Category Archives: Mid Fuselage

Time: 4 Hours

I had some time this morning before I had to fly so I went to the shop to work on two projects. The first was to fabricate a shelf for the Vertical Power VP-X box. It was pretty easy to measure and draw out the shed on some .040″ sheet. I just used the measure ya of the box from their website and made the shelf just big enough to support it. It will eventually be bolted to the aft crossbrace and the forward part of the shelf once I buy it. I cut it out and made the necessary notches for the screws that were in the way. I then drilled four holes in the forward crossbrace in between the screws that were holding the adel clamps. Once I had those done I clamped the shelf in place and match drilled the holes through the shelf. I removed the shelf and drilled for four nutplates on the shelf for #8 screws that would hold the forward edge in place. Once all the holes were cleaned and dimpled where required I scuffed the entire peice and primed it. Once the primer was done I riveted the four nutplates on and screwed it in place. 

     
    
     The second task I wanted to do was drill the left and right consoles for all the switches  that I was planning on using. I wanted to wait to do this until I recieved my custom panels from engravers.net. They do all sorts of engraving from instrument panels to fuel caps. I had been working with them on the layout and placement of all the items I wanted. Once it was settled they engraved a .020″ thick piece of matte black sheet that had a white sheet under it. Where they engraved the black the white showed through it. This panel has an adhesive back that will hold it in place. Once I recieved it I used it as a template to mark all the holes on the consoles which made sure they would all align. Once I had them marked I drilled them all using the step bit. Now that I have them all drilled I can clean the consoles up and paint them. Once that’s done I can install the panels and switches and wire them up.  

    
 Fun day although short and happy with how everything turned out. I recieved a big shipment from Aircraft Spruce that included several wiring harnesses including the Skyview main harnesses and the connector kit for the VP-X. One note on the VP-X is that they have an online planner that is really cool and allows you to input every device that you are going to need power for and assign a circuit breaker value. The best feature is the ability to send your configuration to them with a push of a button for them to give you feedback. Chad Jensen provides the best customer service and gets the feedback to you very quick. He gave me several recommendations over several tries and I recieved the best feedback yesterday, “looks good” which means I’m ready to final cut and build the connectors. Thanks Chad for all the great feedback!

Time: 2 Hours

I received the extra parts from Aircraft Spruce yesterday and started right in with finishing up the linkage between the two throttle arms. I took my time making the measurements for the final cut of the tube as I didn’t want to redo that peice. Once I was happy with the length, knowing that I had a little wiggle room with the threaded ends of the clevis connectors, I marked and made the cut. I then tapped the aft end of the tube and inserted the new clevis and jam nut. It was a little bit of trial and error on getting the perfect length and I had to shorten the tube by about 1/8″. I fine tuned the final length by adjusting the clevis ends either in or out. The goal was to have the throttle movements equal but giving the full movement to the pilots throttle. I finally got it and tightened the jam nuts for now. Next I needed to enlarge the hole that it passed through by the rear throttle where it was rubbing as the throttle was moved forward and aft. Overall it looks really good and has perfect movement.  

Time: 3 Hours

I put in an after market throttle for the rear seat as well as the main controls from DJM Mnaufacturing. Now I need to connect the rear throttle arm to the forward throttle arm. Since I moved the forward controls aft and inboard of the original plans this connection will be all custom work. I’m planning on using the 5/16″ tube that Vans supplies with the rear throttle kit. I tapped the end for a 1/4″ clevis connection and put it in place with a jam nut.   

   My plan is to use a clevis connection on both ends to allow easy connection and removal. To start the process for the throttle arms I removed boy throttle housing and drilled a 3/16″ hole in each to attach the clevis. I measured up 1-5/8″ from the pivot point on each and 5/16″ from the edge. The throttles are pretty close to level with each other so I’m figuring that the throw will be the same. 

 I attached the forward end of the push tube to the forward throttle. I had to hold it up to the rear throttle area to figure out where the hole I needed to drill for the rod to pass through. After I had the hole drilled I made some measurements on the bend I would need to make in the push rod to accommodate the difference between the two throttle arms. I then took those measurements and bent the tube with my tubing bender. With the bends pretty close I attached the front end to the forward throttle. With the bends in I was able to measure the length of the pushrod at the aft end making sure to leave a little extra just in case.  

    
   I will get the rear clevis and pin from Aircraft Spruce tomorrow and be able to make the rear final cut on the push rod. I added a Blackhawks banner to the shop that my girl got me for Christmas.  
 

Time: 6 Hours

I finished up the right side console that matches the left minus the throttle quadrant hole. This one was a bit easier as I had the knowledge from the left. It turned out just as nice and I’m guessing I will need a little fine tuning as I get all the parts together.  

 After I finished up the fabrication work I primed the top and screwed them together to see how they both looked.  
 I think these will work! Now on to prepping the tail so that we can rivet the top skin on finally. I removed all the shells that I had made along with the ELT and rear stick and set those aside.  

 My buddy Glenn saved his wood inserts from his first aircraft so I’m using his rather that making my own. These plywood pieces rest on the lower longeron’s and gives you a place to lay while climbing in the tail to do the bucking.  

   There won’t be a lot of room in there!