Section 32 Baggage Area

RV14 Build February 10

Baggage Area

Started moving forward on the baggage area. I installed the flap rod guides already and now making the seat back hinges.

I was extra careful with these, since I had a rough go of it with the cowling hinge when it came to riveting. I made sure to be as exact as I could to get them cut and the hole drilled in the correct location. Don't think this level of accuracy is super important, just dont want to find out the hard way.

Hinges cut and centerline drawn. I would recommend drawing the line on both sides.

When you cleko them on the line is on the opposite side of the baggage area floor holes and makes it impossible to match drill along them this way.

In the hole above "lot" you can see a line that a transferred to the other side.

I decided I wanted panel powered headset Lemo jacks. The floors dont come with them cut and they are a double D hole so I had to try and "make" the holes.

First I drilled with a bit that was close the .49" distance across.

Then I tried to be very careful with a Dremel cutter and form the holes from that. When the harness arrives ill see how close I came!

Baggage 9.0 Hours

Section 31 Fuel System

RV14 Build January

Fuel System

I was back and forth on this, and still might be, I can buy a prebend kit of fuel lines for $300ish but I wanted to do the work and learn it so I bought an imperial tube bender, parker flair tool, and a pipe cutter. All together it was about half of prep bend it.

The fuel pump and filter, have to crimp on the ground insulated connector ring. I don't have a good picture but I also installed the fuel line brackets, there was some clearance struggles with the pop riveter, but I used the trailing edge V shaped piece "tool" the plans have you make for the elevator to get in the tight spots. Liz came to the shop and build the fuel selector!

The plans have diagrams you can use to match your bends too, but they use a 1 inch radius and my new bender is 1.5. Reading the directions for the bender is confusing at best. Lots of trial and error.

Finally have tubes that basically match the plan dimensions, now time to flair!

 And this is wear my lack of experience bites me. The soft metal is getting torn up by the flairing tool.

The bur left by the cutter is falling apart and getting pressed into the flair.

Yeah, definitely not going to work.

Ordered new tubing, after some research it seems if I debur the tube and keep the flair tool WELL lubricated the flairs will come out better. I am going to practice on the old tubing for a bit.

New technique looking MUCH better, now I just need to courage to try it on the new tubing!

Fuel System 6.0 Hours

 

Section 36 Aileron and Elevator Systems

RV14 Build January & February 

Aileron and Elevator Systems

I thought I could install the push rods before I joined the empennage and the fuselage together to I prepped everything. Once I saw how I was going to have to be in the airplane to do some of the riveting I didn't want to have the push rods in the way so I didn't install them, but I did install some of the brackets.

I taped the end of the tube and poured primer down them to prime the insides.

It worked really well, left a heavy coat though, if weight is a concern maybe not the best method. I wanted to anodize them but I couldn't find a shop that would do small work.

Push rod tubes outside primed.

The template that came in the plans was a little small for the tubes, probably because the primer was too thick, so I used a black piece of paper marked the diameter and divided by 6 to find the drill holes.

Drilled the tubes

Match Drilled the caps

installed the pushrod end bearings to the measurements in the plans.

Had a little trouble with the tightness of the fit because the primer inside the tubes was too thick. Ran to harbor frieght got a heat gun and I was able to pull the parts apart again, sanded down the primer, LIGHTLY sprayed self etching on the metal and then reinstalled the end caps and the push rod bearings.

I was going to install the pushrods with the trim motor and bracket but them I was worried the rod would be in the way during mating the empennage to fuselage. But I thought I could install the bracket and motors anyway......wrong.

The plans have you install the pushrod on the bracket then inset the rod through the bulkhead and install the bracket.

With the empennage and fuselage together you can't get the pushrods through the bulckhead the opposite was the plans intended because there is a cross members in the fuselage that blocks it. So I have to pull the pitch trim motor and bracket to install the push rods. What I tried to do to save me work was a waste and added work! Dang it, oh well.

Aileron and Elevator Systems 10 Hours

Section 56/58 Garmin Auto Pilot Servos

RV14 Build January & February 

Garmin AutoPilot Servs

This was over different work periods, but I have enough now that I think it made sense to make a post about it.

