November 28th – I tidied a few things up in the engine bay; reinstalled the fuel filler drain, fastened the charging receptacle in place, and fit the main fuel line to make sure there was no interference.

I put the tail fairings back in place, they will come off again for polishing, but I want to get things mounted to check final fit.

I moved onto the cockpit interior next. The leather control boots didn’t fit well around the sticks, so I broke out the sewing kit and tidied them up a bit. With them in place, I checked the clearance on the seat cushions to ensure full and free control movement, then velcroed them in place.

I want to carry a small Halon Fire Extinguisher on board and, after a little experimentation, determined that it would fit on the floor. I wanted a good strong mount for it and came up with a bracket that will be riveted to the floor.

And the finished article…

The baggage compartment comes with no attachment points, the rear can be bolted to an open crossmember but the front crossmember is closed off. With the seat cushions installed though, a heavy duty zipper can be installed, which, along with velcro, will hold everything securely. I stole Kat’s sewing machine, fit some heavy duty needles and thread and did some sewing…

 

 

 

 

Before the final install of the baggage compartment, I used some of the ClickBond zip tie mounts to tidy up some wiring.

With the progress that I’ve made lately, the idea of actually assembling this beast and taking to the air is becoming more of a thing. With this in mind, I have rented a hangar at Orange County Airport again, I am going to move the wings out there to open up some room in the workshop. Before they go, I need to finish up a few things; the tip ribs, flap and aileron mounting and wiring for the lights. First off, squeeze the wings into the workshop…

I riveted the tip ribs on, mounted the lights and hung all the control surfaces.

I had already run all the wiring through conduit in the wing, now it was time to attach all the plugs.

And then, it was time to move the wings. I borrowed a car trailer (thanks David) and was hoping to be able to fit both wings on at once. This proved impossible, and I really didn’t want to damage anything, so two trips were in order.

And repeat…

While I still had the trailer, I moved the large workbench too, so I am now well set up for when final assembly starts!

More to come, stay tuned…