Day 67 - May 11, 2013

The last few weeks have been fairly sparse on tasks at TeenFlight.  We have been waiting on the FAA to return our aircraft registration.  However we received that this week but are now waiting for approval to schedule a DAR (Designated Airworthiness Representative).  This week we completed a few small things that will help the airplane be ready for the DAR when he comes.

We installed the rest of the placard on the airframe and inside the cabin.

In order to weigh the airplane the seats and upholstery must be completely installed.  One of the mentors brought in some scales for us to use and, with those scales, we were able to calculate the empty weight of the airplane at each tire and from there find the balance of the airplane.

And finally, this is what happens right after someone pulls off the protective plastic cling-wrap on the canopy.



Day 64 - April 13, 2013 & Day 65 - April 20, 2013

Over the past two weeks we have been working on finishing the wheel fairing kit.  They went together very smoothly for the most part and look very good.  There are only a few things left to do with them before they are fully completed. 

 

Shown here are the brackets that the main gear fairings screw into.

 

The nose wheel fairing was probably the hardest fairing of the three to construct, because it screwed into the fork that holds the nose wheel (instead of brackets like on the main wheels) and had to clear the gear leg.

 

We installed more velcro for the interior panels.

 

Day 63 - April 6, 2013

This week we worked more on the wheel fairing kit.  It required lots of trimming, sanding, and in some cases pulling out the rivet squeezer and setting some rivets.  We were not quite able to finish the wheel fairing kit this week, but we came very close.

The bane of fiberglass is pinholes.  Filling the larger ones requires filling them in with a resin based filler and then sanding the excess off.  For the small pinholes that are not covered by the resin based filler, a special filler is used that wicks into the holes to fill them.

The left main wheel fairing.

The nose gear fairing proved to be much more difficult than we had expected.  It provided a nice challenge to test everything we have learned over the course of the program.

Once attached, the wheel fairings make the airplane look very sleek.

More next week!

Day 62 - March 30, 2013

This session we started on the wheel fairing kit.  We spent the whole session sanding, trimming, fitting, and sanding again.  Each main wheel will have a fairing over it, and the nose wheel and the nose wheel gear leg will also have a fairing for aerodynamics.  When properly installed, the wheel fairings will add approximately five knots of speed, a nice boost of performance.  Plus, they will add lots of style points too.

 

Day 61 - March 23, 2013

This week we ran the engine.  We attached a suction gauge to the carburetors in order to balance them, so that one side of the engine did not run at a leaner or richer setting than the other side.  Many of the students came out to watch the engine run.

Before lunch, we attached the suction gauge to the carburetors.  We hooked it to the pressure compensation tube attach point on each carburetor.  The suction gauge had long enough tubes that we could read it all the way back in the cockpit.

With the arrival of the upholstery last week, the seat belts arrived this week.  They are a nice medium grey which goes very well with the light and dark grey seats, and the dark grey carpet.  

Here's a short video of the engine run:

As we approach the end of the TeenFlight 2 build, we might not hold weekly work sessions.  We are working on the registration paperwork for the FAA so that we can start the certification process.  Paint is coming soon, as well as inspection and first flight.  It just keeps getting more and more exciting!

Day 59 - March 9, 2013 & Day 60 - March 16, 2013

The last two weeks have been filled with finishing details; as we complete the airplane and prepare for the inspection and first flight.

Last week, we finished tweaking the wiring behind the instrument panel and attached the upper forward fuselage skin with all its screws.  Because of the possible glare factor of silver headed screws, a mentor picked up some nice black screws that practically blend into the black, wrinkle-coated panel.  After securing the panel and upper forward fuselage skin, we bolted the canopy into its position.  We added oil to the oil tank near the end of the day and, by putting the oil under pressure, forced it through the lines to purge the system.

This week, we were very excited to receive our upholstery kit.  The colors are grey and dark grey to match the grey paint on the interior.  Made up of many carpets and cushions, the kit is extremely comfortable and good looking.  It is so comfortable, in fact, that one of the students took a nap in the cockpit.

  We also filled the coolant reservoir with engine coolant.  The RV-12 kit comes with checklists that must be satisfied prior to inspection.  These lists include everything from avionics to restraining devices.  We were able to progressively work through most of the avionics lists.  One of the checklists requires that the builder calculate the maximum fuel flow using only the boost pump located close to the fuel tank.  In order to satisfy this, we added fuel to the tank and, using a scale, stopwatch, and gas can, determined the maximum fuel flow provided by the boost pump.  It passed the test easily.  If everything goes well, hopefully we will start the engine next week.

