Sling 4 for Matt Build Log

In case this is the first post you've read on my site, it's important to know that I purchased a complete airframe kit with the toe break and parachute options from a previous builder. The rear fuse was nearly complete and the center fuse was partially complete. Unfortunately, some of the center fuse work was completed out of order, so I'm dealing with fixing those issues. But, I did determine that the rudder pedals could be installed and have some important knowledge to share if you're going to get the toe brake option. Right off, I would like to say there was a point that I would have opted for the toe brake option. I flew with them in my first Sling 4 Turbo ride. When I test flew the TSi, it had only the hand brake. The TSi, with only the hand brake, was able to pivot turn around a main wheel with just the nose wheel alone. That convinced me that I could live without the toe brakes and gain the advantage of adjustable rudder pedals, lower weight, and lower cost...

With the garage organized, I've spent the past couple of evenings sorting through the fuselage kit. 90% of the rear fuse was completed by the previous builder. About 15% of the center fuse work has also been done, but with some problems. Several dozen of the center fuse parts have been primed and have no part numbers. I poured through the build manuals and figured out all the mystery pieces. During that process, I noticed some had been completed incorrectly. I also noticed that some work on the center fuse was completed out of order, which made it impossible to fix without drilling out a bunch of rivets. I'm cataloging that work now and will detail it when it happens. Two other issues have struck me. The first is the number of missing parts in the kit. I dealt with the missing parts that I could inventory that were labeled when I first got the kit. Since I've been identifying the mystery parts, I'm discovering a number more of missing parts. This process is really e...

Over the weekend, I managed to get the garage in order after two weeks of chaos. And I'm quite happy with the results. A warning, however: This post is full of uninteresting details about how I reclaimed my space. Two weeks ago today, I moved the Sling 4 components I wasn't working on out of storage and into the garage. This saved about $310 a month; money better spent on other things. But, I created a new problem: overcrowding. Between the partially completed rear and center fuselage, the wing, fuse, canopy, and emp crates, the wing spars and long push rods, cowlings and fairings, the workbenches, paint booth, tool chests, and other miscellaneous items, the small two-car garage was beyond capacity. My wife was somewhat perturbed as well. She had agreed to moving the stuff out of storage and giving up parking in the garage, but once she saw the magnitude of the situation, she probably regretted her support. I don't blame her, I regretted my decision too. On the other ha...

I started on RD1 last week by inspecting the parts and shooting a video of my deburring process. When I get some time, I'll see if the video is worth posting. When I transported the Sling 4 kit back from Indianapolis, I knew that I would have to put most of it in storage. I've been on a dozen hangar waiting lists for the past three months now and I'm not optimistic about getting one any time soon. Last week, I decided to save the storage cost and move everything back to the house. Here's what the garage looks like: Over the past week, I've moved some items to available space in the house. There are still plenty of organization tasks necessary in order to resume construction.

Believe it or not, it can get cold in parts of San Diego in the Winter. Cold enough, in fact, that I could prime elevator parts for a week. But, last weekend the temperatures warmed up and I was able to finish priming the E1-E3 assemblies. I didn't get around to assembling things until today, however. Very little seemed to go right. The trim tab appears to have a bad bend on the inside flange that results in warping the trim skin. It takes on a crescent shape (not pictured), and that won't do. I intend to drill it out and look into fixing or replacing the skin. Next, I discovered I need a small torque wrench to set the five AN3 bolts in the assembly before I can close out parts of the assembly. I need some Loctite too for the bolts and rivnuts, but even the rivnuts could wait. This also lead me to realize I should order some torque seal marker paste as well. Not dwelling on having to remove the E1 rivets, I completed all I could on E2 without Loctite and...