Seat #2

We were unhappy with the first seat we made.  We glued ribs on the bottom of the shapped seat, then fiberglassed the top, then between the ribs on the bottom.

This was not strong enough, so we decided we probably would have been better off fiberglassing all the way around the foam sheet, then adding the ribs to the bottom.

So, we setup the Hotwire Bandsaw (Pictured at left) and made a new template.  We also decided that the bucket of the seat should go lower.  We can always add padding, but we would never be able to remove anything to enable a taller person to clear the canopy.

The Template was connected to the foam by 4 nails pushed into the foam. This works well and is easy to work with.  Pictured at left, I am cutting one of the 4 pieces using the template and the foam bandsaw.

When using the foam bandsaw, I always try to push away from the table so the hotwire stays vertical and does not impact the edges. 

Below are the 4 foam ribs that fit between the spars for the seat.  They all came out great.  You can only see 3 because the third is behind the side of the fuselage.

Finishing up the Horizontal Stabalizer fibreglass

We did some cleanup of the Hozizontal Stablizer to seal the wood and close the ends of the foam with Fiberglass and Flox.  This should make it water tight and ready to fill, sand, and paint.

We also glued in the rear Horizontal Support, but have not glued in the Horizontal Stabalizer until it has been filled and painted with Primer. 

We should be ready in the next 2 weeks to glue in the Horizontal Stabalizer and begin working on the Vertical Stabalizer.

Pedal modification and Fuel Tank Mockup #1

The weekend before last we modified the pedals to accept the cables to the rudder, however, in the excitement of making progress, I made 2 left pedals.. OOPS..

I had to cut one pedal apart and make it a Right pedal, but I'm pleased with the outcome.





 
 

We also decided over the winter that our tanks would be outboard wing tanks, holding aproximatly 5 gallons each, and would be made of aluminum. Dad drew up the design in CAD and we created a mockup from Poster board.
 
I liked the size and dimensions, other than the fact the the rear end of the tank was not parralell to the rear spar.  I think this would make it more difficult to mount.   Dad is going to redraw the tank and we'll make another mockup.

Falling Behind

I fell behind in posting updates because it seemed as if we were going nowhere, then winter was here.  It's time to get back to work!   Over the winter and end of last year, we spent a lot of time changing around control cable routing so that we could easily convert between Tail Dragger and Tricycle gear.  After remaking brackets about 4 times, we finaly found a configuration that worked smoothly and was small enough on the back of the rear spar to clear the skin. 

We also discussed how we are going to make the tanks and where are they going to go.  More on that in the next post.