Heating System Demo

I posted a video on YouTube recently with an early demonstration of the my heating system. Everything is functioning the way I expect so far, and I’m continuing to work on the software. I’m quite impressed with how much air it can move. Here’s a link to the video,...

Welcoming Home the First Sling 4 on the East Coast!

14 November, 2020 I recently had the honor to attend the big homecoming celebration for my friends and their newly-completed Sling 4! A huge achievement for Craig & Ellen, who have been looking forward to this day for 6 1/2 years! Before landing Craig did a little fly-by so...

Replacement Wing Skins

I received a crate today from TAF in California, containing my replacement wing skins! I’ll be able to finish off the right wing now. One of the skins is the leading edge for the fuel tank, for which I’ll need to order some fresh FlameMaster sealant. Between these skins,...

Engine On The Way

Coming soon to my workshop: a Rotax 915iS engine! Those familiar with the Sling lineup know that the 915iS engine normally is found on the Sling TSi, not on a Sling 4. So, my airplane is going to be somewhat unique, but that’s part of what experimental aviation is...

Heater System Prototype Progress

It’s pretty exciting dreaming up a concept, turning it into a design, and then having a working prototype in your hands, all in the course of a few weeks. I recently watched a video about the new Diamond DA50 RG, a 4-to-5 place retractable gear single engine airplane that’s...

Heater System Preliminary Design

I’ve completed the preliminary design of my automatic heater system. I’ve been concentrating on this for the last few weeks, which is why I haven’t posted much progress on the plane itself. This system recovers the heat from the engine’s cylinder head water cooling loop, forces air over a...

Canopy Test Fit

Today I unpacked the composite canopy from the shipping crate that’s been sitting in the corner of my garage since the Spring. It took a good hour just to remove all of the protective bubble wrap, shrink wrap, and packing tape for transit. With some help, I placed the...

Sika Supplies

The next big step is to attach the canopy to the fuselage. For that task, I needed some supplies to seal the canopy. The factory recommends products made by Sika, which are a bit hard to find here in the US. I found that they are carried by some...

Latest IP Concept

I’ve been refining my instrument panel concept over the last week. One of my goals was to fit the Garmin G5 at top center, but its size disrupts placement of other components in the center between the two G3X screens. I’ve moved the G5 to the left edge of...

On Wheels

With everything attached for the front and main landing gear, and all of the fuselage riveted together, I decided it was time to drop the fuselage onto its wheels, and free up my workbench. I’ve been working on the fuselage for a little over a year now, so I...