Chucker's Sonerai II (minus)

[Raceair]

There has been lively discussions about painting cases, in the past. Main reason, heat dissipation…. I guess if VW Wolfsbergh (SP) would have needed painted cases, they would have painted them. However, there are opinions as to paint/no paint, and what color if painted….

 

[Chucker]

I'm guessing that the conversion coating they did on the magnesium was more expensive than it would have been to simply slap on a coat of paint. There must have been a reason...they didn't do anything in Wolfsburg without putting some thought into it.

The conversion coating was for corrosion protection...but I won't be out in the rain and I won't be parking this "bug" at the beach. Gun oil cleans and protects (to some degree). We'll see how it goes. I plan on giving it a fresh coat each time I change the oil....just a little squirt and wipe it down with a rag. One good thing about gun oil is that it does not attract dust and grime.

Chucker

 

[Chucker]

Finished the jackscrew assembly for my trim system.

As you can see, I deviated from the tried and true system Fred uses (designed?). My motivation for deviation was weight. The normal stab attach cross member was removed. The material added was the jackscrew, pulley and mounting sleeves....plus some welding rod. I plan to lock the sleeve to the stabilizers with short threaded bolts through the top side only....thereby eliminating the washers and nuts.

The beaded cord allows for repeatable trim settings. I drilled indentations into the pulley to engage the beads. The front pulley will be smooth. I plan to mount it just under my left knee. The seat frame and one of the top fuselage cross members provide convenient turning points. No fairleads required. If the cord doesn't wear well, it will be replaced with stainless steel....but every gram counts.

One picture below....more in my gallery.

Chucker

 

[Chucker]

Looks as though the tail got lighter. Not sure how many washers (9-10 grams each) I would have needed to trim the aircraft according to plans.

Chucker

 

[Chucker]

Throttle and Mixture

My project actually came with throttle linkage as specified in the plans. The problem, however, was that the travel was not sufficient for my Revflow injector carb. Back to the drawing board.

What I designed was a slide throttle. That gave me unlimited (exaggeration) travel. It also gave me the option of running my mixture control right through the center of the throttle shaft.

Pictures below and in my gallery.

Chucker

 

[Chucker]

I also took a shot at designing my instrument panel.

My wife thinks it's a bit flimsy. She might have something there.

 

[Chucker]

Why carry the weight of the steel throttle when I could have simply run a traditional cable throttle to the cockpit?

1. I wanted convenient access to the throttle while hand propping. And,
2. I am keeping open the option of reconfiguring for two-seat operations.

 

[Chucker]

The other benefit of this configuration is that you can select full rich and full throttle in one motion. Just push the mixture all the way forward and the throttle goes with it.

Thought that might be a plus.

 

[Chucker]

Tank mounts repaired.

When I bought the project, the rear straps were gone...broken off at the weld joints. Presumably, this was due to the flexing required to install and remove the tank. The front straps were still in place. As the tank can be slid from the rear under the front straps, these welds are not flexed during tank installation and removal.

I chose to leave the front straps according to the SII original plans. I replaced the rear straps with one continuous strap anchored under the top longerons as depicted in the 2LS plans. I also added a stop behind one corner of the tank to keep it from sliding aft toward the instrument panel.

 

[Chucker]

I should have taken a photo of this prior to repair. A previous owner attempted to build a fighter-type canopy that hinged in the rear. The top of the bow was inverted to provide room for an elaborate hinge system. All of that was cut away.

I salvaged the inverted portion of the bow and returned it to its proper position. Rather than extend the vee shaped roll brace, I simply added a short vertical piece to support the top of the bow in a rollover situation. I also added a cross brace for my shoulder harness....which created a fairly strong triangle structure.

This obviously restricts the use of the baggage area. However, I chose safety over convenience. Without a front seat, I have a fairly large space up front for baggage and auxiliary fuel. The rear baggage are is still suitable for tools, fire extinguishers, elt, and other smaller items.

According to Scott's recommendation, I raked the structure aft to allow better fit of the canopy and to improve the line between the canopy and the turtledeck. As recommended, I followed the line of the diagonal support between the lower and upper longerons.

 

[Chucker]

Finished the restraint system installation. More photos in gallery in the "Restraint System" album.

 

[Chucker]

Back home. Back in the shop. Back to building.

 

[Chucker]

Progress photos. Working on the turtledeck. Braking system is next. Then I will hang the wings and drill the carry throughs.

Chucker

 

[Pttim]

Good Progress! Keep Going!

 

[Chucker]

Done with the turtledeck... at least until the sanding and painting begins. Here are some final photos.

All the welding on the bow is because a previous builder had a great idea....that wasn't. I had to modify things back to the plans.... well, close to the plans.

I'm thinking of cutting out the splice in the spine running up to the bow and replace it with a new piece of 3/8". I know that it will work as-is.... but I just can't stand looking at it.

That said, I have a new philosophy in my building life:

Airworthy is the MINIMUM
Excellent is the GOAL
Perfect is the ENEMY

Chucker

 

[Chucker]

Here are some photos of my brake handle and parking brake. Still need to go to ACE and find a spring to hold the locking mechanism up.

 

[Chucker]

Working on the axles and brakes. Unfortunately, Azusa does not really make a left and right brake arm. However, I think I will use the old arms and cams. The arms are straight and the spline provides many more adjustment options. The new brakes came with pre-bent arms (both bent for the same side of the airplane) and square attachment shafts (meaning only four options).

Please disregard the ACE Hardware bolts. They will be replaced by AN-4s once I determine the necessary grip.

 

[Chucker]

I thought I would share my axle straightening apparatus. I don't have a bench and vise beefy enough for the job...so here are some pictures of my solution.

 

[Chucker]

Welded the wing support/static port tube in place.

 

[Chucker]

Thoughts?

The rising sun and sharks teeth come from my first squadron, VF-111, Sundowners.