Fuselage: Installing the Instrument Panel

The instrument panel is held in place by bolts through welded tabs at the bottom and screws through angles attached to the boot cowl metal at the top. The panel should NOT be vertical, but tilted back approximately 7 degrees. The boot cowl metal can overhang it as a glare shield. If a glare shield is used, the edges of that metal should be padded with split fuel line or the equiv alent. If you look closely at this glare shield, youll see the edge of the opening that allows access to the instruments from above

We will not attempt to design your instrument panel layout because that is one of those things that each builder really enjoys doing themselves. Its a place to show their own creativity and computers have made it easy and accurate. We will, however offer some guidelines in terms of procedures and concepts. Bolting it in place The kit has a number of tabs welded across the tubing at the panel station. These tabs should be bumped back slightly to allow you to install the panel with a slight upward facing angle. 7 degrees seems to be a good compromise, and artificial horizons and direction gyros are available for that angle mounting. Youll put #8 nut plates on the back of those tabs however, since they are so accessible, nuts will work just as well. The bigger tabs in the middle are for the throttle and prop controls. Securing the top of the panel The boot cowling metal will overlap the panel by a couple of inches to form a glare shield but dont do that without protecting the sharp edge with something like split fuel line. This is essential to protect your face in case of an accident. The top metal can be attached to the panel itself in a number of ways. An elegant way is to shrink a piece of aluminum angle to fit exactly, however, that is definitely not needed. It works just

Back of the instrument panel. A stretch-formed piece of angle can be used or the angle can be notched, although short pieces of angle will work just as well.

as well to break .032 angles and bolt them in the positions necessary to stabilize the top of the panel and the boot cowl metal. It is suggested that the screws going through the panel and visible in the cockpit be countersunk #6 with nut plates on the back. The screws going vertical can be any style and nut plates or Tinnermans used on the back of the angles. If riveting the angle to the panel, use machine counter sunk rivets. Cutting the instrument holes Before doing anything, buy one of those

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instrument templates that every supply house sells that locates the center of the hole and the screw holes. You cant do without this and they are extremely cheap. Although it is theoretically possible to cut the instrument holes with a jig saw and file to a line, thats not only a lot of Inexpensive, hardened drill template locates the bolt holes before you cut work, but doesnt the main hole. produce an even edge, which can be visually obvious when looking at the panel. Inasmuch as youll be looking at the

A fly-cutter allows flexibility in the size of the hole, but you have to be precise, when setting it up for instruments. Also, all work must be done in a drill press.

The Matco type of punch is more expensive but an absolute ly fool proof way of cutting a perfect instrument hole.

The hand nibbler is a simple tool that will let you cut square holes and edges in aluminum with ease and virtually no dis tortion.

panel every time you get in the airplane, you might ratchet, which pulls the cutting die right through the as well invest in a few tools that will do the holes metal. There is no distortion and the edges are perfectly clean. The only skill or set up involved is professionally and are the same every time. There are two possibilities here, Matco making sure you do your panel layout accurately punches (youll probably need two sizes, 2 1/4 and and drill the small guide hole exactly where you 3 1/8) or a fly-cutter (youll need only one). Matco want the instrument mounted. A fly-cutter uses a lathe type cutting bit punches are recommended because the size of the mounted on a swinging arm that is indexed to a holes are pre-determined and the process is impossible to screw up. However, the punches arent central 1/4 guide hole in the panel. This tool absolutely must be used in a drill press with solid cheap. A Matco type punch (they go under other back-up for good results. If you screw up with a names, as well) is a die punch that consists of two fly-cutter the results can be pretty spectacular. parts, the cutting die and the back up die. They are Another downside is that it is very dependent on pulled together by tightening a healthy bolt with a your ability to set it to get the exact diameter -47-

required, so cut test holes in scrap. An upside is that a fly-cutter is about a fifth the price of a Matco punch and you only need one, as opposed to two Matcos. Incidentally, its easier to drill the four instrument mounting holes before cutting the big hole. Just drill the center hole as a #30, cleco the pattern in place, square it up and drill the corner holes. The center hole also serves as the guide hole for indexing the Matco punch or fly-cutter. Cutting the radio holes may not be traditional, but they sure yield a light There is no substitute for patience when it Electronics panel. The Dynon display supplies all of the flight and engine comes to cutting square holes in the panel. Dont be parameters required. in a hurry. Also be meticulous with your layout. Keep the cut at least 1/32-1/16 away This is where buying a cheap drafting set, some from the final line and file to the line. drafting triangles and a really good machinist This where going slow and depending on square is worth the investment. You should also elbow grease rather than machinery will keep you invest in a high quality, fine-toothed (32 tpi) wavy- from making an unsightly mistake. You can also edged blade for your jig saw, a fresh 10 mill file use a hand nibbler, which isnt expensive and, with and a very small diameter, round metal file to fin- care, will let you get right next to the line. ish the corners. When the edge of the hole is filed to the Do your layout with a super fine-point felt center of the desired line, wrap high quality 320 grit tip marker or scribe the lines but, if scribing, make sand paper around the file and finish the edge with it a goal to just barely file away the line so it does- that. Just barely break the sharp edge at the same nt present a stress riser. If scribing, get a wide felt time. tip marker (blue looks best, but black works too) and make a 1/4 wide line where the scribe lines will go (this is a poor mans way of using layout blue). Then scribe your lines through the colored area and theyll stand out much better making it easier to file down to them. If you dont have a scribe tool, make one by gently grinding (cool it often) a long tapered point in the handle end of a triangular file. The procedure youll use in cutting square holes is: Carefully drill a 1/8 hole in the corners that doesnt touch any of the scribe lines but is close. Drill a series of larger holes (3/8 or so) in the piece that is to be removed at least 1/4 in from the line. This will give a place to start the jig saw. Cover both sides of the cut line with wide masking tape to give the saw something to ride on and protect the surface. Support the panel completely at the edge being cut. And clamp it down. It helps if you clamp a piece of 3/8 plywood to the back and cut it at the same time youre cutting the aluminum. -48-

Fuselage: Engine Cowling/Nosebowl

The prop doesnt have to be installed permanently or torqued down. Just snug the bolts and bolt the spinner in place. Positioning the Nosebowl First, carefully tape the nosebowl halves together so the flanges line up and fit as tightly as possible. Sit the noseThe engine cowling cant be accurately installed until the engine is hung and the spinner and bowl on the workbench, prop are mounted because the nose bowl, and the entire cowling, indexes to the spinner. flange down, so it is This section is just a little out of sequence square. Then drill three #30 holes in the nose bowl because you cant do the cowling until the engine is on each side and two on the inboard edge of each in the mount with the prop and spinner attached. However, weve been talking sheet metal and dont want to change subjects. Just remember where this section is in the manual, when you get ready to do your firewall forward. The Cowling Concept Everything about the cowling flows back from the spinner. The spinner establishes the datum from which everything else is measured. Dont yield to temptation and think you can measure everything without the spinner in place and have it work out. Some have tried and it has always been a mistake. When someone walks up to the airplane, the focal point is the nose and its distractive if the nosebowl and cowling dont flow back from the spinner in a natural way. Setting the Spinner Gap. One reason you cant make any progress without the spinner in place is that spinner backing plates are anything but standardized. Some sweep forward, some back and the overhang from one design to another is significantly different. Since you want a gap behind the spinner that pleases you and has no interference, its best to set things up with the spinner initially in place to eliminate all guess work. Borrow one, if you dont want to buy it at this stage.

Jigging the nosebowl so it is square to the firewall horizontal ly and square to the crankshaft vertically, is critical. Dont make the nose gap less than about 1/4. 1.2 is shown

air inlet so you can cleco the two halves together. Now decide how much gap you want behind the spinner. In theory, the smaller the gap, the more aerodynamically efficient the entire unit will be but theres a limit. 1/4 should be about the minimum and 1/2 the maximum. Tape a piece of plywood or masonite the thickness of the gap youre looking for to the back of the spinner. Now, sight down that material and see where that surface lies in relation to the face of the crankshaft. That identifies the plane where the -49-

face of the nosebowl will lie. Chances are itll be slightly in front of the mating surface of the crank flange. Mark that on the prop/crankshaft flange with a fine felt marker and measure as carefully as possible how far in front (or behind) the face of the crank (the line where the propeller and crankshaft meet) the front of the nosebowl flat must lie. Now remove the prop.

the prop hub, use a big compass to make a line 6 3/4 from the center all the way around, so, when you trim the ply on that line, you have a solid disk that fits inside (or outside, depending on the gap you want) the front nose bowl flange. Now bolt the plywood disk to the crankshaft flange. Put masking tape on the crank flange to protect it.

