Author Archives: Michael Carter

About Michael Carter

Programmer, Pilot/Builder and Amateur Radio enthusiast living in the Bay Area of California.

Hstab left+right skins poked!

Posted on 11/22/2020 by Michael Carter

This weekend was a couple great sessions down at the hangar. We spent 8 hours working on the horizontal stabilizer, culminating in attaching and match-drilling both the skins. While the initial work was a bit intimidating, this weekend was mostly … Continue reading →

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And now, time for a little carpentry

Posted on 11/08/2020 by Michael Carter

Up to now, we’ve been using an old 6-foot fold-up table we’ve had lying around for a long while. It’s been okay, and got us going through initially when we moved from the garage to the hangar, but it’s ever … Continue reading →

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Rear stab front spar issue

Posted on 11/07/2020 by Michael Carter

I think this is our first real issue with the build. During the preparation of parts HS-702 (front spar), there was quite a bit of modification required. I had to cut off part of the flanges and hammer the scar … Continue reading →

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Hangar is official!

Posted on 11/06/2020 by Michael Carter

I got the lease agreement back from the city today. The hangar is officially leased to us! Shhh… don’t tell anyone we’ve already moved everything in. 🙂

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Moving on to the hstab front spar

Posted on 11/01/2020 by Michael Carter

This work was a bit challenging. We started with 2 front spars (HS-702s), and had to make a number of modifications to them in order to build the assembly. The spars are basically aluminum channels. The raised sides are called … Continue reading →

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Rear spar, continued

Posted on 10/31/2020 by Michael Carter

The next day at the hangar we continued working where we left off with the horizontal stabilizer rear spar. Next up was to attach the brackets to the spar, which would be mount points for the elevator…the flight surface that … Continue reading →

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Tail build: Day One

Posted on 10/29/2020 by Michael Carter

Well it’s here… Day One of the build! We start on the Horizontal Stabilzer Rear Spar, or HaSaRdS! Just kidding. The main activity for this phase is to “break” the 2 long rear spar reinforcing bars. They’re pretty thick, and … Continue reading →

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Unpacking and Inventory

Posted on 10/24/2020 by Michael Carter

Today we bought a couple of shelving units and began unpacking all the parts for the empennage. As we inventory we’ll stow stuff on the shelf. Now back home to bring another table for the power tools and the workbench … Continue reading →

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The Journey Begins

Posted on 10/23/2020 by Michael Carter

After being delayed a day, and after waiting patiently at the airport, FedEx finally arrived and delivered the first piece of our puzzle. I’m waiting for wifey to arrive so we can both savor the “unboxing” experience. Now that he … Continue reading →

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Keys and Parking Passes

Posted on 10/21/2020 by Michael Carter

Today I picked up the keys to the hangar, and got a couple parking passes to boot! I’m picking these up early while we wait for the city to approve the lease. This is mainly because the kit is arriving … Continue reading →

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