Canopy Side Skirts

October 13, 2023October 18, 2023 Georgeairplane, aviation, canopy, Dynon, experimental, Fuselage, homebuilt, RV-7, SikaFlex, vansaircraftLeave a comment

With the Aft fuselage skin riveted in place now it was time to fit the side skirts. I needed to fabricate the two sideskirts out of some stock aluminum. They needed to be trimmed down to the required dimensions and then aligned with the aft skin. This took some iterations, but eventually I got a nice fit. Once the parts were temporarily taped in place, I began drilling the skirts to the canopy frame.

I used my rivet fan to get perfectly spaced holes, and drilled the skirts to the canopy. I needed to use some small washers in between the skirt and the frame near the front section in order to get the proper spacing and alignment with the side of the fuselage.

Once the skirts were fully drilled I removed the skirts and countersunk all the holes in the frame, and dimpled the holes in the skirts.

I also fabricated the canopy handle and marked and drilled it to the skirt and frame.

Finished Riveting Aft Fuse Skin

October 8, 2023October 9, 2023 Georgeairplane, avgeek, aviation, Avionics, canopy, experimental, Finishing, Fuselage, homebuilt, pilot, riveting, RV-7, SikaFlex, vansaircraftLeave a comment

Today I finished the riveting the aft skin now that the window is trimmed to the final size. Once I finished riveting I then spent some time finishing the surface prep for the SikaFlex process.

I also added a 1/32″ monofilament line to set the gap between the window and the skin for the SikaFlex.

I also spent some more time adjusting the canopy latch in order to get a better fit. I think it may be getting close, but final adjustments will probably need to be made continuously until I’m happy with it.

Trimmed Rear Window

September 29, 2023October 9, 2023 Georgeairplane, avgeek, aviation, canopy, Dynon, experimental, Fuselage, homebuilt, pilot, RV-7, vansaircraftLeave a comment

Now that the aft-fuse skin is riveted in place (mostly) I decided to continue trimming the rear window for final fitting. I Spent quite a while trying to make the leading edge of the window as straight as possible, and also aligned with the canopy. This was an iterative process, but adding a 1/8″ gapping tool to the roll bar helped to ensure consistent gap. The plans call for 1/32″ but that is just wayyy too small of a gap. Part of the reason I decided to go with the Sikaflex method of attachment rather than screws is to account for thermal expansion between the metal and plexi without damaging the plexi, however a 1/32″ gap is so small that any thermal expansion will lock the two together.

I spent most of the time trimming the aft section of the rear window to fit under the skin as well as ensuring enough overlap under the skin for the Sikaflex. Once I had a decent fit and the appropriate clearances between the canopy and rear window, I removed the window and began prepping the aluminum surfaces and masking the edges.

Lastly, I have been annoyed by the canopy latch fingers and how much force is needed to un-latch the canopy. I spent some time sanding and modifying the latch fingers to try and get a better fit. It’s an iterative process.

Riveted Aft Top Skin

September 17, 2023October 9, 2023 Georgeairplane, avgeek, aviation, Avionics, canopy, Dynon, experimental, Fuselage, homebuilt, RV-7, vansaircraft, Vertical Power, wiring harnessesLeave a comment

Today I spent some time getting the aft top skin riveted. My wonderful wife helped my in driving the rivets while I was squished inside the aft fuse with the bucking bar. It was also a day that was a billion degrees, so we tried to get things riveted quickly. Some of the most challenging rivets to buck were the ones on the very back where the Dynon ADHARS is mounted, but we managed to get things nicely bucked.

I also used this opportunity to get the canopy reinstalled so I can do final fitting of the rear window and ensure everything is aligned properly. I think I can install it solo, but I didn’t want to take that risk and since there were a second set of hands available, it was just easier.

I also fabricated the panel lighting connector. The main panel lights + the two under-dynon LED strips are controlled by the “Panel” dimmer on the passenger side.

Aft Top Fuselage Skin

September 14, 2023October 11, 2023 Georgeairplane, aviation, Avionics, Dynon, experimental, Fuselage, homebuilt, RV-7, vansaircraft, Vertical Power, wiring harnessesLeave a comment

In preparation for installing the rear window, I clecoed the aft top skin to the fuse and began final trimming the rear window. It took some iterations, but I finally got a good fit.

I also wanted to make sure that the aft skin was aligned before riveting, and that there were no interferences or issues with fitting the rear window against the canopy.

I also spent some time updating my wiring diagram to reflect the new aux bus. I’m trying to keep as consistent documentation as I can in order to have the ability to review and verify in case anything isn’t working as expected.

Finally, I spent some time writing up the wing installation procedure I plan on following. There are many amazing build logs out there and write-ups that describe the process, and I’m compiling my own from these many great sources. I wrote a procedure when installing my canopy, and it was tremendously helpful to have a step-by-step guide to follow so there was very little thinking needed (this is where I introduce lots of errors). This is a work in progress as I finish the aft fuselage and cabin work.

Configured CO monitor & Air Vents

September 9, 2023October 9, 2023 Georgeairplane, aviation, Avionics, Dynon, experimental, Fuselage, homebuilt, RV-7, vansaircraftLeave a comment

I finished installing my Aithre CO monitor and wired up the signal wire to an EGPIO pin on the Dynon EMS. This allows me to configure and see CO status on the EFIS and have colored regions for different levels of CO. Aithre makes it really easy with a file that can be downloaded and saved onto the Dynon which then configures the EMS to display a CO PPM (parts per million) value on the display.