To join the two halves of the nose bowl, use No. 8 stainless steel machine screws with nutplates riveted to the flanges. Use dead soft rivets when riveting the nut plates or put an alu minum strip doubler on the front of the back flange to hold the rivet.

The wooden disk is bolted to the crank flange and establish es the gap between the nosebowl and the spinner. At the same time, it gives a surface to which the nosebowl can be clamped and kept square and in position. 1 x 2 boards can be clamped to this surface and used to square the back of the nose bowl to the back of the spinner. They also establish datums for measuring distances back to the firewall.

Jigging the Nosebowl When clamping the nosebowl to the plyWere going to establish a surface to which wood disk, pay particular attention to getting the you can clamp the nosebowl and, with that firmly nosebowl situated so the crank is in the exact midin position, cut the sheet metal that bridges from the dle of the cowling hole so everything lines up with nosebowl to the firewall. The nosebowl establishes the spinner. the front line for the sheet metal. As it comes to Also, and this is important, you need to you, that metal is about two inches too long square the back of the nosebowl with the firewall. because it must accommodate a wide variety of Clamp a 3 foot piece of 1 x 2 wood to the disk so it engines. is laying horizontal. Then looking down on the With the propeller removed (stuff a clean, nosebowl from above, measure from both ends of lint-free, lightly oiled rag in the crankshaft hole), the 1 x 2 to the firewall and shim as necessary to get set the propeller flange down on a piece of 1/8 the back flange square. It should need little, if any, masonite. If your measurements say, the nosebowl correction. plane should be 1/4 ahead of the crank flange, then Clamp the 1 x 2 vertically on the disk and use 1/4 ply, which is preferable because its stiffer. measure from the firewall to the back nosebowl With the prop sitting on the plywood, tap or flange at the top and the bottom to make sure its pry on the top of the bolts, so they leave marks in square to the firewall in the vertical plane. Its posthe ply to give you references to drill a bolt pattern sible you may have to spring the nosebowl a little that will allow you to bolt or clamp that piece of ply to get everything square, but it doesnt have to be to the crankshaft. It only has to stick out past the absolutely exact. Get it square enough to get measflange enough to give approximately a 13 1/2 -14 urements for your cowling sheet metal and your diameter disk . With just a little care, your disk sheet metal will hold it in position. should come out perfectly centered. Before drilling out the big hole in the midInstall the Top Piece dle of the ply for the crank snoot that sticks up into The top piece of cowling sheet metal is rel-50-

something to mount into. They also establish the line for the cowl break and this isnt something to be taken lightly. The bottom edges of the cowl doors should be slightly below the cylinders, but more important, they should be parallel to the cabin doors. If the cowl break has even a slight angle to the doors, it will look awful plus it will make it difficult to layout paint stripes. Cleco the channels into position on the sides between the nosebowl flanges and the firewall flanges using #40 clecos from the inside. Drill the front hole (nosebowl flange) first. Then cleco the clannels in place. Before drilling the final hole This is the intersection of the cowling hinge line and the fire - on the back end of each channel, look down on the wall. The nose of the airplane is to the right. The top cowl piece overlaps the firewall flange and is easiest to put in. It nosebowl from above and make sure it is still also holds the nose bowl square. The channels for the hinge square to the firewall. go under the firewall flange. The channels are provided in the Were going to use these channels as the kit but the hinges are not. indices to position the bottom sheet metal. atively square and easy to put in, plus, it helps hold The sheet metal for the bottom cowl is the nosebowl in position when installing the rest of shipped flat and in two pieces to be joined in the the cowling sheet metal. middle with most of the joint being under the air There are aluminum channels that go on scoop. If you have a roller to shape the curve into each side of the top piece to support the hinges. The each piece, fine, but it isnt needed. You can hand aluminum channels go under/inside the nosebowl bend the approximate shape into it and let the fireand firewall flanges, so, when the cowling metal wall and nosebowl hold the exact shape. When has been attached to the channels, the nosebowl and hand bending, just spring it around something firewall flanges are trapped between the cowling like a basement lally column and gradually work metal and the channels. The piano hinges for the the curve into it. Dont get too aggressive or you doors will go lengthwise between the U channels may put a visible bend in it, when all you want is a and the top piece. gentle curve. The top cowling piece will help jig the nose In reality, it doesnt need to be pre-bent at bowl left and right, but you have to make sure the all and can be sprung into position and held by the nosebowl is vertical before you trim the lower cowl screws. However, that puts an awful lot of load on piece. Cleco the front edge of the top cowl piece to it and not only promotes cracking, but makes it the nosebowl, but leave the back edge temporarily extremely difficult to handle when removing for clamped in position so you can adust it later, if necmaintenance, etc. essary. Trying to hold the metal in place while you accurately mark it is very cumbersome. Youll need Making the Bottom Cowl someone to help you. It also really helps if you For most engine installations, it will be have a couple of small, ratchet operated cargo much easier if you remove the carburetor from the straps. Bungees will work too. engine before working on the bottom cowl because Its actually easiest, if you work half of the a hole must be cut in the bottom cowl to accommosheet metal at a time. Get one half in position, drill date it. Thats more easily done when the cowling and cleco it and itll stiffen the entire assembly so is closer to being complete and is stiffer. the other side is much easier. Before doing anything, establish the posiPut one half in approximate position and tion for the U channels on both sides of the cowl run the straps or bungees around the entire nose in that form the top of the bottom cowl sides. These several positions so as to clamp the metal tight to act as doublers to give the CamLocs in the doors both the firewall and the nose bowl. Tighten, as -51-

necessary to get it in position. Use small 2 C- often, check the back of the cowl for inadvertent clamps to help hold things securely in place on the movement. U-channel, but pad the C-clamps with masking every time you install a cleco, the cowling tape first to prevent making marks. assembly gets that much more stable and easier to The front edge of the bottom cowl metal is handle. This is a good thing cut in the arc necessary to interface with the bottom Now go to the back edge of the cowling. of the nosebowl. Depending on the type of engine Youll see theres a lot of extra metal back there. and motor mount installed, the back of the cowling Ignore it for the time being. sheet metal is at least 1-2 too long to allow for Check inside the cowling to make sure the exact trimming and is a similar amount too wide to metal is laying flat against the firewall flange all allow for overlap at the bottom and to make sure the way around. ALSO, CHECK TO MAKE CERyou have enough to completely cover the U-chan- TAIN THE NOSEBOWL IS STILL VERTICAL nels at the bottom of each side cowl opening. AND HASNT MOVED. If it has moved, loosen The concept were going to apply here is the C-clamps on the U-channel and adjust by tapfirst cleco the bottom metal to the nosebowl, then ping the top and bottom metal fore and aft to get it trace the rear section for hole positions, remove the square. metal, drill the back holes, then, remount the metal Reach inside and run a fine point magic and match drill the holes on the firewall flange marker all the way around the front edge of the firefrom the outside to ensure the metal is laying com- wall flange leaving a mark on the inside of the botpletely tight to the firewall flange. The actual steps tom cowl. Use a new marker, not a blunt one, follow. because we want a narrow line to adjust to. Do this Mount the front edge, where it hits the nose to the top cowl piece installed in the previous secbowl, first. Mark the nosebowl for where youll tion, as well as marking the bottom piece you just want the #8 nutplates to hold the bottom sheet installed. This clearly indicates where the front of metal (3 spacing is good). Then, making absolute- the firewall flange is. This will be your reference ly certain the top edge of the sheet metal is flush for drilling your holes. Make a couple of marks that with the top of the U-channel and pulled up tight to run fore and aft on the metal and go over the flange both the nosebowl and the firewall flanges, drill as well. This will help when reinstalling the sheet one #40 hole through the sheet metal and through metal so you get it in the same place before drilling the nosebowl flange and install a cleco. This hole the holes. Remember to mark where the tunnel should be about 2 down from the U-channel. interrupts the bottom flange. If you want to be on the safe side, you can Remove the bottom sheet metal and lay a let the side metal stand about 1/4 above the U- piece of masking tape where the tunnel will be to channel to allow for minor adjustments before final keep from drilling holes in that area. Mark a line riveting and bolting. Youll remove the 1/4 prior to half the width of the flange all the way around the riveting the side metal to the U-channels. sheet metal behind the first line (which is the front Before doing anything else, double check to edge of the firewall flange). This forms the centermake sure the back of the sheet metal hasnt shift- line for your bolt holes. Do this to the top center ed because the instant you put a second cleco in piece as well. place in the nosebowl, the shape of the cowling is With about 3 spacing, layout your bolt patfixed, so measure three times, cleco once. Recheck tern on the inside of the firewall end of the cowling the nosebowl again for squareness. starting from the middle of the channel area and From that point on, youll carefully force drill it using #40, NOT #30, holes. These are just the metal to walk away from that cleco and lay guide holes. Youll drill through them with a bigger flat against the nosebowl flange before drilling the bit later. next hole. Youll continue this process and work Put the sheet metal back on, carefully posidown from the U-channel toward the bottom, tion it so the marks on the inside of the cowl are all which ensures the metal will flow downward and lining up with those you made earlier on the firelay flat against the flange with no puckers. Every so wall flange and make sure it is tight to the firewall -52-

flange. Remember, this metal is clecoed to the nosebowl, which will hold part of the curve in it. The nosebowl has remained in position through all of this with the channels on each side that form the top of the bottom cowl pieces still clecoed in place. Clamp the bottom cowl piece, which is now re-clecoed to the nosebowl, to the U-channel pieces and remove the clecos that have been holding the channels in place from the inside. Then, using a match drill tool, one of those strap things with a bushing in the end (or a small angle drill, if you have one that will let you work from the inside), drill the top bolt holes, which should be centered on the U channel at the firewall end. Before drilling the first back hole, do one more check to make sure the nose bowl hasnt shifted. Working top down, drill #40 holes in the firewall flange using the outside metal with the previously drilled holes as the guide and cleco, drill and cleco, drill and cleco. Do NOT install nut plates in the firewall flange at this time. Youre going to be putting the metal on and taking it off so many times that having screws in it would drive you nuts. Leave everything clecoed until the last minute. Once one bottom side piece is in place, just repeat the process for the other side. Trim the overlap in the middle so its only about 1 per side, but make sure the rivet line will be in the middle of the cowling. Then, rivet the two halves together Finishing the Top Edge of the Bottom Cowl Trim the top edge of the metal where it overlaps the U-channel and install six AN3 flush rivets to permanently attach the side skin to the Uchannel. Make sure the rivets arent where youll be installing CamLocs later.

the nosebowl and the firewall. We dont want anything moving around while we fit the doors. NOTE: Installing the camlocs should be the LAST thing you do to the cowling as thats where any adjustments can be made to ensure that the doors fit right. So, dont install the Camlocs until the nut plates holding the cowl together and to the firewall are installed and you can permanently bolt the entire cowling together so nothing can move while youre final trimming the doors and fitting the Camlocs. This is the only way you can be sure of getting tight fitting doors. Installing the cowl scoop The position of the cowl scoop is driven by the engine being used and the air box installed on it, so the following guides are of a general nature. Temporarily re-install the carburetor to see how it interfaces with the bottom cowl and cut the smallest possible hole. Youll enlarge it later, but right now make it tight. A good way to cut holes in the middle of a panel like this is to lay it out, then use a Unibit to drill a large diameter (3/4) hole in each corner. This makes a neater corner plus gives room for snips to start working. Go slow and try not to distort the edges with the snips. Theres a possibility the carb wont interfere with the cowling, but the air box will, so you need to settle the air box issue before you can put the cowling to bed. A number of the suppliers have air boxes that will work although they may need slight modifications. The one commonly used for

Making the Cowling Doors The cowl doors in the kit have the curve in the front edges to match the nose bowl, but, again, the doors are long. Forget about the length until the last minute. With the top cowl piece in position, trim a Sideview of lower cowl before the scoop is attached: Each piece of piano hinge to the right length and insert it installation will be slightly different but the air box will protrude should be in place before the airscoop is positioned. Also, between the top sheet metal and the top U chan- and the hole shown where the alternate airsource tube has been nel. Cleco this in place with at least four clecos, cut off will need to be closed off with a patch and a tube plus a cleco at each end of the channel holding it to mounted in the rear or rear top of the box. -53-

the 540 is PN08-01630 from Aircraft Spruce. Itll need the alternate air source hole in the side plugged and a new hole and mount tube put in the rer. This can be welded or riveted. Also get the Bracket BA5110 filter kit. Once your air box is mounted, you can see what other metal needs to be removed and how the scoop should be positioned to cover both the box AND an air filter, if youre going to use one. There is quite an intense thread on the air box issue in the Bearhawk Yahoo group archives.
Piper louvers work well on the Bearhawk.

Front view of the completed air scoop, this on a 540 powered airplane. Notice the screen and bracket that is part of the Bracket Air Filter system that is attached to the front of the air box itself. Note the seam just above the scoop where the two halves of the bottom cowl are joined.

The scoop, as supplied will need only minor trimming before attaching to the bottom cowl, however every installation will be slightly different depending on engine and air box used.

Air Outlet The different size and type of engines require different outlets, but, in general, you want an area that covers approximately 100 square inches including the tunnel area. Thats usually an arch. A number of the builders utilizing 0-540s have also put a 2 lip on that cut-out, although it appears the final cooling solution for hotter areas is to install louvers on the lower sides of the cowl. Get Piper cowl louvers, PN# 87405-802 (left), PN#87405-803 (right). They are available through Intermountain Air, Salt Lake City, UT. 800-4339617. Ask for Daniel. Do not install the louvers until the airplane is flown and a heating problem is determined to exist, as many airplanes cool just fine with the normal inlet and outlet areas, -54-

The kit contains two flat pieces for the bottom cowl halves and two for the doors. The cowl top piece is, like the rest of the parts, long at the rear to allow exact trimming on assembly.

Fuselage: Doin the Doors

fuselage to get an idea of what youre trying to accomplish. The door skins must go out far enough past the frame that they chin themselves on the outside door frames. They then also provide a surface to which weather stripping can be attached. A gap has been purposely left between the door and the frame so it can be sealed properly. Sealing the gap is necessary to make the airThe doors, as they come in the kit, are complete and ready to install, but the builder must plane weather tight. It also cover them with .025 aluminum, complete the latch assembly (or use a vendored latch) and install the windows. cuts down on the wind noise The doors are one of the features what and increases the airplanes efficiency. Sealing can make the BH a uniquely useful airplane. Besides giving numerous ways of getting in the airplane, the doors let you load some really large, ungainly cargo and carry it with ease. They also hold the key to making the airplane into a flying motorhome. What Needs to be Done? The doors require nothing to simply hang them: put them in place and drop the bolts or pins in (drill the paint out of the holes). However. there This is an alternate latch for the front doors that is available are some items that must be done first. They are: from Aircraft Spruce, PN05-04520/21. This latch lets you slam the door, rather than having to open the latch each time. Install the latches as per the plans. Fabricate and install the metal covering. Bend up L pieces to mount windows Latches The kit comes with the latches as shown in the plans and the plans/newsletters are the best reference on how to install and tune them. The rear door latches should be used as supplied but there is an excellent alternate latch available from Aircraft Spruce, PN 05-04520/21 for the front doors. This latch allows closing and latching the door by just lightly slamming it, which is a great convenience. If using the alternate latch, be sure to provide a thin stainless steel sheet striker plate on the door sill where it will be hitting. See the pictures. Skinning the doors Temporarily hang one of the doors in the

A simple striker plate of thin stainless is all thats needed to protect the airframe.

be left until the airplane is flying. .025 2024-T3 is the usual choice for skinning the doors. It is light, tough and easily worked.Youll also use it for making the outside frame for the top half of the front doors and for making the small L shaped strips that hold the front windows in place. To work the aluminum, an inexpensive -55-

Once the skin is attached to the outside, the interior panels can be screwed directly to the door frame

PK screws or pop rivets can be used to attach the skin, but using countersunk fasteners give a cleaner look.

sheet metal apron break like that available from Harbor Freight will work fine and youll find your self using it for many other applications, as well. One of the commonly available shear/break/roller combination tools is slightly more expensive, but makes working all of the aluminum pieces much easier and more exact. It should be noted that all of the cutting can be done with hand shears while two C-clamps and a couple pieces of angle iron can do the bending. Having the break, however, makes neater bends. The skinning process is the same for all of the doors except the rear cargo door, as that requires several slight bends in the middle to conform to the fuselage/stringer shape. Riveting the Skin The skin can be attached to the door frame with common 1/8 pop rivets although it is suggested that a filler be put in the rivet head holes to weather proof them and to improve appearance. Also, for appearance sake, some builders have used counter sunk pop rivets by lightly machine-countersinking the skin, which is actually too thin to counter sink, so it cuts slightly into the tubing underneath. This is okay because the doors arent primary structure. The skins could also be attached using small sheet metal screws (PK screws) and at least one builder has bonded the skins to the framework. Sealing the Door Frames Some of the earlier kits have open tubing in the door frames and it is suggested that wood or plastic plugs be epoxied into the ends of those tubes to make them weather tight. Door Sill Protection Although it isnt necessary, it is highly recommended that, after the aircraft is covered, you

fabricate an aluminum or stainless steel scuff panel for the bottom door sills to keep careless feet from wearing down the fabric. See page 44. Convenience Goodies The doors are much more convenient to use if the front ones receive hold open devices, as pictured. These are readily available in many hardware stores. Also, a small gas cylinder for the back door works really well. The Wing Strut Door The little flap on the bottom of the front doors is necessary to get additional travel in the door for entry. It is nothing more than a piece of .025 aluminum attached to the door with a piano hinge. No spring is necessary as it automatically closes when you close the door. Note: to protect the paint on the wing strut, put a piece of clear teflon tape where the door flap touches or itll eventually scuff the paint. Bonding on a nicely trimmed and polished piece of .016 stainless would look good too.

The famous Bearhawk mouse door, which is necessary to allow the door to open wider. A simple piano hinge is attached and the mouse door skin is lapped to the inside of the main door skin, so that when the door is closed, the mousedoor is automatically sealed shut. Note that there is a slight break at the edges of the door skin to give a better seal.

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Rear door gas strut hold open device: this is so slick you shouldn t build the airplane without it. Door Steward, WWW.mtnviewaviation.com, PN200C101. An automotive unit will be much less expensive, see www.allegiscorp.com

Cut the clearance slots for the hinges as tight as possible.

This over-center, hold-open device for the front door is found at local hardware stores and is another must have.

The .025 L-shaped strips hold the plexi against the door skin.

Some builders round the rear window corners w/filler pieces..

Installing the door windows The rear windows can be flexed into the Make the windows out of .060-.090 Plexi. channels. When attaching the outside trim for the Cut them just small enough to account for expansion and to give room for thin sealing strips. Dont left window, youll be running screws through the just clamp it between two pieces of bare aluminum. windows and the channels. Remember to make the Also, when installing them for the last time, run a holes in the Plexi at least two drill sizes bigger than small bead of silicone caulk at the edge where they the bolts. Before setting the side/rear windows in contact the door. To install the front door windows, youll place put some sort of sealer into the channel or first have to make the outside frame cover and rivet where the window will sit. The strip mastiff used to the frame. Then make up some 3/8 x 3/8 for sealing corrugated roofing works extremely angles using .025 aluminum. Youll need to cut well. If youre going to use a caulking material be enough that you can run these angles inside the advised that if you use silicon, it is also a glue and door window frames all the way around the win- could be a mess to clean up and get a clean edge if dow Attach them with small sheet metal screws you arent careful during installation. Mask the (PK screws) into the door frame but NOT into the windows leaving just a small area for the caulking plexi. The Plexi is just clamped between the L- and itll clean up much easier strips and the door skin. -57-

This is the result. NOTE: REAR WINDOWS MUST BE LEXAN AS THEY HAVE A BEND IN THEM. PLEXI WILL CRAZE IN TIME.

Fuselage: The Windshield

airfoil mylar, thats in the plans and make a dummy root rib out of plywood. Then spend some time measuring your wings getting the exact dimension from the front of the wing fittings to the nose of the wing. Also see exactly how far the wing mount bolt hole is from the rib. You can make up a wood jig that holds the plywood rib in position where the wing would be and build the windshield to that. Check and double check your The windshield is available from L & P plastics trimimed close to net , but youll still have dummy rib against the wings to do some grinding. Its available in tints with gray being the most popular and the fuselage to make sure Windshields: Variation on a Theme At this time there are only two variations of you have it in the right place. Its safer to wait until the wings are in place Bearhawk windshields, tinted and untinted. Which to make sure you get it right. you pick is strictly your decision. The cost differential is minimal. If you go for skylights, we definitely recommend using at least the medium of the three tints available for those. We also strongly recommend putting skylights in as it not only opens up the cockpit, but lets you see over the down wing in a turn. Kits are available from Jim Clevenger, 407361-2580 or see builder Ron Jones website, www.mykitlog.com/jonesronc for how he did his own. Leave the plastic covering on the windshield until the last minute, but dont leave it somewhere where it can get hot because the plastic covering has been known to become seriously stuck to the windshield and hard to remove. Installing the Windshield Without the Wings If youre doing the fuselage first you should know that youre taking a chance of you try to install the windshield without the wings on the airplane. The top corners of the windshield should flow right into the wing roots and without the wings you have nothing to reference to. So, theres the chance the alignment wont be quite right and your windshield/wing fairing will look funky. THERE IS A WAY AROUND THAT, HOWEVER! If you really want to get the windshield in without the wings, you can take drawing No. 7, the Installation: the General Concept Installing the windshield isnt particularly difficult, but it can be tedious because the generally brittle nature of the material demands that you make haste very slowly. Its easy to scratch or crack it, so think of the cost every time you get close to it. Youll need a 1/4 plexiglass bit and some extra sanding wheels for your angle head grinder. Dont yield to temptation and try to drill plexi with regular bits. If they grab, youll be ordering anoth er windshield.

You want to get the windshield relationship to the wing just right to make your fairings fit better.

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Once you have the boot cowl and the exten- instrument panel hits the side tubing. Dont worry sion to the panel in place, you have the surfaces about those. They are covered by the fairing strip ready to receive the windshield. The top of the youll be fabricating. windshield should slide into the channel at the top Drilling the Mounting Holes of the fuselage and the sides go outside of the tabs First, weve said it before, but we cant on the side. The bottom tab wont be used because emphasis this enough: USE DRILL BITS SPECIAL the windshield doesnt go down that far. LY DESIGNED FOR DRILLING PLEXI. These bits Trimming to fit have a steeper angle and have much less chance of The windshield, if a trimmed unit from L & catching and cracking the plastic. Even so, go very P, is not a stock C-170 windshield as the plans call slowly and let the bit generate some heat and slowfor, and should require only minor trimming to fit ly worry its way through the plexi rather than actuperfectly. However, because everyones sheet metal ally cutting. This is a very iffy operation and the is a little different we cant give you actual dimen- slower you go, the better youll be. sions. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WORK A COLD It is suggested that you paint stripes or WINDSHIELD BECAUSE ITS BRITTLE. something on the shanks of your plexi bits as soon There is so little trimming needed that it as you get them so you cant possibly pick up the could all be done with a rasp or, if you have a wrong bit later on. steady hand, a 60 grit flapper wheel on a 4 angle The only thing holding the windshield to head grinder. Be careful when using a power sander the airplane are the screws at the side tabs, which is because one slip could be expensive. plenty. However, theres a procedure to be followed The procedure is literally a cut and try when drilling those holes. operation. Sit it up in place and see how high the First, holes in plexi glass have to be much back of it is above the channel in the back. Make bigger than the screws going through them to give sure you dont lean it back to make it hit the chan- room for expansion and contraction and to keep nel and, in so doing, change the line of the wind- vibration from causing cracks because the plexi is shield to the cabin roof. If should flow smoothly touching a screw shank. Well use 1/4 holes but #8 over the top. This is decided by eye. The amount it screws. Further, if, when were all done, we have a sits above the channel tells you how much it needs screw thats not in the middle of the hole but is to come down and most of that will come out of the touching the edge, well use a round file (the kind front middle at the bottom. used for sharpening chain saws) to open the hole up Slowly grind away material until you get it a little. You can bush the screws with plastic tubing set vertically, then tackle the horizontal (back) trim- to fill the holes, if desired. ming, if any is required. Quite often little or none is Drill #30 guide holes in the tabs first with a required. Do your trimming very, very slowly. Lay regular bit. Then mount the windshield. a marker flat on the sheet metal and slide it around With the windshield in position (hold it the sheet metal against the plexi. Itll leave a mark with lots of speed tape), using your PLEXI BIT, that exactly follows the surface, but 1/4 or so up. drill a 1/8 hole through the plastic from inside using You dont want to cut to that line, but you do want the tab holes as guides. Use very little pressure and to parallel it, so make a similar line about 1/16 up let the bit grind its way through. Hold a block of from the edge of the plexi and grind to that mark. wood on the outside to back it up to prevent flexing Then put it on the airplane and see how it fits. Then and to keep the drill from slamming forward, when make another mark 1/16 up from that edge. Try it it breaks through. As you feel it starting to come out. Keep doing this process until it fits. through the plastic, ease off the drill pressure. Take your time. Building the airplane is Remove the windshield and bring the holes going to take a long time, but youre going to keep in the windshield up to 1/4 using the plexi bit and it and fly it much, much longer than that. so theres moving slowly. no reason to rush. Open the tab holes up to 3/16 using a reguYoull notice, as youre trimming, that there lar bit. are large gaps at the bottom rear corners where the After all the holes are drilled, come back -59-

with a 3/8 bit and lightly twirl it in your fingers to chamfer the edges of each hole in the windshield to remove stress risers. A small rotary file would do the same thing. FYI-the windshield is going to be mounted only temporarily because you cant put it in permanently until the fabric is on the airplane because the fabric wraps around, and is stuffed into the channel at the top of the windshield. Incidentally, the holes you drill for the mounting tabs are the only holes youll drill in the windshield. Later, when youre attaching fairing strips, none of those screws go into the windshield. Center stops The plans call for an angled strip that runs around the inside of the windshield at the bottom to keep it from moving backward under air load. It doesnt need to be a continuous strip as it would have to be stretched and shrunk. Three pieces of .032 bent to match the windshield angle, three inches long each with one inch legs and distributed across the center of the windshield will more than do the job. Break the back-up aluminum so it exactly matches the slope of the windshield and the panel top. Be sure to round the corners and smooth the edges. Also bond thin rubber to the front surface or tape it so there is a chaffing surface to protect the windshield. Drill one hole in the bottom legs of these angles and snuggle them up against the back edge of the inside of the windshield and mark the hole position in the top of the panel. You cant drill the holes until you remove the windshield. Use #8 screws and nuts to mount. Using only one hole lets the angles self-align with the windshield surface. Put nutplates inside the instrument panel top to secure these screws.

The stop angles can be either a shrunk angle or made up of a number of two-inch pieces. Bend them up out of .032 alu minum. Note the access panel clecoed in place.

up some fine-weave cloth and the appropriate epoxy or polyester mix. If they have the glass in four-inch strips, thats what youll want. The first step in the process is to cover every bit of the airplane and the floor within three or four feet of the windshield with protective sheeting because youre going to make a terrific mess. To keep the fiberglass from sticking to the fuselage or windshield, everything should be liberally coated with mold release (lots of wax will work), although a safer approach is to stretch shrink wrap plastic (Saran wrap) over the area, or cover it with packing tape, which will also give a smoother surface on the back of the glass and make it easier to get off. If you use tape, itll bridge gaps at the bottom of the windshield and make a smoother intersection in that area, which will make your life easier, when putting the fiberglass strips in place. Wax the tape too. Set up a piece of plywood on some saw horses close to where youll be working as a temporary work surface and cover it with polypropylene sheeting or wax paper. Stretch it tight and staple it so it wont move while youre working on it. Youre going to use this surface to stretch your glass strips out on and soak them prior to laying them up on the windshield. Making the Lower Fairing Strip Depending on the thickness of the cloth Because of variations from builder to youre using, youll be laying up a minimum of six builder, AviPro cant provide the lower fairing strip layers with seven to ten being better. and be guaranteed of it fitting exactly. For that reaYoull need help doing this, or youll make son, its best if each builder fabricates their own. even a bigger mess than normal. If youre a sheet metal guy with shrinkers Layout enough strips to make ten layers and and stretchers, you can make this out of aluminum, make them at least six inches longer than needed so but most will find it much easier, if a little messy, you dont have to worry about positioning. Youre to make this out of fiberglass right on the airplane. going to be doing a lot cutting and sanding after it If youve never used fiberglass, its a no- cures, so better to have too much.. Mix up more brainer. Go down to your local boat shop and pick -60-

resin then you think you can possible use because you definitely dont want to run short. Using a stiff brush, saturate each of the strips. Youll see it turn color and go transparent as you get it wet all the way through. Have your helper grab one end of a piece and the two of you walk it over the nose and lay it in place around the bottom of the windshield. Press it down and use a small squeegee to get any bubbles out. Keep laying strips on top of one another, trying to keep the edges even and the strips centered. However, it isnt critical they be perfect because youll be sanding later. Do ten layers. What is critical is that you try to squeegee out as much resin as you can from each layer and make sure there are no bubbles or dry spots, as indicated by whitish areas. Pay particular attentions to the bottom, rear corners and you may want to cut some short strips

and widen out the ends to cover the gaps. Generally, this isnt necessary but do it anyway. You can always cut it off. When everything has cured, but before removing it, run masking tape from side to side on the fairing that indicates where youll trim it. Then carefully mark the edges of the tape so you have straight lines from end to end to trim to. From this point on it is more body work, then it is airplane work, as youll be using something like Evercoats polyester glazing putty, not bondo/body filler, to fill and smooth the surface. The glazing compound is flexible and sands easily. If you used epoxy in the fiberglas, youll have to use epoxy-based filler. If polester vinyl resin is used, you can fill with epoxy or vinyl-ester. When the unit is all finished, youll want to mount it with #8 screws and youll want to put nut plates under the aluminum.

The windshield comes fairly well trimmed on the sides, but the top, where it goes into the channel, and the bottom, where it curves over the boot cowl, need to be trimmed.

Laying the soaked cloth strips in position is messy and needs two sets of hands. Cover everything in sight to protect it. The material will stretch and conform but be sure to roll out any bubbles and excess resin.

Be sure to put down a release surface before applying the fiberglass. This builder used electricians tape but packing tape or even Scotch tape works fine. Dont even think about not using a release or youll have everything stuck together.

Trim the edges then sand and fill as if youre doing automotive body work, using the same polyester two-part glazing com pound to fill the weave and eliminate the sanding scratches.

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Fuselage: The Interior

weighs very little. Beading will reduce drumming. If aluminum floor boards or interior panels are used, theyll drum with vibrations. A cheap Taiwan beading roller can stiffen them considerably. A Fabric Interior Goes in First. If you decide to go with an interior that Pat Fagans award winning BH uses Piper Cub technology in the interior: the sides and head utilizes aircraft fabric, ala liner are nothing but painted Stits PolyFiber. Light and durable. A variation could be to flock it as original Champs were done Piper Cub, it has to be Interior Dos and Donts installed before any outside fabric is attached,so the An airplane is a machine designed to cheat over-lapping at the edges works out right, e.g., the gravity so we want to leave anything on the ground outside fabric should always lap to the inside for thats going to make its job more difficult. No better appearance. For that reason, plan ahead. where is that more of a challenge than in the interiBefore installing this kind of interior, which or. Everyone wants to make their machine unique, is permanent, get all of your systems in and workbut do so with light in mind and dont hurt your ing, remove what is necessary for access, and put useful load and performance just to have something your interior fabric in place and get it finished at that looks great while sitting on the ground. least through silver. Install inspection panels to get This is an area where the homebuilders at the mechanical stuff behind the fabric. imagination always kicks into high gear so anyAn Upholstered Interior thing we can say is only of a general nature, howTabs are provided for the attachment of ever, here are some random thoughts. upholstery panels, if they are used. Backing panels Materials used. Leather is heavy, fabric can be made of anything, but the lighter they are the isnt. better. Backing panels. Professional plastic The head liner is problematic and some backing panels are often heavier than .020 alu- builders have fabricated one on upholstery board minum but much stiffer. and attached it to the tubing with push-clips Fabric is lightest. Nothing is going to be designed to go around tubes. These are available at as light as aircraft fabric and paint. Thats the way upholstery stores. The tubing on top of the fuselage Pat Fagans award winning, plans-built Bearhawk in the rear is pyramid shaped to give additional Smokey is done and it obviously looks great. It is headroom over the rear seat. If you go straight from painted with a lightly textured gray paint that longeron to longeron, you are giving up lots of matches the upholstery valuable headroom in back. Headsets are Lighter than Sound The Rear Bulkhead P r o o f i n g. If using an unmuffled exhaust, the The panel at the back of the cargo area has Bearhawk is noisy but trying to kill the sound adds been treated in a number of different ways, includlots of weight. Invest in a good ANR headset ing bare or painted aluminum, laced canvas/fabric instead. and fully upholstered. In any situation it should be Weather Stripping is Worth It. Tightly remembered that access is required to get at the flap sealing doors and windows will cut down heat loss, mechanism and to inspect pulleys, etc, so the panel reduce noise and even increase speed. Plus it should be removable or at least have a sizeable -62-

access panel in it. Tabs are provided to attach any form of bulkhead. Some mods builders have incorporated on the back panel are: Bottom 12 is hinged up for foot room while sleeping in cargo bay. trapezoidal ski tube is constructed to run

The builder has done a neat job of forming his upholstery backing panels. He can, if he wants, paint, rather than uphol ster them for a lighter interior.

Leather is heavy, but soooo good looking. Notice how the headliner follows the cathedral shape of the tubing, which was meant to create more headroom in the back. If you go straight across from the longerons you give up about two inches of headroom.

back down the fuselage to carry over-length, but light items. Tube is made of .020 aluminum. The interior shown with foam backing board trimmed to rough hat rack made of mesh is attached to shape. Following the cathedral rear tubing is difficult with upholstery board but its worth the effort. hold essentials while camping in the BH. compacts to 50% of its original thickness. Its availWeight of Interior Material One of the builders, Mike Creek, worked up able as a build up of three 1 layers bonded togeththe following weights. This will give you a compar- er with a soft layer on the outside and increasingly ison on what different interior options cost you in dense layers as you get deeper into it. It is very weight. He calculated the interior surface area to be comfortable but not without a few caveats. The material is expensive and heavy for its 80 square feet. size. Further, because it is heat sensitive, after a Lb./Ft Tot Lb. (80 sq. ft) cool night (not cold, cool) it will be hard as a rock and it takes a few minutes of sitting on it to soften Foil Bubble Wrap 0.06 4.8 up, which is only a minor irritation. Airplane Fabric 0.10 8.0 Youll need a 3 cushion of it on the bottom (coated & painted) which will raise the seat level 1.5 when being sat Auto Fabric 0.22 17.8 on. If you want more than that, space it up with 3/16" Foam Board 0.13 10.2 rigid foam and its advisable you carve small holSign Board - (1/8") 0.15 12.3 lows on the middle of the seat where your butt Corrugated Plastic bones will sit. It greatly eliminates hot spots. 0.016 Aluminum 2024T3 0.23 18.4 For the seat backs, use any kind of upholUpholsterer's Cboard-1/16") 0.27 21.8 stery foam available because it carries no load. 0.025 Aluminum 2024T3 0.36 28.8 Remember, when deciding on cushions that Cushion Foam The most popular seat cushion material is this is your chance to adjust the seating to fit you the heat-sensitive foam, sometimes called Temper and your passengers, so plan on doing a lot of trial Foam or Contour Foam. It molds to your body and fitting. -63-

Fuselage: Fabric covering

between the fabric and the bottom fin rib. Although it appears as if that gap can be ignored, its not a good idea because its possible that the fabric could drum against the rib in flight, eventually wearing a hole in it, so it needs to be rib-stitched to the rib. If the gap is more than about 3/16, when rib stitching the fabric to the rib, it will be pulled down, which forms a slight indentation at each rib stitch. This is strictly cosmetic and is of no structural concern, but some builders dont like the looks and have come up with a way to eliminate it. Some builders have had envelops sewn up for the fuselage, but this is absolutely not Some will make up a necessary and complicates the process by having to worry about keeping the seam small, wooden rib, or shim, that is on a longeron so it isnt as noticeable bolted and/or glued over the face A General Discussion on Covering of the bottom rib. The rib is shaped so it comes up First, it is beyond the scope of this manual to go through the entire covering process. However, dont be dismayed: the reason we dont need to lead you through this process is because a number of fabric/paint companies, such as PolyFiber, produce really excellent videos and instruction manuals plus they conduct hands-on forums at fly-ins around the country. In addition, the EAA and private companies put on workshops. Heres a guarantee: once you start collecting the knowledge required for covering, youll A small, wooden rib spacer takes up any gap and allows rib stitching to be tight with no puckers. loose your fear of it. Most builders say its one of the more enjoyable parts of the project. to the fabric surface and Bearhawk-Related Thoughts supports it. It can be be The fabric vendor programs will answer made out of common pine nearly all of your questions, but there are a few and should be about 5/8Bearhawk-specific items that are worth discussing 3/4 wide. Epoxy it to the and Appendix C includes random thoughts and rib and run a few #6 hints from builders on covering the airplane. machine screws through Where the fuselage fabric comes up the it. sides of the vertical fin, right above the horizontal A pattern for the stab, the fabric has to be shrunk in such a way that rib is floating around it forms a graceful curve up to the fin. This is not amongst the builders, so difficult but often, when this is done, especially if Rib stitching with the false just go on the e-group and produces a smooth sur the shrinking is a little too aggressive, there is a gap rib fae with no puckers ask someone to send it to -64-

This is how you build a very light airplane: pass up heavy inte rior materials in favor of painted Dacron fabric. When doing this kind of interior, the interior fabric goes on before the outside fabric so the laps go the right direction.

you. This rib gives a solid base to rib stitch to, but is unnecessary.

POLYFIBER COVERING MATERIAL LIST Heavy Duty Fabric (belly, landing gear, stab) 13 yds. Medium Fabric 23 yds. Light Fabric, Uncert (98 x 98, 1.7 OZ)patches 1 Med 3 x 25 yd. linear tape, roll 1 Med 2 X 50 yd. linear tape, roll 3 Med 1 x 25 yd., linear tape, roll 1 Med 4 x 25 yd., linear tape, roll 1 3 bias tape, roll 25 yards 1 Poly -Tak, Quart 4 Poly-Brush, Gallon 6 Poly-spray, gallon 7 Poly-brush untinted, gallon 1 RR 8500 reducer, gallon 5 3-2300 Conversion coat, quart 1 E-2310 Etch and brighener, quart 1 EP-420 Primer/white, gallon 1 EP-430, Primer Catalyst, quart 2 E-500 Epoxy reducer, gallon 1 C-2200 metal cleaner, quart 2 Std. rib lacing thread, 8 oz. spl. 1 _ Reinforcing tape, roll 50 yds 1 Thermometer/Iron calibration 1 H.S silicone, oz 1 Inspection hole reinforcing ring 24 Cloth adhesive (anti-chafe) tape 1 12 straight tip rib needle 1 Invisible gloves, pint 1 C-2210 pint sure cleaner, gallon 1 Paint strainer cone 12 Paint paddle 6 Poly-fiber System Manual 1 Fabric included for interior, NO PAINT INCLUDED

Lawlor Aeronautics, 800-608-5235

The headliner: a fabric interior requires rings to be glued to it in appropriate places to afix inspection panels.

In many ways, when doing small areas, doing it in fabric is easier than fabricating and attaching upholstery panels.

Reinforcing tapes are glued over all possible wear points.

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With this kind of elevator/rudder hinge, getting a neat, tight fit is a real challenge. some builders have fabricated U shaped pieces to go under the fabric to give the fabric something to glue to right at the cut edge shown here which cleans up the appearance considerably.

Fuselage: Installing the Engine

Installing the Motor Mount Run a 3/8 reamer through each of the motor mount bushings to bring them up to size and clean welding scale out. The middle, top one will require running a drill bit through it. Like all motor mounts, when welding it up, the legs will displace slightly, so it is unlikely youll be able to just put it up in place and slide the bolts through. Youll have to spring as least two of the legs into position. Put the mount up in Fortunately, installing the engine has only a few factors that are unique to the Bearhawk. Otherwise, it is a fairly typical engine installation and applicable information is available position and slide a bolt into the from several sources. top, right leg. Then grind a slightly rounded point into a Like covering, installing the engine is another of those areas where there are so many 3/8 hardware store bolt and slide it into the top, other information sources available that for us to go left fuselage bushing from the rear. By springing into detail would be redundant. Well hit each of the motor mount leg, you should be able to push, or those areas that are unique to the Bearhawk and hammer, the pointed bolt in far enough from the back to the hold the leg in position. Then put the give references for the rest of the information. One of the Tony Bingelis books Firewall permanent bolt in from the front and tap the tempoForward will become your bible. It does an excel- rary bolt out. Repeat the process until all the bolts are in position. Dont forget to put washers under the bolt heads and you may need several in the back to get the bolt length exactly right. Use Nyloc nuts in the back. Notes on Motor Mount Isolators 0-540s have two different diameter holes in the mount lugs, which are bolted to the case. If you have a 2" hole , then you need the Barry PN9401102 isolator AND THE TYPE II AVIPRO MOTOR MOUNT. The Lord number is J3804-20. If you have a 1 3/8" hole on your engine, then you need a Berry 94110-01 AND THE TYPE Expect to have to work to get the last bolt in. Motor mounts I AVIPRO MOTOR MOUNT. Lord J7402-24 move around while being welded and, if all the bolts drop into On the 94011/10-02 isolator, there is a top place, count yourself lucky. and bottom. (hard and soft half per mount) Also, lent job of covering all the necessary details and pay attention to the installation directions that will come with the rubber units. These isolators are procedures. directional, meaning that one pad is much stiffer -66-

than the opposite pad. The stiffer pads are meant to go in the back, against the engine mount, to take the weight of the engine when the aircraft is sitting on the ground. The stiffer ones are easy to pick out, they have a "ridge" that is molded into them. If they go in backwards, your engine will sag quickly. 0-320/360s use the Type I mount and Berry 94011-20 or Lord J7402-24 Continental 0-470s use Berry 94110-40 or Lord J6545-1. Making the baffles Although it is absolutely possible to make your own baffles from scratch, using poster-board templates, many builders shortcut the process by starting out with baffle kits from Vans. Pick a set that matches the engine you are installing, with the RV-10 kit being for the 0-540. If doing them yourself, study Bingeliss Firewall Forward suggestions closely. Thoughts on Oil Coolers The different engines use different oil coolers with the Positech P10634C, being popular. These are available from a number of the normal sources. When locating the cooler in the engine compartment, go look at a similar installation in a certified airplane and the process will make much more sense. The designer, Bob Barrows, prefers the cooler be mounted directly in the right rear baffle. Other popular methods involve fabricating brackets from hardware store 1 x 1/8 aluminum angles and mounting the cooler behind the engine as shown in the photos. Then a large diameter (4) scat hose is run from the rear baffle to a hand-fab-

This is a good example of mounting the oil cooler, but efficien cy would be improved with a longer plenum, which would give the air more time to slow down. See below picture.

ricated plenum thats attached to the cooler. It is important the plenum be deep enough that it gives the air an opportunity to spread out and slow down before going through the cooler. When bolting the cooler in place, put tubing spacers that run between the two flanges of the cooler so the mounting bolts engage both flanges

View from above: notice how deep the plenum is so the air can slow and transfer heat better. Inlet is 3 scat hose on the right, rear baffle. Its even better and simpler if the cooler is simply mounted right to the baffle.

Cabin air ducting using a readily available box from one of the hardware suppliers.

and dont compress them together. Exhaust Systems The prototype Bearhawks had hand-fabricated exhaust systems made from thin wall, electrical conduit and have served the designer well for years. However, there is a ready source for custom BH exhaust systems, for those who want a stainless system and cant, or dont want to, fabricate it themselves. Some of the suppliers include: Larry Vetterman Vetterman Exhaust 605-745-5932 -67-

(straight and muffled systems w/heat) A Note on Baffling Theory The goal of a good baffling system is to move as much air as possible through the cylinder cooling fins as efficiently as possible. This is accomplished by baffling in such a way that there are no leaks and the only way air can leave the plenum on the top side of the engine is by going either through the cylinder fins or the oil cooler. This maximizes cooling and minimizes cooling drag.
view from above, left, forward, showing left, rear corner of engine compartment.

View of rear of spinner area: A nose baffle, as shown, stops circulation and leaks around the nose case/

Note the relationship of the rear baffle to the string, which stretches from the nosebowl to the firewall. Vans baffles are too tall and using strings will establish the proper height.

Vettermans muffled exhaust system with heat muffs gets great reviews from those who use it. A straight pipe system is also available.

When trimming the baffles enough room must be left between the baffle and the cowling for the baffle seal.

Vans Aircraft makes a complete baffle set for their RV-10 that is an excellent start for 540 Bearhawks.

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APPENDIX A Bearhawk Hardware and Materials Required The following is a list of items that will need to be purchased to complete the AviPro Bearhawk Quick-Build kit. The vendors for many of the items are listed on the following pages as well as being mentioned below. Virtually everything listed can be purchased at Wicks Aircraft, Aircraft Spruce or similar aircraft supply houses. Starting from the front of the aircraft back: o All bolts, cables, pulleys and miscellaneous hardware as listed on the following pages. o Spinner o Propeller o Engine and all engine related items including but not limited to: -baffles -motor mount rubbers, motor mount is included. -control cables -exhaust system -oil radiator o Windshield o Aluminum sheet - .025 for use in making flat fairings at wing and tail roots and covering doors. .032 for the floorboards. o Instruments o Tools for cutting instrument holes (fly cutter or Matco punch, panel is left blank) o All electrical equipment and hardware o Pitot Tube o Wing Tips (for aircraft purchased prior to August 16, 2004 only) o Fabric o Paint and fabric finishing materials o Brakes and wheels (right brake pedals are an option) o Tires o Spring for inside landing gear struts (for aircraft purchased prior to August 16, 2004 only) o Landing gear 0-rings (for aircraft purchased prior to August 16, 2004 only) o Seat suspension material (upholstery straps, aluminum or plywood) o Seat and cabin upholstery material o Side window Plexiglas o Fuel tank caps (vented thermos bottle type, two for standard, four if aux tanks are installed) o Quick drains o Tailwheel springs (for aircraft purchased prior to August 16, 2004 only) o Tailwheel (must fit 1 5 spring) o Trim Wheel (available from AviPro Aircraft)

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REVISED 23 Aug 06 The bolt lengths represented below may not be exact in all areas as they were determined by measurement. Some variation is to be expected FOR ORDERING, USE THE HARDWARE LIST IN APPENDIX B AS IT IS SUMMARIZED, MORE SPECIFIC AND INCLUDES A MARGIN Parts Landing Gear shock strut springs shock strut O-rings & snap rings Cleveland wheels and brakes kit tires Source Dayton Progress 937/859-5111 2 R & B Aircraft 540/473-3661 1 set Wicks 1 set Wicks 1 set QTY. part #

EH 200-800

Included Included not included not included

axle nuts 1 1/2 x 16 Wicks 2 MS21025-24 cotter pins 2" Wicks 4 MS24665-360 axle shims 1 11/16" AviPro 2 included AN5 Bolts, nuts, washers to bolt brakes to axle assembly Wicks To be determined by customer for brake type chosen, MS 21042 low profile nuts recommended rod end bearings for shock struts AviPro Aircraft 2 XAM-7M, not inclded jam nuts for rod ends filler plug 1/8"NPT shock strut Wicks Included in later kits Trim Wheel AviPro Aircraft 1 Not includedBRAKES master cylinders B & B Aircraft Supply Gerdes long shaft or short shaft w/clevis 2 not included Phone: 913-884-5930 Fax: 913-884-6533 1/4" aluminum brake line Wicks 16 ft. not included AN fittings for 1/4" AL brake line Wicks not included flexible hi pressure hose Wicks not included fittings for hi pressure hose Wicks not included Adel clamps to secure hoses Wicks not included AN3 bolts/nuts for Adel clamps Wicks not included poly tube/fittings for supply side Wicks not included of master cylinders Wicks not included brake fluid reservoir Wicks 1 not included PULLEYS Ailerons On wing tube support front spar pulleys fuselage side by wing strut -70-

2 2 2

MS24566-4B MS 20220-2 MS24566-3B

Flaps at wing root-top FUSELAGE Bottom TURNBUCKLES flap system aileron bellcrank cables aileron bellcrank to bellcrank (cable to cable) rudder cables OPTIONAL elevator cables trim system (1/16" cable) ROD END BEARINGS AILERON Bellcrank BEARINGS pushrod-sticks to bellcrank aileron pushrods flap pushrods trim pushrods aileron/flap rod ends for hinges CABLE - 1/8 7 x 7 or 7 x 19 Stainless - 1/167x7 or 7x19 Stainless Cable Shackles Cable Thimbles Nicopress Sleeves Fairleads 3/4" small hole 4 6 2 2 1 AN210-3A MS20220-1 AN 130-32S AN 130-32S AN 140-32S

2 AN 140-32S - cable to cable aft of baggage compartment 2 AN 135-32S 2 AN 130-16S 4 2 4 R4FF GMM-3M-570 GMM-3M-570

2 GMM-3M-570 2 or 4 (depending on pushrods) MM-3 AviPro Aircraft 10 Aurora special 140 ft 30 ft 14 AN 115-21 2 AN 115-32 100 AN 100 6 AN-3 100 18-3-M 6 18-1-C 25 PN40701-00

BOLTS AND FASTENERS Application Stick and Flap Assemblies bolt size AN3-6A -7 -10 AN4-16A -23 AN3-5A AN3-12A -6 -7 -11 AN4-22 Qty 6 3 8 1 2 4 2 2 4 2 4

Rudder Pedals and Brakes

Brake Pedal to Rudder Pedal

Rev. 23 Aug 06

Wing Attach/Landing Gear AN4-24A -7116 AN4-24A Requires 3 washers

AN5-14A AN5-21A

2 2

AN6-15A 2 AN6-21A 2 AN6-22A 2 AN6-23A 2 AN6-26A 4 AN7-11A 2 AN7-12A 2 AN7-16A 2 Note: no bolts included to attach brake assemblies, see note at top of chart Inside Wing AN3-5A AN3-7A -10 AN3-13A AN3-21A AN4-10A AN4-20A AN4-27A AN5-6A Aileron and Flap Attach, etc. AN3-5A AN3-13A AN4-13A Tail Surfaces AN3-5A AN3-6A AN3-7A AN3-11A AN3-14A AN4-6A AN4-10A AN4-14A AN4-15A AN4-17A AN4-24A MS20392-2C49 4 2 4 4 2 2 10 2 2 2 2 4 40 4 10 12 6 6 4 2 2 2 2 2

Clevis pins Motormount Attach

AN6-46A Door Hinges Clevis pins Pulley Bolts AN3-6A MS20392-2C67 AN4-11A -72-

5 8 4 2

AN4-20A AN5-24A Nuts AN3 NyLoc AN3 Castellated AN4 NyLoc AN4 Castellated AN5 NyLock AN6 Nyloc AN7 NyLoc Thin check nuts (jam nuts) Assorted uses AN316-4R AN316-5R AN316-8R (shock struts) 135 30 70 12 8 17 4

4 2

Rev. 23 Aug 06

20 20 2

Rev. 23 Aug 06 Rev. 23 Aug 06 Rev. 23 Aug 06

Washers two thick and one thin washer for each bolt type supplied. Cotterpins for general use 100 MC24665-7 Rev. 23 Aug 06 Screws for Floor Boards Not Supplied, depends on floor board material used 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 75 screws and Tinnermans Required

Rivets MS20426AD4-4 MS20426AD4-5 MS20426AD3-3 MS20426AD3-3.5 MS20426AD3-4 MS20470AD3-3.5 MS20470AD5-16 AD41ABS 200 Nut Plates (wing/tank panels) MK1000-06 MS21051-06 MS21073-06

475 4 8 AN366F-1032 MS21080-3 22 22

Nut Plates for aileron/flap hinges VENDORS Wing Tips

Ed Stimely 7930 US Highway 522 South McVey, PA 17051 (717) 899-6038 Included in quick build

Transfer Fuel pump w/check valve The pump number is 40171. -73-

www.ppavionics.com/FacSolidState.htm Pillar Point Avionics (Sales & Information): 541-350-2683 www.ppavionics.com Motor Mount Biscuits (4 or 5 each) Lord J3804-20 or Barry equivalent. Use AN7-27 bolt with two washers Windshield Available through AviPro $265 clear $318 tinted Seat Belts Jim House Aero-Tuff Seatbelts Tuff-Tow, Inc Box 38 Saginaw, AL 35137 Phone/fax (205) 664-8578 master cylinders B & B Aircraft Supply Phone: 913-884-5930 Fax: 913-884-6533 2 Craig Lefever. 520/603-0768. or Vansaircraft.com

Baffles

$500

Exhaust Systems

VETTERMAN EXHAUST (LARRY VETTERMAN) 605-745-5932 AviPro Aircraft, Ltd AviPro Aircraft, Ltd. 2 As per Barrows' drawings 1 Included in kits ordered AFTER 16 August, 2004

Gas caps Tailwheel Springs

Instrument panel insert (optional)

Seth Hancock 512/864-5529 (cell) 1 Six gauge grouping, can be floated

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Appendix B
Hardware Kit this listing has all the hardware in Appendix A totalled up. If Ordering From Wicks Aircraft, Ask for BEAR-AIRFRAME kit REVISED 30 Aug 06 Parts part # QTY.

axle nuts 1 1/2 x 16 MS21025-24 2 cotter pins 2" MS24665-360 4

MS24566-4B MS24566-3B MS 20220-2 MS20220-1 TURNBUCKLES AN 130-32S AN 130-32S AN130-32S AN 140-32S AN 135-32S AN 130-16S ROD END Bearings R4FF GMM-3M-570 MM-3

2 6 2 6

2 2 1 2 2 2

4 8 4 140 ft

CABLE - 1/8 7 x 7 or 7 x 19 Stainless - 1/167x7 or 7x19 Stainless 30 ft Cable Shackles AN 115-21 AN 115-32 AN 100 AN-3 18-3-M 18-1-C MC24665-7 14 2 100 6 100 6 100

Cable Thimbles

Nicopress Sleeves Cotter Pins

Fairleads 3/4"-small hole PN40701-00 25 Clevis pins MS20392-2C49 4 -75-

MS20392-2C67 Nut Plates MK1000-06 MS21051-06 MS21073-06 AN366F-1032 MS21080-3

4 490 6 10 22 22

Bolts size AN3-5A -6 AN3-6A -7 AN3-7A -10 -11 AN3-11A AN3-12A AN3-13A AN3-14A AN3-21A AN4-6A AN4-10A AN4-11A AN4-13A AN4-14A AN4-15A AN4-16A AN4-17A AN4-20A AN4-22 -23 AN4-24A AN4-27A Qty 65 3 22 10 16 16 3 4 2 10 2 2 2 14 2 10 2 2 1 2 8 4 2 20 2

AN5-6A AN5-14A AN5-21A AN5-24A

2 2 2 2

AN6-15A AN6-21A AN6-22A AN6-23A AN6-26A

2 2 2 2 4 -76-

AN6-46A AN7-11A AN7-12A AN7-16A

5 2 2 2

Nuts AN365-1032 AN310-3 AN365-428 AN310-4 AN365-524 AN365-6 AN365-7 145 35 75 16 10 20 6

Thin check nuts (jam nuts) Assorted uses AN316-4R 20 AN316-5R 20 AN316-8R (shock struts) Washers Rivets MS20426AD4-4 MS20426AD4-5 MS20426AD3-3 MS20426AD3-3.5 MS20426AD3-4 MS20470AD3-3.5 MS20470AD5-16 AD41ABS 200 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb 1/4 lb

two thick and one thin washer for each bolt type supplied.

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Appendix C Random Covering Tips

Another tip I found helpful--I used a bondo spreader for "pushing" the fabric onto the poly tac covered tubes, etc.

The following are notes from builders Getting the area where the top of the that include useful hints that we thought should fuse rounds up to the vert stab looking good be passed along. was very important to me. ---------------------------------We had a local upholsterer make At the curved tube at the forward and "envelopes" for our fuselages--$75 labor each. bottom of the vert stab--where it joins the top of the fuse--I glued the fabric and threw in a The seams basically follow the stringers few stitches around the tube prior to gluing to the V in front of the vert stab and then a sin- anything else on the top/sides of the fuse. It gle seam goes up the leading edge of the vert all shrunk very well in that area. I remember stab. The top and rear of the stab were left for Pat F telling me that his needed a little heat us to glue with poly tac. gun to get it right--and if you/ve read the manual, you know how PolyFiber feels about heat If you don't have an envelope sewn, guns!!!! make a seam down one of the top stringers and up the vert stab, then have a stitched, glue Another tip, get the video or DVD and joint where the two pieces of fabric come follow it and the manual exactly. Make each together. step right and you'll have lots less to do to get it ready for final paint. BTW, the heavy that I applied to my belly extends up the sides into the bottom of all Cal Brubaker door frames. This will be more durable for PAX climbing in and out. I left the heavy unglued and un shrunk for about 3 inches at the pilot's door aft bulkhead--just the 12" or so below the door frame, so that the med fabric on the side of the fuse could be glued to the bulkhead first. Then I glued the heavy and shrunk that last little bit. Probably not req'd but I wanted the overlap to bee the ways the air flow ("cept when in reverse thrust!!!").
I fabric'd in three phases--tail, trim tabs and gear legs; then interior and exterior of the fuse; then flaps and ailerons. I liked the first phase, didn't mind the second, but was very glad to have that last phase complete. Like BD, I learned the first day that I don't react well to inhaling or getting MEK or other paint like products on my skin. I wear a respirator from the time I open the can of paint and wear invisible gloves as well as latex medical gloves. -78-

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