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Thread: Geek's STi Build

  1. #211
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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    Quote Originally Posted by efwd View Post
    Hi Gary, wish I had made mine that way. FWIW, I would consider using the padded adel clamps for anything wrapping around the frame tubing. You will find that the wire will cut through the tape eventually. I found I had to replace those that I had done that way and I was using zip ties.
    Thanks Eddie - The tape is industrial grade vulcanizing tape that the Navy uses in the engine bay of Hornets. The one pic of just wire and no Hysol was before I added the Hysol. The thought was that it would dampen the vibrations that would make the wire cut through. At least that's the thought. I have been using that tape and lacing tape (tie wrap) everywhere I have attached my electrical to the frame. Maybe the right idea is to cut the safety wire out. I really just put the wire there originally to hold the channel in place for when I flipped the fuselage over to Hysol the channels. Think I'll do that rather than leave it to chance. Thanks again for making me think about that.

    Gary
    Gary (Geek) Phenning
    Leavenworth (Not the Prison), WA
    Kitfox STi in Building Stage

  2. #212
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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    It's amazing how your perspective changes when you get a different view of something. I had pulled my fuselage off my roll around cart and flipped it over to gain access to the bottom of my wiring channels so I could Hysol them. Looking at my wiring from the bottom up, I really didn't like how the wires exited the channel and crossed under the control column crossover. In a bundle like they were, they were rubbing more than I thought was a good thing. I was lucky enough to travel down to Homedale and pick up my firewall forward kit at Kitfox which allowed me to see Brandon and pick his brain on how they addressed this part of the wiring on a factory build. Brandon indicated that they "fan" the wires out so they go under the column spread out rather than in a bundle. Made sense but when I got home and looked at how my channel was positioned right next to the column I realized there wasn't going to be any kind of fanning. The channel was just too close to the crossover and the wires were held into a bundle. Only solution was to pull the channel out (heat gun and remove the Hysol), cut the channel back and then re-install the channel so that the mouth was about 3 inches or so back from the control column crossover. Now I can fan the wires out a bit and it's a lot better. Second thing I saw with the fuselage upside down was that the rivets holding my roll autopilot servo stuck up and looked like they would hit the skin of the aircraft once I shrunk the skin down. I put a straight edge on that area and while it didn't hit, it was less than 1/32" away. So I laid a layer of Hysol down and then on top of that I laid a layer of fill. I sanded that all down so that I could just see the very edges of the rivets, and primed it with 2K primer. Now the rivets won't run against the skin. That last pic is for Eddie - I took your advice and got rid of the safety wire around the fuselage frame. Hysol holds the channel just fine.

    Gary

    Channel A.jpgChannel B.jpgBase.jpgChannel C.jpg
    Gary (Geek) Phenning
    Leavenworth (Not the Prison), WA
    Kitfox STi in Building Stage

  3. #213
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    Default For SNOW

    Here's the pic of the laker leading edge trim at rib 1

    Laker Edge.jpg
    Gary (Geek) Phenning
    Leavenworth (Not the Prison), WA
    Kitfox STi in Building Stage

  4. #214

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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    Thanks!!

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

  5. #215
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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    You didn't just want to go at that channel with a 3" cut off wheel, what with all the wires and nice powder coating nearby?

    I hope you had more places for a $28 can of 2k primer than just that small area. That stuff is more expensive than gasoline.
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

  6. #216
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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    Quote Originally Posted by alexM View Post
    You didn't just want to go at that channel with a 3" cut off wheel, what with all the wires and nice powder coating nearby?

    I hope you had more places for a $28 can of 2k primer than just that small area. That stuff is more expensive than gasoline.
    That's exactly what I didn't want to do for exactly the reasons I didn't want to do it!! I was very aware of what the downside was to that. As for the primer - oh yeah. Like I said I have a list of the small parts I've made that need primer and when the can gets popped - the list comes out. I will admit this time that I am testing the statement that the primer is good for three days after mixing cause I want to paint the fiberglass fairing on the vertical stab but it was a touch wet outside yesterday. Today will be OK I think.
    Gary (Geek) Phenning
    Leavenworth (Not the Prison), WA
    Kitfox STi in Building Stage

  7. #217
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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    Rigged the elevator today. Book calls for 20 degrees down elevator and 39 degrees up. I set mine up for 18 degrees down and 41 degrees up since reports from other pilots indicate that the STi likes to run out of nose up pitch authority on landing. Figured 18 down was more than enough to get the nose down on takeoff and 41 was just a little more I might like on landing. Set the control stick as required by the instructions at 80 degrees with the elevator in a neutral state. Installed the stop on the pitch servo for the autopilot so that at full elevator deflection, the arm just misses touching the stop by maybe 1/32nd of an inch.

    Elev Rig 1.jpgElev Rig 2.jpgElev Rig 3.jpgPitch Servo 11.jpgPitch Servo 12.jpgPitch Servo 13.jpg
    Gary (Geek) Phenning
    Leavenworth (Not the Prison), WA
    Kitfox STi in Building Stage

  8. #218
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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    Nice. I figure I'll fly mine set to the book numbers and adjust if necessary. I used a digital protractor to set mine also. Makes the job cake because you don't even have to level the fuselage to use it.
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

  9. #219
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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    Level the fuselage? I just set the horizontal using the 1 5/16 spacer the book calls out, set the elevator to level flight (by sight - best guess), and used the number of degrees the level was telling me I was at as a zero reference. In my case it was 8.5 degrees down so my down angle was 26.5 degrees and my up was 32.5. Which is just what you were saying is my guess. You can probably zero the digital protractor so you aren't stuck with doing public math. My guess is that it won't make much difference since the quoted numbers in the book had a plus or minus 1 degree variance to them.
    Gary (Geek) Phenning
    Leavenworth (Not the Prison), WA
    Kitfox STi in Building Stage

  10. #220
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    Default Re: Geek's STi Build

    We're sort of on the same page. I set a straight edge across the stab and elevator, and clamped them so the elevator was perfectly straight in trail. The slapped the digital level to the elevator using the magnetic feature, zeroed it with a button push and then removed the straight edge.

    At that point I could read the elevator deflection directly on the digital level. None of that hard math stuff.
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

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