bbs428 Build

[bbs428]

All these new builds being posted! Maiden flights on long time builds happening. Wow! Exciting times, eh?

I feel like I'm a bit behind the eight ball here as I've yet to start my own thread. lol. I've been lurking around the forum for awhile as some of you know.
So here goes...

I started to build a series 4 speedster but I didn't get far into the build when I found my current build project, a 1998 Outback. Sold the 4 and as they say - onward and upward!

Disclaimer - I can get a bit wordy and chase rabbits down various holes but I don't mean to put on airs or try to be the smartest rear end in the room. I've been told I can come across that way so if I get to carried away describing stuff, just laugh it off. I'll try to be brief and concise but it usually doesn't work. Also, I know absolutely nothing about building kit planes.

A little about me - Retired Navy Chief, Avionics Technician. I live in SW Missouri, close to my friends Mike and Chase - known on the forum as Cubtractor and Skypirate.
I Spent 28 years in San Diego. Previously owned two certified airplanes - a PA-28 Cherokee, and a trauma-hawk. Also have a bunch of time in rented Cessna 172's, Piper Archers and quicksilver ultralights, an MXL-2 and a sprint. I hold a PPL but operate under light sport rules now.

My new to me kit was found in South Carolina. Skypirate knew the guy. It never went on the market. He bought it new and got to page 30 in the build and by April of 98 he quit. Nice guy but good thing he stopped. enough said.
He also had a wrecked series 4 with a so-so 4000 + serial numbered Rotax 912 ul. I bought that as well. It looked good. What could go wrong?
Anyways, he said the motor had quit in the air (fuel starvation). Hobbs had 247 hours engine and airframe. He seemed excited to sell them as I had cash in hand and thru in a low time metal edge warp dive, 3 blade prop and hub assembly to sweeten the deal. we both bit and the deal was done!
Chase and I trucked it back to Missouri in a snowstorm! Total idiots, lol
Saving $$ always seems to involve a lot of sweat equity. Hopefully my cheap labor hard earned dollars will turn this sorry kit into a nice airplane someday...

I've plagiarized so many of your great ideas and solutions to your builds. I'm thankful your all here, in our Kitfox aviation esprit de corps.

I just turned 60 years old and now wonder what the hell I got myself into!

Cheers, Brett

picking up the 5 from south carolina Reduced.jpg

20 years hanging in a barn - what a dirty bird

mud daubber nests were everywhere Reduced.jpg

Appropriated the Mrs. duster for swabbing duty by the old swab...

used a old duster to clean inside of tubes Reduced.jpg

Rinsed the inside of the spars with hot water to dissolve the wasp nests. Getting ready to do a though cleaning, a light scotch bright scrub and a complete Alodine coating on order. Need to do that before we go any further.

cleaning wing spars Reduced.jpg

The spars cleaned up nice. One nick at the end of the front spar by wingtip. No big deal. Had a bunch of staples to countersink back into the wood.

setting up wings in shop Reduced.jpg

Port wing Cleaned up nice Reduced.jpg

Wing rib1 Skystar quick build 1998 Reduced.jpg

Me in Missouri Reduced.jpg

[efwd]

Welcome aboard Brett. I thought your disclaimer was describing me. I think now I have good company.

[rv9ralph]

Looks good. Like your QC engineer checking your work.

Ralph

[DesertFox4]

Best of luck with the build Brett. Every Kitfox kit deserves to be finished and appreciated. Try to coax that SkyPirate guy into visiting this site again once in a while. I know he’s taking an internet break for awhile but we miss him here.
He’s a good resource to have near by.

[bbs428]

Working away in the garage. Had to commandeer the Mrs. parking spot due to the cold.
I have to get up early now to warm her car before she's off to work though...

I installed some floating anchor nuts on the rudder pedals and the instrument panel.
Played around with some carbon fiber wrap that turned out nice. The sides of the center
console are also wrapped. Instrument panel will be as well.
The pedals and handles are polished and painted with three coats of satin clear. I like the look of the
bare metal against the carbon fiber.
Lightened the seat a bit. I'll be welding up some attachments and bolting the seat in. No zip ties.
Brake lines, parking brake, aluminum tubing and AN fittings are from Aircraft Spruce. The lines are
covered in a 3/16 nylon sheath.
Parking brake handle made from a piece of dowel and two sections of an old aluminum fishing rod and epoxied together.
Sanded, contoured and painted a satin black.

Back to work!

Jan 21 2019 working in garage.jpg

rudder pedal blind nuts1.jpg

Inst pnl fasteners.jpg

Rudder pedals and brake line.jpg

parking brake1.jpg

Progress so far jan 20 2018.jpg

[bbs428]

It's been cold but the fun continues in my heated garage...

Installed a Com. antenna in the tail. Ran the coax to the back of the instrument panel

Started jeweling my firewall. Thanks to those before me who have done this.
I wouldn't have tried but for you.
It's not perfect but it looks good from a few feet away.

Fabricated a bracket and wired the ELT. Ran those wires forward as well.

Fabricated a top stringer and aluminum straps. Adjusted it until it looked
good with masking tape, then attached with aluminum straps, Aeropoxy and pop rivets.

Found a nice Scott 3200 tail wheel cheap on Barnstormers. Ordered another mounting
bolt 1/2 inch longer. Needs to be cleaned and repainted... at this point, who cares! More fun!

comm antenna (2).jpg

Comm Antenna connection.jpg

Comm Antenna.jpg

firewall1.jpg

firewall.jpg

ELT completed1.jpg

ELT antenna mount.jpg

Stringer upper1.jpg

ABI 3200 tailwheel reduced.jpg

[bbs428]

Wired up my pitch trim sender and epoxied the brackets in place.
I knew wire repair school would come in handy some day! Thanks to the USN.
Funny how the training comes back to you when you use the skills again.

Received a package from Tosten mfg. with my 2 new CS-8 joystick grips! Super quality stuff.
More fun!


trim sender wiring.jpg

trim sender wiring1.jpg

trim sender wiring2.jpg

trim sender wiring3.jpg


trim sender.jpg

trim sender1.jpg

Tosten CS-8 Aircraft Grip.jpg

[bbs428]

Spent the last few days working on the auto pilot servo installation.
I had to scrap my 1st bracket due to coming up a bit short on my pitch servo's output arm...
not enough throw. **** poor prior planning.
So I was hitting up against the servo stops before I ran out of elevator.
I didn't make that mistake again on the roll servo.

Can I leave the bracket in alodine or should it be top coated? Does it even matter?
The pitch servo bracket finish came out a tad mottled so I gave it a zinc chromate topcoat,
a finish that I'm not so fond of. I kinda like the light gold finish on the roll bracket. I spent
more time sanding and cleaning it. I guess it shouldn't mater as long as the bare aluminum is
protected. Going to have to do everything the same way or it's gonna look funktified.
The one inch servo arm extensions came out much darker cause I put them in a small
plastic bag with the Alodine vs. brushing it on. Took the finish much faster.
Learning some new skills.

[PapuaPilot]

Funktified . . . that's new work, but I like it.

It is totally OK to leave aluminum finished with alodine. It is a coating the prevents corrosion on aluminum. The gold finish can look very nice, especially if it comes out even.

[efwd]

Hey Ernie.
thought you may like to know that when you do your rigging of the flapperons it changes things. I had to build a new control link after the first one was found to be short. I like the parts you made. All those parts should remain good but you may find the rod and rod end bearings won't reach after you rig it. Depends on how much thread you start with on the rod end bearings.. Crossing fingers.