Canard Leading Edge #5

I cut and scarfed the two outer panels of plywood for the canard leading edge last night and then set up for gluing things together.  I started tonight by squeegeeing a thin coat of T-88 to the inside of the plywood and then applied a coat of straight T-88 to the top and bottom of the spar and to the front edge of the leading edge stringer.  I mixed up a couple of batches of epoxy and micro balloons and applied it to the edges of the foam ribs where they will meet the plywood.  The final part of the night was spent wrestling the plywood to a nice fit on the ribs and spars.  I used the wrong kind of tie down straps though, I think that I may invest in some ratchet straps for the rest of the panels.

Number of hours: 2.5
Total hours: 241.2

Scarf Jig #2

Tonight I finished my scarf jig to the point of proof of concept.  I wanted to make sure it worked before wasting too much time.  The finished product is excellent so I will be working on the finishing touches over the next couple of days.  I want to be able to use this jig for the rest of the scarf joints in this whole project.

Number of hours: 0.8
Total hours: 238.7

Scarf Jig #1

After my last post I attempted to glue 2 pieces of the leading edge plywood together flat on a board.  I tried to bend it around a nose rib after it cured and the interior plies of the plywood cracked radiating from the scarf joint.  I was also very unhappy with the quality of the glue joint so I decided to start over.  The first step in my new plan is to build a scarf joint jig using some melamine and a laminate trimmer.  I was hesitant to make this post until I knew whether or not it would work but I have received a considerable amount of pressure from some of the readers of this blog requesting an update on my progress.

On the flying front, I have been very frustrated with my instructor, his schedule, weather, and lack of a DPE.  The last two training flights were very unpleasant weather wise; so much so that I was ready to quit flying.  I'm not sure what the next step is at this point.  Just being honest here is all.

Number of hours: 3.0
Total hours: 237.9