Project 5 build thread

[Geek]

............ It should be a 90 min drive. God, I hate I-5!


Little chance of that. To my eye you're doing a beautiful job. That engine installation is looking great, and I can't wait to hear it running in person. You'd never know that this is your first full airplane wiring job; it all looks like first rate work to me!

What Eric said!! Especially his 'love' for I-5. Don't think I have ever driven it where I didn't wind up experiencing a scheise show! Your wiring job looks exactly like it should when it's being done. It's why they call that last phase of wiring "Clean up". Certain it will look just fine and the smoke will be contained knowing your attention to details.

Geek

[alexM]

I have finally completed all the wiring for instrument panel and FWF. The only wiring that remains is to install Deutsche connectors at the landing lights, wing tip lights and stab position sensor. I was able to achieve power on which did not produce any smoke, flames, popping noises or any odd behavior.

Wiring took way longer than I expected it would for such a simple airplane, but I know a lot more than I did when I started. The extra time I took should increase system reliability.

I need to route and complete my pitot, static and AoA lines, install both transponder antennas and three GPS antennas.

I'm headed off to work for a couple of weeks but when I get back I should be ready for another engine run (or two). Then I'll hit the boot cowl, windshield, glare shield, and door installation projects. All standard Kitfox stuff.

Just last night I completed the covering on my horizontal stabilizer. I'm getting better with Oratex, and I think with another 35 airplanes under my belt I think it would look great. I took a few pictures but all they do is emphasize how cluttered up my new garage is (clearly I have my priorities straight).

[Kitfox Pilot]

Quote

Just last night I completed the covering on my horizontal stabilizer. I'm getting better with Oratex, and I think with another 35 airplanes under my belt I think it would look great.[/QUOTE]

Alax, I just about spit soda on the screen!! LOL

[alexM]

I was able to just barely complete the covering of my tail surfaces before commuting to work. The rudder has trim tape on it, but the horizontal surfaces will have to wait until I get back. As usual, it only occurs to me to cover with Oratex when the temperature drops to the point where I have to heat my workspace. Thankfully the trim tape doesn't have the 41F lower limit for temperature. It's also much easier to heat my (not quite) two car garage than my drafty hangar.
PXL_20241008_101939063.jpg
PXL_20241008_101949039.jpg
1000013524.jpg
The only covering left is the vertical fin and top of the fuselage up to the turtle deck. I've been sweating that part for a long time because the series 5 doesn't have the razor back feature and I didn't feel like adding it on.
I was also able to get my boot cowl installation started. I've clamped it in place a few times so I was practiced up and moving it around until it was just perfect, but I never had the nerve to pick up a drill or cut the edge by the door frames. I managed to get over that part and it came out perfectly aligned. There is still just a little bit of trimming at the bottom corners (both forward and aft), and drilling of the holes common to the door frame. Not worried about any of that.
Then I'm on to cracking my windshield and installing my doors. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
1000013294(1).jpg

[alexM]

I chipped away at a few tasks this time. I had hoped to cover the vertical fin and aft fuselage and arrogantly decided that my newly developing Oratex skills would allow me to pull off the aft fuselage and the curve up into the vertical fin in one piece (note: it's much more difficult on the series 5 because they lack the razor back feature). As I'll probably say right before I die: "Well, that didn't work". I scrapped part of my fabric, cut my losses and removed the uncured adhesive since I knew my hangar would drop below 41F in my absence. I came back a few days later but had left my Oratex adhesive at my house (3 hours away), so I set to doing tasks I could pull off.

I finished bending and trimming the steel tabs which are riveted to the bottom of the butt ribs, where the door hinges attach. I trimmed the aluminum angle which is bonded to the rear spar carry through tube to support the aft edge of the windshield/skylight. I still need to etch, Alodine and paint that before bonding in place. I finalized the exact location for my butt ribs which required a day when it wasn't raining. Shockingly, we had a couple of beautiful fall days in Tacoma so I worked out in the sunshine.

I'm a bit nervous heading into the fitting process for the windshield/skylight. I sure have stood staring at it long enough, trying to come up with ways to make it easier and coming up empty.

