I've sort of lost track of what we've done lately, so I'll let the pictures tell the story.
On Swan Slab Gully with Alia on 18 April. This is a three-pitch 5.5 scramble with a reasonable walkoff, a nice casual route. After this, I did Black is Brown, a one-pitch 5.8 that is my hardest trad lead so far.
Up at the shop on 19 April, weighing Brad's wing spars. They came in at just over 18 lbs each, including all the spar stub shear reinforcements.
Later that day, making a new upper elevator skin to test my ideas about building in the hinge pintles.
Bagged and tagged.
That evening, packing the car to go down to the Bay Area. This is two engine hoists, about 200 lbs each, for lifting the RV-8 to change out some landing gear parts.
And also the MIG box for reparing Steve's neighbor's trailer hitch.
On 25 April, one of the elevator hinge pintles, freshly demolded but not cleaned up yet. This is working great, we'll do the same thing for the flaperons as well.
Welding together a jig for the gear retraction idler.
Getting the most bang for the buck while cutting out the idler bellcrank leaves.
Cutting blanks for the stainless steel elevator and flaperon pintles.
The jig loaded to make the gear retraction idler.
On 2 May 2009, During Akaflieg Douglas Flat IX, trenching the upper left wing skin for the wing spar. Wielding the die grinder is Aaron Burhoe, who dropped by for the day to see the project. He's building a Giles carbon fiber aerobatic airplane in his garage in Sonora.
Filling the trench with flox to install the spar
Doug, Brad, and I set the spar in place with the spiders.
The spar set and secure.
On 3 May, after removing the spar stub locating fixture from the inboard end.
That evening, the inboard left lower flaperon skin we laid up and bagged.
Homebuilt aviation is not for folks who don't try things at home.
page updated 5 May 2009 all text and graphics copyright (c) 2009 HP Aircraft,
LLC