Author: "Dan Checkoway" <dan@...> Time: Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:40 am PDT Link
> I worked on the project for over 2 years straight. Now that its
> flying, I have little desire to remodel.
Cary, I hear ya.
I just installed an autopilot in my completed -7, and it was way more work
than it needed to be. Not that difficult per se, just complicated by poor
planning on my part. Here are some tips for builders who haven't finished
assembly yet...
1. Run autopilot wires NOW, even if you don't install the actual autopilot.
The TruTrak servo needs 7 conductors...I used one 4x and one 3x
multi-conductor shielded wire. If I had run these when I built the plane,
and just left a couple feet of pigtail, the installation would have been
much simpler. If you think you'll ever have a wing servo, run wires to the
wing...same for an altitude hold servo. There is a weight penalty for
lugging along wires that aren't in use...but put it this way...it took me
almost 2 hours to get the wing inspection panels, wing root fairing, and all
the interior cover panels off. Then it took me at least 2-3 hours to get
the wiring harness fabricated and run (15 minutes to make the harness, about
2 hours to run it and secure it).
2. Snap bushings, snap bushings, snap bushings. I was *really* lucky that
I moved my pitot tube run in my left wing from the center (top-to-bottom)
tooling holes to a lower, aft location. And I was lucky that I had the
foresight to leave 375-4 snap bushings in those center tooling holes --
especially in the wing root area. My advice is to add as many snap bushings
in the wing ribs (at LEAST in the wing walk area) as you are comfortable
with. I'm not talking about swiss cheese, but a couple extra 3/8" holes
with 375-4 snap bushings in 'em will really simplify things if you decide to
"remodel." Drilling holes in the ribs outboard of the wing walk area is not
difficult, at least in the areas of the inspection panels. But drilling NEW
holes in the wing walk ribs...forget it. So do yourself a favor and leave
some snap bushings in an unused hole or two. There are other ways to run
wires without having to drill new holes, i.e. new conduit run on the inside
of lightening holes or whatever, but that seemed like a kludge to me.
On the same topic, I was fortunate that I have a -7 and not a -7A, because
the brake line snap bushings in the cover support ribs (front of F-704) had
spare holes with snap bushings I had already left in. That simplified the
wiring run. It wouldn't have been a big deal to run wires elsewhere, but
hey, it's nice to have pre-fab'd bushing runs.
3. Center cabin cover stuff. I recognized this problem as I installed the
cover panels, but didn't think much of it at the time. It came back to
visit again. You know how those center cover panels (which cover the
"valley" in between the floor stiffeners where fuel lines run)? They attach
via screws that go through holes in the floor stiffener angles. That's all
well and good if you don't have any foam on the floor. With 3/4" thick
foam, it makes getting at those screws kind of a pain in the butt. It's
really not that big of a deal, since you can notch the foam there, but
screwdriver access from the sides isn't really ideal. I guess the remedy
that I see is to chop the flanges off the center cabin cover -- so that it's
just flat straight across -- and instead rivet some .025" x 1/2" (or 3/4")
angle along the inside edges of the floor stiffeners. Drill the cover to
that, and put nutplates on the angles. That way the screws are installed
top-down. Less desirable if you leave this area exposed, perhaps, but mine
is completely covered with carpet. Anyway, something to think about that
would make life slightly easier every year when you pull those panels.
4. Access panels (front deck skin) came in handy yet again. Nuff said
about that.
5. Pitot tubing. If you plan on installing a TruTrak servo in your *left*
wing, don't have the pitot tubing run down the center (top-to-bottom) of the
spar. The reason is that the servo sits close to the web of the spar and
there's not enough room for 1/4" tubing to run behind it. I moved my pitot
tubing up toward the top of the spar to clear. You could also run it down
below -- and that's exactly what I will do next time. For what it's worth,
there was plenty of room behind (in front of, technically) the servo for the
pitot heat (+) wire, just not the pitot tubing.
That's about all I can think of off the top of my head. I'll try to get
photos of all this crap on my site sometime soon. Got about a month of
updates to do.
Hope this helps,
)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D
http://www.rvproject.com
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Author: "Cary Rhodes" <rhodeseng@...> Time: Mon Oct 11, 2004 12:28 pm PDT Link
Dan
I can say Amen to the floor channel cover. I think mine has maybe 2
screws holding it. Those are a booger to put in or take out.
