Category Archives: Fuselage

Meanwhile, overhead

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While the air con project was underway, my time was split between it and the cabin cover. After rough fitting the overhead and wiring it for the lights, I had to start the cosmetic work. My first task was to contour the forward door / windshield supports. Others have left these and just cleaned them up while some have filled it in to make it look just a bit cleaner. A few folks will run conduit in the jog and then fill over it to route wiring to the overhead. I chose the middle option, just wanting to fill them in for a fuller, more finished look. My wiring will be going through the center post so no need for conduit.

I used the closed cell spray foam insulation and piled the stuff on. It’s a messy job and I had to use quite a bit since it’s not exactly sticky and wanted to run off on the more vertical surfaces. After it cured for a day, I used a flexible saw blade to do a rough cut. There were a few low spots and a lot of holes that needed filler. I also floxed on the overhead console after a good pause to make sure I’m not getting ahead of myself. It was a straight forward process and is super solid now.

Now that the overhead is in, it’s time to start making it all look good. Out comes the Super Fill and the mixing board. I really like this stuff, it’s easy to measure (2:1) and easy to mix up. Best of all, it’s simple and easy to apply and pretty forgiving. The sanding is trouble free as well and it’s very light. Really, it’s just the best and I regret not using it before on the fiberglass tips, etc.

I mixed and applied for a good hour the first night and got the overall shape done along with filling in the overhead. I’m not worried about the areas covered by the headliner so that saves a lot of surface area that I can essentially ignore. I cleaned up the aft door supports as those will stay as is. I also installed the switch console and filleted the seam between it and the overhead. This seam won’t be perfect but it just makes it look a little cleaner, albeit not one solid piece.

And so it went for four or five evenings. I start by using my sanding blocks to clean up the now cured filler. After it’s all smoothed out and I can tell where additional filler is needed, I mix it up and apply. Then I moved onto the A/C or whatever other project of the evening is. It really hasn’t been a bad project and it’s rewarding seeing it take shape.

Finally, it was about as good as it is going to get, so I used the SEM high build primer to highlight any pins holes still hanging around. I few touch ups with some glazing compound made it all ready for the first coat of paint.

I sprayed a few coats allowing each one to flash and as always, the Color Coat provided good coverage. I am somewhat concerned that I’ll have some adhesion issues, as a few spots that will be covered by the headliner chipped pretty easily. The carbon has a very hard epoxy and even though I scuffed it, I’m not sure I did it enough. I should have also used an adhesion promoter looking back. I’ll use that for the rest of the carbon and the panels. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out and while it is not perfect, it is more than good enough for me.

Controlling the overhead

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One huge task to complete before the cabin top can go on for good is the overhead console. This piece of art comes from Aerosport and allows the vents for the air conditioning and the lights to be mounted on the cabin top. I also have one of the first production examples of the overhead switch panel that Ed Krantz molded up.

The first step is a rough fit and trim to get an idea where the interference points are. The mold they use is pretty accurate but has a few spots that needs adjustments. I didn’t have to cut the joggle around the step in the cabin top, however, there were a few spots up near the windshield that were too bulbous and had to be ground down. Overall, the initial trim and sanding was a pretty quick and painless job.

The overhead has two large aluminum panels that can be used for lights, vents, etc. but need nutplates installed to secure them. Pretty quick job to set it all up including countersinking the panels for flush screws that came out very nicely. I also decided where to mount the four curtain vents that I got from South Florida Sport Aviation. They are using the Airflow Performance set up on their own interior and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find any vents like these online. I like these because it allows good airflow along the windows as well as alternate airflow if one or more of the vents are closed, keeping good flow through the cabin and over the evaporator which is key to efficient performance of the air conditioner.

I also used the four molded spots to mount air vents in as you can see the cutouts above. Most have used either the eyeball vents or a universal car vent. Based on feedback from others and the astronomical price of eyeball vents, I decided Summit Racing vents would work better. They were $20 each instead of $120 each and I think will allow a lot more air to flow while being easier to use. I simply used epoxy/flox to secures them to the overhead taking care to not have any leak on the vents themselves. I also put two vents in the metal panel so that the pilot and copilot each have two vents, hopefully keeping me cool up front with all the glass. The panels will also hold an Aveo Eyebeam Touch task light for each seat.

Lastly, I installed the coat hanger in the rear which will probably rarely be used, but hey, it’s part of the kit and looks good. I can also use it to call this a business aircraft!

I will be running the wires for the switch panel and the task lights up through the center post so wanted to get the wiring that will be in the overhead completed. I went ahead and made up the wiring harness for the four task lights as well as the three overhead dome lights that will be used for general cabin lighting. The pictures show bare contacts, but after another order from Mouser came in, I installed the Molex connectors so that everything is line replaceable without cutting wires. I also cut the three holes in the overhead for the lights.

