RV-9A, SoCal

[rightrudder]

I'm not going to sugar coat this...getting the wingnuts on the wingbolts on an -A model is an exercise in tedium, frustration and contorting one's body into positions previously thought impossible, even by experienced yoga/Pilates types. Much soreness from kneeling, squatting and sitting/leaning against sharp edges. It really helped to get up and stretch every 15 minutes or so.

Like a lot of difficult jobs, it does seem a little easier the following day, on reflection. Be patient when you do this, budget an entire day and celebrate each torqued fastener as a small victory.

Bulk of time spent doing the two lower outboard nuts, naturally. I used a magnetic retrieval tool, but the magnet was a bit weak so I also taped the nuts to the tool. It's a rush just getting the nut started after, oh, about 12 tries! A big flat-blade screwdriver worked best to jam the larger nuts in place for torquing....try coming from the inboard side of the weldment, and experiment with jamming from both the top and bottom of the nut.

On the most inboard smaller bolt, it is possible to get a standard open-end 7/16 wrench on the nut for final cinching, if you hold it at just the right angle. This, of course, I discovered late in the process.

If your torque wrench has a fine-pitch ratchet mechanism, all the better. On some of the lower bolts, I did final torquing one click at a time. Patience, patience...

Top bolts are all a piece of cake, with unimpeded access. Do the bottom ones first, and the top ones as a reward.

It never felt so good to apply Torque Seal to the finished product. Everything else in the finishing-up process will seem so easy (and stress-free) by comparison.

[grubbat]

What, no pictures Doug? Humm.
Just kidding, glad you are progressing.
Cj

[Rupester]

I fully understand your literal pain. It's a good thing that task came at the end of the build and not at the start. I might have quit right there.

[rightrudder]

Thanks, guys. For me, it was a high hurdle to clear, but it probably comes off as a whiney post to all the scratch builders out there. Pictures soon! After I do the weigh-in, I'll roll 'er out of the hangar for a photo op, as she'll be pretty much fully assembled at that point.

[rightrudder]

Well, she sputtered to life today, and I do mean sputtered. It sounds like maybe two cylinders are firing at first. Then, at about 0:55 in the video, I throttle up a little, a smoke cloud blows out the tailpipes and she's running far smoother. I did clean the lower plugs before the run, and ran fuel through the system for 30 seconds to purge the preservation oil, but obviously some gunk remained.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDmp4EKFh44

Mostly, things went well. No hesitation whatsoever when switching tanks, and very little rpm drop when switching mags. I did a total of three runs, each for about three minutes and shutting down when the first CHT hit 350. I let the CHT drop to about 130 before starting the next run. Restarts were a cinch...just like cold-start procedure, but instead of 3 seconds of boost pump prime, I just hit the pump switch for maybe half a second. Then mixture ICO, throttle cracked and she's alive in a couple of blades.

Problems: Tach reading is way off. Maximum static rpm reading was 1510, but I'm convinced the engine is making correct power, so it ought be spinning at, what, 2200 static? Also, an indicated 1000 rpm felt like about 1300-1400. I'll call GRT to get it sorted out. Also, I'll verify with some sort of external tach.

Also, fuel senders were showing a decreasing value as fuel was added, not increasing. Again, ought to be a simple programming/menu fix, but I can't seem to figure it out even after tearing through all the documentation. So, GRT question #2.

I also weighed the machine and got some W&B numbers:

Nose: 238.4
Right main: 396.0
Left main: 390.2

Empty weight: 1024.6
Max gross will be 1750 lb.

All calculations keep the cg nicely in the recommended range, with the exception of minimal fuel (5 gal. total), a like-weighted passenger in the right seat (200 lb. apiece for us big & tall shoppers!) and 100 lb. of baggage. But reducing the baggage by just 10 lb. in this scenario gets it in the safe range. I was worried that the light Catto FP prop and SkyTec starter might cause aft cg issues, but no worries.

[kai]

Comgratulations, the first engine run is a major milestone! Nice christmas present for yourselve!

Btw, can't watch the video, it is marked as private.

Merry Christmas,

Kai

[Rupester]

Congrats on first start! That's a BIG day in the life of any builder.

[Waterobert]

Merry Christmas!
With engine running you are almost done with your build. Good job! Which airport are you located at?

[rightrudder]

Thanks, guys! A great feeling to hear it chug to life! Sorry about the video listed as private....I just changed it to public.

Robert, I am at Cable Airport in Upland.

[Jimbot]

Hi Doug,

Merry Christmas! Congratulations - your 9 looks great! I still can't believe how quickly you built that bad boy.