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Europa #435 G-RODO Build Journal - 2023 07

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1 Open trailer and get out the 2 pieces of hose stored in box 22. One is labelled FHO13B 2.5m and described in the inventory as Rubber fuel hose - 8mm bore. The other does not appear to have any Europa Factory labelling but is imprinted Sytec IH001 7.5x13.5 NBR/CR DIN 73379 2A, so it must be part number IH001 in the inventory, 8mm fuel hose, 7.5m. Either type of hose appears to be acceptable for use as the oil vent hose from the Rotax oil tank to the oil catch can, but I think I prefer IH001 as it does not have the braided cloth outer. It goes onto the adaptor for the oil catch can without much difficulty and will accept CLIP000 (of which I have plenty unused) for securing. However, when fitting the adaptors to the oil catch can, notice that they go all the way in finger-tight. I had thought they were NPT (tapered) threads but on closer inspection they appear to be parallel threads, apparently 1/2" x 20 UNF (AN8) but there is no flange for a washer or O-ring to seal against. Of course there should be negligible pressure here - there is no detectable resistance to blowing through by mouth - but I feel some sort of seal on the threads is desirable.

Cut off a generous length of IH001 and check how it might fit on the Rotax oil tank vent. Goes on with a bit of lubrication but for the obvious route downwards the baffles will need to be trimmed back. Alternatively the hose could bend aft then down through the baffle with some sort of grommet or rubber surround to the hole as used elsewhere. That would conveniently direct the hose towards the footwell firewall; the first routing option would need a clip on the firewall to provide best routing. Either way, to allow work on the hose access, it looks as though the baffles need to come off, which is a bit tedious.		 3753.7
3 Draw up a second version of the cushion cover for the 2 x 500mm Temper Foam blocks. Not sure about how well the corners will work with chamfers. Revisit the YouTube tutorials I saved about 1-piece boxed cushions and decide that I should have the courage to try using a zip closure as demonstrated there, because the design and sewing is otherwise pretty straightforward. Order a zipper foot online for the Jones 942 sewing machine as it didn't come with one. The zip for these cushions would need to be about 600mm long, preferably with a closed end. Just Fabrics doesn't have long enough ones but I find that length is available online. Need to check the lengths required for all the cushion covers and order them all at once. Also note while doing online research that Hobbycraft stock tailor's chalk and upholstery thread.
4 Continue drawing up the patterns for the cushion covers in CADintosh. After completing all the straightforward rectangular cushions, try creating a template for a trapezoidal one for the headrest. Cut out the proposed shape in paper and check how the corners will work - all seems OK.

The cushions and covers now proposed are:

1 off Temper Foam 455 x 405 x 100 (2 blocks in cover)
template 455 + 100 + 25 = 580 by 810 + 200 + 25 = 1035
1 zip 600mm

2 off Temper Foam 455 x 405 x 50 (1 block each cover)
template 455 + 50 + 25 = 530 by 810 + 100 + 25 = 935
2 zips 600mm

2 off memory foam 455 x 405 x 70 (1 block each cover)
template 455 + 70 + 25 = 550 by 810 + 140 + 25 = 975
2 zips 600mm

1 off reconstituted foam 400 x 450 x 100 (1 block each cover)
template 450 + 100 + 25 = 575 by 800 + 200 + 25 = 1025
1 zip 600mm

2 off reconstituted foam 400 x 450 x 50 (1 block each cover)
template 450 + 50 + 25 = 525 by 800 + 100 + 25 = 925
2 zips 600mm

2 off reconstituted foam trapezoidal 200 x 300 (tapering to 200) x 50 (1 block each cover)
2 zips 450mm

Order reconstituted foam blocks in the various sizes I have proposed. Order zip fasteners for the cushion covers.

Mark position of holes for oil catch can bracket onto footwell face of firewall with felt-tip pen. Pilot drill then open to 4.8mm. Insert temporary 3/8" screws from forward face and cover the heads with duct tape to retain them. Crawl into cockpit and fit anchor nuts finger-tight. Drill through the rivet holes 2.6mm. Get out and remove duct tape. Countersink the hole with a hand-held 5.9mm drill bit. Insert TAPK36BS rivets into each hole, checking that they are actually passing through the holes in the anchor nuts. Set them with the air-hydraulic riveter, using the spacer as usual to clear the heads of the temporary screws. Remove the temporary screws and fit the oil catch can with greased 5/8" stainless steel button-head screws.		 3754.9
5 Start to cut away baffle for proposed route of hose to oil catch tank. Smooth edges and offer up hose. Now realise that the hose would need a sharp bend aftwards below the baffle to keep it well clear of the starboard aft exhaust pipe. Consider the possibility of taking it down beside the other oil hoses which pass through the baffle close to the firewall. First route tried is not satisfactory, but a second attempt slightly inboard and aft of the other hoses seems OK and keeps it clear of obstructions and sharp edges. Route it down close to the firewall and towards the oil catch can. Fit the hose adaptors to the oil catch can with Loctite 243 on the threads. Trim bottom end of hose to suit and fit to oil catch can inlet port adaptor. Tighten hose clips at both ends.

