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The re-birth of N94CR

j-red

Well Known Member
Three years ago I began to fulfill a lifelong goal: to build and fly my own airplane. When I was a kid, my dad, though not a pilot, subscribed to kitplanes magazine. I must have read each issue a hundred times. In 2013, the opportunity presented itself to purchase a barely started Zenith 601XL kit which I finished in a year and a half working almost every day between 5 and 8AM.

The N601DR flew on May 15th, 2015, and by December she had almost 100 hours on the tach. It was a great plane, and we had some fun adventures together, but I needed to be building again and started looking for my next project last winter. This spring, I sold the Zenith and a week later purchased N94CR. Here's a picture of her back in the glory days:
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She's a 1999 6A with about 500 hours on the airframe and factory new 0-360 that went "Splat" on the nose while taxiing on an unpaved strip. Here's what she looked like when I found her:
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The first item of business was to assess the damage and determine what would need to be done. Of course a complete re-wire with new instruments was a necessity so I went to ebay and bid on the entire panel out of a Velocity with 40 hours on it. Won the bid at $4500: Included was a GRT Sport SX with 3d vision, 2 axis autopilot servo’s, GRT EIS, KX155 navcom, Icom 200, a Collins transponder and an ancient audio panel not worth reusing along with a Bendix vor/glideslope indicator and a handful of backup gauges, switches, and breakers. Sweet deal, eh??? 

Next item on the list was to check out the engine. It was shipped from the factory for this build back in 1996, and accumulated just 500 hours in the ten years it flew. There was, however, a prop strike during the nose gear incident and, although the crank dialed within a thousandth of true, I still wanted to do a complete teardown inspection of the engine. The good news from Rick Romans in Tulsa was that the crank was in good shape. The bad news was that my connecting rods were incredibly rare one-off’s from the factory which use something called “H5” bolts. These bolts are slightly larger in diameter than the standard rod bolts due to some error in the manufacturing process and replacements cost $250 EACH! Recommendation was just to find some replacement rods for less $$. I had the case cleaned at G&N in northwest Indiana while at Oshkosh, and picked it up on the way back home. It has now been painted and is just awaiting re-assembly.


The airframe was in decent shape considering. The lower half of the firewall was damaged, as was the first 8 inches of the cabin floor aft of the firewall. I have since cut out the bad section of stainless and patched it with new, then re-riveted the stiffeners to the firewall. I have also cut out the wrinkled floor section and patched in addition to installing new floor stiffener angles.
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While waiting for engine components to come back from the inspection shop, I started on the new panel and wiring. The old wire was a little frightening: the non-tefzel coating on much of it had begun to harden and crack; non PIDG/AMP butt splices and connectors were used throughout, and the labelling was difficult to follow so I just pulled it and opted to start over. Using the Velocity avionics package, I chose pieces that would allow for a clean, basic IFR layout so I can work toward that rating and in case of the occaisional “on top” situation. These components were laid out on a new panel cut from .090 aluminum. I used the old panel as a frame which is riveted in place, and which contains nutplates that will allow the new panel to be removable and possibly even made sectional in the future if needed. Center control column still needs to be re-built with new throttle and mixture cables.
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Well, now you're all up to speed. I'm thankful to have a forum such as this to share with and learn from. Would love to hear from anyone who has some history with this bird! Thanks for reading.
 
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Nice looking project you have going there! great deal on the Avionics package!
 
Nice! I love these "Phoenix rising from the ashes" stories. I'm digging my Sport SX; I think you'll love it. Our panels look very similar.
 
The panel probably looks similar because I stole the layout! Maybe not from yours particularly, but I've sifted through as many panel photos as I could find , borrowing ideas as I went.
 
This week's progress...

Cut and fit vent and audio jack panels to the pilot and copilot sides of the dash. Oh, and I had to completely re-route both headphone/mic jacks because I had the pilot's on the passenger side and vice-versa. The garmin audio panel has the ability to give certain privileges to the pilot alone, so these needed to be swapped.
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Getting close to installing the firewall, so I put the rudder pedals in...
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...then realized that they were lacking the gussets per the Vans service bulletin, so they came back out...

The gussets were free from Van's, so i figured it would be cheaper to have them welded on than to get a new set of pedals. It was... barely! I blasted them myself, then took them to a local shop to have them welded on (I learned to TIG from my dad, but he lives 700 miles away...). I knew their shop rate, but I never expected it would take him as long as it did to weld them on. $225 later I got my pedals back, but I can't help but thinking that for a few bucks more I could have either bought myself a used TIG setup or gotten new powdercoated pedals. Oh, well. Peace of mind is priceless, right? I cleaned, painted and and have now re-assembled them so they're ready to go back in.
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Finally, The Collins transponder I got in the Ebay deal had an A-30 encoder wired to it. This morning's project was to revert that connection to the grey code inputs of the GRT Sport harness. Relatively simple process of labeling each wire, cutting and attaching the female d-sub pins and popping them into the appropriate spot on the GRT connector. One less piece of dated hardware to mount and plumb.
 
