Laminates 7 and 8

75% of the spar is now glued. At this rate another two weeks to start trimming it.

2nd and 3rd laminations

No i wasnt game to do two at once. Actually I have four laminations because the first gluing was between two laminations. The second added the third lamination, the third gluing added the fourth. Out of 12. 1/3 of the way through. And I've run out of big enough clamps to for the width. So I need to buy or borrow more.

M helped me with the first two gluings, and A helped with the third.

Horizontal laminations started - Spar

 

 
Going one by one rather than all at once. I discovered I wouldnt have enough glue for the "all at once" anyway. Must order more. I may try two at once next weekend. Getting there.

grain direction

 
The spruce was long but it was quarter sawn. To get it to "lay flat" within limits, meant having to cut narrower width pieces to length and then glue them side by wide to make up the 2.25 inch width of the spar blank. Then "brick" them so that the joins werent on top of each other and the grain all oriented the same way - up in the middle down at the sides. Once glued together it will have enormous strength.

The Spar Jig takes shape

 
Almost ready to go. Just need to add the wax paper to the battens. That's the laminate stack (spar blank unglued) to the right of the jig.

last spar horizontal lamination

Glued up number 12 this morning. That's the easy bit. Now how to do the vertical lamination - ? Have to build the rest of the jig appropriately and test before gluing. How exciting!

Building the wing spar

Gluing the first horizontal laminate today, I have 12 of them to do. A 1" and 1.25" glued to form a 2.25" laminate. When I finish that I will block up the Jig so I can bend the dihedral into the laminations of the spar. I am thinking I will do it in two lots of 6 laminations each.

If that doesn't sound like much progress in the 10 days I've had the wood: I have had to:
- organise the timber in the garage, including building a series of chain straps from the ceiling to hold timber when not in use (so its not tripped over on the floor).
- build the jig table and jib board
- practice procedure including wax paper placement to stop epoxy gluing work to table

Spruce for the Spar has arrived

Building the jig now. have wood for the spar and the fuse.

BFR

My biennial flight review was due in October, but I was overseas. So its to last Saturday that I could get a free day and a booking to coincide but K, the CFI, agrees to do it. He tells me to plan for Stroud Road, Singleton then Maitland for some circuits and back to YWLM.

The Saturday starts off IFR, but its forecast to improve vis by the booking time. It's also forecast 25 knots gusting to 40 from the north west.

The bookings are running a little late so I catch up with some club mates and a work mate. K asks me what I'd like to do and I say I say I've planned for the NAV. He says ok, let's see what it's like up there.

I climb to 1500 heading north and forget to retract my flaps in the 150 past 5 degs. Oops. Bad start. Then my heading keeping is all over the shop, I'm drifting around 30 degrees trying to make my compass reading match what I think I should be seeing on the map. I decide that there is the Karuah River and if I steer in between its undulations it will take me to Stroud and Stroud Rd is just over a little hill from there. By the time we get near Stroud I have sorted my heading work (pick a peak on the far horizon consistent with the heading then steer to that). The Stroud valley is green and beautiful. The town looks scrumptious.
I climb to 2500 to clear the higher ground between Stroud Rd and Singleton. Set the new heading to the west and get a quick estimate for Dungog, only 10nm away on the track which will confirm the estimated winds and ground speed (75 knots). Estimates confirmed Kerry asks me what the town ahead is. Confident it is Gresford he says Divert to Maitland from there.

I stretch out the VTC and confirm the correct scale on the ruler (1:25K) get a bearing adjusted for 12 deg magnetic, apply an estimated wind solution for the heading and we wheel through 90 deg over Gresford.

A big 1450 ft hill passes to the right of track one third of the way south, confirming we are on the right track. K asks if I can see the airfield - still 25nm away. I point out four bright spots above a green area that I think are the hangars at Rutherford, too far to see the runways, but it is correctly placed to the right of Maitland township. By the time we reach the line of low hills north of the Hunter River it is clear it is the airfield bang on course. I call "All stations Maitland, C-150 Uniformm Quebec Oscar is 12 miles to the north inbound 2 thousand 2 hundred".

K is happy, he says most navvers taken on this diversion follow the Paterson River and end up over the Hunter River looking for the airfield.

It's windy. Windsock straight out pointing right down runway 26. Pull the engine at 2 thousand feet. "Traffic Maitland 2 thousand feet over the top glide approach two-six."

I give a quick trouble check aware how little time there is to fly this thing in this wind onto the runway. I confirm low key, call base turn two six, keep her turning towards the threshold because the strong wind is blowing us away. 150 ft on late final pull all flap and grease her onto the runway where K accuses me of showing off.

