Fabric time

Another week of work and we are making lots of progress.

Yesterday we finished the ailerons cabling, leaving the plane ready for fabric covering.

Gamal showing me how to apply anti-chafe tape

To cover a surface is not very difficult, but requires experienced hands to do a good job. Luckily we got our friend Gamal to give us a hand on it.

You start by cleaning all surfaces where you will be placing the adhesive and apply anti-chafe tape to prevent metal to cut through the fabric.

Cutting fabric

After the surface is ready you apply the fabric adhesive.  For this proyect we selected Stewert Sytems Eko-Bond adhesive mainly because it is a water based latex, so I had no problem bring it from the US on my checked in baggage.. Had customs asked about it, I was ready to say it is a new brand of hair shampoo :)

Applying the adhesive is quite easy, just "paint" a thin film of it and wait till it get sticky before placing the fabric on top.  ( a great video tutorial can be found At Stewart Systems youtube channel )

Applying the top layer of  fabric adhesive

Once the adhesive has cured, heat is applied to shrink the fabric to eliminate imperfections. Again, the process is not hard, but you need skill to do it right. I'll say it is more an art than a science. 

Water based adhesive, really nice to work with.

Gamal & Juan heat activating the sealant

Covered wing, ready for Aircraft dope

A good days work got us two wings covered and the prep work for the rest of the surfaces.

This week we should be finishing that and applying aircraft dope. With a bit of luck , the plane may be ready to test by next week.

All about cabling

Knowing how important is to properly set up the aircraft cabling, We recruited the help of our good friend Gamal Casas to help out in the process. Here in Peru, Gamal is sort of a legend among ultralight builders as he has assembled most of the flying ultralights in the region.

I've personally flew the first flight of the last Challenger ultralight he assembled, it flew hands off since the first run.

First we put together the GOAT and checked for symmetry between the wings and the fuselage.  To do this, we first installed the flaps and the ailerons with a few soft rivets to keep them in place. (We will remove those to fabric afterwards)

With that done, we measured and cut the structural cables to size, before assembling them with it's sleeves and nicos. Originally, the kit came with out any shackles. We decided to add them at on the main wings to make it easier to assemble and dis-assemble the kit for transport.  (Otherwise, it would have required the removal of bolts on the tail and nose every time)

Getting cables right is a slow and detailed process, always stopping to double check the symmetry of the structure and making sure the previous cable did not throw the alignment off.

We started with the tail section, and quickly found that  bottom cable connecting attachment was missing. I emailed Jon in NY who quickly replied with pictures of the prototype. With this Gamal was able to find a replacement from parts we had in the shop.

Tail bottom wires

Tail top wires

Wing to tail cables

Modified wing cable attachment point

The original cable attachment piece on the trailing edge of the main wing seemed to be a bit short in comparison to what we saw on the pictures, so we built a larger one to accommodate the for the flap angle.

Rear cables view

Rear cable split view

On the wing front cable attachments we added shackles for quick dis-assembly

Wing to nose cable

New rear cable attachment point with shackle for easy dis-assembly

Completed the structural cabling, we started the controls cables wiring with the pedals and rudder controls.

For this process we clamped the ailerons and tail surfaces in their middle position, then centered the pedals and the flight stick before clamping them too.

Once everything was in place, we cut and assembled the wires making sure that the control surfaces had proper travel 

Rudder controls view 2

Rudder controls

Pedals

Rudder pedals

Rudder pedals (springs located temporarily)

We paid particular attention to the ruder controls, as the ruder surface is quite large and did not wanted to allow over controlling of it.

Finally we routed the cables through the wing ribs by carefully wrapping the tense control cable with a piece of coarse sand paper (coarse side facing out of course) and sliding back and front till the tension disappeared.

Again, we put shackles on the cables so we could quickly dis-assemble the wings when needed. 