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Weekly Update:
With the pedals upgraded and re-installed, I could finally move ahead with riveting the firewall. This involved re-making some of the cowl attach strips. The hinge-halves for the lower cowling sides were still in place and, in fact, had never been removed. The rest of the lower and upper cowling was held to the fuselage by strips containing nutplates. I know they aren't as quick and easy as quick turn fasteners, but for the sake of time and expense, I'm sticking with the original hardware. That required re-making the lower two strips because of the firewall damage that occurred during the gear collapse wrinkled them up a bit. There was enough good real-estate left that i could use them as patterns for the new ones which means the original holes in the cowling line up perfectly. About half of the top cowl strip had to be remade because of edge distance issues from the original construction (meaning there essentially wasn't any...)
I bucked as many rivets as I could reach, and substituted appropriately sized CherryMax lock rivets where I couldn't.
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With the firewall in place for good, it's time to begin hooking things up. I couldn't find the original bulkhead fittings for the brakes in my "box-o-rv-stuff" so I had to order them, but the hoses and aluminum lines were there, and now that task is checked off the list.
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One of the first things I did after getting the kit, but which I haven't yet documented, was to install the "Almost-a-14" mod. I knew even when researching kits prior to buying this one that the mod would eventually be done because my flying mentor is about 6'5" and needs all the headroom he can get. I've actually found that for me at 6', the full-back position is actually too far away from the panel for me. But then, that's why it's adjustable!
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reskin

It would be perfect to put a piece of stainless steel in place of the 2024 in the third picture down from top that would be just the right size for fire protection a piece of 24 or 26 gauge from onlinemetals.com is cheap insurance.
Bob
 
I'm not sure I understand. Are you talking about covering the front of the cabin floor with a piece of thin stainless?
 
Weekly Update 8/29-9/5

One of the few circuits left to wire was the electric flaps. I wanted easy access to the flaps with the throttle hand and decided to put them on the sub-panel along with the throttle, mixture and carb heat. That means it's time to make the sub-panel! This plane originally had the vertical channel between the fuel selector and panel, but using a sub-panel seems to be the more modern way to go. I had some spare .063 sitting around with a flange already bent at the perfect angle (not quite 90). Great... except it's got a row of small holes drilled in it, and they aren't in the right spots to be able to used for the controls. No problem. Let's slap a shiny blank piece of .040 on the front and stiffen it up a bit. Done. Now the flaps can be wired. Boom, done. Just using a simple DPDT mom/off/mom toggle, looking out the window for flap position reference.



Now that the engine mount and cowling attach points are riveted in, I could get to another thing that needed to be done before hanging the engine: the lower cowl repair. It turns out that the original builder's unorthodox way of installing the air scoop on the lower cowl made it a fairly simple repair. Instead of bonding the scoop permanently, he cut a recess, backed it with aluminum strips, then installed nutplates and finally built up the area with filler to blend it with the rest of the cowling. There was over 1/4" of filler in places! However, the result was that the nose gear collapse smashed the airbox which then separated at the seam, leaving the rest of the cowl intact. Yay! I decided not to repeat the original installation, and instead am attaching this scoop per the directions. I used an angle grinder to clean out the excess filler, remove the plate nuts, and rough up the surface. Next, with the cowl in place on the fuselage, I determined the proper position of the new scoop from the remains of the previous scoop, then stuck the new one on with a layer of epoxy-soaked cloth. Yesterday i went back, cleaned up the inside contours, and applied a layer of fiberglass on the interior of the joint. It's now stable enough that i can take it off the fuselage to work the outside.
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Weekly update 9/6-17

No pics to show, because there isn't much visible change. I installed the pressure sender manifold on the firewall and ran the wires for oil and fuel pressure back to the GRT EIS. I also ran the wires for the left and right fuel sender's. Several of these lines require 4.8v exciter current and various resistors tied into the auxillary ports in the EIS, and I opted to install a screw-terminal bus bar ($3 from Radio Shack) to manage all of these circuits.

I also hung the engine mount, mostly just to see how it fit, but ended up torquing it down anyway. The cabin heat box was riveted in place, the brake fluid reservoir re-installed and connected to the brake lines, and the gascolator cleaned and connected.

