Horton Aircraft Deconstruction Service..."State of the Art in Takin' Apart"
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Let me just say right up front that Jimmy Brod at JB Aircraft Engines in Sebring, FL did me right in the end!
Ryan
My next airplane will have a solid aluminum canopy and I'll fly by hanging my head out the window like a golden retriever, but it's trimmed, clipped, clamped, and fits as it should.
I know you think you are done, I did too at this stage, but...
I think if you trim the curve where the canopy transitions from the fuselage sides to the top, it might remove some pressure off the clamps at the roll bar. I don't know for sure because I cant tell from the picture how much force those clamps exert on the plexiglass. Just a thought.
In the end, I had to remove the engine and send it back to Jimmy for an internal fix in the engine.
My next airplane will have a solid aluminum canopy and I'll fly by hanging my head out the window like a golden retriever, but it's trimmed, clipped, clamped, and fits as it should.
Check out the video below which shows my son and I doing the engine start for the first time. It fired up first go and ran very good.
https://flic.kr/ps/3TnTEo
We have since taxied it around the airport and also calibrated the magnetometer in the Advance Flight ADAHRS.
Starting on the canopy , God help me please
On Monday VH-NAK took to the sky for the first time with Glenn Bridgland at the controls.
Wow. Finally. Interior and all those electrons are done.
Seats are temporarily installed. Someone will no doubt notice the snaps.
I just couldn't wait any longer and Sweetie wants her spare bedroom back!
We sat inside for quite a while making airplane noises.
Closing up the cockpit and moving on.
Prop Spinner, Empennage Fairing and she goes to the hangar for final assembly. Creeping up on that Airworthyness thingy.
View attachment 49472
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Thats really great Larry.
On a related note, I just wrapped up the canopy skirt by following Larrys excellent series of articles in Kitplanes. Next up is the windscreen.
Thanks a ton Larry for the effort you put in to share that info with everybody.
Yup, it's quite a feeling.
In my case, it was followed immediately by discovering how hard it is to open again from the outside, even though I had put a tab at the aft left corner, so I took it back off and spent today installing a pull handle on the spine
She is looking good!!Wrapped up the fuse.
I still have wings, ailerons and flaps, but those are flat and easy.
View attachment 53689
She is looking good!!
Larry, do you have a timeframe for final assembly? First flight?
Thanks man.
I have to admit, that when I'm tempted to just live with a lump or ripple and have the paint shop deal with it later, I go back to the pictures in your kit planes article and say to myself; "if Larry can make gloss black look that good, surely I can do better than this in primer gray."
That's what I did... I was fussing over the fiberglass when my paint shop said: you get it in the air, we'll make it pretty. That saved a lot of hand wringing and work!
That's a fiberglass one piece canopy skirt. It was OK before paint but the shop made it perfect.
Looks really nice, Larry! How do you lay vinyl when you have items protruding from the flat surfaces, such as your step and rudder stops? Do you just have to guess where the vinyl will lay and cut a slit or is there some other strategy?Wrapped up the fuse.
I still have wings, ailerons and flaps, but those are flat and easy.
View attachment 53689
Looks really nice, Larry! How do you lay vinyl when you have items protruding from the flat surfaces, such as your step and rudder stops? Do you just have to guess where the vinyl will lay and cut a slit or is there some other strategy?