Fuselage
Fuselage Completion #6 (Rudder Pedals and Flap Drive tube.)
Total Build Time: 705 Hours. The rudder pedals are held in place using phenolic blocks. I used a 1″ forstner bit to bore the holes in the blocks, and then used a brake hone to ream out the holes for a good fit. I removed the powder coat from the pedals where they will be … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #5 (Control sticks and mixer assembly)
Total Build Time: 698 Hours. The Waiex comes standard with dual-control sticks. For roll input, each stick is connected to its respective aileron, and the sticks are linked together. For pitch input they are both mounted on a frame that pivots fore and aft. Basically the parts are fit together, clamped in place and drilled to … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #4 (Rear spar carry-though assembly)
Total Build Time: 691 Hours. I pulled out some of the last remaining aluminum laser-cut parts from my aircraft kit that arrived last November. It was nice to be working with aluminum again after having done so much work recently with steel and titanium. Once I had these parts on my workbench I realized how … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #3 (Wheel and Brake Assemblies)
Total Build Time: 681 Hours Putting together the wheel assemblies mostly revolved around the brakes and wheel bearings. I don’t have any pictures of the wheel bearings themselves, but I used an automotive synthetic wheel bearing grease to pack them, using the palm of my hand to press the grease through the bearings. Here is … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #2 (Main Landing Gear Legs)
Total Build Time: 681 Hours Installation of the main landing gear began with inserting the titanium gear legs into the engine mount. I then drilled through the titanium gear legs (no easy feat indeed!) to position the rods inside the engine mount, and set the camber of the main landing gear. To set the camber … Continue reading
Fuselage Completion #1 (Tailwheel)
Total Build Time: 670 Hours The tailwheel consists of a titanium spring, welded steel pivot points and a wheel. Drilling through the titanium proved to be the most difficult part of this process. Basically it took a LOT of cutting fluid and a LOT of patience, along with the best drill bits I could get … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #10 (Engine Mount)
Total Build Time: 666 Hours. The engine mount was included in the kit from Sonex and was pre-welded to specs. Fitting the engine mount for the first time was a bit nerve-wracking, since it depended on all of my measurements in my assembly of the front fuselage to be accurate. Since my Waiex will be … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #9 (Seat Installation)
Total Build Time: 661 Hours. Finally, the seat installation… a fabrication and assembly process that I’ve both been dreading and looking forward to, for quite some time. Dreading because it involves large accurate bends in aluminum sheet metal that I have not performed before (and is typically done on a proper bending brake, which I … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #8 (Flap detent, elevator push-rod cover)
Total build time: 646 Hours. Two more small details in the cockpit before I get to completing the seat installation. First is installing a protective cover for the elevator pushrod that eventually will go from the control sticks, down the center of the bottom of the seat, back to the idler bellcrank. A few cuts in the pre-bent cover … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #7 (Glare-shield and Instrument Panel)
Total Build Time: 640 Hours. The glare-shield is essentially the dashboard of the aircraft… it lies behind/above the instrument panel and connects the area between the instrument panel and the firewall. It’s somewhat ironic that it’s called a glare-shield in my aircraft, since the usual purpose of a glare-shield is to reduce the glare from … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #6 (Aft lower cabin details, idler.)
Total Build Time: 634 Hours. There are quite a few details on the floor of the forward fuselage, under the area that will eventually be the seat. I made a few angle components, including one that will support the lower part of the seat sling. A clearance is cut in the angle to allow the … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #5 (Fuselage Box assembly, floor, and spar tunnel.)
Total Build Time: 612 Hours. With the side panels complete, it’s time to start putting the forward fuselage together! I positioned the aft fuselage and flipped it upside down. I shimmed the fuselage and placed a table to support the side panels. I taped some 2×2 wood to the upper longerons to protect … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #4 (Side panel Riveting, NACA vents, upper longeron slots, polishing)
Total Build Time: 584 Hours. At this stage in the project, I made a couple decisions that would further modify my Waiex from the plans. One decision was to add some large vents to the side panels to provide extra ventilation in the cockpit. After reviewing pictures and consulting some other builders, I found what … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #3 (Upper and Lower firewall)
Total Build Time: 576 Hours The firewall is literally a wall of steel near the front of the aircraft that separates the cockpit from the engine compartment. It serves to contain the heat of the engine from the cockpit, as well as a safety barrier in case of a fire in the engine compartment. The … Continue reading
Forward Fuselage #2 (Side panel assembly)
Total Build Time: 556 Hours My angle component fabrication is complete for the forward fuselage side panels, so now comes the task of aligning the parts into the proper positions on the side panel skins. For fun, I put the skin into its position relative to the aft fuselage, to get an idea of … Continue reading