The previous owner of this kit had collected some items for repair such as a replacement nose gear leg and wheel. I was somewhat concerned about how it might align to the engine mount since both were already drilled, but it seems to line up correctly, and an NAS 5/16 bolt is quite snug (had to be hammered into place), so i'm relieved. The wheel is a cleveland which I'm also pleased with given that it has the solid center axle spacer as well as the two side spacers that determine how much pressure can be put on the bearing races. The wheel was cleaned, bearings re-packed with Aeroshell #22, and installed in the fork.

A few other small things that were accomplished included attaching the magnetometer in the aft fuselage (currently with velcro intil I determine if that is going to be the permanent location), and safety-wiring the pitch and trim autopilot servo's
 
It turns out that the original builder's unorthodox way of installing the air scoop on the lower cowl made it a fairly simple repair. Instead of bonding the scoop permanently, he cut a recess, backed it with aluminum strips, then installed nutplates and finally built up the area with filler to blend it with the rest of the cowling.
While not "common", it's not unheard of either. My purchased RV-6 came that way as well. I find it cuts in half the number of times I have to remove the lower cowling for various maintenance tasks. With a quick-drain on the sump, an oil change can be done just by removing the top cowl and the airbox scoop, for example.

Of course it's probably not as fast as a one-piece lower cowl... :)
 
Weekly Update 9/17-10/01

I actually like the idea of the removeable scoop and for a time hoped to replicate it, but there were some filler and delamination issues going on in this particular installation that made grinding out the old and glassing in the new the best route.

Continuing on with cowl-related work, I cut the nose-gear slot in the center of the cowl scoop, then put together the assembly that stabilizes and covers the gap behind the nose gear leg.
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While ordering a bunch of stuff from Vans a while back, I put the two nosewheel fairing brackets in my cart for a cool $35 (I think they were like $17 a piece!). After drilling out the holes for the axles and bolting them in place, it was apparent that they were WAY too wide for the old style wheel pant I'm using. The new one definitely looks more "bulbous" in photos, but I guess I just didn't think about this when ordering the brackets. So, I used some scrap and made my own which is probably what I should have done in the first place, saving some money. With the new brackets made and attached to the axle, I went about fitting the wheel pant. Still lots more work to be done there, but it's coming along.
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Moving up the firewall, I drilled apart then re-fabricated the cabin heat box so that the actuating lever would be on the top since it was much easier to route the cable from up north rather than below it somewhere. The box was then riveted to the firewall with a "gasket" of firestop. The cable has also been run, and functions smoothly.



The copper bus bar material i ordered came in and so the master and starter solenoid strips were made and installed with a protective covering of heatshrink around the middle section.


With that last bit of reaching through the middle of the firewall complete, I called in some riveting help and installed the center firewall cutout relief box, followed by the rudder pedal support bracket and the final UHMW rudder pedal block which supports the middle section.



My wife was kind enough to come out and hold the battery box to the firewall while I crawled inside to start the six bolts that hold it on. Thanks Dear! While under there, I fabbed the necessary bits to secure the aluminum brake lines to the back of the firewall via Adel clamps.



Finally, i finished the autopilot install by safetying the roll servo, and cutting/threading the rod that connects it to the controls.
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(Edit: Once the wings were on and the ailerons were being rigged, I had to pull all of this out and re-do it. I ended up using the Dynon servo bracket kit and location/instructions that came with it which worked perfectly without the over-throw problems that I had with the servo mounted as shown here.)
 
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Weekly Update 10/2-10/114

Spent several "work days" (i.e. an hour or two early in the morning before work) getting the gear in shape. One tire was bald on the inside, the other was more evenly worn, but would probably need to be replaced within a year anyway, so I decided to go ahead and replace both tires and tubes with retreads from Wilkerson's. Got a nice set of Goodyear sidewalls with a whole ton of tread on them for $60 shipped! looks like these guys should last a good long time. Old tubes were fine, but no sense in not replacing them with leakguards while everything is out. I'll hang onto the old ones in the spares box should I ever need an emergency backup. Bearings were cleaned and re-packed, and wheels re-installed. Additionally, the brakes are off and cleaned. They'll be re-lined as soon as my brake-rivet dies from Cleveland get here.

Two or three hours over several days were devoted to the lower cowl scoop attachment. I mixed up the West Systems with a good bit of filler to make a paste which would fill any voids around the scoop/cowling seam, then covered it with one layer of fiberglass to strengthen the transition. The next day, the inside was sanded and two more layers added to the joint for structural support.

