8/8/01
I decided I wanted to have my nose hatch hinged and fastened shut from the inside, instead of the plans method of using screws to keep it shut. My reasoning here is I may be parking the Cozy outside,(a.k.a. too cheap to rent a hangar.), so I wanted to make it as hard as possible for interlopers to get into the plane and steal all my goodies...i.e. gps antenna, noselift, etc. Besides, I thought a hatch without any visible fasteners would improve the overall aesthetic appearance.
The shot you see here is where I've cut the hatch, using the ever-popular Fein Sander, and glued it in-place with stir-sticks and superglue. This step is necessary to prepare for making the rim the lid will fit on when closed.
This is the inside if the hatch. I placed 2 layers of duct tape, 3 plys BID, and peel plyed.The layers of duct tape were to allow for paint and adjustment of the final height of the hatch. Came out nice!
Here's a shot of the hinges I made from .250" aluminum. The pivot points were fabricated from left-over angle aluminum form the seatbelt attach points. I then floxed the hinges to the lid and...Viola!
After much rumination and consternation, I decided to wing it on making some sort of sealing system with drainage, just in case I have to park my plane in the rain for extended periods of time. I decided to make a channel around the entire bottom lip of the nose hatch out of H100, then covering it with 3 layers of BID. So far, the process at the very time-consuming. It involves laying box tape around the entire parameter of the flange. Then, I used hot glue to fasten it to the covered flange. Next, I covered the H. 100 with a three layers of BID. I popped that off, trimmed it up, and made sure I had the proper clearances on the hatch. I then lined the bottom with flox and pressed the top hatch down into the flange with weights. I haven't decided if I'm going to remove the H. 100 and fill it with flox. But that's in the back of my mind because over time the H. 100 will degrade and the flange I made will become too flexible. We shall see...
I decided to move the Plans NACA scoops from up by the canard down to the nose for a number of reasons:
1: They produce less noise in the Nose.
2: They are larger, thereby producing more air for (possible) oil heater.
3: They look COOL.
At left, you see where I've prepped the area. I REALLY want to keep the Nose as structually sound as I can, so I followed the standard procedures as far as 1" min. glass to glass contact and what-not, using 2ply BID.
I used the pre-made NACA vents by Cameron NACA's. ($35 each OUCH). I pop-riveted them in place, filled the outside w/micro, and 2ply BID'd them on the inside.
Rudder Pedals
In the picture left, I've placed to Clarkfoam piece in prep for placing the rudder pedals. I plan on using Dennis Oelmann's design which was published in News letter # 64. Should save me about $300 when I make them myself with the Lincoln Invertec 205 XL Turbo GT... S Type.
4/30/04
At right: Here's how the rudder pedals/brakes layout looks now. I've strayed from the plans here. Rather than beg someone with a mill to make the fitting which slides to allow for rudder deployment before brake engagement, I borrowed an idea from "The Famous Jeff Russell" by using a couple of different diameter pieces of tubing to make the slide. Kinda like a trombone, if you will. I'm installing a couple of pieces of angle aluminum aft of the rudder pedals on NG30 to act as mechanical stops to prevent the rudders from going too far back and disconnecting the brakes.
At left, I have the final iteration of the rudder pedals. You can see where I added the steel strip between the plans master cylinder attachment point in the lower spring -- the point. Apparently, this will supposedly give me extra braking power. I guess I'll find out when I finally get to the airport for high-speed taxi tests.
