Moving Day!
(July 3, 2025) The beginning of July was my goal for getting the Shineliner over to the airport, and I hit that goal! For the next few months the plane will be at Fitchburg Municipal Airport in Massachusetts, which is about 25 mins away from my house. I used...
Canopy Door Pockets and Latch Switches
When I designed the overhead panel lights, I included an input to sense the state of the door latches. This is to allow the cabin lights to turn on when the door is opened, and also to display a waring message on the lighting control panel as a reminder...
Intercooler Shroud Assembly
(June 22, 2025) I never completed the task of fitting the charge air cooler shroud because it requires the lower engine cowling to be fitted completely. When I visited Sling in Torrance CA a few years ago, they gave me a few tips and showed me what the completed...
Door Hardware
The door hardware was surprisingly a lot of work to install. But I am satisfied that the doors will latch and lock securely. First, I attached the doors to the canopy and attached the gas assist strut. These struts come charged with compressed gas for a much heavier door,...
Filling the Brake Fluid
(June 15, 2025) Something I had on my mind for a while, I didn’t like having the brake line pass through the firewall through a simple grommet per the KAI. After a bit of searching, I found the perfect 90° bulkhead fitting, this Fitok stainless steel compression tube fitting,...
Windows Update
(not the annoying kind that requires a reboot!) The next challenge I decided to tackle was fitting and attaching all the Perspex (acrylic) windows to the canopy. I completed fitting and cutting of the windows in late March / early April, and then attached & sealed the windows in...
Control Stick Tubes
(May 27, 2025) The control / joystick tubes come a little too long, so I needed to cut them down to an appropriate length. To find the right length, I sat inside and held the my Tosten military-style grips at what I thought was the proper height. To my...
Interior Sidewall Panels
I installed the forward interior sidewall panels, since they are partially covered by the dashboard once it’s installed (as indicated by the green tape in the 2nd photo). The panels are attached with screws in a few spots to rivnuts that are attached to the interior fuselage skins. To...
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,...