Joshua's RV-9A Project

Dispatched several items from the punch list today…

• Installed nutplates & test fit the forward lower cowl closure plate.
• Crawled into the tailcone with a vacuum and cleaned out all the construction debris, cut off zipties, and other junk that had accumulated back there.
• Wrapped electrical tape around the mini-DIN connectors feeding power and GPS to the ELT.  Personally, I dislike the mini-DIN connector (there are so many other, better choices), but it’s what the manufacturer chose, so we’re stuck with it here.  Hopefully the tape will prevent the connector from disconnecting.
• The APRS tracker also has a mini-DIN (ugh), but even worse–where the ELT has both halves inline, the tracker has one chassis mount side, which prevents taping the two together.  So, I put a glob of Goop adhesive at the joint between connector shell & chassis, which should hold it together.  The preload on the cable tends to hold the connector in, so hopefully this will secure it.  Thankfully, if this comes undone, it’s an annoyance, rather than a critical failure.
• Removed the springs from the roll trim assembly, which disconnects the roll trim from the control system.  This done at the suggestion of the pilot who will do my first flight, the theory being that it makes any heavy-wing or out-of-rig situations easier to notice and diagnose.
• Found one spot missing a ziptie under the panel, so added it while laying upside down on the cabin floor.
• Uncovered the wings and wiped off the shop grime and bug poop.
• Removed the flaps & ailerons from both wings, and unbolted the wings from the cart, in prep for mounting the to the fuselage.

Just a quick jaunt to the airport tonight — brought out some scotchbrite so I was able to scuff & prime the lower cowl closure plate. Also countersunk the holes in the cowl which attach it. Walked around the plane and blew off some dust. Couple more little things and there’ll be no choice but to stick the wings on.

Amid the craziness of this week and next, I made it out to the hangar for a couple hours tonight.  Worked on a couple of punch-list items.  First, I’d brought the electrical toolbox, so I was able to extract the old sockets from the taillight molex shell, and insert the new ones.  Then, install the taillight to the rudder and test both nav & strobe functions.

Safety-wired the pitch trim hingepin in place.

Dimpled the screw holes on the bottom fuselage skin, that overlap onto the wing; these would be impossible to dimple after the wings are installed.

Measured for and fabricated a closure plate for the forward part of the nosegear slot in the bottom cowling.  I forgot to bring any scotchbrite to the hangar though, so didn’t get it primed or nutplates attached, though all the drilling/deburring/countersinking is complete.

Back at it today, before another night at work.  Had two visitors at the airport to look at the project and talk.

• Crimped new Molex sockets on the taillight wires.  Forgot the extractor, so couldn’t take the old ones out of the connector shell to replace ‘em…
• Finished installing the elevators, and connected the pushrod and center bearing.
• Installed the rudder and connected the cables.  Some small tweaks to the rod ends and the aft edge of the fuselage and VS skins to eliminate some light rubbing.

At this time, the empennage is fully installed, save for the taillight and some tweaking to the pitch trim servo connector.

Popped out to the airport again tonight:

• Removed the spiral wrap from the taillight wire and replaced it with expandable sleeving, in an effort to keep the weight down in the rudder.  This required removal of the Molex connector, which we be reattached tomorrow.
• Crimped a ring terminal on the taillight ground wire.
• Installed & torqued the last VS attach bolt with the adel clamp and ring terminal.
• Hung & pinned the elevators.  Discovered the collection of special washers needed to install the center bolt must still be in the shop at home.
• Verified operation of the pitch trim servo.

Had the day off work today, and with the list of concerts to edit temporarily down to none, it was off to the hangar.  First, though, it took almost 2 hours to sort through, collect, and pack up everything that needed to move from the shop to the hangar.  On the way, stopped at Menard’s a picked up a rolling toolbox and a plastic shelf thing that were on sale.  After setting those up (could already use a second shelf thing), and putting things in their place, my corner of the hangar is becoming a workspace.

Popped off the top cowl in order to re-install the dehyrator plugs after baking the silica gel.  Adjusted a couple of the camlocs on the top that were too tight, and installed the spring on the oil door.

Climbed way back into the tailcone to install spiral wrap on the wire bundle that runs aft, for additional protection against chafing, should it rub against the skin between the ziptie bases.  Also wrapped the taillight wire bundle as it passes through the aft bulkhead and through the rudder.

Installed the HS & VS, torqued & marked all bolts — except the one that also attaches the case ground for the taillight, since I forgot to bring the crimper & ring terminal for that wire.

Removed the rod ends from the flaps and reinstalled with new lockwashers and blue loctite.

Made a quick stop by the hangar to drop off some supplies.  Not much work this week, busy editing CD’s every night.

Up early this morning, having taken the day off work, and called the towing company to confirm we’re still on.  The weather looks good, so we’re set for a 10am move to the airport.  Before that, I secured a videocamera inside the fuselage, mounted to the rollbar support channel, and one in the front window of the truck.  Pulled the plane out into the driveway to be ready for the truck to arrive.

Lots of open space in the shop now…what’ll I do with that?  I suspect Allison has some ideas already.

Kyle, the driver from Siewert’s Garage, a family-owned towing shop in Red Wing, showed up on time and was prepared with all sorts of straps and things that we could choose from to secure the plane to the truck.  He asked lots of questions in order to understand how best to lift, maneuver, secure, etc, the plane; I appreciated that he took the time to do it right.  Once the plane was loaded and secured to both our satisfactions, we traded cell numbers and set off down the highway, with me chasing in the pickup.  He kept the speed under 45 the enire way; watching from behind, I was never in doubt that the plane was secure, though we did make a pre-arranged stop after several miles to check the straps.

Pulling in to the airport, I led the truck to the hangar and we commenced to offloading the plane.  He grabbed some pictures for the guys at the shop, I paid the bill, and he was on his way.  In the 45 minutes I was on site, no fewer than three guys from the airport stopped by to check out the plane; there are several RV’s already at the airport, along with some other experimental types including a Lancair.  With the plane safely tucked away in the back of the hangar, it was off to get money to pay the hangar rent, along with a visit to the Ellsworth cheese factory down the road.

The tow truck was involved for a couple hours, and I was home in time for a late lunch.  Time-compression and editing out the parts where nothing was happening mean the entire thing is under 7 minutes on video…