Windows Weekend
Over the weekend I fitted the Perspex (acrylic) windows to the openings in canopy. There are 5 windows total – 2 on the doors, 2 for the back seat, and the windscreen. The process was pretty straightforward, though a bit slow since I was trying to be very careful...
Cowling Fitting
Over the last two days I spent more time on the engine cowling. I attached the inspection doors and prepped the top half to attach the louver vent. Then I began installing camloc fasteners for securing the cowling to the mounting strip on the firewall. On the starboard side,...
Top Skin Closeout and Engine Cowling Fitment
I received back my fuel pump assembly from Lockwood Aero, which was updated to comply with ASB 915 i-012. This fuel pump was the last thing I wanted to install before installing the top skin just aft of the firewall. The nuts that secure this pump assembly are on...
Windshield Defrost Outlets
The custom climate system includes a pair of outlets facing the windshield to demist in cold or humid conditions. This design diverts sharply from the kit design; the original Sling 4 kit had no window defroster at all, and when the TSi debuted it included an outlet in front...
Fuel Pump ASB
Before closing out the skin above the firewall, I really wanted to address an Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) issued by Rotax in 2022 against the factory fuel pumps. The fuel pumps attach through the firewall and are secured on the inside with lock nuts that are not easy to...
Firewall Wiring Pass-thru
The firewall has a large opening, necessary to allow the large connectors to the Rotax ECU to pass through. The included close-out plates don’t seal up the hole nearly enough so I bought an off-the-shelf firewall grommet. It comes in two pieces that join together. I riveted this to...
Custom Electrical Installations for Aircraft: First Power Up
I’ve spent the last few weeks installing all the electrical provisions, ramping up especially the last few weeks over the holidays to reach a safe-to-apply-power state. I successfully powered up the airplane for the first time this past weekend and it was nice to finally see the panel all...
HVAC System and Panel Progress
This is a long overdue update on my project, but I’ve been quite busy on a few different aspects. First major update is that the custom HVAC system is about 90% complete. I’ve gone through so many iterations of the design over the last 3 years, but earlier this...
Avionics Work
I’m slowly but surely getting all the avionics connected, and along the way, creating brackets and similar provisions for securing bulkhead connectors and wiring bundles. Here are a few photos showing how I created a plate that holds two circular connectors (TE CPC series 2) for passing most of...
Fitting the Engine Cowling
I really want to cover the engine so I decided to skip ahead to fitting the engine cowling, which is part of the finishing kit. The instructions ask you to perform a bit of light sanding to get the upper and lower halves to line up nicely. I used...