Side Tracked

Well I can honestly say absolutely nothing has been achieved on the Sonex this week. I had to carry out a bit of routine maintenance on the Aeropup and also fit in a trip to Perth.  Part of the maintenance was a cylinder leakage test at 50 hours. Needless to say things didn't turn out too well.


1- 62/80
2- 74/80
3- 72/80
4-  62/80


It turns out that two exhaust valves were leaking and that further attention was obviously going to have to take place. I ran out of time that day and then went to Perth the next. I managed to get home on Sunday morning and shot straight out to the airport to take the heads off and check the barrels and pistons. I was just spewing to find some really bad vertical scouring on the two rear cylinders and, pulling a few valves out of the head, to find some seriously sick looking valves and seats. The valves had really been hammered into the head. This would explain the constant need to loosen up the tappets to maintain clearance. I investigated further as to why I have had to do valve work in such relatively short time.  I have always been dubious about the initial setup regarding the compression ratio and needless to say, yes, I had set it up incorrectly. Hopefully anyone reading this blog, and building an Aerovee, learns from my mistake. What I had actually done, was when reading the chart contained in the Aerovee assembly manual regarding setting the compression to 8-1,  I had read the measured protruding piston as a +.020  instead of a -.020.  So I was required in this situation, to add shims, but I failed to add enough so ended up with a much higher compression ratio. I had actually ended up with around 9-1 and didn't realise. So higher compression = higher heat, not cool. Bad joke.


I'm in the situation now where I will have to spend some good time and cash rebuilding this bad boy  because of something I should have done right in the first place.  I have to choose now as well whether to go with the new Mofoco 040 heads that Sonex are supplying or rebuild my current CB 044  heads. Everything I read on the net doesn't seem too positive on the Mofoco heads however if Sonex are supplying them, I expect they have been tried and tested and found to work well. The problem with rebuilding my current heads however may be that the aluminium may not pass the hardness test. Excessive heat softens the alloy and may render them useless so that will have to be checked I guess when I get home.

I'm hoping that when I build the motor this time and have everything right I may gain a few ponies as it seems that it has always been a pretty anaemic engine. With the new ground adjustable(lemon) Sensenich prop I was unable to turn it over 2850rpm static. The prop is another saga that I'll leave for another day but just a short note;  I flew it for about 6 mins and the vibration was horrid. Having spent close to $2000 Australian for a prop that was going on the Sonex turbo, then being told it is not compatible,  is frustrating beyond all belief. I just have no idea at all what I am going to do about it.


So I'm at work now this week and just trying to sort out the parts for this repair job. I really want this plane going ASAP as there is a Fly in organised in the near future. I would like to take my own plane so I need to pull my finger out on this one.


About the only thing 'Sonex' related to this update, would be that I have ordered the missing hardware from Aircraft Spruce for the dual controls. The original hardware kit was basically on back order for months and months, and you may possibly have guessed it, I got an automated email from them a day or so ago saying this order is delayed as well. I will really have to rethink where I get the rest of my stuff from for this kit as it just chews the build time up waiting for those little things that should be easy to get hold of. 


I was missing a few other items from my main Sonex kit too, like the brake handle and flap levers and things like that made out of ally parts. A quick email to Sonex and they have sent them to me no worries. I'm just waiting for them to arrive now but I think by the time I get home they will be waiting for me. Sonex as a company really do look after their builders.

Freight damage repairs week.

It was a good week again. I was greeted by this upon my return home on Monday morning.

As it happened it was all the parts Sonex had sent me for the repairs via Air freight. I basically just had to install a few gussets and ally angle stiffeners with the new firewall. It was a straight forward skirmish and came out just like this.... Sweet..

I fitted the rudder pedals during the week also. This however , I hate to say it, was made really easy whist the firewall was out. It gave plenty of access to the area and the job was simple.

