Recent content by nichzimmerman

Bearhawk Plans # 1217 started its construction journey 11 years, 8 moves, and 4 kids ago and finally took to the sky today under the identity N27AZ. The details: - Basic fuselage was started from a VR3 kit (TIG welded, not by me). The rest of it was gas welded by me. - Wings are scratch built...

Hard to believe I started installing the engine over a year ago. Still, confusion abounds. What is the port on the carb just above the fuel inlet fitting? It has a plastic cap in the picture.

Here are broader pics of the mags. Hard to get to now because it's getting crowded back there. The base of each look the same...it appears they both have an additional ring of some kind between the mag and the engine, vs the pics provides by Scott. Paul, I have a hard time imagining the...

All, I've been absent for 6 months on another project, but time to start turning wrenches on the Bearhawk again. Lots of new topics for me to catch up on, but I need some schooling on magnetos. I'm using toggle switches for the mags, and Aeroelectric Connections has a clever trick for ensuring...

Hello all, I can't seem to find documentation on installing the magneto harnesses, which probably means its very simple and these are silly questions, but here we go. For reference, I have the Slick 6393 and 6350 on my O-540. 1) does it matter which mag is connected to the top or bottom spark...

The floor panels require those longerons for support along their edges. Wrap the interior fabric around the outside of the lower longerons. It makes for a challenging installation around the weld clusters, but you can't beat the fabric for its light weight. Of course, this assumes you haven't...

That area will be partially covered by the wing strut fairing if you use one. Here's my treatment of the area. Its mildly visible through the Oratex. The larger cutout above the strut fitting is to allow clearance for the strut fork and bolt. The kits cover the entire forward area under the door...

Thanks folks. Comparing Steve' hypothesis on #2 to the centeral diagram on Fig 7-3 (page 7-6 in Brooks' link), there is a strong case to suggest #2 is an oil line. Furthermore, I snapped a pic of where I expected the "oil to cooler" line to go, and found it was plugged, probably since the...

Given the number of variations on accessory cases and the fact that many accessories have ports on them, we need a thread dedicated to identifying those which are not clearly indicated in the various Lycoming manuals. (There is a single thread in existence but is titled Oil Cooler Lines). I...

What have folks done for drain holes in fabric? I haven't found a thread on this yet. Specifically: 1) just one at the bottom of the rudder? I don't actually remember seeing drain holes on rudders before 2) on both sides of aileron/flap ribs or just on the downhill side? Any other relevant...

Adding another data point here. I made a frame for the bulkhead out of pieces of .020 with a bent edge, and then covered it in Oratex. Overall its lighter than a sheet of .020 aluminum and doesn't drum. And nothing is going through that oratex. After building the bulkhead I finished covering the...

I brought my engine and prop into the same room for the first time today and noticed one of the prop hub bolt faces didn't seem to have an indent for the crank flanges like the rest did (bottom right bolt in the bottom pic). The crank, for its part, has four protruding bolt flanges and two that...

I've had a hard time determining the style of alternator mount on my O-540, and I havent found a single forum online that thoroughly and pictorally describes the difference. It would be nice to have a few pictures of each style so future shoppers would know whether to select boss mount or case...

My oldest kids and I just had our first plamping experience at Noble County Airport (I10) east of Columbus. Wolf Run State Park is your typical, loud, crowded campground on a lake. But across the lake is a nice runway with a wide path to a primitive, shaded, and very private camping area near...

My Bearhawk project has a roommate! My brother is keeping his PA-32-260 in the hangar until Bob overhauls his engine, which means I've been flying it more than building recently. I decided to post this question here since the topic is applicable to the Bearhawk wing, and the community here is...