Dave and Ed's Sportsman 2+2 Project

Friday, Week 3 - The End of CAC

2006-03-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Friday was a short day ending at noon for us. The CAC crew uses Friday afternooon on the last day to prepare for the next builder. We used it to say good bye, square up the paperwork, and get out of town. We had 1,200 miles of driving ahead of us and were anxious to get at least some of it behind us before the end of the day.

As I post this Ed and I are both home and very tired. What a whirlwind of activity the last 3 weeks has been. We have accomplished more in less time than I ever thought possible. As a point of comparison we spent almost 4 years working on the GlaStar to get to this point. We learned a lot, and I think the CAC crew learned a few things fom us, too. We only got really POed at each other twice, which all things considered wasn't that bad. The intensity of the program can be a bit stressful at times. Anyway, we left happy and on good terms with everyone, and the possibility of flying a new airplane to Oshkosh a mere 5 months after starting seems like a real possibility for the first time.

We will continue posting to this blog but only once a week as we work to finish up. Our goal is to be in the paint shop right after Memorial Day and have our first flight by July 1st.

The final CAC photo shows us with the plane and the CAC crew. Ted Setzer was taking the picture, so he is not shown. From left to right - Brandon, Seth, Ed Zaleski, Dave E. in plane, Me (Dave Prizio), and Jack.

Thursday, The LastFull Day - Dave

2006-03-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Well, we're in the home stretch, and we're almost out of gas. Today we worked to finish fitting the cowl - it still isn't quite right, but almost. We also finished up the baffling - an amazingly time consuming task. In my spare time I made the aileron and counterweight cut-out in the other wing tip and ran SCAT hose to various points in the engine bay.

We still have a few loose ends to tie up tomorrow, and we are hoping to tackle one new project - the main gear leg fairings. Other than that we pack up and head home, hoping that the mountain pass in our way is free of snow.

The photo shows me torquing the exhaust header nuts.

Thursday, The Last Full Day - Ed

2006-03-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

Today I completed the door latch installation and adjusted the front door latches. Door adjustment takes quite some time to get it right. The adjustable latch rods do help with the door dog engagement, but they can also come in contact with the fuselage at the upper forward latch position when closing. The left door went well but the right one is still tight. I will need to continue to work on it when we are back home next week. I also prepped the remaining three door windows for installation. That should happen tomorrow before we leave for home.

The photo is me working on the door latches.

Wednesday, Week 3 - Dave

2006-03-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

I owe Ted and the CAC crew an apology. I should not have attached the pejorative “new age photo op” to the term airplane building. The guys are working very hard to balance the need to get things done and the need to have Ed or myself participate in all of the required steps. This process can seem disjointed at times, mostly because at time it is, but it is also necessary. If the goal is to get a whole lot of work done in only 3 weeks and to participate in at least most of those tasks, then the process must conform to those goals. I am still trying to be an old fashioned home builder, but in this context that is not really appropriate. I am afraid my fatigue and frustration overcame my better judgment. Sorry guys. You didn’t deserve that.

Today we found some middle ground where I was able to spend some more time on fewer tasks. I still had to jump between some different things, but that’s OK. I am happy with the compromise. We finished fitting the cowl and installing the cam lock fasteners, installed the oil door in the top cowl, and got most of the work done on the spinner. The spinner is sort of a tedious task, because there is so much fitting, sanding, and fitting again involved, but the final result is good.

I think two questions present themselves as we near the end of this process. Am I happy with the results? Am I happy with the CAC process? To the first I must reply, yes. Not only yes, but YES!!! It is simply amazing what Ed and I have been able to get done. To the second question I must reply, the CAC crew gave me exactly what I asked for and more. They have been hardworking and professional every step of the way, even when I was trying to drive them crazy. So the question really becomes, did I really want what I asked for? The CAC process is not traditional homebuilding. It is much more fast-paced and much less flexible that doing it on your own. I think in all fairness to everyone involved I should wait to answer that question until I have had a chance to get home and decompress.

