North Carolina LSA Kit Build Underway

[slscott715]

Hey guys,

My name is Sam Scott and I'm a full-time A&P mechanic with a serious case of the flying/building bug. I've been lurking here for the better part of a decade and planning an LSA build since I saw Bob's prototype at a local fly-in back in 2015. My daily flier is a 1946 J3 Cub and I absolutely love most things about it. The majority of my flying is very local, in and out of short grass strips and solo. The J3 is the perfect for this but I do occasionally take a cross-country (+-200NM) and would like to carry a passenger from time to time. This is where the LSA appeals to me.

I'll be using a C-85-12F and Sensenich ground adjustable prop. I will be using a battery-only electrical system to power a starter and GTR200B comm radio. I'm doing this to save the weight and expense of an engine-driven electrical system & ADS-B/transponder. My kit arrived on Easter weekend 2025 and building was underway within 12 hours of the kit being unloaded. I've had the kit for about 2 weeks at the time of this writing and so far, I've installed the stringers, window frames, fit and drilled the floorboards, installed the rudder pedals and brakes, fabricated rudder cables, installed the fuel selector/gascolator and plumbed the fuel system. I've been extremely happy with the quality of the kit and the support I've received from Virgil and Mackenzie Irwin at Bearhawk Aircraft. I'm having a blast building so far and I hope to post updates periodically throughout the process.

[jaredyates]

Glad to see you here Sam! Let me know when you are ready to host a visit.

[slscott715]

Thanks Jared!
I’m glad to finally be here with something to contribute. Visitors are welcome any time. I’m working in my hangar at a grass strip near Boonville, NC. I’d especially love to have some fly-in visitors. Anybody interested in coming by can send me a message and I’ll tell them how to find me. I’ll be there pretty much all weekends unless I’m out flying.

[SpruceForest]

Brilliant project. One consideration... the transponder rule exempts aircraft without engine-driven electrical systems from equipage; the ADS-B rule differs a bit in that it exempts aircraft without an installed electrical system from equipage. I don't believe the FAA has a problem with self-contained battery-powered starting systems on powered gliders, etc., but having a panel-mount comm radio might be pushing that interpretation of 91.225e.

I would suggest two things: a) ensure you are on solid regulatory ground with the FAA (FSDO avionics inspector and the ACO) re: what constitutes an installed electrical system, and b) provision for a belly-mount antenna (ground plane; cable access) for operation at 5W or less at 978MHz or 1090MHz to accommodate both future changes to 91.225e interpretation (this stuff happens, and seeing government agencies tends to get expensive quickly) and the pressures that new entrants such as AAM and UAS are placing on the current 'see and avoid' visual separation system.

[slscott715]

Thanks SpruceForest for the heads up. FAR 91.225(e) states “the requirement of paragraph (b) of this section do not apply to any aircraft that was not originally certificated with an engine-driven electrical system, or that has not been subsequently certified with such a system installed, including balloons and gliders. These aircraft may conduct operations without ADS-B Out in the airspace specified in paragraph (d)(4) of this section. These aircraft may also conduct operations in the airspace specified in paragraph (d)(2) of this section if those operations are conducted-
(1) Outside of any Class B or Class C airspace area; and
(2) Below the altitude of the ceiling of a Class B or Class C airspace area designated for an airport, or 10,000 feet MSL, whichever is lower.”

The airspace specified in 91.225(d)(2) is where I hope to be able to operate due to my proximity to CLT. It seems to me that the engine-driven electrical system exemption applies to ADS-B Out as well, but maybe I’m missing something. I’ll check with the guys at my FSDO.

[SpruceForest]

Changed 4/2/25... finally. We've been waiting for that change to post...should be good. Still recommend provisioning for ADS-B out antenna. PM if you want to know why.

[rodsmith]

Welcome Sam, looks like you are off to a great start on the project!

[slscott715]

Thanks rodsmith! I’ve been enjoying the process so much that I can’t seem to stay away haha!

[slscott715]

My goal this week was to get the tail surfaces mocked up and the elevator and trim control systems put together. This proved to be an overly-ambitious goal.

I leveled the fuselage and got the -2 degree incidence set on the stab tube. I had to remove approximately .150” from each spacer to obtain this, adjusting each spacer individually to maintain level left to right. I did this with a little known tool called a reverse spotface cutter. This made removing material from the spacers with precision a breeze. After installing the stabilizers, I found the stab struts too short and the upper flying wires too long. Also, the elevator hinge bearings that came with my kit were too large, as others have experienced, so I was unable to install the elevators. These problems made me suspicious that something may be dimensionally off with my fuselage/tail parts. After two days of checking all the dimensions against the plans, I’ve not been able to find any discrepancy. I squared the tail using straps to get the required dimensions for struts and flying wires.

I did manage to assemble my shock struts this week after gettin g the springs in from backorder. I started by thoroughly cleaning all parts of the shock assembly. The IDs of the piston tubes were packed with a combination of grease and chips and required extra attention. I urge anyone assembling their shocks to inspect and clean their piston tubes before assembly as fluid does need to pass freely through the ID and at least one of mine was completely blocked. After cleaning, assembly went smoothly with the use of a piece of tubing and a bolt to compress the spring, allowing the snap-rings to be installed. I installed the rod-ends with a bit of EZ-Turn lubricant (previously now as Fuel Lube) on the threads. This acts as a thread lubricant and also seals the thread as hydraulic fluid will be present on the back side of these threads.

As always, Virgil and the folks at Bearhawk have been extremely reliable and swift to help with these issues and it is much appreciated. Hopefully, I’ll have more progress to report next week.