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Christopher's Web Site
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Date:  1-8-2017
Number of Hours:  5.00
Manual Reference:  
Brief Description:  Install Tail Boom (Continued)/ Mount Mid-Boom Beac

If you just consider the number of bolts actually holding the boom to the cabin frame, this operation should have only taken about 15 or 20 minutes to complete. The bottom holes for the boom are actually already drilled, so you are really only working with the top 4 bolts. That said, you have to consider the boom is very flexible and can move in just about any direction prior to the final attachment. You have to make sure that the boom is mating with the cabin frame correctly in every plane, and you first must start by leveling the cabin forward and aft, as well as side-by-side. Given the fact that the cabin is sitting at an angle on a sloped garage floor, the leveling of the cabin as a control point is a challenge in itself.

The cabin is leveled by using the clutch housing on the top of the engine as a reference point. It’s bolted to the engine and engine mounts were the original leveling control point. I used wood construction shims to level the helicopter. They come in a number of sizes and are simple to add and subtract as needed.

The next step is simply bolting the bottom of the tail to the cabin frame with the holes provided. The top four bolts require you drill through the frame as well as the tail. As you begin to move the boom into position, you realize how much movement you have in EVERY plane. The boom can move up/down, side to side, and even diagonally. If any of these measurements are off when you drill the holes, the drive shaft for the tail rotor won’t line up.

I won’t bore you with painful details of the next 4 or so hours, but even after that much time, consideration, and remeasuring, I still had a tremendous amount of anxiety clamping in place and pulling the trigger on the drill for the pilot holes. I do believe that my patience paid off because now that it’s completed, there is nothing I would do differently, and MAN does it look like a helicopter now!

I had a little more time before heading off to bed, so I installed the mid-boom beacon/strobe light and the aft navig
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Top tail to cabin mounting bolts

Top tail to cabin mounting bolts

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Beacon light grommet

Beacon light grommet

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Aft Navigation light/strobe

Aft Navigation light/strobe

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