Full Steam Ahead

After a little bit of a break, we are back to working on the prototype. We have test fit the tacked-up exhaust collector ring and she fits perfectly. Before we could fit it up however, we had to finish the cowl mounting frame. So the last two weeks were working the cowl frame and the oil scoop. We added braces across the top of the cowling and then from the engine mount ring out to the front cowl support ring. The oil cooler scoop is integral to the lower cowling frame and needed to be installed to secure the lower end of the front support ring. Sorry, it is easier to show you than to explain it. Once all the bracing was installed, we could remove the temporary alignment fixtures from the exhaust ports on all the cylinders that were blocking the exhaust from mounting up. Those fixtures held the front ring and fiberglass nose-bowl in perfect relationship with the engine. After making all the brackets and braces, we primed and painted the cowling support frame to be the Federal Interior Green paint code of the rest of the cowling and cockpit areas..

While the paint was curing, we added the 14 spark plug wires to the engine installation. Quite the job! I used up about a half a bag of plastic tie-wraps and cut most of them off. I tried using some velcro strips on the frequently removed sections but they didn’t work as well as temporarily adding tie wraps. I hate to waste good materials but it was much easier than other methods to hold the wires in place. We have dual ignition on this engine and so had to make sure each plug wire was to the correct plug and routed neatly. Two wires on each set of 7 were at maximum length just trying to make it to their spark plugs. I am pretty happy with how they ended-up. Scott also machined the new carburetor throttle arm assembly and it fits perfectly. The stock S&S carburetor throttle arm is a dual-cable motorcycle style bracket with a return spring installed inverse to how you want it on an aircraft. If the cable breaks, you want full power. The S&S spring pulls it to idle. So we are modifying the throttle connection with a whole new bracket arm that will accept a standard aircraft throttle swivel end push/pull cable. After testing we will make that available to all Verner owners running the S&S carburetor.

Some of our team members and a lot of our customers have been getting sicknesses and recovering. Takes you down for about a week. Some are calling it the Oshkosh crud. Not really Covid, but sinus and stomach issues with heavy fatigue. Testing negative for Covid. Glad we are all vaccinated on the team just in case. That has slowed our return to full steam ahead. That and vacations and a hurricane or two. Any way, we are going to get back to full steam ahead this week. Throttle cable connection, choke cable connection, exhaust ring installation, electrical system testing, audio panel wiring and testing, avionics testing. Will also begin work on the cowl flaps. Then we pack up the plane and take her to the hangar for final assembly, weight and balance and ground testing. Then get ready for inspection and signoff. Shooting for end of September 2021. Will be super busy getting to that point.