2 Garmin GSA28 Servos and the yaw dampener attachment arm.

My brain wasn't working this day and at first I installed the yaw arm upside down on the servo and had to remove and flip it, Here it is currently on and the servo motor installed in the empennage.

View of the yaw servo back to front.

Getting the pitch servo on.

Working on running the wires. I have some wire bundle lacing from earlier in life in my tool bock and am finally making good use of it! Really helps manage the wires better.

Trying to figure out how I want them to run.

Went to an EAA electrical workshop! This was amazing I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants some hands on experience using the tools to make wiring harnesses and install connectors.

The 2 wires that are loose with pins on them come from the wiring harness that is part of the empennage kit and run back to the pitch trim motor. From looking at the master wiring harness diagram from the Vans website they are suppose to connect into the pitch and yaw harness. Ill do my best to explain below.

The diagram has the loose wire with pins, red arrow, run through the grommet below the mini-molex connector and into the molex connector coming from the common fuselage harness, yellow arrow, represented by the red box. The "red box" molex and the molex in the picture connect and boom the wires are connected to the pitch motor.

From the harness diagram the 2 wires are highlighted.

From the pitch diagram the wires they connect to in the pitch harness are highlighted.

All this said leads me to the 2 issues. 1 according to Garmin the wires come "from" the pitch servo "to" the trim motor and should be shielded, for this I called Stein and they said it was a revision to the G3X manual and Vans specs the harnesses and thinks not doing shielded wire in this installation is ok. 2. The wire were too short to wrap out through the bulkhead and into another connector. So I used my new found electrical knowledge bought a bunch of tools and a label maker and industrial labels cut the wires coming from the servo added a 2 pin molex to them and trimmed the loose wires added pins and the molex and connected them closer to the servo. You can see the molex on the pitch motor harness and the other 2 wires below.

Cleaned up the wiring harness with more lacing in the empennage.

Added a loop up in the wire to prevent chafing over the sharp edge of the stringer.

2 servos motors installed! Turns out ill have to remove the pitch motor and the bracket to install the push rods...More on this in a post on section 36.

Drilling a tube for the pitch motor pushrod.

Tapping the tube. The hardest part was holding the tube from spinning while tapping it.

Pitch and yaw installed, cable management done with lacing and zip ties, and the pitch servo push rod installed. Ive tightened the cable ties and had to cut them off so many times, I got smart and just left them all loose for now.

Garmin AutoPilot Servos 8.0 Hours

Section 30 Aft Fuselage Attachment and a touch of Section 29 at the end

RV14 Build February 6-10 

Aft Fuselage Attachment

This section was fairly straight forward. Just line it up and rivet. I did add some primer to the empennage where the skins mated to protect for the long term first and doubled back to section 29 and added the root fairing attach angles.

Priming the areas where the skins overlap on the empennage. I didn't do the top side skins to the side skins when I build but thus area I could still peel back and have access to.

Bottom of the empennage leading edge where the fuselage will overlap.

Fuselage areas of overlap. Also did the side skins that the plans had you shave/feather the edge of.

Last summer there where some HOT days in the shop and I sweated on the metal and didn't clean it off well. Now it has formed surface corrosion so I used Scotch-Brite to remove the bad areas.

Finally together and ready to rivet.

The plans are rather specific about the riveting order, the substructure to the aft bulkhead right above my toes I never did find where they said to rivet these 2 rivets?

Matt came into town to help, don't know how you would do it alone.

The top is done, just need to flip it and do the sides and bottom.

Done for the day

Got it flipped over! its not super heavy, but there is a good weight shift when going from its side to upside down. Only a few more rivets to go!

 

View of the whole thing.

Working through the plans with more riveting!

Having the plane upside down was really nice access for riveting without leaning over or having to sit inside and trying not to damage anything. It also served to vibrate out all the debris and dust during the riveting. I had to wear a mask and eye protection when we first started bucking because of that!

 Glamour photo shoot!

Section 29 Stuff
FWD MID FUSE Side Structure

Riveting on the root fairing attach angles

Aft Fuselage Attachment 23 Man Hours

FWD MID FUSE Side Structure 1 Man Hours