Finally, after one complete evening off of the cabin top to clear my head and make sure I’m not forgetting anything, it was time to epoxy it on for good. I mixed up a healthy amount of epoxy/flox and fortunately had a friend to split the task of spreading the mixture and setting it in place. With a couple of clamps and clecos, it fit well and made a secure bond to the cabin top.

Next up will be shaping and filling the assembly to get it all prepped for paint and final instal.

Removing museum pieces

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Parish came over for a pizza dinner with the wives and we managed to extract a museum piece off the ceiling.  The big pink thing that folks have asked about for the past three years is finally part of the airplane!  With his help, I did the initial trimming of the door frame and longeron area using the cut off wheel on the die grinder.  While it did produce some dust, we were outside and it really wasn’t a bad process. The scribe lines were pretty accurate where they were visible, but there were quite a few places the line was way off or missing all together.

I initially trimmed the side skirts and door frame area just to get it on the fuselage. I had to take it on and off a few times and looking back, I wish I had thought out the process a bit better. You could measure the frame and make your own marks then do a final trimming. Fortunately, the top is mounted in a bed of flox so other than some sanding and contouring, it will be fine to have some gaps such as mine around the frame.

I had considered doing an overhead pulley system since I knew it’d come on and off, but really it’s not too heavy and I’ve found a good system of crawling inside and lifting the top up with my shoulders. Then I can put it on the seat rail and spar while I get out of the plane to lift it through the door frame onto the table. All in all I think I took it off about 10 times before it was all trimmed up.

It’s really cool to see all of this together. The thing actually looks more like a plane (or at least more of a plane) than it ever has. The back seats are really roomy! Next up is trimming the window openings, door flange, and windscreen flange.

Sit back and relax

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After spending three months away from home and the build, I am happy to be back from my TDY and immediately got back to work on the project.  The time wasn’t completely wasted build-wise though, as I spent a lot of time researching, studying, and designing the remaining aspects of the build.  The biggest accomplishment was the finalization of my electrical schematic, specifically the power distribution.  I haven’t quite finished the final touches on the Visio product, however, the design is now on paper (digitally) and vetted through several external sets of eyes.  I’ll detail it more in a later post.

I also spent a lot of time talking with engine shops and builders.  I narrowed down all of my requirements to get quotes and solicited those out to several shops.  After lots of discussion, emails, and phone calls, I am really excited about what Aerosport Engines out of Canada has to offer.  They are one of only a few who can still get a new “kit” engine from Lycoming so all parts are brand new but not assembled.  That’s important to me since we’ll be adding SDS EFI and some other tid bits that would differ from a stock IO-540 without wasting money.  They also offer a build class that allows you to spend a weekend helping assemble your engine and learn a lot through the process.  I plan on turning it into a little vacation with my dad to build up our engine.

That’s plan A for the power plant.  Plan B is much more exciting but I’m keeping that one under wraps for a bit longer.

Back in the shop, a big morale booster is getting the rear seat back panels installed.  These were super simple to make with the panel and L angle.  The piano hinges were already cut as part of the floor / bulkhead and the backs fitting were a nice confirmation that I did it correctly way back when.  The seat backs show how roomy the 10 really is, not only in the passenger area but also behind them in the baggage area.  We are very excited about filling it all up with people, puppies, and packs for the adventures that lay ahead.

Staying in the lines

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Throughout this progress, I’ve been finishing up the brake lines.  I ordered extra line for the run from the firewall to the gear legs and got them all fabricated.  The lines weren’t hard to make, but it was a bit tedious.  I am happy with the end result, however, and think that it will provide many years of great performance without having to worry about replacing tubes.  I do need to get some spiral line wrap to prevent chafing and that will allow the lines to be a bit better secured.  Mark Ciglia put his parking break valve in place of the firewall connections, which I’m mad I didn’t think about.  It makes it a bit cleaner and eliminates one extra set of lines, but oh well.  It’d cost more now to redo it.  Note to other builders!

I also knocked out a few little projects, one being making new elevator trim bracket panels.  I had the beefed up fittings sitting in the parts bin and finally ordered the new access panels.  After countersinking and priming, the parts are ready to roll and comply with a SB from Van’s from many years ago.  This is a common upgrade and an easy one at that.

Another little project wasn’t so little.  I saved up a few tasks that needed to be completed inside the tail cone for one evening so I would only be crawling back there once (this time).  The first was to support the tail better.  I used two 1×4’s to bolt to the horizontal stabilizer mounts and put a caster on the bottom.  While the fuselage cradle has been great, the rear support isn’t far enough back to support my weight so far aft without something heavy like an engine hanging off the front.  So this was an easy fix and doesn’t take any room up in the shop.  It’s still very easy to roll around and reposition as needed.

