|
|
|
|
Christopher's Web Site
|
Date: 10-31-2015
|
Number of Hours: 4.00
|
Manual Reference:
|
Brief Description: Lower Cabin Door Frame Cover
|
|
With full disclosure, I made several attempts at fabricating the correct fit for this location. Eventually, the formed sheetmetal attempts themselves became the templates, and I ended up making these covers more times than I would like to admit. At one point, the covers were complete, formed, and installed in a fashion replicating the decisions of other builders in the past. After looking at them clamped in place, I saw several areas that I could make them a little “better”, so with much reluctance, I hammered the pieces flat and drew new sheetmetal cutouts. I knew that I would be seeing these pieces overtime I entered the cab, so I thought it would be better to take the time to do it right even if it meant doing them again.
It was interesting that the same weekend I was making these pieces from scratch, I also watched a video that Megan (Safari) had posted on the Safari website about Zenith Aircraft. It was a Youtube clip about the production of their airplane kits and how they pre-made all (or most) of the parts for their customers with CNC machines, carefully cutting and drilling all of the the pieces and rivet holes for a quick assembly. They list their kits at about a 300-400 hour build, as I remember. I then considered the efforts the we Safari builders are putting into each piece of our birds, and I have to say that I feel a little proud of the work we are doing. Obviously, this is still a “Quick Build” because we are not welding together the frame and assembling major components such as the engine, and main and tail rotor heads, but still it’s pretty incredible that we can put together what's in front of me from 4’ x 4’ pieces of flat sheetmetal and a sharpie. Just saying’….
|
|
Clamped in place
|
|
Clecoed to Sill
|
|
Reminder of "before" condition
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2001-2024 Matronics. All Rights Reserved.
|