Once the wheels were back on and she was off of the jack stands, it was safe to climb back in the cabin and complete some punch-list items like cable clamps, the fuel line from the pump to the firewall, nut-plates in the panel to attach the GRT Sport, and installing the ELT antenna just behind the passenger seat-back support.


I've got a whole long list of minor things that would be good to do before mounting the engine but which could be done after as well. I didn't make a ton of progress over the past few weeks because I keep going back and forth on what to do and when. Here's what I still need to do:

Cockpit:
-Measure wiring runs for CPI ei, then wait 3-4 weeks for delivery of the system so the user interface and wiring can be run (not complaining, just trying to organize the list based on what I have on hand currently.)
-Swap fuel pump switch with a s700-2-50 to add momentary power to primer
-Move flap switch to instrument panel (currently on sub-panel) to make room for throttle/mixture and carb heat controls)

Panel/Wiring:
Pre-run 18g shielded P-Lead wire for impulse mag.
Run Mag-tach wire to EIS
Pre-run flowscan wires
Pre-run Primer solenoid wires
Paint and label panel
Secure antenna cables, and finalize all wire bundles behind panel
Install Vent SCAT hose inside cabin

Gear:
-Rivet on brake pads (Avery dies should be here from Cleveland in a few days)
-Brake Lines: fill with fluid and test.


Cowling:
-Continue filling and smoothing transition area between outer cowling and scoop.

-Finish nosewheel fairing (wheel-pant) install (nutplates for nose-cone, then fill, sand, prime and paint)

-Install nosegear-leg fairing
Match drill and rivet piano hinge, fit to gear leg with hose clamps top and bottom. (be sure to keep hinge pin longer than the hinge, so it can be secured below.)
-Make a transition fairing for between the noseleg fairing and lower cowl.


Re-build & Install Engine
Install Baffling
Plumb fuel & Oil LInes, -fuel flow transducer, primer
Build Airbox + Connect to cowl scoop
Throttle, Mixture, and carb heat Controls
Wiring: CHT, EGT, Oil Temp Probes
Alternator & Regulator Wiring
Exhaust Tubes + check for


Install wings, flying surfaces, stabilizer and rudder
Build center fuel selector support, clean fuel selector and hook up final fuel lines.
 
Same same

I'm doing the same thing as you on an older RV-6 O-320 that suffered a roll over. I had to check the engine and replace the cam bolt (wood prop strike), replace the canopy and left fuel tank, repair the cowl, left leading edge and wing tips and fresh paint. I'm probably going to replace the panel as well, but I've kept it simple for now, removing the vacuum gauges and going D10A and adding IFR with a GX-65 + TruTrak Pic Pilot w/Alt ($400 total)

Today I'm putting the new left tank back on and repainting the wings. Then assembly and engine test. I keep saying I'm weeks away... but how many weeks :confused:

.. Oh yeah and here's my blog if anyone wants to see the whole journal.
 
You found it.

I've already read your blog, and appreciate you posting it, as it helps me think through the order of things.
 
Lots of waiting and very little progress this week. I bled the brakes and to my dismay, they leaked... all over. I suppose I should have pre-emptively rebuilt the master cylinders given that they're now 17 or more years old now, but I didn't, and three out of the four started leaking immediately. So.... I bought new o rings locally and installed them. Filled the system again, and.... still leaking out the tops. Drained it a second time, and replaced the o rings with the Cleveland spec'd ones from Spruce. No more leaks. At least, not right there. One of the aluminum lines from the firewall fitting to the gear leg was leaking due to a bad flare. Now, I could spend a hundred dollars on a flaring tool just to redo this one bad end, or I could fab up a stainless braided ptfe line with AN hose ends for about $25 bucks. Normally I'm a "buy the too and have it for the next time" kind of guy, but I don't foresee needing it again on this build, so the $25 option it is. Finally, brakes are done!
 
Update November 1-11

After receiving the sds ignition kit, i finally had all of the pieces for my panel. The kit came with a template which was aligned then cleco'd in place while i rough cut the hole, then used a pattern bit in the router to clean it up. The result was a perfectly shaped opening for the cpi module. Everything was then uninstalled, the panel removed, deburred, cleaned and painted, then labeled and reinstalled. I still need the passenger warning, but otherwise it's complete and the instruments are in for the final time. All of the engine system wires have been run through the firewall, and there is just a little bit of cleanup and clamping to do behind the panel. The only significant systems that still need work are the final sections of pitot/static tubing and the manifold pressure connections (tying together the cpi & grt behind the firewall and the engine in front of it.).

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Nice work on the rebuild

What did you mean a pattern bit in your router?

