tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237365770029165722024-03-05T21:49:31.714-05:00Building adventures of an Ultralight Gliderburnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-43164596999377900122022-05-15T14:30:00.004-04:002022-05-15T14:30:29.704-04:00Release mechanism completed<p>The release I built months ago is now welded up and the bottom has been filed flat. I added silicone grease to all the rotating bits and surfaces. It's more-or-less ready for a final checkout once I'm ready to go launch.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOp3FgAh_jW7hBIruViLtoq2-UQxZ5AwTgmYFz0pwSJ9FqFszH-dXX4OFSG-Pj-GZNwxqcLhIzNwwa5byJQirrkdb4s-VN3Izv4yWAfYFhIm4bUTgjo-5aJWtDvb-ok_CRtpExUoflr1yKN8ISpre7_5pzGYyjySulADt4Lq_WUEIMZSQJHsE-HEtNg/s4032/2022-05-15%2013.46.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOp3FgAh_jW7hBIruViLtoq2-UQxZ5AwTgmYFz0pwSJ9FqFszH-dXX4OFSG-Pj-GZNwxqcLhIzNwwa5byJQirrkdb4s-VN3Izv4yWAfYFhIm4bUTgjo-5aJWtDvb-ok_CRtpExUoflr1yKN8ISpre7_5pzGYyjySulADt4Lq_WUEIMZSQJHsE-HEtNg/w400-h180/2022-05-15%2013.46.43.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Mounted on the tow vehicle, the emergency release line has an easy run up through the headrests to the passenger seat, for a no-question easy grab. Having tried this a dozen times at different orientations, it was really consistent.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbHyYFXHmWhvcKDiMdFKJsD4VKMRzPazMMkXOhSe8v_zpbOw0SL_YQCVH-mfjuhUE8JwdJjBZKePbNNIZmE4j5cQBioTPF-o2XMvJZmCUUwMANe3MvthLSclYURIuKFDQm-q1pyan69EwJZpE6Pd8HwS5ExAaR7RotaVqpEtHRp7SM9mO-B5PBQPFyg/s4032/2022-05-15%2013.49.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbHyYFXHmWhvcKDiMdFKJsD4VKMRzPazMMkXOhSe8v_zpbOw0SL_YQCVH-mfjuhUE8JwdJjBZKePbNNIZmE4j5cQBioTPF-o2XMvJZmCUUwMANe3MvthLSclYURIuKFDQm-q1pyan69EwJZpE6Pd8HwS5ExAaR7RotaVqpEtHRp7SM9mO-B5PBQPFyg/w180-h400/2022-05-15%2013.49.45.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p>I left the main bolt slightly loose (it's a lock-nut, so no issue of it falling out), so the mechanism can swivel left/right to follow the direction of the force off runway center-line. The steel ring itself can pitch down about 45deg and up around about 90deg, again to follow the direction of the towing force. I'm happy with it.<br /></p><p>The trailer is still in the same state of needing final welds, a top deck, rails, and mounts for holding the wings. It's now nice summer weather, so maybe this can be the final push between work events.<br /></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-1829229815604088282022-01-30T19:11:00.000-05:002022-01-30T19:11:20.313-05:00Trailer!<p>It's tacked together healthy enough for a test spin around the neighborhood! It's a bit flexy in torsion and loooong making turns. Hopefully it'll stiffen up with a deck on top...<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggMCB8jGHhDsAim1Iyrb8nHzxCu519lM2YHG1fVKnHBVkB6lSaf1OtfOf9gLjRyOF4bIlI4xiiHBg6OxpTYO7G2fIFh4A-J03sffb55Smzgfh3nx-9ulrLp7nnreQIOAVI5JRuJ6uouC3-YTRcdDmTLZZ1zXiv6XiaSm4FRpmMTNQM6Xm37Eeh_LRDIw=s2679" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="2679" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggMCB8jGHhDsAim1Iyrb8nHzxCu519lM2YHG1fVKnHBVkB6lSaf1OtfOf9gLjRyOF4bIlI4xiiHBg6OxpTYO7G2fIFh4A-J03sffb55Smzgfh3nx-9ulrLp7nnreQIOAVI5JRuJ6uouC3-YTRcdDmTLZZ1zXiv6XiaSm4FRpmMTNQM6Xm37Eeh_LRDIw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>I am still not a good welder, but at least it's stuck together. I struggled a bit with the 1/4" thick webs of the c-channel pieces making a fillet to another 1/4" thick web. The tungsten tip kept eroding (exploding?) no matter my changes in technique or settings or type of tungsten (tried blue, green, and red). Perhaps a thicker tungsten would have helped? The lowest AC balance I can set is 30% cleaning. I tried frequency of 40Hz, 60Hz, and 80Hz with no real difference between them.<br /></p><p>The other thing difficult was the 1/16" 4043 filler rod would melt before I could get it to the weld puddle. Is 1/16" just too small for the heat that 150-200A throws off? Or is the eroded tip making too a wide of an arc cone that melts the filler rod too? I ran about 15-20 LPH on the Argon flow meter.<br /></p><p></p><p>Some welds are okay. Some welds are ugly. A few welds seem nice. Here's a nice one:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZAZzNxWaVUiSaQC6FCiFP8jnFP_jIn8XKJuvq6Ksj5yQgwlRD19QY4eFJHQVu0Lbl35INx0NbeGaNiAnfy8wxWbERXfzTtfgVmKz21941ZqoiDNumZqLS4NWFDYj_55kZDFVoAk6wOorbEULVr5-qOarsHj-NcWvbqH6w9pExQu1dHfGMGRyH-1_pJQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZAZzNxWaVUiSaQC6FCiFP8jnFP_jIn8XKJuvq6Ksj5yQgwlRD19QY4eFJHQVu0Lbl35INx0NbeGaNiAnfy8wxWbERXfzTtfgVmKz21941ZqoiDNumZqLS4NWFDYj_55kZDFVoAk6wOorbEULVr5-qOarsHj-NcWvbqH6w9pExQu1dHfGMGRyH-1_pJQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>Welding is done for the weekend because the Argon is all gone. I
only have a 60 cu-ft tank and welded for probably 6-8 hours including a
bunch of practice.</p><p>I need to finish all the places that should have full welds and go back over a few of the early ones that are not very pretty. The auto-tow mechanism is also still waiting patiently.<br /></p><p>Thanks for reading.<br /></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-81813125798285102472022-01-27T20:30:00.001-05:002022-03-18T19:11:31.094-04:00Welding!<p>I'm a bad welder. But I am welding instead of not welding </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3pdUr8LyVVqZOuBeN9B8Ux56zJQ8wxnQcIR1wAG0fFqdPrvgxcKG054-WcelSAUx6id6Li7zD8IzmSMNJSrxYQ8MrYOfhM6OmmZ5PQQA7nr5sVCHcd-fuD0-sT9hOpElb4gXnSQfMhHDFlMeoMqX3qVs5JDYeFeYM2UKVvWEqmW4OACEzc5j4gUETnw=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3pdUr8LyVVqZOuBeN9B8Ux56zJQ8wxnQcIR1wAG0fFqdPrvgxcKG054-WcelSAUx6id6Li7zD8IzmSMNJSrxYQ8MrYOfhM6OmmZ5PQQA7nr5sVCHcd-fuD0-sT9hOpElb4gXnSQfMhHDFlMeoMqX3qVs5JDYeFeYM2UKVvWEqmW4OACEzc5j4gUETnw=s320" width="320" /></a></p><p>It does take a whole lot of stuff to do TIG welding: gloves, helmet, welder, argon, regulator, hoses, welding rods, torch, tungsten, foot pedal, ground clamp, wire brush. Lots of stuff. At least it's fun.</p><p>I did jump to welding some of the trailer parts the same evening after practicing. Yes, I couldn't wait. It doesn't look great, but I think it'll hold enough for this purpose. I'll get better.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDXOFLjbbqd9ZajysuLxUmXAfvq4LR7hBkTT_uQc7bqjcFp6A7y3nqX6r-4TzVME_j7kuT6o0BLv2zVTMeQHHHku4BA5I1zHTj0vPMof_Q0KovcU70BHjXa9XcI2Chq9nHhjSyqNkj7cJ9pve-ERs9DzaApX72n5Y-qUOltjh0pomm3KNpm3vW7pGjZQ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDXOFLjbbqd9ZajysuLxUmXAfvq4LR7hBkTT_uQc7bqjcFp6A7y3nqX6r-4TzVME_j7kuT6o0BLv2zVTMeQHHHku4BA5I1zHTj0vPMof_Q0KovcU70BHjXa9XcI2Chq9nHhjSyqNkj7cJ9pve-ERs9DzaApX72n5Y-qUOltjh0pomm3KNpm3vW7pGjZQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>The one bummer so far is that my 110VAC connection doesn't let me push more than 120A (on the 200A welder), and I'm needing more amperage for the thick trailer material. However, I have a sub panel next to my workbench and can work something out for 220VAC over the weekend. We'll see when I can sneak to Home Depot...</p><p>On a side note, the tow release is waiting until I get better before I waste the several hours of hand filing of the base plate by accidentally over-heating or being bad at fillets. It'll come.<br /></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-35313664009776402602022-01-22T08:24:00.004-05:002022-01-22T08:24:39.569-05:00Tow release is all but welded<p>The tow release mechanism is finished, shy of welding and a 3/4-inch hole. I think it looks awesome. Here are pictures for both latched and unlatched. The release arm takes somewhere around 3-10lb of pull pressure to activate the release.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEYu0homg7tc6jIb8RxtyICmfCQUkzi6X3H09wgaLHJGq64sC0LLTkcXSf9_FpQJ6Go9e--7K-Ylk-9hHdCkSmsbw8Av5FHq3DRDlrrMSMMHimSZKVqVoXuUD7AfIH8zbB6NNemQePvOrXEWsLLkwMriOnIJwSGNa3fO0jErkjn7pOrvs72EiXCecgtQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEYu0homg7tc6jIb8RxtyICmfCQUkzi6X3H09wgaLHJGq64sC0LLTkcXSf9_FpQJ6Go9e--7K-Ylk-9hHdCkSmsbw8Av5FHq3DRDlrrMSMMHimSZKVqVoXuUD7AfIH8zbB6NNemQePvOrXEWsLLkwMriOnIJwSGNa3fO0jErkjn7pOrvs72EiXCecgtQ=w400-h180" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwAgBL4K_eHAOH3akhLX6w29xNyDiqv7yXjhUOTF6gOgKlEM5slP24vFlDYWmDcl_ozE3TH_WZHv7mOB-vE32LxlhOP1dBS-tAT_poLwCLg2bUpZiX07RPm8kT0LrjgAJpwVNup0BqIW1QpB8ZmjACBEai55jBHEjaZ2CwX6pdea2mhD2bHbesx0Z8Eg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwAgBL4K_eHAOH3akhLX6w29xNyDiqv7yXjhUOTF6gOgKlEM5slP24vFlDYWmDcl_ozE3TH_WZHv7mOB-vE32LxlhOP1dBS-tAT_poLwCLg2bUpZiX07RPm8kT0LrjgAJpwVNup0BqIW1QpB8ZmjACBEai55jBHEjaZ2CwX6pdea2mhD2bHbesx0Z8Eg=w400-h180" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>The only difficulty was the tolerance stack-up of the thicknesses of the metal made the latch just a bit on the tight side, so I thinned the latch arm and washers by lapping them on 800 grit sandpaper. This also polished those parts so they slide smoothly. I think it looks awesome as a result of the polishing. I will just increase the spacing of the slots if I ever make this again.<br /></p><p>The 3/4-inch hole for the bolt to the hitch is larger than any drill bits that I have, so I'm still working on finding a large bit. But, a quick test with the 3D printed mechanism with a slightly loose locknut suggests it'll be able to rotate in the yaw direction on the hitch. (Alan, thanks for the heads-up that is definitely needed)</p><p>I haven't figured out how to manage the line tension overall. Placing a strain-gauge on the hitch metal could work! For the first flights, I'm hoping to get away without knowing or managing the tension directly.<br /></p><p>Welding stuff arrives in a few days... Thursday's high is 29F, so TBD on how quickly I can actually get to trying it all out though.<br /></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-10493153459322610512022-01-18T20:42:00.003-05:002022-01-18T20:42:39.543-05:00Tow-release from a car hitch<p>One hobby deserves another ... a TIG welder and necessary accoutrements are on the way to me from somewhere in China (surely!) and from New Jersey (seriously). It'll be a few weeks for all the stuff to arrive. And I'll likely have to figure out a 220VAC plug in the garage. And burn some metal practicing. Lots of practicing. But <i>then</i>, I'll be able to <i>start </i>the trailer welding. Don't take the sarcasm wrong! This is exactly what the hobby is all about for me: doing something independently because I can, not because it's the quickest (or least expensive).<br /></p><p></p><p>In the meantime, I started up a small project that will leverage the welder, and clear a nagging infrastructure equipment issue. For the auto-launching, I really want a release mechanism for the tow vehicle. The same Prius that tows the trailer can double as the launch vehicle. The trailer's tow hitch will be pulled out and a new one inserted, which has the release mechanism already attached.</p><p></p><p>The main two requirements for the release mechanism are:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Allow the line to be pulled in various directions and still transfer the towing force safely.<br /></li><li>Allow the driver to pull a release handle that opens the line.</li></ol><p>Personally, I've made a few release mechanisms for RC applications that
all worked mostly fine. The ones that didn't work usually jammed