Photo shows me fitting the cowl.

Wednesday, Week 3 - Ed

2006-03-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

My first task for completion today was the installation of the skylights and the right aft window (the left one is in the aft door which is currently out for paint). Though the process is reasonably simple one must take care not to have the 3M Silproof get on surfaces to be painted, as it will cause the paint not to stick. I also started to assemble the nose gear strut faring and even helped Dave with fiber glassing the new spinner and cutting out the wing tip fairings.

The photo is me working on the sky lights.

Tuesday, Week 3 - Dave

2006-03-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

Whew! I'm really starting to get tired. Too many long days having too much fun all in a row.

Today I did a complete task from start to finish all by myself. I balanced both ailerons. This may not sound like such a big deal, but it can be hard to just do one thing from beginning to end in this new age version of photo op airplane building.

At the end of the day Ted dove into installing the rear seat. Luckily he did most of the work, because I was fading fast at that point. We also fit the cowl today and began installing fasteners. Big day! Lots done!

The photo shows me balancing the ailerons.

Tuesday, Week 3 - Ed

2006-03-07T20:57:00.001-08:00

Today I completed installing the wing fold hatch covers. We opted for the cam locks instead of standard screws. They take a little longer to install but make wing folding a much faster operation. I also made and installed the flap relief cover panels. They cover a small relief in the fuselage which is needed for flap clearance when the wings are folded.

The photo shows me cutting out the flap relief cover panels.

Tuesday, Week 3 - Ed

2006-03-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

Monday, Week 3, The Final Stretch - Dave

2006-03-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

Today we continued with FWF work installing the baffling, finishing up the fuel system, and mounting the air/oil separator (aka $300 beer can). I also installed the nut plates for the wing tips and some other odds and ends tasks.

The photo shows me riveting the rubber seals onto the baffling.

Monday, Week 3, The Final Stretch - Ed

2006-03-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today was sanding day. I sanded the interior side of all three doors, cabin air vents, and the wing fold drain pans. These surfaces are visible when in the cockpit and make for a much improved finish. Towards the end of the day I worked on completing the wing fold hatch covers.

The photo is me fitting the left wing hatch cover.

Weekend OT - Dave

2006-03-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today we put the panel in to see if it was going to fit. It did, sort of, but it is going to take some minor changes to make it work. We were so worried about hitting cage tubes, but the problem ended up being with the glareshield. It is fixable, but it will slow us down a bit.

I also worked on fuel system plumbing today, which was a bit time
The photo shows me with the new panel in place.consuming, what with having to make up several hoses. It was a pretty good day, but the pressure is now building to get everything done as we head into the last week.

The photo shows me with the new panel in place.

Weekend OT - Ed

2006-03-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

The day started with me back on the door assemblies again for the last time (I hope). I completed adjusting the front door latch rods and then glassed in the door dogs. I also finished up the aft door receptacle, which is glassed onto the fuselage interior. Now all three doors can have there interior sides painted to match the fuselage interior. In addition I gave the sky panels and right aft window their first coat of adhesive in preparation for installation.

The photo shows me installing the aft door receptacle.

Friday, Playing Hooky - Ed

2006-03-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today I was treated to my 1st flight in a GlaStar Sportsman. Harry and I flew for about an hour in the Arlington area with excellent (sunshine) weather. We hedge-hopped over to a nearby airport for a full stop landing. Since this was my first time in the Sportsman I used the same procedure as the GlaStar except for carrying just a little power, as I felt that my decent on final felt a little steeper. I greased it in without a problem. Harry then suggested that we do a short field takeoff so with flaps up we started down the runway. At about 45 Knots Harry put full flaps out and I pulled back on the stick and we were off. What a kick as we climbed out. We then proceeded back to Arlington where I did a touch-and-go just to see if my previous landing was a fluke. Again I slid in without so much as a squeak from the tires. As we were on downwind for a 3rd and final full stop landing, I asked Harry if I could do it with flaps up. He said he had never did one in the Sportsman before so this was a first for both of us. As I turned in for final I kept 75 to 80 knots for a comfortable descent then rotated and touched down at about 70 knots and still made the first turn with normal braking. The Sportsman is an improved GlaStar and even more fun to fly. Now back to work on the plane.

