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I can relate... got about half of them done yesterday after prepping everything.
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Wing #2.jpg
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Continued more wing work in a cold(ish) hangar. Fitting wingtip on second wing and then on to more nutplates
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Got the wingtip fitted and trimmed on the second wing. Also layed out the rivet pattern for the wing skin and cove skins, drilled and dimpled.
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Received my O-360 baffle kit from Vans today. Beautifully made parts with superb instructions. IMG_0192.jpgComment
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20231203_132800.jpg Got things moved out of the unheated hangar 10 miles up the road and into my heated 2 car garage. Wings will stay at hangar for the winter and will try to get a lot of fuselage work done from now until Spring. This little helper might be useful
he has a high level of interest/curiosity.
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I asked AI to draw a Bearhawk Patrol.
This is the response. Hahaha
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Finished milling up three sets of 1/8" patrol cap main spar strips and six sets of 1/16" aft spar cap strips. Three-person operation in the shop, but we got it done. Milled for 0.010" oversized with the expectation that we would not drop below the nominal width of 1.000" or 0.750" in any of the cut-to-length strips. Process-wise, we split each 4 x 12 sheet into two 15.950" sections with factory edge and the center 15.900" section with two shop edges, which generated 14 x 1" strips per section (a full set of 1/8" caps for one Patrol plus a spare/cull) and 18 x 3/4" strips per section (2 full sets of Patrol aft spar caps plus two spares/culls. Our goal was no scuff or scratch deeper than could be easily dressed with maroon Scotchbrite and no more than 1/2" of end-to-end bow on the 1/16" material and 1/4" of bow on the 1/8". Both the 1/8 and 1/16 inch sheets were covered one size with plastic to avoid the need to do individual strip wrapping to prevent fretting in shipment.
With that 200% Russian aluminum duty in place and other global sources tapped out (aluminum is like oil... last few percent of supply determines market pricing), the delivered material ran about $1700, with close to $500 of that in shipping.
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We are busy deburring and packaging all the the sets this week and building up the crate for the first outbound order to Indiana. In terms of economics, still the least expensive way to do the spar caps at present, assuming cost recovery from group buy of the material. Besides the 14' clean areas in front of and behind the saw, a good 10" aluminum blade ($70) and 4-5 roller stands (~$30-$40 each) are the additional expenses which might be incurred if that stuff is not already available in a shop. And a well-tuned cabinet saw or higher-end hybrid/contractor saw as well, but even a 1.5 hp saw will get the job done.
The shot was taken as I started Saturday clean-up (we finished up the remaining piece of 1/8" on Sunday)... lots of sweeping and time spent cleaning out the bottom of the saw (filled to within a few inches of the motor).Last edited by SpruceForest; 12-06-2023, 08:09 AM.Comment
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*ALMOST* finished covering the airplane with Stewart Systems....then ran out of glue on the last control surface (aileron). Given that winter has hit here in Canada, Aircraft Spruce will not ship the EkoBond glue until spring (it is waterborne and will freeze). So, I am going to prep and paint the rest of the airplane over the winter in my heated shop and then do that aileron separately in the spring. Annoying but not catastrophic.
I am >>really<< hoping to have the airplane complete and flight testing done in time to bring it to Osh next summer. All of the (G3X IFR) systems have been fitted and smoke tested, and the engine/prop has been installed, plumbed, and removed so this painting is the last of the big manufacturing steps to be completed. It is essentially final assembly after that...
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Mark
Maule M5-235C C-GJFK
Bearhawk 4A #1078 (Scratch building - C-GPFG reserved)
RV-8 C-GURV (Sold)Comment
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Rod: I have read a couple of reviews (somewhere) that said the product arrived spoiled in that it had frozen at some point in it's journey even though it had the heat pads. I guess I can drop Stewarts an email and ask. The complicating factor is that I'm in Canada and it takes 2-3 weeks for anything to cross the border so I normally have stuff shipped to a UPS Store in the US town closest to me (about a 1 hour drive each way).
