Worked on flight controls: 5.3 hours

I got started making preparations for mounting the various pieces of the flight controls that connect the two joysticks to the ailerons and elevator.

Several floor ribs need to be modified for proper clearance. This is a bit of a hassle because they are already installed.

I also worked on the bushing for the left joystick mount and installed a lot of snap bushings in the wing carry through structure.

Also a few random photos...

The blue marked area has to be cut / ground out.

 

One of our cats was working on his plane. He's farther along than me but I think mine will fly better...

 

A good looking RV-6 I saw at Palm Springs:

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Finished with brake line bracket: 3 hours

Yesterday I started making a small doubler for where the brake lines pass though the firewall. Today I finished it and got it primed and riveted on. This is the first riveting I have done on the fuselage!

I also got the firewall recess dimpled.

The firewall recess is installed later in the process to allow access to the rudder pedals etc.

I also have some new parts that showed up and Christmas presents!

 

Brake line doubler:

 

Britt gave me a pair of Tosten stick grips for Christmas:

 

These are very nice units with trim switches and 4 other possible functions:

 

My new Garmin heated pitot / aoa tube showed up also. Very high quality item!

 

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Started work on fuselage: 6 hours

I spent a significant amount of time going through the plans and manual for the fuselage. Van's doesn't provide a separate instruction set for the quick build fuselage. Their recommendation is to step through all the instructions and check off what has been done for familiarity.

I'm also using another builder's very detailed website as a reference.

The first thing I started on were some items on the firewall. The firewall is stainless steel and much harder to work with than aluminum.

 

Working on the firewall recess:

 

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Right flap hinge & misc: 2 hours

I installed a nut plate on the right flap for to use for retaining the flap hinge pins. I also trimmed an eyelet off the flap hinge to make room for the pins. I need to make some clips for the hinge pins then I will temporarily mount the flap on the wing for storage.

I spent some more time organizing the last of the loose parts for the fuselage.

No photos today.

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Built fuselage stand and unpacked finishing kit crate: 4 hours

I made some legs that bolt onto the plywood that was in place in the spar carry through for shipping. I also built a tail stand. This setup puts the fuselage at a nice height to work on.

I also unpacked and sorted all the finishing kit parts. Hopefully it won't be too long before the parts start getting put to use.

 

Checking the fit...

 

Ready for the next stage:

 

Cowl storage in the loft:

 

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Moved right wing into basement, etc. 4 hours

I tied up a few loose ends with the right wing then Britt and I moved it into the basement for temporary storage.

I also started reorganizing the garage and basement for parts storage and prep to work on the fuselage.

 

Getting ready to move to the basement:

 

Lots of airplane parts:

 

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Finished right wing riveting: 6 hours

Right wing riveting finished!

I got the following done: finished riveting the outboard bottom skin, riveted the flap hinge on, prepped and riveted the access panel nut plates and trimmed the flap hinge to fit the hinge pins.

 

Finished:

 

Riveting flap hinge:

 

Access panel nut plates:

 

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Still more bottom skin riveting: 3 hours

More progress on the right outboard bottom skin. One more session and it should be done!

 

Only a little left...

 

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More right wing bottom skin work: 2.1 hours

More progress riveting the outboard bottom skin on.

I also checked out my new lightweight tailwheel. This unit came from a company called Flyboy Accessories and weighs almost 1 lb less than the stock tailwheel. This is a direct help with the weight and balance because it takes weight off the furthest aft place on the airplane. It also has modern sealed bearings which don't require any grease.

 

It looks good also...

 

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More riveting progress: 6.2 hours

I made a lot of progress on the right wing bottom skins. I was able to finish the inboard skin and get a portion of the outboard skin done.

One more day of work and I should have the bottom skins finished!

 

Inboard skin finished:

 

Working on outboard skin:

 

Very flexible:

 

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More bottom skin riveting: 6 hours

More progress on the inboard bottom skin. It's getting quicker as I work my way outboard.

No pictures today.

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Wing bottom skin riveting: 2.4 hours

I was able to finish up riveting the most difficult areas on the inboard wing skin.

 

Progress:

 

 

 

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Ordered BRS aircraft recovery parachute system!

I have ordered the installation kit for the BRS aircraft recovery parachute system!

BRS has been making aircraft parachute systems for a long time but the RV-7 installation is a very recent development. This system is a great option to have onboard as a last resort for emergencies and enables you to do aerobatics without having to bother with a backpack type emergency parachute.

The parachute is rated for maximum weight of the RV-7 (1800lbs). It can be deployed at up to 175 mph and is extracted from the fuselage by a rocket. I believe the company recommends 700-800 ft above the ground for a minimum altitude but they have had successful deployments below 400 feet.

The downside with the parachute system is that it weighs 45lbs and it is located aft of the baggage compartment. Normally this would limit the amount of baggage you could carry due to the weight and the location of the parachute. To help offset this tail heavy tendency I'm switching to a longer engine mount that will shift the engine forward by two inches. I'm also looking at weight reducing options such as lighter batteries, lightweight interior materials, electronic ignition etc. Overall I think the penalty for the parachute system will end up being very minor compared to the benefit.

I will be getting the installation kit first from then I have up to one year to purchase the parachute and rocket unit. This is helpful because the parachute must be sent back to BRS and repacked every six years and the rocket has a twelve year lifespan.

Cirrus test deployment of BRS parachute:

 

RV-7 renderings:

 

 

 

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Wing skin riveting and parachute install kit ordered: 6.8 hours

Accomplished today:

Finished riveting flap brace to rear spar, set up snap bushings and pull strings to enable easy wiring when wing is riveted, installed the autopilot servo wiring and started riveting the inboard bottom skin on.

The inboard section is the most difficult riveting on the bottom skin due to the close spacing of the inboard ribs. Progress is slow but I got about half of the hardest riveting done.

 

Flap brace:

 

Autopilot servo wire harness and pull strings:

 

Tricky riveting...

 

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Primed wing skins and started riveting: 6 hours

Accomplished this session:

Finished dimpling wing skins, prepped and primed flap brace and both bottom wing skins, removed aileron and push pull tube, started riveting flap brace to rear spar.

 

Riveting flap brace:

 

 

 

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Deburred flap hinge, machine countersinked flap brace: 1 hour

I did not have as much time as I hoped but I was able to get the flap hinge deburred and all of the rivet holes on the flap brace countersinked to accept the dimples in the skin for the flush rivets.

Just a couple more things to do and I can start priming the parts to finish up the wing.

No photos today.

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Drilled flap hinge: 4 hours

My brother Paul and I were able to the right flap assembly clamped in place, lined up and finally drilled the wing side of the flap hinge to the wing skin and flap brace.

This is one of the few operations in the building process where the builder is totally responsible for properly aligning the components. For this reason there is a lot if measuring, triple checking, etc.

Paul's help made he process go much quicker and more smoothly than the left flap (which I drilled solo).

I was also watching a friend's dog while they were out of town so we had some extra company in the shop.

 

 

Paul adding a cleco clamp to the wing:

 

Maya:

 

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Finished prep, ready to drill flap hinge: 8 hours

All the prep leading up to drilling the flap hinge is done. Prepping the flap brace took a lot of time because it required some trimming and bending to fit. After that it was all the normal edge finishing, deburring rivet holes, etc.

 

Other things accomplished: prepped outboard bottom right wing skin, trimmed flap hinge, match drilled flap brace to bottom wing skin, mounted everything to be ready to drill flap hinge.

 

Dimpling outboard bottom skin:

 

Match drilling flap brace:

 

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