Thorp Air Command - T18.net

DOH !

RB

Today's task was to route the oil filter lines. We ended up with one above and one below the prop gov. Oil filter is one aircraft left and not shown in the aircraft left photos. It'll go back on tomorrow. As final fittings are set, they get torque seal. The center shot shows the fuel injection servo with the 4 into 1 exhaust in the back part of the photo. All wiring is done firewall forward. D connectors will get built up tomorrow that will allow for panel installation next week.

Also, fairings continue to be made for upper and lower landing gear legs. In the top picture is the upper leg fairing. I made this box originally to heat lexan for the wingtip covers. It's made of insulation panels over a wooden frame. I found it also works well to get the epoxy up to temp to kick off and cure quickly during cooler months.

It looks to me like the blue hose is the crankcase vent. What are your plans for that?
'Feisty' could use an upgraded crankcase vent system.

_________________
Scott Emery
EAA Chapter 326
T-18 N18TE

Look up “pan evacuation system “ in summit racing. I plumbed my breather into my exhaust.
Cubes

Way back when Uncle Jed was installing engines he told me about the Slime Fighter breather for aircraft engines . During them there olden days you could get one (which I did) for about $50.00 ?
Installation was very easy and has worked like a gem for almost 9 years . No oil the belly . From what I hear the price has sky rocketed ! Besides no oil on the bottom of the AC the little unit is VERY compact . Requires no crank case drilling . A length of PVC breather hose and a few clamps and you're in business .

RB

Last big rivet project complete. The aft tunnel got it's final installation today after verifying pitch autopilot servo clearance. After that the driveshaft was installed for the electric pitch trim. Vertical Stab was reinstalled, rudder attached and dorsal fin put in place.

The local trophy shop has done a nice job on all my placards. The newest is the passenger warning placard , now installed and I can check off....panel complete...and ready to install in the airframe !

Most excellent !

RB

Interesting idea. Has there been any residue build up where the blow-by enters the exhaust? As someone who unclogs smoker nozzles once or twice a year, I have a concern about it sealing shut over a period of time.

_________________
Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson

I was worried about that, as a clogged pipe would most likely blow out the forward seal. I clean it at ever oil change (25 hours), but so far, nothing.
Cubes

I have read over on the vansairforce website those guys that just "install it and forget it" have had front seals blown out, but it seems those that check it every so often haven't had issues. I am thinking about doing this cause I'm getting tired of cleaning my fuselage underside.

Oh and Terry...I use a local trophy shop too. They can make some good looking stuff!

The pace remains constant. After sitting the shop for a year, today we were able to temporarily install the panel into the fuselage. All electrical connections were made , the battery connected- and it came to life.



Checks were conducted to verify trim tab movement, as well as other stick grip functions. All work as advertised. The panel will come out one final time to allow for fuel tank installation, forward tunnel and fuel line placement. We’ll also drop the wing, install the walking beam and sticks and then put the wing in permanently.

Pushed the airplane outside this afternoon to check a few things. First was to try and calibrate the Attitude Heading Reference System. That involves rotating the airplane counterclockwise 380 degrees over a 2 minute period. 2 attempts were tried and we got close- ultimately its time to reread the directions. The LED Nav lights are hardwired into the master switch. They don't draw much power and it'll be easy to see when I forget to turn off the master.
Also rechecked the LED landing lights that are mounted in the wing tips. Or more accurately - mounted on the last outboard nose rib with a plexiglass cutout in the wingtip. I plan on using them more for recognition more than night flying.
It was also nice to see the GRT display change mode to show obstacles and terrain.

I feel your pain about that calibration. I don't know what it is, but I struggle to get mine spot on as well. Those nav lights look really good.