Cowling Fit

I'm working on the cowling fit now. I've got the upper and lower piano hinges installed which is how the cowling is attached to the firewall and itself. I still need the side firewall hinges and the long hinge at the upper and lower seams. It's going well but just takes time as there is a lot of measuring and sanding then more measuring and sanding then more.......well, you get the idea.

Air Vents

I installed the air vents last night during the Academy Awards. It was too cold to open the garage door which I need to do to work on the cowl. So much for global warming. It was 26 degrees this morning and there's sleet and ice in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning IN MARCH IN TEXAS!

Started On Bottom Cowling

Austin came home to visit and work on the airplane a little. Actually, he wanted to avoid having to shop at the outlet mall so he asked if I would come pick him up. The bottom cowl is large so having extra hands was a big help.

Here's the oil door latch I'm planning on using. They were used on Cessna oil doors and look nice on the RV installations I've seen. It's a Camloc KM610-64. The "-64" is the preferred size for the oil door and indicates the height of the raised center part of the button but they're getting hard to find. I got this from Univair Aircraft in Kansas and it was the lowest price I could find ($26 shipped). B&B Aircraft has the "-32" size for only $10 but they fit a thinner door. It's the same latch, just with a lower raised center.