Chap 9 – Final Main Gear Build!

I hand sanded the landing gear tabs & used the Perma-Grit tools to create a beveled edge at the tab-to-gear bow junction.

Chapter 9 - Main Landing Gear

I used the small round Perma-Grit to again re-bore & open the land gear tube holes.

I once again had a friendly visitor stop by… he hung around for a little while and then went on his way (with some assistance!).

I mounted the steel landing gear tubes into place with flox, then immediately floxed & glassed large AN washers onto the outside of the tabs with 2-ply BID layups.

Chapter 9 - Main Landing Gear

I then carved foam wedges as “ramps” for the landing gear tubes & micro’d them into place.  I then covered the micro’d ramps with 2-ply BID layups.  These ramps allow for glass to hold the steel tubes in place, but still have a smooth transition to the base of the landing gear bow.

Chapter 9 - Main Landing GearChapter 9 - Main Landing GearChapter 9 - Main Landing GearChapter 9 - Main Landing Gear

In between the drying stages above, I knife edged all the new tab edges.

Since the main landing gear glass was complete, I turned my attention to the wing build.  My first task was a 5-ply test layup for the 3″ UNI tape that is used in the wing, CS spar and canard spar caps.  Over the years there have been different manufacturers & suppliers of this 3″ UNI tape, so to ensure the spar caps are the correct thickness, and thus the correct strength, the width of the UNI plies must be tested.  This test layup procedure is spelled out in the Canard Pusher (CP) newsletter #25 on page 6.  If the 5 plies are too thin, then the solution is to simply add more plies, which is also spelled out in the CPs.

CP 25 pg 6 - 5-ply spar cap thickness testAs my 5-ply test layup was curing, I went back out to the shop and finished mounting my wing jigs to the wood base.

Chap 19 - Wing Jigs

 

 

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