I also spent some time fabricating and installing the air vents onto the panel. This was a bit tricky as I’m utilizing the larger Stein Air air vents. Still some additional finishing work to clean up the install, but the intakes and vents are complete!

Panel

July 24, 2023 Georgeairplane, avgeek, aviation, Avionics, Bose, canopy, Dynon, experimental, Garmin, homebuilt, pilot, RV-7, vansaircraft, Vertical Power, wiring harnessesLeave a comment

This weekend I applied the labels for my panel. I got them from Drytransfersletters.com. They turned out perfectly and we’re super easy to apply.

Here is the passenger side as I was applying them.

After applying all the labels I then applied a clear coat on top to seal everything.

While I was letting the coats dry, I spent some time doing the final masking and prep for the canopy.

It’s now fully masked and ready for bonding. I’ll scuff the canopy prior to applying the adhesive primer.

I came back a couple days later to install the panel in the plane for hopefully the last time. I don’t think I’ll need to take it fully out again.

I installed the switch guards and switches first to make sure I had everything perfectly vertical and tightened fully. Then I installed the screens.

Here is everything installed on the panel (except the Hobbs and ELT indicator). I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to test everything.

Everything worked perfectly! It took me about an hour to fully install everything from start to finish. Not too bad all things considered. I have a couple things left to wire up including the avionics dimmer, and then CO monitor that is behind the panel.

Canopy Bonding Prep

June 26, 2023 Georgeairplane, avgeek, aviation, canopy, ClassicAeroDesigns, Dynon, experimental, Fuselage, homebuilt, pilot, RV-7, vansaircraftLeave a comment

This weekend I spent time preparing to bond the canopy to the frame. I needed to finish the canopy latch mechanism installation. I decided to modify the design slightly based on some builders logs I’ve read.

The latch is installed with a spring and washer that prevents it from being rotated and locked unless the handled is pulled down. This should prevent any accidental locking of the latch when no one is inside.

Here it is in the locked position. I’ve also added some UHMW plastic on the underside of the roll bar to protect the metal.

Once I finished the install I got to prepping the roll bar and frame for the Sikaflex glue that will be used for bonding.

I masked the whole roll bar to prevent glue from accidentally sticking to it. I’ve added some 1/8” spacers to the top of the bar in order to ensure the proper gap between the canopy frame and the canopy. These will hold the canopy up the required spacing above the frame. The frame and the roll bar are perfectly level with each other, so this will ensure an even gap and the appropriate amount of glue.

I then clamped the frame to the roll bar with the proper spacing blocks between the two. I also added side rail clamps that will hold the canopy in place when the glue cures. Now that all the preparations are in place I can get the canopy ready to bond.

I also ordered some foam and leather from Classic Aero Designs, the company that made the rest of my interior, in order to make an armrest.

It’s the first time I’ve worked with leather and foam like this, so I may attempt to redo it, but its much nicer than resting my arm on solid metal. I have enough material to make two more if I find the desire to remake it.

Painting

June 19, 2023 Georgeairplane, avgeek, aviation, Avionics, canopy, Dynon, experimental, Flying, Fuselage, Garmin, homebuilt, pilot, RV-7, vansaircraft, Vertical PowerLeave a comment

Over the last several weeks I’ve been working on painting interior parts of the fuselage. There are a few areas that will be exposed metal that won’t be covered by my Classic Aero Designs interior.

I painted the panel and the throttle bracket. The paint is a urethane automotive paint. I picked a dark gray. It’s almost exactly in between the black and lighter gray of the leather on seats and side panels. It will be a nice bridge to tie the whole interior together.

I also painted the roll bar and the canopy frame in preparation for bonding the canopy. This was the last step before permanently bonding the canopy. I also painted a few other interior parts like the flap motor housing and side panels, as well as the arm rest that I will be installing. The last thing I painted is the side rails and cross bar that side behind the seats. The rest of the interior will either be covered by side panels/pockets or carpeting.

I also temporarily installed the rudder so I can finish the rudder cable and pedal installation.

Even just adding the rudder makes the plane seem a whole lot more complete than without it.

I also permanently installed both NACA ducts for the air vents. The ducts were held in place while the epoxy cured.

Once I reinstall the panel I can fit the vents to the panel and measure the tubing.

Control sticks

May 5, 2023 Georgeairplane, avgeek, aviation, Avionics, Bose, Dynon, experimental, Flying, Garmin, homebuilt, pilot, RV-7, vansaircraft, Vertical Power, wiring harnessesLeave a comment

Tonight I spent some time working on the control sticks. When they come from the factory they are quite long. I ended up cutting off 3.75 inches. I then wired the sticks and adjusted the fit of everything.

The copilot stick is removable so the wires exit just above joint on the right side. There are only two wires for the copilot stick push-to-talk button. The pilot stick has 7 wires for the trim control, radio flip flop, radio push-to-talk, and autopilot disconnect. The wires exit from the bottom of the stick. I’ll wire these to a connector in order to make it removable.

A few years back when moving to the hangar, I somehow lost the center tunnel cover. So I had to make a new one, which took a couple hours.

Here you can see it (in gray) under the center console arm rest.

The center console mounts to the flap cover and sits quite snug over the tunnel cover. This makes it rock solid for leaning on and using it to get in and out of the plane.

The last thing I did was to replace the NyLock nuts on my throttle bracket with all metal nuts.

This has been on my todo list for a long time and I just needed to knock it out.

Next time I’ll wrap up the control stick installation with the wiring and then the sticks are done!

RV-7 N890GF

Build Log for George's RV-7 Project

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