Canopy, Engine and Paint - a busy week

This week the engine arrived from Vans. I drove to pick it up at the shipper because I didn't want to wait for them all day. The next day I couldn't wait to tear into the crate so I did the inventory and all parts were present. The engine looks sweet and the kit contains much more than I thought it would. I needed to get the engine kit here because while reading ahead for the cowl I noted there were parts that would go inside and the directions warned not to sand the cowl - leave it translucent so that you will be able to see through it to mount the cooling baffles. Once the cowl is finished the fuselage can go to paint.

The wings are in the hanger now along with the tail feathers and assorted stuff. The paint looks really nice. Everyone was commenting on the colors we used. It was always going to be blue and white and we were walking past the paint and Jaun picked up a can of gold and said what about this. We looked at the sample in the light and I said go for it. We pretty much made up the scheme and colors on the fly. I generally knew what I wanted and Jaun knocked it out of the park.

The canopy fiber glass is all trimmed out and sanded down. I have the first of what will be 5 coats of epoxy drying now. I'm really pleased with how it came out. It was a great part to build.

The engine crate took up the whole truck bed.

I've had this number reserved for a couple years now. Hope the FAA didn't give it away to someone else.

The paint really pops in the sun.

Pretty parts.

Getting help moving this stuff into the hanger.

The colors and scheme are perfect.

The Rotax 912 soon to be mounted.

Last shot of the canopy glass before it gets trimmed out.

After trimming. It came out great.

Canopy, Paint and Engine - build time 1394 hrs

A lot of stuff is coming together. I've finished laying down the fiber glass and resin. It's time to begin sanding and getting the final coats of resin on the glass for a smooth finish. Everyone is a bit anxious about this section but Vans has a really great, nearly 2 hour video on glassing a 14 that pretty much makes it simple. In the beginning it was a bit stressful but once you discover the pot life of the resin you begin to see how much time you have to work it in. Also, the peel ply is great stuff and I would highly recommend it.

This week I ordered the power plant. All that's left of the original kit is the cowl and the fuel tank. I plan on doing the tank while the plane is in paint and the cowl needs the engine before painting so I went ahead and ordered it. Should be 2 to 3 weeks they say. Hopefully there's no long wait for it but that amount of time is pretty much on target if I keep at it.

The wings, rudder, stabilator, flaperons, trim tabs and vertical stabilizer are all in paint. The primer and white are done for the most part and I went down to visit and lay out the 2nd and 3rd colors. We're going with a base white, Blue scallops on the wings and tail feathers with a gold accent. The size and shape of the scallops will be approximately what Vans paints on the SLSA's sans the gold stripe which will be about 3/4 inch. It should look very nice. The fuselage will be white on top and blue on bottom following a rolling pattern over the wings. It's coming together now. many many little parts making much bigger parts that are making one machine.

Sand paper will make this look pretty.

Peel Ply in action.

Right side glass. I'll be filling in the sag from the gap with micro balloons.

Two inch radius. Exactly as the plans say it should be.

Freshly painted stabilator. Added quite a bit of weight to it. The painter tried to keep the weight down.

Laying out the wings for the other colors.

All that hard work coming together.

Flaperon primed and ready for white.