Day 58 - March 2, 2013

This weekend we continued finishing minor details and began setting up the Skyview system.  After updating some of the hardware, we got the system to acknowledge the presence of the autopilot servos, ADAHRS unit, GPS, EMS, and transponder.  We calibrated the autopilot, but still have quite a few more things to calibrate before we are finished with the Skyview setup.    

The last section of the plans details where to apply the various placards and stickers on the airframe.

Also, we were able to change the placement of two wires in one of the harnesses so that the lights now do what the switch says they should do.

Day 57 - February 23, 2013

As we flipped through the plans, we came across a page that somehow we had skipped over.  A wire retainer was supposed to have been installed underneath the firewall shelf and above the rudder pedals.  We laid down in the airplane for quite a while with a mirror and flashlight before we were finally successful.

We installed the hinge and latch in the map box to complete it.

Throughout the day we installed both wings and trimmed the both wing roots in order to make room for the foam/rubber seal between the wing and the fuselage.

A few of us wired up and attached the cabin light.  It is a small, red LED that is meant to illuminate the cabin at night with a nice red glow.

Also, while the wings were on, we tested the wingtip lights.  The lights did not do exactly what the switch told them to, but after looking on a mentor's IPad, we found a recent notification that two of the wires in the harness had been inserted wrong at the factory.  Unfortunately, we did not have the tool to extract the micro pins, but thankfully we now know what the problem is and will be able to fix it.

More next week!

Day 56 - February 16, 2013

We had a great day of work at the hangar, as we progressed closer to completing the TeenFlight 2 RV-12.  There seemed to be an abundance of space in the hangar with the TeenFlight 1 RV-12 gone, so we decided to install the prop and pitot tube figuring (and hoping) that nobody would run into it.

One of the mentors worked on polishing the edges of the rear window.

We made a gasket around the fuel tank fill spout where it meets the fuselage skin to prevent fuel from accidentally leaking into the airplane or onto the rear window.

Many small items still remain to be finished, but we are slowly taking care of them; like safety wiring the fuel strainer.

We installed the bracket and wiring for the ELT (Emergency Location Transmitter).  The ELT is activated when the unit is jarred, and uses the GPS to send the unit's exact location via an emergency frequency to rescuers.  The ELT is used to locate the aircraft if it crashes, and also incorporates a loud horn to help rescuers find the downed airplane. 

This is what happens when shears are used to trim the wing root skin.

And this is what happens when a very creative student gets her hands on them.

Another item of interest is that a few of the guys from the EAA: Jeff Skiles, Chad Jensen, and Trevor Janz, stopped by to take a look at the project while on their way from McMinville to Seattle. 



Day 55 - February 9, 2013

We completed the service bulletin on the TeenFlight 1 airplane this week.  The last step was to trim the wing root skins to accommodate the extra thickness of the doubler plates on the sides of the fuselage.  There seems to be a lot of space in the hangar now.

 

 

One of the students installed the pitch and roll servos for the autopilot.  They are connected directly to the torque tubes for the stabilator and flaperons.

 

(pitch)

 

(roll)

 

 

We finished some minor tasks around the airframe like torquing the axle nut for the nosewheel, installing cotter pins on the rudder pedal cable attach spacers, and completing the cabin heat actuator cable.

 

 

A mentor spent the day bleeding the brakes.

 

 

 

 

Day 54 - February 2, 2013

This week, the crew worked mostly on small things around the airplane to help continue progress towards completion.

One of the mentors routed the wires for the interior cockpit light that is mounted to the roll bar.  The wires run through the roll bar and exit out a hole in the bottom of the roll bar and into the main part of the airplane.

A few students finished connecting the throttle cables to the throttle control on the side of each carburetor.  They also installed the choke cables to the choke on each carburetor.  The choke is used for starting the engine, and the throttle is used for, well...going up!

We also installed the headset jacks into the panels next to the seats.

More next week from the TeenFlight crew!

Day 53 - January 26, 2013

After six hours of work on the landing gear service bulletin for the TeenFlight 1 airplane, we got the gear back on and all the bolts torqued down.

On the TeenFlight 2 airplane we continued to route the engine control cables.  They are almost ready to be attached to the carburetors. 

The next step in the lower cowling process was to apply an aluminum heat shield to the inside of the lower cowling half in the places that come close to the hot parts of the engine.  After pressing down the sticky-back of the heatshield to the fiberglass we spread a coat of resin along the edges of the shield to make sure they do not peel up.

We also routed the oil hoses.  That plumbing is almost done except for one hose.