She's getting there......

[Smiley]

Hello Massimo

She's looking great you lucky #%%^%#, wish I had one of these

Hope she flies soon!!

[Massimo]

Hi Massimo.

Its looking very good, alsways a great feeling of achievement after a good productive weekends work.

Those spots look good. What wattage are they, and are they available locally.

Regards.

Dusty the light holders come off the BMW GS bikes (made a speacial bracket for mounting). The bulbs are new xenon type imported from America, fits right into existing casing. They also have their own capacitor/convertor type thingie like the strobe lights. Output 35w, 12v avg, 3.5Amp, 2500hrs life. Have put each light onto its own seperate switch so we can choose left or right or both.

[Massimo]

Hello Massimo

She's looking great you lucky #%%^%#, wish I had one of these

Hope she flies soon!!

Thanks Smiley, i hope she flies soon tooooooooo...........

[Big Mac]

Hi Massimo
Project looks great,was this a build from plans or kit build,how many hours has been spent building.
Keep up the good work
Big Mac

[Massimo]

Hi Massimo
Project looks great,was this a build from plans or kit build,how many hours has been spent building.
Keep up the good work
Big Mac

Aircraft was factory built and now we rebuilding after a small oopsie by the previous owner. So far more than 400 hours spent on it. Yes 400!

Well now about 99% of wiring is all complete. The engine and fuel installation is complete (except for exhaust system). The instruments panel is working and looking awesome with all the fancy lights, the icom and the skydat GX2. Im going to move her to a hanger shortly so we can assemble, do the final mods and start her up. Man this last stretch is really taking foooooooreeeeeeever, im trying to keep my spirits up but its hard work when you walk into the workshop and realize there is still more to do .
No new pics to add at the moment as it looks the same just neater wiring.

[Massimo]

Well this weekend i finally got the exhaust system sorted out. And after i saw the amount of work that went into it i cannot recommend any other way but to get it to professionals or get professionals to you. Luckily i managed to twist some arms and the pro's came to me and within 3 hours we had the working model. Waht you see here is only the tacked up version but I should be able to collect the finished product by tomorrow. A big thanks to guys at Wildcat in Germiston that arranged to be there. I also got the chute mounted in place and now to make the mods for the straps. Yes another item off the list!!

[cobra]

The progress looks great Massimo

[Massimo]

The progress looks great Massimo

Thanks Mnr. Now you see our early departure from Circus on Saturday was not in vein.

[Morph]

So Rainbow managed to cut and bend the windscreen to your required curves etc with no problems? Im asking this because i may also need a new windscreen and i dont want to import it from the states.

I see you don't have a windscreen. Do you have an old sample? Typically the front screen is made of flat polycarbonate sheet (Lexan)

Buy a sheet from Maiseys plastics, I used 2mm and it unfortunately comes in a 2m X 3m sheet. (It can be rolled up and put in the back of a bakkie) You can sell the left overs to other guys who need to replace their winscreens. It's about R1400 for the whole sheet
(Maiseys have their own brand called Nexal (lexan, nexal, geddit )

If you have a sample use it as a template, if not, use some cardboard. put all the various parts on like cowls etc that need to be there and then fit the cardboard. It takes a little while but is quite easy to do. I used a grinder with a very thin (1mm) thick cutting disk to cut it, but the straight pieces can be cut with a blade and snapped off like you do glass.

Make sure you start oversize. Again a grinder with a flexible sanding disk is brilliant for shaping it down.

Use cleco's or nails or pins or even self taping screws initially (something that can be removed) to temporarily hold the screen in place until you get it fitted properly

To permanently fit it, drill the holes slightly bigger than the rivets, i.e. 4mm for 3.2mm rivets. This leaves some space for expansion and contraction

rivet into place using a rivet and washer, see pic

Finish the edges with vinyl or matt black paint (second pic)

Remember to leave the protective covering on till the last minute and be careful, it does scratch easily

[Massimo]

Morph i have a screen but is has 2 small cracks on it and it a bit scratched so im considering putting a new one. My main problem is that the screen makes a big bend at the top where it joins with the roof and also dowN the sides, see pic. How do i get it to bend like this? Heat it up?

[Tumbleweed]

Try Deon or Hein from Microland.

[Morph]

Very similar to the Bush Baby.

Polycarbonate is very flexible, no heating required. Once you have it in, the curves and bends make it sturdy. I guarantee you if you take that screen off it will go flat immediately. It's only really bubble canopies that are formed using heat and moulds

here is an example of the curve where the windscreen joins the roof

[Dusty Eagle]

Hi Massimo.

Morph is right. My avid screen is the same shape as yours and it lay flat in a few hours in the sun.

I have just bought a whole sheet of Naxel for my Bushbaby and have more than half a sheet left, if you need some.

I used the old screen as a template and cut the new one out. I then laid the old on top of the new one and drilled through the old holes with a slightly undersized drill bit. When I fit it, I will oversize drill the holes exactly where they go on the frame and then rivet.

[Massimo]

Hi Massimo.

Morph is right. My avid screen is the same shape as yours and it lay flat in a few hours in the sun.

I have just bought a whole sheet of Naxel for my Bushbaby and have more than half a sheet left, if you need some.

I used the old screen as a template and cut the new one out. I then laid the old on top of the new one and drilled through the old holes with a slightly undersized drill bit. When I fit it, I will oversize drill the holes exactly where they go on the frame and then rivet.

Hi guys, well im not sure. My screen seems moulded into a shape but maybe maybe it like that from being bent for 3 yrs. Anyhow if i decide not to use it ill try the methods above. But for now i want to give it a good polish and then see.

[Massimo]

Well last week thursday my sweetiy pie, my softness and myself went for a drive out into the country side. I wanted to show her (sweety pie) some new surroundings since she's been couped up in a workshop for a while. After a short drive we arrived at her new temp home where she was offloaded for assembly an testing. She's getting there .......