Closed Top Front Skin

TLDR

• Ran the wire looms for Airmaster prop controller
• Connected the lines for the front static ports
• Closed the top front skin

Detail

Prop wiring

I wanted to run the wires for the prop controller before closing the top skin. Test fit was ok, but it’s a little hard to gauge the exact position for the wire so it’s not too short or too long. I decided to leave the wire loom in its rough position and just close the top skin. I will zip tie it when I install the instrument panel. It will be difficult to access but I don’t think it will be too bad.

Static ports

I already have static ports connected from the rear fuselage using Van’s system. But Sling also has 2 ports right in front of the naca duct. I decided to connect it also, but have the pneumatic line just short of connecting to Garmin. If the air speed is not accurate during the test flight, I will switch to using the Sling’s static ports.

The lines is 5mm plastic lines, so I connected them using a few barbed fittings, then converted to the 1/4” pneumatic line using a quick-connect.

Top front skin

With the static port lines and most of the wiring done, I proceeded to install the front top skin.

Heater duct

Before setting the front skin in its final position, I connected a duct from the heater to the vent tube on the top skin. This vent blows directly to the windshield to prevent fogging.

Glue and rivet

Then I cleaned the top skin and side skin both with Sika 205, then primed with Sika 206, and smeared a bunch of Sika 296 for water proofing.

Positioning the top skin with the sika glue turned out to be a little problematic, because everything was so dark black and a few holes were blocked by the sika 295. it got easier once I aligned a few holes with cleco though.

The rest was pretty standard, I inserted 4.0mm countersink rivets on every other hole, then removed cleco and popped rivet on the other holes and done.

And there is a lot of Sika 295 overflow after the rivet was installed. I decided to wait for it to dry before doing cleaning them off. I will come back to the hangar maybe next weekend and use a craft-knife to cut off the excessive sika.

Avionics rack and top skin

See picture above. There is a row if 3.2mm to secure the top skin and the avionics rack. This row was very difficult to pull in my experience. This is because the composite material was much longer than the rack, so it was bowing on top of the rack. I almost had to push it down before riveting each hole. Once pulled, they stayed together fairly tight.