Helped Norm install Wings on his RV-9A

Here's Norm's RV-9A that we just finished installing the wings. He invited me over both to help (it takes about 4 people) and to learn. It wasn't terribly hard but definitely one of those things where seeing it done was worth more than reading a 1000 pages of instructions.

Here's Norm and his wife Carol on the left and Phil the RV guru in the chair and Skip who's building an RV-6 taking pictures after installing the wings.

Norm was nice enough to give me his wing cradle after we finished. He (Carol) also fed us lunch. I think I got the best end of the deal. I've got to think of a good way to return the favor to Norm.

Plumbed for Air

Here, I've plumbed the aircraft factory (garage) for compressed air. It's both a convenience to have air outlets in more places and important to condition the air. Air compressors heat the air when compressing it. That causes problems because when the air cools, it condenses moisture which ends up inside tools or paint guns.

My solution to the moisture problem was to pipe the air through steel pipe which allows the air to cool and then give it a place to go before getting to the tools. I've got risers like the one pictured here that send the air up and the water down to a drain. Not real interesting but important for keeping rust out of your tools or spots out of your paint.

I promised my friend John that I'd help him with his layout for his garage so I annotated the pictures below and added an abbreviated description of what I did.

1. I used 3/4" galvanized steel piping for the perimeter and 1/2" for each drop leg. I tried to slope the pipe toward every drop to help control moisture. Water goes down, air goes up. On some of the drops, I just used a 3/4" Tee.

2. I used several unions in the perimeter piping. Unions allow you to disconnect the two pipes on either side of the union without turning either pipe to unscrew it. I was able to build the system in sections and put them up one section at a time. It really made it easier to trouble shoot leaks since I could just remove one section and work on it while leaving the rest in place.

3. The basic set-up of each drop is shown above. I used 1/2" unions on each branch-off from the drop to allow me to remove it without having to twist pipe. I used brass ball valves on the bottom of each drop as that's where the water will collect. On some of the drops, I added a male air fitting after the ball valve which allows me to add another compressor to the system. If you have a different size filter (3/8" is common), just change the reducer bushing and nipple coming out of the union to that size. On the branch above, I have an oiler in addition to the filter/regulator because this is the place I run most of my air tools. That saves me from having to remember to add oil drops to every tool before use. The other drops don't have an oiler.

4. I used Rector Seal #5 pipe thread sealant from Home Depot and teflon tape for every joint. I first wrapped the threads with teflon tape and then "painted" the Rector Seal over the teflon tape. I tried several variations and this way works best for me. I used a spray bottle with slightly soapy water to test all the joints and I don't get any leaks.

5. For my compressor hook-up, I just have a drop like shown above but instead of a filter, I have a short length of air hose that attaches to the reducer bushing on the union. By keeping all the drops standard, I can move the compressor or any fitting like the one with the oiler to any location in the garage I want by just disconnecting the union.

6. I have 5 drops in my system. I put the drop I plan on painting from on the last leg. My tool drop is the next to the last. When I bleed each drop, I get very little moisture after the first drop from the compressor which is the way it's supposed to work. There are fancier ways to do this but it works well for me. Some folks have a loop type arrangement at each drop where the pipe first goes up and then back around and down but I didn't have enough room against the wall plus it would add several additional joints for each drop.

Hope this helps, John.

Finished the Empennage

Well, I've finished the empennage, sort of. Just a few little details like trimming the counterweights to balance the elevators. I still have to do the fiberglass tips but most people wait to do all the fiberglass work together because of the mess. The wings are next and I've gotten the OK from my Chief Financial Officer to order them once I've gotten the Hardi siding for the house ordered.

Finished Trim Tab

Yea! I finished the trim tab version II. This one turned out much better. I hadn't planned on this being a "how to" blog but I learned so much and the trim tab turned out so good, I thought I'd share some of what I learned. This post may be a little jumbled as it will take me more than one sitting to put everything together.

You can stop reading now if you don't want the technical stuff. Here's what I learned to make a great trim tab:

1. Use hard wood. I used oak. I first tried pine and it wouldn't make a crisp bend.
2. Use a strong clamp. I used a Bessey parallel jaw woodworking clamp.
3. Make your jig from 1 inch nominal (3/4) stock. I first tried 1 1/2 in. stock and the extra width put a crease in the skin when clamping.
4. Use a back brace. You can see it in one of the pictures below. Basically, it kept the jig from sliding when using the rivet gun on the fold.
5. Use a protective strip when softly riveting the folds. I used a very thin strip of oak but something like formica would work well, too. You can see me using the strip in the last video below.