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Jim's Web Site
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Date: 1-9-2016
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Number of Hours: 4.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description:
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Yesterday and today the quest for the end of the gear leg fairing saga. I decided to follow those who modified the stock lower fuselage fairing to provide an access panel smaller than the entire lower fairing. On the right side, I cut a very nice section out of the lower fairing, and prepared it for the nutplates necessary for mounting. Problem was that the panel I cut out was too small, because of the proximity of the gear leg receptacle, to allow for access to the gear leg bolt safety wire hole, and at the same time allow for even spacing of the fixing screws.
Lancair did not have another lower fairing, and no word yet on when one might be available, or how much it might cost. So I decided to make another piece, not the whole fairing, but enough to make a larger access panel. That required re-attaching the two parts of the fairing, and making a mold for a new larger piece. I made the mold from some old chopped fiberglass mat I had on hand and scraps of bid that have been in the scrap boxes. For extra reinforcement I added some 3/16 inch steel rods bent to conform to the shape of the original piece. Today the mold was cured, so I made a four bid layup and carefully set it in the mold. After eight hours of cure time, I removed the new part from the mold and gave it a first, rough trim. Actually it turned out a lot better than I had a right to expect, given especially that this was my first attempt to duplicate an exsiting part. Tomorrow I'll trim it some more to match the joggle of the upper fairing, and progress some more.
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4 bid set in mold. Looks like a lamp shade.
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New part and mold seperated.
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New part in rough positiion. More trimming tomorrow.
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