We have had a string of very cold, windy weekends here in Pennsylvania. Combined with a crazy work schedule, the result has been that I am behind the curve in getting the plane ready for flying season. The Millins are coming to visit in early June, the fly in season is upon us and Oshkosh is only 80 odd days away, not that I'm counting. (of course I am)
The plane accrued a number of annoying, but not flight critical maintenance issues last year. It has some hydraulic seeps and needs to have the nose gear cylinder rebuilt, the pump reservoir replaced and everything checked over. The upholstery along the keel has come loose in several spots and needs to be rebonded. The bubbles in the brakes recurred. The air oil separator I installed has an AD to add a pressure relief valve. On top of that, my Odyssey battery is now over 5 years old. Although it has served me flawlessly, it is time to replace it before it leaves me stuck somewhere.
I am really getting the itch to take some trips. The weather was nice this weekend, so I dug into the issues. I got most of them taken care of and will finish up next week. The following description may be of use to other Velocity fliers and will give builders and dreamers an idea of what it's like to do work on your own hand built plane.
The above picture shows my Odyssey 925 battery installed in 2009. It is compact and powerful. This shot gives an idea what the install looks like. That's the hydraulic pump mounted on the firewall behind it. The gold box on the left is the landing gear retract control system.
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With the battery removed, you can see the mounting system I came up with. I made a tray out of simple aluminum angle and flush rivets. I made the hold down out of a couple parts from the auto store and more aluminum stock.
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My new battery all charged, installed and ready to go.
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This is the brake fluid reservoir mounted under the top of the fuselage. You will note that there are large air bubbles in the line. That's not good. I had bled them free of bubbles only to have the bubbles return almost immediately. It finally took a call to the Velocity factory to figure out what was going on.
The plans called for springs mounted on the pistons of the brake cylinders, which are mounted to the back of each rudder pedal. It turns out that over time the springs can score the pistons. This, in turn, can can cause air to be entrained into the hydraulic fluid when the pedal is depressed. I was told to replace or rebuild the units and reinstall them without the springs.
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Here are the pilot side rudder pedals. The gold components are the brake cylinders. You can see the springs on the pistons just above them. They have to come off. It's a real pain working down in the footwell under the panel.
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The left unit removed and fluid drained. I'm trying to be very careful not to make a mess of the carpet.
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Here are the new fittings I bought from Velocity. I need to install the 90 degree fittings with #2 Permatex on the threads and install them, then bleed the system again.
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Next up, I repair the loose upholstery on the keel. The bond between the velcro and the keel has failed on both sides in the footwells. I use masking tape to mark where I will reattach the velcro.
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| popsicle stick holds things apart while glue sets up |
After cleaning everything up with mineral oil, I brush on contact cement on both the velcro and the keel, then let them dry for 45 minutes. They dry to a shiny finish and don't look like they will stick to anything. However, as the name suggests, the contact cement bonds to itself on contact. In other words, make sure you get the placement right because this stuff bonds instantly with no opportunity to shift it around after you put the parts together.
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The finished product - as good as new.
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My hangar has one light bulb and was very dim. It was hard to work on the plane at night in the poor lighting. I installed a couple of flourescent shop lites, but they kept failing and are scary to replace 18 feet up on the roof. I helped my neighbor install new LED shop lights in his garage and was really impressed. They are much brighter, use a fraction of the electricity and last for 50,000 hours. I decided to upgrade.
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Nancy and my son, Sean, helped me install the new lights. They are terrific.
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Next week I tackle the rest of the issues and fly, fly, fly. I feel better that the plane is already airworthy again.
There is going to be a special celebration of Burt Rutan's contributions to aviation at Oshkosh this year, including a special display of canard aircraft. Several of my friends and I have signed up for the special display area parking at show center. This should be really fun.
The show will feature many great new aircraft including the Osprey, B52, F35 Lighting II and more. We plan on bringing my friend Garrett along for his first really long light plane flight and first ever visit to Oshkosh. I have our dorm rooms and a rental car reserved and am counting the days. We plan to spend most of the week at the show, depending on the weather. Again, I look forward to seeing old friends and to making new ones. If you have been following the blog and will be at the show, please stop by the plane to say hello. If I'm not there, leave a note or email me. There is a contact link at the top of the blog.
More to come next week.
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