I started off today cleaning up the 2-ply BID layups on the added pour foam additions to the aft bottom fuselage/firewall corners… to align them with the bottom cowl lower corners.

As you can see by these pics, the added foam and glass worked a treat in really dialing in these lower corners between fuselage and cowling.  I think all should look great with minimal finishing micro required!

Here’s a shot from the aft side of the added foam and glass on the corners.  I will be glassing in an intermediate lip off these corners to connect the vertical to horizontal cowl mounting flanges, all for the sake of sealing up the engine compartment against air leaks as best possible.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I am working to finish up the final bottom cowl install tasks before moving back onto the aft lower fuselage’s hell hole hatch & cover, and RAM air scoop install.

It was actually a light build day today and I wasn’t able to get much done due to attending a birthday party that started early evening.

I was however able to get the bottom cowling’s armpit air intake scoops configured, aligned, and mounted to the cowling with Clecos.

Mike Melvill’s instructions for installing these armpit air intake scoops is to have a 3/4″ (0.75″) standoff from the respective straight sides of the scoops to the fuselage side and strake bottom.  The pressure of pressing a drill into the flexible cowling skin and minor movements while installing the clecos put the right intake about 0.080″ off vertically from the left… but who’s counting?!

Another shot of the clecoed-in-place bottom engine cowling armpit air intake scoops.

Tomorrow the plan is to get these scoops installed and be pretty much done with all the bottom cowling install machinations, freeing me up to move on with the hell hole hatch, cover and RAM air scoop install.