First, Build a Shed

[Cherrybark]

I don't know why but I've been dreading this cowling work like a trip to the dentist with a toothache. Now that the job is started, it's clearly not going to be overwhelming - just repetitively fitting until things are right.

After the front tabs were cut out the glass was pretty thin, so I put on a few layers of roving for strength. Then I could file and sand away some of the material so the two cowling pieces would mate, at least roughly. This afternoon my wife helped me mount the lower cowling and sit the upper piece in place. I don't know if "whompyjawed" is just a regional expression but it perfectly describes the way the pieces fit on this first attempt. This was more of an exercise to learn how to go about fitting, and we did learn a few obvious things. For instance, when you center the prop hub in the cowling hole there is more to consider than the side to side gap. As mounted, the bottom cowling rubs on the hub. Also the lower cowling isn't sitting symmetrically, it's twisted slightly clockwise when looking from the front. Then there is the poor mating the the two pieces. Still, I count today's work as a big success simply because this job is finally underway. I'm sitting in the dentist chair, the nose piece is feeding nitrous, and "Hey, this isn't so bad."

First thing to do is to make the front of the pieces fit better. Also, I'm thinking of using ratchet straps rather than tape. It will be much easier to adjust the pieces as we work on the puzzle.