because the pull-pin was side-loaded. This leads me to reconsider those exact mechanisms.<br /></p><p>After some looking around online, the Tost release mechanism is standard in nearly every sailplane. RC hobby aero-tow folks and hang-glider winch-tow folks have different typical release mechanisms, likely owing to their lower load cases. In-between is something akin to the Schweizer release, with a simple hook on a rotation pin, and a small lever-arm to release the hook end. I found the Schweizer release is sometimes used on the back of the towplane to release the sailplane or a banner. Time to copy the good idea...<br /></p><p>I started with CAD to draw up my impression of a Schweizer release and printed a few 3D plastic parts.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_XiNSSVmY5sRxak0rOOnI2_z-oF66TvkGaF2N8SocngInv80WOJDDVfUunWWllJ806ee6Zkb9Y4Rj-1is2L8472mTDl41hUaTh5F7vM17VrZWMmhJ4xJmVwtFvLuYR1LGP1a5LEbAFXmHQ_JblBu3bNV5lvYM4791ST1ZKY7zAXM5QoxgOUXUjV2euQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_XiNSSVmY5sRxak0rOOnI2_z-oF66TvkGaF2N8SocngInv80WOJDDVfUunWWllJ806ee6Zkb9Y4Rj-1is2L8472mTDl41hUaTh5F7vM17VrZWMmhJ4xJmVwtFvLuYR1LGP1a5LEbAFXmHQ_JblBu3bNV5lvYM4791ST1ZKY7zAXM5QoxgOUXUjV2euQ=w400-h180" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>An assembly with the 3D printed parts is a wonderful way to understand the mechanism and check its functionality. This always feels like a wasted day as I impatiently watch the printer print, but ideas and tweaks always come from spending the time staring at a single part as it prints. </p><p>With a total assembly, I went to the back of the car to see how it all fits. And yes there is snow on the ground right now. I'm not 100% sure how the rope will route to the driver quite yet, but I can confidently say this mechanism will release cleanly once the line is pulled. The large 3/4" bolt will also let the release mechanism rotate if Goat gets off of the runway centerline. Seems plausible so far.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiagrqhH9Ww2GG7vvSz9UlEUCWWf-l_YzAiRpxrPCkHa3S-OMFXiYupSxVMLiw4AoBjyO45Q88Joc_pqA8T8_OrAioL28nJA_1BUgY0tWgDIlapNblRVQF2_oQLQGWkLf98-DQkmE7lr8u8wqB_ybNrbafs-ia0sUeC0XzTEE08DBQy4GTHZuOmodrIJw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiagrqhH9Ww2GG7vvSz9UlEUCWWf-l_YzAiRpxrPCkHa3S-OMFXiYupSxVMLiw4AoBjyO45Q88Joc_pqA8T8_OrAioL28nJA_1BUgY0tWgDIlapNblRVQF2_oQLQGWkLf98-DQkmE7lr8u8wqB_ybNrbafs-ia0sUeC0XzTEE08DBQy4GTHZuOmodrIJw=w400-h180" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7XGtjVQx6cOEeIKQ8AmHZZvfnvPOpPmf3zU6LePn1r9_i0TZ9SvvTtLx4FgG9D-s34NdSYf_0B5DWDJQDukt_2Zzwn_YLuSTw0SJmd6ai8D_IQSRtOoEFk2VoW6vkJ50tk9P7p9hKWpCIfLF9PLgTowQMCqr3aF6Bo84E4co8cdQUIc1Ek6Vqhr66hg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7XGtjVQx6cOEeIKQ8AmHZZvfnvPOpPmf3zU6LePn1r9_i0TZ9SvvTtLx4FgG9D-s34NdSYf_0B5DWDJQDukt_2Zzwn_YLuSTw0SJmd6ai8D_IQSRtOoEFk2VoW6vkJ50tk9P7p9hKWpCIfLF9PLgTowQMCqr3aF6Bo84E4co8cdQUIc1Ek6Vqhr66hg=w400-h180" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>With all the fit-checking done, I printed 1:1 scale drawings, pasted on 6061-T6 aluminum with 3M Super 77, and started cutting, drilling, and filing. Two hours later, it's starting to come together. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsq_W10yWMvpUXB5PrAfak3oJ7u8QvCJoDcmM9j3KUAFhRwLHIdobB3zTjbq_MDsZOIb0oAujVqh1RVnqw0bR2UtCo4N5ou2QXObdS_kDUYCF3z3h2ZvAki17HjfyRtGIVZd08oKgnCWZo7N-JrS_s5PzaXHHwyX0czaobUXel5vMpme7OrssHxmcinA=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsq_W10yWMvpUXB5PrAfak3oJ7u8QvCJoDcmM9j3KUAFhRwLHIdobB3zTjbq_MDsZOIb0oAujVqh1RVnqw0bR2UtCo4N5ou2QXObdS_kDUYCF3z3h2ZvAki17HjfyRtGIVZd08oKgnCWZo7N-JrS_s5PzaXHHwyX0czaobUXel5vMpme7OrssHxmcinA=w400-h180" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8HMWoKa4ltOoU6NkArf_U3lbo9_KpKLqCr_gk1mIJ70rj1P0p6hET54Y51_ipV3iBiKB-0um-VXkMwggk_78l_Th_WSMomZt7VO2vZX20OGtCWYSlbXcZvkUa46YZiEEVzKLPmlnlIe1zP1BmD0AE0GP997LEjN_wZb3_upY_CptwC7XV1OdkuwnGkQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8HMWoKa4ltOoU6NkArf_U3lbo9_KpKLqCr_gk1mIJ70rj1P0p6hET54Y51_ipV3iBiKB-0um-VXkMwggk_78l_Th_WSMomZt7VO2vZX20OGtCWYSlbXcZvkUa46YZiEEVzKLPmlnlIe1zP1BmD0AE0GP997LEjN_wZb3_upY_CptwC7XV1OdkuwnGkQ=w400-h180" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's working great so far. Once it's all assembled from metal, I'll weld both the left line-guide tab and weld the release housing sides to the bottom plate.</p><p>Hopefully my next post will be of burning metal. <br /></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-60761790396765841652022-01-01T09:34:00.002-05:002022-01-01T09:34:39.708-05:00Probably the last trailer work before welding<p>I had a nice holiday break. It was mid-60's at times and so it was wonderful to be in the garage.</p><p>I drilled small a hole for the tail light wires and routed them through. It occurred to me at this point that the UMHW plastic spacer between the aluminum frame and the steel bracket would electrically isolate the ground line. Doh. I'll either remove the spacer entirely (and add dielectric grease), replace the plastic spacer with a sacrificial aluminum shim, create a jumper, or maybe just see if the stainless steel bolt does fine. Thank you for the grease suggestions D.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwfYm3Nqfbkl7WNIJV3hhJ2mzDM22C2MgB5n3_h_6nLU1EdBPsxoIMCFMo_gMZXLiqupCR9VUQzW0w-iujP04emDvnmVT7EGmrnnwokEfSnXqMaexkNZ6G-gvOlmTwmywXGp3Vr-jQlwZE0ZlvoB2HjyzsCveav1vj_s9KEvNKsDXPjxoUAIerD8Lkew=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwfYm3Nqfbkl7WNIJV3hhJ2mzDM22C2MgB5n3_h_6nLU1EdBPsxoIMCFMo_gMZXLiqupCR9VUQzW0w-iujP04emDvnmVT7EGmrnnwokEfSnXqMaexkNZ6G-gvOlmTwmywXGp3Vr-jQlwZE0ZlvoB2HjyzsCveav1vj_s9KEvNKsDXPjxoUAIerD8Lkew=s320" width="320" /></a></p><p></p><p>While doing wiring, I did try out the wiring holes through the holes in the cross-members. Here is a close-up shot of that, and you can also see how the c-channel mitering works.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3Eyfc8_3sf5YOhSKEoy5uL94_2VaGQh10CVGOCMIuRUhHj4q_fgYqOXpjv9M458-bNCb-9kh2Q1NJRZaq-43nrOZRpoT7wd496Y8fIVRcPNFLUBiQ3bVPRneT-__bc0ankCmGCO4BiyhfWVnpr9AKdrze-0jiXSQkdpt-RBgOaMKab8MsaWvICt14jA=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3Eyfc8_3sf5YOhSKEoy5uL94_2VaGQh10CVGOCMIuRUhHj4q_fgYqOXpjv9M458-bNCb-9kh2Q1NJRZaq-43nrOZRpoT7wd496Y8fIVRcPNFLUBiQ3bVPRneT-__bc0ankCmGCO4BiyhfWVnpr9AKdrze-0jiXSQkdpt-RBgOaMKab8MsaWvICt14jA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>As cleanup, I made sure that all seven cross-members had the same fit
and exact same length (under a 1/16th). It's overkill for a trailer,
but why do something just half-way at this point?</p><p>I also cleaned up the 16 wedge shims with a center mark (no pic, sorry) and figured out where to mount them on each cross-member. This is prepped for welding.</p><p>The amber side lights will wait until after welding. I do have marked out places for 5x each side, thinking ahead that I won't want someone to merge into a dark space behind my car at night. It should be hard to miss the giant white wings, but I'm not going to count on that.<br /></p><p>I think that may be just about it for the trailer prep. Welding is next.<br /></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-20323427658149308862021-12-28T16:38:00.001-05:002021-12-28T16:38:13.130-05:00Just a bit more work on the trailer<p>Trying to check off some more items from the to-do list.</p><p>Here are the new 316 stainless bolts with the UHMW spacers and the wedge shims as well. I may have the wedges tack-welded in place.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKGb_LKEr7H5yMdkRhuWx0cDkKWG6Umg_wv6IHvzEJG6jBb68ocekCXjVkJWAj0dMX8lEFyX_S3SFKt3nYhYLbHrGQ-9hK1_ejKfzB7gOeukyk1nfd1X8oui3PyEHWX6BSt6OS4C2U1AFjykrhqeeUz9wZfQHlivZbAcf7FTvxsKLL8zvIYkYPYjIw1A=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKGb_LKEr7H5yMdkRhuWx0cDkKWG6Umg_wv6IHvzEJG6jBb68ocekCXjVkJWAj0dMX8lEFyX_S3SFKt3nYhYLbHrGQ-9hK1_ejKfzB7gOeukyk1nfd1X8oui3PyEHWX6BSt6OS4C2U1AFjykrhqeeUz9wZfQHlivZbAcf7FTvxsKLL8zvIYkYPYjIw1A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I drilled holes for the wiring in the ends of the cross-members. This is a low-stress location and the nearby welds should be sufficient support. I was careful to deburr the drilled holes also to prevent from making a stress-riser of a sharp edge or a crack. That has the added benefit of not chafing on the wires.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjalEY8dpuEvNXUVIvplFYcFGRbeyyIw2A6ozcKdt1mELyDZ9A5gLYrBiQnFzB5qhBZnQuShxh3YE3e_MeamAOpTTgrS8nc1ER-F3dWsSgRFGtVjJItvwAZDw0hsBa5CnBZs4na-GRc007QpkWEPxvbiWbUGU1Sr8kfFwIlwopWz6dPcPuIiqXapwWUeg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjalEY8dpuEvNXUVIvplFYcFGRbeyyIw2A6ozcKdt1mELyDZ9A5gLYrBiQnFzB5qhBZnQuShxh3YE3e_MeamAOpTTgrS8nc1ER-F3dWsSgRFGtVjJItvwAZDw0hsBa5CnBZs4na-GRc007QpkWEPxvbiWbUGU1Sr8kfFwIlwopWz6dPcPuIiqXapwWUeg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here is a shot of the angle that will be welded to two of the cross-members, in order to support the end of the 4x8 plywood decking sheets butting together. I'm confident in this supporting the plywood.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjej34cPMNGuD_pFZxhPHawWPjucRi9offSAHurXYpQ7_GCX5ayzvWhubYC5xJjXRpat8VINRSPl9V997pU9pf8kwcNoG86gza20pfo1uTqdFWorj2ZpGGHskhqDA2ClSzwLMTUdsJ6iZlhkiMn6rNJawjLmc-2zzXl2DQqV7ymc1WKZIet7uiSI2_GVw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjej34cPMNGuD_pFZxhPHawWPjucRi9offSAHurXYpQ7_GCX5ayzvWhubYC5xJjXRpat8VINRSPl9V997pU9pf8kwcNoG86gza20pfo1uTqdFWorj2ZpGGHskhqDA2ClSzwLMTUdsJ6iZlhkiMn6rNJawjLmc-2zzXl2DQqV7ymc1WKZIet7uiSI2_GVw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>It's progressing. Work remaining prior to welding:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><strike>Drill holes for wiring to pass through the ladder rungs' webs. It's much easier now than later.</strike></li><li><strike>Mount the trailer tail-light brackets with a UMHW spacer for dissimilar metals.</strike></li><li>Buy & mount the amber side-lights. This is probably fine after welding though.</li><li><strike>Make additional wedge shims and </strike>position those for welding</li></ul>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-41324255615602279252021-12-23T09:48:00.001-05:002021-12-23T09:48:08.638-05:00More trailer work prior to weldingThe suspension is a small leaf-spring that attaches to a couple pieces of painted steel angle brackets. It is this bracket that I will be bolting to the aluminum frame. To avoid aluminum / steel contact, and to provide some spacers, I added UMHW plastic shims (white) that are rated for outdoor UV exposure. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCrTR4uJAsHeHxDTyvz8OEfMu1o81Ddy-QjKLjqZmJq7hChQdmIbFkDu_bptrZ_nqSKVhca3nrIJungOS5kQ8R5UHXB5xbheTsUFVawA-iMX9-txa-DktaDrbiKQXUfp1ArdoTZW4ydlebzCHIyIQXLnSe8TGq5VMylQ89sYxFG-ybwrfnu6WyGD4_FQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCrTR4uJAsHeHxDTyvz8OEfMu1o81Ddy-QjKLjqZmJq7hChQdmIbFkDu_bptrZ_nqSKVhca3nrIJungOS5kQ8R5UHXB5xbheTsUFVawA-iMX9-txa-DktaDrbiKQXUfp1ArdoTZW4ydlebzCHIyIQXLnSe8TGq5VMylQ89sYxFG-ybwrfnu6WyGD4_FQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaECNqmSXxYtkkWTQlc6WOJEerrNR7wqOyhYx7yk9JZKR9StzWoIgePixxjbNcCbk-56pui3kV48nqSMXuFsXLQhdnm73oTesoTtZd_7olO2sX-i_j1M0QEiBnVv2O0hsWmD5HuE9jsQCBiww1DowtGUm6F8-F6VxN4YtHAhEHX2ZYGddLPFl0g6s5Eg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaECNqmSXxYtkkWTQlc6WOJEerrNR7wqOyhYx7yk9JZKR9StzWoIgePixxjbNcCbk-56pui3kV48nqSMXuFsXLQhdnm73oTesoTtZd_7olO2sX-i_j1M0QEiBnVv2O0hsWmD5HuE9jsQCBiww1DowtGUm6F8-F6VxN4YtHAhEHX2ZYGddLPFl0g6s5Eg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The axle needs to be positioned to give 10-15% tongue weight based on my extensive education watching YouTube (LOL), so the holes will be drilled after the whole trailer is assembled. </p><p>There will be two holes in the shear web (less critical) and one hole drilled in the bottom structural cap. Drilling in the caps is more detrimental to the structure, so I want to minimize those and put any in places that are less stressed. For the trailer's loading, I expect the upper caps in tension to be more critical than the lower caps in compression, so I'll only accept holes in the lower caps. Further, the overhang aft of the wheels seems more stressed than between the axle and tongue, so I'll avoid drilling into the lower caps aft of the axle.</p><p>I made some wedge shims to make any bolts going through the caps have a flat surface to tighten against. These are cutoffs from the end mitering with a hole step-drilled up to the right M10 diameter. Six were needed for the hitch bracket. Thinking ahead, several more of these can be welded into the cross-members in places where I'll bolt down the decking (I'm still thinking marine / outdoor plywood to get over a couple seasons).</p><p>Thinking ahead for the decking, I bought some angle 6061 aluminum to weld onto specific cross-members so the plywood decking has somewhere to rest its edge (4x8ft, 4x4ft, 4x8ft). These should be easy to weld in place.<br /></p><p>I also bought new 316 stainless metric hardware to replace whatever was
rusting on the old trailer. The aluminum / stainless is unavoidable,
but I am minimizing contact where possible to try avoiding galvanic
corrosion. Anyone have a suggestion for a grease or coating that I can
