I didn’t get that much done on the bird the last couple of days, with the cold weather and getting some Christmas shopping done.

I finally got down to the one place left in the county to get some Kerosene for the heaters.

After filling and firing up a heater I then got to work doing a quick layup on the left winglet aft bottom corner cap that will keep me and any other unsuspecting victim from hitting that sharp corner.  Plus it will protect the corner, as I’ve noted my right winglet aft bottom corner has already been hit at Phil’s shop, by who I don’t know, but it’s not as sharp as it was and it has bit of paint off of it.  Exactly the purpose of this little cover: to protect both people and winglet … sorry, I forgot to grab a pic.

I then spent nearly 3 hours cleaning and organizing the shop, emphasis on organizing. Primarily focusing on tools and hardware.

I was able to scrounge up another four (4) MS21042-3 nuts, which I soaked in vinegar for about 30 minutes and hit them with a brush to clean/brighten them up a bit.  Tomorrow I will order another bunch of them.

I used the revitalized MS21042-3 nuts to install the forward canopy latch rod and hooks in the pilot seat area.  That being said, I left the aft of these 2 hooks installed with a temporary nut to confirm the best thickness of the washer between the hook and longeron in interfacing with the canopy.

The next morning I got a call from Phil, who wasn’t going to be in the shop due to some major back issues he’s having.  But he did let me in long enough to knock out putting on the right winglet’s N number.

I used the top of the winglet as my W.L. “zero” level reference by taping a yardstick to it, then measured down from it to get a somewhat straight line for the N number.  I then taped the N number in place in prep for applying it.

I’ve given up on trying to get anything perfect on this plane, since curves and all its varying angles will make just about anything look off… especially given from what reference angle you look at it.  Same applies with this number.

Moreover, I’ll note that even though I wanted the N number centered front to aft, in checking with the DAR they stated the most important thing to them was for it to not be on any control surface.  So I scooched it as close to the front rudder edge as I could get it as centered as possible (I know some builders put the number on the lower winglet, but I wanted it higher).

Placement aside, I think it looks pretty damn spiffy, especially considering that I ordered these numbers long before I was certain on my color scheme. Hoo-ah!

Back at the house I made a number of phone calls re. the bird and did a good bit of research the rest of the day, interspersed with holiday festivities prep…. still inching forward! (smile)