Kitfox Aircraft Stick and Rudder Stein Air Grove Aircraft TCW Technologies Dynon Avionics AeroLED MGL Avionics Leading Edge Airfoils Desser EarthX Batteries Garmin G3X Touch
Page 6 of 47 FirstFirst ... 234567891016 ... LastLast
Results 51 to 60 of 465

Thread: aviator79's build

  1. #51
    Senior Member colospace's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Littleton, CO
    Posts
    322

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    In addition to scalloping the aft edges between ribs, I also used SuperFil to fair the straight edges over the tank and each rib.
    - Gary
    S7 SuperSport Tri-gear
    w/Rotax 912, Oratex, Dynon

  2. #52
    Senior Member aviator79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Los Alamos, NM
    Posts
    913

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    I got the rudder pedals installed. They were initially tighter than I would have liked. Reaming all the powder coat and some steel out of the torque tubes at the end bearings is essential to smooth operation. Lining the brackets up with the channels underneath was difficult. My pedal assembly was exactly per the manual without any excess play, but the assembly was wider than the centerlines of the channels. I posted previously about how I lined them up. If I had been off at all, I would not have been able to drill the holes where I could still get washers and nuts on inside the channels. The brake cylinders and return springs went on pretty easily. I also got the pulleys and cable retainers installed.







    I installed the vertical stab and rudder ribs and stiffeners. I didn't get many pictures of this process. I should take some more with everything installed. Here's the only picture I got. On subsequent rib/tube installations, I marked the holes on the tube and didn't put adhesive where the holes are.



    Also fit the seat pan up and started the seat belt slots.





    I applied Superfil fillets (Superfillets?) To the leading edge to fuel tank and rib transitions. I think it'll make the wing look nicer and be easier on the fabric. I didn't take a picture though.

    I still need to finish my center console, but I need a replacement detent pin for a rudder adjustment handle first. I also need that before I can install the rudder cables. Building this thing is fun.

  3. #53
    Senior Member aviator79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Los Alamos, NM
    Posts
    913

    Default Weekly Update

    Today was my slowest week owing to the fact that I spent the weekend at the EAA SportAir Fabric Covering Workshop on Phoenix. It was a good time, and by my count there were four Kitfox builders/potential builders, and three Team Kitfoxers, one of whom can be forgiven for building a SuperStol instead. I also randomly reconnected with a friend in the class I hadn't seen in over 20 years. Anyhow, here's the update on what I did get done.

    I finished up the Superfil transitions to the LLE.



    I finished the right side Rudder adjustment lever, center console, and installed rudder cables, leaving them unattached at the rudder per the manual.





    I also varnished the VS/rudder ribs.



    When I got home from Phoenix yesterday, I started installing the VS-to-rudder fairings. This is a bit more time consuming than I expected. I'm still working on the VS fairing. The instructions in the manual are a little sparse on how to get it to all fit up. I don't think it's too difficult to figure out, but there is definitely more to it than what's in the manual. In any event, Now that I'm done with the fabric covering workshop, I'm going to set the fuselage work aside to get my wing covered.

    The workshop was at the Arizona airbase of the Commemorative Air Force. I'd post more pictures, but I don't like to post pictures with people in them without their permission. Pretty cool to learn underneath this beauty:



    Really a beautiful venue. I grew up in Phoenix, so it was nice to visit home for a bit.

    Last edited by aviator79; 02-13-2018 at 09:56 AM.

  4. #54
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    642

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    You're travelling along VERY well. Congratulations on the high standard you set yourself. And nice pic's of the Commemorative aircraft as well.
    David
    SS7 Builder

  5. #55
    Senior Member aviator79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Los Alamos, NM
    Posts
    913

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    Mind you, I'm doing one wing at a time, so my progress may appear to be twice as fast as it is. A little bit every day.

  6. #56
    Senior Member aviator79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Los Alamos, NM
    Posts
    913

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    Weekly update:
    I had some work travel Thurs-Fri this week, so missed a few hours of plane-building. I got caught up pretty well over the long weekend though. I got the right wing covering done up through rib lacing. My fingers are sore this morning.