I started riveting the horizontal stabilizer towards the end of the week. I did have quite a drama however with the rivets not snapping off correctly.  It seems most were snapping proud of the rivet dome, which was really uncool, I thought. Using the hand riveter, however, produced a perfectly fitted rivet. No way I was going to do that 400 times though.

I tried all different settings on the air riveter and new jaws as well to no avail. In the end I was googling the issue and as it happens on the Sonex builders web site someone mentioned the air pressure and noted that if it was too high this could be the issue. So down to Bunnings for a regulator and walah!  Problem solved. The only issue now was the 100 or so rivets that had shafts sticking out. So anyway at Bunnings I also bought a Dremel with a  simple router attachment and went to work. As I always like a happy ending this was how the story turned out too. The rivets ground down flush really easily and look very neat.

I had a bit of a look around mounting the engine mount, so I can get this thing on the landing gear. I had to shape the lower engine mount a little to give access for the landing legs but it wasn't too much of a deal. I just had to be careful not to take away too much metal from the bracket, just enough to clear the gear leg tubes. It's held on by clamps at the moment until I can be sure all is good.

Hopefully next week will be just as productive. I think I still have some missing parts from the kit so during the week at work I will email Sonex and ask them about it.

Another week at the office

Well Monday, and that means work, is approaching fast. I've had quite a good week on reflection. I've managed to make a fair portion of the horizontal tail and elevators.

 The elevator horn bracket is all drilled and riveted,including the rivnut plate.

Managed to cut out the skins for the elevators.

A temp mock up of the assembly before I start drilling heaps of holes to make sure it all lines up. Looks good so far but had to call it a day. 

I guess it's probably not a huge amount to achieve for a week off but we have had visitors for the last few days and also today was Father's day so a few Dad things were done too. 

Friday was a good day for flying... and as someone else called it "Formation Friday", a few of the locals departed Geraldton for Jurien Bay. We met another bloke from Perth to make it a four ship formation prac day. I was still humming and harring about going as I hadn't made any commitment but on the morning when they were about to go I hightailed it to the airport as I would have been absolutely spewing if I had missed out on a day like this to stay home and drill and rivet a few holes. 

 We had a couple of Airforce trainer PC-9's drop in for some circuits and short field stuff as well during the morning... They didn't stop for a chat though.

It was a prefect day weather wise for it and a heap of fun was had by all. I'm just so keen to get my Sonex going too so that I can be the 5th party in this formation team. My current plane is just way too slow. I managed to grab a back seat ride as well that day in an F1 Rocket,,,, sheesh what can I say but, that is an awesome plane! The takeoff was intense regarding power and it also flew like it was on rails. Sadly, way out of my budget regarding running costs and ownership, but I won't forget that ride for a while. 

I had a bit of a typo in the post previously regarding the amount of rivets. I think I mentioned 1000. Well that figure was a little out it seems. Had a bit of a look at the inventory and 3000+ would be closer to the money. I am starting to make quite a pile of spent rivet shafts on the floor so a good clean up will be in order next break. 

I have also added an email subscribe button to the bottom of the page (I think ) so that if you add your email I guess you will see when I update the blog. This post will be a good test as I have added my wife's email to test it. I can't see if anyone has added their email or not so I don't know who, or if any, ppl had signed up to it. Maybe when I get a bit more used to this blog perhaps I may find a section in the stats page or something. 

Getting the Biz done,,,,,,,

It was a pretty good day today. I got up early-ish and was down working in the shed at about 6.30am. I was messing around again with the horizontal stabilizer and getting ready to up drill and rivet it all together.

