Flapper Thingies
Here’s a quick up-date on the P-36 LiteFighter. This week: I’m installing an oil drain in the lowest exhaust stack, Will be working on installing the cowl flaps, wing gap filler strips and fwd fuselage access panels this weekend. Scott is making landing gear parts and the lower leg tubes are out for welding. Aaron is working on the landing light actuation mechanism - he is a robotics guru so has some tricks up his sleeve. Paul, Shin and Stuart are working on calculations and engineering reports. Everyone else is either away, up to their eyeballs in home stuff or just plain slacking. Come on man!
Painting the flapper thingies and strips was a very frustrating ordeal. Not as easy as it could have been if 25 degrees warmer. What a difference a month makes! As mentioned previously, we do not have a dedicated space for painting the plane and parts. So I paint outside and rush the parts inside to hang. In December, finding an appropriate time to paint is difficult. Not to mention, you have to do it three times - primer and two top coats. The paint doesn’t flow the same, doesn’t dry the same, everything is different about it. So what would normally take a day to knock-out, took me two weeks and the result was less than stellar. Will have to do for now though. We gotta fly!
Busy erasing items from the white board. Gun sights are in. Radio and transponder are operational - still need to install a ptt switch in the stick grip. Main things left to do: landing gear mod, drill fixture and drilling for final wing attachment bolts, canopy latch, arm rest, map box, map light, adjust ailerons, install pitot mast, install navagation and landing lights. Run the engine and adjust carb and propeller for good static thrust. Determine if inter-cylinder baffles are required. Final weight and balance and upload FAA paperwork for inspection.
We are trying to determine if we can do the flight testing here in Connecticut/Rhode Island in January/February/March or if need to take it to a warmer place with nicer weather. Like Florida, and leave the plane there till SNF is done. I prefer the latter, but it is an expensive proposition. Working from home makes it possible to go elsewhere as I can work evenings on the laptop from just about anywhere. Flying and maintenance during the day. Here in New England, will be maybe one good flying day a week. Choppy, bouncy air most of the time with wind and getting very cold. Less than ideal for sure.
The dilemma: deciding the test location is imperative as it determines where we get the airworthiness inspection and by whom. The FAA seems to have a policy that inspection and flight testing remains in a single FSDO’s territory. Otherwise, if relocated - its inspection and flight testing all over again. I would love to be able to inspect it here. If any issues, can work on it here in our shop and hangar. Elsewhere, will need access to a hangar and shop - with all the needed tools. I do know some people, so it isn’t impossible. Just problematic and an imposition. So I am busy researching cost and availability at various locations in order to make a determination.
Still planning to have Elliott Seguin do the initial flight testing and envelope expansion (5 to 10 hours). We’ll get some serious data and debriefings. Fixing anything not up to snuff. Then, when Elliott is good with it, I will finish the flight testing for phase 1. Then some air to air video and images will be taken. We will have some guest test pilots fly her to get their feedback on handling qualities - normal and aerobatic. We will use that to inform the kit design to be better and better. The plan is to have her flyable at Sun N Fun 2022. We have our booth space and will be attending. We will be getting the prototype to Lakeland, FL by late March regardless of where we do the flight testing. Back to work!
