All the content from the old site has been migrated to the new, current site.
I’ve also reorganized the content using the builders manual Table Of Contents which can be found under the picture. For example, if you’re looking for info on the main gear doors, you can search on “7.7.3” which will return all posts that have to do with the main gear door.
You can also view posts by year or section.
Enjoy!
I submitted my application for registration about a month ago.
Then about 2 weeks ago I received the application back because I used “Aircraft” instead of “Airplane” in the type field,
over the weekend, I received the registration. I now have a registered airplane!
All finished for this trip. Got a lot accomplished. Battery installed, electrical systems tested, control systems connected, fuel shutoffs installed. Malcolm is finishing up the priming and painting of the sparrow strainer, vortilons and cowling.
Some final pictures as I was leaving.
And because I’m supposed to have pictures of me with the airplane…
There are already springs to pull the rudders from their deployed position. But once the cables from the rudder pedals to the rudders were connected I had to install some intermediate springs.
Now one of the things that I did was to install a second rudder cable pulley on the wing root. This should allow smoother rudder operations. It also makes the return spring installation a tad tricky… but not impossible.
Here’s the pilot-side rudder cable coupler (looking from below and slightly aft) with the return spring mounted.
And here is a view looking from below and inboard.
And finally, the co-pilot side.
The fuel system is rather simple. There are the two strake tanks (out near the wings) which each feed into a center “sump” tank which in turn has a single line going to the engine.
Unlike most other aircraft which have valves that allow you to select which tank you are supplying the engine with, the Velocity only has a single shutoff valve between the sump tank and the engine. And it’s not controllable from the pilot’s seat. So basically there is no “fuel management” in a Velocity other than to not run out (of fuel).
To accomplish that, I’ve got fuel gauges that will need to be calibrated. To do that, you add fuel, 5 gallons at a time to one of the fuel tanks while configuring the engine monitor until the tank is full. The problem is that when you add fuel to one tank it goes into the sump and then flows into the other tank. Now there is a method to accomplish this which involves disconnecting the strake-to-sump fuel line and attaching a flexible line to the strake with a shutoff valve. Then you add the fuel in 5-gallon increments until full and calibrate the fuel gauge.
Then you drain that fuel into 5-gallon jugs and repeat on the other tank.
But I had an idea. Put shutoff valves between the strake and sump tanks. This will allow me you calibrate the fuel gauges and it would also let me isolate the main fuel tanks if I ever need to do maintenance.
Here’s the pilot side strake-to-sump fuel line.
And here’s the valve that I plumbed in.
Still not sure about the whole thing. It adds a bunch of connections (each one being a potential leak) and the only time that I’ll probably ever use it is when I calibrate the fuel gauges.
The canard is now installed and all the wires have been run.
The TCW Trim Controller works like a champ. When I first tested it, I thought there was a problem since it would only run for about three seconds and then stop. But then I remembered that there is a “trim runaway” protection feature which prevents a stuck switch from resulting in the trim being run all the way. So you just have to re-activate the switch if you ever need more trim. There’s also a reverse trim function that also works perfectly.
There is also a high and low speed trim function so that when you’re flying slow (like in the pattern) the trim motor runs at a higher speed than it does when you’re flying fast. I haven’t tested that function yet.
I also powered up the landing lights.
Making progress on Malcolm’s punchlist.
Fewer items than there were before.
Some of the items are pretty much done but since they aren’t “finished” I haven’t marked them off yet. For example, the Vortalons, sparrow strainer and oil-door rework is pretty much complete.
Right now we’re working on the toe-in adjustment (AKA, wheel alignment) and it’s turning out to be very difficult. We just can’t get a consistent setting. Depending on the order the bolts are tightened, the measurement changes significantly. It’s possible that the axles may have to come off and the gear leg gets re-worked. 🙁
With the new battery installed, Audio Panel moved, and GPS installed, it’s time to reassemble the instrument panel for (I hope) the last time. During this install, I’ll be using locking hardware and securing wires.
Once everything was back together it was time to fire up the electronics for the first time in quite a while.
I was so very happy that everything powered up properly!
Since the glareshield is now installed, I can test the panel lights as well.
And since the wings were now on and wired, I was able to test the Nav and strobe lights.
Next, I’ll install the canard and connect the landing lights, trim motor and heater fan and test those. I’ve also got to find a headset and see if the radios work.
The battery that I have been using is a used one which came out of another airplane. The dimensions are pretty standard so I used it as a template when I was building the battery tray.
It was a standard flooded cell, lead/acid battery. And the cover plate was also the hold down strap.
But I decided on a sealed battery. Which means that I don’t have to worry about putting in an overflow drain. But the new battery doesn’t have an intergated hold-down. So it’s fabrication time again.
The battery has these two little… tabs sticking up. I could have just gone over top of those but I was worried that pressing down on those would cause trouble in the future. So instead of using flat plate, I used I picked up some 3/4″ square stock and cut it to length and notched the square stock. Then drilled two holes for the rods.
Here’s the hold-down bar on the new battery.
I got the old mounting bracket and relocated the audio panel.
Before:
After:
I got the battery yesterday but had to make a change in the instrument panel today so I won’t get all the electrical hooked up and test to verify clearance from the pitch trim spring until (hopefully) tomorrow.