spooge / spray over the area?</p><p>I did talk with a work colleague who is a professional welder, so one path toward completion is opening up. There is some work on my end remaining prior to welding still, so no action other than making the contact at this point.</p><p>The tail light brackets were quick. They do still need UHMW spacers between the pot-metal steel brackets and the nice aluminum frame.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxJkiIuLK4yeZFc1XjmHYXHaDsIdYtMzlynvl9XrBEoTtwR-6Nacm5gMQ9hlT6lT9wKR_qoWIsc1d9pUJ64eyK5PVW5WTWRJ_yS6aYcbTjNvHUhNp6C7dh5PEG0uf7FXHyq-tGLd12IK5dTmGpT1SrYYwdLvlwhxH4auf06c6d0WdzKU94obLj9Bot_w=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxJkiIuLK4yeZFc1XjmHYXHaDsIdYtMzlynvl9XrBEoTtwR-6Nacm5gMQ9hlT6lT9wKR_qoWIsc1d9pUJ64eyK5PVW5WTWRJ_yS6aYcbTjNvHUhNp6C7dh5PEG0uf7FXHyq-tGLd12IK5dTmGpT1SrYYwdLvlwhxH4auf06c6d0WdzKU94obLj9Bot_w=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>Work prior to welding:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Drill holes for wiring to pass through the ladder rungs' webs. It's much easier now than later.</li><li>Mount the trailer tail-light brackets with a UMHW spacer for dissimilar metals.</li><li>Buy & mount the amber side-lights. This is probably fine after welding though.</li><li>Make additional wedge shims and position those for welding</li></ul>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-86149698535228496862021-12-18T17:25:00.001-05:002021-12-18T17:25:23.935-05:00Metal for a Goat trailer frame<p>The Goat saga continues! I can never do something the easy way when it's quicker. Instead, things must be done right.</p><p>I had the bright idea to build a custom trailer, which seemed the smartest way to transport Goat by Prius. The caveat is that I have to design and build a trailer too.</p><p>A massive thanks to a friend with a sailboat trailer for spending a few hours helping me pick up the metal. I bought four 20-foot sticks of 6061-T6 American Standard 3-inch by 1.4-inch by 0.188-inch structural c-channel. It was going to be super sketchy to transport the 20-foot pieces on my tiny 8-foot trailer, so it was much nicer to use a trailer already set up for things of this length. Thanks Sam!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2JsCoW3BXxQi8l7UgXf8OZ9gMSlaDc1RiRNqX7bfFvrZjSEi8V42pRf6zD1MYQwINeHWt420Aj4ql7ldpUUTiZR4UY6G_VLmzLwquqtSHmoPrgiVSAsVZHYzNHSe4s4Hnu6ILXjOHRmVsumUg6US0wvRL5rmKskjlRLu-v2czqy3jlJJXy5Z-tUuMJA=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2JsCoW3BXxQi8l7UgXf8OZ9gMSlaDc1RiRNqX7bfFvrZjSEi8V42pRf6zD1MYQwINeHWt420Aj4ql7ldpUUTiZR4UY6G_VLmzLwquqtSHmoPrgiVSAsVZHYzNHSe4s4Hnu6ILXjOHRmVsumUg6US0wvRL5rmKskjlRLu-v2czqy3jlJJXy5Z-tUuMJA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>With the material at home, it was time to start chopping and mitering to make the structure fit the way it needs to.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUPQZYoNfIkELY0VdEiq6oiO7xPsTMNHxZxqArByGriuGOGYf_jH9uVb68LM4NMKYZ4vra_KHJdajzhRJp0kCmME4zeRP36hR6AlYVfjXzcxeRwjjSRONo5T3VCWFeASzSk2woi-MA4v4brBg1ph67mx59PfGTGOtwh0lbeh0NaKXF1EMfaAtXqFwnnA=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUPQZYoNfIkELY0VdEiq6oiO7xPsTMNHxZxqArByGriuGOGYf_jH9uVb68LM4NMKYZ4vra_KHJdajzhRJp0kCmME4zeRP36hR6AlYVfjXzcxeRwjjSRONo5T3VCWFeASzSk2woi-MA4v4brBg1ph67mx59PfGTGOtwh0lbeh0NaKXF1EMfaAtXqFwnnA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here are some close-ups of making the miters for the ends of the center supports.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4mPuT2wqHno2oY2A9ozXG-2Ia83MsdtYKChz4Yo625ELqKlutnTZH4ck1ltaGjuq4dHDNgeDSZZ61fbMmGgdSu8SOvhcYJlF0hJIwus5tcJL6GNggvtXI5yYeHor3UPZlq21sOPPSu_xrg3ikDBk3nDSYobCt9U1GNvakPMItC3g4XM4FmqKqHBG0rg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4mPuT2wqHno2oY2A9ozXG-2Ia83MsdtYKChz4Yo625ELqKlutnTZH4ck1ltaGjuq4dHDNgeDSZZ61fbMmGgdSu8SOvhcYJlF0hJIwus5tcJL6GNggvtXI5yYeHor3UPZlq21sOPPSu_xrg3ikDBk3nDSYobCt9U1GNvakPMItC3g4XM4FmqKqHBG0rg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9vGeu4LSBlflNEx3-o_Yc_ORKNdCfRqYmFdXbeyrTfzS3dxU6dkI7as4ZNWOXPwDK5O-zavwUFOB2E0pFhOewL_mIV7jF1iK_b_6jpY74Uhij_f4vIVgYW8q-N19owihA-D5srh8DGaxv7FzUC6n75depxMijgPibZwyuF7Jnh5sFXYWEVPi-5YmCvA=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9vGeu4LSBlflNEx3-o_Yc_ORKNdCfRqYmFdXbeyrTfzS3dxU6dkI7as4ZNWOXPwDK5O-zavwUFOB2E0pFhOewL_mIV7jF1iK_b_6jpY74Uhij_f4vIVgYW8q-N19owihA-D5srh8DGaxv7FzUC6n75depxMijgPibZwyuF7Jnh5sFXYWEVPi-5YmCvA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEccKDGCFqrCJLT1_ZAJuQRptExWbUNa4hIqxW0R2iWoFy3PQzIgZtqLyDpuqQZARRdr7Ono9KjAk0NqlgDPH2iA4OrmvFBJzCJTiywFGpgUwMbFo7i0nqWgzMS16s25U7Toc1oawKXL8qLqpDLAi0eP8KIlVtJLkDrcaeurMA6A_hESzFn26mlwwblg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEccKDGCFqrCJLT1_ZAJuQRptExWbUNa4hIqxW0R2iWoFy3PQzIgZtqLyDpuqQZARRdr7Ono9KjAk0NqlgDPH2iA4OrmvFBJzCJTiywFGpgUwMbFo7i0nqWgzMS16s25U7Toc1oawKXL8qLqpDLAi0eP8KIlVtJLkDrcaeurMA6A_hESzFn26mlwwblg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-ZjVrV4il8QlG6Xo0OZxSTzKJ3Y7gWlHPeSHVVB5s1E613DyPLvUJ-5xb2-Nfa3DUYsxlOf9rdY9IK0ZydAYHIfCOU9A4PL1JD9ky2Ov_yBw38TOvhT5Ofar9x-Wn7JddlpLV0cmxnnD1Tc1v1tyHoFhNdiBuC7KM25-uHG3xQRpIYyoH2rob2QgFYw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-ZjVrV4il8QlG6Xo0OZxSTzKJ3Y7gWlHPeSHVVB5s1E613DyPLvUJ-5xb2-Nfa3DUYsxlOf9rdY9IK0ZydAYHIfCOU9A4PL1JD9ky2Ov_yBw38TOvhT5Ofar9x-Wn7JddlpLV0cmxnnD1Tc1v1tyHoFhNdiBuC7KM25-uHG3xQRpIYyoH2rob2QgFYw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK9UcupirR_kykog5IkUS8Nb4IrSsFw06zVMjf_P3im8QWP5DE88Eyn93B1icxTF2cpEsWg8eRVCIjLE9giPHgc8XxPBlkn9rJ5g7A_qi96tJ6_DhL9xZiCdFlZ-nyoSelqnsqDiFP2PggZ71MdxSqYAKdI-KduDaUmxMXvjHZ-Ron9nVJdaIdWm51CQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK9UcupirR_kykog5IkUS8Nb4IrSsFw06zVMjf_P3im8QWP5DE88Eyn93B1icxTF2cpEsWg8eRVCIjLE9giPHgc8XxPBlkn9rJ5g7A_qi96tJ6_DhL9xZiCdFlZ-nyoSelqnsqDiFP2PggZ71MdxSqYAKdI-KduDaUmxMXvjHZ-Ron9nVJdaIdWm51CQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />All of these cross-pieces are inserted as ladder-rungs into the uninterrupted c-channel side members. <br /><p></p><p>I chose to make a new tongue with the material (instead of more cross-members). The tongue plate bolts on just fine. This should work dandy. The tongue pieces will be welded on the bottom of the frame, not exactly as shown in the mockup photo.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiARw02_B86c94XtFos8HQAnazwaQlB7PdnTtC4gZiVH4cRyTNB-XqpYPEHuQnJ4IPTAbhh0jyAPRcQB_ZM8-1v_x8wSj8S8Dh2e8xPObj8n20k2STwvL7byrs0aEl4HUWVa28fCTqWp4wQwLCABc4INL1Pt9po1NgGxdRhPh9uOwtAQTqpeJ--HtSh4w=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiARw02_B86c94XtFos8HQAnazwaQlB7PdnTtC4gZiVH4cRyTNB-XqpYPEHuQnJ4IPTAbhh0jyAPRcQB_ZM8-1v_x8wSj8S8Dh2e8xPObj8n20k2STwvL7byrs0aEl4HUWVa28fCTqWp4wQwLCABc4INL1Pt9po1NgGxdRhPh9uOwtAQTqpeJ--HtSh4w=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>Tomorrow will be looking closer at the axle, and then prepping all the lights & wiring. I can't weld aluminum, so it's either asking nicely for a favor from a friend or taking the parts to a welding shop. The more prep-work I do, the quicker / cheaper the welding will be, so I'm going toward that welding as prepared as possible.<br /></p>Comments welcomed.<br />burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-71936564679503501942021-09-04T08:45:00.006-04:002021-09-06T19:41:32.960-04:00Gap seals are all done (updated)<p>Not entirely sure why the time was right now to do the gap seals, but they're all done now nonetheless.</p><p>By the time I got to doing the last aileron, I finally had the wing gap-seal technique down...</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>pre-shrink the cloth to 120C. Its texture is mottled, but that's okay</li><li>use a piece of blue painter's tape 6in in length for marking. Find the attachment 2" on the wing side, and locate using the TE adhesion point as the alignment feature.</li><li>hold the 2" fixed side in place with a thumb and flex the surface through its range, which will pull the loose end of the tape to reveal the end of the 6" strip.<br /></li><li>figure out the end of the adhesion on the control surface</li><li>mark the ends and the adhesive contact point ends.</li><li>pull a string or a flexible long straight-edge to mark down the length of the whole wing.<br /></li></ul>That isn't a complete description for marking, so ask in the comments if you want to use this method and need more.<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>once marked, put adhesive on both fixed and control surface sides. Let dry.</li><li>iron the fixed side on the wing.</li><li>prop up the control surface at the angle of maximum stretch of the gap seal.</li><li>pulling a 3" section at a time, iron the gap seal to the control surface side pulled taut. There will be some wrinkles still, but get it overall pretty close.</li><li>iron the control surface side of the gap seal</li><li>increase temperature and pull the gap seal itself taut across the gap. Flex the control surface occasionally to make sure you're not over-tightening. If so, the Stewart Systems method allows the gap seal to be pulled off without penalty.</li><li>second gluing and wiping (only on the glue joint). Let dry. </li><li>iron at quite a warm setting, including tightening the gap seal to its final stretch. Do this with the control surface propped up again.</li><li>paint 2x coats of Glidden Gripper white primer diluted 3:1 paint to water ratio. I do one coat horizontally, then one coat vertically with a foam brush.</li><li>lightly sand with 220 grit the pinked edges and remove any boogers to make the skin surface smooth</li><li>final coat of paint</li><li>accept imperfection</li></ul><p></p><p>Marked for the gap seal, ready for adhesive:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSbDkq62lgSCWDlekw_DKqD3qUlgmnLVjZQDxvvflCRK76zAgFYN4qV7CZyHgcGT5-ybPG6IVfP8EQ5soEkJlf_nITOKNFWV6eeXSnQDPOVgVDT4U0i7wifSSfiOaDvWFC3A8YJmdneQR/s2048/2021-09-03+09.03.15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSbDkq62lgSCWDlekw_DKqD3qUlgmnLVjZQDxvvflCRK76zAgFYN4qV7CZyHgcGT5-ybPG6IVfP8EQ5soEkJlf_nITOKNFWV6eeXSnQDPOVgVDT4U0i7wifSSfiOaDvWFC3A8YJmdneQR/s320/2021-09-03+09.03.15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Just starting the fixed side pre-placement before ironing:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OcaabEMsozeTClEooVQmnSYRZTDPeSzP8xmTOy8S7ep_HbKiFHPjVZVOxbWKWvqWCkbZIas51WmaIyCZFcctK1n0Df3yGLzNQViH91J3GBjMnG-ZDTYP9tdTF-lCK_XAPR4jOSzuKHvO/s2048/2021-09-03+09.30.37.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OcaabEMsozeTClEooVQmnSYRZTDPeSzP8xmTOy8S7ep_HbKiFHPjVZVOxbWKWvqWCkbZIas51WmaIyCZFcctK1n0Df3yGLzNQViH91J3GBjMnG-ZDTYP9tdTF-lCK_XAPR4jOSzuKHvO/s320/2021-09-03+09.30.37.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Flap gap-seal done, showing how it looks, with the aileron (foreground) ready for the fabric.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhTrauc22ghulDlvCb9et8f2Q0Jaz15m2Frw4ymDcrb8-grPWQCmFvN4RvdfxG_L-F_QHzBO0GWb7Go5ALThAZmIHl0kQ9mz3cQoG9eY63eg3pzRLxNEK0drUWY4kqxbdsrhzKm3ooeWQ/s2048/2021-09-03+12.40.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhTrauc22ghulDlvCb9et8f2Q0Jaz15m2Frw4ymDcrb8-grPWQCmFvN4RvdfxG_L-F_QHzBO0GWb7Go5ALThAZmIHl0kQ9mz3cQoG9eY63eg3pzRLxNEK0drUWY4kqxbdsrhzKm3ooeWQ/s320/2021-09-03+12.40.24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Aileron gap seal done & painted:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vV689cvcRpYVCr-1lNvf_Kl0AwpaLiOAIelSaGJbjgY_BLMFNx5LapleukDizaLknnlsONfOBvqGpVmeP6n6QUzwy4QcIMRpPIFxqHuLzLcnrMRJh_Q-VGKUWhez4oaBGSq1yvdutQZS/s2048/2021-09-04+07.08.44.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vV689cvcRpYVCr-1lNvf_Kl0AwpaLiOAIelSaGJbjgY_BLMFNx5LapleukDizaLknnlsONfOBvqGpVmeP6n6QUzwy4QcIMRpPIFxqHuLzLcnrMRJh_Q-VGKUWhez4oaBGSq1yvdutQZS/s320/2021-09-04+07.08.44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>No word from the DMV yet on the trailer title & tags. Based on previous timing, I'm not expecting anything in return until about November. (updated: it arrived the same day of this post!)<br /></p><p>What else remains? I pondered this recently...</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>DONE - Get trailer title & tag</li><li>Modify trailer to safely haul Goat</li><li>Find an appropriate airfield to do the maiden</li><li>Mount GoPro(s) for maiden flight documentation<br /></li><li>Backyard final assembly and thorough pre-flight check, including weight & balance<br /></li><li>Go do the first flight!<br /></li></ul><p>Some other things on the eventual list...</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>add leather patch to wing tips where will rub the ground</li><li>install leather patch guides for elevator control lines</li><li>replace the nose tube (because the holes are twisted)</li><li>Trim color paint</li><li>Wing root kiss seal</li><li>Wing tip dolly</li><li>Wing wheel</li><li>Strut fairings (after flying to figure out the right angles)</li><li>Emergency parachute <br /></li><li>Real variometer (LXNav with a TEK probe is my intention, if it is sensitive at low speed...)</li><li>Drogue chute<br /></li><li>Motor mounting revisit (need guy-wires that means some un-covering and subsequent repairs)</li><li>Finding a "real" field for flying more regularly <br /></li><li>Place to store goat at home and/or at the flying field</li><li>USHGA "hang 3" rating so I can fly at cooler sites??