RV-9A, SoCal

[rightrudder]

A very exciting day. Hooked up my test battery and flipped the master switch, and everything powered up as it should (except trim indicator that still needs to be connected).

I'm really pleased with my simple design that incorporates a little old-school tech in the Hobbs meter and the traditional airspeed and altimeter dials. I bought water-slide decals from SteinAir for the labeling, which were sprayed with some Rustoleum matte clear for protection.

Staying with the standard non-extended panel really makes a difference in being able to move your legs around, especially if you're on the taller side. I kept the under-panel console on the small side too (throttle, mixture and cabin heat) for more room and less clutter.

I tested out the radio (GTR 200), and even from the garage I was able to get a response from a pilot flying overhead in the practice area east of John Wayne. Too cool!

Next up: borrow my kindly neighbor's truck, rent a break-down cherry picker hoist and bolt up the Lycoming.

[rightrudder]

Somehow, when you finally get the engine bolted up, that big aluminum bathtub seems to magically morph into a real airplane! It went pretty smoothly, with the lower right bolt putting up the biggest fight. In addition to the cherry picker hoist, it helped to have a floor jack and a piece of 4x4 to exert a little twisting force on the edge of the sump to bring the engine into alignment. The last bolt/hole (lower left) wasn't an issue at all after torquing down the first three.

I'm gonna try the rear mount for the magnetometer. Initial indications are good....zero compass deflection when moving rudder cables. To simulate the steel in the elevator control horns, I put a couple of big crescent wrenches back there and moved 'em around a bunch, and still no deflection, so I think I'm good.

[rightrudder]

Exhaust system has been test-fit, alternator mounted and I've secured starter/alternator wiring around the base of sump. The exhaust needed a little more trimming than specified for the cross-over tubes, but went into place with some mild hammer-taps.

Van's heat exchanger is a really nice piece. The two halves fit together with great precision, and since it captures both cross-over tubes, there's a lot of surface area for cabin heat, Should make those chilly mornings a little more bearable.

I had to get out of the garage today and find another way to stoke the aviation fires, so I went to the rc flying field and maidened the P-51. Flies great! My buddy bought one too, identical except for the paint scheme, but he folded one of the mains on his first landing.

[rightrudder]

Welp, she's coming along nicely. The top rear skin is riveted in place (at least the rivets I can reach), the exhaust is fitted, control cables are hooked up to the fuel servo and the cowling is now in the midst of being fitted.

I got a decent fit of the cowling halves behind the spinner, but I did trim off a little too much of the outboard inlets. No biggie, as I was thinking of making a fiberglass flange here anyway to more positively locate the two halves. I'm using Skybolts around the firewall perimeter, and hinges for the longitudinal seam. I think I got the spacing for the Skybolt backing plates down pretty good, but invariably there's a rivet hole where the plates join together, which is gonna make machine countersinking a little difficult.

I searched a bunch of threads on cowl mounting and how to prop the front end up while trimming (rolls of paper towels, phone books), but I just made a quick and easy wooden spacer that I sanded down to the right dimension. I went 3/16" below the spinner to account for engine sag.

Panel/wiring is pretty much ready to go, save for a couple of resistors I need to splice in for tach inputs. Gotta love those quick connectors for the pitot/static plumbing!

[Vlad]

Almost there Doug. Keep going all looking good. If you can install camloc strip on the sides without those sexy notches do it. I prevents catching the cowling.

[rightrudder]

Good call, Vlad. I will strongly consider that approach...and maybe edge-roll the mounting strips along the sides inward to make it potentially more snag-free. Anything to make removing/reinstalling this suckah less of a challenge!

[rightrudder]

It's really starting to look like an airplane now! The cowling is almost ready for Skybolt holes and piano hinges, after roughly 183 trial fits and much sanding. I reinforced the oil door with two plies of 9 oz. cloth, and fitted two Skybolt fasteners, so I'm sure it'll be very secure. I've got a Philips screwdriver built into my fuel tester, so I'll always have the means to open it on the walk-around. The new pink cowlings are great in a couple of respects: The stiffener material is far enough away from the edge that it doesn't need notching for the Skybolt plates, and it's thin enough that no shims are needed to make the cowling flush with the skin.

The aluminum flange of the FAB lines up perfectly with the top of air inlet, but the fiberglass part needed a notch to match. After making the cuts, I put two layers of 9 oz cloth on the outside, some flox on the inside to fill the gap and finished with a coat of straight epoxy.

Foam block for the engine air intake is floxed in place and the hole is roughed out. I'll make some sandpaper blocks from sections of a broom handle and some smaller dowels to finish off the opening before the 'glass.

[rightrudder]

More progress....snorkel is finished, upper cowling fully trimmed and mounted, exhaust (minus tailpipes) is final-mounted, and cabin heat muff is installed. That last piece took a fair amount of grinding to fit over the female part of the pipes' slip joints.

[Vlad]

Doug while you are still on it put an extra layer or two on FAB bottom. Air filter has the ability to "chew" the bottom. Nice FB work you are a true craftsman.

[rightrudder]

Thanks for the compliment, Vlad! (and for talking me into going with straight aluminum mounts for the lower cowling). I will certainly add a couple of plies to the 'box.