Project 5 build thread

[PapuaPilot]

Phil - I'm confused and request more info. As I read §91.205 it is written for standard certificated aircraft (see the title and §205). What did you mean by "There is no distinction for aircraft certification types here, which means the regs apply to all aircraft, including EAB."? Thanks, Darrel

It took me a while to find out the basis for what I said. There is a boiler plate statement in the operating limitations for EAB aircraft that says we have to follow 91.205. Here is a copy from mine.



Op Limits.jpg

[Delta Whisky]

It took me a while to find out the basis for what I said. There is a boiler plate statement in the operating limitations for EAB aircraft that says we have to follow 91.205. Here is a copy from mine.



Op Limits.jpg

Thanks Phil - as usual, the devil is in the details. Would you agree that lights meeting the performance requirements of the necessary equipment is acceptable?

[PapuaPilot]

Thanks Phil - as usual, the devil is in the details. Would you agree that lights meeting the performance requirements of the necessary equipment is acceptable?

If you are talking about position and anti-collision lights 91.205 is clear that they need to be approved lights. That means TSOed lights. You can install any kind of position & strobe lights you want and even taxi/move the plane at night (91.209), but you cannot legally fly the at night with out TSOed lights. FAR Part 1 defines night.

[alexM]

If you are talking about position and anti-collision lights 91.205 is clear that they need to be approved lights. That means TSOed lights. You can install any kind of position & strobe lights you want and even taxi/move the plane at night (91.209), but you cannot legally fly the at night with out TSOed lights. FAR Part 1 defines night.

I have spent part of my morning going through 91.205, 25.2530, AC 20-30B, AC 43-217, AC 20-74 etc trying to find the definitive statement. I come to the same conclusion, that the key is in the non-emphasized word "approved". It would be more clear if it said "lights meeting the requirements of TSO C30b" or some such.

But it doesn't, so I can claim to be thoroughly confused and therefore exempt from any remedial training under FAA Regulation: Part I, Section 1 (a) - (d)

[PapuaPilot]

I have spent part of my morning going through 91.205, 25.2530, AC 20-30B, AC 43-217, AC 20-74 etc trying to find the definitive statement. I come to the same conclusion, that the key is in the non-emphasized word "approved". It would be more clear if it said "lights meeting the requirements of TSO C30b" or some such.

Yes, the key word is approved.

Welcome to the club of the confused. BTW we have that bogus reg imbedded in some of the training courses that I teach. We even put it in a presentation for an IA seminar with our entire FSDO team in the audience . . . what a hoot, but they laughed too!

Like I mentioned in my first post (#308): Approved = TSO. But WAIT there's MORE!!! CFR 14 Part 1 has the definition of approved . . . which in this case means FAA approved . . . which means TSOed . . . which means TSO C30b. Easy peasy, what is there to be confused about. Stop trying to comprehend or understand this or anything else or you are going to need that remedial training.

Sorry for geeking out on you. I've been working in the certified world for over 40 years, and about 10 years in the even more confusing experimental side.

[alexM]

Sorry for geeking out on you. I've been working in the certified world for over 40 years, and about 10 years in the even more confusing experimental side.

Phil,
I appreciate the dialogue and the clear explanation. I've been dealing with part 25 certification for the past 3 years and it has been a steep learning curve.

Last weekend I drilled the holes for the forward attach points of my Roberts Bush Gear. I thought I had it set squarely to the fuselage when my youngest son came by. I explained what I was doing and he suggested measuring from the tail post to the center of each axle before I bothered setting it side to side. Damn kids. I eventually got everything within 1/8" and clamped everything in place and drilled up the four 3/8" holes (where the Grove gear came off) through the steel fittings in the top of the Roberts gear. That all went super smooth but I didn't have the right length AN6 bolts for the job. I put in some temporary bolts and closed up the hangar.

Today I went back with the correct AN6-26 bolts and replaced the temporary stuff.
PXL_20220312_005456229.jpg
During the week I also spent some time on my instrument panel mock up. I used some scrap 1/2" aluminum angle to simulate the factory parts I have for the real panel, and followed the manual guidance on attaching them to the panel blank. This was the first time in my life I have attempted to set a flush squeeze type rivet. Word to the wise: Get your chops up on something you won't be staring at for the next several years. They're actually not terrible but I struggled. The hole centers were too close to the upright on the 1/2" angle. The rivets I chose were 4s, which I learned are not just slightly larger than 3s. They take some love to set.

A while ago I purchased an Avery microstop countersink tool, and I tried it out on this job. The depth setting part of the tool is nothing short of fantastic. I mean wow can you control the depth of your countersink. But yours truly was having difficulty getting a round countersink. The forehead slapper moment was when I realized that the cutting tool I was using had a #40 pilot and I was trying to countersink #30 holes. I'm guessing the job will be easier next time.