Photo is me having fun in the Sportsman

A Slightly Rude But Humorous Posting

2006-03-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

While touring the Boeing Museum last weekend we came across the Apollo command module with its door standing open. What struck me immediately was the striking resemblance between its door latch mechanism and the one on the Sportsman. Could this have been the source of Glasair Aviation's inspiration?

Sorry for having a little fun at your expense guys. I just couldn't resist.

Friday Sidebar

2006-03-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

You gotta envy a man who enjoys his job this much. Here’s Sportsman salesman extraordinaire, Harry DeLong, chatting with Ed as he gets his first ride in a Sportsman. I don’t know who’s having more fun, Ed or Harry. I guess it really doesn't matter.

Friday, The End of Week 2 – Dave

2006-03-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

As we wrap up our second week at the CAC we are in pretty good shape to get everything done we are supposed to accomplish. We a slightly behind on the wings, with about 4 hours of work left to do, but we are way ahead on the FWF work, which really is part of week 3. We have made good headway on some of the optional work, but we were hoping for even more in that regard. The door latch mechanisms have proven to be much more time consuming than we anticipated. However, all things considered, I just don’t see how we could have accomplished any more. We have an amazing amount of work complete.

It is heartening to have the engine work started. It kind of says to me, we have most of the fuselage work behind us now. This is my favorite part of the project, so I am really looking forward to doing more of that next week. The photo shows me with my head buried underneath the engine.

The moment of truth with our instrument panel is fast approaching. The panel is out of the GlaStar, so it may or may not fit in the Sportsman. Everyone says it will, but I will feel much better when I see it for myself. Anyway, that will come this weekend in out OT session.

Week 2, Day 4 - Dave Returns

2006-03-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

I got back by 11 AM and immediately started to work on the seat pans. I hated fitting the GlaStar seat pans and didn’t like fitting the Sportsman ones much better. But, to be fair, the Sportsman seat pans are cut much closer to fitting by the factory, so it wasn’t too bad of a task. In fact almost everything on the Sportsman fits better than things did on the GlaStar. Glasair Aviation is to be commended for that. All the same, I was glad to move onto something else when I got the chance.

We also did the final rigging on the rudder and elevator, swaging the cable ends and verifying travel. At the end of the day we helped Ted Setzer fit up a 4-into-1 exhaust system on another customer’s plane. It looked real nice, but it didn’t fit. Oh, well. It should be really slick as soon as the header shop gets the dimensions right.

Photo shows me installing access hole doublers in the right wing.

Week 2, Day 4 - Ed

2006-03-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

Today I continued to finish the left wing by preparing the cove skins for bonding and riveting. I also worked on the aft door latch, bonded the wing fold hatch covers and started to fit the wheel pants. It doesn’t seem that I accomplished much in the way of completed tasks, but the many steps needed are the means to the end.

Photo shows the preparation work needed to install the cove skins.

Week 2, Day 3 - Ed Goes It Alone Today

2006-03-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

I am on my own with the CAC crew today, as Dave had to go back home on business. I worked on the final closeout of the left wing, installing the auxiliary fuel pump, inspection door flanges, and both wing root and tip ribs. I then completed the rudder stop installation and adjusted the travel for the required 25 degree deflection.

Additionally, I then installed the oil cooler. After some modification to the fire wall (installing a stainless steel dog dish to allow for rear prop governor clearance) we installed the engine and prop.
“Whew” Sure will be glad when Dave gets back Thursday.

Photo shows me torquing an engine mount bolt.

