Apr 3-7- Gone to Sun N Fun for the
first time. It was pretty good. I stayed with Jim Skala in
Orlando and drove to the show in Lakeland each day. I went 2 days, and
saw other sights the other 2 days. Jan Eggenfellner was kind enough to
provide Jim and me with free access tickets to the show for the week. I accomplished a couple good things
there. I talked with the head of XM weather, and he told me they
plan to introduce, by Oshkosh AirVenture, a plan to allow more than 1
receiver to display the weather subscription info. (2008 update -
this was total hogwash - they are STILL stalling & making excuses on this)
This is important,
as I currently have 4 devices in the cockpit to display this.
Currently, it would take 4 subscriptions to get it on all the displays.
Also, all but the Garmin 396 will require an expensive add-on receiver
component. The Garmin one alone is about $5000! I can buy
TWO Garmin 396s for the price of that. I guess getting the 396 (with
built-in XM weather receiver) wasn't such a bad idea after all.
I had been having second thoughts about it. I also was able to
get better insurance info than I had ever been able to. Jim Stewart at
Falcon (thru EAA) can arrange all my builder, flight, and hangar insurance.
No problem. It was such a hassle and conflicting info a year or
2 ago, when I first looked into it, that I just gave up on it.
Apr 9 - continue laying out and
fabricate mount tray for Sandia encoder and Blue Mountain autopilot
controller. The fit on the tray turned out VERY nice.
1.5 hr
This
is the mount tray I made for the Blue Mountain Avionics autopilot
controller, Sandia encoder, and other electronics. I was very pleased
with the perfect slip fit on this. Making those bends is often a
rather wild guess, so it was pleasing how well it came out. The fwd
end rests on the firewall cross-angle. The inboard edge is also flat,
and rests on the bottom flange of the F745L. The aft edge and the
outboard edge have a flange downward. The aft flange will be used to
attach the tray to the subpanel. I will make nutplates for it, as well
as lightening holes. In the background, through the F745L, you can see
one of the angles for mounting the Blue Mountain AHRS. Above it, in
the background above the F745L, you can see the mount tray for the Grand
Rapids AHRS. The left edge of the picture shows the intercooler and
its mount.
Apr 14 - lay out & drill
nutplates for Sandia encoder and BMA autopilot controller mount tray.
0.5 hr
Apr 18 - drill, dimple,
countersink for nutplates, install nutplates on mount tray.
2.5 hr
Apr 26 - clean up shop, lay out
BMA Autopilot controller, Sandia encoder, and a couple of the 12 circuit
fuse blocks. 0.5 hr
Apr 28 - more planning layout of
BMA, Sandia, fuse blocks 1.0 hr
Apr 29 - more layout & pondering
placement of BMA, Sandia, fuse blocks 0.5 hr
Apr 30 - mount fuse blocks,
Sandia, BMA A/P Controller. Need some more nutplates & #6 screws.
Placed Wicks order 4.0 hr
Here is the product of my work for the entire month of April. I sure
haven't been getting much done on the plane lately. A is the backing
plate I made last year for the intercooler mount bracket. B is the
Sandia encoder. C is the mount tray for some of this. I ended up
putting the Sandia and fuse blocks elsewhere, so this space is now available
for "other stuff". D is the Blue Mountain Avionics autopilot
controller. E is 2 of the 12-circuit fuse blocks I got from
SteinAir. After much pondering &
placing things, I decided I wanted the fuses aft of the subpanel, so I can
access them every time I open the canopy, and not have to open an access
panel (there will be a big access panel in the skin over A-D) every time I
want to check them.
This
is the mount tray I made for the Blue Mountain Avionics autopilot
controller, Sandia encoder, and other electronics. I was very pleased
with the perfect slip fit on this. Making those bends is often a
rather wild guess, so it was pleasing how well it came out. The fwd
end rests on the firewall cross-angle. The inboard edge is also flat,
and rests on the bottom flange of the F745L. The aft edge and the
outboard edge have a flange downward. The aft flange will be used to
attach the tray to the subpanel. I will make nutplates for it, as well
as lightening holes. In the background, through the F745L, you can see
one of the angles for mounting the Blue Mountain AHRS. Above it, in
the background above the F745L, you can see the mount tray for the Grand
Rapids AHRS. The left edge of the picture shows the intercooler and
its mount.
Here is the product of my work for the entire month of April. I sure
haven't been getting much done on the plane lately. A is the backing
plate I made last year for the intercooler mount bracket. B is the
Sandia encoder. C is the mount tray for some of this. I ended up
putting the Sandia and fuse blocks elsewhere, so this space is now available
for "other stuff". D is the Blue Mountain Avionics autopilot
controller. E is 2 of the 12-circuit fuse blocks I got from