For panel braces the series 5 came with two unequal length 4130 tubes, squeezed on one end and welded foot on the other. Having manuals for both 5 and 7 I learned they now instruct you to use 3/8" x .035" round tube (wing stringer material) and squeeze them yourself. I did a test fit last week and the shorter of the series 5 steel tubes wasn't long enough to intersect the windshield brace forward/below the "X". So I squeezed up one end of two aluminum braces.
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So my mission today was to put the panel back in the plane to find a good length for the aluminum tubes. With a Spruce order came (2) 5/8" Adel clamps. I realized I made it to the airport with my arbor press (to squeeze the tubes) but not anything to cut them to length.

PXL_20220312_005438384.jpg

[alexM]

My latest attempt at a video

[alexM]

I finally got the break in weather I needed to assure I could start covering. Oratex adhesive can't be allowed to get below 41F and preferably 50F before it is heat activated. I've had a few short breaks in temperatures but I kept finding details that needed to be completed before the covering went on.
PXL_20220329_041718947.jpg
Bottom of my right wing

The Oratex fabric is very board-like compared to legacy polyester fabric so getting those cutouts around the lift strut attach fittings was concerning to me (especially since the forward fitting is tilted to a back-draft condition and the aft fitting has that tang for the folded wing). I could just imagine myself butchering those cutouts and trying to get the metal doublers in place. So I created a nicely shaped cutout in a piece of Mylar drafting film, taped it to the leading edge on the top side well back from the edge of the fabric.

I guess I should back up a little, since I mentioned this in a video but not everyone watches videos. For Oratex you need to make light pencil marks everywhere the fabric contacts the surface you are covering (so you can paint on the adhesive). Well there are lots of things in the way of that, so I came up with a trick to make it easy. To mark the fabric for the bottom of the left wing I put the fabric wrong side out on the right wing, and clamped it in place. I was able to easily feel my way along and mark everything in just a few minutes, including things that would be impossible to reach (like the false ribs on the bottom of the fuel tanks). The only difference between the right and left wings is the pitot tube platform which was easy to account for.

Back to the board like fabric and butchered cutouts, my approach was to position that previously marked fabric (this time it was right side out on the correct wing) with the pencil marks lined up at all the corners. With my Mylar template taped to the leading edge so that the cutout went perfectly over the forward lift strut fitting, I was able to wrap it over the carefully positioned fabric, then tape it to the fabric and remove the tape from the wing.
PXL_20220319_203704029.jpg
Then I took the fabric with template on it to a big flat spot, then marked and cutout the opening for the forward lift strut fitting. Next, I bonded the metal doubler to the fabric in the exact right spot, because it would never be easier to reach. With only the adhesive required for the metal doubler, I set my iron to 90C which is enough to activate the adhesive but not shrink the fabric (at all).

While the weather was still too cold I brought the wing fabric in the house and applied the two light coats of adhesive to all the places I had marked out with pencil lines. When it was absolutely dry I rolled it up and set it aside until a warmer day.
PXL_20220320_210030325.jpg
And that finally happened a couple of days ago. Some last minute scrambling at details I had brushed off (bracing the #1 rib to the tank and creating a metal doubler for my forward jury strut attach point), I was able to introduce the fabric to the wing yesterday afternoon. It really is a two person job but I was alone. Long awkward story made just a bit shorter, I'm thankful the Oratex shrinks as well as it does.

I worked out every single wrinkle and it came out pretty well. It is absolutely true that it telegraphs every bump like Spandex. There are some places we can't do anything about that, like the rivets on the trailing edges, or even the transitions between the sections of trailing edges, or pretty much every place you apply filler material to smooth things out) but I found a couple of epoxy varnish drips I didn't notice before. Oh well.

I hit it with enough heat to get out all the baggy parts, but will wait for the full shrink ritual until top and bottom are both covered.

I should point out that I only did the cutout and bonding of the metal doubler to the forward lift strut location. That forward became the origin for the entire piece of fabric, so with it positioned over the lift strut fitting I tacked the fabric over the leading edge, then went out to all four corners and tacked them in place. Only then did I cut through the fabric over the rear lift strut fitting and bonded the doubler in place there. Access to the aft fitting is pretty easy (the front not so much, especially with the Laker Leading Edge in the way).
PXL_20220329_041730074.jpg

I still need to trim the tip and root fabric and do the wrap around there. I think I'll poke the holes in the fabric where my wing tip strips attach while they're easy to find (from the inside) before wrapping the fabric.

[Eric Page]

That looks fantastic, Alex. Nice to see that one of us is making progress!

[Geek]

Glad to see you are becoming an Oratex expert Alex. Think I'll tempt you over the hill when I am ready to do mine. Looks like you are doing a great job!!

Gary