Rigging: Wing Washout/Fuel Gauge Calibration

Today I set the wing washout or twist in the wing.  The inboard side of the wing is set to have a higher angle of attack then the outboard side.  As a result, the inboard side will buffet and stall before the outboard side where the aileron control surfaces are located.  I had to get the wings level, so I used an adjustable stand along with a level to accomplish this.   The level was taped to the bottom of a 2x4 and 1/4" shims were taped to locations corresponding to the spars.  Once the wing was level I then moved outboard beyond the spar attach points and added another spacer on the TE side and adjusted the rear spar fitting until level was indicated.  This was a simple method Rans came up with to get the washout to spec.

Since the plane was level, I then added 1.25 total gallons of fuel to the tanks.  This quantity corresponds to the "unuseable" portion of fuel in the tanks that will not drain out.  Once added, this level was noted on the wing root sight gauges and the "zero" line on the fuel level decal was place accordingly.  I obtained a fish scale to get the precise quantity of fuel in each tank, in this case 3 lb 12 oz per wing tank.

Airworthiness Inspection/N-Number Registration

I made contact with my FAA-Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) and scheduled my inspection for this Fall.  He sent me the list of forms I need to complete. 

The first thing I need to do to get the project certified is get an N-number, so I got on-line at FAA and finally reserved one.  My plane will no longer be referred to as the "project" but she will be referred to as "N665RA"

Final Install: Rudder Cable Guard, LRI, Pitot, Gear Leg Fairings, Fuel Scupper/Lines

I completed acid-etch priming and painting of a lot of smaller aluminum pieces, which allowed me to get down to installing some the final punch-list items.  Here is fabrication of the rudder cable guard.

I painted and installed the fuel scuppers and hooked up the remaining fuel lines connecting the wings to fuselage.  The fuel system is now 100% complete.  I need to add some fuel to the system to expand the tanks and leak-test the lines.

I connected the lines in the wing to the pitot tube and mounted on the wing.

Likewise, on the other wing, I hooked up the Lift Reserve Indicator and mounted to the wing.  The pneumatic lines, probes and instruments are now 100% complete.  Per the guidance, I set the inital probe angle to 50 degrees and penciled a reference line on the probe.

Finally, following paint, I final installed the gear leg fairings.  Note near the bottome the section of fuel line I placed over the poly tubing for protection from the fairing edge.  In this pic you can see the outside air temperature probe mounted on the plastic rib and brake line going through.

A rubber molding edge was glued on top.

Aho Airfield from 1000'

A friend of mine was gracious enough to invite me up in his plane and scope out my airstrip.  Here are pics from the reconn mission.  Talk about a short-field landing!

Door Fit-Up and Final Install

In hindsight, I wish I had waited to paint the doors until I had the perimeter trim strips installed.  As a result, I had to paint and match the trim stripes to the door.  No small effort.   Here are the trim strips being trimmed, drilled and clecoed to the door frame.

The lexan windows needed to be trimmed and holes drilled to match the trim strips.

Here is the door latch assembly installed.  The latch mechanism is actuated by the handle in the center and the rod ends secure the door to the fuse at 3 points.

The painted trim strips were reclecoed in preparation for riveting.

Here are the completed doors.  Note the door upcatch on the wing.  The door handle hangs from this to keep the door open, even in flight, if desired.  The round objects in the windows are air vents that open and capture air from the slip stream.

Wing Tip / LED Light Final Install

Let there be light.  I mounted the combination strobe/nav LED lights to the wing tips, wired them up to the system and then screwed the whole assembly to the wing.

Windshield/Skylight Final Install

This was surely one of the longer project endeavours.  Lots of match drilling of holes and trimming to get this done.  Here are completion pics of the lexan, trim strips, hold-down strips, z-strips and wing cuffs.

I'm not all that thrilled about the wing cuff design.  It was nearly impossible to get a snug fit around the entire piece and not the most elegant item.  I've heard this echoed from fellow builders as well.

On to the doors and hopefully the last of the fabricated and painted pieces.  I can only wish....