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dholly added a topic in Fat Avids, Avid Plus and Airdale
Flight Controls
I don't think it makes a bit of difference if you do most of the control install without fitting the floorboards before final assembly and adjustments. In fact, would I recommend it. Locating the correct position for the control tube friction block and rudder pedal brackets is a lot easier when you can actually see the mounting tabs!
Now I am -very- interested in your comments about installing these flight controls, particularly the control column tube. The one I got with my kit was clearly the same as provided with the Mk-IV kits, and too darn short for the wider Avid+. It is impossible to correctly position the sticks, centered between the piloit and co-pilot's legs.
Dare I ask... how long is your column? :D
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dholly added a post in a topic Floorboards???
In an attempt to keep things semi-organized and easy to find, I started a new thread for Flight Controls.
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cajunpilot added a post in a topic Floorboards???
Papaer of plastic ehh?
Well now I see why I didn't think of it...too technologically advanced.
Now, we are starting on the flight controls. From the manual it indicates that you must install the floorboards first. Is this true? Can we do part of this prior to the installation of the floor boards? From your pictures me thinks me see that you have installed the bell cranks, mixers and some such before you installed the floor boards. Now, I know from your pic of the Marine ply that you have to install that prior to installing the control column housing. So, my question is can I install some of the other stuff I mentioned before I place the floor board in?
Also, on installing the floor board, how hard was that and do you have any pointers from when you installed yours?
Oakie Dokie that's all for now,
Check back in a little, going to see about paper bags and Marine 5 ply,
Keep you Flaps Down
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akflyer added a post in a topic Floorboards???
WHACK, now thats usin your dip stick jimmy
I used newspaper for templates or poster board. Never thought of brown paper bags (which is kinda dumb of me cause we used to use them to draw up model airplane plans on when i was a wee little guy). Sounds like we use the same aeronautical engineering technique. I caution you as to the amount of liquid engineering you use.. cost me a couple re-do's
Me thinks I see why you are having trouble the uploads. bigum file size..
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dholly added a post in a topic Floorboards???
G'morning Militia,
Well, I am impressed! Certainly with your progress, but damn, it takes a confident cajun to pose in a fuzzy pair of purple slip-ons!
I can assure you I spared absolutely no expense on my floorboard templates. Here's what I did... I drove down to the local grocery store > purchased (2) 6-packs of my favorite brewed hop bubbles > asked clerk to bag each separately > when asked "paper or plastic?", I chose paper > NOTE: insist each be DOUBLE-bagged (this will become apparent later). IMPORTANT: Resist the temptation to drink them on the drive home.
Back in the shop, I pulled up a stool and began visualizing the task at hand. Of course, aeronautical engineering planning sessions in my neck of the woods are facilitated with cold beer and cigars, so pretty soon I was looking at (6) dead soldiers and an empty paper bag. I was just about to flick my cigar ash into the old bag and then it hit me --viola!-- slice that sucker open and use it for a template. Perfect size! (see pic)
Now see, I told ya up North we are an enterprising bunch but sometimes have a hard time thinking too far ahead... I had to 'reuse' the same dang bag for pilot, passenger and both baggage floor boards. Let me tell you, it got downright ratty by the time I was done but if'n ya DOUBLE bag your beer, you're gonna have a fresh bag for each board! w00t!
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dholly added a post in a topic Wheel/Axle installation
Hey Greg, you might try resizing your pics before posting. You are sending 2448x3264 pics which are G-I-G-A-N-T-I-C and probably do take a long time to upload. When I click on the thumbnails they blow up so big it's sometimes hard to see the forest thru the trees, if you know what I mean. I use Microsoft Image Resizer for XP, free download HERE. Once installed, all you have to do is right click on a pic and select a new size. It makes a smaller copy and leaves your original intact. Quick 'n easy, I think the Medium size works best. Let's plaster Leni with pics!!!
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akflyer added a post in a topic Wheel/Axle installation
hmmm, let me check settings and see whats up with the uploading. may be time for me to upgrade software...
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cajunpilot added a post in a topic Wheel/Axle installation
Okie Dokie,
The reason I asked is that when I tried to load three pictures. It timed out on me. I am thinking a video which is going to be huge would fair very well either.
What do you think?
Keep your Flaps Down
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cajunpilot added a post in a topic Floorboards???
Hidey Ho Neighbors,
Wow, that Five ply with the varnish is sexy stuff. Gotta love it. Okay not sure what are paneling is for but sure well figure it out. But it sounds like at the very least, were gonna be opening that hole in the ground we keep throwing our money into...otherwise known to you Yankees as an investment!!
Do you have a copy of the template you used for the floor. Were not sure how to attack this. The Mrs Coonass AKA Mother to me,(What a Mom!! look at her fine offspring!!), will be attacking this part of the project. I guess we can
pick that stuff up at a lumber yard? Where should we look for it?
Drum roll please...........
The Cajun/LSU Avid Has Landed!!!!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!
Thanks so much for all the help.
As I type our little bird is napping quietly in our garage, on, you guessed it, her own three legs.
We have the wheels packed and properly installed with Jumbo ty-raps (175LBS a Piece)WAY!! more easy than Hose clamps. We used four two on each side.. I think it a great alternative to the hoseclamps.
Here are the picks. Enjoy! and thank you soo much for the ongoing help and banter
Sincerely,
The Coonass Militia
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akflyer added a post in a topic Floorboards???
damnit.. now I wanna fat bastard too... Nope, I will keep mine just the way it is for what she was intended to do, but I will stretch the parts of my wrecked pacer and make a sweet fat pacer with long wings... witha baggage area that will make you eat your heart out
The first fat bastage I looked at was jackaks and man. What a sweet bird those are going to be!
