The plane is essentially completed. The paint job is Sherwin-Williams Skyscape, a catalyst base coat - clear coat application. And it came out beautifully!

The shine is deep and the dark blue has metal flake and is gorgeous in the sunlight.

Of course, being Northern Ohio, we haven't seen much of it this spring.

The wheel pants and the cowling and tail fairings are fiberglass.

They were well made as supplied from Van's but they were loaded with pin holes and required much effort to fill and seal. The fellows at Sherwin-Williams were up to the task and did a

perfect job. They are masters at this business.

She looks great with the pants.

I purchased an iPad2 for the numerous aviation apps available. Right now my favorite app is ForeFlight. The iPad mounts well in the cockpit. I have an alternate attachment point down on the center tunnel if the high mount gets in the way.

One hiccup has been the failure of the artificial horizon on the glass panel. It required removal and shipping it back to the Washington state company. I hope to get it back within a week from now. No flying until then.

I have 23 hours on the plane now and am anxious to fly it with the new paint job. The weight increased by 40 pounds and the C.G. moved back 2.5 inches. I assume the trim requirements will now be different.

Next is concentrated flying to many airports for practice and experience prior to my hoped for Odyssey to Petaluma California.

Thanks for reading my blog. I have enjoyed building this airplane as much as anything I have done it my life. The only thing better are my three wonderful children...and my S.O....and my puppy.

Frank

I'm going to go back to August 27, 2010 when I had a flat tire while doing my taxi tests.

I was completing the third pass down the taxiway and wanted to turn 180 degrees to the right when the plane would not turn. It would turn to the left but not right. I thought I might have fallen in a pot hole. Stopping the engine and deplaning, I saw the flat tire. I had to be ignominiously towed back to the FBO repair hanger to have the tire repaired. Inspection of the tube revealed this diagonal slice.


The A&P couldn't come up with a cause, even rubbing the inside of the tire didn't reveal anything interesting. All I could surmise was that at one point in the travels of the tube from manufacturer to me, someone must have inadvertently sliced it with a box cutter while unwrapping it. Needless to say, I was very grateful that it didn't happen while landing. Two years ago a Cirrus had a flat and after going off of the runway and through a sign, the insurance company had to write a check for $60,000. I then took the other two tires off and thoroughly inspected them for any damage, found none.

On November 8, on my 24th landing, the plane vibrated severely at touchdown and started to pull strongly to the left. Quick application of right rudder and right toe brake kept the plane on the runway and allowed me to let it coast to the left edge. Guess what? Another flat tire.



You can see the black squiggly line from the center of the runway to the tire.

Well, I survived a flat tire upon landing now.

The same A&P crew towed me again to the FBO repair hanger. Disassembly showed an unusual result.




The second tube had a remarkably similar slice as the first tube, in fact the slices were identical.

The A&P mechanic had never seen anything like this in his 30 years of experience.

This pointed to the tire and a very close visual inspection under a bright light showed a ply flaw that you couldn't feel and could barely see.


It looks like an errant ply thread had laid across the tire and caused the cut. I assume under pressure, the soft rubber becomes much stiffer and is tightly pressed between the internal air pressure and the inside surface of the tire.

I ordered a new tire and tube and contacted the tire vendor and supplier. They said that it was a defect covered under warranty.

After that I continued with the Production Acceptance Procedures and the plane passed all tests perfectly.


The plane is a joy to fly. I now have 20 hours on it and have completed the testing and am now able to take a passenger and go where I want to.





Note, the altimeter reads 10,000 feet MSL, the legal limit for a sport pilot.


I have installed wheel pants...




...and next week she goes in the shop for her paint job.

I'll post her new look.

Thanks for viewing my blog.

Frank