What did you do on your airplane project today?
- Thread starter cdlwingnut
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gtae07
Well-Known Member
More canopy work--latch, rollers, aft handle fitting.
Mark Z
Well-Known Member
Still got things to iron out but this thing runs really well.
Aligned another flap (L/H outboard), between the centre section flap and the aileron.
Just got to make the leading edges next.
Just got to make the leading edges next.
Did a mid afternoon launch to Vegas yesterday. Full fuel, packed to the gills with bags and the wife in back, and 102 F OAT on the ground taxed the new cooling scheme pretty good. Took about 10 minutes to get to 9500 cruise altitude and the hottest cylinder just barely broke 400. This behavior is definately altered from what Im used to and it feels like there is a significant restriction in the cooling outlet now. Meaning, unless I have the engine exhaust providing the muscle to force cooling flow, its actually in a choke mode. As an illustration, the cruise portion showed 185 on the oil and about 365 for CHT - just about perfect. But with the throttle pulled back and descending at significantly higher airspeed into Vegas, the oil temp started rising. I did get a "reduce speed, if able" call from the tower, so I was dragging it it a bit slower than usual, but on short final my oil temps were 205. This was 110 f OAT, However. Overall, very manageable, but very different.
Mark Z
Well-Known Member
Hot CHTs are the Achilles heels of our airplanes. The P210 has dutifully earned the reputation as a pig that won’t climb. With that said, I think that Larry Vitatoe has found the magic bullet for the P210 airframe. I’m not much of a fan of certified conversions such as the propjet conversions. I think these destroy a good airframe that can never go back as designed. But I think after all the years that Continental has built engines, they got it right with the TSIO-550. This is a first for me to fly this engine (basically a Cirrus engine). Disregard the fuel flow, pressure and amp indications that are obviously incorrect but observe the power and engine temps in a 120 KT climb with 3 good size men and 730# of fuel. (I also prefer JPIs engine monitor)
Made some decisions. Colonel Boyd's OODA loop in action.
Weather was 25 gusting to 40 with occasional thunderstorms, so wasn't a flying day. I've been dissatisfied with how my starter is working, so cleaned and checked all the wire connections. The ground strap from the engine did end up needing some cleaning.
Also torqued my prop bolts as that needs to be done with change of seasons. Took off the spinner, cut off old safety wire, loosen bolts. Torque bolts, put spinner back on, grab safety wire, look at spinner ...
Maybe I need to write these steps down or something.
Finished putting everything back together, wind wasn't too bad. Walked over to the ramp to take a look, thunderstorm was right over my aerobatic area and moving toward the airport. Yep, not a flying day.
Also, last year had a wing jack and compressor stolen out of my hangar. The hangar doors are supposed to lock with pins that go down from the door to holes in the concrete, but with the doors all the way against the welded on stops the holes are about 1 inch from the pins. So the door doesn't really lock. You can push them open pretty easy if you are willing to ignore the screech of steel on concrete.
So built this "lock". Took a broken bar clamp (the fixed end had broken off), welded a 1/4" round bar to some 1/16" steel, bolted that to the bar. Slapped a little paint on it so it will rust slower. Easy to open from the inside, takes some significant force to open from the outside.
Also torqued my prop bolts as that needs to be done with change of seasons. Took off the spinner, cut off old safety wire, loosen bolts. Torque bolts, put spinner back on, grab safety wire, look at spinner ...
Maybe I need to write these steps down or something.
Finished putting everything back together, wind wasn't too bad. Walked over to the ramp to take a look, thunderstorm was right over my aerobatic area and moving toward the airport. Yep, not a flying day.
Also, last year had a wing jack and compressor stolen out of my hangar. The hangar doors are supposed to lock with pins that go down from the door to holes in the concrete, but with the doors all the way against the welded on stops the holes are about 1 inch from the pins. So the door doesn't really lock. You can push them open pretty easy if you are willing to ignore the screech of steel on concrete.
So built this "lock". Took a broken bar clamp (the fixed end had broken off), welded a 1/4" round bar to some 1/16" steel, bolted that to the bar. Slapped a little paint on it so it will rust slower. Easy to open from the inside, takes some significant force to open from the outside.
Ava
Well-Known Member
(Not just today, 6/19/22; but in the week since my last post 6/13/22.) Talked with my friends about which way we should go with the "new" airplane. Decided to build a wing first, then tail feathers. Swept the workshop floor. Set up the small workbench. Found the wing rib jig and some leftover cut pieces. Ogled a completed "leftover" rib. Talked my friends into demonstrating how a rib is made. "Tried" that a second time 
. Figured out how to pay for, and ordered some 1/4 by 1/2 cap strip. Thought about how today just the cap strip cost more than the entire cost of materials used in building a finished wing ($54.95) in 1934.
. Figured out how to pay for, and ordered some 1/4 by 1/2 cap strip. Thought about how today just the cap strip cost more than the entire cost of materials used in building a finished wing ($54.95) in 1934.
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Installed a ceiling fan in the hangar office. For those of you who don’t know, that is work that should be done by the son-in-law, but he is too busy working on DoD research projects. The attic was really hot. I have some flooring up there, but none over the office.
BJC
BJC
Working on fairing in the augmentor tube area. I have a 4 inch wide strip down the middle as the bulk of the "structure" and had to relocate the comm antenna. Still have a bunch more tedious fitting to do close the gap to the tubes, but did fly it today to see if it would at least stay in place. I saw 250KTAS at one point and had no issues. Also, a very preliminary cruise segment "seemed" to indicate some gains in speed. Could be a "good day", but it's been a long time since I've seen 205 KTAS in cruise. I have a planned trip to PHX shortly, so that will be the test.