Doing it again, I would rethink the attachments.
cary rhodes
--- In RV7and7A@yahoogroups.com, "Dan Checkoway" <dan@r...> wrote:
>
> > I worked on the project for over 2 years straight. Now that its
> > flying, I have little desire to remodel.
>
> Cary, I hear ya.
>
> I just installed an autopilot in my completed -7, and it was way
more work
> than it needed to be. Not that difficult per se, just complicated
by poor
> planning on my part. Here are some tips for builders who haven't
finished
> assembly yet...
>
> 1. Run autopilot wires NOW, even if you don't install the actual
autopilot.
> The TruTrak servo needs 7 conductors...I used one 4x and one 3x
> multi-conductor shielded wire. If I had run these when I built the
plane,
> and just left a couple feet of pigtail, the installation would have
been
> much simpler. If you think you'll ever have a wing servo, run
wires to the
> wing...same for an altitude hold servo. There is a weight penalty
for
> lugging along wires that aren't in use...but put it this way...it
took me
> almost 2 hours to get the wing inspection panels, wing root
fairing, and all
> the interior cover panels off. Then it took me at least 2-3 hours
to get
> the wiring harness fabricated and run (15 minutes to make the
harness, about
> 2 hours to run it and secure it).
>
> 2. Snap bushings, snap bushings, snap bushings. I was *really*
lucky that
> I moved my pitot tube run in my left wing from the center (top-to-
bottom)
> tooling holes to a lower, aft location. And I was lucky that I had
the
> foresight to leave 375-4 snap bushings in those center tooling
holes --
> especially in the wing root area. My advice is to add as many snap
bushings
> in the wing ribs (at LEAST in the wing walk area) as you are
comfortable
> with. I'm not talking about swiss cheese, but a couple extra 3/8"
holes
> with 375-4 snap bushings in 'em will really simplify things if you
decide to
> "remodel." Drilling holes in the ribs outboard of the wing walk
area is not
> difficult, at least in the areas of the inspection panels. But
drilling NEW
> holes in the wing walk ribs...forget it. So do yourself a favor
and leave
> some snap bushings in an unused hole or two. There are other ways
to run
> wires without having to drill new holes, i.e. new conduit run on
the inside
> of lightening holes or whatever, but that seemed like a kludge to
me.
>
> On the same topic, I was fortunate that I have a -7 and not a -7A,
because
> the brake line snap bushings in the cover support ribs (front of F-
704) had
> spare holes with snap bushings I had already left in. That
simplified the
> wiring run. It wouldn't have been a big deal to run wires
elsewhere, but
> hey, it's nice to have pre-fab'd bushing runs.
>
> 3. Center cabin cover stuff. I recognized this problem as I
installed the
> cover panels, but didn't think much of it at the time. It came
back to
> visit again. You know how those center cover panels (which cover
the
> "valley" in between the floor stiffeners where fuel lines run)?
They attach
> via screws that go through holes in the floor stiffener angles.
That's all
> well and good if you don't have any foam on the floor. With 3/4"
thick
> foam, it makes getting at those screws kind of a pain in the butt.
It's
> really not that big of a deal, since you can notch the foam there,
but
> screwdriver access from the sides isn't really ideal. I guess the
remedy
> that I see is to chop the flanges off the center cabin cover -- so
that it's
> just flat straight across -- and instead rivet some .025" x 1/2"
(or 3/4")
> angle along the inside edges of the floor stiffeners. Drill the
cover to
> that, and put nutplates on the angles. That way the screws are
installed
> top-down. Less desirable if you leave this area exposed, perhaps,
but mine
> is completely covered with carpet. Anyway, something to think
about that
> would make life slightly easier every year when you pull those
panels.
>
> 4. Access panels (front deck skin) came in handy yet again. Nuff
said
> about that.
>
> 5. Pitot tubing. If you plan on installing a TruTrak servo in
your *left*
> wing, don't have the pitot tubing run down the center (top-to-
bottom) of the
> spar. The reason is that the servo sits close to the web of the
spar and
> there's not enough room for 1/4" tubing to run behind it. I moved
my pitot
> tubing up toward the top of the spar to clear. You could also run
it down
> below -- and that's exactly what I will do next time. For what
it's worth,
> there was plenty of room behind (in front of, technically) the
servo for the
> pitot heat (+) wire, just not the pitot tubing.
>
> That's about all I can think of off the top of my head. I'll try
to get
> photos of all this crap on my site sometime soon. Got about a
month of
> updates to do.
>
> Hope this helps,
> )_( Dan
> RV-7 N714D
> http://www.rvproject.com
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