Much like the VS, my Dad helped install the rudder fairings. The rudder came out looking great, with the light installed and some wiring and a molex connector installed too.
Rudder fairings
Vertical Stab Fairing
With my Dad in town, it was great to get his expert advice and handiwork with the firbreglass fairings. Being a boat builder back in New Zealand, my Dad has a lifetime of skill and experience working with all kinds of things including fiberglass. He’s a master at the stuff, so he went to work on the rudder and vertical stabilizer fairings.
The VS fairing needs an insert of glass on the aft edge and Dad made quick work of getting it made up and glassed in. the only real challenge was getting the fairing square. The piece is molded in two half’s then glued together, but there seems to be some slight misalignment of the halves casing it to be slightly lopsided. Dad got it pretty straight, so it looks awesome.
Canopy Frame
Since the end of November, I’ve been working on the canopy frame. After debuting and priming everything, I spent time carefully following the steps called out in the plans. There is some fluting required that helps shape the substructure and allowing it to sit flush against the skin. Everything has gone well so far, and the frame seems to be coming together quite easily. Some of the steps in the plans appear out of order, but I’m doing the best I can to follow along.
Propeller Delivery
Today the propeller was delivered! It looks to be in good shape, so I moved the box inside and stored it up out of the way. I’ll hold off opening the box until I’m closer to installing it. With the amount of salt in the air here (not crazy, but still some) I’d rather keep it reasonably picked in the box vs. taking it out and exposing it to the elements.
