Category: Planning

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Minor epiphany

For a while I’ve been pondering how to set up the new wings on my bench. He’s got a pair of 10′ long steel rails, made from square tubing with slotted brackets to bolt them to his bench. He had put those together to support a router sled for flattening slabs of wood. Early on I figured out that we could attach them to the bench to properly orient the wing ribs for attaching the trailing edge and spars. The trailing edge stock needs to be glued on so that the taper exactly matches the angle of the aft end of the wing ribs, and the easiest way to do that is to have a flat surface that aligns the bottom of the TE stock witht he bottom cap of the ribs.

The plans call for attaching a 2×4 on edge to the edge of the work table with a shim under one side. This tilts the top edge of the 2×4 to the correct angle, which I measured at bout 14 degrees, to establish the right pitch to align the trailing edge and ribs. I was concerned about finding a perfectly straight, flat 10′ long 2×4, as well as shimming it consistently. All in all, I was nervous about how to set up the new wings on this bench.

A few days ago, I grabbed one of the ribs I have here along with a short cut-off piece of trailing edge stock. I started exploring different ways I could jig up a wing on the bench, and came to a surprising (and happy) discovery. With the TE stock flat on the front edge of the bench and the rib inserted into the notch, a standard 2×4 on the opposite side of the bench will perfectly support the rib right under the main spar location. So, I could clamp the trailing edge down on some release tape or waxed paper (to keep the epoxy from sticking to the bench), support the other end with a 2×4 – or multiple shorter pieces of 2×4 – and assemble the wing that way. Sweet! I’ll test that configuration when I bring the lower left wing home, which is built but not varnished yet. I’ll need to apply the varnish before taking it to the hangar for storage, and I can check to make sure my jigging idea will work as well as I think it will.

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Garage prep and planning

I’m getting really tired of not being able to get any building done. This has really been driven home for the past few weeks of non-building. During the summer there’s plenty of yard work and other projects to fill int he gaps and keep one from getting bored. When it’s this cold, though, it becomes obvious that something has to be done. Rather than dive into a “just do something, anything” mentality that invariably leads to a big stalled mess, I’ve been taking the time to figure out exactly what the obstacles are and how they can be overcome.

Obviously, one of the biggest factors is space. There wasn’t any. The garage is packed pretty full, but a lot of it is just clutter. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been cleaning things up, putting things away, figuring out what can be tossed, and just generally rearranging things. I have a day or two left to go on the big parts of that effort. Right now I have about half a garage space completely cleared, and will extend that another couple feet as I get rid of some junk that needs to go. I also plan to move the riding mower from the garage to the back patio, and cover it with an all-weather cover I bought for it. I have some rodent repellant balls I’ll use to try and keep mice and squirrels out of there… we’ll see how that works. The balls are strongly scented with peppermint and some other stuff; it’s non-toxic and doesn’t stink. I’ve also got two tool chests that I’m swapping around and getting all of the tools organized. I’m terrible about not putting tools away, and as a result they tend to end up scattered everywhere, and I’m trying to fix that.

The next issue is climate control. It’s a garage. The temperature out there is more moderate than it used to be, since we insulated the walls and ceiling several years ago when the new siding was installed. Still, it gets too hot to work out there during part of the summer, and too cold in the winter. Epoxy won’t cure properly when it’s 40 degrees in the garage, and working in 90-plus heat or refrigerator temps leads to careless and sloppy work. I’ve got a 1500W infrared space heater going out there now to keep it at sweatshirt temperatures just so I can get the cleanup done, but a betters solution is going to be required. I’m looking at installing a ductless mini-split heat pump. That will require a new 220 V circuit installed, and some cabinets will need to move, so as one might imagine it just leads to a stream of new projects and complications. I do have a. plan, though, even if its implementation is not as quick as I’d like. I’m also going to need to seal up the garage doors better than they are — the rubber seals are old and leaky. I suspect we’ll probably end up with new garage doors, which we’ve been wanting for a while anyway.

