Fabricated new T-410 plates and fuel stiffner rings - 2 hours

One of the fabricated items that I need is stiffener rings for the fuel senders that now get mounted on the rear tank baffle. I thought it was best to use the ones that are on the tank access plates I no longer need.


While the band saw was out, I zipped off two pieces for the new T-410 out of some scrap 0.063" material that I borrowed from my buddy, Mike.

Once I had the rough outlines cut, I drilled the 9/16" hole and then set up for the final trimming. The sanding station made very short work of getting them into the correct shape. A few passes in the 3M wheel and I was done.

I carefully set up the assembly and match drilled the #30 holes.

I then took a little time and cleaned up the fuel stiffener rings and made sure they were round.

Drilled the fuel supply fitting hole - 2 hours

Well, This is a bit more tricky then I thought. The hole size that I ended up with is 9/16"
 but I did not have a drill bit that big. So I dug out my unibit and went to work. Well, It opened the hole nicely, but the material is so darn thick that you can do it in one shot. altogether.

I managed to accidentally go too far in the right T-410 reinforcement plate.
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The hole in the left T-410 reinforcement plate was just off a few thousandths. I guess when I took the assembly apart and upsized the holes from 1/2" to 9/16" it ever so slightly was off center.  So I decided to fabricate new reinforcement plates. The left one could have worked just fine, but since I needed to make a right one...It was easy do again.

Drilled the tank T-405 angles - 1.5 hours

Next I needed to drill the rivet holes on the T-405 angles. This bit took me some time as I wanted to make sure all was correct. (I do not want to build another T-405 angle!). So check, check and recheck, I match drilled the assembly with #40, then upsized to #30. All turned out extremely nice.

I drilled one angle on the drill press to #40, I placed the pieces back to back and clamped them together. I then drilled the other angle using the first as a drill guide. Perfect

Then I drilled them to them to the rib and the T-410 reinforcement plate.

Drilled T-708 tank access stiffner rings - 1.5 hours

Being on holidays has zapped my routine. It was a couple days to get things going.
Knowing that the edge distance was not an issue with the tooling holes, I clamped and drilled the holes for the T-708 tank access stiffener rings.

Officially started flying lessons

Well, March 30, 2016 marks the official date that I have started flying lessons. I was looking to go up in an Extra like I had done before on a past trip, but I decided that it was time to get serious about starting my license. So, I had booked an into flight with Airworx in Las Vegas, based out of KVGT. The CFI for the first session was Aaron Root. I though him to be a great instructor right away. We did the walk around, talked a bit. Then we jumped into the Piper Cherokee and started going thru the preflight checklist. I started the engine, listened to the ATIS, Contact ground, and soon I was taxing out to the runway. Soon we were off to the southern practice area, with me in the left seat practicing level flight and turns. It was a challage that day as the weather and winds where all over the map being that the area is right next to the mountains.

I was immediatly hooked! So I booked another session April 1st. Back at it. Walk-around, Checklists, Taxi, Run-up, more checklists, take-off (by the CFI) elevating and decending turns, slow flying, powered stalls, Landing (by the CFI). And then followed with some ground school on aerodynamics. Beautiful!!

So its official..2.6 hours logged.

More research on fuel tanks - Return Line

So...I figure after some advice I received yesterday, putting in a return line into the tanks is not such a bad idea. Even if its capped and never used. It least my options are open. I decided to give this a second thought. I did more research in the evening looking into my options.
So first off is figuring out the shopping list to install the return line. From my research it seems that 3/8" line is required in both tanks. Some folks extend the tube into the inner bays to help mitigate risk of bubbles. Robert Paisley @ EFII indicates they recommend at minimum 3" from the fuel pickup. In the middle of the round stamped stiffening feature in the root rib is a good spot - According to his posts on Vans Airforce.

I dove into the build logs and the forums to get a good idea of what people are doing.  I was starting to steer toward the fuel bungs as folks complain about the fittings turning when they are connecting them and breaking the seal on the proseal. This of course can be mitigated by using a bulkhead fitting, or as Robert Paisley @ EFII suggests using their hard mounted fuel bung eliminates this concern.

I emailed EFII according to their email address on the website as I do not see their bungs available through aircraft spruce. It bounced back as the recipient is not found. It's a bad email address.

So, after much thought. I have abandoned the idea of putting the return line into the tanks. The complexity of the extra return line plumbing and fuel selector coupled with the idea of bunching more holes in the tank has caused me to think scenarios through. I'm 100% certain that I will be proceeding with a FI system that will not require it.

As a side note...I am really wanting to figure out blocking the large opening in the rib #2 (this is in the middle of the rib, not the one on the bottom that is covered by the trap door). Looking at the RV7 build logs there does not seem to be much info on it. However there is a lot more info on the RV8 logs as folks with flop tubes are patching this hole.

Flying in the RV7A

What a day for the RV experience! I was invited out to the local airport by a friend that I met via Van's Airforce. Darin is in the process of building an RV-14. So I had the opportunity to look on his build and setup. Truly incredible. The RV-14 kit is a step above. It's so interesting to see how the factory has taken care of all the little details. Does this take away from the build experiance....I didn't think so.  I applaud Vans for their efforts as they provide a full array to satisfy any builder. I secretly wish that I had given the RV14 a better look. Its just cool! Oh and the hanger....So much space to work in and perfectly clean. Ever see where they work on the Formula 1 cars...Lab clean! I thought I had a man cave in my basement....Nope!

Darin had pulled open his boxes of goodies. I was able to see first hand some of the quality parts and tools that are available. AeroLED's, Andair Fuel Selectors, pre-bent fuel lines. It was great to see some of the various parts. Really emphasises that paying a little extra for quality items is worth it.

There are many other planes that I was able to take a peak at. A carbon cub, and Lancair. Just so much better seeing them in person rather than looking at pictures.

I had an incredible opportunity to take a ride in an RV7A. Pilot Eugene was a wealth of knowledge and willing to share his advice. He showed me what worked for him, what didn't, what he would do differently. What I noticed was small little details that the average builder would miss or not think about until you were further along in the process. It was great to look over his RV as it explained so many questions I had. Cockpit layout was huge as I never had sat in an RV before. I am 6'3" tall and fit had always concerned me. But...My fears were quickly settled. I fit just fine. True I will need to go with the "almost an RV14" mod and adjust the placement of the rudder pedals which I had figured. But my head was nowhere close to touching the canopy and everything was an easy reach. And one other thing...The Dynon Skyview EFIS so nice!

I was thinking about a throttle quadrant, but I could see for me this was not going to work well. Push/Pull knobs and placement was very accessible and not obtrusive. I think a throttle quadrant would not be for me. Fire extinguisher was on the floor which was out of the way, but very accessible.

Eugene took my up for a quick flight to another local airport and back. We flew at 4400', did a touch and go, stall recovery practice, a low level flyby and a forced approach. He was kind enough to ask if I wanted to take the controls. Oh...I was nervous, but I gladly accepted. The controls are more sensitive than I thought (Might even be more sensitive than the Extra?). Took me by surprise. Not in a negative way, but similar to the feeling of when I first drove the Porsche. Precise in every detail. My first RV Grin!. I admit I did the rookie mistakes of getting a little high, and then getting a little low, A little off course, with a little over correction. Eugine was watchful and understanding. I do not have my license yet and my plan is to start this fall. This experience has solidified my resolve to keep forging ahead full speed.

A big thank-you to the guys who have welcomed me into their world and shared their love of aviation with me.