Painting and so on,,,,,,,

Well when it came to painting first thing I had to do was make some room. So with the wife's approval, into the house came the wings to free up space in the shed. This is nothing new really as basically my last plane I built was in the house with the wings attached for well over a year while I sorted out struts,angle of incidence, dihedral and so on. Thankfully with the quick build Sonex kit this has all been done for me and when the time comes to fitting the wings, I will give it a check to make sure it's correct and that should be that.  

So I went and made the rudder cable supports for the 2 piece bushes. I was going really well with them until I went and drilled a 1" hole through the centre, then realized that I needed to drill a 3/4 hole. I really have to admit that didn't make my day one little bit. I was just really thankful that I had ordered extra phenolic block after the first mishap I had, when making the rudder bracket mounts :)  I had to order more for them so got a bit extra again in case I had another 'oops' moment.

So anyway they went into the plane okay, after I made them the correct size, and the bushes fit well. I fed the cable through and riveted them in place. I have also fitted the 1 piece push-in bushes that don't really support much but are just there, it seems, to eliminate the potential for the cable to run on a sharp edge. 

This is just a blurry view of the block from the back end fitted in situ. 

I have also fitted the elevator control rod now and joined the two halves together. I have fixed in place the guide brackets made from the ally sheet and the guide bushes. It all fit together quite nicely. 

I couldn't help myself. I had to have a big smile when I saw the elevator operating from the control stick :)    I should be ready soon to refit the floor. 

 So the painting begins on the tail.

As with all painting, it takes a long time to prep anything, and the painting only takes a few mins. The red stripe has come out really well and I'm absolutely pumped so far. The spray gun I bought to replace the other 4 or so I already had is just a class in its own compared to what I have used in the past. I'm glad I spent some extra cash and bought a good one this time. 

Taping the plane up a few days later to paint the silver stripe. I am starting to get better at all this and another good thing to do is buy the really good spray painter's masking tape so the edges come out really sharp with minimum leakage through.  After you have done the final coat, rip the tape off before it dries so that a nice edge is obtained rather than a hard edge when it dries. 

The picture below shows how it is looking now. I still have to spray the clear over it all. I have never sprayed clear before so I am hoping I don't make any screw ups now as I am really happy with the results so far. I have been holding off a little as the back end near the tail wheel leg still needs to be riveted in and I don't want to have to repaint that small area. Long story short, I have had some bolts and so on apparently on order from an Australian company for over 7 weeks now. They had forgotten to order my stuff and only picked up they hadn't ordered it when I rang after 4 weeks asking where it was. Oh but don't worry, the day I placed the order they didn't forget to charge my credit card... just forgot to order the actual parts. 

Just in case anyone was wondering, I really have basically no spray painting experience apart from painting a fabric plane which is completely different. I have watched some you tube videos and been absolutely peppering my mate with questions like "can I do this?" and "can I do that?" . It has helped out enormously and it was that help, I think, that has made it turn out so well from someone inexperienced at this type of work.  I just hope it hasn't made it too heavy :)  I sure am glad that Sonex give you the extra 50 lbs for the MTOW when using the turbo aerovee engine. I think I will be needing it .


Bye for now :)

Delays

Well it's been quite some time since some progress has been made on the Sonex. I have essentially been working on issues with my Aerovee in my other plane. Really starting to have doubts about the  sanity of buying another one. I can only say at least this engine is tried and tested in the Sonex airframe. For my current airframe, I believe my engine choice could have been better. Why, for the life of me, Sonex don't have a Rotax 912 as an engine option is beyond me. It's not like it isn't a clear leader in terms of reliability and performance.
Anyway finishing on a positive note, I'm sure there will be some good progress in the near future.

Back in Biz baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!r

Well it's been absolutely ages since my last post so it's well and truly time for one. With the advent of Christmas I have had very little time for plane building. I have managed to get a few things done however. Just yesterday as it happens, I managed to finish the vertical stabiliser. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but there has been some confusion regarding at what stage the quick build kits leave the factory. Well I'm just assuming this, as I have seen pictures of them leaving the factory with the whole vertical stab main bracket all assembled and fixed in. Mine was missing that section, along with the parts to make it, that is; some aluminium spars and so on. Long story short, Sonex have been really good about any missing parts and have sent them all through. I am still missing one lower bracket but it hasn't stopped me from installing the tail and horizontal stab.

I must admit it took me quite some time to work out what the spacers were for when assembling the tail. I had to really strain the brain and study the plans regarding the tail and fuselage section about how it all worked. Eventually I got there and it seems straight forward now, ironically. 

Now all I need is the lower aft tail bracket that is missing, and I can paint and permanently bolt the tail and horizontal stabiliser to the plane.   ;). 

The Turbo has landed!!!! And some other parts too...........

It was just one of those things that I just wasn't prepared to fully appreciate until it arrived.  Upon opening the box it seemed like Christmas again! The courier driver graciously left the seven thousand dollars or so of aircraft parts just sitting on my front verandah over Christmas, while I was 450 kms away in Perth. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to see it there when I got home today. The fact that it was all still there and untouched, made my day.

