Firewall Forward · 18. March 2026

Mounting the vetterman exhaust was easier than expected. On the right side, the parts were a bit stubborn, but with some light tapping with a rawhide hammer, and application of mouse milk they decided to behave. On the right side the parts fit perfectly but the exhaust hanger bracket was a bit trickier, due to close proximity to the oil cooler. Like everything, we figured it out eventually.

General · 06. March 2026

I got a dock for my plane for my birthday :-) It will make entry and exit into the cockpit much easier for the upcoming avionics installation.

Firewall Forward · 21. February 2026

My dad was in his element doing the metalwork on the baffles, while I did the filtered air box and the rubber baffling. He made some changes to the baffles to facilitate removal and added little pieces of aluminum tubing as a support where the lower pins pull the baffles together.

Firewall Forward · 22. December 2025

The spinner was easy enough to install, as it centers itself on the backplates, that you install on the propeller hub. I removed the grey coat in order to make the spinner transparent for drilling. It was a pretty quick section, although there still is some finishing to do on the spinner.

Firewall Forward · 04. November 2025

Mounting the Airflow Performance F-150 unit was easy enough, but then we noticed an interference with the Van’s bracket for the controls. Apparently the bracket was made for an older style unit and the new one no longer fits. Considering different suggestions, making a new bracket was the way to go. First attempt was, to just widen it, but the geometry with the controls was still bad. So my dad made a whole new design, which even uses a bolt in the back for support.

Firewall Forward · 20. September 2025

I am still struggling with the cowling. I could not get it perfect yet, but I hope I can get to acceptable when we install the prop and I can finish all of the edges and the spinner bowl. Skybolt installation is ok, but also just ok, not really finished yet. The difficulty for me was, that these are big pieces and if they move just a little, it makes a big difference on the other end. The cowl tool was a big help, mille grazie Sandro!

Firewall Forward · 24. May 2025

There are a number of fittings, which are easier to install when the engine is not mounted, so we did that.

Firewall Forward · 13. May 2025

My neighbor called today, that UPS had dumped a big package in front of the garage… finally, after I had called them 3 times, because the box was stuck at their facility for 3 weeks. The prop looks great and guess what, Hartzell provides you with a very nice manual that comes with it and it contains all of the info you need to install it. Maybe if Lycoming had some competition…

Firewall Forward · 12. May 2025

Big day today, we hung the engine! A very rewarding part of the build, as it is an hour of work and it makes your plane look so much more closer to the finish line… We had some help from a friend, who has a car repair shop and a lot of experience and of course a hoist. With his help, the engine was on in the shortest time and we were sitting around it to admire the view. Thanks Remo!

Wings · 25. April 2025

Now it was time to rearrange the workshop again, so we can install the ER tanks on the wings. Lots of tetris involved, before we had a wing on the tables. Cutting into the wing to make room for the 2 extra rib bays of the ER tanks did elevate our heart rate quite a bit! As did the extra holes we needed in the wing spar flanges.