Zenith CH 750 builder log

Safety Wire

2011-07-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

I added the safety wire to the trim tab hinge yesterday.

Elevator Completed

2011-07-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

I did some riveting today, and a lot of it!!! I finished the trim tab with the alignment and mounting of the electric servo, and then proceeded to disassemble the entire elevator, remove the burrs, prime the contact points, and then rivet the entire thing together. I worked for 7.5 hours today. I still need to install safety wire on the piano hinge on the trim tab, and solder the trim servo wires to the extended lead that will be connected later. I am out of airplane parts to build at this point, and I need to save up for the next part of my kit. It may be a bit before I post again, but please stay tuned, I might post tidbits from another shop project in the works!

Elevator Trim Tab

2011-07-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

After I finished the horn angle brackets yesterday, I fitted the trim tab channel, hinge and drilled the trim tab hinge rivet holes, and fitted the tab to the elevator. Five hours of labor. Time flies when having fun!

Elevator Horn Brackets

2011-07-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

I finished fitting the elevator horn angle brackets yesterday. I spent one half hour on this, which included the alignment and drilling of rivet holes.

Elevator Horns and Bracket

2011-07-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I reclamped the elevator leading edge skins to the skeleton, and fit the horns and rear channel bracket. One hour of work. Later today I will fit and drill the front horn angle bracket.

Elevator leading edge skins are ready to mount!

2011-07-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

I removed the clecos from the elevator leading edge skins this afternoon and trimmed the excess material off to have the edge finished at 10mm past the rivet line as per the Zenith instructions. I worked two and a half hours on this today. I was pleased with the drilling of the rivet holes into the ribs and spar with all the holes lining up where they were supposed to. I am getting better at cutting the aluminum skins with tin snips. One thing I read in the instructions when making the rudder was to use a pair of left hand shears turned upside down for a cut. This also works quite well for cutting a straight line so close that just a few scrapes with a file take it to the line for a nice clean edge. A friend of mine is using electric shears on his, and I am curious to see how they work. Maybe I can test them on some scraps.

Elevator Rear Channel and Leading Edge Skins

2011-07-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I fitted the elevator rear channel and its L angle braces. It took me about two hours. Today, I fitted the leading edge skins, and drilled all the holes to their proper sizes, including the A5 sized holes in the center of the piece. Four additional hours of work today.

Horizontal Stabilizer Completed and Elevator Started

2011-07-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

I riveted the HS together on Friday. Today I began assembly of the elevator skeleton and rear skins. It is clecoed together now. I also installed the elevator hinge pins. Five hours of work today, two hours for the deburring, priming and riveting the HS together.

Horizontal stabilizer work

2011-07-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

My friend Bruce came and helped me align and drill the horizontal stabilizer skin today. He and I spent about 5 hours on that. After he left I continued to work for two more hours. I finished deburring the skeleton, primed the contact surfaces, and riveted the skeleton together. I did have to put a hinge bracket rivet in backwards, since the nose of the rivet gun would not reach from the same side as the other 20 rivets. I am certain it won't be seen since it is in an interior location, and it is certainly not a structural issue. The next step will be to rivet the skin to this part. Thanks again to my good friend Bruce for his wisdom and encouragement, and to my wife Katherine for allowing me the time and space in the garage to build this plane.

Build update

2011-07-05T21:25:00.001-07:00

I finished the CH 750 rudder yesterday, and built the horizontal stabilizer spars and ribs today. The top side of the stabilizer skin is also attached. Pictures will be posted tomorrow. 9.5 hours to build the rudder, since it was so much like the CH 650 rudder it took less time. I spent 7 hours on the stabilizer today.

Big News! 750 instead of 650

2011-06-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

I had decided to order some more kit parts. Then I got to thinking, I'd really like a STOL plane to get me into some back country fishing spots that have strips that are a little shorter than which I am comfortable. So, I ordered my tail kit, not just the rudder, the entire tail section and the plans for a CH 750. I will still be using the Corvair engine that is in my garage. My thinking is this, if I need to go greater distances than I usually travel, and get there faster, I still have access to two great C-182's and two C-172's. In the distances I usually travel, the CH 750 will only take a little bit longer, but it will still be way faster than in a car, and in some case get me where no car can even think of going. If any one wants to buy my nicely completed rudder for the CH 650 B that I started, please let me know, no reasonable offer will be refused. More later....

Corvair

2011-04-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have a 1966 Corvair engine on the way. It should be here soon. I ordered some important reading in the form of shop manuals for the engine as well as a few other good books about the Corvair engine. I already have William Wynne's conversion manual, and have read it cover to cover three times now. My next project will involve tearing this used engine down and cleaning the parts that will be rebuilt or reused, and setting aside parts that will have a core value when I am ready to purchase new parts, like the cam shaft for example. It looks like I will be getting my hands dirty in the next few weeks!

Top Rib

2011-04-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

I was dissatisfied with the way I had initially fit the top rib, as there was a small gap between it and the leading edge skin. I ordered a new top rib from Zenith, and positioned it with better alignment. Zenith has the builder install part this before the nose skin, but then the leading edge skin fitment can leave a gap. Since everything else was riveted together, I left this part cleco clamped until I figured out what to do. It presses nicely into place, and can be held well enough where it belongs to make a mark where the hole belongs. I drew a 10mm edge clearance line for my rivets, pushed this part into place, and marked the hole at the front of the rib so I could drill it while it was removed from the rudder. after getting the first hole in place and clamping it with a cleco, it was easy to move the piece and get the rivet line under the remainder of the holes for drilling and clamping. The new part is now riveted to the rudder, and I am very pleased with the outcome.

Decisions, decisions

2011-04-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

I know it is early in the process to be thinking about an engine since I have only built the rudder, but I have decided to use a converted Corvair engine. I purchased a stripped down engine with all the core parts I will need for the conversion now so that I will have it when the time comes to build the engine.

Rudder Kit Assembly

2011-03-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

I cut and fit the nose skin today. I then removed the cleco clamps from the entire rudder, added a self etching anti-corrosion treatment to all of the interior rivet joints, and then riveted it together with a pneumatic rivet puller and Avex rivets. Total build time for the entire rudder assembly was 11 hours. Special thanks to my friend Bruce J. for his knowledge, support, for lending me a few tools, clecos, helping to get me started, and having a some laughs along the way.

Rudder spar and rib assembly

2011-03-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

3/17/2011 I started my rudder today. My friend Bruce helped me get started. We prepared and riveted the the ribs to the main spar. Build time is 4 hours, although we were taking our time and having some laughs.

Welcome

2011-03-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my experimental aircraft build log! I have decided to build a Zenith Zodiac CH 650 B from a kit. I will be buying my kit one component at a time so as to spread the cost out over the course of a few years. I just ordered the rudder starter kit yesterday, and thought I would set up a builder's log online while I wait for my stuff to arrive. I will be fully documenting my entire build here on this blog with detailed photos and comments along the way. Please enjoy the journey with me!