    The only thing that I feel didn't go that well were the fabric reinforcement plates that go inside the bottom fabric at the lift strut brackets. The Kitfox manual and the Polyfiber manual are at odds about how to handle these protrusions. I followed the Kitfox manual and glued in the reinforcement plates and cut little slits for the ears prior to shrinking. The rear plate went okay, but shrinking the fabric did open up those slits and make it look sloppy. The front bracket was a mess though. Because it's very close to where the fabric is cemented, the fabric shrinks toward the center of the wing, and it moves that bracket substantially. The slits for the ears grew very wide, and the little tab on the reinforcement plate that goes between the ears wasn't between the ears anymore. I had to unglue and reglue the plate, being very careful not to drop it into my now completely-enclosed wing. I've already made the required gusset which I hope will cover up the ugly. Polyfiber's instructions are to shrink the fabric to 250, then cut slits for the protrusions, and apply a fabric gusset after the first coat of polybrush. They don't have any provision for reinforcing fabric with glued-in metal plates. This certainly would have been cleaner and easier. Is there a specific reason Kitfox uses the metal reinforcement plates? There's not much other commentary to provide since every thing else went pretty much by the book, so I'll just post some pictures.

    Sanded under-fabric surfaces with 220:


    Two coats of Poly Brush:


    Laying out fabric:


    Bottom edge heat-formed and glued around the capstrip:




    Plates before shrinking:




    Holy cow it looks like a wing!


    Fuel filler done "the Poly Fiber way" for protrusions:


    Poly Brush brushed on. Lot of runs on the inside (I'm told that's a good thing)


    My workshop buddy:


    All laced up:



  7. #57
    Senior Member Esser's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Edmonton, AB
    Posts
    2,048

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    I differed from the manual after messing up the first and did what you would do with an inspection hole. Shrink the fabric, polybrush the plate on top of the fabric, and then put a patch on top.
    ------------------
    Josh Esser
    Flying SS7
    Rotax 914iS
    AirMaster Prop

    Edmonton, AB, CWL3

  8. #58

    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Crawford, CO
    Posts
    165

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    WOW! Excellent progress. Any problems or things that were different from class? Looks like it was pretty straight forward.

    Clark

  9. #59
    Senior Member aviator79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Los Alamos, NM
    Posts
    913

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    It's been pretty much just like the class except for the reinforcement plates mentioned above.

    On the Kitfox, the #1 rib and the tip rib are different. You have to heat-form and glue the fabric around the inside of the capstrips, but I think this is easier than heat forming to a tip bow. It does bring up a question that I haven't figured out yet. What do we do with the finish tapes at the tip and butt ribs? You can't curl them around the capstrip at the tip because they would cover the wingtip mounting strips, but it doesn't seem right to not center the tape up on the rib either. Cut it flush to the end of the capstrip? I feel like that would unravel over time. I'll be doing this pretty soon, so maybe someone will chime in with advice.

    I do have a couple of crooked stitches because I had to work around internal structure and had to make a call between moving and adding stitches or moving one side of the stitch a bit, making it crooked. I don't know if it's possible to have straight stitches and consistent spacing while avoiding all the internal structure. If it is, I think it would take a lot of time to figure out. You can choose which side of the wing (top or bottom) is crooked. Mine are straight on the top of the wing. In hindsight, people see the bottom more, so I probably should have made them crooked on top. I guess I'll have to be sure I don't hang a "Judge Me" sign on the prop if Gary is around. One thing that is helpful is to pre-poke all the stitch holes all the way through the wing instead of doing the holes in the top and then the holes in the bottom. If you go all the way through, you will find the places where internal structure is in the way.

    Also, with 2.5 inch spacing, the rear spar doesn't fit between stitches. I referenced the stitch spacing off the spar instead of the rear of the leading-edge fairing, and spaced the stitches on either side of the spar at 3 inches.
    --Brian
    Flying - S7SS

  10. #60
    Senior Member jiott's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    2,959

    Default Re: aviator79's build

    I heat formed the butt rib finish tape around the capstrip. At the wingtip I also formed the finish tape over the aluminum tip mounting strips and then opened holes thru it where the threaded nutplates were with an old soldering iron. You will need something anyway to shim the mounting strip surface up so that the wingtip fiberglass is flush with the rest of the wing surface.

    The method I used to fairly quickly layout the rib stitch spacing so it missed all internal structures was this: Before fabric covering I used about a 1" strip of fiberglass trimming from the wingtip to lay on top of the wing rib and lay out a stitch pattern, in pencil, which appeared to miss the internal structures. Then I took this strip and layed it on top of each rib to double check the pattern. I erased and tweaked the pattern several times before I finalized it. When I marked it later on the fabric and did the stitching it worked perfectly.
    Jim Ott
    Portland, OR
    Kitfox SS7 flying
    Rotax 912ULS

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •