Engine compartment

Build hours: 206

The filler pieces and skins for UCB were drilled and clecoed to the engine mounts. The skins were cut to their final dimensions and the double row of rivets and rivet pattern on the A to B skin was laid out. The skins for UCA were also hung for fitting to the engine mount.

A test was made on the front engine cowl to create a more finished look and appears to be workable. A 3/16" flange was added to the node cowl behind the spinner. This will cover the top of the slots in the attached flange and also give the engine cowl an edge to butt up against instead of being an overlap.

Engine compartment

Build hours: 198

Jake, the shop rat, caught in the flash!

Anyhow, we riveted the top angle to bulkhead "A". Riveted the engine supports together and to the lower angle on "A" but did not rivet the lower angle to "A". We're planning to align, drill and rivet the engine skins before riveting the lower angle and supports to "A" so that blind rivets are not needed below the engine mount at the "A" bulkhead. This also means we have to order the nuts and bolts that become inaccessible after closure. Two additional changes are also being considered, see below. Installed the engine nutplates and mounted a plywood engine pattern to hold the mount square while fitting the skins.

Change 1 - Make the filler plates in two pieces. One piece rivets to the skin, the other rivets to the vertical engine support then the two pieces are riveted together when adding the engine ring.

Follow up: Decided to stick with the plan filler pieces and use blind rivets as needed.

Change 2 - Speaking of the engine ring... After looking at various examples of the engine ring implementation, we decided to purchase a real metal shrinker(Porto-Metal, I believe) and shrink the flange around the top of the ring. We needed the shrinker for the ribs anyhow to avoid fluting so why not!

Follow up: Fluting and hand skrinking aluminum in the T6 state is only practical for large radii and the metal shrinker must be used sparingly to avoid marking the material to much!

UCB skin prep for riveting

Build hours: 167

Clean and deburred bulkheads and skins.

UCA riveting

Build hours: 157

Well, we finally get to complete assembly on some of these #!$ skins and bulkheads! Man, we've been doing this forever - isn't it done yet! Construction so far has always been hot, sometimes perplexing and once in a while just dang tiresome and frustrating. However, in the next few paragraphs, the plan comes together - who needs laser cut kits! Whoo-hoo!

The skeleton of UCA (refresher coarse for the slower readers - UCA = UltraCruiser "A") was further denuded as the last two skins, bulkheads and stringers were removed for riveting, deburring and trimming at the overlap. Additionally, the overlapping skin edge was inserted into the brake 1/8" and bent approx 3 degrees to create a tighter edge when riveted.

The skins had a lot of marking from skin oils and perspiration that was unattractive and could lead to surface corrosion on the 6061. Acetone or mineral spirits had no affect on the smudges. Some weak AlumiPrep (phosphoric acid etch normally followed by an Alodine treatment) on a sponge followed by generous rinsing was found to remove the smudges and return the aluminum to its originally bright state.

The E to F skin was wrapped and rejoined at the bottom stringer with clecoes and the top stringer was clecoed in place. E2 was riveted in followed by F and the stringers. The pieces were handled with cotton gloves during the riveting to avoid re-smudging the inside surfaces. Finally the three 1/4-28 nutplates were added at the appropriate E2 tabs.

Plan note:

F was not riveted where the tail wheel spring bracket will be and the top stringer was not riveted where the vertical stab lower rib will be added later.

Bulkhead E was put in place with a few clecoes and the stringers for the next section were riveted onto E. The D to E skin was rejoined on the bottom stringer and the top stringer was added. Bulkhead E was riveted in along with the stringers. Some denting or wrinkling as the rivets pull the skins to the bulkheads is inevitable at the change of angles on the skins.

Some more of the beam was removed (with joy!) and the D to F assembly was hung on the D bulkhead.

UCB was denuded so that we could get the original C skins back for UCA. C skins for UCB

(UCB = UltraCruiser "B" in case your still not catching on to the naming scheme) were cut from the originals. The original skins were repositioned on UCA ready to be drilled up to 1/8" holes.

At this point, there really should be a picture but I'm too pooped to walk back out to the shop!

UBC skin A to B doubler, vertical stab

Build hours: 150

Drilled the A to B skin at bulkhead A and added the A to B skin doubler.

Notched the F bulkhead for the vertical stab and added the vertical stab as detailed on UCA. An ATS rivet gun was purchased from Aircraft Spruce for 97$. This rivet gun worked really well and made the riveting process enjoyable. It was well worth the expenditure. Even without prior experience, Rick was driving first class rivets on the first attempt. Well, I still hold the title of "Rosy (the Riveter)" for now.

UCB skins, A to B

Build hours: 144

Drill and clecoed the previously fitted B to C skin. Moved the UCB fuselage into the saddle. Cut and fit the A to B skin continously checking the siderails for alignment. Drilled the siderails and clecoed up to bulkhead B.

UCB skinning, new B to C skin

Build hours: 136

A new B to C skin was cut, fitted and ready for drilling. The siderails were aligned and leveled with the F bulkhead horizontal stab tabs up to bulkhead A. Looking forward to two skinned Cruisers in formation!

UCB skinning

Build hours: 134

The first 3 skins sections were removed from UCA (sad moment) to be tested as patterns on UCB. The C to D section skins were tight but created an acceptable fit on UCB. After struggling with the B to C skin in an attempt to obtain proper alignment, it was decided to make a new skin using the exisiting skin as a starting point. There will be no pictures of this since this was not a particularly high point in the building process!

A to B skinning

Build hours: 123
Cut the A to B skin from the pattern and used the ratchet strap to pull it tight while drilling. Trimmed and installed the A to B skin and add the doubler at the A bulkhead. Also, trimmed the siderails square to extend past the A bulkhead by 1". Stopped and admired... Stopped and admired... Stopped and admired...

And the skinning still continues...

Build hours: 117

This shows both sides of C to D installed, the C bulkhead bracing removed, and the B to C skin in place. Notice the level. Siderail levelness was checked many times to make sure that no twist in the airframe was being introduced.

C to D skin:

The C to D skin is easier to work in 2 halves. On the large skin, a slight adjustment on one edge can make a big difference in alignment on the other edges.

Plan Note:

The C bulkhead edge has to be notched to allow for the change of angle going forward. The plans do not indicate the number, placement or depth of notches. After looking at the factory skin picture, it appeared to be notched at the bulkhead tabs and again in the center of each tab. The notches need to be 1/2" to 7/16" deep. To shallow and the B to C skin will gap, to deep and the notch bottom will not be covered by the B to C skin.

B To C skin:

Three braces across the beam were used so that ratchet straps could be used to pull up the B to C skin. This allowed the skin to be positioned while remaining tight against the bulkheads, making sure the notches were covered. The joint on the C bulkhead does not lay as tight as the other overlaps so far but is acceptable. (There are several areas on the UC that only another builder would be able to appreciate the workmanship and this is one of them!) Wood strips and spring clamps were used to make sure the compound curve that occurs in the skin on the siderail was not getting out of hand which would cause ripples.

Finally, a saddle was made from the B and D bulkhead for fuselage support as the A to B skin pattern is prepared.

The skinning continues...

Build hours: 110

The 3/32" clecoes were changed out for 1/8" clecoes and the tail was placed in a saddle so that skinning could continue. Bulkhead "C" was braced so that the edges would remain aligned during the pattern making and skinning process. The poster board pattern was fitted and trimmed for 1/2 of the C-D skin from the bottom stringer to the top stringer. The pattern was found to align correctly on the opposite half and also on both sides of UCB - we must have done something right! The C-D skin will be installed as 2 seperate pieces to reduce waste and make it easier to install. The additional seam will be covered by the turtle deck.

Pictures to follow...

UCB Skins

Build hours: 105

Skins E-F and D-E along with the E2 bulkhead were completed on UCB. Both skins from UCA were used as templates for UCB.

Skin E-F

Build hours: 91

Skin E-F was layed out and cut from the pattern. The .016 6061 is not very impressive while cutting and I was beginning to wonder if it was really better than the poster board. Anyhow, the wimpy skin was centered and clecoed to the top stringer and pulled together with strapping tape at three locations along the length. The holes were layed out to be centered on the front and rear flanges, drilled 3/32" and clecoed on the top fuselage half. The beam and fuselage was flipped and the skin was drilled and clecoed on the lower half. The .016 skin becomes amazingly stiff when wrapped and should be more resistant to weather than the poster board:)

Shop note:

The shop was 97 degrees and 60 percent humidity. Even with all the fans going and the excitement(?) of the first skin wrap, that temperature and humidity is a drag.Its obvious that the builder was suffering from too much heat (or.. if I only had a heart - The Tins Man's request from the Wizard of Oz)

Plan note:

You will screw yourself if you don't think far enough ahead since the plans nor the kit construction manual lays out a specific order or indicates why what your doing now will be IMPORTANT in the FUTURE! So... For the horizontal stab to be horizontal, the tabs on bulkhead F should be level. Its easy to lose a 1/16" while cutting and trimming the bulkhead. Add a lines width during alignment to the beam and the tabs will not be level when it time to add horz. stab doublers! To be continued and corrected...