Really nice job on cutout and install of CPI ignition panel
 
A pattern bit for the router has straight cutting blades with a bearing on the end the same diameter as the cutters. I drilled a couple of big holes and used my jig saw to rough cut the opening to within 1/8" or so of the final diameter. With the template cleco'd in place, the bearing on the router bit follows the contour of the template which guides the cut. Though they're made for wood, the carbide cutters slice through aluminum without knowing the difference.

I did mis-type the explanatory paragraph in the original post which may be adding to the confusion. The panel was removed before I did this, not after, and shaped on a stationary routing table.
 
11/14-11/17

Busy week! I built and hung my engine this week which really opens up a whole new range of tasks that can be completed.

Information about the engine build can be seen here:
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?p=1127798#post1127798

The installation was much easier than anticipated based on experiences others have posted here. Maybe I was just expecting the worst, who knows.

There are still a few tasks to be done before the engine is complete including many of the accessories, but i had to get it out of the church kitchen before the ladies found out I was using it to build an engine! (long story... the short version is that it was clean, had lots of counter space, was going to be unused for several weeks, and is on ground level with double-door access to the outside so i could roll the engine hoist directly from there to the parking lot where the "workshop" is (I live in the parsonage next door and am building the 6a in the shed behind the house...)..

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Checking the fit of the cowl to make sure it all looks right.
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Sometimes your helper just wants to go nuts :)
 
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it was clean, had lots of counter space, was going to be unused for several weeks, and is on ground level with double-door access to the outside so i could roll the engine hoist directly from there to the parking lot where the "workshop" is

I completely understand this logic and think its a marvelous idea. Besides, you're closer to the sandwich making items for that spur of the moment snack. The ladies at my church wouldn't have found it acceptable in any way, either. Hang on, let me check....Yup...my wife wouldn't have liked it. She's still going on about it...apparently even washing greasy hands would be unacceptable. Apparently there is also something to do with making children's meals and baby formula...I dont know...I shouldn't have asked. Now she's texting a friend.
 
It really is nice to have (fingers crossed) all of the purchases behind me. Aside from the odd clamp and paint to cover the "scars", everything is in hand to finish this project. The firewall forward has gone together relatively quickly since it's a matter of re-assembling things that have largely been together before.

The ring gear was modified for the CPI ignition sensor magnets. They included in the kit a machined drilling template, the drill bit, tap, magnets and threaded plugs. I was initially nervous about the right placement of these critical magnets, but the SDS kit made it very easy. The mounting points for the hall sensor and coil packs are very nicely made and easy to install.

The original FAB was crushed in the accident, so a new one was made and fitted. Doing so allowed me to measure, order and install the control cables for throttle, mixture and carb heat. On my previous build, each of these was an agonizing experiment of how and where to route them. Not so here. The original builder did a good job with the brackets and such, and I can't say enough about the online help I received by looking at pictures from others' builds.

A starter came with the engine, but an alternator did not, so a Nippon Denso 55amp unit was obtained from the aviation isle of Auto Zone.

I relocated the oil cooler to the left rear baffle and did some beefing up of the area in the process. The last time this flew was 2009, so at the very least, the hoses were 7-8 years old, and so all new fuel and oil hoses were made from stainless braided line.

As of this morning, all of the FWF sensors (except EGT and CHT) are wired and done. The EGT/CHT are next to run and hook into the EIS, followed by exhaust hangers, then the final primer runs and most of the engine work will be done. The cowling still has to be fit to the air box and then there will be plenty of clamping/cleanup work to be done, but I'm hoping to be able to take it to the airport in January.

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Great work!

Wow - you are a machine! The speed that you are getting this together is really impressive. I've been working on my baffles alone for months...
 
New Years' Weekend

Having done pretty much everything that could be done in the shed behind the house, it was time to call the tow truck. This is the same driver who came to haul N601DR almost exactly two years ago. I don't know whether he was surprised to see me still alive or not, but his wild-eyed expressions that seemed to say "You're kidding, right?" were gone this time. Great guy to deal with. Came at a moments notice and only charged $150 for the trip which, considering the time and effort required to rig up some type of support system on a typical pull-behind trailer, was well worth it.
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Prior to the move, I finished the airbox, built the fiberglass juncture between the FAB and the cowl inlet, finalized all firewall forward wire bundles, and installed about a hundred Adel clamps.
Tom at TSFlightlines made my final primer runs and I can't say enough about the speed and customer service I received there.
I built my exhaust hangers in the style shown here on the Vetterman's page:
VAF_75%20Jul.%2009%2021.48.jpg

Going through the punchlist, I realized that the nosegear breakout force had not yet been set and drilled, so that was done. Had to sharpen my cobalt bit three times and take long "muscle relief" breaks, but it's done.

