Brief Description: Tank test, wiring, control sticks.
In the morning I took the tank up to the shop and rigged up for the balloon test. I got everything hooked up and found the old bicycle pump out in the garage. Been a long time since I used it, and the valve was stuck. When it came loose it took a chunk out of my thumb. Oh well, it's always good to mark your work with a little blood! Amazingly, when I pumped that sucker the balloon inflated and stayed that way! Set the tank aside and did some wiring.
Flew a lesson with Bob in the 170, cancelled with Rich in the Ercoupe because it started to snow and the field went IFR. Came home and went back to the shop for more wiring. But before I started I noticed that the balloon had gone down a little. So I took the advice of the manual and got some soapy water and brushed it all over the tank seams. Found the tiny leak, which thankfully was in the test gear, not in the tank itself. Fixed that and reinflated the balloon. Will watch it for a couple days.
Last thing I did was to modify the bike handlebar grips and install the PTT switches. I hope my passengers don't notice the Schwin trademark and start pedaling!
