| day |
notes |
hours |
| 4 |
Get fuselage out onto drive ready for Roger Targett's inspection. Also shift trailer stuff to get out damaged & repaired wing, to see if he can sign that off too. However, can't find the repair scheme. It's not in either of the files I expected to find it in, and I don't appear to have a soft copy. Phone Europa and leave a message asking if they can supply a duplicate copy. Roger does not show up at the expected time and eventually get hold of him - he has forgotten! Arrange for him to come tomorrow. Put everything away again. |
|
| 5 |
Get everything out again ready for inspection by Roger Targett. He says he's happy with all the fuselage stuff but the wing repair does not have a wide enough scarf all around. It needs to be ground off to allow the scarfing to be improved and then laid up again. We also discover that inspection 17 (wing upper surface bonding) has not been signed off yet, although I thought the inspection had been done. Send e-mail to Martin Carolan asking if he can help sort that out. Put everything away again after Roger leaves. |
|
| 6 |
Martin Carolan replies to say he can't really help as he's not been authorised as an inspector for some years and anyway does not have any record of inspecting my wings after the skin bonding. |
|
| 7 |
Send e-mail to Steve Evans asking when he could come for an inspection. |
|
| 10 |
Mark areas around new inner flange of instrument module F14 for anchor nuts at the already-marked screw positions. Trim away flange between those areas, using hacksaw blade in pad handle and diamond blade in oscillating saw. Where flange removed, round off exposed flox corner to near original profile. Vacuum and wipe off dust. Weigh it again - now 2510g so the extra flange and other work since 4th March has added over 100g. Start to sort out all crimp terminations and store in small drawer unit (in office at present). |
1771.5 |
| 12 |
Steve Evans replies saying he's been away & will sort out a date soon. |
|
| 14 |
Finish sorting out crimp terminals into drawers. Check space available for mounting the 12-24V converter box; there should be room on the floor of the F14 instrument module behind the MGL instruments on the sub-panel. Because the lid holding screws are on both long sides and thus can't be easily reached once it's in position in the instrument module, I will need to fit hank bushes or anchor nuts for the fixing screws. Will also have to think about where the strobe psu box will be mounted. |
|
| 15 |
Phone Europa and ask for a copy of the June 2009 repair scheme for my wing. Karen sends the text by e-mail, but the figures are missing, so reply asking for them. |
|
| 16 |
Figures for wing repair scheme received from Karen at Europa. Steve Evans agrees to come for the inspection on Friday 18th. |
|
| 18 |
Get wings out of trailer for Steve's inspection & start to remove ailerons & flaps. Haven't finished before Steve arrives. He does tap tests on the bond at the main spar and finds some difference in noise, which may be because of the ribs. Look at pictures of the wing before bonding the upper rear skin to see roughly where ribs are. Really need to have measurements to be sure - I think I can look them up in the journal. The bond on the aft edge of the upper skin causes Steve some concern. At the inboard end of the port aileron it is possible to see that the bond is only made along the trailing edge. Steve suggest it would be good to get a better look with a borescope from the aileron linkage inspection hole. We decide to leave the wings for the moment and ask for a second opinion from Roger Targett when I get him to re-do the wing repair. Steve is quite happy with most of the glass and Redux work on the fuselage lower half, but raises a number of points that he wants to see addressed before he can sign off for bonding the top on. He suggests I should mark or make reference positions (both longitudinal and thwartwise) on the flat area between the headrests for levelling the fuselage, and also mark the firewall with a centre-line that can be used to check the tailplane torque tube etc alignment. The TP19 mass-balance weights and the XTW15 tailwheel spring mounting pad need corrosion protection. He wants to see all stiffnuts, locknuts and spilt-pins at the rear end fitted and have a checklist of them all available. The length of screw thread entering the rod-ends on the pitch pushrod needs to be checked and recorded. The trim damper pads should be lubricated, and the torque tube bushes. Steve would like to see a pull test on the cables. Put everything away again, leaving the flaps and ailerons off the wings. |
|
| 19 |
Do some research on cable strengths. The Europa rudder cables are 3/32" 7x7 stainless, which has a breaking strain of 920 lbs. Do searches for suitable spring balances and hand winches online, but without much success. |
|
| 21 |
Post queries on the LAA builders forum and the Europa e-mail list about pull tests on Europa rudder cables. |
|
| 22 |
Replies on Europa e-mail list indicate that no-one else has been asked to do pull tests on Europa rudder cables, and advice is not to try doing it in-situ anyway. Steve Evans sends e-mail summary of his visit. Slide upper fuselage moulding forward and prop up with wood blocks & laths to get access to rear end internals. Remove TP19 mass-balance weights. Put a drop of 3-in-1 oil on each end of the tailplane torque-tube bearings and operate a few times to work it in. Seems to move a little easier after that. Clean up tailwheel arm mount pad XTW15 with wire brushes in Dremel and degrease with acetone. Spray a couple of light coats of etch-primer onto it (and a bit of the surrounding area). Leave to dry for about 15 minutes and spray it with a light coat of Halfords appliance gloss white. Replace fuselage top in its normal position. |
1772.7 |
| 24 |
Send an e-mail to LAA Engineering about rudder cable pull tests. Find some wires to support the TP19 tailplane mass-balance weights while spraying and staple one end of each to the wooden jig used to support the tailplane torque-tube. Clean off surface rust from all 5 weights with a wire brush on the polishing spindle. Degrease the weights with acetone and string onto the wires then staple the free ends of the wires onto the other leg of the jig. Spray a couple of light coats of etch-primer and a coat of Halfords appliance gloss white. |
1773.9 |
| 25 |
Andy Draper replies from LAA Engineering to say there is no requirement for a pull test on the Europa rudder cables. Forward his reply to Steve Evans. In going through the list of things that need to have stiffnuts, etc, notice that I haven't actually finished Mod 70 - I still need to fit the rubbing strips. Get the TUFNOL01 rubbing strips out of box 2. Mark and drill each 4.8mm at 3 places, then countersink to bring the screw heads below the surface. |
1774.5 |
| 26 |
Start to work in earnest on the fuel system schema in CADintosh. Resolve some inconsistencies in the FileMaker Pro fuel system listing. |
|
| 30 |
Continue work on CADintosh fuel system schema. Move the F14 instrument module and the spare sheets of 6061 aluminium into the trailer. Roll the fuselage on its trolley out onto the drive and remove the XSF03 top moulding. Photograph for reference the parts that will need stiffnuts fitted. Notice that the AN4-31A bolt through the lower bump stop has no threads showing beyond the temporary nut. Check with the stiffnut and it is the same thickness, so will need to get a longer bolt. Squirt ACF-50 into the holes of the TP19 tailplane mass-balance weights and fit them to TP18/6 arm. Offer up the TUFNOL01 rubbing strips to the inside faces of the containment bulkhead, in the approximate position shown in the Mod 70 instructions, and check that they will provide restraint in the max up & max down positions. Clamp one in place and, from the inside, using the tight-fit drill kit, drill through the holes 3/16". Insert a screw in each hole after it is drilled to maintain position. When both strips fitted, check clearance between weights and rubbing strips, rotating the tailplane torque tube using wooden levers on the tailplane location pins (one each side to avoid twisting the fuselage). By eye, the clearance appears about equal each side and consistent throughout the travel, so that is very pleasing. Roll XSF01 fuselage bottom half back into garage and lift the XSF03 top moulding into place beside it, upside-down. This will allow access inside the rear fuselage without having to take it outside. |
1775.8 |
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