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I decided to make the cuffed leading edge of the wing root fairings out of AL. I used .032 5052 and coaxed it into shape. The not so good news is it took me eight tries to get it right. It never ceases to amaze me how even a little a change in the shape or curve will make a formed part scrap. The good news is numbers seven and eight are done and fit. As much as I hate doing fiberglass work, I almost went that route but didn't give in and finally nailed the fit on both sides. Full disclosure, the passenger side was done and I boogered it up by making a stupid cut. I was able to get a new one (number 8) cut and final fit in under two hours.
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Got the skylight formers and center support fitted up. Priced some Lexan - it's the shipping that kills me!
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Milestone for me, wing brackets welded on, wings and struts installed.
Scratch build
Patrol plan #412 received February of 2000
Lycoming 0-360 from Bob
Amboy, Wa.
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This gallery has 3 photos.Last edited by ScottS; 01-13-2024, 07:27 PM.Comment
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Nomenclature.....when I go in the shop I might do a JOB, a remove something that tempted to SIDETRACK me doing a JOB, or fix an ISSUE. I developed these definitions to help me get work done. I was getting sidetracked and fixing issues and geting upet that jobs were not getting done.
For example, I am working on a JOB in the shop building my Patrol. I stumble upon a concern (aka an ISSUE) I see...like maybe I find a screw missing, or I don't like a task I did last month or last year. Rather than stop my JOB, I document the issue on my "Sidetracks and Issues" clip board. (The "Sidetracks and Issues List" evolved from "I have to stop what I'm doing to fix it right now because I fear I will forget about the issue and so I worry a safety flaw will exist if I don't fix it now.)
Tomorrow when I start working in the shop I go that clipboard and do what I can to fix all issues. You see, an issue can and will become a burden when its not fixed, and then building is no fun when I am surrounded by Burdens.
Some days I complete no jobs and just deal with sidetracks and issues. Everything is important. Here are some issues I've fixed recently.
Holes in the floor let screws fgal though under it and get lost. So I Fabricated a boot over the rear stick...the front is more complex, still in the works.
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Small parts also fall on the floor and always drop through a slot. I hate it when that happens. So I sealed the floor. The seals around the rudder pedals are real nice. The edges turned out nice too. It added a pound. I used 1/16 thick silicone rubber sheet.
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I gotta do lable for the FAA. I labeled the throttle quadrant cover. I always feel like I'm not getting anything done when I do stuff like this. I use my lable maker, and a clear tape with white letters. Then I clear coated over it. Doing it this way gives the ability to change and modify later. Sending it out to a professional has serious limits...flad I did it this way. Jared Yates advised me to go this route and its a Industry Best Practice I think.
I also fabricated a cover for the window and door sill. that was a fun job. I'm not making it shiney...too much work. Its fine dull.
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I incorporated a diagram with my electrical system labeling. I got this idea off a Boeing 727 flight engineer panel. It ads a lot of value I think. The labeling has some cosmetic flaws. I'm not re-doing, and I'm not pointign it out because my wife told me to stop doing that.
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The rear bulkhead cover is another thing....I feel like I'm getting nothing done when I make this thing, but I pressed ahead. It will install like Bob's with snaps....like your custom canvas boat cover. I'm waiting on the snap installation tool...so that went on me "Issues" list.
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I made this Fairlead Pulley. (Its a pulley that fits into a fairlead housing) That one had been on my "Sidetracks and Issues" list for years. Glad to get it off. I have a cable change on my aileron cable that i did not like. I mean it was at least 3 years ago that I said "I wish I had a pulley there." Today the burden just went "Poof!"
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I can see one more thing I'll add to my list in cargo tie downs. That needs research so I will put it off until I'm sitting in a hotel room with time to kill.Last edited by Bcone1381; 01-18-2024, 11:50 AM. Reason: Claridied things with Nomenclature at the start.Brooks Cone
Southeast Michigan
Patrol #303, Kit buildComment
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I do not like design. I dont want to innovate. Just tell me what to do and I will do it. But we dont have all the answeres so we are forced to design and innovate. I just spent 4 days on 4 different designs for the stick to floor boot on the front Patrol stick. Its complex. But I enjoyed re-acquainting myself with the Sewing machine.
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