Crazy Eight

Update

Sorry to all my readers out there, I fell off the blog wagon. While it is easy to do, it's way easier to cut a rusted screw out and go to bed!

So the latest news is that the 49 project is off into storage for the winter and the 51 parts are now all together in the shop. The mostly completed fuselage will be moved inside this week but will be made to be easily moved out when space is needed. The almost fully stripped fuselage will be moved outside once all the hydraulics are out, very soon. The first activity will be a full inch by inch survey and report made for the inspector. Then we will begin removal of the Fennec engine mount mods, all except for the oil cooler flap assembly since it can't be made smaller. The hydraulics will need to be finished, cockpits finished, electrical and avionics installed.

Here are some pictures from two weekends ago when I moved the 49 and it's new empennage onto the trailer and the 51 is now in my driveway. I am removing the massive French roll bar and will replace it with some kind of shoulder harness bar. Then it will be ready to go inside.

EAA Sheet metal class

This weekend I went to Prineville, Oregon. 3 hours east of Portland. I love the desert, the sun, the colors and the dry smell of sage, it's really beautiful out there, must be a fun place to fly, lots to see. And hangers are affordable @ $150 to $170 a month! 







The Local EAA Chapter 617 put on a Sportair.com set of standard construction classes. I took a welding class at Oshkosh last year and really enjoyed it so I thought I would take a metal construction class to jump start my restoration build.

Jim Scott was our instructor, he knows a ton! worked on the Boeing 747 line and now has a shop up in Arlington, Washington, specializing in Rotax and Light Sport aircraft http://www.aircoreav.com/     



There was a Fabric Covering class, they sewed and covered a DC-3 aileron, beautiful work they did!



A composites class, doing everything from bonding to vacuum bagging thermoset plastics.



And an Electrical and Avionics class, the next one I want to take!



I was partnered with Chuck Carlson, he was really fun to work with, considering all the bad mistakes I made in the beginning! Chuck had a long career in the Air Force as a pilot and was very successful in building his insurance business, now he wants to build an RV12 with his son. It really sounds like fun. On the second day, I think we were more relaxed and focused on our separate parts of the project, making good parts. Then we came back to finish it together with improvements and an hour ahead!