March 20th – I have got the whole airframe polished with the C grade of Nuvite, it looks pretty good, but there are still some swirls showing up. I have done some reading about other folk’s experiences, and there is some thought about using an in-between level of polish, but with the orbital polisher rather than the rotary buffer. I have some on order, but for now, I can live with what I have.
I had previously ordered some new tubing to run the pitot and static lines, I went for a kit from Steinair which came with some very nice fittings, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to use them; into the spares box.
The tubing will work fine though, so I hooked up the color coded pitot and static lines to the EFIS and did the final instal on that instrument and the EMS. The panel is now complete.
The eagle eyed amongst you may notice the addition of some extra labels on the switches. My thought is that a two position switch should be fairly logical, but on reading the verbiage on certification, it is arguable that everything needs idiotproof labeling. Rather than have that ‘discussion’ with whoever come to inspect the aircraft, I added some extra labeling.
The plans have templates for the gear leg fairings, but as I have installed disc brakes and different hoses, I have to make some allowances. I won’t be able to finalize the install until the Wheel Pants are in place, but I made a start with some CAD work…
There is very little left to do that doesn’t need more space, so, as the weather is getting a little warmer, I enlisted some muscle, built a ramp, and kept my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t have to cut the doorpost to get out!
Thanks go out to Jeff and Matt for supplying the motive force, I couldn’t have done it without you!
So, she’s out of the shop. I have borrowed a trailer again, and on my next week off, plan on moving everything up to KMGJ. There I will be able to do final assembly and see if the engine will start!
In the mean time, I took some pictures in the bright sunlight.
Exciting times coming, stay tuned….