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Europa |
| N55XS | |
| May, 2004 |
Europa A-055
May 1st
Checked cockpit module one final time and bonded it in place. My wife was very helpful in this phase. No way to do it alone. Once in and riveted/screwed down, with weights holding the awkward parts down, we allowed the Araldite/flox fixture to set. Once set, I opened the lower fuselage to get at the aileron bellcrank brackets. Sanded well around the inside of the brackets and the outer skin of the fuselage. Laid up three layers of BID and epoxy on three sides. Will complete the forth side when the rivets, holding the cockpit module, firm, are drilled out. Applied a mixture of epoxy and flox to the joint, where the rear cockpit module bulkhead meets the lower fuselage floor, then laid in two layers of BID and epoxy. Installed pitch rod.
Click thumbnail for larger view
Time: 4 hours
Total: 174 hoursMay 2nd
Drilled out rivets and removed screws used to hold the cockpit module in place, when bonding. Laid up BID on the forward edge of both wing spar entry holes, in fuselage. My wife installed the pitch rod lower containment stop while I trimmed the trim tabs, which had been previously marked for rudder clearance. Sanded and touched up the edges with micro and set aside to cure. Performed mod 62 on tailplane torque tube. A lot easier to do now, than when the top fuselage is bonded in place.
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 3 hours
Total: 177 hoursMay 3rd
Fabricated rudder pedal floor plates and fitted, temporarily into place. Finished opening rudder pedal pass-through holes. Sanded Tufnol bushings to proper fit on shafts and assembled rudder pedal assembly in place to check clearances and operation. Can't fit them permanently until nose gear mount arrives.
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 3 hours
Total: 180 hoursMay 5th
New swaging tool arrived today, so I made up the cables that stabilize the mass balance arm. Tool does a very good job...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 1 hour
Total: 181 hoursMay 6th
Fabricated port aileron push rod. Cut out mass balance slots in port wing. Riveted port aileron blind nuts onto hinges, trimmed and fitted aileron and mounted it to the wing. Fitted and bonded port aileron mass balance horn sockets...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 4 hours
Total: 185 hoursMay 7th
Cut, installed and bonded the the polycarbonate tubing that will house the wiring for the port wingtip. Installed and glassed the port flap mounting brackets. Opened the port wingtip, in preparation for installing the position and landing lights...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 5 hours
Total: 190 hoursMay 8th
Finished the flap mounts on the port wing. Started building up the port wingtip for installation of lights and clear lens. Pulled wiring for port wing lighting...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 3 hours
Total: 193 hoursMay 10th
Fabricated the lens cover attachment points for the port, clear, wingtip. Assembled the port (red) nav light/landing light. Trial fitted to the wing. Everything looks good. Fabricated mounts for the port and starboard strobe assemblies...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 4 hours
Total: 197 hoursMay 20th
Fabricated access panel for port tip lighting and permanently installed port light assembly.
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 3 hours
Total: 200 hoursMay 21st
Installed polycarbonate tube in starboard wing to accommodate wingtip wiring. Reduxed aileron mass balance boxes into starboard wing...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 1 hour
Total: 201 hoursMay 22nd
Opened up starboard wingtip and fabricated and laid up support for new, clear, wingtip. Started cleaning up the starboard aileron mass balance boxes. Opened wingtip lighting access panel and fabricated panel cover. Finished fabricating starboard strobe mount. Pulled wiring for landing light and nav lights...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 4 hours
Total: 205 hoursMay 23rd
Started filling the starboard aileron mass balance boxes. Finished the starboard strobe mount and installed strobe tube. Assembled the starboard nav light board and tested. Began assembly of the starboard landing light. My wife, Mary, installed the starboard wing strobe cable and secured it in place. Then she coated the finished nav light assembly. I did a bit more work on the starboard wingtip light access panel.
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 4 hours
Total: 209 hoursMay 24th
Made up wiring ends on starboard wing. Finished starboard wingtip lighting access panel. Assembled wingtip lighting components and installed into wing. Hooked up wiring...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 3 hours
Total: 212 hoursMay 25th
Control surfaces came back from the paint shop, after post curing. Spent the bulk of the day sanding and priming. Once primed, I started fine sanding one of the stabilators. Looks like the surface will be extremely smooth for painting. Some minor touch up and one more coat of primer, should do it...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 5 hours
Total: 217 hoursMay 26th
Sanded on the stabilators. They will require a little more touchup and another light coat of primer, but will be ready for paint, soon. Projected painting is late next week.
Time: 4 hours
Total: 221 hoursMay 27th
Finished the initial sanding on all parts. Touched up all nicks and scratches and sanded them out.
Time: 5 hours
Total: 226 hoursMay 29th
Sprayed final coat of primer on flying surfaces, then touched up remaining scratches and nicks. They are ready for final sanding and then painting. Fabricated a fuel sump system by installing a "T" in the fuel gage and fuel return lines, where they enter the fuel tank. Opened a hole in each of the access covers to allow the drain valves to exit the fuselage. I can now take fuel samples with a standard sample cup. Arranged the tank gage and fuel return lines so that they create a low spot at the drain valve location.
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 4 hours
Total: 230 hoursMay 30th
Fabricated seat pans. Once they were assembled, Mary applied a flox fillet and then a single BID reinforcement. Once the bottom side was done, She applied a single BID layer to the top surface...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 3 hours
Total: 233 hoursMay 31st
Finished seat pans. Fitted upper fuselage to lower fuselage to check for placement of components in the overhead panel. Laid out components in respective places to check fit. Laid up two layers of bid to both sides of card stock to fabricate panel. Installed 3/4" vinyl tubing in upper rim of windscreen support, to act as a tunnel for running the wiring for the overhead panel. Molded it in with flox and laid up two layers of bid. Mary finished out the bid and applied peel ply...
Click thumbnail for larger viewTime: 3 hours
Total: 236 hours
