Hi Ian,
<<"Could you think of a 5 point list (more if you like) under the title of>>
<<Things I wish I'd known/done before before starting my Europa">>
Speaking as a first time builder with no previous aircraft experience prior to
starting the build 1 year ago.
I had no flying experience either (this has now been addressed, I now have a
mighty 30 hours!!)
Building an aeroplane just seemed like a good idea at the time <g>.
1) Wish I'd known how much work was involved in aligning fuselage and flying
surfaces, measuring from one point in thin air to another is not easy, I'd build
some kind of jig to measure from next time.
2) Wish I'd known the tip about doing layup onto cling film and taking it to the
job, this is particularly relevant for the flying surface closeouts, much time
and frustration would have been saved.
3) If you are thinking of "improving" the basic aircraft by fitting full panel,
autopilot, leather trim, etc etc expect to double, or even triple the build
time, I have spent over 500 hours on panel alone. (looks good though!)
4) Don't fit the aileron quick connect bellcranks to the wing spar until the
fuselage top has been bonded on (see previous tip in this mailgroup). I followed
directions in the manual precisely and later found that one side had moved, this
gave me an extra 2 days work sorting it out.
5) To my eye the tinnerman washers holding cowling spoil the clean lines of the
airframe, I glued them into place with resin, then layed a 2 inch square layer
of bid over them, then contoured cowling with filler. It adds very little weight
but improves the looks considerably, with now just the painted csk boltheads
showing.
6) Expect things not to fit, IMHO much more time is spent making things look and
fit right than actually building. Invest in the right tools at the start of the
job, I've found digital protractor, air powered finger belt sander, air powered
angle drill, bench vice, pillar drill and electric D/A sander to be essentials
(not a tip, more an observation, so this one doesn't count!)
Best regards
Allan J Hall (G-Days, kit 177, 95% done, with 50% to go)
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