Then there’s the work table situation. There is none. I’ve been looking at what I’ll need for tables to assemble the upper wings, tail, and fuselage. I have full size prints for everything, so I know that a 3′ wide table will be enough or everything. Wider would be good for wings, but 36″ will cover the distance from the trailing edge to the main spar, so it’s enough. I already know I’ll need at least 10′ for the wings. That will also be enough for the tail; the biggest piece is the horizontal stab and elevator at 8′ span. So, a 10 foot long table will be enough for everything up until I start the fuselage. For that, I’ll need 14 feet (I just checked the drawing; it’s 13′ and change). That’s probably a year out, though. After discussing with Stu, I’m currently planning to build a work table with folding wings on each end, similar to the one in his shop. He’s suggesting a 36 x 60 inch table with 36 x 30 inch wings; that will end up 10′ long when fully extended. When it comes time to build the fuselage, I’d need to add a second, smaller table to extend it to the length required. A standard 24 x 60 inch EAA 1000 table should be enough for that; I can build one if nobody has one I can borrow for a couple of months.

Lastly, there’s storage. Right now, in order to move everything home I’ll need a place to store wood and parts. The longest pieces are the eleven-foot-long upper wing spars. There’s a lot of 6- to 8-foot stock, a stack of wing ribs, and so on. I need to set up something accessible on one wall of the garage to store that stuff. Also, I’ll need other load of lumber for the tail and fuselage; that will need to be stored as well. I’m thinking I may place an order with Aircraft Spruce and drive out to Oshkosh this year to bring it home in the truck. I haven’t been to Airventure since 2018, I think, so it’s about time for another trip out there anyway. I’m also scouting for lumber yards tat would carry good quality southern white pine, as that can be used for a good portion of the fuselage and tail according to Fisher.

Onward. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the garage getting things cleaned up, organized, and re-organized. I want to get this under control and get back to building ASAP.

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Splitting up the build

I heard from Stu today that he needs his shop back. I didn’t ask for how long — I suspect he may be not quite as enthused about having a large part his shop taken over with what seems like an indefinite project, especially when I’m not there for a week or two. I’ve been dealing with a bunch of other things that have been deferred on the house and cars, and admittedly a couple of those days have been just inertia – and trying to figure out the best way to deal with the aileron/bracket interference. I did tell him it would take 2-3 years to get to the point where I was ready to take it to the airport for assembly, but being told that and actually seeing the impact are two different things, of course.

At this point I’ll build a movable wing storage rack for the two lower wings, and move them to the hangar at Millard as soon as I have the left wing varnished. Those wings can live there while I figure out my next move. My garage is not currently in a state suitable for building. It’s too cold in winter to work with epoxy, and unbearably hot for much of the summer. It was workable for aluminum construction on the RV-7, but the epoxy used for this plane is less tolerant of temperature extremes while working on assembly. I’ve been planning to install a mini split heat pump in there for heat and A/C; I think I’ll move ahead with that.

Tail surfaces can be built on a single 4 x 8′ sheet of MDF. I think I can free up enough space in the garage for that, and once done they can hang on a wall either at home or at the hangar. I need to review the fuselage plans to see how much workbench I’ll need for that — with any luck, a 2 x 16′ bench would do, so maybe I can just split the 4 x 8 down the center and make a single long bench for the fuselage. The upper wings will be the challenge. I really need at least 11 x 4′, so I just need to do some planning.

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Storage during the build

As I approach the end of building two wings, I’m faced with the prospect of needing to store large assemblies for a while. Stu’s shop is large and climate controlled, but it’s also Stu’s shop, not mine. There isn’t room to store everything until it’s time to move the plane to the airport and start assembly. I’ll need to store these wings while I build the upper two, and then will need to store all four while I build the tail and fuselage.

Fortunately, I do have a hangar. I will need to build a rack to store these wings without damage, then figure out how I’m going to cover them to keep dripping water and dust off of them for a year or two (or three). I had toyed with the idea of covering them with fabric, and I am not yet ruling that out. It might at least provide some protection for the geodetic bracing. There are several valid arguments against it, though. Either way I’ll need a rack, and I’ll need to figure out exactly how I’m going to transport the wings to the airport. Fortunately, it’s only a couple of miles.

