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Assembled Rudder Skeleton
No big surprises here. I was surprised to have to bend R-710’s flange quite a bit to fit. I’m going to use the EAA Builder’s Log site as well, and the entry for this day is here. I need to be able to track time, since I do want to use this build towards an…
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HS-00005 & HS-00006 – How to get it right.
First off, remember that in the interface between HS-00005 and the spar/stiffener, you’re allowed as low as 5/32″ of edge distance to the holes. That said, it took me four tries before I was able to come up with a system that worked so that I was successful. Start off by measuring center lines on…
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Horizontal Stabilizer
It has taken about two days (and I’m not done yet) on the horizontal stabilizer. I was directed to build both halves as one, rather than doing everything twice and joining them at the end. I’m not really certain this made things easier, but also I can’t point to anything that it made harder. Early…
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Vertical Stabilizer
Over the course of about a day and a half I built my vertical stabilizer. No mishaps during the build, it went pretty easily It was easy enough to countersink the few rivets that needed it so that the assembly could sit flush against the fuselage. Riveting the skins went easy enough. You have to…
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Fire Detection Circuit
Take two thermal fuses (like this one from Newark) and wire them in parallel using a little prototyping board. Mount it on the firewall, run a circuit through it, and wire to the G3X. If the circuit ever breaks, then the G3X should show a FIRE warning or similar. The important bits – the thermal…
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Engine On Order
With the dual goals of building and maintaining my plane and getting my A&P certificate eventually, I thought the in-person engine build program offered by Aero Sport Power would be an amazing learning experience. I’m not sure anyone offers a similar program starting from a rack of parts and ending with an aircraft engine (though…
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Monkworkz MZ-30L
My airplane is going to be very electrically sensitive, and so I need a backup power source. Traditionally, this is done with a second alternator along with batteries of some sort. I’ve opted for a more modern solution, and yet the technology behind it is many decades old. The Monkworkz MZ-30L is a generator, not…
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Canopy Edge Seal
The canopy of an RV-8 can be quite breezy due to the large area that is left unsealed. It’s an easy fix though, and McMaster Part Number 1067A3 applied around the edge will seal the gap nicely.
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Forward Baggage Door Support
I found this post detailing how to add a support for the RV-8 forward baggage compartment door. I plan on having my smoke system tank mounted in this area, so being able to keep the door safely open while filling the smoke tank will be very useful. You can buy the strut from McMaster Carr,…
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Sky Dynamics Featherweight Flywheel
Aerobatic propellers weigh more than non aerobatic propellers, so I was looking for a way to reduce that impact on the plane. The Sky Dynamics Featherweight Flywheel drops around 3 pounds from the very front of the engine. This is installed at the front of the engine. The starter engages the teeth of this gear…