Today I had my first inspection by a Technical Counsellor from the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia (SAAA), Bruce Deslandes, which went well.
Bruce asked me to talk him through the major structural components, all the while casting his very sharp eye over everything. He immediately spotted a few structural bolts of concern where the threads do not protrude beyond the nut. Even though the bolts used are exactly as per the Vans instructions, they are too short and therefore not acceptable. I'll be contacting Vans Support about this and requesting they send me longer bolts.
Bruce also wanted to know about the various mistakes I've made along the way, so I told him about those that I could remember, and what I did to rectify. He was pleased to see that I am aware of the fact that I will make mistakes. Apparently some builders believe they do not make any, and he says they're the ones that he worries about.
At the end of the day I got the green light. Build is of good quality, tools are appropriate for job and workshop is well laid out.
Build on old sport, build on.
TC Bruce Deslandes
Writing up his report
These three bolts (without torque paint) are not long enough. No thread protruding from the nuts.
