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Builders Log The journal of the construction of a Zenith 601XL kit aircraft. (The latest construction is at the top) Wednesday, November 15, 2006 I
had a little help tonight from my niece, Emily. I started by deburring and
prepping everything for primer, and shot a coat of Zinc Oxide before dinner.
After dinner we assembled everything for the final time and riveted it all
together. Thursday, November 9, 2006 I
spent the evening test fitting and bending the lower fairing, deburred more
holes, and found other small tasks that needed done, like installing the light.
Tuesday, October 30, 2006 I deburred everything and cut the nose skin down to size. Doesn't seem like it should take 2 hours, but it does. Man, there are a lot of holes in this little airplane part!
Thursday, October 26, 2006 I drilled the holes for the nose skin to attach to the nose rib, and aligned and drilled the rudder lower mount and control bracket. Doesn't sound like it should take an hour and a half, but it did.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 After
work today, I fitted the nose skin and got it into position (or submission, this
is no easy task) and drilled and cleco'd it. I made a lot of measurements for
cut-off lines, rivets, etc. but will wait for another day to complete the nose
skin and final assembly work.
Saturday, October 21, 2006 Despite not getting started until 10:00 AM, I got quit a bit done. I finished all of the skeleton deburring, cleaned it, painted it with Zinc Oxide primer, drilled all the holes for the skin, and got it mounted on the skeleton with Cleco's. The skeleton inside is complete, primed, and riveted. I like the pneumatic puller, but it does take some getting used to. Forget the manual. I use 40 PSI to pull A4 rivets, and there is some kickback, but any less pressure and it does not have enough pull. It will make a dimple in the metal if you are not careful. What works for me, after making a couple dimples, was very light back pressure (as if trying to pull the rivet out) just after squeezing the trigger. It sets the rivet nicely and the kickback does not slam the head back into the metal. I used my air drill to do most of the rivet drilling. It’s really fast, but the buzzing of the drill really hurts my ears. I started using my hearing protection, and that really helps.
Thursday, October 19, 2006 I
did not have much time tonight to work on the rudder, as I had some Boy Scout
stuff to do. But I did manage to drill all the ribs and started deburring the
holes. Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Since the rudder arrived yesterday, I did not want to waste much time. After work today I put in about 2 hours work on it, which consisted of cutting and drilling the doublers and installation of the bottom rib. No problems at all tonight, and I hope this holds true for the remainder of the project.
Monday, October 16, 2006 What a surprise today, the rudder kit arrived from Zenith Aircraft. Nick Heintz said it could take 1-2 weeks, but it made it today. They ship it in a wooden crate, which seems to protect the contents pretty well. I inventoried everything and all the parts are here. I am hoping to get started on it this weekend, if not before. I also received my tools from Aircraft Tool a couple days ago, and the Zinc Oxide primer ordered from Wicks arrived today as well.
Friday, October 13, 2006 No real news today, but I ordered Zinc Oxide primer in spray cans, as opposed to Zinc Chromate. The cost is about $1.00 a can more, but the stuff won't kill you or make you wish you were dead. I ordered 6 cans from Wicks Aircraft Supply, but don't know the exact price yet, should be about $7.00 each.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 I ordered the rudder kit from Zenith Aircraft, the total with shipping was $346.75 and Nick Heintz said it would be shipped in a week or two, but maybe sooner. I also purchased a pneumatic rivet puller from Harbor Freight for $55.00. Then to Aircraft Tool Supply, where I managed to purchase:
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