April '08

This month I got quite a few things done including fitting the fuel tank. It's an interesting method of fitting the tank using seat belt webbing to hold it in place. Although that sounds dodgy its actually quite ingenious and seems to work really well. It is important though to soak the webbing in water overnight so it will shrink when dry to ensure a tight fit. After the preliminary fitting last month and looking at how it sits in the frame, I also decided to add some small angle brackets to stop any sideways movement. I thought that with approx 60kg of fuel in a full tank that in flight there may be some sideways movement and didn't think that the straps would stop movement in all situations





I also fitted the upper root tubes and engine mounts...



finished off the fuel system...



Fitted the vertical fin and part of the tailwheel assembly...





The control sticks, aileron bellcrank and tie rods and throttle lever...





I also started on some wiring as it is a lot easier to fit before the frame is bolted into the hull. I started with the electric gear system using the supplied microswitches. I really didn't want to use microswitches instead going for a current relay but just couldn't find one to suit. The microswitches work well enough and because I have modified the actuator system so that the retraction bars can no longer be pushed through the lower bulkhead if a switch fails, I am happy with the outcome. I am also considering installing a back up system where I wire a switch direct to the actuators by-passing all relays, switches etc so that in the event of a failure I can get the gear down. Will keep you posted on that one. For those interested in electrics, I have included a wiring diagram below.







Next month I hope to finish the wiring and maybe even fit the frame into the hull so we'll see.

March 2008...

Again its been a little slow this month but at least I have finished the electric gear and am very happy with the results. Last month I mentioned I was going to make some new brackets for the retraction bars to not only get more over centre, but to make sure that in the event of a microswitch failure, the retraction bars don't get pushed through the lower bulkheads. This has finally been achieved by making new brackets and repositioning them on the retraction bar as shown in the below photo...
Click photo to enlarge
You can see that there is now enough over centre and that when the actuator is fully retracted, the upper bars fit snugly on the spacer pad.

The photo below shows the position when the actuator is fully extended. Note that the retraction bar cannot now be forced through the lower bulkhead if a microswitch fails.
Click photo to enlarge
I am very happy with the end result however it has taken me 25.5 hours to get to this point. Time will tell if it was worth it!

Also this month I did a preliminary fitting of the fuel tank. It is quite a unique way that they have devised to fit it. The all aluminium fuel tank is actually designed and made in Australia by the Searey Distributor. Rob Loneragan. Apparently the original tank made by the manufacturer was made of plastic, was smaller capacity, and had issues with deformation and leaking.

Hope to get a lot done in April.