Anyway, all that led up to this weekend. Sunday afternoon, we hauled the fuselage over to the hanger, and on Monday started hanging parts. The family I'm renting the hanger from has three college-age boys, so they provided the muscle for wing-installation. The first took about three hours of painful kneeling inside the cockpit to get all of the bolts in. The second took about 30 minutes! Granted, they aren't all tightened yet, but at least at that point the boys could go back inside and get back in bed.
Just as I was about all "airplaned out" and ready to head home, my flying mentor stopped by and offered to help. With renewed energy (or at least pretending to have some), we were able to hook up the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, elevators and rudder! Immediately, we both remarked at how smooth and balanced everything was!

So, here she is, finally looking like an airplane:
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1/13/17 First Engine Run

With the prospect of an unusually warm (70 degree) January day, the time seemed right to try to get a first run in on the rebuilt o-360. I attached a mechanical oil pressure guage in addition to the one linked to the GRT EIS so that I could watch pressure build as the prop was pulled through about a million times, so it seemed, to pre-oil the engine. Satisfied that oil was flowing freely, the top spark plugs were installed. Then, after doing yet another thorough inspection of all hoses, wires, and cables forward of the firewall, the moment of truth arrived.

Canopy: Closed
Mixture: Full Rich
Electric Fuel Pump: On
Electronic Ignition: On
Impulse mag: Off (Wanted as few risk factors as possible for the initial start)
"Clear Prop"
Crack Throttle
Crank 'er up!

She started in about 8 revolutions. Oil Pressure on the mechanical guage is 50... now 60... Ok, nice smooth idle and no emergency signals from my observers. Avionics on to get the full engine report.

Fuel Pressure with electric pump on: around 6.5psi. engine pump only: stays about the same. Good.

Oil Temp Climbing appropriately

Fuel flow at idle showing 2 gph or so. Is that right? It later climed to 9gph at 1700 rpm, so I conclude "probably."

CHT's and EGT's take some time to register, but appear pretty even with the exception of the #1 CHT. It registers 50-100 degrees cooler than the others for most of the run. Now, it could be the sensor, it could be the fact that the cowl was off and that cylinder was getting more prop blast, or it could be a problem. Opinions would be appreciated. EGT's were about the same as all the other cylinders. More testing will need to be done with another sensor and with the cowl on...

Now, most of my experience is behind a small 6-cylinder corvair conversion, so "smooth" is a relative term, but my observers have two lifetimes of aircraft engine experience and seem to think things are running smoothly.

The test included both starting and running on the E/I, the Impulse mag, and then both together. All starts were quick and clean. Engine was run up to about 1800 rpm. Too much beyond that took too much brake pressure to hold.

I need to adjust the mixture slightly. Don't seem to get much if any RPM rise when leaning which should be the case prior to cutting out, thus proving that the mixture is, indeed, rich enough for appropriate engine cooling.

A final, brief, taxi test concluded the session. It was basically just a return to the hanger, and can be seen in the following video.

https://youtu.be/-p2e_Abc6Fg
 
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I assume by mixture adjustment needed because of the lack of RPM lack of rise at shut down, you mean idle mixture? That has little if any effect on the mixture when running main jet during climb/cruise, so it wont influence cooling, etc.

Congratulations though... it looks like you are very close.
 
Feb 2, 2017: Ready to Fly

The past month has been spent on a thousand small items that had been pushed off, but the list has finally dwindled to only those things that can wait until after flight testing to be completed (mainly paint).
Taxi testing this week indicates that all systems are functioning as expected, documentation has been updated, and the annual inspection is scheduled for this next weekend, weather permitting. Lots of sitting and making airplane noises. Sitting next to friends reveals that the "Almost a 14" mod has proven to help comfort dramatically, as it allows one seat to be forward, and the other back which staggers shoulder room and makes the upper fuselage feel much roomier.


I made this quick reference card for the Zenith (based on a borrowed design... gotta give credit!) and found it very helpful to have handy in the cockpit. Modified it to reflect the RV's data/procedures. It isn't as thorough as the POH which I'll also have in the cabin, but serves a different purpose anyway. On the back are weather minimums and light-gun signal charts, and its laminated for durability.
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2/20/2017- The second first flight of N94CR

I watched from the ground as a remarkable professional took to the air in 94CR yesterday afternoon. I can't imagine I could have been more excited even I were in the cockpit myself. Almost as soon as the ground roll commenced, she leaped into the air. Both of us who were watching from the sidelines could hardly believe that it happened so quickly. "Was that even two hundred feet"? asked my friend. For the next half hour, we watched and listened to the yellow speck in the sky as the test pilot flew it through a series of maneuvers. It was only then that it occurred to me: This project was begun almost exactly nine months ago- it's like our family has just had a new baby! (My wife does not read this blog, or else she'd smack me right about now and explain how nine months of hanging out in the shed doesn't even come close to the pain and suffering of childbirth... and she's right, of course, but in the moment the comparison seemed appropriate!)