Inside the tail cone, I mounted the new static ports with pro-seal (no rivets this time) and hooked up static line that runs to where the ADAHRS will be mounted just behind the baggage bulkhead.  The new static ports look way better than the original ones and I’m happy I made the change.  The Safe Air 1 line kit makes it easy to run the tubing and create a leak free system.  I also ran the rudder cables through the bulkheads and snap bushings.  Ironically, the heads of the cables wouldn’t fit through the bushings without removing them and squeezing a bit.  So basically, the cables were a pain to run instead of a quick two minute job.  Lots of those in the build, I guess.   I got them hooked to the arms on the rudder pedals which are inside the tunnel with the Control Approach pedals.   With the A/C in there, it’s a tight fit for me!

Lastly, I installed the doublers along the center of the fuselage for the transponder and ADS-B antennas to mount to.  These will be Delta Pop blades and mount with two studs, so I need access from the tunnel / fuselage.  Easy enough with a second set of hands to man the gun and me bucking.

Let’s talk color

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With the plans calling for painting the interior at this point, we needed to make some decisions about our color scheme for the cabin.  With the paint scheme already finished (yet to be revealed), we know the exterior will be a mix of black, white, silver, graphite, and an accent deep burnt orange.  We want the interior to resemble a luxury sedan but include a few splashes of accent color to lighten things up.  I already know I’ll be using the SEM rattle can Color Coat paint for the interior covered by the Top Coat low luster clear.  I sprayed a few test pieces and am really happy with the appearance and durability of the SEM.  Plus, it’s super easy to apply and doesn’t require special skills and or equipment.  It will be a tad more costly in the end, but on the big scale, it’s immeasurable.

I called Zac at Aerosport who sent the leather color sample board out.  I ordered the SEM color chart and used both to play around with combinations and choices that we liked.  A few back and forths, hos and hums, and a few nights to sleep on it later, we had our choice made.

The carpet will be all black with the panels and structure below the door sill painted Landau Black.  Above the door sill, we will use the Presidio on the remaining exposed surfaces.  All of the carbon fiber components will be simply cleared over with the same low luster clear coat.  The panel inserts will be the Landau Black. The headliner will be a medium gray.  The seats will be black leather with burnt orange accents.  We’ll be wrapping a few side panel inserts with the accent and black leather as other builders have done.  I’m hoping to integrate the orange in other small spots as well.

Color is a very unique decision based on each builder and it’s somewhat overwhelming at the possibilities.  Combined with not being able to see all materials in hand makes it a bit of a leap of faith.  Zac will be sending out actual samples of the colors and carbon fiber now that we have the colors narrowed down.  But I’m confident that the look will be what we are imagining and should make for a very luxurious and modern appearance inside the aircraft.

Whoa, put the brakes on

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It’s finally time to pull another beautiful piece of art work off the wall and turn it into an airplane.  The rudder pedals were next up in the plans and since I have the Control Approach set, it was a pretty quick fit in the fuselage.  I had to spend some time sanding down the tubes to fit into the mounting blocks to allow free but slop-free movement.  I also cleaned up the installation of the Beringer master cylinders on the pedals using some AN bolts and nuts instead of cotter pins.  This took some play out of the pedals while still allowing for free movement of all the components.

Before I put the pedal assembly in place for good, I wanted to paint the interior where the Aerosport panels may not cover the structure.  Per the plans, now is the time to paint the interior of the cabin.  With the Aerosport kit covering most areas, I won’t be painting all of the aluminum.  I also chose not to paint the stainless steel or put any insulation on the cabin side of the firewall but did mask off and paint the aluminum components on the firewall and the very forward area of the side panels.  90% of the work for painting is prep and it took a solid hour to mask off all of the firewall just for a few spots of color.  I’ll have a separate post about color and paint coming up.

It’s also time to start running brake and fuel lines.  Since I have the complete Beringer kit, I started fabricating the stainless braided lines.  The Beringer kit includes some really nice components and saves a lot of weight while providing a more effective braking action.  Sadly, it lacks a lot of detail in the instructions and was missing quite a few pieces.   The kit doesn’t include an inventory, so I wasn’t really sure what I had or didn’t have until I started putting it all together.  Another 10 builder reported the same issue and I believe they are working to improve the kit contents.  I will say that the customer service has been extremely swift and really pleasant.  All the missing items were shipped the same day I called along with a few extras that I ordered.  One disappointment is the use of the rigid tubing retained per plans between the firewall bracket and gear legs (the tube runs through the tunnel and under the seats).  I wanted all SS braided line so ordered extra hose and a few fittings that I needed.