Start to file the pip-pin holes in the tailplane torque tube into an oval shape as required by Mod 73.		 3756.2
6 Sewing machine zipper foot, zips, and reconstituted foam blocks delivered today. The foam package is surprisingly heavy - maybe I should have chosen 6lb density rather than 9lb density foam! The 5 pieces total 6.55kg so choosing the 6lb would have saved about 2.2kg. I was thinking about the firmness rather than the weight - will check the fit and feel of these pieces thoroughly before deciding whether to re-order in 6lb.

Get tailors chalk and some spools of extra strong thread from Hobbycraft .
7 Arrange the new foam blocks on the port seat with the Temper Foam and memory foam. Open trailer and bring port door in to garage. Position it on the fuselage aperture and hold in place with shoot bolts. Climb in from starboard side to check seat comfort and headset clearance. Alas, this setup is not satisfactory - not comfortable where the thickness changes in the middle of my back, and too close to the door glazing overhead. The reconstituted foam blocks are generally too hard for comfort.

Rearrange things, putting in the old reconstituted foam blocks to give 100mm thick up to 300mm from seatpan and 50mm thick from there upwards. The change in section is now lower down in the small of my back and much more comfortable. I am a bit more reclined, giving satisfactory headset clearance, and sensible foot contact with the rudder pedals.

Looks like I need to order new reconstituted foam blocks in 6lb density; lower section 450mm wide, 300mm high and 100mm thick (2 x 50mm thick for starboard side). Upper section 450mm wide at bottom, 200mm wide at top, 300mm high, 50mm thick. Memory foam could be 455mm x 455mm - need to revisit the cover template for that, as well as re-doing the ones for the reconstituted foam.

Get out each tailplane in turn and grind off paint in the root for the Factory Mod 73 / Standard Mod SM10672 placards. Those notices need to be signed by an inspector so will not be applied until signed. The plan is then to apply them and glass them over immediately.

Get out upper cowl and start to consider how to mark the supplied hatch pieces for cutting when I see that there are very fine scribe lines already marked. They are hard to see so go over them with a washable felt-tip pen. Then wipe off most of the mark with a finger, leaving a clear line in the scribe. Cut out both hatches to the marked line with the MiniTool jigsaw fitted with a diamond blade. Fettle them to fit the recesses in the cowl with a short Perma-Grit block. Get out the 2 smartest-looking (polished finish) Hartwell 5000-2 latches from the storage drawer. Notice that they marked are for different material thicknesses - 0.142" and 0.156". Pick out the only other 0.156" latch, as I think that will be the more useful size. The latches will have to be mounted on a flox pad to allow the flat base of the latch to sit against the curved hatch.

Get out the 2 off MS20001-3 hinges from box 20. The recess for the hinge in the starboard access area, at 74mm, is slightly shorter than the supplied hinges which are 75mm - only slight trimming needed. However, on the central access area the hinge recess is only 67mm, so that hinge will need to be cut into the next knuckle. The manual calls for a 10mm flange on the access hole. Roll a M10 penny washer around the inside of the recess on the cowl with a fine felt-tip pen, giving a nice line 10mm in from the edge. Drill a 4mm pilot hole in the starboard access area and cut out along the marked line with the MiniTool jigsaw. Smooth edges with half-round TC file.

Offer up the hatch to the recess and note that the space between the underside of the hatch and the upper surface of the hinge recess is only 2mm. The hinges need 5mm with the leaves closed together. It will be unacceptable to have the hatch sitting proud, so need to consider how to deal with it. The immediate answer is to cut off the recessed hinge flange and lay up a new one with a deeper recess, but maybe there is a better/simpler answer. It does not seem likely that Neville would have created such a problem, so I must be missing something really obvious!

Mark as above and cut out the hole in the central access area. The hinge recess spacing is the same there.

Looking at the Hartwell latches, it looks as though they could be mounted set back from the edge of the hatch. That would require a hole rather than a slot cut in the hatch, which would be better for strength. It would also mean that the flange on the cowl need not be cut back either, which is also good for integrity.

Put away cowl and other stuff in the trailer and close up. Tidy up tools.

Post a query on the Matronics e-mail list about hinging the cowl hatches. 		3761.0
8 Alan Twigg replies to my cowl hatch hinge query with a promise of pictures of his hatches. Kelvin Weston posts a picture of his cowl as received from Neville, with the aperture already cut and the recess that was bothering me removed completely. It appears that the fixed leaf of the hinge should be fixed to the underside of the cowl. Thus the hinge arrangement is like that on the ailerons etc (hinge leaves 180 degrees apart) rather than like the cockpit doors (hinge leaves closed against each other) as I had assumed.
10 Check how far the MS20001-3 hinges will swing from 180 degrees open. With the knuckle down, they will go quite a bit beyond 90 degrees so that might be OK. However, the edge of the hatch would need to be cut back quite a bit to avoid it fouling the adjacent cowl when open and that might put the rivet holes too near the edge. With the knuckle up, there is obviously no problem with the amount of swing. Again, the edge of the hatch (or possibly the edge of the cowl aperture) would need to be cut back to clear the knuckle (thus leaving the knuckle exposed when the hatch is closed), but there would be no problem with room for rivet holes.
11 Alan Twigg sends photos of his cowl hatches, confirming that the hinges are attached to the underside of the cowling with the knuckle up.
31 A bout of pneumonia and pleurisy put me in hospital from 19 July until today, so no aeroplane progress for the latter part of this month!
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