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1ST QTR 2007
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| DATE |
HRS |
TTD |
ACTION |
IMAGES |
| 02/18/07 |
3.5 |
943.5 |
Plotted out a flat
pattern of a design for a seat box to be mounted behind the front seat.
Click here for an image of the solid
model. Went over to Ken's where we taped the flat pattern onto a
sheet of .050" 6061-T6 then cut it out & bent it up. Here's the
drawing for the Seat Box Flat
Pattern. Once I get the seat box welded up, I will design a hinged
box that will fit inside the opening shown, for the purpose of storing
things securely in flight. |
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| 02/22/07 |
3.0 |
946.5 |
Using a file and shears I did
some adjustments to the fit of the seams of the box so it would weld up
without any twisting. I also used a hand seamer to adjust the bends. I
then welded the seams. |
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| 02/23/07 |
1.4 |
944.9 |
Used a die grinder to make crescent cutouts
in the top & bottom edges of the seat box so it would fit onto the
front seat vertical tubes. |
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| 03/10/07 |
0.0 |
944.9 |
Decided to switch starting air
source from the big aluminum CO2 tank on the firewall to using a HPA
paintball tank, like Kevin Kimball first did on the Python.
Advantages are less weight and being able to get rid of the Russian
compressor. So I ordered a Pure Energy 88ci tank and coiled remote to see
how it all works and how I might install it in my fuselage. The
"coiled remote" is used by paintball guys to allow them to have
a tank in a backpack and just a hose to the gun. I am tentatively planning
to put the tank behind the rear seat, but I may have to put it just behind
the front seat, so I am going to stop work on the seat box. A critical
feature is the ability to close the valve on the bottle AFTER engine start
so that any leaks in the lines will not deplete the air supply before the
next engine start. On the Python the valve is right
in front of the pilot but on a two-seat airplane its not that
simple. |
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| 03/20/07 |
0.0 |
944.9 |
I decided to mount the bottle behind the
back seat and move the battery up to the firewall for weight and balance
purposes since I'll be removing so much weight from up there. I looked
into a flex cable to operate the valve on the bottle from the rear seat,
but instead decided to adapt a remote nitrous bottle opener from Nitrous
Express. |
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| 03/26/07 |
1.2 |
946.1 |
Got the nitrous opener and am
figuring out a way to adapt it to the paintball tank. It works by having
two metal disks sandwich a plastic worm gear, the tighter the disks
squeeze the plastic gear the more torque applied before the disks start
slipping. I will make several new pieces to make this work. First is a
part to attach to the disks. I drilled a round disk and plug welded a 1/2
aluminum rod to it. I didn't weld it more because I didn't want to bend
the rod with heat. |
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| 03/27/07 |
3.5 |
949.6 |
Went over to Kens to machine
some parts for the opener. First we made an adapter to fit the opener to
the paintball remote valve. Then we went to machine the disk I welded but
it broke, so we machined another disk out of billet. We also made a
receptor for the rod that will have the threads sticking out to go in/out
of the valve body. |
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| 03/28/07 |
0.5 |
950.1 |
Lock-tited the bolt into the
aluminum receptor. I'll need to cut off the head and grind the exposed
threads to the proper length to push on the plunger that pushes on the
schrader valve on the tank. I'll have to do some testing to determine the
proper length. I also mated up the aluminum drive disk I made to the
clutch disk and drilled holes for mounting it. |
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| 03/30/07 |
1.5 |
951.6 |
Made another aluminum drive disk
to mount on the upper clutch plate. I cut a hole in the cap for the shaft
to protrude through it. Made a simple knob to put on top the shaft so the
bottle could be opened/closed manually without power by turning the knob. |
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| QTR TOTAL |
12.8 |
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1ST QTR 2007
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