The process is pretty simple to assemble the lines and the quality of the fittings instills confidence of a leak free system if I’m doing it correctly!  Time and tests will tell later in the build.  I am shortening most of the lines, as the Beringer plans have them conservatively long which actually create some routing / securing issues.  For now, I am holding off mounting the reservoir since I’ll be putting insulation on the forward side of the firewall.

This could be instrumental

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One section that I skipped over is the forward fuselage / instrument panel section.  This needs to be done before the cabin top goes on, but is left off while working on the firewall area and rudder pedals.  I had all the parts down so wanted to get the assembly together and out of the way.  Part of the fabrication steps require the use of the stock panel blank, which I don’t have since I’m using the Aerosport panel down the road.  Fortunately, Parish had the blank and I was able to borrow it to complete the related steps.  I paid him back by fabricating the two curved supports.  The plans call for using fluting pliers, but there is no way that was going to happen.  Fortunately the sheet metal shop on base has some great tools and even better craftsmen that were willing to help out in exchange for a few adult beverages.  All four pieces turned out beautiful and matched up perfectly.  It really is all about having (access to) the right tools!

Once all the parts were prepped and primed, assembly was frustrating as the AN470 rivets are difficult to buck in thin metal.  I just have bad luck / technique when trying to hit these on thin structures.  One or two drilled out and replaced after a few deep breaths and it was ready to go back into storage.  This will most likely be modified once I have the panel and some avionics depending on location and dimensions of the components.

Hey, put your panels back on

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Quite a few evenings were spent on fitting, prepping, and finishing interior panels.  The rear seat bottoms were riveted on after mulling over anything that might need to be accessed under them.  Since I don’t have conduit running along the floor and already have the antenna doublers installed, I went ahead and secured the panels for good.  I’m starting to wish I had splurged or asked a friend for a pneumatic pop rivet gun.

There are quite a few panels on the interior to work through.  The tunnel covers, front seat pans, side panels, and cross bar panel were all fairly simple to prep and prime after drilling.  They required a lot of nutplates to be installed on the fuselage, a few of which are in really tight spots.  I ended up using a few blind rivets on the nutplates just because I couldn’t get a rivet gun / bucking bar or squeezer in the space.  I was fortunate enough to have a few guys at work make a custom bucking bar for one rivet near the baggage door frame which worked like a champ.  This whole section is somewhat of a tease, as you get all these panels finished and the cabin looks really nice until you read the plans and it tells you to set them all aside until the project is finished.

I’m also planning more detailed runs for wires and hoses since the time is right working with the panels.  I used a flexible edge grommet material to prepare for wires passing through lightening holes that are too large for snap bushings.  These will be for wires, pitot tubing, coax, and anything else that needs to run fore/aft.

In other news…

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Several months ago I made the difficult, but wise, decision to sell my propeller.  As beautiful as it looks hanging on the shop wall, I only purchased it because it was the exact prop I wanted and I got it at a good price.  The reality was it is due for an overhaul years before it ever turns on an engine and I could reallocate the funds better right now.  Comforting my decision was the fact I can purchase another prop, same design down to the paint, at any time.  It wasn’t something I had invested time or personalization in.  I’m happy that it will be on a finished project much sooner than I could have achieved and I didn’t lose any money on the whole thing.

On the project, I tackled the baggage door with relative ease, finishing it up in just a few evenings’ work.  It was an easy project and one that really gives a sense of accomplishment.  Several things to note, however, are to pay close attention to the hinge pin position and deciding if you want the door removable.  I purposefully positioned the hinge inboard to keep the protrusion subtle but in doing so, made it where the pin is not removable (or easily installed).  I realized this too late and had already drilled the holes.  Ed Krantz made his pins removable like the rear seat backs, but I decided that I just don’t have the need to remove the door and can live with the results.  I was luckily able to keep the hinge halves together and riveted to the door while slipping the whole assembly into the fuselage.  It turned out well and the door skin only needed a minor amount of finessing to lie flush with the fuse surround and produces a nice even gap all around.

Next up are the rear floor panels that fit very tightly.  When the plans say to put the manufactured head of the rivet on a certain side, they say it for a reason.  I had to wrestle the panels over two shop heads that would have been easier had I paid attention.  Van’s pays the builder to always think a few steps ahead and friendly reminds you if you don’t!  One change on the rear floor panels I made was to replace the AN470 rivets around the perimeter with LP4-3 rivets.  Bucking the AN470s was going to be a real pain and no doubt lead to issues with drilling a few out.  The front panels are all blind rivets, so I don’t think I’m breaking too many rules with this substitution.