Also had a buddy make his weekly "Spruce Express" trip in his RV yesterday. Got the call that my bag of goodies was at his house at around 3:00 PM so despite the heat, I jumped in the T-cart to go get it. It's about 4 miles in a straight line flying, but close to 10 in the car, so I figured since the Taylorcraft has not flown in a few weeks, why not? Calm at my house, but blowing pretty good in Rosamond. Was a real fight to get it stopped. Compared to the rock solid Rocket that handles like a Formula 1 car, the T was a loaded dumptruck with rope steering. It was fine in the end and he met me on the taxiway so it was just a stop and go. Overall, a perfect excuse/rationalization to fly.
Also had a buddy make his weekly "Spruce Express" trip in his RV yesterday. Got the call that my bag of goodies was at his house at around 3:00 PM so despite the heat, I jumped in the T-cart to go get it. It's about 4 miles in a straight line flying, but close to 10 in the car, so I figured since the Taylorcraft has not flown in a few weeks, why not? Calm at my house, but blowing pretty good in Rosamond. Was a real fight to get it stopped. Compared to the rock solid Rocket that handles like a Formula 1 car, the T was a loaded dumptruck with rope steering. It was fine in the end and he met me on the taxiway so it was just a stop and go. Overall, a perfect excuse/rationalization to fly.
Ava
Well-Known Member
(Sky Scout update #3 6/26/22) Since 6/19/22 I have made a few more wing ribs. Now, we have six or seven out of 32, depending on how one counts them. Andy and Geoff have the engine mostly complete, sans a prop or radiator. At the rate of a rib every couple days I will be building spars before the end of August.
Last week's work on the starter didn't fix it. Got in ready to fly, pushed the start button and the prop didn't even twitch. Back into the hangar took things apart again. Getting a good 12V to the starter motor. Took the motor off, there was a lot of oil between the motor and the engine. (One downside of old, affordable engines is they can leak oil) Motor spun great using jumper cables. Cleaned out the oil and put it back on. Spun the engine like back when it was new. Hadn't considered the motor/engine interface as part of the electrical path when checking the wires last week, but that proved to be critical one.
Put the cowlings back on, was only 3:30, so flew over to the local skydiving field to get my chute repacked. Since I had the chute on did some loops and rolls on the way over. Also did my best hammerhead ever. Just great vertical lines and yawed over at the top with no roll. Stopped the yaw right on the downline.. Flew back, then got yelled at for getting home so late. Only drawback of an otherwise great day.
Put the cowlings back on, was only 3:30, so flew over to the local skydiving field to get my chute repacked. Since I had the chute on did some loops and rolls on the way over. Also did my best hammerhead ever. Just great vertical lines and yawed over at the top with no roll. Stopped the yaw right on the downline.. Flew back, then got yelled at for getting home so late. Only drawback of an otherwise great day.
gtae07
Well-Known Member
Started attaching and shaping foam to build my aft canopy skirts. It's one of those "supposed to look good" things that I don't like working on, so it has me in a grumpy mood. I'll be very happy when this blasted canopy is done.
Major work left is fiberglass and engine. Oh, and paint. Doesn't seem like much...
Major work left is fiberglass and engine. Oh, and paint. Doesn't seem like much...
I "love" non structural fiberglass work. Easy stuff. Like paper mache from kindergarten, but more expensive.
Hephaestus
Well-Known Member
I let the magic smoke out of the CNC's spindle. And - haven't chased it but I think I killed the driver or the motor on the Y axis.
Running the only gcode on the sd-card, because I never copied the new program to the card.
So Yeah - I tried to cut 10mm 6061 plate, with a 1/2" endmill, at speeds and feeds for foam - with a 1/8" ball-end...
Yup, pretty sure I broke all the cnc rules today and will be paying dearly for it.
Running the only gcode on the sd-card, because I never copied the new program to the card.
So Yeah - I tried to cut 10mm 6061 plate, with a 1/2" endmill, at speeds and feeds for foam - with a 1/8" ball-end...
Yup, pretty sure I broke all the cnc rules today and will be paying dearly for it.
Tiger Tim
Well-Known Member
The tail feathers slam together fast, too! I made a pair of non-airworthy Scout stabilizers a year or two ago and had each one framed in maybe a day. Just put some thought into how you’re going to cut the rabbets on your leading and trailing edges; I got lazy and did them in two passes each on the table saw with an ordinary blade and they came out sloppy.
If I had to do it again I’d either make a jig for my router table or cut the rabbets with a dado blade in the table saw before ripping the leading/trailing edge stock to width. Bernie probably did it with a block plane but I’m far too
J.L. Frusha
Well-Known Member
Still reworking the overall design to be much lighter, without making it too weak. Trying to follow the overall design of the McNair Mynah biplane, just stinks guessing at where the structure goes from what few pics there are.
Ava
Well-Known Member
It's 60*F (a high of 80*F is expected) and there is a 10 mph breeze in our cloudless skies... perfect flying weather. I'll go do some turns about a point in an half-hour or so. In January it will be more like 20*F and a light snowfall, so the big push on building the Scout will come this winter. Now, we are mostly enjoying flying the Air Camper, completing a few parts-- these "wooden" airplanes have an amazing number of metal parts cut from sheet stock-- and making sub assemblies for assembly then. Geoff and Andy routed all the leading and trailing edges on the Air Camper per the original plans and the jig is in their dad's workshop-- somewhere...
After much trial fitting, followed by removal, cutting and sanding, and repeating, I’m starting to get happy with the fitting of the nose wheel pant, the lower cowl, and the nose gear strut fairing.
BJC
BJC