</li></ul><p>Super random ---- I made it by the US National Sailplane Museum in Elmira, NY and found two of Goat's cousins:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgx2jEZb4r27QTxJCaYhJG75KOYoyy87p9kZ6W90TPS63YXEPrpHE_5I79qH0YfEMWmI-YQ3hPYyuPOqYJuT90-NqoyedZQUI6Dm2Hpnyi7w-xDjI21UQKqKyrdzq4LjR_bB4Iv0Z2jsP/s2048/2021-08-30+10.36.31.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgx2jEZb4r27QTxJCaYhJG75KOYoyy87p9kZ6W90TPS63YXEPrpHE_5I79qH0YfEMWmI-YQ3hPYyuPOqYJuT90-NqoyedZQUI6Dm2Hpnyi7w-xDjI21UQKqKyrdzq4LjR_bB4Iv0Z2jsP/s320/2021-08-30+10.36.31.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoWFKKnqcx49q3oTmu6QBe9qpeMJuRw7WNhW2Eny6F7R1cwgWPh6n1nUpnSqwVximGysSl7J0mOH_FsKBoET6B60e45T_0kBHYcnXyaFauax38b1mFxBiJZTLR93MKLUtT9NcIuKjQBlM/s2048/2021-08-30+10.36.49.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoWFKKnqcx49q3oTmu6QBe9qpeMJuRw7WNhW2Eny6F7R1cwgWPh6n1nUpnSqwVximGysSl7J0mOH_FsKBoET6B60e45T_0kBHYcnXyaFauax38b1mFxBiJZTLR93MKLUtT9NcIuKjQBlM/s320/2021-08-30+10.36.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFas8XTRET9Nzm1f5BVIYdFLwnbGljAQJR7S8OdyQQseyP01fnSQ6wgiLN71EvA-Gx9qwCKZK1o0mHceIB6lyh8AIzWwDQPA_rnW8H9qJcZ8lHD1EykSOfcs3UGVzjtQHvaQ-Z5I4Bs40C/s2048/2021-08-30+10.37.25.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFas8XTRET9Nzm1f5BVIYdFLwnbGljAQJR7S8OdyQQseyP01fnSQ6wgiLN71EvA-Gx9qwCKZK1o0mHceIB6lyh8AIzWwDQPA_rnW8H9qJcZ8lHD1EykSOfcs3UGVzjtQHvaQ-Z5I4Bs40C/s320/2021-08-30+10.37.25.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkmMvz63SlDGqJveFsCwUeqJ4EQ9UYiwbxo8WgnaM3_e-KbtKT1nQvzbYd6c05Fp-VSIZx29FgxNrJC1DQY0XbJzRUFvGGQHvJBJrLeYhWp-sZZ46BGOEgacgOAUEtH4_rdBkmjakdkCt/s2048/2021-08-30+11.11.46.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkmMvz63SlDGqJveFsCwUeqJ4EQ9UYiwbxo8WgnaM3_e-KbtKT1nQvzbYd6c05Fp-VSIZx29FgxNrJC1DQY0XbJzRUFvGGQHvJBJrLeYhWp-sZZ46BGOEgacgOAUEtH4_rdBkmjakdkCt/s320/2021-08-30+11.11.46.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemYUSAwksNhIgGTHwq5xHL8mXSjIr6MKyAiqatTln_Bk4iCCW1f2ie7rm9fwkLl8hcOQBu7Dr50QQ8NHFhe1yaanNor-xoyj1Fe68cxEIBJLNb0Hu_Mc14oa5pM9MTXpOJViH_DJxu2XY/s2048/2021-08-30+11.12.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemYUSAwksNhIgGTHwq5xHL8mXSjIr6MKyAiqatTln_Bk4iCCW1f2ie7rm9fwkLl8hcOQBu7Dr50QQ8NHFhe1yaanNor-xoyj1Fe68cxEIBJLNb0Hu_Mc14oa5pM9MTXpOJViH_DJxu2XY/s320/2021-08-30+11.12.24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQwEwzjCF25cdyXJInIfp_nCuMzeXWL3sXdE22pRu5o8Ah-TAisCMkRx3PWGay7Jd2-dy1-av0C56Ae3q82rXN3yHC_0GvldLvgSZiIBPc-Ig0C785LfDjhg0PEBQM2gzf6ApI2xYlC3s/s2048/2021-08-30+11.12.43.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQwEwzjCF25cdyXJInIfp_nCuMzeXWL3sXdE22pRu5o8Ah-TAisCMkRx3PWGay7Jd2-dy1-av0C56Ae3q82rXN3yHC_0GvldLvgSZiIBPc-Ig0C785LfDjhg0PEBQM2gzf6ApI2xYlC3s/s320/2021-08-30+11.12.43.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bAtLMice0CsR1uDf8bVCjo1yDFmsiP9bF1tlgzqUqzNPXfpdgWmmYjysmifP2WqrXCdrvkQeuu3fEwItGXdPIBjNZKE8rxTmnp_1uL6ofh9nqV5OztmY86akJ-MvSmaa2Hz-Yq3xzmQr/s2048/2021-08-30+11.15.43.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bAtLMice0CsR1uDf8bVCjo1yDFmsiP9bF1tlgzqUqzNPXfpdgWmmYjysmifP2WqrXCdrvkQeuu3fEwItGXdPIBjNZKE8rxTmnp_1uL6ofh9nqV5OztmY86akJ-MvSmaa2Hz-Yq3xzmQr/s320/2021-08-30+11.15.43.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /></div><p></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-28686596173602716522021-08-08T20:44:00.003-04:002021-08-08T20:44:57.568-04:00Gap seals<p>Time flies when work is crazy. Last post was in March...</p><p>Just about the last thing left on the build list is gap seals for the control surfaces. To start, I used some blue painter's tape to determine how the gap seal worked relative to the hinge geometry. The next sequence of photos shows starting from full deflection one way toward full deflection the other way. There is definitely a point in the middle that is the, let's call it: "max stretch" where the tape is taut. If there is any less material than that, the control surface wouldn't deflect all the way. Good to know. There will definitely be some slop in the gap seal material at anything other than the taut position.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-bLPbQP8Ord8PxwFkaGBITGDvalenqPeJOcDTLJH9PiMLax9SU20WkrLzFRHgJoW2R9W9k91_C9UhxqSYAtMbVrfdHjRDzYeEC60UxlE5RAtxdgNJ_zEH16zAplaGXC-iwNO_CmF97m8/s2048/2021-08-08+10.05.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-bLPbQP8Ord8PxwFkaGBITGDvalenqPeJOcDTLJH9PiMLax9SU20WkrLzFRHgJoW2R9W9k91_C9UhxqSYAtMbVrfdHjRDzYeEC60UxlE5RAtxdgNJ_zEH16zAplaGXC-iwNO_CmF97m8/s320/2021-08-08+10.05.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfRLcAFragQwLeQL-zThTEml-qf4wpMYDD6KW4TF8NIHXjNq9vRIkpLjiYVb0NOEFWsjiheZ8HEWEKbGDF8oM20p4dzp9LyqAWJR3mF8T00DAxiFX9GL_S9C0M81UfXBD0ZVA7FfodIkn/s2048/2021-08-08+10.05.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfRLcAFragQwLeQL-zThTEml-qf4wpMYDD6KW4TF8NIHXjNq9vRIkpLjiYVb0NOEFWsjiheZ8HEWEKbGDF8oM20p4dzp9LyqAWJR3mF8T00DAxiFX9GL_S9C0M81UfXBD0ZVA7FfodIkn/s320/2021-08-08+10.05.22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GITBJmL5Up5ABhoj39HngOkwWg7sCjjCbMIvIf_GB3mVp15lZI1aK2OVzWUW7nfdSA30lOLEuHrgi1yHuLjBCABW_qiSmoAQT43Ypb_dFJZPhwKD5TGLH-9gDZp4wiFh2V1QJ3rkwqM5/s2048/2021-08-08+10.05.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GITBJmL5Up5ABhoj39HngOkwWg7sCjjCbMIvIf_GB3mVp15lZI1aK2OVzWUW7nfdSA30lOLEuHrgi1yHuLjBCABW_qiSmoAQT43Ypb_dFJZPhwKD5TGLH-9gDZp4wiFh2V1QJ3rkwqM5/s320/2021-08-08+10.05.25.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUc5kD0HbBGAi1x7aDBwot5yDOrtT73KuXUfHTth2wkVbT7oPrwwm6747UYyGxWNWf532PgXcUoqcGUbQE0UhyLq3Em-NVcWkZx6Unakxe3b10fM9MFjvFQyW0vQNMbqPSIetehSCV2fC/s2048/2021-08-08+10.05.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUc5kD0HbBGAi1x7aDBwot5yDOrtT73KuXUfHTth2wkVbT7oPrwwm6747UYyGxWNWf532PgXcUoqcGUbQE0UhyLq3Em-NVcWkZx6Unakxe3b10fM9MFjvFQyW0vQNMbqPSIetehSCV2fC/s320/2021-08-08+10.05.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituE23E1WfmUB5uyyFwghP2gf6DDASJPwREjF4i9Fh5kN1HGRtWkpjWtXARY49NZKKfwjLB2-3Aoz5-sWkrWYUyhaoQ0dwFs0G1fJ8q5mZY_CRUWAII74_qyc9GGL8bpRuKv5xZIg-eFpg/s2048/2021-08-08+10.05.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituE23E1WfmUB5uyyFwghP2gf6DDASJPwREjF4i9Fh5kN1HGRtWkpjWtXARY49NZKKfwjLB2-3Aoz5-sWkrWYUyhaoQ0dwFs0G1fJ8q5mZY_CRUWAII74_qyc9GGL8bpRuKv5xZIg-eFpg/s320/2021-08-08+10.05.34.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I started with the rudder. This photo shows mid-process with one side gap seal already glued to the rudder. You see one side is bonded and the fabric ducks through the vertical tail (on the left) to rudder (on the right) gap; the flap of material is then similarly bonded to the vertical tail.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8GEYOX-SjD_Rw1bwjUE7YZAIXKAE0Ojg7EyBl6VsS6jmdVTMOTV9mzFxNLsh3kH0ju4JjDpjNlnpDk3elzMlxAzMWqTsnfsjv1unW7cqEdUkyWVpE4aspA4JTfpbRd2QsaCQLa4n6EHK/s2048/2021-08-08+12.20.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8GEYOX-SjD_Rw1bwjUE7YZAIXKAE0Ojg7EyBl6VsS6jmdVTMOTV9mzFxNLsh3kH0ju4JjDpjNlnpDk3elzMlxAzMWqTsnfsjv1unW7cqEdUkyWVpE4aspA4JTfpbRd2QsaCQLa4n6EHK/s320/2021-08-08+12.20.46.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I did pre-shrink the gap seal fabric to 120C to make sure it didn't
shrink during the adhesion phase (the covering glue joint is lightly
ironed during this step). It didn't work perfectly to pre-shrink, but it only has to keep out the air.<br /></p><p>The horizontal tail was done using four pieces of fabric. This was not quite as difficult since this fabric is just flat. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyV38XISBdHXsKAwexHwCZ-EOWE-kDZYsIEIeCYflAe3m-WJ42wNe-mqyxYB7vvyMVAPvm5gQYoxTNxObz8DPYhoX7AY1UFO_s33DRGZ9rv4gmnDZg8g5Y8AOK0lWLmHWsauoIMjJlgnD/s2048/2021-08-08+19.30.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyV38XISBdHXsKAwexHwCZ-EOWE-kDZYsIEIeCYflAe3m-WJ42wNe-mqyxYB7vvyMVAPvm5gQYoxTNxObz8DPYhoX7AY1UFO_s33DRGZ9rv4gmnDZg8g5Y8AOK0lWLmHWsauoIMjJlgnD/s320/2021-08-08+19.30.23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In related news, I took the motor system back off the nose section for some re-thought
about how to support it with additional guy-wires or other structural
member(s). It won't be installed for the maiden, so it was going to come
back off regardless.</p><p>I do have one piece of good news about the trailer. It now has a VIN number. Fourth letter to the DMV was the charm. Each rejection cycle was about 3 months, so this has been quite the ordeal. The final form has been mailed for a title and tags this time. Keep your fingers crossed that the next mailing from the DMV is the actual tag. With a tag, I can finally figure out final details about transporting Goat to an airfield.<br /></p><p>Speaking of flying, if anyone has access to a good place for a maiden flight in the northern Virginia area some time late fall, I'm in the market and would love to make some new friends! It'll be a whole sequence of low-altitude car-tows to start, so car access to the runway access is required. A huge grass field with crops around is my thought.<br /></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-18740101471090787932021-03-21T11:49:00.001-04:002021-03-21T11:49:03.535-04:00Installed motor test run!<p>With a good friend, we did a few test runs of the installed motor & power system. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffPq20Yr5iZO9VeItZSlfzl1tYa1L2eJfaPHaZrgoqJ5Llrl6f6eD24FwJARTGFHuT5QeQxXpTvrStIhbkjD4Bw7IkURP3cI_rIpHy1BS1RrdkaqmF-QPQTFia-m3ikysA3lawrLBjLS1/s2048/2021-03-20+17.10.26.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffPq20Yr5iZO9VeItZSlfzl1tYa1L2eJfaPHaZrgoqJ5Llrl6f6eD24FwJARTGFHuT5QeQxXpTvrStIhbkjD4Bw7IkURP3cI_rIpHy1BS1RrdkaqmF-QPQTFia-m3ikysA3lawrLBjLS1/w400-h300/2021-03-20+17.10.26.jpeg" width="400" /></a></p><p>Here is a very short run just to show you it spins.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwfwupl2f-92QrnnBSlnA9I1v1OpxDn-_DPxiMfUbSqZC6pn0FzgRR9xaW7fQ3qDXfSteQWotNjTJukdMdrwg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p></p><p>Firstly, it is quite scary sitting that close to a spinning motor putting out 4.5kW. Wearing a helmet helps, but it's just a LOT of power super close to your body. Neither of us ran beyond 100A and we both kept our feet on the ground out of the plane of the propeller ... just in case.<br /></p><p>At about 60-70A, there is a slight structural resonance in the nose tube assembly. It's not present on either side of that RPM, so we just tried to avoid that. Balancing the propeller would help. Tightening things up more should help too. Most of the play appears to be in the nose down tube connections, at either end, so I probably will start with getting the proper length bolts everywhere and snugging things up. Replacing the nose tube with an aero strut would probably make a difference.<br /></p><p>The throttle in the end of the control stick did not work for some reason. It moves a servo just fine, but did not move the ESC. I suspect the ESC calibration needs to be done using the same throttle driver. For this test, I used a different servo driver that was the one used to set up the ESC in the first place.</p><p>The batteries and the ESC and the wires all were quite cool to the touch, even after a 60s run. Rough math suggests about 10min run time at 4.5kW.<br /></p><p>I did try balancing on the wheel to see if the thrust would roll Goat forward. The ground is pretty soggy and the tire was partly flat, so there was no forward motion. Howe er, it was a definite feeling of being pulled nose-down. This is not surprising given the high thrust-line and low pitch rotation axis (here: the wheel axle), but it was nice to feel thrust as an external force, if that makes sense.</p><p>There is a fair amount of air movement along the structure, most visible in some vibration of the inboard edge of the flaps. There was a little drumming of the lower wing skin covering. The rudder tended to center up with the airflow, but the elevator had enough bungee that it mostly sat stationary. Nothing was scary.<br /></p><p>Also, a weight check with a bathroom scale came in at 158lb including motor & batteries. The motor itself is 5.6lb, so I am clearly below the Part 103 glider 155lb weight limit without the power system. Adding propulsion essentially ups the legal weight limit to 255lb, so I'm also clearly below that. Super.<br /></p><p></p><p> </p><p>What improvements are on the short list?