing clickbonds and made a piece of aluminium angle with a plate riveted to it that the GPS antenna screws into. I’ve lightened the brackets as well with a few holes. Overkill or not? I do have a secure mount.
This was another little job that has been bugging me. I originally had these tubes to the brake reservoirs with straight fittings. When I depressed the brakes there was strain on those ‘glass’ fittings and their mounts.
After a few tries I got some expense right angled swivel fittings. I can lock these so they don’t touch anything nearby AND the loop takes all the bend so there is no strain on the top brake fluid holders. Brakes must be 100% on an EZ as they are steering as well so no compromises here.
Here we have the throttle and two huge holes. The switches this came with are for games. I need real world quality. Somehow the two items pictured needed to be fitted. The 4 way has no fixing lugs or screw thread of any type.
I started with a friction fit of the 4 way hat top switch. Some slow work with a file.
I sourced some special plastic glue and made an insert for the second hole.
The next step was to glue a plastic face onto the front. This means the 4 way switch can only exit the rear and I only needed a small hole to mount the push momentary switch.
I spent some time adding pieces of plastic until the 4 way switch was trapped in place when the side outer cover was screwed into position but free to be removed if the side piece was off.
All done. OK, not earth shattering but a tricky item solved.
| Date: 07-11-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 1 | |
| Manual Reference: 22 |
I’ve loaded up the panel now and everything that needs to fit, fits and is solid. Yes a few little jobs left as always. It is a milestone, the panel units are mounted and I’ll take the victory.
These are some of the items that go in the panel, a few are missing as they are already in place but you get the idea. Lots of ‘stuff’.
This is the panel cavity with its glass lip boarder and a few items already installed.
Getting these trays mounted was a big job.
Its so obvious how it all fits in now. Not as clear when I started the process. This is the third iteration.
Most things installed now except the main G3X screen. You can see I’ve used the space behind it.
The three remote boxes here are the transponder, the second VHF radio and the VP-X electronic fuse system, the red box on top..
Not a lot of space here.
This gives a view of the required clearances at the back of the main screen for the big connectors.
It is a full panel. The EFII on the bottom right is still just a picture. The instrument will come with the engine.
Here’s the big view. A tight cockpit indeed.
| Date: 07-10-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 30 | |
| Manual Reference: 22 |
Time for really fitting this panel face using nutplates and fixing it in place without compromise.
I’ve used very small profile nutplate here to fix the front panel. I thought I was going to have to go from underneath with an L bracket but these little guys have worked out.
Where there is more room I’ve used floating nutplates.
Some odd shaped plates too. I’ve used soft rivets for the hand squeezing onto the glass frame.
Two countersunk screws hold the audio panel rack and the one at the bottom holds the frame.
Its like a rock now. There are 10 countersunk screws doing the job. Some of them get hidden by instruments.
I checked fit again and there are still some tweaks to do.
I still need a few things below the panel per the plan.
Just the RAM mount and a double USB. One side will power the iPad and the other for …whatever. I moved the alt static onto the panel so just the two items here.
Behind the panel the USB took a lot of fitting, a good days work just for that. I have to empty the panel for a start just to get access.
On the left side we have the front gear switch, indicator lights and an emergency function switch.
The main rack came out again as I needed to put in clearance for a sub D that I’d neglected. Matt, who works in the hangar, pointed that out in a nanosecond, I would have gotten there later. While I was at it why not a few more lightening holes?
Another day and a half went into this simple timer mount. I had to get some new bending skills with a brake and there was a lot of in and out of the cockpit to ensure very exact placement and angle for this clock timer.
Clickbonds and the usual 2 cure cycle with 2 PLY of BID glass after floxing on the bonds.
Believe it or not, this angle and placement is perfect.
| Date: 07-04-2020 | |
| Number of Hours: 20 | |
| Manual Reference: 22 |
Here the rubber meets the road. This panel and the instruments really need to fit.
Now that it’s time to fix the front panel to the cockpit I’m thinking through where screws are going to go. On the left side I need to fix the drop in panel tray unit unit as well as the front panel with screws that go through both. To do this I need a two stage lip.
I did clean this up later and removed quite a bit of the glass edge that was excess. I don’t always show the pretty work first.
Can you see I have a big thick lip behind the frame lip? The rear one is a 12 ply layup that took two cure cycles to get right.
Does this make sense now? The big tray holder goes in the front and sits on the back lip. as pictured.
The thickness of this tray then meets up with the frame lip. When I put the big panel on I can now drill through the front and tray panels and put a nutplate behind this new glass lip that will hold both items with one fastener.
I’ve had a real problem trying to get the Garmin GTN750 to just slide into its tray. It was catching and I’ve spent hours sorting this out. In the end, the very end, I found maybe half a millimeter or less movement pushing the frame helped the GTN750 slide in happily.
If I didn’t fix this then you’d have to remove the main screen, push on the frame to get the 750 in or out. A real maintenance snag for later, so I needed to fix it now. The answer was to embed a nutplate Just below the level of the side so that I could nip it up tightly and get that tiny movement to the left correct and stable.
After the nutplate was set in and secured with 2 Ply of BID it took the screw as you see above and problem fixed. I shake my head at how long these things take to get right.
Now its working on getting the main face plate secured to the instrument tray complex. I’ve been using clicos up until now. I could only fit a very slim nutplate at the top but did have room for a floating plate lower down. It’s super tight with no margins.
This shows some of the G3X surround nutplates from the front that I mentioned in the last blog. You can also see regular screws instead of the clicos meaning I am progressing in getting this thing locked down. It must be serviceable too, thats a huge consideration and why some of this is taking so long.
Yes it will be pretty later I assure you. Nice thick paint on the panel will cover the rivets and I’ll have to paint the screw heads too of course.
Next to the audio panel I’ve made a new fitting . It has adjustable plates on the side so I can line up the front of the panel perfectly. I’ve gone for screws and a nutplate at the front. This is so the whole front panel can be removed relatively easily, leaving the spacing screws intact. Space it tight but it is easy enough to work around the switch placement.
This is the front side with countersunk screws that will get a little paint as I mentioned and they should disappear to some degree visually.
The panel and the trays are starting to come together. Tomorrow I’ll start on the left side fixings and see how it goes.
