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Christopher's Web Site
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Date: 1-2-2017
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Number of Hours: 4.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Fuel Tank Cross Braces / Compass Dry Fit
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I also had to fabricate the cross braces for the fuel tanks. I was missing the stainless steel tube stock, so I had to wait a couple of weeks before Safari could fill the backorder. I used my 20-ton press to flatten the edges I needed, and then used a grinder to round out the edges. You have to be careful not simply smash the tubing against a surface because then the flattened tab you made wouldn’t be centered to the tube. You must use the press with the tube suspended on the bottom side so the flattening is centered to the tube.
The angled piece is a pain in the ass, and I won’t know if I have to redo it until the final fitting. If I do need to remake it, I will need to order more material from Delane. I can’t seem to find it locally, but I may try to again. Hopefully, I am good to go. They are also in the painters pile, and they are marked to be black.
The final thing that I did today was to go back to the long discussed and dreaded magnetic compass location. On a normal aircraft, you have many options as to where to locate the compass. You typically see them mounted to the roof, resting on the glare shield, on bolted to the center windscreen support. With a Bell 47 bubble, none of those options are available.
I have seen Safari drivers mount the compass on the top of the pod (ugly), on the door frame (not within your instrument scan), or on the side of the pod (easy for a passenger to damage it). I have decided, after much discussion with Tom, to mount it on the top of the pod. I was ready to start drilling the hole into my beautiful pod (I wish I drank at moments like these), and run wires for the backlight, but Tom told me to wait until he plays with a possible design that would act as a case for the compass to beautify the installation a bit. He is working on a PVC housing right now, so the drilling is on standby.
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Before and after the 20-ton press
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Cross brace ready for paint
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Magnetic compass location?
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