Description

This book of tips covers the entire process of building a homebuilt aircraft, starting with help on choosing the right aircraft and creating a good shop through a wide array of tips and directions related to particular tasks for most types of construction. This collection was compiled by a knowledgeable and experienced aerospace engineer with much input from many well-known and innovative homebuilders who have come up with many great solutions to real-world problems. One very interesting aspect of this book are the occasional discussions concerning non-traditional methods, such as the use of Spectra (Kevlar) ropes in place of rudder cables. At many points, you may find yourself saying to yourself, “Gee, why didn’t I think of that!!” Well-organized and illustrated, this book has an easy-to-read conversant style and strikes a nice balance between covering a wide range of topics and giving enough information on each tip that it’s actually useful in practice. While no book could possibly cover every aspect of homebuilt construction, this book really holds its own when compared to the Bingelis Books (the “Gold Standard” of homebuilding information) and offers some really interesting ideas for things that we haven’t seen written about elsewhere. If you’re building a plane, or thinking about doing so, this book should be in your library!

Written by Sonja Englert, Copyright 2009. ISBN 0-9752984-8-8. Self-published. 130 Pages, Softcover.

Chapters include:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GETTING STARTED
Planning the Work
Building Time
Get Advice Early
Understand the Concept of Your Kit

SHOP AND TOOLS
Heating the Shop
Air Compressor
Vacuum Pump for Free
Machine Set Up
Magnets as Clamps
Clamping Small Parts in a Vise
Scale in a Bag
Procedure to Sharpen Scissors
Spiral Tubing Cutters
Drill Press
Depth Stop for Drill Press
Considerations for a Fuselage Turning Jig
Wing Turning Jig
Cutting Large H
Protection of Power Chords
Flat Surface
Dust Removal Table
Weights
Level the Wings
Bicycle Spokes
Table as a Jig
Wing Jig
Drilling and Supporting Large Pieces
Creating an Airfoil Template
Wing Cradle
Storage of Control Surfaces
Straight Lines
Breathing Protection during Spray Painting

WORKING WITH COMPOSITES
Riveting Thin Composite
Composite Skins and Metal Fasteners
Finishing Composite Airplanes
Cutting Fabric
Composite Access Door
Resin and Hardener Dispersal
Containers for Mixing Resin
Resin Brushes
Working with Narrow Strips of Fabric
Layup at Lower Temperatures
Spreading Resin
Carbon Fiber and Corrosion
Composite Tubes
Fillets
Composite Landing Gear Leg Root Fairings
Poor Man’s Vacuum Bagging
Reducing Gaps
Bonding Nutplates
Bonding Aluminum
Bonding Bushing
Inserting Tubes Through Ribs
Clay as Tooling Material
Control Surface Actuator Horn Fairing
Sanding Wings
Finishing the Bottom of the Fuselage
Drilling Composites
Composite Fittings
Hardpoints and Bolts in Sandwich Structure
Making a Mold for a Wheel Pant

WORKING WITH METAL
Cutting Straight Edges from Large Sheets
Bending Wing Skins
Jewelers Saw
Avoiding Scratches
Form Blocks Materials
Forming Ribs
Cutting Large Holes in Small Parts
Bending U-Shaped Brackets
Bending Trailing Edges
Deburring Sharp Edges
Dimpling
Clecos
Countersinking
Drill and Hole Tolerances
Drilling Rivet Holes
Compromised Edge Distance
Riveting Tips
Back Riveting
Aligning Ribs
Skinning a Wing
Skin Lap Joints
Nutplate Installation
Flanging the Lightening Holes
Drill Template
Radius Template
Cutting Tubes
Support for Tube
Tube Bending
Tube Notching
Chamfer a Bolt
Part Marking

WELDING
Edges
Welding Stainless Steel with a Torch
Techniques for Welding Aluminum Alloys

WORKING WITH WOOD
Staples and Nails
Deburring Wood
Bonding Parts
Bonding a Facesheet to a Truss
Varnish
Wood Truss on Table
Wood Gussets
Wood Glue
Cutting Thick Blocks of Wood
Plywood
Holding Gussets and Ribs in Place
Clamps
Bending Plywood Leading Edges

 FLIGHT CONTROLS
Balancing Control Surfaces
Control Surface Leading Edge
Lightweight Rudder Cables
Flight Control Linear Bearings
Sealing Control Rod Penetrations
Estimate Control Surface Mass Balance Weight Increment due to Paint
Flight Control System Stiffness
Flight Control System Bearings
Control System Functional Check
Cable Retainers for Pulleys
Control Cable Fairlead
Simple Cable-actuated Trim Tab
Casting Lead Counterweights
Internal Mass Balance

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
Electrical Grounding
Wire Splicing Method
Ground Power Connection
How to Lace a Wiring Harness
Marker Beacon, Transponder and NAV Antennas
Internal COM Antennas
Tuning a COM Antenna
Making a Balun for a Half-Wave Dipole Antenna
Electrical System Redundancy
Solar Panels
Radio Noise
Strobe Lights
Cutouts in Wingtips for Lights
Installations of Landing Lights

OTHER SYSTEMS
Assistance With Systems Design
Ergonomic Rudder Pedal Design
Brakes Tubing Installation
Brake Actuation
Adjustable Rudder Pedals
Fuel Pickup in a Tank
Fuel Tank Material
Grounded Fuel Filler Ring
Fuel Cap Retainer
Fuel Tank Vents
Slosh Box Shape
Fuel Gauge Calibration
Wheel Pants
Low Drag Tie Downs

ASSEMBLY
Torque Witness Stripes
Torque Wrenches
Temporary Assembly
Sliding Washers into Hard to Reach Places
Labels
Leveling the Plane
Wing Incidence
Final Assembly Check
Threading the Frayed End
Door Gaskets
Vent Holes and Drain Holes
Slip Ring Brushes
Sizing Access Holes
Piano Hinges
Camlocks
Hinged Instrument Panel
Storage Space
Trim to Fit
Duplicating Parts
Locating Blind Holes
Inserting Bolts in Tight Spaces
Drill Guide
Easy Paint for Small Parts
Powder Coating
Primer for Aluminum Parts
Changing Tires

FABRIC COVERING
Rib Lacing
Avoid Fraying Fabric
Avoiding Glue Stains and Wrinkles
New Fabric Covering Material

POWERPLANT
Protection of the Inside of the Cowling
Spinner Installation
Composite Baffling
Installation of Baffle Seals
Oil Access Doors
The Hidden Hinge
Securing Cable Ends
Oil Cooler Door
Firewall Insulation
Ensuring Your Fuel System is Alcohol-Proof
Two-Stroke Engine Operation
Manual Mixture Control for Two-Stroke Engines
Synchronizing Carburetors

CANOPIES
Blowing Bubble Canopies
Cutting and Drilling Canopies or Windshields
Storage of Acrylic and Removal of Protective Coating
Canopy Repair
Bonding Canopies

PREPARING FOR FLIGHT
Estimate the Weight Paint Adds to an Airplane
Structural Load Tests
Final Assembly
Airplane Weight and Balance
Increasing the Range of a Scale
Jacking Points
Carbon Monoxide
Flight Characteristics and Performance
Reducing Pitch Sensitivity
Wedges on Control Surface Trailing Edges
Wing Root Fairing
Improvement of Airflow in Stalls at the Wing Root
Improving Directional Stability
Gear Leg Fairings
Wing Leading Edges