Static Air System

I deviated slightly from the factory plans on the installation of the static air system for the pitot, AOA and static air plumbing and locations. The factory location for the static port is near the naca ducts just aft of the firewall. Several pilots have found this location to provide inaccurate data which impacts results in higher airspeed.

I ran new lines from SteinAir for each of the port locations.

Blue -  Pitot
Red -   AOA
Clear - Static

AOA and Pitot lines fitted to the bulkhead adapters

 

 

I also installed bulkhead unions so that I wouldn't have any leaks from fittings that came apart due to vibration

I used Y-fittings shown in grey, I later replaced the green tubes with clear lines for the static system to keep things straight.

Hoses connected to the Garmin GSU 25 and tubes for the G5 were set aside until the panel could be fully installed.

I opted to run my static line to the tail of the airplane where static pressures are more consistent.

This is a similar location on many Van aircraft and have several slings built by Evan and others have found this to be a better location.

The pitot static lines must be self draining to prevent water entering the system and causing problems down the road.

I used a T-fitting to allow for self drainage and maintenance down the road.

Fittings installed and riveted to the skins.

Another view of the right side static port

Location of the static ports as shown on another aircraft.

Cabin Ventilation System - External Air

The fresh air and heating system which is integrated into the side channels of the fuselage have been reported by many owners to be lacking due to the heat loss due to external air temperatures at altitude.

I decided that I would used the side vents in the instrument panel and the rear vents in the aft passenger section only for fresh air.

Heating would be sourced through dedicated vents under the instrument panel and through vents under the front seats directed towards the rear passengers feet.

To complete this work I went though a number designs to determine an optimal way of connected the forward and aft vents with minimal amount of tubing and complexity.

Here are the vent parts that step down the naca scoop from 53mm down to 2" to accommodate the 2" scat tubing.

The NACA parts were a bit trick because when they come out of the mold the circles are not quite round so it was difficult to get an accurate measurement.

The aluminum part and the tee fittings that come from the factory need to be modified to accommodate these parts.

I drilled out the rivets that hold the tube in place and was left with the tabs shown below.

With the cross tube removed I cut the remaining tub back to about 1.75" from the base giving enough room to slide the 3D printed vent over the top of it.

I cut some scat tubing down to connect the NACA vent to the upper fitting  and a small section to connect to the back on the instrument panel as shown below.

Here is another view looking down at the assembly.

The upper tube has enough flex to connect to the back of the instrument panel.

Once I was happy with fitment I had someone on Etsy print them out in ABS plastic which is far more stable and will not shrink, deform or breakdown over time due to age or UV exposure.

All parts will be glued in place during assembly of the canopy and fiberglass deck using Sikaflex.

Cabin Ventilation System - Rear Heating

Many Sling TSi operators have reported that heating the aft part of the cabin is poor when using the side channels so I opted to create a heating system that delivers air directly from the heater core to the back seats using SCEET tubing and some custom made 3D parts.

Pictured below is the adapter to convert the heater core pate down to 1.5 ID SCEET tubing that will be routed through the center channel. This part has a 45 degree bend to push the tube towards the center channel supports.

The other end of this tube is connected to another custom part that takes the 1.5" tube and splits it into two 1" ID SCEET tubes.

Each of the 1" SCEET tubes is the routed through the lightening holes near the torque tubes for the flaps and ailerons as shown below.

I created some 3D adapters to fit the SCEET tube to the back of the AveoAir 1.5" Ball vents.

The hole for the Aveo vent need to be drilled low on the kick plate, otherwise the adapter will interfere with the flap torque tube. Unfortunately I drilled the holes in my kick plates using a different adapter before I settled on a 3D part that incorporates a 90 degree bend.

These holes proved to be about 3/4" too high and hit the torque tube as I mentioned, so I had to patch the part and re-drill the hole.

Pictured below is the 90 degree adapter that connects the SCEET tube to the Aveo 1.5" ball vent.

 The finished Aevo Ball vent installed with carpet.

ELT Installation

I used one of the seat ribs to mount the ELT there is a hole in font of the ELT for the wire harness to pass through and have access to the face of the unit.