I did mount my triangle windows using some very thin VHB.
PXL_20241106_220822527(1).jpg
I used the same stuff to attach my ground plane to the base of my Transponder antenna.
PXL_20241106_220805908(1).jpg
Not fond of the black, but any of the clear stuff I could find was at least 0.020 thick instead of 0.008". Under belly inspections of my plane will henceforth not be permitted until a sufficient layer of dirt and exhaust residue is present.
PXL_20241106_220730231.jpg
With the top of the fuselage covered I was out of excuses for not mounting my single COM antenna, so it went on and is now hooked up. Once I mount my second transponder antenna (for the EchoUAT) I will be able to load fuses and test my radio, transponder and Echo. I have one of the stubby carbon antennas which will be inside the aft fuselage and beyond the minimum 36" from the other transponder antenna.

Back over on the better side of the state (where the loudest thing in my house is the refrigerator), I worked on my wingtips and baggage floor.
PXL_20241104_020902128.jpg
For my landing lights I traced them onto thin aluminum and cut them out. I sanded a flat spot on each tip and bonded the aluminum in place with Hysol. When mostly cured I filled it with more Hysol. When that cured I filled the rest (along with the heinous bucktooth ledge on one of the wing tips where the mold pieces don't align) with Smurf Poo. Used my gloved finger with alcohol to achieve 95% of what I had envisioned and let that cure for over 24 hours.
PXL_20241104_045211718.jpg
PXL_20241105_013545945.jpg
I hand sanded everything and then hit it with a coat of primer (aka "spandex") to show all the flaws. I got pretty dang close on my first try for once.
PXL_20241108_041400494.jpg
I'll touch up the flaws and then sand the entire surface before I prime again.
Lastly, I completed my baggage compartment floor. After going back and forth between putting the floor above or below the fabric baggage compartment surface I decided to put it on top. The downside is that small objects which fall off the edge of the floor will be lost for all eternity (or the next condition inspection). The upside is that it makes mounting the fire extinguisher and other devices much easier.
I ran a 1/8" router bit around the baggage floor to smooth it up, excluding the areas near the attachment holes. I sealed the exposed balsa core and then I shot bed liner over it, which matches what I did on my seat pan. On the series 5 the back edge has a cutout where the elevator push-pull tube would interfere, and there is a fiberglass piece which gets attached to cover the notch. I hit it with bed liner too, and then I used some #8 AN526 hardware to attach it.

One of the things I had almost given up on was finding some decent cargo attachment hardware. When I trained at Stick & Rudder my instructor was diligent in always securing our backpacks to hard points on the baggage floor, and I have always thought that was a good idea.

Well I'm dreaming up my next project, which is going to be a Sprinter Van with enough features to be comfortable for 2-3 days at a time. Many of those are infested with "L track", meaning "logistics track". You see it on the floor of everything from a PC-12 to a 737 to allow flexible load securing options (including the seats).
PXL_20241108_041413019.jpg
And for the curious, I did spend time working out the fire extinguisher location. I thought it might be hard to reach in this spot but I can reach it easily from either seat, and pointing it aft just seemed like a good idea. I'm pretty sure I saw Geek put his in the same spot, so I'm happy with the decision.

[Geek]

You're making great progress Alex. All of the stuff looks good but I don't envy the job of covering the curve on the vertical stab. Mine took almost a fifth of bourbon AND my wife's help. Used the same stuff to hold down stuff in my baggage area too. Just didn't put the whole length in to hold down some of the weight.

Gary

[jiott]

Do yourself a favor and cover that vertical fin curve with two pieces; either as part of each fuselage side, or two separate top pieces. All the joints get finish tapes anyway, and no one will be able to tell how many pieces you used.

[alexM]

Jim,
You're absolutely right. I was too cocky after having covered my tail surfaces and was 90+% sure I could pull it off with one piece. And I got within 90% of making it happen, which means it would look like s***. Ever since I started covering this plane I have been sweating this part.

The sides of my fuselage have been covered for over a year, so that ship sailed.

[alexM]

Making these cuts has rented space in my head almost from the beginning.
PXL_20241225_203948659.jpg
Three cuts so far. No cracks and no place where I cut too much away

[Kitfox Pilot]

Looking good! The cuts didn't bother me as much as taking it on and off, that seems to be the time it will crack they say.