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Almost Done

KHeidorn

Well Known Member
Today I put the finishing touches on the wing tips.

1% done, what a milestone.

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custom made mounting system.

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Painted tips with lights installed.
 
Honestly I'm not sure which impresses me more, the nice finish or the custom mounting system!
Have fun!
 
I bought 2 engine stands from Amazon ($50 each, free shipping) and extended the upright to accommodate the wing. I have made attachments for all the control surfaces to be mounted to the stand.
 
Paint Scheme

Nice, mine will be blue as well, just not sure about the rest. Do you have a build site?
 
looking good

Hey Ken,

Looking great. I'll stop by on the 23rd if you are around. I have to remount my engine......
 
paint

What paint are you using? Single stage or two stage? Looks good.
 
What paint are you using? Single stage or two stage? Looks good.

I used Featherfill on all the fiberglass parts followed by Valspar DTM 2004 primer, the basecoat is also Valspar, 999 series, and the clear is Valspar AC200MS.

So far I am very satisfied with the Valspar products.
 
I thought about painting my wings and tail but figured that by the time Van's gets all the remaining kits out the paint will have expired it's shelf life and a new batch would be a different shade. Also I was concerned as to what aging would do on the parts painted a few years before the last ones. I know it does not take long to see a different shade when a cover plate is removed (light doesn't get to paint under cover plate), and I keep my AC in a hangar.
 
Design Software

I used Microsoft Publisher to conceptualize the scheme . Not the best for the job but it works. With some tweaking I will be able to make a pattern for the stripes.
 
One Step Closer

One wing painted and ready to be installed. To bad I don't have a fuselage to attach it to.


Painting the blue stripe.
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All polished and ready to be stored.
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Drawings for paint job

Hi Ken,

I am a first time builder from Italy. I am wasting time at thinking about possible paint schemes ath this early stages . . . Where (and from who) have you got the airplane views? Grazie!
 
The 3-D views are available in the front section of the wing/empenage build manual. I think the Vans site has the images available as well.
 
One Step Closer

Left wing, make you turn thingy (I couldn't remember how to spell the real name of the part) . Painting green stripe.

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Aileron all painted and ready to be installed.

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Horizontal Stabilizer. I will paint elevators next week

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Should have all the painting done before the fuselage kit arrives.
 
First time builder

You might be a first time builder, but you are obviously not a first time painter! Want to paint mine when I finish? Looks great.
 
Thanks for the compliment. I used to paint cars 25 years ago, the lacquer days. The base coat clear coat system of today is pretty forgiving.
 
Elevators painted

Painted the elevators today, took a few hours longer than expected, 8 hours total.

Sprayed the blue then attached to the horizontal stabilizer, so I could layout the stripes, then mask the blue off. spray the green, mask it all off, then spray the white. Unmask then spray the clear.

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Rudder and vertical stabilizer painted

Everything but the fuselage is done and painted.


Vertical stabilizer
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Rudder
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Painting and polishing done

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All the parts ready to be attached.

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Left wing all polished.


Should get the fuselage kit by the end of October.
 
Dynon Tour

Stopped by Dynon last week. Got a tour of the facility and had them put together a quote for the avionics.

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Almost Done with the Fuselage Inventory

Excellent packing job by Vans.

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With all these parts it's no wonder it took so long to get the fuselage. I was happy to wait, it forced me to get out of the hangar.

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Almost Done with Fuselage Halves

Getting ready to buck some more rivets.

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Does anybody know why the battery box doesn't require a doubler but the starter relay does.:rolleyes:
 
The battery box is its own doubler (load widely distributed on a large area).

If the relay had no doubler, it would be mounting to two points with a very small foot print, out in the middle of an unsupported sheet of stainless steel.
 
Wow... that is awesome! Thanks for posting the photos of the nearly complete fuselage section. That will serve as a motivator to get in the shop to finish the tail kit sooner and get the wings done!!! Looking good!!! Lead the fleet.
 
Getting ready to buck some more rivets.

Great progress!

How are you holding your center/front sections to the bench? Looks like you have bolted into the spar pass thru ... did you custom-build a spar end piece. I'm getting close to this point, and am looking for good ideas.
 
Wing Support

Yes, I am a genius...

I spent way to much time on making the support. The part does not weigh that much and is pretty balanced. I used a piece of oak from a pallet and ran it through the planer to get the correct size then glued and screwed it to a 2x4.

The instructions are excellent but don't let your guard down.
 
The instructions are excellent but don't let your guard down.

Thanks for the complement about the plans Ken, and point well taken.

A lot of effort went in to the plans but some mistakes were still inevitable.
Unfortunately, because of the release schedule (trying to get fuse. kits to builders as early as possible) you first builders are doing some level of beta testing of the plans, since Mitch only had a couple weeks head start on you.

Corrections are being incorporated almost daily as you first builders find the errors, so keep the notifications coming everybody.
 
Yes, I am a genius...

I spent way to much time on making the support. The part does not weigh that much and is pretty balanced. I used a piece of oak from a pallet and ran it through the planer to get the correct size then glued and screwed it to a 2x4.

The instructions are excellent but don't let your guard down.

It must be a -14 thing; no such cool stuff in my plans for the -7!
 
Almost Done Riveting Sides

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Another week and I should be able to join the forward and aft fuselage sections.
 
That won't Work

I don't think they go together that way, looks like you are getting the cart before the horse.:D
 
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Can anyone answer a question for me?
I have received my fuselage kit and before I start I need to know the dimension from the very top of the assembled firewall (angled piece) to the very bottom. I need to know this to ensure the assembly will fit sideways coming out of my basement door. My basement door is 30" wide. I have the aft end finished and will join them in my garage. Thanks!
 
Can anyone answer a question for me?
I have received my fuselage kit and before I start I need to know the dimension from the very top of the assembled firewall (angled piece) to the very bottom. I need to know this to ensure the assembly will fit sideways coming out of my basement door. My basement door is 30" wide. I have the aft end finished and will join them in my garage. Thanks!

29 1/4 inches

But that is not the tallest dimension of the fwd fuselage.

It is 31 1/2 at the sub panel (about 12 " aft of firewall, don't remember the part #)

If you attach the tail cone to the fwd fuselage while in your basement, the tallest dimension in that case is 36 " (area of the aft baggage bulkhead).
 
I had the same problem and put in a double door. I wish I had gone wider because I had to remove the landing gear to get it out.

The single door was 32" wide and I doubled it to 64". To get the -9 out the door, we removed the main gear legs, reached in with an engine hoist, and pulled it out. It we would have been much easier to have rolled it ou on its mains or I should have built a ramp and pushed it out on my building stand and then put it back on its gear.

Good luck!
 
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Fuselage Riveting

Joined the fuselage halves and mounted the whole thing to the custom engine stands.

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The setup allows me to rotate the fuselage as needed.

Now it is time to start riveting the two halves together.
 
Thanks for the compliment. I used to paint cars 25 years ago, the lacquer days. The base coat clear coat system of today is pretty forgiving.


um......only forgiving if you have 25 years painting. I strugled with my paint.:rolleyes:
 
Almost Done with Fuselage

Three more weeks and I should be ready for a finish kit. Almost done with the fuselage.

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