Fuselage

Air Vent Assembly  ( 5 hrs )

Building LH & RH Air Vent Assemblies per Sect 29-21 at Steps 1-11,  and Sect 29 -22 at Steps 1-4.  Ready to prime/paint.  Then install with adhesive.  Using upgraded (optional) SV-10 aluminum Vents replacing original black plastic Vents.  These close tightly so no cold air leakage, plus "way cool" appearance.   Lot's of trimming of molded plastic and corner of Vents.

Fuselage

Lower Gear Brace   ( 3 hrs )

Completed Steps 2 & 3 at Sect 29-03 for Lower Gear Brace installation (Tri Gear build) .  Tight clearances makes getting bolts inserted a time consuming chore.   Started trying to only use wrench to advance each bolt  -  but lots and lots of 1 click at a time turns in confined area convinced me to try plan B.  Used titanium bucking bar to tap bolt heads.  Since high grade steel bolts going through aluminum Spar, no problem with thread damage, etc.

"clocked" brake line fittings.
 (After pic during install, realized one on right was not correct angle) 

spans rear web to front web on main spar

Fuselage

Lower Gear Braces ( 2 hrs )

I'm back from visiting my brother in hospital in Seattle - he's making full recovery from a heart attack last week.  Miraculously saved by CPR during a business trip there.   Since no warning or prior history, very alarming.  Thank God he's alive and gonna be A-OK !   

Began working on Lower Gear Brace installation at Sect 29-03, Step 1 (of 3). Trial fit up OK (tight !), so disassembled and primed.  Pic below shows prior driving bolts most of the way...

 

Fuselage

Tri Gear set up & Control Column adjusted ( 2 hrs )

Nancy again helped rivet:  at 4 places adjacent to Step Mounts for fuselage specific to Tri Gear per QBF-2 Step 18.   Since Fuselage was on its side, I had another "go" at adjusting washer/shims at LH Column bearings.  Found easier access to inner ear (vs reaching way over and down).  Used new feeler gage to measure gaps more accurately this time.  Determined prior efforts were too tight by a few thousandths.   Bingo !   Vans describes goal as "moves freely".   I took a video showing how readily the control assembly free falls.  Perfect.   Sorry, can't attach w/o access to my entire Google Pics album.  Need to find alternative.  [ reference:  RH spacers are 0.123" inner and 0.089" outer, LH is 0.101" outer and 0.075" inner ]

Control column assembly now falls freely...with thunk.
Sorry, video not working.

Fuselage

Tri Gear set up for QB Fuselage ( 3 hrs )

Continued setting up QB Fuselage as Tri Gear following QBF-2 instructions.   Step 12: drilled two sets of 5 #27 holes for nutplates that attach Gear Leg Fairings later. These locations had been dimpled by QB builders (instructions callout these as exceptions to not dimple).  Required flatten each, drill and deburr - so another tweak to correct Van's build.  Per Sect 26-11, completed Steps 5 and 16 at QBF-2 (Sect 26-10 and -11) for riveting on the 10 nutplates.  Nancy operated rivet gun while I held bucking bar from inside fuselage.  Great teamwork !

  Step 7 was not done by QB Builders (see pics) - so I drilled two #19 holes and one 9/16" hole via uni-bit (assume for antenna mount).  

 

Removed cover plates at RH and LH Step per QBF-2 Step 18 (ref Sect 26-10).

removed temp cover plates for Step mounting

Fuselage

Gear Leg Openings ( 2 hrs )

Cut out and smoothed Gear Leg Openings in bottom of Fuselage: Step 3, 7-9 at Sec 26-10 for Tri Gear builder.  Nancy helped rotate the Fuselage onto a side so this was much easier !  Took some time since I first rough cut opening,  leaving material to hand file down to final size (aligned with inside panel already open - serves as template)

 

11/16" hole is for brake line routing along
gear leg

Fuselage

Control Column Assembly shims ( 3 hrs )

Tried again to measure total gap to be filled on both sides.  Targeted .098 and .074 to fill measured .172" gap (required combinations of washers to be ground down).  Can't measure inner gap due to flange once 1st outer ear has washer/shims installed.   Found this to be "loose", so started over with different combination of washers and shims.    Success [ still considering another tweak ! ] - not "loose", but sufficiently low friction so assembly free falls once nudged.   Contacting Mitch Lock, East Coast sales rep for Vans who has built RV14a for his insights.   Connected up control arm so I could get realistic feel from actual grip.   Recently received these Control Sticks.  Feel seems OK, but could be better if less drag...?    Moved on to Sect 26-10, first steps after QB:  Tri-gear specific Steps 2, 4 & 5 completed (no pics yet).

 Comparing left to right with no drag, vs some drag for pitch...  hmmm.  More tweaking needed...