Dan & Cole's 1050 Build

[D&CJohnson]

for the elevator extension, I would be concerned about potential for flutter, you put a counter=balance on the rudder but .. adding force and weight that far out from the hinge points on the elevator seems to be stepping into the unknown ...
there have been several posts of damage to the carry-through truss under your knees, from heavy arrivals ..
the original wing struts in my 4-1050 rebuild were seriously corroded from the jury strut attachment point technique that allows water to enter and get trapped at the bottom of the strut, plan accordingly, and maybe even go for the heavier version now offered by the factory .. likewise for the horizontal stab struts, something the Brits considered a deal breaker for registration over there ...
the original design has lots of pop rivets going into the frame, for the windshield/skylight and that useless fiberglass seat .. weld some tabs to mount to instead .. maybe add a stiffener to the wing carry-through ... I cut the fiberglass seat in half, used dual velcro straps to keep them off the control linkage, adel clamps instead of pop rivets, and rotated the pilot seat back forward with a spacer and gained a bit of shoulder room ..
you've probably found out the need for a new style motor mount ... larger cavity for the larger starter motor compared to the 80hp ...
and a topic that seems to be taboo in the land of love for the factory, powder coat hides underlying rust .. my rebuild got walnut shell blasting and epoxy primer, endura 2 part primer sticks something unbelievable ...
and made a frame for larger windows each side, can be removed if there is a big maintenance item to do ..
fuel tanks can be a problem .. there's so much info available on this forum ...
and that's a good idea to hold off on the engine monitoring device, it would be obsolete before needed - hope you can prove that prediction wrong !!
buying polyfiber before the next price increase is a good idea, but watch out for the shelf life ...

Lots of points. thanks.

I don't think we are stepping into the unknown on the elevator and rudder. I got an opportunity to get feedback from several builders who had modified the tail and test flown their aircraft. I based my modifications on their success. That includes the Aero-balanced rudder.

I considered the mods near the gear you mentioned but don't plan to make changes. My model 3 gave me no issues and everything has a limit. I'd rather keep a light airplane and not be overly abusive to it. I came to the same conclusion to the 1050/1200 carry thru and struts. I thank you for bringing the strut corrosion issue to light.

I like the idea of mounting the seat with other than the pop rivets and will plan on that. I was considering a sheet metal strap under. I also want to look at later model differences.

Engine mount and Starter. I had no idea. That may be a bummer. Thanks for the heads up.

I'll respectfully disagree about powder coat hiding corrosion. That was certainly the case with the powdercoating on early kitfoxes. The people I know in that industry take a deep breath and explain that modern powder coating can be done in vinyl, urethane, epoxy, etc and each product has a spec for the thickness and application procedure. They also primer under. I've been very satisfied with their work to date. Even so, I have a paint booth at home and I'm going to start cleaning my fuselage here. I may use polyfiber epoxy primer with a topcoat on this one. I do like how easily it goes on. I haven't decided yet.

I was strongly considering oratex, but I already had a lot of polyfiber chemical left over and then fabric came with the project. I'm intent on keeping this project moving, so it will be interesting to look back at this when I'm finished. My last project took much longer than planned in covering and painting.

I appreciate your taking the time to point out all those items. Some I'll leave alone, some I planned to upgrade and others I hadn't thought of.
Dan.

[D&CJohnson]

Today I added tabs to the tubing the fiberglass seat mounts on. My thinking is to run an aluminum strap below the fiberglass to limit its interference with the elevator push tube in a heavy pull or failure. I brought the fuselage home and will start prepping for primer.

It will be a week or so until I have time enough time away from work to get much further. I plan to draw out new airfoils for the modified tail to replace the now too short parts.

[Av8r3400]

If I could go back in time, I would make my elevator trim tab larger. It works, but a larger would be better.

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[D&CJohnson]

If I could go back in time, I would make my elevator trim tab larger. It works, but a larger would be better.

I used the Kitfox factory sheet metal trim part material. The elevator tab is 20 inch x 3 inch and the rudder tab is 6 x 3. I have a MAC servo for each. Hopefully that will be a good match.

[D&CJohnson]

Our build log update.
Since we extended the chord of the tail group the wooden airfoils in our Speedster trim kit are too short. A few days ago I drew up longer parts in CAD, printed and fit patterns. I glued the patterns to Birch plywood before heading out of town.

I made it home today, gave my son a quick lesson on the bandsaw and then started cutting parts. I finished the parts with a belt sander l, then added lightening holes with Forstner bits.

UPS refused to leave our wheels without a signature. We tracked them down today. Also, Tony at TK racing sent me a revised mounting block for the new tailwheel. It fits perfectly. Great service.

Our focus is going to be getting the metalwork ready for paint.

[D&CJohnson]

Some more work on tail ribs and carbon floor.

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[D&CJohnson]

I had some second thoughts after bringing my project home from all the welding. I gave Murle Williams a call and he sent me the wide body kit same day. I took the fuselage back to my friend Marks hangar this morning and we had it in place before dinner. The parts fit pretty well with just a notch on each side and trimming the corners a bit. The doorframe upper face fits up pretty easily. The outside of the corners are just left open to be covered with fabric.
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I also ordered flapperon tips and gas cap fairings from Murle.
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Next, Mark will reinforce the rudder pedals for me. While he is doing that, I need to strip the wooden fairings off my lift struts. Bowen Aero and DC Composites came thru with carbon fairings. I have a slot in a couple of weeks to powder coat everything.
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Happy Halloween. More in November.

[D&CJohnson]

It is a little gut wrenching tearing up someone elses hard work, but the wood fairings had to go. Lots of chiseling, scraping and a little sanding to get all the glue and bondo off these struts. I think there are a couple pounds to be saved along with lower drag with the new airfoils.

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[bbs428]

Your plane is taking shape nicely.

Glad you're shedding all the weight. The carbon fiber, while pricy really is the way to go!

You're going to love the Beringer wheel setup.

[D&CJohnson]

You're going to love the Beringer wheel setup.

I honestly wondered if I?d regret the Beringer wheels. There are carbon wheels available that fit the Beringer Brakes. I didn?t see them in 8? yet. I wanted something well tested.

All the metalwork went to powder coating today. I was so relieved to find out the same employee that blasted and coated my biplane 10 years ago will be handling this project as well.