Ten minutes in we concluded that if there were a major problem, he'd be back on the ground by now. Indeed there were no major problems, just a few minor items will need to be taken care of (for the life of me I KNOW I double and triple checked the roll trim for proper direction, but somehow still had it backwards). In fact, I got the impression from his comments once on the ground that if it were not a test flight with a planned 30 minute duration, we might not have seen the two of them back home for quite some time! Largely a tribute to the original builder's work, 94CR is a very light weight 6A which, I was told in the debrief, was rewarded by superb handling.

Before we knew it, the pilot and plane were taxiing back to the hanger and she was handed over with an unqualified blessing.

It's almost surreal thinking back over all of the small jobs that added up to this day, but reality will quickly settle in as we begin to look forward to all of the adventures yet to come!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_EMDa78Ht8


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Awesome news. I felt exactly the same way when mine flew last month for the first time.

Congratulations!
 
Way to go.

Jon,

What an adventure. I have been watching your posts. That surely went together quickly! Congrats on the great work.

All the best

Geoff
 
Build them light

As the lucky pilot who got to make this first flight, I can tell you that this was a great reminder of the benefits of making your plane light. Build it like Vans designed it - light and simple - and it will bring a huge grin every time you fly it.

I have owned 3 RV-6s and flown at least 40 and this was one of the nicest flying and best performing. The day was blustery with a strong crosswind, but the plane handled it perfectly. Performance was outstanding and everything but the trim worked perfectly.

Good work Jon and thank you for letting me be the one to return it to the sky. You will have many great hours together.

Jim
 
02-03/2017 Update

I've officially got the RV grin! After the test flight several weeks ago, I, through the aid of a forum member, located a local qualified CFI to give me transition training and start the turn to final on my PPL.

Those who suggested that the transition to the RV would be relatively simple and that the 6A was an easy flier were totally right. I have about 100 hours in a low wing, stick and rudder LSA, and so this plane just "fits" (albeit with out-of-this-world climb performance, perfectly balanced controls, and gobs of speed!)

I've got a Sport Pilot license and lack about 5 hours of instruction before taking the PPL practical. The instructor was thorough and systematic in what he needed to see from me, yet sympathetic with the need for the engine to break-in. His goal was to check me out as quickly as practical so that I could spend the next few weeks running at the power levels needed to seat the rings, yet the whole time he tried to be aware of the need to keep the power up. To that end, we tried to put the low power maneuvers at the end of the time in the air. The engine now has about 5 hours on it: I have yet to see any sign of oil useage and temps are very reasonable, so my fingers are crossed that our training didn't harm anything.

After about three hours together I left with his signature on my solo signoff, and have flown twice now by myself. The plan is to spend the rest of this month breaking in the engine and getting more familiar before getting back together with him. We've got 3 hours on instruments to do yet, and the night XC, then it's off to take the checkride.

Here's a quick video of that first flight. I have yet to pull the gopro video and edit it, so this quick cell snap will have to do for now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rna6SnT8nv8

The weather hasn't been all that spectacular around here, so in the week or two of waiting for a good day to go up with the instructor, I kept busy with some painting. As they say, a homebuilt is never really done!
An automotive paint shop up in Dover helped match the color and got it spot on. While I was there, they got a call from a local airplane painter, Jim Russell, who has painted some of the RV's on this forum. I met him a few years back because he was building a Zenith with a Corvair just like mine. Landed up at Chorman airport several times to let him take a look at the installation. Anyway, he hangs up and they told me that he uses the same brand of paint they were getting for me! That's a confidence booster for sure. Set up a makeshift paint booth in the shed and kept it up to temp with a portable kerosene heater. I'm not an all-star painter by any stretch, but maybe that helps the new paint blend in with the old!
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Upper cowl is 10-year-old paint, lower cowl is newly painted. Can you tell? Not from 20 feet :)

This week we've had a cold snap with morning temps in the 20's. Winter's almost over, but driving out to the hanger at 5am to start the heater just to come back at 8 and fly is for the birds. No wifi in the hanger and I don't want to take the risk of leaving the heater on all the time so.... I'm working on a switch that uses a sim card on a GSM/cellular network to drive two 30A relays. A text message in the morning turns it on, then I roll over and go back to sleep! A functional equivalent of "The Switchbox" but for around $125 total. Stay tuned for details!
 
