RV-8 Andy Karmy

[akarmy]

Thanks Tom and David, you both are leading the way. I can't wait to get to the point I'm at the airport and doing the final tweaks! I'll be watching your progress with keen interest.

[akarmy]

YES, My two boxes from Stein arrived last night. Lots of fun new toys to start installing.





I had cut the panel out using the dimensions in the manuals I downloaded from Dynon and Garmin. When the boxes arrived, everything fit perfectly! YES.

[riseric]

Originally Posted by akarmy

All done. That's smoke gray from Stewart Systems.

Great looking job you have there Andy!!

I'm just behind you working on the seat ribs etc.

I'm also using Stewart Systems Smoke Grey EkoPrime and would have a few questions if I may...

What did you use as paint, EkoPoly, EkoCrylic or EkoCoat?

How would you rate the finish, Glossy, Satin, Matte?

Did you just scratch the anodized parts or scratch/prime before paint?

Thanks for your time!!

[akarmy]

Originally Posted by riseric

Great looking job you have there Andy!!

I'm just behind you working on the seat ribs etc.

I'm also using Stewart Systems Smoke Grey EkoPrime and would have a few questions if I may...

What did you use as paint, EkoPoly, EkoCrylic or EkoCoat?

How would you rate the finish, Glossy, Satin, Matte?

Did you just scratch the anodized parts or scratch/prime before paint?

Thanks for your time!!

I'm using EkoCoat the 1 part top coat over the primer. It's also smoke grey so they match closely. The primer is flat as you know, the EkoCoat is semi-gloss, very satin looking. I'm not sure how durable it will be in the end, so you'll have to decide for yourself what you want to use. I wanted something simple to apply as I hate painting overall?

For the spar carry through I lightly scuffed with red scotchbrite first, then primed like normal, then top coated with everything else. I masked off the areas under the seats that didn't need top coat and just painted the walls and front floor / gear tower area.

Good luck!

[akarmy]

First up this weekend was the rear turtledeck skin. Curt was game to dive in for the bucking part of the operation.



All done!



Then, once you are on a roll, let's keep going. Time to put the gear on. I figured it's not that tall, and things were getting heavier by the day as I got the avionics installed and wired. Sure was fun installing and removing the gear multiple times to grind down the pinch blocks a touch to get the required gaps. In the end it all came together and we got it done. The final challenge was turning it over with just two of us.

[akarmy]

Ok, it's time to put some wires in this thing! Starting from the rear avionics bay with Transponder, ELT, and ADSB. Antennas are in the rear fuselage so that makes the runs short and easy, then it's serial, and power/ground x 3 to run forward.

Rv8 wiring by akarmy, on Flickr

Here you can see some of the dynon boxes getting mounted to the forward baggage wall subsection. With my very simple panel layout I have lots of room for everything.

Rv8 wiring by akarmy, on Flickr

Bringing it all together behind the panel. I decide on my fuse panel going on the baggage window door so they are easy to get to and service in the future.

Rv8 wiring by akarmy, on Flickr

I put the headset jacks in the central roll bar location for both passenger and pilot facing back to back. Seemed to work fine and allowed the wire to run just under the longaron which kept it away from all of the high current loads and other noise sources.

Rv8 wiring by akarmy, on Flickr

Right console going in. Mostly lights and master / alternator control here. I also added a panel power USB plug for iPads / iPhones to be charged in flight.

Rv8 wiring by akarmy, on Flickr

Added a supplemental brace and clamp for the manual trim cable on the left side. This really stiffened up the sub panel and trim knob.

Rv8 wiring by akarmy, on Flickr

Right side sub panel has the EIcommander and Pmag switches. I also added a remote USB jack for the Skyview to do updates and data logging from the panel face. It's way off to the right under the side deck and out of the way.

Rv8 wiring by akarmy, on Flickr

While in the thick of all this wiring, this is what the workbench tends to look like. I feel bad looking at it, but you are using the same handful of tools over and over. The floor is covered in short wire scraps, solder shake off, and stripped wire ends as well.

Rv8 wiring by akarmy, on Flickr

But it's all worth it when you fire it up for the first time and everything works!

Panel fired up for the first time by akarmy, on Flickr

[GeneL]

Andy, Looks great, however the ELT location is not the greatest. ELT mounts by nature are not very secure (they are made so you can remove them after a crash in seconds) the over center straps can wiggle loose. Your ELT is mounted next to your flight control (pitch) system, if the ELT were to come loose it could jam your control. I know this area is accessible in an "8", but it should be QUICKLY accessible. Gene

[Mark Dickens]

Andy, I had the same idea re: mounting your backup battery on the lower bulkhead. I later discovered that the brake line interferes with that location. You may want to think about that...

Also, ditto that on your EMS...those connectors extend a lot farther than you think

[SHIPCHIEF]

great work & documentation!
You certainly won't have any trouble proving you built this plane!
I'm reminded of the dilemma, when to rivet on the fuselage skin over the instrument panel, and fit the forward baggage door?
It's easy and fun to pull in the wire and mount the hardware, but you have to work around that stuff when bucking the rivets. I'm guessing you have a plan for that too.
Fitting the baggage door requires access from the inside, which is difficult at best, and worse with the rudder pedals installed. So I left the reservation, and fit my door from the outside using proseal & clecos, then riveting after it was set up and fit well. I guess it's some kind of composite construction.
I love the electronics workbench. Good tools make it fun and the final product has a better change of avoiding failures. Besides, that's not a mess!
It's organized chaos.

[Michael White]

Note to self....don't walk through Andy's shop barefoot until he cleans it up!

Nice work Andy! Never thought I'd see a Skyview that looked lonesome, but yours almost does. You need to fill in the empty space with some backup instruments or big warning placards or something...