All was going quite well but I had to deviate from the plan and do a few missions un- plane related :(   ,,,haha,  nah was all good.
 I had a phone call early in the piece reminding me of a interesting thing happening at the airport today.  Later, at 10.45am I'm guessing, the inbound call was heard on the airband  radio and my mate called me to let me know about the arrival of two inbound Chinook Helicopters at YGEL. I headed straight down there for a look, as you do, and a chin wag with some of our Army guys. We were allowed an on board walk around and took heaps of photos whilst they refueled and prepared to set off for Perth

Anyway after that I was pretty pumped so I came back home and got down to the grind again. I managed to get the whole horizontal stabilizer all drilled, deburred, riveted and ready for skinning tomorrow...maybe if time allows.
I've spent, without exaggerating, hours looking for a bracket for the vertical stabilizer. I am at the stage now where I am pretty much certain it hasn't come in the kit. I will email Sonex tonight for their opinion.

Here's tomorrows mission if I can find that missing Spar ,,,,, Vertical stabilizer.

Let's get crack'n

 Well I'm back from work and had a bit of a look at the plane today. I managed to lay out most of the horizontal stabilizer parts and cleco those bad boys together. Looks pretty cool and only took a short time really.

Of course it all has to come apart again and be drilled and riveted in stages but it was nice seeing it there. So I took it all apart and updrilled the main spar at the back, deburred it and took off all the rough edges. It's bringing back some, I guess sort of  painful memories, about how long a project like this will actually take and the work involved. During the kit inventory I noted that Sonex have supplied about 1000 rivets. That doesn't count the baffles and other things so just to put it in perspective. That's drilling at the very least another 1000 holes, duburring and finally riveting.  Needless to say,,,,, I have a fair bit of work to go :)   Still that's all part of it ,,,, and I guess I wouldn't have it any other way.

The first part updrilled and deburred. Ready for Rivets :)

Huge couple of weeks.

I'm really quite astounded by how the last 2-3 weeks have flown by. I arrived back at work today and really am just looking forward to just having to do my job, now that all the missions are over, and not having to worry about anything for a while.  I finished night shift last week and had about 5 hours sleep then drove to Perth to pick up the plane.  There was no chance my poor little car was going to be able to tow this largish trailer and the plane, so I had to borrow one and use that to tow it back to Geraldton. I arrived down at Fremantle port only to be horrified by what I saw. The box had been damaged in transport! At the time I really had no idea if there was anything damaged inside and really all I could do was load it up, return home and see when I unpacked it.

The trip home was rather uneventful. It was an easy drive, taking it quite slowly, but that was all good. I got home had a small break then set about unloading. So hours later I had it all unloaded and in the shed and looked upon what had happened. Thankfully there were only a few small, very easily repairable, dings. Sonex have been awesome about it all and are helping me out with what I need to do. I tell you, it really makes such a difference having these guys in your corner. I  can't express how helpful they have been through these last 12 months and now this as well.
So luckily I had my stock controller helping me with the inventory ;). It's quite a long winded task to find and tick off all the bits and pieces.

I did have a bit of a look at how the plans work and I'm slowly starting to get the hang of how the number system and so forth work. Just laying out the tail pieces and so on gives you a little understanding and I'm sure soon it will all make sense.

I had a few little chores to do on my current flying plane this week and had a good amount of things to do around the house as well so I didn't really concentrate too much on the Sonex. I think I'll probably have a good try next break when I can focus on it and not have all the extra distractions to worry about.
It had been so busy of late that when I looked at my log book, it had actually been one month since my last flight! I managed a short  but sweet flight in the pup to brush off some cobwebs and keep the engine turning.  Definitely next week I will need a longer flight however :)

On the ship

Well it seems this ship is now finally getting closer by the day. It was stuck in Singapore for about 9 days there for a bit, hence the hold up. It should still work out ok I guess for the pickup.  I have this week at work and then next week after that I have off, so by the time it gets through customs and so on I should be able to drive down to Perth and grab that bad boy. Looking forward to getting it home and not having to worry about the logistics of it all regarding customs,GST, duties and all those port charges and so on. Once in the shed I can just concentrate on building at my leisure.   It has been a big learning curve, understanding port procedures etc.  I'll be so glad when it's all over!

Below is a pic of where the ship is today,,,    getting closer :)