Week 2, Day 2 - Dave

2006-03-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

I ran fuel lines today, which doesn’t sound like much, but it is no easy task to snake those fuel lines around all the tubes in the cage and get them to line up with the fuel valve. We also went over to MATA and retrieved the engine (in the rain, of course) from the old GlaStar. We were lucky enough to be able to get it out without removing the prop (saved a lot of time). I also checked off a few small tasks.

Unfortunately I had to go to the airport (SEA) right after the CAC so I could catch a flight home for some business that could not be put off. Luckily Ed stayed to keep the ball rolling.

The photo shows me running fuel lines.

Week 2, Day 2 - Ed

2006-03-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

Today I was able to finish fitting the aft door. The CAC has a simple tool which follows the door joggle to allow you to trace the profile onto the roughed-in door flange. It still requites a fair amount of sanding to get the door gap the way you want. I was also able to form the main gear fairings and wrap the gear legs with fiberglass. At the end of the day we lifted the fuselage out of its jig.

Photo shows me fitting the rear door.

Monday, Week 2 - Dave

2006-02-27T21:12:00.000-08:00

Today I installed the elevator bellcrank, helped reinstall the wings, and tackled a number of smaller tasks, each time getting my picture taken to prove my participation in another item on the list. In the afternoon I fabricated the tunnel cover with a special raised section for the Andair fuel valve. This ended up taking way more time than I expected. Good thing I don’t have to make my living doing this.

Here I am working on the tunnel cover.

Monday, the Beginning of Week 2 - Ed

2006-02-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

After a restful Sunday I was able to complete a number of tasks today. I finished up the front door latches and rods, set and drilled the front door hinges, and rough fit the doors to the fuselage. I also finished fitting the door glass, so now all the windows (except for the front screen) are ready for final installation. Lastly I was able to dry fit the two wing fold panels on the upper deck.

Here I am installing a door hinge.

Saturday - Dave

2006-02-27T21:05:00.001-08:00

Saturday we put in some OT to make some progress on some of the optional tasks. I got the floorboards fabricated and installed and helped out with the floor for the rear compartment. It will be nice to have some of these extra items done while we have the use of all the CAC jigs and expert help.

Here I am drilling the mounting holes in the floor boards.

Saturday - Dave

2006-02-27T21:05:00.000-08:00

Puttin' In Some OT on Saturday - Ed

2006-02-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today we only put in 6 hours, so I was able to continue with building up the door latch subassemblies. I also worked on the doors a bit. Though Dave opted for the upgraded latch kit, there is still a fair amount of work making and riveting the nylon contact points as well as building up the rod end clevises.

Photo shows a door latch part with nylon contact point.

The End of Week One

2006-02-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

Today I (Ed) started to rivet the top skins on the left wing. After I finished all the dash 4 rivets I had to participate in an unplanned business call (Ugh!), so the CAC folks continued with the riveting while I argued with engineers for an hour and a half. When I then I got back I worked on the door latches, which are quite different form what we had on the GlaStar. I’ll have photos of the finished items soon.

I (Dave) got the firewall installed and the nose gear completed. In addition I completed the pulleys. Most of them are pretty easy to handle, but the center section pulleys are a bit of a pain made worse by the fact that some of the spacers had to be modified. No big deal, we had to modify lots of parts in the GlaStar. In comparison this kit is almost perfect.

The big thing that struck both of us at the end of the day is that we now have completed what it took us three years to finish on our GlaStar. Wow!!! The other thing that we have been impressed with is how many little but important improvements Glasair Aviation has made in the Sportsman compared to the GlaStar. So many frustrating things from our past project have been fixed. Nice job, guys.

Before we start sounding like a Sportsman commercial, I must say that their greatest asset – their production-like approach to kit building – is also a bit of a weakness. As I told Ted Setzer, “This ain’t Burger King.” You can’t really “have it your way.” Deviations from the standard plan slow things down and throw off the CAC crew. We have had to adjust to this, since we already had some of our own ideas about how an airplane should be built. We have pretty much come to terms with this, but it does occasionally cause a little friction.

