Where is Scott's Coyote?

dons · Post by **dons** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:50 pm

Very nice Scott!

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:08 pm

Spike wrote:a) How old is the son?

b) That passenger compartment really looked like a big box.

c) What engine you gonna use?

d) How cool is that?

a) 16
b) It is. 44 in wide with bubble doors.
c) Rotax 912S
d) Pretty darn.

RV7Factory · Post by **RV7Factory** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:44 pm

Tres Kewl! When you get into the swing of construction, I'll have to come over the hill for a visit.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:37 pm

Any time. I've been meaning to do the same. Stupid that we only live 50 miles apart and have never visited!

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:54 pm

A little update on a non-RV project since it's so quiet in here. The front fuselage is made of welded chromoly steel, the rear fuselage is made of aluminum tubing and you have to rivet it all together. So I've been doing the rivetpopper thing. Now the rear fuselage is all done but for the top and bottom stringers. I'll save those until it's sitting on the gear. On to that next!

Here's a few pictures:

Here is the completed rear fuselage.

Station 6 bulkhead. The anti chafe tape is used to protect the tubing from the safety wire that is used to hold the stringers in place. They are riveted at each end.

Here is the beefy fuselage gussets need when building a tailwheel version of this plane.

Post by **Spike** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:18 pm

What is the estimated build time for that thing?

hydroguy2 · Post by **hydroguy2** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:55 pm

About 450 man-hours to get one to this point. I think we were right at 500hrs when it left the ground.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 10:43 pm

Thing?? This is a highly engineered precision flying machine. The Thing was made by Volkswagen.

And I'm pinning my hopes on Brian's results. I'm estimating about 500 hours. At least, that's what I'm using as a target figure on my Expercraft log.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:45 pm

A little more progress.

Finally got the main gear legs and sockets drilled with help of a friend of mine. A man who knows how to work with steel and is much more patient than I. Honed the gear leg sockets. Took much prayer and supplication to get bolts through the sockets and into the gear legs. Had to take the right back off because I forgot to apply grease for corrosion protection.

Cleaned wheel bearings and packed with grease. Installed axles and wheels onto main gear legs. Just need to get a large wrench to tighten the axle nuts and plane will be ready to put on the gear.

She's got her sneakers on. Also started installing the floorboard just barely visible up front.

This seemingly innocuous bolt took a week of my life. It better keep up it's part of the bargain. It's what holds the main gear on. Very similar to the RV.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:17 pm

That seems like a really quick motivator on this project Scott! On it's gear so early in the build! SWEET!!!

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:10 pm

Yes it was much quicker than I was expecting. Amazing how fast you can go when you don't have to dimple rivet holes.

Post by **Spike** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:19 pm

On it gear, now that is sweet. I will be quite happy at that point. Looks good Scott. You will be in the air in no time.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 11:54 pm

This weekend we pretty much spent the whole time monkeying around with the floor board. I got it set and mounted it in position and drilled the first set of holes and put bolts in to keep it aligned. My son drilled the holes for the brake mounts and also assembled the rudder pedals.

And the final product for this weekend's work...

My daughter stained the floorboard for me. I didn't get a picture of that though.

Post by **Spike** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:30 pm

Sweet dude. But what is with that girly rivet puller?

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:40 pm

I'm a rivetpopper now, remember?

lancef53 · Post by **lancef53** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:41 pm

That is way cool. I can't imagine 450 hours. The way my wiring is going, it is gonna take me that long to wire my RV8

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:55 pm

What's really cool about fabric airplanes is that everything is open while you are installing flight controls, wiring, etc. It's all open until you put the covering on. No hanging over the side of the cockpit to install control sticks!

Post by **Spike** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:13 pm

So Scott, How is the workout going?

You getting firmer ?

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:28 pm

Update from RivetPopper-land...

A little more progress since my last posting.

Pre-fit the firewall and instrument panel.

And as you can see we got both seats in. The blue triangle is the door to the aft baggage compartment.

Got the aft baggage sling installed.

And got the VS finished and temporarily installed. It will have to come off to cover the plane but it looks good there now. Also started building the rudder. Missing a tube. Were did that dang tube go?

Here is an overall shot at where we are in the build. Kind of cluttered but hopefully you get the idea.

Post by **Spike** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 7:29 pm

Looks like great progress Scott! I love tube and fabric.

Spike