Taxi Tests

I performed several taxi tests to verify performance of engine, prop, brakes, steering, cooling, and control surfaces. All items performed as expected. I did find several items that needed attention after my post "taxi" inspection.

A piece of foam came loose from my battery installation. I replaced it and re-tightened the battery strap.

The right brake cable is sticking slightly. I adjusted the cable and removed slack.

A pin hole leak in my exhaust system. A small amount of carbon is building up around the hole. I will need to watch it. Hopefully it will plug itself.

Airworthiness Inspection - 2.0 hours (500 Total)

Today I passed my airworthiness inspection!

Dean Singleton from the Portland, OR (Hillsboro) FSDO came down to do the inspection. The inspection took approximately two hours.

The inspection was not as thorough as I had expected. In fact, the inspector failed to notice six nuts that I had not tightened down on the back side of my prop bolts! He also did not ask to see my pilot operating handbook.

Early on, the inspector seemed to be looking at things very closely but then started making comments about how impressed he was with the detail I had put into the construction. After that he seemed to be less thorough. I belive that if he would have found something wrong early on, he would have continued a thorough inspection of the entire plane.

Rudder Cables and Fuel Tanks - 1.0 hour (498 Total)

After talking with Rans about cable tensions I decided to tighten my rudder cables. My rudder cables had a significant amount of slack in them. To tighten them I loosened the three bolts that hold the rudder horns to the rudder. This allowed the horns to rotate towards the front of the plane. I then removed as much slack as I could from the cables. Tightening the bolts rotated the horn back into place and removed additional slack.






























I also filled my fuel tanks for the first time. While doing so, I determined that the tanks have very little unusable fuel, only a few ounces. I also discovered that my fuel tanks hold significantly less than the 9 gallons they are suppose to. My left tank holds 8 gallons and my right tank holds 7 gallons. The right tank holds less fuel because it is slightly deformed. While I was building the right wing, I left the wing overnight while it was resting upside down. This put the weight of the wing on the filler spout of the tank. The next morning the top of the tank had compressed. I tried several methods of reforming the tank without success.

While filling the tanks, I marked the sight tubes after each gallon. Unfortunately, the smallest amount of fuel I can see is 3 gallons.

Weight and Balance - 1.0 hour (497 Total)

With my airworthiness inspection right around the corner, it is time to do my final weight and balance.

The bathroom scales I purchase are not the most accurate so I took three different measurements. Each time I rotated the scales to a different position effectively giving me three different measurements for each position. This didn't seam to help my tail measurement; I measure 22#, 30#, and 38#. (At a latter date I verified my tail weight at 29.5# with a shipping scale I borrowed from my office.)

My empty weight came out to 556.5#. This is 146.5# more than the 410# Rans specs for the S-14 with a Rotax 582 engine. Some of the items that gave me my extra weight include: HKS engine, BRS parachute, battery, clear coated wings and tail, extra instruments, fabric interior, door shock, trim tab, wheel pants, jury strut fairings, strobe, gascolator, electric fuel pumps, adjustable lift struts, second fuel tank, and beefed up electrical system.

My CG turned out to be at 107". The CG range for the plane is 101" to 110".

After completing the weight and balance, I did a thorough inspection of the entire plane.

Carb Balancing - 2.0 hours (496 Total)

I spent many hours balancing my carbs (but I'm only counting two). This was a new experience for me since I have never worked on carburetors before. I was able to remove my prop during the balancing which made it a lot easier and safer. I also was able to borrow a set of vacuum gauges which also made the job easier.

Once I had reattached my prop, I set the pitch to a static RPM of 5600.

Labels - 1.0 hour (494 Total)

While taking the 16-hour course to get my inspection rating for my E-LSA, I learned that I had made a couple of mistakes on my airplane.

The first mistake was that I put Rans down as the builder of my airplane. I had done this on my application for airworthness certificate and on the serial number plate I installed onto my plane. The FAA confirmed this and had me resubmit some of my paperwork.