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dholly added a post in a topic Floorboards???
I originally fitted 1/4" luan underlayment leftover from a floor tile project (cheap, cheap), but ran into interference with the front aileron bellcrank and rod end. I ended up re-doing with 1/8" baltic birch 5-ply marine. Marine ply has no voids and waterproof glue, like aircraft grade, much higher quality. Funny thing is, I think the thinner stuff actually feels more solid! Used two coats of PolyFiber EV-400 Epoxy Varnish on both sides, looks pretty good. I had to fit the baggage floor in two pieces. Figure the split will be hidden under my yet-to-be-made elevator push/pull tube safety tunnel cover.
P.S. - all you Avid Flyers with the mixer tube cluster behind the seat, eat yer hearts out at our Fat open baggage area!! ;D
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akflyer added a post in a topic Floorboards???
Nope, I think mine are 1/8". When they are in and bolted / screwed / clipped, they are plenty strong. You will not be standing on them as there just is not enough room in there. You feet will rest on them is all. You have the aluminum heal plates to go in there are well right?
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akflyer added a post in a topic Wheel/Axle installation
there should be way more than enough bandwidth to handle any build thread you want to do. If not I will buy more
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akflyer added a post in a topic Rotax Aircraft Forum
and yet... sadly, I am sure he is far from the strangest duck at that event...
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cajunpilot added a post in a topic Floorboards???
Final Pic of floorboards...supposedly
Keep Em' Flyin
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cajunpilot added a post in a topic Floorboards???
Heres what we think to be the floorboards...
Plus a Lagniappe photo of the Ol' military coonass at work
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jbowaaf added a topic in Fat Avids, Avid Plus and Airdale
Floorboards???Floor boards, is it me or are they terribly flimsy. Maybe I have the wrong boards...shutter to call the that really, they amount to that of the same strength and thickness as that old seventies paneling you use to use in lieu of paint.
My question is do I have the wrong boards?? I am highly circumspect about the use of these...see for your self....
Sorry pic to be in next post
Keep your flaps down!!
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jbowaaf added a post in a topic Wheel/Axle installation
Doug,
Thanks very much for the machinist advice.
one Gear down, completely packed and locked on the axle. YAHOOOOOO!!!
Okay as to posting the pictures, yes, I am going to Photobucket the whole thing as well as maybe setup a webpage for the build...have to see about last....not too literate round these parts...fangled computers....
Its hard for me to post here as if I try and load more than two pics it times out...site doesn't like coonasses
Either way Ill grind out a way.
Speaking of grinding, well cutting (hacksaw through steel 1140) then grinding smooth, the ol' coonass is out there as I speak...ops type, cutting our new spacer.
Not sure about ability to post this but I would like to start a builders assist thread part to this site. I did a complete video of my installation of the RT MLG wheel assembly. Its heavy file wise so uploading I don't know about but I would have killed for this much information at the start...thinking maybe other poor schmucks out there like the LSU adoring Gift to the Cajun skyscape.
Let me know what you guys think...even if its to post detailed pics with experiential information along with...much like a narrative...
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dholly added a post in a topic Wheel/Axle installation
Greg-
Instead of lining up the tube by eye and trying to hold it while you drill, here are a couple of tips:
First, try the old machinist's trick of capturing a thin steel rule between the tube and the bit; when it doesn't tilt, the bit is centered on the work (this originated for centering a lathe bit against the work piece, but will work as well here). Remove the rule and make a light centering mark with the drill bit, then center punch the axle tube to provide a straight start. Of course your drill press should keep the bit vertical; but definitely use a pair of V blocks to get the through hole exactly 90* degrees to the tangent of the tube and appropriate clamping hardware to keep the gear leg from wandering.
And about those build pics... any way to share with non-Facebook members?
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dholly added a post in a topic Rotax Aircraft Forum
Yeah but did ya click that LINK and scroll down?
Whoa boy, that there ain't right...
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akflyer added a post in a topic Rotax Aircraft Forum
yer not right... and as of this moment your orientation is suspect.... I think the wife is just for good cover.....
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skysailor added a post in a topic Rotax Aircraft Forum
YIKES!!!!!! :
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Av8r3400 added a post in a topic Rotax Aircraft Forum
Looks like the Rotax Forum is back up again.
I don't know what to say about this though...
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cajunpilot added a post in a topic Wheel/Axle installation
Okay,
Well, that answers that as I have seen illusions to that effect somewhere (reference to a bushing in between the bearings). Okay as far as the tubing is concerned, what material do you think it should be made of. Seems to me that some of the spacers appear to be copper but that cannot be correct due to heat concerns ...can it? I only ask as I am going to have to replace the center spacer on either one or both of the axles, as I used a pipe cutter to cut an additional bit of spacer due to our alignment problem. It worked great. All lined up, but short one spacer...
Okay well this should not stop me as to drilling my next axle. Oh did I mention, drilled the first axle. The main problem with a drill press is the unusual shape to what you are drilling. Two man job and then still moved off my alignment mark. Had to re-cut additional outboard spacer. Yeah , what fun!
I will have to wait til the am to go buy the additional tubing for interior spacer for both wheels.
PS Our manual has NOTHING regarding what you are talking about. Thank you so much for that.
Gonna be sick of us before its all done I'm afraid. No end to how much I appreciate it.
I am not sure what you are saying about location , but if it is in reference to Facebook I am located in New Orleans
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dholly added a post in a topic Wheel/Axle installation
Sorry Greg, didn't see your other spacer question.
My manual (Rev 8/16/96) Sec II-D, Chap 2 says:
It's all coming back to me now, both the steel spacers and the copper spacers I received were pre-cut.
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