 

 

 

This rib already had a few hols drilled that line up with the base plate, I had to match drill one of the holes and up size them to accommodate the rivet size

I mounted the speaker further forward on the same rib so it was closer to the pilot position

The Antenna hasn't been mounted yet, I will update again with pictures of the completed install.

Wire Harness - Part 2

The wired harness built by MidWest Panel builders includes a firewall forward harness for some of the ancillary systems in the engine compartment. There is a firewall mounted fuse panel and wired bundles that connect to the power management relay box provided with the engine. Also included is a pre-wired bank of relays for the accessories that require high-power switching.

Wire harnesses are all routed into the avionics tray

Lower cannon plugs installed from aft part of the wired harness and plugs from the engine side of the firewall connecting to the power management controller for the dual rectifiers.

Midwest Panel Builders supplied a completed bundle for the engine side of the firewall.

This will be terminated on the master solenoid as well as the fuel pressure sensors starter and shunt.

Some connections will also terminate on the fuse block in the picture.

The relay bank is also pre-wired and easily installed on the bottom of the avionics tray.

This wired bundle is secured to the bottom of the avionics tray and a few Adel clamps to keep it out of way of the rudder pedals and my feet.

This bundle is what will eventually be connect to the power management controller on the engine side of the firewall.

 

 

These are the wire bundles from the engine harness that will connect the dual ECU also mounted to the bottom of the avionics tray.

There is a small wired bundle for the clock spring on the prop motor that will plug into the back of the prop controller on the instrument panel.

This didn't get routed with the rest of the wires and will be integrate later.

 

Wired bundles from the engine harness are secured to the back of the avionics panel using some rivnuts and Adel clamps.

There are also a few grounds from the harness that are joined together and grounded to the back of the avionics panel.

Wire Harness - Part 1

Installation of the wire harness made by Midwest Panel Builders is created to specifications provided by me. The harness includes all of the typical wiring for interior and exterior lighting, ELT, antennas vor and comms as well as GPS, cirrus satellite radio/weather and elevator trim.

I also added the Intelligent Fuel Boost System from MidWest which also includes a small wire harness for the fuel boost pumps and I relocated the outside air probe to the wing.

My build includes a custom heater system so I needed to elevate the wire harness in the ceter channel to provide sufficient clearance for the rudder cables, SCEET hose, fuel lines and tubing for the AOA, pitot static and airspeed. 

I used some small 1" aluminum L-bracket stock from a local hardware store to create a platform to suspend the wire hardness through the center console. I match drilled and inserted riv nuts to mount to the internal structure in the center console and mount points for Adel clamps.

 

 

I routed the main wired harness on the left and located the tubing for the air computer, comms and vor antenna down the right side of the channel.

 

 Another view of the wire loom and mounting points through the center channel.

I also added some riv nuts to the heater core support bracket to mount the wire harness and use up most of the slack remaining in the wire bundle.

The cannon plugs are neatly routed to the bottom of the avionics tray minimizing strain on the wire bundles.

 

 

Working aft, the harness was routed through the spar carry through and down the center channel in the rear seating area.

I used zip tie mount points with self-adhesive backing to locate the mounts, then match drilled and riveted in place. 

 

 

 

 

I used another zip tie base and JB-Welded it to the inside of the center console to secure the headset jacks.

I used a short piece of fuel line to create an offset for the wires to keep them away from the seatbelts and remain clear of the actuator for the flaps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I glued edge guard to multiple holes in the ribs to route the wired bundle underneath the rear seats to the pitch servo and continue on towards the tail.

 

Using one of the existing holes in the bulkhead, I match drilled the cannon plug so it was secured using some stainless hardware.

 

 

 

 

The remaining wires that were not part of the cannon plug were routed through another per-existing hole in the bulkhead and protected with edge guard.

The loose wires are for the overhead lighting on the canopy and will need to be terminated later once they have been identified and labeled.

 

 

 

 

 

The factory in Johannesburg suggested that I drill a hole in the floor of the baggage compartment to route the wires for the headset jacks and coax cables for the GPS antennas.

I inserted a plastic wire bushing grommet into the hole and used braided sleeving to contain and mask the wires, as I route them behind the baggage compartment bulkhead.