The hard part was getting a new serial number plate, engraving it, rolling it, and then replacing the old one.
















I also learned how a trim tab works and how the airflow over it effects control surfaces. This meant that I needed to replace the sticker I placed on trim tab wheel. Luckily I hadn't thrown out the other sticker Rans provided.

Door Strut - 4.0 hours (493 Total)

Today I installed a lift strut for my door. This was an addition above and beyond the Rans kit. I purchased a 15lbs lift strut for the job. I tried using a 10lbs lift strut but it wasn't strong enough. Keep in mind the strength required depends on the geometry of the mounting points.

I used some left over gussets from the door frame to make brackets to hold the lift strut ends. I trimmed and drilled the gussets to to the required shapes.

I had pre-drilled holes in the door frame and window frame for the brackets prior to installing the Lexan. Unfortunately, I did not drill the holes very precisely so I had trouble lining them up with the holes in the brackets. (Getting a full size drill behind the Lexan was almost impossible)

The brackets on the door end needed to be slightly bent to allow the bolt to clear the door frame.

The lift strut for the door works great!

Parachute Rigging - 3.0 hours (489 Total)

Today I installed my oil cooler cowl and routed my parachute rigging.

Prior to installing the oil cooler cowl, I attached the adhesive foam rubber to the bottom of the cowl to protect the wing fabric. I then bolted the cowl down using long bolts. I then replaced the bolts, one at a time, with shorter ones to further compress the foam rubber. I did this a second time with the final bolts. This gave me a snug fitting cowl.

I then routed the parachute rigging between the cowl brackets and the cowl. This included two straps down to the steal tub, a short strap wrapped around the root tube (square beam), the strap that connects to the parachute, and a quick link to connect them all together. I used several wire-ties to secure the straps to the root tube and the cowl brackets. This is necessary to prevent the straps from interfering with the aileron cables and pulleys.

I used some Goop brand adhesive to glue the parachute strap along the aluminum tube that runs along the left side of the windshield.

Reattach Wings - 4.0 hours (486 Total)

With the help of a couple of friends I reattached the wings to the airplane. This is the third time the wings have been installed onto the plane and I was hoping it would be a little easier. Attaching the lift struts was a little easier since I have learned the technique for installing them. Unfortunately, connecting the leading edge of the right wing became very difficult.

When I installed the window, I forced the window former (aluminum tube) into place. This lifted up the curved tube that the top of the window connects to. Which then caused the leading edge of the right wing to misalign with the wing bracket. I was still able to install the wing but it took a great amount of effort to get the bolt holes to align. I should have trimmed the window former prior to installing it.

I replaced several of the wing bolts that have been worn from the installing and removing process. The last photo shows the eye bolt I installed into the leading edge lift strut. This will hopefully give me a good tie down point.

While installing the wings, I did damage the right carb heat probe. I'll need to replace it.

Just prior to installing the wings, actually in the middle of it, I installed some rubber and foam trim.

Moving Day - 0.0 hours (482 Total)

Today I moved my plane from my workshop to my hanger. My hanger is located at Daniels Field, Harrisburg Oregon (OR78).

I hired a professional moving company to move the plane for me. The move went very well and no "hanger rash" occurred. I did need to fold up one of the horizontal stabilizers to allow the plane to fit into the truck. The move cost $250.

Instrument Panel - 0.5 hours (482 Total)

The last thing I needed to do today was install my ferrite ring EMI filters to the Enigma. I was getting a significant amount of noise on my radio when the Enigma was turned on. I would need to set my squelch to the highest setting of 8 to block out the noise. With the Enigma turned off, I only need a squelch level of 3. After experimenting with several types of ferrite beads I was able to get the noise down to where I could set my squelch to 5 or 6.

In the photo below you can see the four of the five ferrite rings I installed. The round one in the center is hiding a fifth ring.

I then bolted the Enigma in place using some Locktite.

