Europa #435 G-RODO Build Journal - 2017 07

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day	notes	hours
7	Ryan phones to say that the ailerons and flaps are painted and ready for collection. Won't have time before he shuts today today but should be able to get down there early next week. He says I can bring the tailplanes even if I haven't filled them as he can do that. However, I think I would prefer to use up the Expancel I've got and also want to check the positions for the tailplane holders in the trailer before I start to fill them. 25.8C, 35% RH in the garage working area. Blow dust off trim tabs with airline and degrease the upper surfaces and the flat outboard ends with acetone. Mix a peg-7 (120g) batch of slow epoxy and paint upper & outboard surfaces sparingly with it. Add about 12 doses of Expancel to the remainder and spread it on. There is a bit left over, but don't think that the next size down (peg-5, 90g) would have been quite enough. 26.5C, 36% RH. Turn on fan heater at thermostat 3 and leave to cure overnight. At bedtime, 25.1C, 34% RH.	2883.3
8	Open trailer. Lower fuselage on dolly to make access past it slightly easier. Climb in with tape measure and a couple of pieces of steel that could possibly be used to reinforce the pulley mount. The steel pieces could be used side-by-side and would be long enough to reach the subframe members adjacent to the pulley. However, I had not checked the thickness of them and find that one is 10mm and the other 8mm so they would not provide a flat surface on which to set the pulley. The pulley base is about 90mm wide so need to find something wide enough for that, and long enough to bridge between the subframe members. Take some pictures for reference. Climb out and close up. 26.9C, 31% RH in garage. Yesterday's filler well cured and cracking off the mixing cup. Degrease underside and LE of both trim tabs with acetone. (Would have been smarter to do the LE at the same time as the upper surface yesterday, and I had enough spare filler for it!) Mix a peg-7 (120g) batch of slow epoxy and paint LE and underside of tabs with it. Add about 13 doses of Expancel to the remainder and spread it on. There is just enough for good coverage. 26.9C, 31% RH; leave to cure overnight.	2884.3
9	28.2C, 28% RH; filler cured; turn off fan heater.
10	Drive to Nympsfield and collect flaps and ailerons from Roger Targett, wrapping them in bubble-wrap for protection in transit. Clear the filling stuff off the temporary work table in the garage and store the flaps & ailerons on it. Will have to mount them on the wings as soon as possible to keep them safe, but before that will have to paint the flap hangers. Roger said I can bring the flap hangers along with the tailplanes if I'm not satisfied with the match I get using Appliance Gloss White.
14	Order a piece of steel plate 1/4" x 4" x 24" from GLR Kennions Ltd, to be used as a reinforcing base for the mid pulley in the trailer.
19	Steel plate 1/4" x 4" x 24" delivered from GLR Kennions Ltd. Think about the required sequence of events for the trailer, tailplanes & control surfaces. Need to fix the trailer pulley before I can do any more moving in & out of the fuselage; while the fuselage is out to do that, maybe I could move the starboard wing dolly braces, position the tailplane holders and mount the flaps and ailerons onto the wings. It would need a long dry day for all that! The flap hangers and other metalwork need to be painted before the flaps can be fitted so that should be the first job. Once the tailplane holders are in place I can start on filling the tailplanes - but the flaps and ailerons need to be out of the garage to make workspace. Draw up a flowchart of the required sequences.
20	Disassemble outrigger/flap hanger mechanisms and put the parts in labelled bags. I will need to degrease the flap hangers before painting, but that will remove the felt-tip pen identification marks. If I could keep them all in order while painting the markings would not be needed. Find a piece of square box section aluminium that looks long enough to make a rack to hang all the parts from. Lay them out alongside it and mark on it where each should be suspended. Drill across at the marks and insert a length of solid-core electrical wire in each hole, bending over to secure. Strip ends of wires and bend them into hooks to retain the parts. Mark the ends of the rack port & starboard. Suspend a rope with loops at both ends in the carport to support the rack. Drive a couple of long woodscrews into the edge of the temporary work table to hold the rack while degreasing and loading the parts. Dress out some small scratches on the starboard inboard flap hanger (by products, I think, of trying to extract the silver steel rod that jammed in the pip-pin hole) with a fine Swiss file and polish up with the ScotchBrite wheel. Degrease and hang each part on the rack in turn. Take the rack out to the carport and suspend it on the rope loops. Spray a light mist coat of LAS Aerospace green primer on all parts. By the time I've done the second side, the first side has flashed off and can stand another light coat. Repeat until 3 or 4 coats applied to both sides and coverage looks even. Leave it to dry while shaking a part-used can of Halfords Appliance Gloss White. Apply 3 or 4 light coats of white until can runs out and coverage is starting to look fairly even. Start another can of white and give it all another 3 or 4 light coats. Bring the rack back into the garage and hang it up to let the parts dry fully.	2887.5

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