01.12.2009: I am back from Australia. Even though the short trip meant no progress in building the plane I non the less enjoyed the escape from the typical Swiss November weather (fog, cold, wet) to 42 degrees Celsius in Adelaide and 32 degrees in Sydney. But as during most business trip I was quite busy, so even the intention to work on the schematics remained an intention. I am however highly motivated now that I am back to go full speed ahead again.
03.12.2009: Rolf and I managed to spend a full day at the airport today. We started by taking the left wing off the wing stand to install the landing light.
Here a view of the oval hole in the leading edge of the wing, into which the light goes. Rolf installed the nuts first, and then the light. We then went to a local shop to buy Plexiglass to make the landing light covers.
And here the result of the first fitment of the cover. The glass does not yet have a perfect shape, but that’s no big deal to do.
I then installed the (hopefully) last antenna on our plane. As we decided to fit a FLARM collision warning system we need an antenna by which the FLARM onboard unit communicates with other FLARM’s. Gliders typically use a small toothpick antenna mounted on the dashboard under the canopy, but on GA airplanes an external antenna is recommended due to the better range.
As panel unit we chose the ECW 100 from Ediatec, as it fits into a standard 57 mm hole. Ediatec recommends a shark fin antenna mounted on top of the airplane to maximize range. The only suitable location I cold find for the antenna is right behind the canopy, where I had to I removed three rivets to install it. I replaced the two outer ones with flush rivets and enlarged the centre hole for the BNC connector.
In then installed the antenna, as can be seen below.
I also installed the FLARM into the panel between the backup ASI and altimeter, as can be seen below.
This makes the panel complete, now I just have to do the wiring, as well as make all the placards that go onto the panel..
The FLARM indicates with a circle of LED’s the direction where a potential collision hazard has been detected, as well four LEDs which indicate the relative altitude between the plane’s altitude and the target. It also shows the distance to the target in km. It interfaces to the intercom for an audible alarm. There is also an obstacle database in the unit (important in the mountains, where there are many cables), as well as a logger that records flight data on an SD card.
The main reasons for installing a FLARM is that gliders are extremely difficult to spot, so the system can significantly reduce the risk of a collision. This is reflected in the fact that the insurance gives a 10% rebate on the total premium for planes equipped with a FLARM, which pays for the unit in about three years.
08.12.2009: Another day of building. Today Rolf and I continued with the landing lights. We decided to form the Plexiglass that covers the lights to fit the wing shape, which requires heating it. I did not dare doing that on the wing, as I was not sure whether the hot air would damage the paint. To still get the right shape I bent a piece of aluminum to fit the wing shape.
I then removed the “form” and attached a piece of Plexiglass on it.
By carefully heating it I managed to make it follow the curve nicely.
As can be seen below the Plexiglass gets a milky colour when heated, but as soon as it cools down it gets transparent again
I then put the sheet onto the wing, marked the correct outer lines with a marker pen and cut and sanded it to that shape. Below the result, which I am quite happy with. To be honest, I had to make two for each side to get them right. The first one got wrinkles when I heated it and the second one I cut too small….
The covers are held in place with M3 screws. I still want to find some with bigger heads, but even with the standard ones the cover holds nicely.
I also built a shelf onto which I can lay the panel to simplify wiring it. Here the shelf in place…
…and here with the left panel section laying on it.
24.12.2009: I have spent a week in Stockholm on business, so again no progress. I did however enjoy a nice Julboard (traditional Swedish Christmas meal) on a boat tour through the city, which was a kind of compensation for not being able to work on the plane.
Stockholm was very cold, below a shot of the Christmas market in the old town. I am quite often in Stockholm on business, so I’m looking forward to going there with the SportCruiser one day.
By the way, for those who want to see many SportCruisers, there is a blog dedicated to publishing SportCruiser pictures. It can be found under http://sportcruiser.blogspot.com/.
I won’t be able to do any work on the plane until after Christmas, as until then the family has priority. At this point I’d like to wish a Merry Christmas to all the regular readers of my building log.