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Composite Doors

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  • Composite Doors

    Finally painted my doors so thought I would post some construction pictures. Doors are 3/8", 3 pound divinycell foam with 2 layers of carbon fiber on the exterior and 2 layers of fiberglass on the inside. I spent a lot of time contemplating how to do this and finally realized the only way to get a good fit was to use the airframe as the form. The rear passenger door weights 4 pounds with all hardware and 3 pounds for the baggage door, which I think is a significant savings. If I had a kit with nice premade doors, there is no way I would have gone to the trouble. I don't think these took longer to build than steel frame and aluminum. What took significantly longer for me was the finishing. I lost track of how many iterations of sanding/filling I went through and I still have a few pin holes. Someone with more composite experience would probably have better luck with that. I am very happy with the tight fit to the fuselage and the way they look. The latch for the rear passenger door is Bob's design. I machined an aluminum housing for it since it isn't buried in the structure. Still working on the front doors.

    DSCF1133.JPGDSCF1394.JPGDSCF1397.JPGDSCF1396.JPGDSCF1399.JPGDSCF1132.JPGDSCF1392.JPGDSCF1083.JPGDSCF1082.JPGDSCF1096.JPGDSCF1095.JPG

  • #2
    Nice work! One question, how did you attach the hinges. Did you embed them in the composite structure during the layup?
    Bearhawk "XHawk" Patrol, O-360, Trailblazer 80", tubeless 26" Goodyears, Stewart Systems. See XHawk Build Log.

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    • #3
      My stock kit doors are about 5 and 6 pounds.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by noema View Post
        Nice work! One question, how did you attach the hinges. Did you embed them in the composite structure during the layup?
        At the hinge and latch locations I used hardwood inserts. Luckily my brother-in-law has a planer so I was able to match the thickness of the foam.

        DSCF1093.JPG

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        • noema
          noema commented
          Editing a comment
          Oh yeah, I can see that working well.

      • #5
        Those look great! Adding to the file of things to aspire to...
        4-Place Model 'B' Serial 1529B (with many years to go...)

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        • #6
          Well done, thats what experimental all about

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          • #7
            Amazing work! How did you install the windows, epoxied into place?

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            • #8
              Very nice. Something else to bookmark for later
              Scott Ahrens
              Bearhawk Patrol Plans Built
              #254

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              • #9
                Originally posted by Westward_Flyer View Post
                Amazing work! How did you install the windows, epoxied into place?
                That's essentially what I did. The lexan is free to expand. I used sikaflex caulk around the edges instead of having the lexan tight against the foam.

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