Leave it too late for a go around in the post landing glow and K calls an abort. If not airborne by the intersection give it a miss. We backtrack and leap into the very bouncy air. There is rotor wash off the hill facing us, Not climbing well in the downdraft we clear the thrashing trees by about a hundred feet. Continue climbing through the illusion of not turning thanks to the massive crosswind on crosswind leg.

I ignore the ground and look at the gyro compass for inputs. By 500 ft agl things are looking normal and we are headed back to YWLM.

At late final at YWLM we are a kite, creeping up to the field so slowly. At one stage I note the airspeed decayed to 40knots - up throttle and down nose. The gusts were pushing us left and right swinging either way trying to get the slip right as it gusts in the other direction. Last second above the tarmac and she greases on again, like the preceding was just for fun. I smile at K. You Happy? he asks. I'm happy. I'm happy too.

Finished the ribs

the other sides of rib pair 107 is gluing on the table right now. the final gluing event of the rib sequence is drying on the table and will be put with the rest of the rib stack - representing 18 wing ribs in total - all made by me - awaiting the next phase - to start in October - being the construction of the one piece spar (with the 750lb all up wt option) - then the final assembly of the wings will proceed.

i have finished my first component set and i feel like an aeroplane builder - hurray for me and plans set 352

Ribs all done!

There's been an overlap in production with Rib Pairs 95 and 107 (the last wintips). Process goes:
1. draw up & glue jig
2. cut & wet overnight top and bottom rib pieces
3. shape top and bottom rib pieces to leading edge ply insert
4. cut vertical and diagonal intermediate pieces
5. glue all above together
6. dry overnight
7. cut out ply gussets and glue to rib vertical and diagonal joints
8. turn rib over and cut out and glue gussets for other side
9. simultaneously repeat steps 2-5 for next rib
10. repeat steps 6-8
11. start on next rib steps 1-10 doing step 8 from previous rib

I will get a photo soon of all the ribs laid out! So excited.

Next Looking for materials for the spar jig. But I am having six months down time from the project while I am overseas with work. Starting backn in Oct.

Rib 83 complete

It's the new year. Been building for almost 8 months. Finished 83, starting on rib pair station 95. Sstation 107 is the wing tip, then I'll be done with ribs. Hoping to have my wood for the spar by Easter if not before. Ordering spruce from Brisbane. Drive it back myself.

Property Check

 
 
 
 
It's 12 months to the day since the last time I flew over the farm. Only a 150 available. Myself and camera aloft. Much greener this year than 2006.

Two More wing rib stations (57, 71) complete

Station 59 and 71 now done. 57 has the supports for the aileron pulleys. 71 is the fourth last. Three more sets to go then finito ribs. I'll get some photos onto here as evidence soon.

Station 47 complete

Finished this week, including the inboard ends of the Ailerons that snuggle up next to this rib-pair, the last of the inboard, non-aileroned ribs.

Circuits!

I had to go flying. It'd been seven months. Seven! I booked the hour and half slot in the middle of the day. And wouldnt you know, the two instructors checking out in the Robin went over an hour late. And the instructor following on from my booking was giving me the hurry up, and I wasnt even in it! There's no justice. Anyway it was good to catch up with friends at the club. Hadnt seen for ages. S even came in specially to say hi after seeing my name on the on-line booking sheet.

It was a beautiful beautiful sunny mild flying day. I just did three circuits, two touch an dgos, to make me passenger carrying legal for another 90 days. Two beaaautufl landings I did. The last not so much. Got complacent aafter the firrst two!/

Third ribs pair Station 35 completed

Photo of two completed station 35 ribs at this date. Notice completed Station 11 (root rib) with both front and back 1.5mm ply covering. Although the basic rib was completed first, still gluing them, one to go with new jig set station 47.

Second rib Sta 23 assembled

Main members glued - gussets to be cut out tomorrow night and glued Thursday night. Next week, re-jig for next Station. That will be Stas 11 and 23 done.

Corby Starlet - rib station 11

I am now not flying as much. I only just renewd my medical after being uncurrent for about two months. Reason is I'm channeling flying funds into the building of my own plane, a Corby Starlet. M gave me plans set 352 for Christmans 2003. I am building in the double garage of my weekday location for work in Queanbeyan. I am building the wing ribs first and accumulating wood, tools and expertise. First rib for Station 11 on the wing in view in the photo.

Scenic Summer

Just before New Year I took E, a friend who I took flying about 4 years ago, for a scenic throught the Lower Hunter and WIlliams River Valleys. Beautiful day. CHeck it out.