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Engine thoughts

I haven’t made any decisions about what engine I’ll hang on the front of this thing when I get to that point. In a conversation with Dave Hertner, former owner of Fisher, I recall him saying that the engine weight needed to be at or below 200# — which would limit my choices somewhat. Small Continentals (A65 through C85 or O-200) are obvious choices, though the smaller ones are a bit less power than I’d like and the bigger ones are rather expensive. Of course there’s always a Rotax 912 ULS, or a Verner or Rotec 7-cylinder radial, or Aero Momentum, and so on. Corvair? Maybe, maybe not; I have yet to see a straight answer to the simple question of, “What does a complete Corvair engine weigh?”

While I have flown a lot behind a Rotax and like it, I’m not wild about the idea of building all of that into the plane, and I’d like something that “sounds better” – or more appropriate for a classic looking biplane. The Rotax sounds great on an RV-12, but it’s just not the experience I want for the Celebrity. Ditto Aero Momentum: I like their engines, but don’t really want to use one for this project.

A few days ago I was exchanging messages with a guy on POA. He’s about my size, and flies a Celebrity — with a Lycoming O-235 up front. He says the weight & balance work out fine, and he’s still got 200# of load – though he didn’t specify the conditions there, so maybe it’s full fuel, maybe just him and no fuel, I dunno. I’ve asked what his plane’s empty weight is.

So, I’m adding the O-235 and O-290 to my list of engines to watch for. The O-235 seems to be pretty well supported for parts; the O-290 less so – seems like new cylinders are not available — but they’re available pretty cheaply and weigh about the same as the O-235. And of course either one could be switched to electronic ignition, vacuum pump deleted, lightweight starter, and so on.

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Reflections on fuel tanks

I’ve been thinking about fuel tanks for a while now. The Celebrity normally has a 12-13 gallon fuselage tank, located just forward of the front cockpit Cub-style. In fact it may use a Cub tank for all I know, or a Champ tank. It’s enough fuel for flights as long as I suspect I’ll ever really want to make in the plane, but I’m interested in adding some capacity. I can envision a scenario where I fly somewhere and want to fly home without refueling, or fuel simply isn’t available where I land. Dirt strips, busted fuel pumps, whatever. A couple of wing tanks for some extra fuel capacity would be a welcome addition and give me some added flexibility.

Since the sale of Fisher to CKD.aero, I doubt very much I’ll be buying the tank or tanks from them. I got a price for wing tanks — over $400 each. Nah. They’re simple welded aluminum box tanks, which are mounted in the wings by means of some stainless steel straps attached to the main and rear spar caps.

Welding aluminum isn’t really in the cards for me, I don’t think. I considered building the tanks out of sheet AL, riveted and sealed with tank sealant. I have experience building those for the RV-7 and RV-12, but of course I’d need to design and build these from scratch. That option is not off the table yet.

Lately I’ve been thinking more along the lines of fiberglass. I could mock up the tank using cardboard and then foam board, to get the exact size and shape and work out the mounting attachment details as well as the location and details of the fill, drain, and sump. There are several construction methods possible including making a mold, building it over a Styrofoam plug and dissolving the foam once cured, or building a foam or balsa structure and glassing over the inside and outside for a sandwich construction. I could make it all internal or could make the top surface match the top of the wing, include a flange to attach it to the ribs, and either just paint it or cover with fabric.

Once I get back to work on the wings I’ll do some more exploring. Right now Stu’s got some stuff going on in the shop so the wings are still on the rack. Once he’s ready for me to get back to work, I want to accelerate the pace of construction so this thing is done before I die.

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Generic update

Yeah, it’s been a long time, no updates, and so on. I bought a few more pieces of capstrip from ACS to finish out the last of the false ribs, but honestly the lack of any place to assemble wings or build the tail surfaces — or really any other parts of the plane — has had me less than enthused about getting much done. I’ve got a tall stack of full wing ribs and an almost-as-tall stack of false ribs sitting on a bench on my basement, doing nothing.

From time to time I check Barnstormers to see if another Celebrity pops up for sale. Occasionally one does. The two that really gnaw at me? A gorgeous, Rotec radial powered Kitplanes Magazine article centerfold that was advertised for probably less than the engine would cost me, and one a couple hours’ drive from here with no engine that was listed at about $5K or so. In both cases the timing just was not right (hell having not frozen over quite yet).

