Oz build SS7

[rosslr]

Josh, I think your thinking ( and your wife's) is really interesting - what makes you confident about the weight and not needing the sweep adjusted ? Have you done some calculations on that? I plan on do some serious research on the UL Power engines over the Christmas /NY break so will share with you the results of that.

Meanwhile, an early start yesterday to beat the heat and we got the wings on. Had to file some of the powder coating off the strut attachment lugs on the fuselage but apart from that it all went well. After that I gave it away due to the heat in the hanger. But as you will see, we enjoyed it having wings had a little pretend fly. I don't suppose anyone else has these childish moments in the privacy of their hanger/garage/sheds?!

cheers
ross

[Esser]

John Pitkin actually did the calculations, you can read it in this post:

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/sho...=forward+sweep

It is an interesting read. The UL520 weighs the same as a o-235 and is almost the exact same dimensions. I don't know how the C of G's of the engines compare but the UL520 has a C of G that is 242.6mm from the mounting locations. So I think if I can suck that engine right to the firewall we should be able to make it work. Everything on the EL is modular so you can move the accessories where ever they are out of the way.

I still want to find someone who will give me all their C of G info so I can plug my own numbers into it.

My wife wants the power for when we put it on floats and for the mountain flying that we will be doing. She also flies a Lear 35 so I think she is just too used to a 5,000fpm climb rate haha.

[DesertFox4]

I don't suppose anyone else has these childish moments in the privacy of their hanger/garage/sheds?!

cheers
ross

Ross- that's required behavior for all Kitfox builders.
I think it's even in the manual.

[SkyPirate]

ok who made the motor noises and who was talking to the hangar tower ?






I will confess Madison makes the motor noises and I talk to hangar tower

[rosslr]

Trust you all had a great Christmas as we did here!. It was hot, lots of prawns and Ham and sitting under the cool tress. boxing day we drove to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Ashes Test Match - A 5 day cricket match against our dear friends and rivals - England! Not only were we a part of a world record cricket match crowd(91,000), but even better, we won!!! 4 up in a 5 match series! I know many of you don't even know what cricket is, but believe me, And Ashes test is BIG!
So first a photo of that - Then I will will make a few building posts ...... Happy 2014 Kitfox mob!

ross

[rosslr]

OK, well that was stressful! Getting everything level and then getting the measurements right! First, I cut some steel tube to help hold the wings tight against a recess that I cut in. This worked well with some hose clamps - I cant imagine just using tape to hold the spas in place in this process like the manual suggests.

[rosslr]

The next challenge was to take accurate measurements - especially the ones from the outboard wing marks to the middle rudder attach point. I tried string lines and tape measures and gave up and bought a nice laser measure. this enabled me to get the measurements to about 3-4mm difference. I needed to tape over the rudder attach point and paint a white dot 'target' on the exact point - then the red laser beam was easy to spot when centered.

[rosslr]

Having got all the measurements for the wing done, I went to remove the bolt from the rear spa to drill through. The wing swung forward as soon as I released the bolt! Although it was still attached to the front spa by the clevis pin and the strut attachment point, it was still not good to see! I ran to the outboard end of the wing and lifted it and pushed it back onto the fuselage attachment pint. I could not see any damage and all the measurements were still as they were. (dont ask me how I go the wing to stay put until I could get the bolt back in!). I secured both wings with a rope to the tail and drilled as per the manual. As I could not see any problems I continued to remove the wings and work on the reinforcement points.

Is this what others have encountered? Does it mean I have too much tension on some part? what damage should I inspect for beyond what I have already?

Bugger!

[t j]

Is this what others have encountered? Does it mean I have too much tension on some part? what damage should I inspect for beyond what I have already?

I did the same thing. Pulled the rear spar bolt and the wing swung forward. I Grabbed it but couldn't get it back by myself. I yelled loud enough my wife herd me in the house and came out to help. Couldn't detect any damage.

I just watched the New Years fireworks live in Sydney harbor it was 0500 here.

[HansLab]

I had the same thing, but from the front spar: one of the first times for me to 'unfold' the complete Mk IV I put screwdrivers in place of the clevis pins: the pins are quit tight... When I took one screwdriver out, the wing just swung back! I was unable to reach in time, and the flaperon just was ahead of me! Luckely there was a wooden (not sure how to call this) 'wig' (that holds the rudder during transport straight) and the wing clung onto that. The flaperon TE bend a little, but I could repair it (you can still see it, though...), no other damage discovered..
Lessons learned.
Keep on flying you all, and happy 2014 from Holland PH-FOX