Sun Aug 2 18:25:17 2009 - Finally got around to installing the Aviator seats from Classic Aero. Aniko and I got in and they feel good....really good. The air vent brackets got a coat of paint and are drying. I also finalised the installation of the extended and recessed switch panel. Ahh, I see from the picture that I still need to apply some paint to the top of the roll-bar where I polished some proud pop rivets.

Tue Mar 3 21:49:38 2009 - And here's the setup. The lines (brakes, fuel, and purge) do not contact the bottom skin as they run fore/aft. I intend to place some kind of insulation between the lines and skin. One thing is for sure, working with 1/4" aluminum tubing is much nicer/easier than 3/8".

Tue Mar 3 18:51:49 2009 - I sent my right tank hose back to Brett @ Bonaco to have this assortment of AN fittings inserted in-line for the AFP purge valve. Got it back the other day, so I figured I'd better see how it works. It fits like a glove! Now, all I have to do is run the 1/4" line from the firewall to here. Easier said than done...much easier said.

Sat Jan 31 15:23:50 2009 - Decided I'd do a little work on the com antennas. The question is, "how do you keep the antenna in position while lining it up and drilling the attachment holes?". Solution: Take some scrap .020" pieces and drill 1/2" holes and stack them until the BNC connector holds everything in place. I set the coax pass-through to be 5/8" rather than 1/2" since this'll allow me to remove the antenna w/o removing the seats and floor panel(s). The doubler plate will have nutplates.

Mon Dec 22 19:20:22 2008 - Decided to do the brake lines. Instead of splitting the hose, per the plans, and slid pieces down the lines. The trick is to push on the ends so that the hose fattens up a little and slides down the tubing.

Sun Dec 7 17:06:40 2008 - When I ordered the Grove brakes, I requested Viton O-rings (much higher temperature rating) which they included for free. Using 20 PSI of air pressure, the pistons popped right out. The other pistons are numbered '3' and '4' to avoid possible confusion in the future.

Sun Dec 7 17:01:02 2008 - Just for reference, mainly. The spacers are 0.5" with 916L washers.

Sun Dec 7 16:15:48 2008 - Long time ago I bought the Grove brakes rather than the Van's parts. My reasoning: I'm a low time pilot and I'm sure I will slightly abuse the brakes as I learn how to fly this thing. Also, the Groves have much better stopping capacity just in case. The planes really suck in this area and being that I went custom, no telling what I going to deal with. Two very minor changes: 1) I used AN4-12A bolts rather than the AN4-11A to attach the wheel pant bracket and 2) I had to notch the bracket about 1/4" to allow the calliper to fit (right by the oil port). Oh, and don't worry about the nuts - this all temporary hardware.