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.