A little progress XL H-58

[Chuck in Indiana]

Now for the hard part.  Tapes and reinforcing patches. Take your Aircraft Mechanic's Embroidery Hoops (tm) put some fabric in it, and shrink it with a 225F iron. Make a template, draw around it, and cut it out with your aircraft pinking shears. A little OCDness helps with taping..

Like so..

then a wet coat of poly brush is painted on, the reinforcement laid into it, and a dry brush is used to stipple it so the dope works up through the fabric.
Why didn't I make these in one piece? My embroidery hoops aren't big enough.. I'll see if my conscience makes me go (cough cough) buy some bigger ones.     

[Chuck in Indiana]

Now for my least favorite thing about making airplanes.. laying tapes.

Tomorrow will be spent sticking down every one of those little pinked triangles with the tip of the iron..

[Chuck in Indiana]

another bite off the elephant..

[Chuck in Indiana]

It's fathers day today, so I didn't do much.  I *did* spend a couple of hours ripping off the old covering, making a rib and gusset, riveting it together, and putting a couple of coats of poly brush on the tapes covering the rivets.
I'd recommend doing this. After all it is near the hinge area, and the 3/4" spar is unsupported for a considerable length.

[Kamcoman77]

Great idea & great work, as usual.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks, Keith. Not up to your standards, but airworthy. 
Here's the vertical stab with the extra rib, shrunk at 350F, and one coat of poly brush.

For those that have never used the Poly fiber system, the first brush coat is applied very heavily, and those runs you see on the inside of the fabric are a good thing. That means you have put it on heavily enough to fill the weave.
What you *don't* want is for it to drip on the other side when doing this. Those will eventually show through the finish coat.
As you can see, the 4130 rib bowed some, but the aluminum spar is still straight even at 350F. For those that aren't to this stage yet, I highly recommend that added rib.

[Kamcoman77]

Looks great! Better than my puny work, and much stronger.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Covered an aileron today. Shrunk at 350F. IMHO, a properly designed structure won't warp, but then I've never built an ultralight before..

While waiting for the poly fiber to dry, I tinkered around a bit with the gear. Powder coated the shocks and tailwheel assembly. Assembled.

Why put the gear on before the fuselage is painted, you say? From here on, everything needs to be sprayed. I want to do all the spraying at one time, and it will be easy to mask the belly. It will also be much easier to move around once it is on it's wheels.

[Kamcoman77]

Nice, straight TE on aileron. Beautiful work on everything, as usual.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Nice, straight TE on aileron. Beautiful work on everything, as usual.

Thanks, Keith.
I may have ruffled Leonard's feathers a bit recommending that extra rib in the vertical stab, but I'll stand with it. 

[DA Miller]

you're not the first.  Sam Buchanan recommended the same some 10 years ago.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Getting to the fun stuff, now.  The gear is on for the last time with the real AN hardware. I really like doing this stuff.

Stuck the "bullet" nose art on for grins. I'm not sure if I like it or not. Maybe at final assembly with the engine mounted, it will look different.

[Kamcoman77]

WOW! That looks great.

[DA Miller]

I like the big wheels and disc brakes and the Bullit logo.

[DA Miller]

Oops I mean Bullet