Steve's Space: Finishing

7/28/18 - Started fitting the front windshield and top. Total time = 8 hours.

Fitting the Windshield & Top

8/11/18 - Finished painting rudder, rudder fairing, doors, root skins and door trim pieces. Total time = 3 hours.

Final Items Painted Before Installing

8/12/18 - Installing the root skins on top of the fuselage. Total time = 8 hours.

Riveting the Root Skins on Top of the Fuselage

8/17/18 - Installing the top panel and front windshield to the fuselage. Total time = 8 hours.

Riveting the Top Panel

Top Panel and Front Windshield Installed

8/18/18 - Installed the vortex generators on the underside of the horizontal stabilizer.
Total time = 2 hours.

Vortex Generators Riveted in Place

8/19/18 - Fabricated and installed Oil Cooler Transition Piece for air opening on cowling. Total time = 2 hours.

Transition Piece Fabricated & Installed for Oil Cooller

8/26/18 - Drilled a hole in the top cowling over the air cleaner intake and epoxied an air intake scoop for forced air to enhance engine performance. Total time = 6 hours.

Air Scoop Epoxied to Top Cowling for Forced Air Intake

9/1/18 - Finished riveting top cowling to fastener hinge and added removal pins to left & right side of cowling. Total time = 5 hours.

Riveting Completed on Top Cowling

9/15/18 - Finished painting the cowling and then fitted the propeller with the spinner to get an idea of the final fit. I then did a weight and balance on the airplane. Total time = 5 hours.

Final Fit of the Cowling, Propeller & Spinner

9/22/18 - I didn't like the balance of the fiberglass spinner on the front of the propeller so I changed it for an aluminum spinner which also gave extra cooling to the reduction drive assembly. Total time = 2 hours.

Aluminum Spinner Installed

9/29/18 - Applied vinyl graphic decals to the fuselage that I purchased off the internet. Total time = 3 hours.

Adding Vinyl Graphics to the Fuselage

9/30/18 - Applied the "N" number to the tail along with the vinyl graphics. Total time = 1 hour.

"N" Number Added

9/30/18 - The Plane is Finished! Total Finishing Time = 53 Hours.

The Finished Product

Total Airplane Construction Time = 1550 Hours.

10/04/18 - Traveled to Buzz Flight Academy in Tennessee to get some transition training in their Zenith CH 750.