</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Fix the throttle knob --- having throttle in the stick would be much nicer<br /></li><li>Improve the throttle wiring --- need a second look at the throttle wiring & battery location</li><li>Tachometer --- having RPM would be really nice</li><li>Move the wattmeter display? --- it was awkward looking down to the right for power readings</li><li>Larger propeller --- the 30x10 just looks teensy. May have to couple this with re-winding the motor for a lower KV, which is a much larger project<br /></li></ul><p>I'm also getting some hangar rash in the covering from strut or jury strut bolts poking into the covering. Some of these looked avoidable.</p><p>Gap seal for the control surfaces is a necessary next step. I really don't want to fly without gap seal.</p><p>Strut fairings is on the semi-short list. It will fly fine without them, but I know the drag is unhelpful.</p><p>A trim color along the leading edge would be sweet too :-) </p><p><br /></p><p>Here's the battery tray installed. It works.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgVUTD8SBU8MGTIKJrBNbyq5EO7F29q6hm2NTZc2P4gRfw0myfSwtjsOiYZBVy5jI40nqr5I2o60_JA5JfnM97fuXe6KIL6KiDbXTXJvcTjzKyw77zglfaKzzszlGpKPKmGWOjAAich2t/s2048/2021-03-20+17.39.42.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgVUTD8SBU8MGTIKJrBNbyq5EO7F29q6hm2NTZc2P4gRfw0myfSwtjsOiYZBVy5jI40nqr5I2o60_JA5JfnM97fuXe6KIL6KiDbXTXJvcTjzKyw77zglfaKzzszlGpKPKmGWOjAAich2t/s320/2021-03-20+17.39.42.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here is how the motor tube mounts. It's sturdy in itself, but the nose tube seems like what is vibrating.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJTDpRPEgpT93qVFpqfBI3s9g0guHRZ-Trl5GjjM-Szx0elRO1OqiaConL73kgP24agc0DlRhqOOVzaS0qfoUbB-LMC_-2p-fkDIvSY3MjeDRBbLLBol4vDw9nOPDxOrNlRGmrkYb29H5/s2048/2021-03-20+17.41.59.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJTDpRPEgpT93qVFpqfBI3s9g0guHRZ-Trl5GjjM-Szx0elRO1OqiaConL73kgP24agc0DlRhqOOVzaS0qfoUbB-LMC_-2p-fkDIvSY3MjeDRBbLLBol4vDw9nOPDxOrNlRGmrkYb29H5/s320/2021-03-20+17.41.59.jpg" width="320" /></a></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-11149906273707247302021-03-20T08:27:00.000-04:002021-03-20T08:27:17.784-04:00More work toward a motor-Goat<p></p><p>A test assembly outdoors was necessary to get the thrust angle to match with what I picked for the starting visual. I suspect that some thrust-line changes will be needed based on cruise attitude and the pitch coupling (noting the Romanian Goat said it took a lot of up elevator in this mount location), but for now I simply set it parallel with the bottom of the wing and match-drilled.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismnfqbgKbZMhFuYC66lmv1HHp5jXx5_ZcXA8gqSn8BRDHgSivzbyQV2o53Hj-EAhAD5j5s1Wv52JhDTnsbkr7ujbai29nIFCzkm_7GIxRNoLHaq71uaBnQq9ahPqykN-CXrxJH-osDecj/s2048/20210227_153830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismnfqbgKbZMhFuYC66lmv1HHp5jXx5_ZcXA8gqSn8BRDHgSivzbyQV2o53Hj-EAhAD5j5s1Wv52JhDTnsbkr7ujbai29nIFCzkm_7GIxRNoLHaq71uaBnQq9ahPqykN-CXrxJH-osDecj/s320/20210227_153830.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Mounting the battery is the next major task. With 25ft of 8AWG wire tripled over for an ~8ft extension, I was able to reach from the motor, down the nose tube, back along the nose side rail, to beside the seat. Like most others, I'll mount the battery beside the seat. Instead of mounting to the struts, I decided to extend the seat tubes to make a little shelf of sorts. It did take removing the seat and destroying a couple torque seal marks to get it all, but that was a fun afternoon.</p><p>Seat off! You can also see the final structural mounting for the motor and see the wiring runs.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50zcfvHsX-yxEVy_p19sghiGWlHTe858EOt9_0n58MRTlbRNA5vnvpy27FLe4yezMqQxYwFr5gc058q09SXaY2aQzi8YLubTqzfIpwvlRz3rM9X-rS6j2oyohaxO54Mzx2mQ0v44syN5e/s2048/20210306_100111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50zcfvHsX-yxEVy_p19sghiGWlHTe858EOt9_0n58MRTlbRNA5vnvpy27FLe4yezMqQxYwFr5gc058q09SXaY2aQzi8YLubTqzfIpwvlRz3rM9X-rS6j2oyohaxO54Mzx2mQ0v44syN5e/s320/20210306_100111.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>New little shelf. In retrospect, I should have put it on the left side so my right hand can stay on the stick, but maybe next version.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhps7MM4a1dKvlB7UIGhC2Ht3JGK5mPTMKIYgHhgYDj3ZYXTRHQkyFxzC7u6aMlWS5ZQlWJO30dFy42tBPQlznkuM5FNlsw9WlaiBnZ0KlUyOWZFUFJkiiHoxEGmOKQm4v_ZFHMs9QkeG-X/s2048/20210306_105352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhps7MM4a1dKvlB7UIGhC2Ht3JGK5mPTMKIYgHhgYDj3ZYXTRHQkyFxzC7u6aMlWS5ZQlWJO30dFy42tBPQlznkuM5FNlsw9WlaiBnZ0KlUyOWZFUFJkiiHoxEGmOKQm4v_ZFHMs9QkeG-X/s320/20210306_105352.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>And here's the first mock-up of the battery tray. The ESC is going here also.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuX-7i7xtkAknHfiSTMmTu5C6g-Nw7wSQ_2HLzzCPV8RiZAY8H7CSM6cKrCH_x3cUfS33N9387crdPCvYTFVAUQ6D4nQAEl0t4IQ96BYTTeQmA1z2NbJUOzLCAsUpnBA2to2izLifan58A/s2048/20210306_145909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuX-7i7xtkAknHfiSTMmTu5C6g-Nw7wSQ_2HLzzCPV8RiZAY8H7CSM6cKrCH_x3cUfS33N9387crdPCvYTFVAUQ6D4nQAEl0t4IQ96BYTTeQmA1z2NbJUOzLCAsUpnBA2to2izLifan58A/s320/20210306_145909.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Let's talk a bit about the battery tray. I watched several videos about the e-help and related DIY systems (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMv0oyVrDfs">this one was particularly useful</a>) to decide a rough plan was to make a u-shaped tray with Velcro loops to secure the batteries. The other major decision was to place the ESC directly on the battery tray. The battery to ESC leads apparently need to be short due to inductance issues, and let the three phase AC lines be the long runs (EMI and start-up routine are potential issues). </p><p>I ended up making a small aluminum bracket to hold the ESC. This was the first time I bent up a complicated sheet metal bracket, and it went pretty well.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqs4d7hAIT3Acm4004mGM1DXadpO1t3Oztqo5Ea0vJ0qGKo47H0F9qnslRSP5ThXdlSbPj0W5tXkrlZ0muBQL4CxJo1atXZj4YJrpCQGX8edlotDfDw_WsPyOLgdwOLZuifNbL1HMM3dKN/s2048/20210307_140738.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqs4d7hAIT3Acm4004mGM1DXadpO1t3Oztqo5Ea0vJ0qGKo47H0F9qnslRSP5ThXdlSbPj0W5tXkrlZ0muBQL4CxJo1atXZj4YJrpCQGX8edlotDfDw_WsPyOLgdwOLZuifNbL1HMM3dKN/s320/20210307_140738.jpg" width="320" /></a></p>Here's how the ESC is held in its bracket. It will be riveted (or bolted) to the bottom of the battery tray. There is lots of metal surface area to help with heat transfer.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaULfGMwpb7ktka7PmwRpsp1sVIyttTMy2Epr4j0xee7_5k256Z1JYHlFFyA4AyOpd9iU8z-ZhXjGSNPs00sAKOZjD8au5EnCYY4srYtpdhWhm4RW9sXG8L2aoenUWblsjMTBww1Zab2sm/s2048/20210307_143736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaULfGMwpb7ktka7PmwRpsp1sVIyttTMy2Epr4j0xee7_5k256Z1JYHlFFyA4AyOpd9iU8z-ZhXjGSNPs00sAKOZjD8au5EnCYY4srYtpdhWhm4RW9sXG8L2aoenUWblsjMTBww1Zab2sm/s320/20210307_143736.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The battery tray itself was fabricated in a similar manner, bent from sheet metal. The cylindrical bosses are handles.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGKxrBXj4E7OO0YQuOJQVIFNFELo8Sr8gSFcEFXMPJ_aY9DTH8U5TBzms4lDZkivUHcDFuHUdMoEH-3fPNVB_sJqMnLl0my2w38IIL2BzblQ-w6VOQ-dTfkqbnDdqkpJsVuSrLYWwZoPL/s2048/20210313_114202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGKxrBXj4E7OO0YQuOJQVIFNFELo8Sr8gSFcEFXMPJ_aY9DTH8U5TBzms4lDZkivUHcDFuHUdMoEH-3fPNVB_sJqMnLl0my2w38IIL2BzblQ-w6VOQ-dTfkqbnDdqkpJsVuSrLYWwZoPL/s320/20210313_114202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>And here are the batteries and a watt-meter (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Display-Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B07B4CWKRJ">this model</a>) mounted in the tray. I still need to put slots for the Velcro straps to hold the batteries in place. There will also be a couple switches in the panel for ESC arming and the throttle power.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3WU_qLfACAdSLWBBsFSGXOrkUgryJ9unk0kFLu6PX5A9WfLSOfBZKyLL_yP_uNmClMQPyiopbDgukR1I-3KACMRj68i1-EJKIj2tcDgo-PygURGGnCPXx9kIqBbG1UM47NmC0MSsejdz/s2048/20210313_192542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3WU_qLfACAdSLWBBsFSGXOrkUgryJ9unk0kFLu6PX5A9WfLSOfBZKyLL_yP_uNmClMQPyiopbDgukR1I-3KACMRj68i1-EJKIj2tcDgo-PygURGGnCPXx9kIqBbG1UM47NmC0MSsejdz/s320/20210313_192542.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The last major component to solve is/was the throttle actuator. For this ESC, I need a PWM signal going from 1.0 to 2.0ms and bringing its own power (the ESC is opto-isolated). The awkward part to me was that no small servo driver had a convenient remote-mount potentiometer. I ended up buying a $7 servo driver, de-soldering the rotary potentiometer, and remote-mounting it in a custom 3D printed mount that will fit in the end of the control stick. I stuffed the servo driver inside the same 3D printed mount, so I only need to run it power and get back the PWM signal.</p><p>Here's the final servo driver and remote potentiometer arrangement.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhitXeCKYDDTmAAh3t48OYENWqyDorC_ko4QyCL-WBuyQMkkf07ns2YIZn8B_0rr61Ug084I0mTw49mckRCnN-wSrm-vQEL4ik6nyK4BpeU8RR-HVqrulxifFbLfc2hiqN9xNu2S8pjrNJO/s2048/20210314_155657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhitXeCKYDDTmAAh3t48OYENWqyDorC_ko4QyCL-WBuyQMkkf07ns2YIZn8B_0rr61Ug084I0mTw49mckRCnN-wSrm-vQEL4ik6nyK4BpeU8RR-HVqrulxifFbLfc2hiqN9xNu2S8pjrNJO/s320/20210314_155657.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The bracket fits inside the control stick tube (ignore the holes --- same size tube from the scrap bin!).<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQnaBBzbqC7QLswraf3LdO8D48RsbnFkTJlVuCtPlN9C8eu_Ja7thivJ3CA_xfrrGRn3-X39Xapnu5eU7hcXQrfQrERxrZqlTpqA4dIsr63wfhR56BfnUTauN0QE9SY6CkA9zedhZWTqg/s2048/20210314_155714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQnaBBzbqC7QLswraf3LdO8D48RsbnFkTJlVuCtPlN9C8eu_Ja7thivJ3CA_xfrrGRn3-X39Xapnu5eU7hcXQrfQrERxrZqlTpqA4dIsr63wfhR56BfnUTauN0QE9SY6CkA9zedhZWTqg/s320/20210314_155714.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>That's all for now. I'm still working on tidying up the wiring for the panel and then will need another beautiful spring day for a test re-assembly and run in the back yard. Stand by for more...<br /></p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-31516068375277164412021-02-07T20:48:00.001-05:002021-02-07T20:48:17.227-05:00Motor mounting comparison to other eGoats<p></p><p></p><p>I've decided not to mount the motor in this traditional location
behind the seat. That location is closer to the CG, so it makes sense
for very heavy engines to have a smaller impact on balance. That
location is also large enough to eat a reasonably sized propeller
(~49in). But, it is almost entirely shielded by the pilot's body,
meaning there is a lot of turbulence that the propeller has to eat.</p><p>Here's the Lima Goat (Pelican) with the typical motor mount location. From what I can find, this setup is ~20kg <span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">according to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAwpi7VPQTk">Alex Ferrer in a YouTube comment</a> </span>(6.4kg motor Freer <span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">202/80 27, 1.9kg KBL ESC </span><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto"><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">72V-144V/400A, 6.68kg six C</span></span><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">NHL 6S 8.0Ah =1kWh, ~2kg wood prop 49x30in == </span><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">~30kg thrust, ~6min WOT or 10min sustain for 170kg TOW)<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtgesLs6OeVmvLbuNIVbXKu88zKKDaPeJ2AX4oxJa2edibqEF3AtZw-o4k6FX-rwtlsbsGBDSGiT04O4m5Ii7o36XmcPFo5s3lI-G-A36YBrpQougk1pejrSccHxBKM-VmITvfMmLFwIc/s592/Lima+electric+goat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtgesLs6OeVmvLbuNIVbXKu88zKKDaPeJ2AX4oxJa2edibqEF3AtZw-o4k6FX-rwtlsbsGBDSGiT04O4m5Ii7o36XmcPFo5s3lI-G-A36YBrpQougk1pejrSccHxBKM-VmITvfMmLFwIc/s320/Lima+electric+goat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>Instead, I'm going out front on a post ahead of the forward nose
tube. This is a traditional location for human powered aircraft (e.g. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_human-powered_aircraft#/media/File:Daedalus_Project's_Light_Eagle.jpg">MIT's Daedalus</a>),
and the Romanian Goat was the first Goat that I've seen to do it. It puts the prop in the cleanest air possible, allowing
getting the most out of the propeller efficiency (prop selection matters