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New Interior and Transponder

While flying is fun, the builder in me just wants to keep tinkering. Several months back, I had ordered a set of seats and carpet from Flightline Interiors. They were great to work with, and delivered some really well crafted seats at a very competitive price. Abby was very communicative and just about spot on with the time estimate.

I have long been a fan of the Classic Aero "aviator" side panels, and was dismayed to find out that they were no longer made. I was thrilled, however, when one of their reps offered to dig around and see if they had any of the panel blanks still sitting around. They sold me the blanks, flightline sold me the matching vinyl and fabric, and I had them covered by a local auto interior detailer. He did a fantastic job. I then made templates from poster board for the lower sections and then transferred them to some .025 aluminum which was covered in extra carpet material and attached to the framework with velcro.
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Eager to spend more money :eek:, and due for xpndr certification anyway, I began contemplating whether to spend the $150 to have the old Collins unit checked out, or to go ahead and upgrade to something else now.
I was anxious to see what kind of ADS-B out options might debut at Sun-N-Fun. After comparing costs and concluding that it was going to cost about $1500 for a UAT w/GPS just to keep my older transponder, I started looking seriously at the Stratus ESG. Jim at RST Engineering hooked me up with a great deal which ended up costing less than $2k after the rebate, and also provided some really helpful installation information as well as the extra hardware bits for the gps antenna that Appareo doesn't include.

Aaaaannnndddd...... Here it is.
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Installation was a piece of cake. Two powers, Two grounds, and one serial altitude output from the GRT. A couple of other projects were completed while working underneath the panel:
You'll notice the blank insert in the panel where the airspeed indicator used to be... the ASI was between 10 & 20 kts off depending on conditions, so I pulled it in hopes of one day replacing it with one of the new Garmin G5 attitude indicators.

The "honkin' big" gps antenna was located forward of the firewall under the cowling as shown here:
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Finally, you may have noticed the QT Halo headset proudly sitting on the dash! That was the best upgrade of all. My only complaint is that I didn't buy one of these years ago! I have no idea how, but somehow it has completely removed all of the miniscule electronic noise, alternator whine, and strobe flash, etc. that were sometimes present with other headsets, yet voices are crystal clear: much clearer than even with ANR headsets.
 
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Very nicely done interior!

I don't understand why Classic Aero dropped their molded interiors. I installed a them in my -9 a few years back and really like them!
 
Nicely done!

Great looking interior.

Very nice panel. Well thought out and wish you hours of great flying. Will be upgrading mine to all glass soon and can only hope it comes out as clean as yours.

And if you ever want to fly together, we can confuse ATC.

I'm N194CR. Next door hanger neighbor is N194GP.

Best
 
I really like your panel! I have been perusing panel pics for about 6 months and I like many aspects in yours. Great project Sir!

What do you mount on the dock to the left?
 
Thanks for the compliments. The dock on the left side is just a suction cup ram mount for the ipad mini.
 
6 Month Update 10/16/17

Updated all of the dead photobucket links. Here's hoping halie.com sticks around a while.....

Good time for an update to this thread. Been flying for about 6 months during which this -6a has accumulated around 70 flight hours, successfully carried the DPE and I for my private checkride, and been an all around blast to fly!
My incessant fiddling led to a prop change early on from the standard Sensenich to a Catto 3-blade. More info on that can be found in the forum. Suffice it to say that they both pretty much perform about the same, but the Catto is smoother and climbs better where the Sensi. was a couple of knots faster on the top end. A month or so ago during a week that it was miserable hot and no fun to fly, I finally got around to painting the Catto spinner. You've never really committed to a prop until you've painted the spinner to match the plane... ;)

I also took the opportunity to make a fairing for the nose gear leg-to-cowling interface and paint it as well. Really cleans things up and gives it the finished look it needs.

Engine broke in really nicely, and uses almost no oil between changes (Maybe a half quart in 25 hours). Compressions are fantastic, temps consistent and pretty even across the cylinders, and no leaks thus far. All-in-all, I couldn't be more pleased.

The flightline seats are quite comfortable, although the longest I've sat in one stretch is about 2 hours. The "almost a 14" mod has enabled me to fly with some pretty big guys in complete comfort. Still learning the grt efis, and still amazed at its capability each time I learn about a new feature. The autopilot is fantastic! I still find the iPad a little quicker and more intuitive when it comes to flight planning.

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