Are things perfect? No, but they are really trying to make them that way. We can see for ourselves that they have made a number of changes to their process to make their product as good as they can. Are we happy so far? Yes, we are. The process works, and the quality is very good, probably better than what 90% of the builders would achieve on their own.

Day 3 for Dave

2006-02-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

Today I started off where I finished yesterday, riveting the top skin of the right wing. It felt like old times pounding all those rivets, but somehow it was more fun this time knowing I only had to do the top skin and not the whole wing. We only had to drill out a few "smileys."

After the wing was finished I switched over to installing the rudder pedals and plumbing the brake system. I must admit that I prefer this to pounding rivets. I also put in a safetied the aileron pullies and some of the flap pullies.

Probably the most fun was when Billie from North Country Aircraft Interiors came over with uphostery samples. She promised to get going on the seats and door panels right away and send them to us in plenty of time to finish up before our big trip to Oshkosh.

Day 3 - Another Busy Day

2006-02-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

Today was another eventful day at the Glasair CAC. I was focused on the empennage assembly working on the horizontal and vertical stabilizer installation. They have a neat jig to set and drill the rivet holes for the vertical stabilizer spar. It holds the vertical stabilizer and spar in perfect alignment and sets the rivet hole spacing at the same time.

I also worked on finishing the main landing gear wheels and brakes and pre-assembled the nose gear. To top off the day’s activities I was also able to complete about half of the work needed for the door latches prior to final installation onto the doors themselves. The end of the day even saw me pounding some rivets on the left wing.

Day 2 -- Ed's View

2006-02-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

As the day started I worked with CAC to install the main gear legs. As usual the drilling is slow through the hardeded material. Boy am I glad this is now done. At the end of the session we spent a little time going over the care and periodic inspection of the gear. Glasair recommends lifting the plane off the gear and checking the struts for wear in their sockets by trying to move them for and aft as well as sideways at each anual inspection. In addition I also made progress getting the sky lights and aft windows ready to install.

CAC Day 2

2006-02-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today things settled down for us and became better focused. Our understanding of the process started to make more sense as the previous day's jumping around became a matter of complying with FAA requirements. What we previously thought we knew about the so-called 51% rule needed a bit of adjusting. Once we "got it" so to speak, things made more sense.

The CAC guys also came to better understand that we actually know something about building airplanes. Ed has become more productive as he took the initiative to take on some tasks without waiting for them to figure out what he could do. I also did less jumping around and got to spend some "quality" time riveting.

Today we got the right wing in the jig after finishing the plumbing, rigging, and wiring. We also got about half the rivets in the top skin. We also got the main gear legs drilled and the wheels assembled. Ed made real headway on the windows and skylights and made some cable guides.

First Day at the CAC

2006-02-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

Today we began the CAC process. Things were a little unorganized, but we got quite a bit done in spite of ourselves. Big accomplishments included getting the wings mounted to the fuselage, installing the cage attachment brackets, and mounting the fuel tanks in the wings.

We got some small stuff done, too. Ed glassed the wing tips together, mounted the tail cone, and installed bulkhead A mounting hardware. We also made some headway on the seat brackets and the cabin air vents. Al lot of jumping around, or so it seems.

2006-02-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

Sportsman 2+2 builders Dave Prizio (left) and Ed Zaleski with their old plane, GlaStar N634DP.

Stripping for Shipping

2006-02-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

The first step in our new project is the end of our former project. Our beloved GlaStar N634DP is being stripped of its engine, prop, and instrument panel for use in our new Sportsman project plane, N713DE. The balance of the parts will be donated to Mission Aviation Training Academy of Arlington, WA. They will use it in their missionary pilot and mechanic training programs.

To prepare the plane for shipping the wings and tail feathers must be removed, along with the main gear legs. All this is to make it fit in the trailer for the trip north. It is sad business to take apart the plane we spent four years building and another three-plus years flying, but this is part of the process for building the new plane.