too, but so is getting the most from that installation by putting it in clean
air). A typical downside is the forward location doesn't match well
with heavy internal combustion engines without a long driveshaft. Even human-powered aircraft
usually have a long driveshaft arrangement to make it work. For me, I
went for a minimally sized motor, so the balance works out just fine, and I
really need to maximize the propeller efficiency.</p>Here's the Romanian Goat with the forward motor mount. From what I can find, this setup is 28kg (4.44kWh battery, 20kW motor (2350rpm, 78kg thrust), 1.3m Helix 3-bladed prop, 45min runtime).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFn4ZycM7Rq_MszDlH0fDuKHHWA4C0smXgtuGGsN53Fnm9Li7trLHI2_eVxqFfAb440WMcf0K8LkRDQmPLdB_43-pX7j3wLq6d4FqOmjQPcDxXpJuvhcSLrANrhFAfiCmAdPHpEqilh2xh/s878/Synchronus+Goat+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="878" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFn4ZycM7Rq_MszDlH0fDuKHHWA4C0smXgtuGGsN53Fnm9Li7trLHI2_eVxqFfAb440WMcf0K8LkRDQmPLdB_43-pX7j3wLq6d4FqOmjQPcDxXpJuvhcSLrANrhFAfiCmAdPHpEqilh2xh/s320/Synchronus+Goat+small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>Here's the first mock-up of my selected mount location. The motor is mounted on its tube (yes, the prop is on backwards) and clamped very roughly in the right place. I'm planning to pin the mount to the nose tube and support it up from the nose tube roughly parallel to the prop. If it does not feel sturdy enough, I can add guy wires from near the motor to the leading edge of the wing, which should be more than sturdy enough.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPJHfqPZmH5kM-okUT2tZ0h20BDR_pJf96oWYBnwFREhGFm_cqMPoj9PRaQrN-sfPXNhP87VBC57s7hEt8ES8BeCJnaZpc1PJeLmCwQzeG3vV-i_pH6Q6a7ZJ02FWkHVs_uhqVXAXdrEN/s2048/20210207_143611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPJHfqPZmH5kM-okUT2tZ0h20BDR_pJf96oWYBnwFREhGFm_cqMPoj9PRaQrN-sfPXNhP87VBC57s7hEt8ES8BeCJnaZpc1PJeLmCwQzeG3vV-i_pH6Q6a7ZJ02FWkHVs_uhqVXAXdrEN/s320/20210207_143611.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br />Key weights so far come to 9.3kg (2.5kg motor, 0.4kg ESC, 3.2kg for four 6S 5Ah = 0.4kWh).</p>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-82720848982881430842021-02-06T17:58:00.004-05:002021-02-06T17:58:20.801-05:00What about a motor?<p></p><p>I visited the two local (hour and forty-five minute) grass strips to the West that almost certainly will not allow a car to drive on the runway. So, what's plan B? </p><p></p><p>I found two local paved runways (about an hour and a half away) to the East that are in Class G airspace and look to be very low traffic. Assuming I can't get a car on those either, what's about some power, cap'n?</p><p><br /></p><p>Came across the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIY1k8jz4v0">E-Help Student</a> system on YouTube, built for ground launches of a hang glider. With the similar wing loading of the Goat to an old hang-glider, this seems like it'll be just about right to be a sustainer.</p><p>Cue some pictures...</p><p>Mounting the Rotomax 150cc motor to a 2in tube took some sheet metal brackets. Not much sheet metal work on a typical Goat, so went out to buy a small sheet metal bender from Harbor Freight to bend these two. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9q3g-6nvMBWAbt2gXHbQ905BRiLBxo4vzeqtn-s3OzNqWgZlfjML6YXfiSHYOIAyHhQuEn6fOgB2OFf14DCMJ6DNMnCqcyBDW3VTSezUYh217Hyyo7t-LtXbAHi5S3ie7dkVwGfUiw2lt/s2048/20210205_121159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9q3g-6nvMBWAbt2gXHbQ905BRiLBxo4vzeqtn-s3OzNqWgZlfjML6YXfiSHYOIAyHhQuEn6fOgB2OFf14DCMJ6DNMnCqcyBDW3VTSezUYh217Hyyo7t-LtXbAHi5S3ie7dkVwGfUiw2lt/s320/20210205_121159.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The wiring harness was not the most glamorous task, and I'm still going back to look at the XT90 connectors once I take some measurements of the current during ground runs.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniqz85q_kLH7kJjkf87NMOUUatocQJj__YzJG3RqxR4t3TRW4SkRDCHSKdVU2tjgPsgX-59XbIlPQyHYSEd9_QLq1JYBL6J7wXF9uUnZZp-o0y-1elchTEXYDevumrHVIeXZNlEz0_p68/s2048/20210206_082536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniqz85q_kLH7kJjkf87NMOUUatocQJj__YzJG3RqxR4t3TRW4SkRDCHSKdVU2tjgPsgX-59XbIlPQyHYSEd9_QLq1JYBL6J7wXF9uUnZZp-o0y-1elchTEXYDevumrHVIeXZNlEz0_p68/s320/20210206_082536.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>First test runs were literally on the bench in pusher mode. The ESC needs some settings tweaks for softer start, and the brake needs to be on, but she does spin.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyykwwrXRsjsy56MSmaXL1IIN2hiBAvqmpc14CiLbH1XmfEMDdsbWUWOiMODrEtVYo7HMJ3bdAymimZmSr70pFQ_avEgp-EiWG9CxTumrWH88t_ZjSZ_XuXZwxLHEJVWAYHHfVJbu3Fus/s2048/20210206_132130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyykwwrXRsjsy56MSmaXL1IIN2hiBAvqmpc14CiLbH1XmfEMDdsbWUWOiMODrEtVYo7HMJ3bdAymimZmSr70pFQ_avEgp-EiWG9CxTumrWH88t_ZjSZ_XuXZwxLHEJVWAYHHfVJbu3Fus/s320/20210206_132130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Next is figuring exactly how to mount the motor. The two main options are behind the seat, like most <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBTZG1qkH5s">powered Goats</a>, or on a post ahead of the seat forward of the wing leading edge. That'll be tomorrow's game before the big game and snow.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Other to-do's:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Gap seals for the control surfaces</li><li>Trailer tags (paperwork in the mail for the fourth time)</li><li>Carrier cradles for on the trailer (started)</li><li>Line and release system for auto-launch<br /></li></ul>burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-5654535880694573232019-09-29T08:43:00.002-04:002019-09-29T08:43:29.225-04:00Quick assembly and disassemblyI did a quick assembly with an old friend in order to adjust the aileron cables. The aileron surfaces are now level with each other and move freely as they should, with the stick centered at neutral.<br />
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The one point I wanted to note is that the strips of Velcro around the wing to hold the aileron and flaps up made a WORLD of difference during assembly. It was much easier to maneuver the wings during setup. I am slightly disappointed that I didn't modify the ailerons to let them fold flatter (it was my change that caused the interference), but it'll be okay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkriJTLjasJi7JHQEgC-Qw8bhBw4RmsbsWi4UvyCz0G4BWZnIMO9aHdyBYLqDIgETmbEHRBJLjcABg_qAlM7SV5qRELZoVX8zqME9VLmHmmQ6Z2bjGszoIBIS6vUMcJpRTa7gd0XSn5FBp/s1600/2019-09-28+12.47.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkriJTLjasJi7JHQEgC-Qw8bhBw4RmsbsWi4UvyCz0G4BWZnIMO9aHdyBYLqDIgETmbEHRBJLjcABg_qAlM7SV5qRELZoVX8zqME9VLmHmmQ6Z2bjGszoIBIS6vUMcJpRTa7gd0XSn5FBp/s320/2019-09-28+12.47.21.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Also, the right order of operations is to connect the wing panels while flat on the ground, then stand them up using the cabanes and struts. Last time I tried to stand them up and then connect left/right panels, and it was awful.<br />
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Next on the list is a tip dolly. I already have the wheels, so just need to create the little dolly itself. Should be a fun small project.burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-87730052092276648342019-09-17T20:27:00.000-04:002019-09-17T20:27:02.702-04:00This Prius meant for towingIt only took a few minutes to realize that putting the wing on top of the Prius looks like a bad idea. I mean it could work, but boy it looks awkward.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvERF7GgjyH4nEY30xO8Rcoo-xhz-jtbSNb4eg4EMV3kf96Xwyjl5-beKWP4BOCcRc1ymoHFRDEvwijfa6Y9vfTYHT1XA6c4WDOnQFDO7PcYNy8jsLn4ICTKjdapL_6WbmqZ5aEDXB6hg/s1600/2019-09-17+19.27.08+Goat+on+Prius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1600" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvERF7GgjyH4nEY30xO8Rcoo-xhz-jtbSNb4eg4EMV3kf96Xwyjl5-beKWP4BOCcRc1ymoHFRDEvwijfa6Y9vfTYHT1XA6c4WDOnQFDO7PcYNy8jsLn4ICTKjdapL_6WbmqZ5aEDXB6hg/s400/2019-09-17+19.27.08+Goat+on+Prius.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Setting the wing down behind the car, it looks MUCH better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqAci63JTVb1xHs11UMnrnWjQieX0X-G0i7Xb6UaTycOFAadbcvWHqPjbIRIbmKw-vy6sivtZFnqBSuDuebSc5crnudR4w60U4cEb9Vxgv5O-kRNAiTEl8EBL6sDO7qQtKZP3pxUHMzvJ/s1600/2019-09-17+19.31.32+Goat+behind+Prius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="1600" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqAci63JTVb1xHs11UMnrnWjQieX0X-G0i7Xb6UaTycOFAadbcvWHqPjbIRIbmKw-vy6sivtZFnqBSuDuebSc5crnudR4w60U4cEb9Vxgv5O-kRNAiTEl8EBL6sDO7qQtKZP3pxUHMzvJ/s400/2019-09-17+19.31.32+Goat+behind+Prius.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A trailer bed needs to be 4ft wide and 18.5ft long at minimum. This picture shows 2ft between the car and wing, but 3ft looks a bit better for making turns. If I can keep the overall box height to below 4ft from the ground, air should flow cleanly from the back of the car.burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-90440924964864190122019-09-15T19:23:00.002-04:002019-09-15T19:23:58.978-04:00Musings about transportationThere are not a whole lot of physical things left to do on the aircraft, so I'm looking at transportation as the next big task.<br />
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A trailer is the obvious choice. I already have a 4x4 trailer base that could be stretched and a new top made to haul Goat, and I could enclose it to store the aircraft in the trailer outdoors. The major downside is that I don't have a good place to store the trailer when not at the airfield. It can't stay on my street for more than 10 days. I could push it into my back yard, but don't want to be "that" neighbor. The trailer is even too long to store inside my garage. And the vehicle I have to tow is a Prius, which I have seen towing a Sunfish sailboat on a trailer, but towing isn't approved.<br />
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Here is a flatbed trailer that I was looking at pretty hard:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OvbrQGhmgzpU_0vnJHUV2s8gaQgA6eHEylFeIHppavyO54MPkg6zHqGWe6tsBUpw4ZbZy8LaG8gT0wpKGwy7IzpfUIi0JUlOLLDBQvKStWCkPs8M_httwK7cdtd3WMwcFuaJSWa9eueB/s1600/DSC_1192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OvbrQGhmgzpU_0vnJHUV2s8gaQgA6eHEylFeIHppavyO54MPkg6zHqGWe6tsBUpw4ZbZy8LaG8gT0wpKGwy7IzpfUIi0JUlOLLDBQvKStWCkPs8M_httwK7cdtd3WMwcFuaJSWa9eueB/s320/DSC_1192.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the Yando Goat trailer, which would be similar to my plan for a home-built enclosed trailer:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF86bI3FgDn8O_RokDQuF0XxtBOFeetTPyrprALSXrnRum7n_Hct6R9En5a-XBcR2Z2XtLcUtWwUu3EylMC0hv01LIjdZXcjczB1RNpGpOJllLW5o-biUUpIbiZcGFPZCv6V9eClx6-KRw/s1600/Goat+Trailer+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1101" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF86bI3FgDn8O_RokDQuF0XxtBOFeetTPyrprALSXrnRum7n_Hct6R9En5a-XBcR2Z2XtLcUtWwUu3EylMC0hv01LIjdZXcjczB1RNpGpOJllLW5o-biUUpIbiZcGFPZCv6V9eClx6-KRw/s320/Goat+Trailer+03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The other option is a rooftop system. A Prius is also not the ideal rooftop vehicle. The Thule roof rack only spaces about 27 inches between bars, and the Yakima roof rack spaces 34 inches. For a wing panel that is 18 feet long, there should be more support. And I have to drive about 60 miles at highway speeds to either of the two places targeted for a maiden flight, so it needs to be well secured.<br />