Control stick cabling

Cable routing through the ribs

Some dude posing as a pilot :) 

Weekend Update

This was a busy week!  We discovered some of the aluminum tubes where starting to build sulfate, so we decided to go ahead and zinc paint *everything*

Lots of work, one wing was pretty much done , the other had most ribs still missing, so starting Monday I had to wrap all the ribs with craft paper so the thinner wouldn't get to them. Tuesday I  painted the fuselage, the struts, the pedals.  Wednesday off, had to fly to paracas, Thursday finishing up  painting details.

Friday, a friend from Miami Fl, sent me 3 rolls of  fiberglass threaded tape (the same that came with the kit) and 3M aluminum tape. With this we where ready to assemble the rest of the ribs and get ready for 1st full assembly.

The flight club on Sunday's is usually quite busy, so we did not made a lot of work, but we managed to put the plane together with the wings finally ready. (also had an awesome meal cooked for all by our  latest student to solo. )

Tomorrow we will install the flaps and place the ailerons up with soft rivets so we can measure all control cables. (probably install the pedals and the seat too)

Finishing last details by the headlights of my truck

All about ribs

Today we spent the whole day working and made quite a bit of progress. 

First, we finished gluing the ribs and the corner edges through the ribs by shaving the inside of specific ribs .

A & B ribs shaved to fit the drag spar

After that, we riveted the few parts still being held by clecos and finally we covered the glued ribs with the aluminum tape.

Drag Spar in place

Close up of the taping 

Wing end corners

Another view of a corner 

The process is not hard but it is quite time consuming. 

To get a wing done we used three rolls of the fiberglass lined adhesive tape and almost two of the aluminum tape. This means i'll be short 2 rolls of the fiberglass and one of the Aluminum.. I've looked for it everywhere with no luck, so, I guess I'll have to get it imported from the US...

*Luckily some friends are coming to visit us for turkey day.. hopefully they'll bring me some.

finished with one wing and waiting for parts to do the next

Finished wing edge

Compresion tube suport 

Compression tube and aileron control mechanism

Completed wing

Gluing the ribs

Continuing with the wing assembly, yesterday we began the process of setting the foam ribs in place.

As described by the kit instructions, we start by applying a thin layer of Gorilla glue (previously mixed with water) on each end. Then, after setting them in place we wrapped them around with fiber glass tape. Gorilla glue expands quite a bit, so it is key to place *and tape* one rib at a time, otherwise you run the risk that the expanding glue will shift things around. The roaster jig that mike suggested we built for the wing, helped a lot in the rib setting process.

After the first set of ribs was in place, we decided to place the the drag strut diagonally through the rib holes.  We carefully shaved the rib's holes on the inside, just enough to allow the drug strut to fit in place with out bending any of the ribs.

By the end of the day , we finished the first section with pretty good results. All in all , the process is not difficult, it just takes a little patience to get the ribs placed right.

First section glued and tape wrapped

To be honest, the hardest part was to handle the amount of on lookers that kept dropping by, to chat and check things out !

See you next week!

Give me wings !

Continuing with the assembly of the goat, yesterday I put together the left wing according to the instructions sent by Michael. The instructions are no more than a page of basic instructions (no pictures).

Using the original Mike Sandling goat 1 drawings I was able to figure out most of the assembly. The few things that left me puzzled where answered by Michael (via Jon) that same afternoon.

There are a few differences between the original and this Super Goat. One is that the X shaped drag cables on the first section of the wing, have been replaced by a single drag tube. Another is that the second set of drag cables (the one on the second section of the wing) are gone altogether! I am guessing that the new style of rigid foam ribs will give good structural integrity to the assembled wing. The new style ribs are made out of a foam board called Pactiv Extruded Polystyrene Foam Board Insulation. I looked at the material info on them and they seem to have pretty good compression resistance. the way they are   installed is glued *and* wrapped by fiberglass and aluminum tape. I am pretty sure this should create a pretty good strength against expansion.

We also assembled and tested the rotissery wood setup made to help install the ribs (neat!)

Time ran out, so we stored the wing as it was (all put together with clecos ) on the hanger, and left for lunch. Tomorrow I will be testing the fabric glue and the ribs glue to see ho that works.