Now I’m contemplating a run down to St. Louis. The purchaser of Celebrity serial number CE165 – one later than mine – had apparently never started building, and a crate with the complete wing kit is for sale. The seller is asking a fraction of the cost of a new kit, and it appears to be complete. I did some plotting, and even just ordering the wood for the wing spars – not the entire wings, mind you, just the spars — would cost more than he’s asking plus my gas for the trip, and that’s before I pay LTL freight costs to have it shipped from Aircraft Spruce. Plus it’s a complete wing kit, with all the pre-cut plywood pieces, laminating strips for the wingtip bows, trailing edge pieces, all of the bits that would add cost and time and aggravation to a scratch build. I can’t pass it up. I’d also have a full set of plans that I could sell to help defray a little of the cost.

A friend with a large woodworking shop has offered to let me continue building there in his shop — heated, air conditioned, lots of space, plenty of power tools, and this all feels almost too good to be true. I’ve just got to make a 13-14 hour round trip with a pocket full of cash.

Stay tuned, I guess.

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A few more false ribs

I glued up two more last night, and will do two more tonight. That will make 18 down, with 20 19 more to go. I’ll typically take some time at lunch to cut out the cross brace pieces and get everything set up. Then after work I’ll mix up some T88 and glue the ribs up, then let the glue cure overnight. By the next morning I can pull them out of the jigs and start again.

I’ve run out of cross-brace stock that’s been sanded down to 3/32″, so I’ll have to stop while I retrieve the small shop vacuum from the project house where it is now and run some more 1/8″ stock through the drum sander. It’s a pain, yes, but it has to be done.

I’m already debating where to go from here, once all of the false ribs are finished in a few weeks (maybe). I could start on the tail, but that will require a 4 x 8 work surface. The wing spars will require a longer bench, at least 12′ long. I may instead start working on cutting out the large number of nose ribs that will be needed, and the other high volume plywood parts. It’s awfully tempting to set up my CNC router again for that part, but I doubt that I will. I’d have to translate the outline from the printed plans into G-code for the router, and quite frankly I think by the time I got that right I could cut them all out by hand. I’ve seen a couple of guys use a router and a flush cutter to route the nose ribs from a pattern. I’m a little concerned about the radius on the inside corners where the nose rib glues to the false spar. I figure I could either sand a matching radius there, or touch up the corners of the nose ribs with a bandsaw or something. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

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Tempus fugit

Another year draws quickly to a close, with what feels like not a lot of progress on this project. I have a tall stack of ribs, but really nothing else. I had hoped to have a good start on the tail surfaces by now, but haven’t even started on them. We’ll need the basement for a family Christmas party, so no laying a 4×8 sheet of MDF over the island down there to start laminating pine. No worries, though. I have located some nice clear pine boards at Menard’s that will rip down nicely into 10′ long lamination strips. I have an order of Finnish birch ply queued up on Aircraft Spruce’s web site, ready to place the order once I’m sure I have all the stuff on there that’s going to be expensive to ship. As soon as we’re finished with the post-party cleanup, I’ll have the basement available to work in through the rest of the winter since the garage will just be a bit too cold for epoxy.

I also got a great idea from one of the guys on the Biplane Forum. I’ve been pondering how to store the wing ribs. I think I’ll build short pieces of main and rear spars out of pine and non-certified plywood, just to assemble all the ribs and clamp them together. That way I can surface sand them all together, and maybe if I’m lucky use that assembly to run them through the table saw for trimming as well. Maybe.

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Musing.

Haven’t done much in the past few days, mostly because I’ve had the workbench cleared off to fix a recalcitrant robot vacuum.  I did unroll some of the plans and take a good long look at the tail surface sheet.  Sixteen feet or so of paper, mind you…  not the easiest thing to manage on a 6′ countertop!  I wish that had been split into two sheets. 

It looks like I can build the entire fin and rudder out of pine and plywood, so that’s my next project, I think.  I’ll go look for a suitable 10′ length of pine at Menard’s that can be ripped down into decent quality lamination strips.  Once the saw is set up for that I’ll make as many as I can, since I’ll have a bunch of other laminations to do as well for the wingtips and fuelage.  Then I’ll look at what to do for the elevator and stabilizer spars.