September - October 1999
Continue fitting cowl...
The cowl addition along the split line was trimmed. Three layers of 6oz BID approx 3" wide were applied along the inside rear edge of the top cowl to prevent "puffing" in flight. A similar treatment was applied along the sides. A hair drier was used to help bend the cowl into its' final shape.
Wing panels...
The wing skins were a bit short at the root so they were extended (using 3 layers of cloth) to within 1/4" of the attach bolts. They will be trimmed later for access to the bolts.
Install right aileron per Diehl plans. I followed the Miller option included in the plans (a layer of cloth covering the outer face of the aileron spars). L and R ailerons are complete except for balancing which will be done after painting.
After close inspection there were some voids evident between the spars and the wing skin. These areas represented only a small percentage of the total contact area however it seemed prudent to address the deficiency. These were almost completely filled by drilling (3/32" holes) and injecting a thin flox mixture. Dow 411 resin was used for compatibility with the Diehl skins.
To mount the lexan covers for landing/taxi and nav lights I chose to install a 0.040" aluminum angle/flange, which was floxed in position in the wing. Note if I were to do it again I would have simply cut the outer skin back about 1/2" from the lower, scraped out the foam (like at aileron spars) and laid the covers up over a bed of flox (temporarily). After which the cover could be removed and fasteners (8/32 screws) installed.
The nav light covers were purchased from a source recommended by Dan Diehl. They were a bit rough but serviceable. Forming lexan to this shape is quite demanding and I am sure it would have taken me a lot of time (and scrap lexan) to get a decent pair.
To create the landing and taxi light covers I used the drape forming method as described by Bingelis in Sportplane Builder. It worked quite nicely, however I found the recommended temperature about 25 deg too low and recommend using a clip to hold the plastic on the form. Safety tip, try to cook the thing on a "girl's night out" (also recommended by Bingelis - he is wise in many things).
Finishing of the wing panels is being done using "Superlight" bondo as recommended by Diehl. Fist the entire wing is rough sanded with 80 grit paper (a circular/gemlock sander can be used with caution). The first layer is put on in obvious low spots or damaged areas.
This layer is then sanded per the instructions on the can. Be careful not to sand into the fiberglass itself. Cover the entire area (wing in this case) with a very light coat of grey primer. I then use a 16" sanding board (from Canadian Tire) to sand the entire wing lightly. Low spots retain more primer and become apparent as you sand. A second layer of filler was then applied to these areas and sanded.
Weight of right wing panel less aileron/lights and paint - 46 lbs. Weight of pilot less headset/cowboy boots and honkin big watch - considerably more.