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This guy had a narrow roof rack for the long Goat wing, so maybe it would work for me. It just looks sketchy for highway use.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MEyLQaWbGVoX_GIGeFkZaHq4Cdnb3vzbKAR5ZlGIammU6S3bJnOrw1qaYNQdLkPv52UQAczJMYtIQSNeBy1qHMUOew2zrSdX_-n09cQQRM67Gun1Z4jn-Tjoxn1czqVB-G7F0HoQbm-I/s1600/DSC_0099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MEyLQaWbGVoX_GIGeFkZaHq4Cdnb3vzbKAR5ZlGIammU6S3bJnOrw1qaYNQdLkPv52UQAczJMYtIQSNeBy1qHMUOew2zrSdX_-n09cQQRM67Gun1Z4jn-Tjoxn1czqVB-G7F0HoQbm-I/s320/DSC_0099.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This guy has a forward support mounted somehow under his hood, but which gives a lot more support to the length of the wing panel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlt6yHGbeJwiq5Grn49F5BbthbZqafSuocRn9jhgdDnOAy2T-7G-F4sFg4HOMe_XnGSOdTCEvovT1ddLVg8eCiWIHvQ4Y4pZeTD3loj_Xb9mzFiaeujY8sfGnxPUK4h8WnwOEFCtbVQU6/s1600/2013-09-28%252B18.18.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlt6yHGbeJwiq5Grn49F5BbthbZqafSuocRn9jhgdDnOAy2T-7G-F4sFg4HOMe_XnGSOdTCEvovT1ddLVg8eCiWIHvQ4Y4pZeTD3loj_Xb9mzFiaeujY8sfGnxPUK4h8WnwOEFCtbVQU6/s320/2013-09-28%252B18.18.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Prius does have a pair of screw-in eyebolt locations in the front bumper, typically used for towing. These might be okay bolt-points for mounting a support frame. But how about something on the rear bumper? Apparently you can get these kayak/canoe bed extenders that plug into a hitch: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHet_QASaocj-e87-b0124hyphenhyphen2clRHEvSF7brla_IJqpAMona2eM-f7okaCdP9QsH98gp5HWDlMngCKppgm0AApovdfNhmN-UazAaVAGkGJFFLkd5ujU2W6u-TP4lziRUyK68T-HLIZIYt/s1600/71Lswuan5BL._SL1441_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1441" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHet_QASaocj-e87-b0124hyphenhyphen2clRHEvSF7brla_IJqpAMona2eM-f7okaCdP9QsH98gp5HWDlMngCKppgm0AApovdfNhmN-UazAaVAGkGJFFLkd5ujU2W6u-TP4lziRUyK68T-HLIZIYt/s320/71Lswuan5BL._SL1441_.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
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The combination of a roof rack and support T-frame would let me strap the wings to the roof rack, and slide them reasonably far aft to leverage the support coming off the hitch. Would it look weird? Probably. But that just might be the best option I have!burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-77444915107947254752019-09-14T19:15:00.001-04:002021-09-06T19:12:47.258-04:00Some to-do items checked offFrom lessons on the first fully-covered assembly, here is my to-do list:<br />
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<ul>
<li>DONE flip aft cabane bolts to avoid hitting the aft pins.</li>
<li>DONE aileron pushrods are hitting bad. Need to free up.</li>
<li>DONE permanantly mount the aileron pushrods?</li>
<li>DONE install missing cotter pins: </li>
<ul>
<li>DONE left aileron x3</li>
<li>DONE left flap x2</li>
<li>DONE right flap x2</li>
<li>DONE right aileron x3</li>
<li>DONE rudder pedals x4</li>
<li>DONE control stick x1</li>
<li>DONE forward sweep cable attachment to nose x1</li>
<li>DONE left cabane x2</li>
<li>DONE right cabane x2</li>
</ul>
<li>DONE velcro straps to keep the control surfaces up on the wing before assembly. </li>
<li>DONE add bungee to hold the struts against the cabane?</li>
<li>DONE replace the forward nose tube (it is twisted)</li><li>DONE weigh (Mar 2021)<br /></li>
<li>DONE adjust aileron line tension and re-center by moving the knots (Mar 2021)</li><li>DONE gap seals... ailerons, flaps, rudder, and elevator. (Sept 2021)</li><li>Trim color paint.</li>
<li>Wing root kiss seal.</li><li>Wing tip dolly.</li>
<li>Wing wheel.</li>
<li>Strut fairings.</li>
<li>Jury strut fairings.</li>
</ul>
Here's what I did with the aileron pushrods ... crimped over the thin aluminum support plate embedded in the covering, and also switched to a bolted pin (per the drawings) that is lower profile. Turns out the other end of the pushrod can be clipped to the aft strut bungee during transport.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWGAeN6n6y3yB7SxclEDZgJVPB2FcTZ1DsuSMkyPDlbpkmpOmXpJtMGTCqCfsstp7FV1ez-IQHkqVOi_k8zq9tHCj_iU4sGqyu_Hap4ZoEUPndyTggxwrRvOA4CANe4DhFApmcVoPEXd6/s1600/2019-09-14+15.34.04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWGAeN6n6y3yB7SxclEDZgJVPB2FcTZ1DsuSMkyPDlbpkmpOmXpJtMGTCqCfsstp7FV1ez-IQHkqVOi_k8zq9tHCj_iU4sGqyu_Hap4ZoEUPndyTggxwrRvOA4CANe4DhFApmcVoPEXd6/s320/2019-09-14+15.34.04.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-9174778213494197902019-09-14T08:23:00.001-04:002019-09-14T08:26:21.601-04:00First ever painted & covered assembly!It's just all white now, but my Goat is officially covered and assembled in a flight configuration!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EgW-f36nLTZy8JW07Z2EJT5uAjcwoY1lu4ah-Alo2iU9ewAjg8P82Bvx5ypiKSDIxmWakzjTMwv20J-vNtbyZ4Ouy1q0wt9OQ1i2s3w-WGHPZaK1HZ2-JD6NP6Rq7u8DGta6mIVVE-16/s1600/2019-09-08+13.56.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EgW-f36nLTZy8JW07Z2EJT5uAjcwoY1lu4ah-Alo2iU9ewAjg8P82Bvx5ypiKSDIxmWakzjTMwv20J-vNtbyZ4Ouy1q0wt9OQ1i2s3w-WGHPZaK1HZ2-JD6NP6Rq7u8DGta6mIVVE-16/s400/2019-09-08+13.56.50.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The aileron pushrod exits from the covering bind with the linkage, so the stick did not move the ailerons without excess pressure ... I'll fix this first. Hopefully I can just bend the flange over all the way to clear.<br />
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It was nice to see that the aileron lines did line up nicely with the inspection panel access to connect the crossover cable. I had no issue sticking my arm inside to make this connection.<br />
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I did not have terrible problems assembling the pins with the covering installed. It worried me a little this would be tougher not being able to reach through the structure, but concerns were unrealized. All the cables and pins and things were okay, save for a couple places where the covering made a little "tent" over a nearby bolt head. Nothing stood out as an actual problem.<br />
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The covering and paint definitely added some weight to the wings, which showed up as a bit more aft mass. When sitting in the seat, I used to be able to lean forward and pick up the tail. Now the mass is far enough aft of the CG that I really need a person to step on the nose to get the tail off the ground. It still balances with my mass forward of the wheel when in a flying attitude, so the simple CG check still passes.<br />
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I definitely need some trim color, but Mr. Goat looks happy :-)<br />
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burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-64380699167703666712019-09-08T07:38:00.000-04:002019-09-08T07:38:24.511-04:00Goat paintingThe wings have been slow progress, but are about to be done later this morning! I switched away from using old chairs as sawhorses and brought up my workbench table from the basement so I could flip the Goat wing upside down and paint the bottoms.<br />
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I have a little tupperware for keeping the mixed paint fresh. When more is needed, I pour 120 grams of paint into the tupperware, pour in 40 grams of water, mix with a popsicle stick, and then start painting again. It takes about 3 minutes to cycle a new mix.<br />
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The foam brushes have been a bit kludgy. The 87-cent brushes from the local Home Depot are soft and tended not to last one coat before a cut appeared in the foam. The 1-buck brushes from Michaels are a bit stiffer and tend to last much longer, but eventually start to come apart and drop foam debris into the paint. Maybe I'm just trying to use a throw-away product longer than it should be used... <br />
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Freshly mixed paint goes on a bit watery, which is awesome for coverage. As I get deeper into the mix, the paint feels more sticky and takes more effort to spread nicely. It probably could get thinned back out with more water. Usually 120 grams of mix is not too much for being sticky if I'm using it all that same day.<br />
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The first coat on fabric tends to absorb about twice as much paint as subsequent coats. Surely this is because the paint is going through the pores and putting coverage on both the outside and inside. After that first coat dries, the subsequent coats only put paint on the outside and thus stretch much farther over more surface area.<br />
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I estimate that painting Goat has been about three quarters of a gallon of the Glidden Gripper white primer paint. Some of that mass certainly off-gasses and does not count toward the final airplane weight, but this is still roughly 10 pounds of mass for paint. Recall I'm using three coats total on every surface (except the bottom of the wings that will not see the same UV load).<br />
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Between coats two and three, I have been using 180 grit sandpaper (lightly!) over most of the surface area to knock down any dust or bumps in the paint layer. It takes extra special care at any hard corners to not sand through the fabric -- basically, don't sand at corners. <br />
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The last coat is drying now, then I'll do an assembly with the whole of Goat covered later today. Stand by for a cool photo!burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-65659237281741263572019-08-31T08:27:00.001-04:002019-08-31T08:28:54.420-04:00Wing covering, Part 3The final item on the wing covering to-do list was the aileron linkage cutouts. Similar to the elevator linkage area, I added a piece of thin sheet metal with a slot in it to stiffen the cutout. Lesson learned with the elevator area though, the covering has a LOT of tension and can distort that piece of thin material. So I bent a lip most of the way around the cutout to stiffen the part from bending like a potato chip.<br />
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From previous marks (before adding the top covering) of the centerline and ends of the travel, I knew where to place the reinforcement. The pencil marks show the outline of the metal reinforcement.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IQgX8-2YaNCLzokuGlQKQeP9fDauBXnQk6fRifrd25eG_O3MLuINs7CrfefmGsKtJgsk3LHBeo70dBtIETAUI2bvJ1R27zF_ETi_m6BqWWNdNC1baLQTqf0VbJi2d7_39_VfFIlE2EdR/s1600/2019-08-30+14.27.39.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IQgX8-2YaNCLzokuGlQKQeP9fDauBXnQk6fRifrd25eG_O3MLuINs7CrfefmGsKtJgsk3LHBeo70dBtIETAUI2bvJ1R27zF_ETi_m6BqWWNdNC1baLQTqf0VbJi2d7_39_VfFIlE2EdR/s320/2019-08-30+14.27.39.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Next is a coating of adhesive on both the fabric and the back of the metal reinforcement. I never quite figured out the best amount of time to wait before sticking these two together -- the Stewart Systems videos on Youtube say to do this wet, but it is easier if it is dry. At any rate, I stuck it on and then used an iron to encourage the adhesion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qQHnRYZEfhcPaA3Oj1OsSa18-HzC9t8H9C3airGNaVRDrWH5TiffYV4cSNorVSDIty5bWck3uoT9AwiaYLaiepeeyX83XRhOagWisgrmcyDpOjbfDgm_OPl_TpsRg9hLsFOqji5vjjfj/s1600/2019-08-30+14.39.48.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qQHnRYZEfhcPaA3Oj1OsSa18-HzC9t8H9C3airGNaVRDrWH5TiffYV4cSNorVSDIty5bWck3uoT9AwiaYLaiepeeyX83XRhOagWisgrmcyDpOjbfDgm_OPl_TpsRg9hLsFOqji5vjjfj/s320/2019-08-30+14.39.48.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div>
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I then drew another pencil outline and put a healthy coat of wet adhesive inside the lines, including over top of the metal part. The cloth patch now goes on, pushing it with the brush into the wet glue. It is visible in person to see when it is completely wet out and without wrinkles. Another coat of wet glue is spread on top and wiped off when it is still "aggressively wet."<br />
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After drying overnight, I went back over the edges with an iron set to 250F to smooth down the mini frayed edges as the pinked cut, and to stick down any little bubbles. I also shrunk the whole wing to 275F so the covering was all set and putting tension into the patch. With a committed sigh, I cut the inside covering slit and was relieved the metal reinforcement did not distort when taking the tension! A little clean-up around the covering edges, some more coaxing of the bend with the pliers, and a final trim of the covering to the edge, and this task is done.<br />
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These wings are now ready for paint! <br />
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Oh man there is a LOT of surface area to paint with a 4 inch wide foam brush...<br />
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<br />burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-15681123683274838282019-08-29T20:46:00.000-04:002019-08-29T20:46:03.908-04:00Wing covering, Part 2I'm really quite pleased with how it turned out!<br />