I have had a brief look at all the components and tomorrow I will need to check all the items of the manifest. I have noted straight away that the two brand new heads are not in the package and have been listed as 'back ordered'. I have no idea what's going to happen there regarding freight but I am surprised Sonex didn't mention that it was shipping incomplete. Waiting for the heads to arrive and sending it complete would have seemed like a more sensible option. If I was given a choice I would have just waited as I still have soooooo much more building to do before I'm ready to hang the motor. However  it's nice to see that turbo sitting pretty in my lounge room.

I have lost count with how many turbos I have fitted and replaced in my 20+ years as an automotive car mechanic. It wasn't until tonight that I picked up the bare unit and appreciated how heavy they really are. When using them on cars little thought is given to the weight in my dealings with them but as the brain was switched into aircraft mode the automatic scales on the end of my arm kicked in. Now tell me, who when building a plane before hasn't sat there with something in their hand , be it a bolt,fuel filter, bracket, starter motor and just thought about the weight? I think it's an automatic built in feature of a aircraft builder to question every parts that goes into the plane and think "can I make this lighter?" or " does this really need to go on?" or the big one "how much will this affect my climb rate?"

Anyway,,, I did these calculations all tonight in my head, in probably what was all of three milliseconds, and summed up the requirements as " oh hell yeah, I need those extra horses".
It would be like going into a motorbike shop and asking for a power restriction kit to be added. Same thing, buying a sport plane but without the sport motor????. For me it was a no brainer, I had to have it.


Anyway, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and the new year brings a few more dreams to reality  ;)

So,,,, yep,,  huh,huh, um, yep, go order that Sonex kit, you'll love it :)

Stalled just for a bit.....

It's been a few weeks, unfortunately, since I have been able to do any work on the Sonex. I have had to do a few things with the Aeropup regarding the cooling baffles and so on. It's also come to that time of year again when it pretty much blows 20 kts constantly and is usually over 30-35 degrees, so flying hasn't really been pleasant.  Being close to Christmas as well , time just seems to be slipping by a little too quickly.

I have found the probable cause of an issue that has been a long time gripe I've had with the Pup, which is a positive find. I have always felt the engine vibrates quite significantly. Since comparing the factory Sonex Aerovee engine mount with my current mount, I have found the engine mount rubbers are far too compressed on my engine. The pins that the rubbers sit on need to be extended. I have contacted the Sonex help via email about possible fixes I could do and await their response.  I expect they must be seriously busy over Christmas so am not surprised that its been over two weeks now with no response.  It's not like I don't have plenty of other work to do regarding building the Sonex!

I would like to try to finish the paintwork on the fuselage. When Christmas is over I will have to try to do early morning, or late afternoon coats.  The middle of the day is just far too hot and the paint would almost dry as it leaves the gun.

SO....... what I have done on the Sonex since the last installment is a short list:

-  I have removed the lower floor on the Sonex in preparation to install the elevator push rod and             rudder cables.
- The dual control sticks were bolted in.
- the holes drilled for the elevator attachment.


Here's hoping to a productive new year... maybe even to see it fly in 2015 :)

Let there be White

Well the 3 weeks of working on the plane was a big leap in progress. I feel quite happy about what I managed to get done in that time. I have read so much about the paint vs polish debate I was unsure about where I was heading decision wise. I think what really changed my mind was one day I was working in the shed in the late afternoon on the elevator assy and the light was shining on it. It was not a polished piece or anything but the reflection off the sun was almost blinding. I had read some forum somewhere about a Sonex owner deciding to paint his plane after being sick of being blinded by the reflection from the wings. So the decision was made. I think however that I still may have polished it if I was running the standard Aerovee , however, since I have decided to add the turbo to the engine, I don't mind sacrificing a little payload with some paint.








Soooooo the next big question was what to use and what colour scheme to go with. Not being much of an original thinker I was looking all over the net and found one that just jumped out at me from the moment I saw it. I saw the plane in an article from the 'Contact' magazine and it's quite a tragic tale, but I won't go into it here.. I hope the owner of this plane doesn't mind me plagiarizing his colour scheme.

Realizing painting the plane would be a heck of a lot easier before the motor was fitted, I have started on the job. It's been a few years since handling a spray gun, but it seems to be going on quite well. The elevator and tail tips were the first to be painted. I had to go back to the paint shop to add a little more red tint as at first it was a little too orange for my liking. After the extra tint was added it came out spot on.

 

The main fuselage was next. The base coat of white is finished now, however, I don't have a photo. It did come out quite well. Time will tell if I have done a good job. I have sprayed it in automotive 2 pack paint hence all the protective clothing and breathing apparatus including goggles.

It just wouldn't be cricket I guess, if I didn't just throw some random photo in from the last three weeks. I had a great little fly out to a place called Morawa in W.A. There is a local gliding club out there and I managed to get talking to the local CFI and the topic of the VW came up. So I had to see how his baffling and cooling ducts were arranged in the hope that I could solve the ongoing issue of overheating in my Aerovee. He has given me a few ideas and I hope to try them next week when I get home. 



Until next time .......... Stay Cool. :)  

Thick and fast ,,,sort of...... Pictorial Edition

Well it took the best part of a day for this but I am happy still nonetheless. I started on the rudder thinking I'd have it done by smoko or lunch, but ,yes,it took all day.

It basically started here..... then went to 

Here...... to start de-burring all those holes......

Then finally went to ..... 

Here,then topped the day off by being in 

Here!... With my pink floaty and Beer.