Start: 10/11/05
Finish: 10/30/05
Total Time: 58 Hours
This is where it all begins, the Fuselage Bulkheads. This chapter is as much about learning to work with fiberglass and foam as it is about building an airplane. The bulkheads introduce you to the various types of foam you’ll work with, as well as both UNI (unidirectional) and BID (bidirectional) fiberglass.
The front seatback is the first part. We learned (partially) during the making of the seatback that the micro slurry used to fill the pores in the foam needs to be pretty thick or the glass will absorb some of the micro and will turn the glass white.
We also made what we intend to be the only non-approved change to the airframe. There are a few 1″ strips of Clark foam attached to the forward face of the instrument panel. One of these strips runs horizontally across the top of the IP. We moved this strip about 1″ higher on the IP to allow sufficient panel cutout area to fit the EFIS displays. We later decided on an EFIS system from GRT Avionics, the movement of the stiffeners was key in allowing the panel space we needed. We noticed no flex in the IP after cure, so we suspect this change is not an issue.