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It took (only) five straight days of roughly 8 hours each to (mostly) finish the wing covering. Maybe I am detail-oriented and couldn't leave a wrinkle, but I think it just takes this long to do it reasonably well. But it's (basically) done!<br />
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The qualifiers are for the cutouts for the aileron linkages and to check over that nothing else is left to do. Oh I do need a second shrink, going to 300F instead of the 250F initial shrink that you see.<br />
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Alrighty, here is the second wing up on sawhorses and ready for some air-proofing...<br />
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Here is a closeup of the trailing edge attachment with the bottom covering partially attached. This was the method I found best covered this area, which leaves the lower angle bracket exposed. <br />
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The leading edge root area is similarly covered except for the bottom angle bracket. This seems logical.<br />
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The bottom covering is shown here completed, and preparations for the top are ready. Around the trailing edge tube is roughly 2 inches of adhesive for fabric to tube.<br />
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Starting not long after sunrise on day number five is the last of the four wing skins. It is still interesting to see where it starts before even working the perimeter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABss_p-szlDqiAx7YptdRS1yE9elfhyRMHqLzqTiXQHmJyyzjIfi9A4vCZUav-8iNA6j0JQfn7wxjP9l8EdhRNWEQPhO7JaW_WkSACqrVBE7pvEUwdPRLyLvWJdGZ0EiUIQJDHz5ayxUP/s1600/2019-08-28+19.06.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABss_p-szlDqiAx7YptdRS1yE9elfhyRMHqLzqTiXQHmJyyzjIfi9A4vCZUav-8iNA6j0JQfn7wxjP9l8EdhRNWEQPhO7JaW_WkSACqrVBE7pvEUwdPRLyLvWJdGZ0EiUIQJDHz5ayxUP/s320/2019-08-28+19.06.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The wing tips were another neat area. The lower surface wraps all the way to the tip bow piece, so the upper merely wraps around the one tube. Curvature here is pretty tight. I was able to work the fabric around with gentle heat so there were no wrinkles at all. Maybe this is why it took five days to cover the wings, but it all seems worth the effort and patience. Obviously the next step from this picture was to mark and trim to the line, then the covering was locked in with another application of glue-and-wipe.<br />
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Done! The hole for the aileron cross-thru is much larger than it probably needs to be, but I saw no downside being able to stick my whole arm into the hole.<br />
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As a final act on Goat for the near-term, all of the parts and pieces have been brought back into the garage together. It feels good to have everything back in a single pile.<br />
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Next up is paint.burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-68865951883046776642019-08-27T13:41:00.001-04:002019-08-27T13:41:09.967-04:00Wing covering, Part 1Whelp, it took amazing weather, (effectively) weeks of making sure I'd cleared all the to-do items, and a job change for me to make time to tackle covering the wing. But here we are with the right wing completely covered and preparations for the left wing underway.<br />
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This isn't going to be a comprehensive how-to post for covering. I just shot images of the highlights, mostly for my own recollection if (when!) I do this again, and enough shots of what is now going to be really difficult to inspect.<br />
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I ended up adding foam spacers to the compression ribs, as a way to support the lower surface covering. This trick was not on the drawings (that I saw), but was done by Alan of the Yando Goat (IIRC). Making these foam spacers is easy enough by hand, though I knocked them out on the CNC router. The outer surface that touches covering has a layer of fiberglass tape and has all edges sanded smooth. The spacer height roughly matches the bolt brackets or leading/trailing edge tubes as appropriate. Here is a close-up:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnj5jBg8cUX9njvzcAPwLh2BJE4FgN-XYFDmBUjPpA9Fk24t0qIi7I4ujlYZpCoDCCTXhsiWTaFe91xTTtS14REtwNPj2LrETVbv0k6nbxFz1UDb6v4I6Zi-aouQi1ezh6rB4m12x6zJ8/s1600/2019-08-24+18.41.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnj5jBg8cUX9njvzcAPwLh2BJE4FgN-XYFDmBUjPpA9Fk24t0qIi7I4ujlYZpCoDCCTXhsiWTaFe91xTTtS14REtwNPj2LrETVbv0k6nbxFz1UDb6v4I6Zi-aouQi1ezh6rB4m12x6zJ8/s320/2019-08-24+18.41.57.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starting the covering with the first drape looks fairly sad and wrinkly. This first pull showed the areas where I'd need to trim for eyebolts or brackets to pass through. The root was quickly identifiable as a tough area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xjy_GqeOye-X3s_JWXbftdG4TulmhCkXFKK1eUr9z33QELeiWJto2B1rXO4qzXopzb_ZtMfSknPUFub9rGY98uKbEywPMdnLXxGdyplRB4SRixfXtKekqXgs3bHBEBAeJBtClvamFkHZ/s1600/2019-08-25+10.12.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xjy_GqeOye-X3s_JWXbftdG4TulmhCkXFKK1eUr9z33QELeiWJto2B1rXO4qzXopzb_ZtMfSknPUFub9rGY98uKbEywPMdnLXxGdyplRB4SRixfXtKekqXgs3bHBEBAeJBtClvamFkHZ/s320/2019-08-25+10.12.36.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Using the Stewart Systems process, I worked around the leading and trailing edges. The root area definitely was the toughest. I wrapped the covering around from the bottom (no extra spacer rib) to the upper tube of the root rib. This gives continuity, but means the wing attachment brackets are a massive pain. Instead of going over those, I ended up trimming the corner on the bottom and leaving those brackets exposed. This photo is also before I poked holes for the aileron cables, or trimmed the trailing edge fabric.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfw2WKA5bWsqesiiIXU62clXKvdAWlLR7wGO5mh71izzwzVjAuZohzUrbWTJLpGia73Q-JBS1hcnv2uqENHMV55SWmpOf9_cRnG2_WT87zQL7DCam6HpOUyiKKXTMPpldZvsjl6AjnsJpt/s1600/2019-08-25+10.59.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfw2WKA5bWsqesiiIXU62clXKvdAWlLR7wGO5mh71izzwzVjAuZohzUrbWTJLpGia73Q-JBS1hcnv2uqENHMV55SWmpOf9_cRnG2_WT87zQL7DCam6HpOUyiKKXTMPpldZvsjl6AjnsJpt/s320/2019-08-25+10.59.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After a few hours, I had the lower surface ready for shrinking. It wasn't that terrible if I'm being honest.<br />
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And the lower surface after the initial shrink to 250F was looking really good!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfcUjCP8rNFlMrTFpYWFh_YRhp8XtEZ7Ra0RkpueXSvyj-tBO4chBqbXrTngInFxYBJvXpG2Mj_idodm8bb1oFf4i-Hn9GmEb2l4BEKrAQr3-5ecclqQkdFSnGfAUJDfi5X6Dy51XPxsH/s1600/2019-08-25+15.37.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfcUjCP8rNFlMrTFpYWFh_YRhp8XtEZ7Ra0RkpueXSvyj-tBO4chBqbXrTngInFxYBJvXpG2Mj_idodm8bb1oFf4i-Hn9GmEb2l4BEKrAQr3-5ecclqQkdFSnGfAUJDfi5X6Dy51XPxsH/s320/2019-08-25+15.37.57.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I put in several inspection rings, including in places I don't plan to cut open, but now have as an option (e.g. for cable tensioning). As noted in the Stewart Systems instructional videos, these ring locations are MUCH easier to mark from the inside of the wing after the bottom covering is on, but before the top fabric goes on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmjjiH_7xbdtOzp-Un3J5AaaBD4PmipLAqdsWy2RRWbFAu_t-X9M-6Rl2Lwuyh9cFad4rITXbUQLUuvFxbiumPE0OkG1lIjjm4lWA1UNHJMf0lA2B7wpltRPwVFJ7OnPX_zLdVuuuqAxd/s1600/2019-08-26+07.51.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmjjiH_7xbdtOzp-Un3J5AaaBD4PmipLAqdsWy2RRWbFAu_t-X9M-6Rl2Lwuyh9cFad4rITXbUQLUuvFxbiumPE0OkG1lIjjm4lWA1UNHJMf0lA2B7wpltRPwVFJ7OnPX_zLdVuuuqAxd/s320/2019-08-26+07.51.16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a medium shot showing the inspection ring located below the aft aileron cable pulley. This location should allow me to inspect the pulley and re-tie the cable knot if that is ever needed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMitESqpJ8O-VPQzpZC_66LF9rAzY98C8niN04_6jSIHQ8Z1KB0v1lgULTpWT4im8hn5GjDl1m8OqYaAXzJGWKt1wPx_WN96UaxHVcVuHQrBmpHlhuvZT0hoi3P3iv-4nHnFPAeJxjRaRx/s1600/2019-08-26+07.54.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMitESqpJ8O-VPQzpZC_66LF9rAzY98C8niN04_6jSIHQ8Z1KB0v1lgULTpWT4im8hn5GjDl1m8OqYaAXzJGWKt1wPx_WN96UaxHVcVuHQrBmpHlhuvZT0hoi3P3iv-4nHnFPAeJxjRaRx/s320/2019-08-26+07.54.09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bottom covering also had some challenging covering areas, such as around the tip handles. Following someone else's process (Brady Butterfield??), I removed the tip handles, added two slits to the covering, added reinforcement patches, and reinstalled the handles after covering. This worked rather well, and leaves the whole area with a continuous fabric.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_XQ0ZI0cDaMI3SOgko9WX-7TWzuOiBq-pmCZeDqdTvuPmrZHzAAxDweDk5KQVDLxvqU9VZMSVU_FUGlDRJwl6qiaRmZO4FTjAVF7uJqU4shdlbL8pt_XAkYXDIUmivRoz2BTHZyMhKeO/s1600/2019-08-26+08.41.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_XQ0ZI0cDaMI3SOgko9WX-7TWzuOiBq-pmCZeDqdTvuPmrZHzAAxDweDk5KQVDLxvqU9VZMSVU_FUGlDRJwl6qiaRmZO4FTjAVF7uJqU4shdlbL8pt_XAkYXDIUmivRoz2BTHZyMhKeO/s320/2019-08-26+08.41.03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next up was covering the top of the wing, which was a bit trickier with respect to the curvature, but was overall easier due to fewer protuberances such as bolt heads. Here is a shot after going around the perimeter for the first time, with only basic wrinkles pulled out.<br />
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With further cleanup of the perimeter, the upper surface was ready for the initial tensioning to 250F. As every online instruction suggested, I started in the middle, and worked to bisect the remaining sections, moving back-and-forth to stay balanced. Shrinking took maybe 15 minutes and was very satisfying!<br />
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Here we are after tensioning! The lighting and wide-lens makes the sagging between ribs look worse than it actually is.<br />
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Finally, I added the reinforcing tapes. The roll of Ceconite tape was a much heavier cloth, so I ended up cutting four strips of 2 inch wide fabric from the trailing edge cutoff (sooo much cutting with pinking shears). This reinforcement on the leading edge puts the upper surface fabric in double shear, in addition to its overlap to the lower fabric of three inches. I thought about doing the same tape job on the trailing edge (I think this is typical), but the fabric overlap is already over three inches there, despite only needing to be overlapped by one inch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitN1k-exPzrNA858FWW4q-QhscvM81cqISCHyU1Cvu7vaPgSLM3HGcF60VNZG89mb9mMyvJOV9eDqgY9ffsuipX5Hd0TcebdWuPZwP-00fYw4z0TA5oCIe1RR8K_1LKJ5KikUzshScO-rq/s1600/2019-08-26+17.53.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitN1k-exPzrNA858FWW4q-QhscvM81cqISCHyU1Cvu7vaPgSLM3HGcF60VNZG89mb9mMyvJOV9eDqgY9ffsuipX5Hd0TcebdWuPZwP-00fYw4z0TA5oCIe1RR8K_1LKJ5KikUzshScO-rq/s320/2019-08-26+17.53.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That's where she stands right now --- I'm actually partly through the other wing half already, and will most certainly do an assembly in the back yard once both are completed.<br />
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One random note: the wing panels are much more difficult to handle once the covering is on. I was used to picking up the panel by myself by holding onto the internal structure. Now, instead, I have to pick it up differently, and that makes the panel seem much heavier and/or more awkward. It sure seems like this will be a two-person assembly process.<br />
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If anyone sees anything questionable about my process or of the structure itself, please, please leave a comment. Your five minutes of typing just might save my life, or maybe saves me hours of repair work later.burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1223736577002916572.post-18223199620634952102019-07-28T07:43:00.001-04:002019-07-28T07:43:19.462-04:00Tail artMy Goat has been branded:<br />
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burnthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00939303302999203783noreply@blogger.com1