RV-9A, SoCal - Page 24

rightrudder · #**231** 11-11-2015, 11:02 AM

Thanks, guys! Another day of fiddling with the tank attach brackets, maybe a couple days for the root gap fairings and I'll be ready for the joys of fitting/tightening those close-tolerance bolts.

rightrudder · #**232** 11-11-2015, 11:45 AM

Cool pic of DC-3 low fly-by!

[sorta RV-related because I saw it in the pattern while working on my RV, and sprinted along a row of hangers to get the shot. I was winded, but worth it!

]

As you can see, Cable airport is right up against the San Gabriel mountains....they look closer still with a 300mm lens.

rightrudder · #**233** 11-20-2015, 12:26 PM

I'm pretty much ready to pull the wings back off for a final furious nut plate and countersink session. The root gap fairirings are on, and with a 3/16" clearance trim, the seal fits nicely with the proper fillet curve up against the fuselage.

The only issue was that the bottom pilot hole for the tank screw was too far forward by about 1/8". Of course, I had already dimpled this hole before I realized the error (

), but no worries....flatten the dimple with a hammer, oval the hole back with a Dremel, re-dimple. It's not a structural concern, and the intersection fairing covers it up anyway.

I cut the seal on the underside about even with the gear leg. Any longer, and it goes beneath the level of the fuselage and isn't held in place.

No pics of the intersection fairings, but I went with the Fairings Etc. pieces, and they are a great fit and required minimal trimming. Highly recommended.

My EFIS has an AOA feature, but I like the good ol' fashioned stall warning too, with a really loud buzzer in the cockpit. So that's been installed, which is nice. Got that going for me.

:roll eyes:

bruceh · #**234** 11-20-2015, 03:00 PM

Don't cut the underside rubber gap seal until you get the upper intersection fairings on and fitted. You'll end up shortening it a bit. You'll need to put a dab of contact cement or pliobond on the end of the seal to keep it in place.

rightrudder · #**235** 11-20-2015, 07:30 PM

Hey Bruce,

Does the end of the seal butt up against the leading edge of the intersection fairing, or go beneath it? I've drilled mounting holes for the fiberglass with the root gap fairing in place, but without the seal. It seems that the intersection fairing will go nicely over the rubber channel.

If it doesn't, a simple matter to cut it later.

Vlad · #**236** 11-21-2015, 04:45 AM

Hey Doug can you look up the part number of that rubber seal I would like to order one. My RV plans are at other location.

rightrudder · #**237** 11-21-2015, 01:05 PM

Hi Vlad,

I wish I could help, but the plans are at the hangar now, and I'm sick at home with some strange stomach virus.

Maybe post in general forum? I'm sure someone will chime in with the #.

rightrudder · #**238** 12-09-2015, 01:37 PM

Finally, ready to put the wings on for good! Should happen this Friday, if my self-employed helper doesn't get any last-minute jobs.

Fuel inlet tubes match up perfectly with the tank fittings with a measurement of 2.50" from the fuselage side to the flare.There's a bit of give in the line, so you could be off by 1/8" or so and it would still be fine. Much peace of mind that they came out to the right length!

Looking forward to the W&B, I've located a set of Longacre racing scales from a friend who competes in autocross. I'm just guessing from looking at other people's #s, but the mains ought to be about 365-375 lb. apiece, and the nose wheel at maybe 300-315 lb. So now I'm putting ALL the stuff back into the plane for W&B, only to take it ALL back out for the DAR inspection. Putting it ALL back in after that will be pretty painless, because at that point it's time to fly.

All the placarding is done, checklists are made and laminated, ELT makes all the appropriate noises on 121.5, and POH is about 90 percent done (obviously a continual work in progress as I fly Phase 1 and determine what the numbers are for my plane). I still need to finalize some settings on the EFIS, and set reasonable limits so the display doesn't light up with warnings during the first flight.

I've also contacted Reuven at KSEE about transition training, which is tentatively set for mid January. So first flight in March? That's what I'm hoping.

bruceh · #**239** 12-09-2015, 02:20 PM

Doug,

Sounds like you are almost there!

Here are my weights:

Reuven will get you in shape for first flight. I went from low to very high confidence after about 7 hours with him. The -9 is much easier to handle than the -7, as long as you get the speeds down for landing. Let me know if you want to do some practice in the -9 before first flight.

rightrudder · #**240** 12-13-2015, 03:35 PM

Finally, got to drive those close-tolerance wing bolts home. There were a couple that I had to tap a wee bit harder than I'd like, but the way i figure, better too tight than too loose here.

I highly recommend unthreading the pushrod and pushing it outboard far enough so you have clear access to all the bolts. As such, I was able to get a free swing at all bolts with a hammer and didn't need to use the rivet gun method.

So at the end of a full work day tomorrow, I hope to have the empty weight numbers. That may be too ambitious, as I'm not sure how long it'll take to get the bottom nuts on those bolts and torque 'em.