Door Lock - 1.5 hours (481.5 Total)

One of the extra features I was planning to add was a lock for my door. I had a local lock smith key a cabinet lock to match the same key I use for my Master switch.

The locksmith provided me with a thin steel plate that I was able to slip in between the Lexan and aluminum tube of the door. I pre-drilled holes in the plate that I later used to rivet to the door.

To get the lock as close to the edge of the door as possible, I needed to fabricate a bushing. Without the bushing I would have needed to leave clearance between the lock and the metal tube of the door to allow room for the nut to turn. I used some scrap aluminum tubing with an inside diameter of 3/4" as my bushing. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the lock close enough; the latch mechanism just barely overlaps the window frame tube. I'll need to get a longer latch from the lock smith.

Trim Tab - 0.5 hours (480 Total)

Since I had one rivnut left, I decided to use it on my trim tab cable.

The instruction manual only calls out to mount the trim tab cable in one location but they provided an extra rivnut and hose clamp. The hose clamps Rans provided are not used anywhere else so I assume Rans intended for two of them to be used on the trim cable. Putting one mount on the elevator and the other on the stabilizer keeps the cable from rubbing on fabric when the elevator is raised.

Oil Vent - 0.5 hours (479.5 Total)

I also installed my oil vent hose. This required me to install a rivnut into the top former to hold the oil vent tube in an arch. The HKS installation manual required 100mm (~4") of arch above the oil tank; my installation has about 11 inches.

I still need to find some hose clamps and secure the hose with some wire ties.

Window Trimming - 0.25 hours (479 Total)

I was also planning to install some of the foam rubber seals to fill the gap between the wings and the top former tube. Unfortunately, Rans didn't provide any foam for this. I will need to order some from them.

I did notice the window edge could use some more trimming. I used my Dremel tool to round the Lexan edge so it won't damage the wing fabric. The other side doesn't have this issue.

Door Seals - 0.25 hours (478.75 Total)

Today I placed the foam rubber seals around the door. I was planning to wait until I was at Daniels to do this but I'm bored.

Ready for the Daniels - 0 hours (478.5 Total)

Today me and a few friends took the wings off the plane in preparation for transporting it to the airport.

We were planning to transport it the following weekend in a 16' box van but I didn't feel comfortable with the tie down scheme in the truck. Since the plane wants to sit on it's tail, I didn't see an easy way of tying it down inside the 16' truck while having the tail stick out the back. I decided to hire a professional mover with a larger truck to transport the plane. The soonest they could move it would be Monday the 20th but it would be a tight schedule. Since I'm planning to head out of town on Tuesday for a long Thanksgiving vacation, I decided to put off the move until after I get back.

I was planning to have my painter come in and do a few touch-ups on plane before I move it to the airport. Unfortunately, within the past week he's closed up shop and has checked himself into a hospital based treatment program. He should be out mid December. It's hard finding good help these days!

Radio - 0.5 hours (478.5 Total)

Today I also epoxied a velcro strip to my instrument panel for the radio.

Several weeks ago I placed self adhesive velcro on the back of the radio and onto the instrument panel. Unfortunately, the adhesive didn't stick well enough to the fabric and peeled off.

In the photo below you can see the velcro strip that has been glued to the panel. I needed to put the tape on the edges to prevent them from curing up before the glue set.

Door Handle - 2 hours (478 Total)

Today I installed my door handle.

The door handle installation was pretty strait forward until it came to securing the plastic handles to the aluminum tube which goes through the door. The instruction manual has you use a nutsert and a stainless steel screw. The screw goes all the way through the handle and aluminum tube and is threaded into the nutsert on the other side. I assumed that the reason for this setup was to allow the removal of the screw and handle. It turns out that the handle cannot be removed once the nutsert is installed anyway.

If I were to do it again, I would just use rivets instead. I also needed to replace the screws because the allan wrench heads stripped out while I was installing them.