RV Blog

All Screens Live

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:13:43 -0700

Amazing how much work you can get done on a plane when you take a week off from your job. Today I was able to wire system power to the pilot side TruTrak EFIS AP, Garmin GPS Map 696 and the AP Level button. The shot above is the system test after all was wired. Everything booted up properly, and looked great when I rolled the plane out in direct sunlight. I can’t wait to get this bird in the air. Flying this panel is going to be loads of fun!
Tomorrow I may start on the radio stack, or maybe I will put the Push-To-Talk stick grips in. Whatever it is, it will be one day closer to flying.

Finished installing Alternator

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:01:06 -0700

Spent another vacation day working at the airport. Today I was able to wrap up the installation on the Plane Power alternator. All power wiring has been run and secured. The belt was tensioned and the safety wires were put in place. I looked up online how to tension the belt. The idea is to put a torque wrench on the pulley, and turn it clockwise. When the belt slips at 160 inch pounds of pressure, you are good to go. More photos posted HERE.

Starter wiring done and tested

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:27:33 -0700

I finished wiring up the starter, starter relay and starter switch today. Once all the wires were in place I removed the spark plugs from the top side of the cylinders and cleaned up all the tools that were lying on the engine. Then I twisted the starter switch.... nothing happened. That is good though, as I had intentionally left the battery master off. It should not start without the battery master switch on. So on the second test I had the battery master on and twisted the switch to start. Yes, the starter motor engaged and the engine turned over. Hurray! One more circuit complete and tested. A few additional photos were posted at this LINK.

Wiring continues

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:57:33 -0700

This shot of the panel has additional live elements. I now have about 65% of the wiring lines completed. This shot has the panel post lights working, GPS Map 696 and the alternator warning light. In addition to these, the circuit breakers are wired and most of the switches. I have posted more photos of the wiring HERE.

We have power!

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 19:27:28 -0700

Another day that put a builders smile on my face. For the first time, I was able to power up part of the panel. In this shot the EFIS screen on the passenger side of the plane is LIVE! 95% of the wiring on the right side of the panel is done. I have also run the feed lines from the battery to the main power bus. From there is branches off and feeds the avionics bus and emergency bus. I tested all and they are working perfectly. I am very pleased as the actual wiring is much easier then developing the wiring diagrams. Seems most of the work was coming up with the plan. No that I am running wires, it is going pretty quick. Of course it helps that John and Gretchen have been lending a hand. Thanks. For more photos Click HERE.

Vacation in Mexico

Sat, 29 May 2010 20:34:49 -0700

Ann and I just got back from a wonderful week South of Cancun Mexico. We stayed at the Xpu-Ha Palace resort, and had a very relaxing week. The resort was small, and only about 10% full. We had the run of the hole place, and it seemed like we were the only ones there. One of our favorite spots was sitting under the huts on the beach. You can see it was very stressful. The beach was about two minutes to the left of this shot. The beach bar is just a few steps behind us here, and the pool is just past that. I posted lots of photos to a new page on Family & Friends. Click HERE.

Wiring, EDM and more

Sun, 16 May 2010 19:51:38 -0700

This weekend I was able to go over to the Planes of Fame air show at Chino Airport. They also have an annual RV Fly In, where I was able to get some great photographs of lots of different RVs. On top of that, I have been wiring and installing systems on the fire wall. This photo shows the TruTrak Engine Data Module (EDM). It is a single location where all engine sensors will be wired to. It makes for a nice neat way to have a pass through on the fire wall. I also installed a ground bus bar, the main battery lead to the battery contactor and the wire connecting power to the starter relay. Progress is being made, and that little light at the end of the tunnel is getting just a bit bigger. New photos posted HERE.

Cowl Fitting Complete

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 07:13:27 -0700

This weekend I was able to finish the job of installing the Mil Spec 1/4 turn fasteners on the cowling. The results look great. The cowling is finally on, without the help of a single cleco. It has been an adventure trying to get the cowling to fit properly. But in the end, I think the result were worth all the work. Of course I have a bit more to go. I now need to fill all the pin holes, and fine tune the edge clearance to make sure the gap is consistent and leave room for paint. I also have to fill the front left corner, as the molded parts have a small gap that is bothering me. Not a big deal, just a couple of layups of fiberglass, and the fit will be perfect.

Cowl Fitting Almost Complete

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 08:19:27 -0700

Been working on the cowl fitting for quite awhile. It is a difficult task getting all the corners to align just the way you want them. When you tweak one spot, it pulls another. Thus you really have to take your time and slowly work to a goof fit. In this shot, I have clecos in where each of the 1/4 fasteners is going to go. I will end having to to do a bit of fiberglass work on the forward curves, as they are not perfectly symmetrical. This was due to fabrication of the cowl, not how I fit them. Anyway, that little light at the end of the tunnel, just got a tiny bit bigger.

Test fitting completed panel

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 17:39:19 -0800

They say the “RV Grin” comes after your first flight. Well I am sure that is true, you also have many milestone days during your build. Today was one of those days that really put a builders Grin on my face. As you can see in this shot, all the elements on the panel are in place and fitted to the plane. The GPS is live, the two EFIS screens have paper cut outs of the EFIS display, taped over the actual units. I finished up the switch labeling and put it all together. Like many RV tasks, this is just a test fit. Once I took this photo it was pulled from the plane so I can start working on the wiring runs. Lot more photos posted HERE.