Piano piano, si va lontano

It is Thursday but I was able to escape work and go to the club to try and make a little dent on the work ahead. We have many other projects going on, so we are taking it slow.

Being so close to the ocean, corrosion is a big issue for us. As first order of business we are planning to paint all the aluminum tubes except the areas where glue for fabric covering will be applied.

For today we just set up both wings on the floor in to make sure all parts where complete and that we understood how the final assembly would go. All parts are nicely marked red or blue for left and right, and front, bottom, unfortunately, I will have to remove all markings before applying zinc based paint and then re-label.

Not much else to tell, hopefully I'll get more done this weekend.

Another picture from last weekend.

You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

For today, ( Sunday ) we had a pretty tight work schedule, as we are trying to get all planes ready for November 8th when the club will have it's yearly flight festival. We really want to put a good show.

By the time I arrived to the hanger, the place was  running full steam. On one side Juan finishing  the cockpit assembly of  Gerardo's  Chinook, sporting shiny new covers and fresh paint job.

At the other end, Gamal mounting the the HKS engine on the FOX VI ultralight, which is almost ready for it's maiden flight.

Gerardo in the hanger coordinating the logistics and doing general cleanup work.

Seeing this, and not wanting to interrupt the brisk pace of work going on, I resigned myself to wait till next weekend before being able to give a good first look to the just arrived GOAT ultralight glider.

But then, I though... maybe I could just take a quick look to make an inventory of what arrived, that way if something was missing or broken during inspection (by our "wonderful friends"<sarcasm> at port customs) I could email the builder ( Michael Balogh in New York)  right away.

First looks at the gear

How naive of me. I had not finished popping open the first crate, and people where already dropping by to see what was inside. Like kids on Christmas day, each one grabbed a piece and carefully inspected them while pronouncing their opinion on the product. Ahh great , it is *all* aviation aluminum ! (not mixed with cheap stuff , like we got on the 1st Brazilian ultralight) said Juan. Check out the workmanship.. these guys do neat work exclaimed Gamal. Check these edges.. I wonder if they used a CNC to make them asked Gerardo.

And the instructions, someone asked..
Instructions? we "no need no" stinking instructions I joked..

Piece by piece, the main cabana started coming out, the seat, the wheel..
- Ah look , the wheel goes here..
- Pass me a 3/16 wrench, look it just goes in like that..

This is the tail boom I heard, it connects here ... yes, it is clearly marked, top and right
- Pass me a 1/8th .. hold there..

Next thing we know, the cabana was fully assembled, including the tail and rudder.

Gerardo at the controls, Alex waits for his turn!

Assembling the fuselage portion of the kit was quite easy, it probably took us 45 minutes. all parts fitted smoothly, the holes cleanly matched and the general workmanship of excellent quality.

All in all we got a great first impression of the kit.

Proud of their new toy

Next week we will be painting everything with zinc based primer (corrosion is the worst enemy around here) and starting to put together the wings.

Against the wall till next weekend

Ok, that was it for today, time to go fly.

We worked all day, but there is always time for a sunset flight!

The Pelican is *in* the building.

Now it is for real.... After 20 days fighting mind boggling red tape at customs, the pelican finally arrived.

I could go on and on about the ridiculous paperwork they asked us for, but I'll say for any other person interested on bringing an un-assembled ultralight in to Peru.. make sure you show up with an assembly manual, a schematic of the aircraft, a list of parts on the kit and then...  they want everything translated to Spanish!!!

Anyway here are some nice pics from the arrival

Gerardo and Cesar receiving the precious cargo

Quickly, club members showed up to help unload the latest addition to the flight line. 

Our volunteer unloaders

And set it on the main hanger for its assembly and eventual painting.

So many toys, so little space!

Our hanger is quite close to the sea, so rust proof undercoating (inside and outside of the aluminum tubes) will be our first priority. For wing covering we will be using Stewart Systems Ekobond (on it's way from Miami as I write) and regular ceconite fabric. 

We have not yet decided the paint design, so ideas are welcomed!