Parachute

My Sling TSi was a delivered as a quick build that included the option for the parachute.

Selecting this option means that the cables are embedded in the canopy and the parachute box was per-installed in the baggage area.

I plan on adding the parachute later, assuming that my family are willing to travel with me in the airplane.

The blowout panel for the parachute needs to be match drilled over the box for the parachute.

The panel also needs the edges rolled so that there is some compression around the edges when the panel is secured in place.

 

 

 

 

I used an edge roller to create a small bend as shown.

 

 

I drilled a few holes to align the panel and secured the remaining edges with tape until I had completed match drilling all the holes.

I used Clecos for each hole as I went to maintain a tight fit of the panel to the fuselage.

Panel fully match drilled and I am pleased with the fitment.

 

 

  

Because I am not installing the blowout panel right away, I need a way to remove the panel later without damaging the paint.

I was also planning ahead that after the parachute is installed it will need to be serviced (repacked) every 5 years by Magnum. This gets expensive having to have the paint fixed every time I need to remove the chute.

The solution is to use rivnuts instead of rivets to secure the panel in place.  The holes were upsized and rivnuts were added.

The fuselage and the blowout panel were painted separately and the installation hardware was also painted to match and maintain a clean look.

The blowout panel will be secured in place with Sikaflex and foam rubber to maintain a water tight seal around the edges to keep the water out of the parachute area.

Until the parachute is installed, I plan to secure the cables in the cable tray and add some foam sound isolation to the tray to reduce chaffing and the cables rattling around during flight.

 

Cables secured in place and foam padding added for noise and rubbing on the cable tray.

In the picture you can also see the rivnuts and the hardware painted and ready to install the blowout panel.

Vertical Stabilizer and Rudder Installation

The vertical stabilizer was ready to install after cleaning up the wire harness tape and holes for the hinges. I also opted for the VOR antenna as part of my build so I made sure the antenna wire was accessible and ready for connection.

I purchases a quick build kit and the VOR antenna wire was pre-run at the factory and needed to be terminated prior to the installation of the vertical stabilizer.

With this prep work completed, the vertical stabilizer was carefully installed. This is a two person job keeping the part stable while inserting it into the aft slot on the fuselage.

Midwest recommended that I switch to a different bolt for the upper part of the main spar.  This location is very difficult to get a socket wrench over the factory supplied bolts without damaging the paint. These bolts have a smaller head and have a Phillips insert.

The replacement bolts are actually stronger than the factory bolts so I had no objection.

It is really amazing that within just a few minutes how much the fuselage starts to look like an airplane.

The rudder is up next, which required the same prep to remove paint from the hinge bolt holes and tape from the wire harness.

This is also a great time to install the beacon, unfortunately in my rush to put everything together I neglected to do this until after it was already installed.

The bolt on the lower hinge point can easily fall into the rudder assembly and it is quiet difficult to remove, so I hear... so be careful so you don't drop it!

I didn't install the beacon prior to installing the rudder so I needed to connect the wires while standing on a tall ladder. My beacon is from Aveo Engineering, and is the Supernova DV DayLite beacon model.

This setup has a 12v positive, ground, and sync wire for the strobes.

I per-tested the light on the workbench so I wasn't taking the light on and off and risking dropping tools on the horizontal stabilizer.

 

I really like this light format, it fits the existing shape of the fiberglass, and did not require and modifications to the rudder faring.

With the control surfaces installed, the wire harness and trim tab actuator need to connected and secured.

Stabilizer and Elevator Installation

 

 

With the plane coming out of paint and the parts fully cured, it was time to start the final assembly of the tail starting with the horizontal stabilizer.

 

 

The paint changes the clearance on the mounting locations and the bolts do not fit cleanly without removing the excess paint.

I also needed to remove all of the tape from the trim tab wire harness

The stabilizer mounts easily, bolts are torqued and marked with paint.

Forward mount point (per-torque)

Top view of vertical stabilizer installed and wire hardness and vor antenna cables in view

Hardware marked after proper torque being applied

The elevator has to go on next because the center hing is will not be accessible after the vertical stabilizer is installed.

Installation of the elevator is quite time consuming to install and with the limited amount of space to insert all of the required washers between the hinge points.

You need at least one washer wrench, two are helpful to access the center hinge point due to limited space.

You will also need a magnetic extension to retrieve the numerous washers, lock nuts, and bolts dropped inside the elevator.

Installing the bolt for the center hinge point first is highly recommended before install the outer four bolts.

The bolt holes are not perfectly aligned and you have more room to work with the outer bolts than you do with the middle one.

Start in the middle and work your way out trust me.

Once the elevator is installed you need to attach the eye bolt and elevator push rod tube.  This could be done later but it is way easier to do it not and torque the bolts before the vertical stabilizer is installed.

Instrument Panel Installation

The instrument panel from sling requires some cutting in order to fit the panel from MidWest Panel Builders.  Part of the panel kit includes a cutout template that is mounted to the face of the panel and is a guide for cutting away the excess material.

The template was installed by match drilling a few holes in the panel around the to keep the template firmly in place.

I used a Dremel with a sanding drum and another cutting bit for the corners

For the longer pieces I used my multi-tool with a fine tooth cutting blade to cut the larger sections, this has the added benefit of not generating a lot of dust while cutting.

I test fit the instrument panel a few time to mark additional areas where the template does not take into account the bulk of switches and instruments like the prop controller or the G5.

More cutting a fitting of the panel to allow a flush fit.

I also needed to remove additional material for the G5 and the prop controller to accommodate the flush mount modules.

Dashboard finally installed in the plane and screwed into place.

Control Stick Installation

 

 

 

In a previous post I had mounted the control sticks in the plane but they needed to be removed and shortened so that they could accommodate the taller control grips I purchased. 

I used a pipe cutter to cut off about 3" from each so that the grip would not interfere with the instrument panel.

Next the grip and wire harness needed to be pinned and inserted into the cannon plugs I purchased from MidWest Panel Builders.

The hole was up-sized to accommodate the plug and secured with with hardware on the left and right controls.

Control sticks installed and should have full range without hitting the panel. These grips were custom made by Tosten.

My control sticks have a unique feature that includes a starter button for the engine. This way I could have one hand on the stick, the other on the throttle.

The VPX has a feature that disables this switch if the engine is above a pre definged RPM range which locks out the switch during flight but allows for inflight restarts if the engine is under 300 RPM.

Interior - Part 3

The center console (arm rest) needs to be installed which includes the seat belts, inner seat rails and wiring for headsets.

Seat rails need to countersunk in a few areas and the nylon skids also needed to be counter sunk as well.

Detailed view of the aft nylon skid and counter sunk holes

Forward rail seat assembly and extension pieces that will eventually mount to the air frame

Completed view prior to installing the back plates for the closeout skins.

Hardware was also powder coated in gloss black, minor cleanup of the holes was required for the rivets to fit.

Back plates match drilled and installed

Seat rails attached to arm rest console with Clecos and small amount of match drilling to align all of the parts.

Assemble was test fit in the airplane before pulling all of the rivets to ensure fitment .

Completed center console arm wrest and inner seat rail assembly.

 

 

Before the arm rest could be fully installed the inner seat belt latches need to be passed through the console and bolted to the fuselage.

Assembly completely installed with some trim added around the seat belt to minimize chafing of the belt on the aluminum.

One happy camper with the console finally installed after so many months of sitting on the shelf.

Interior - Part 2

 Installation of the closeout panels begins

 

 

 

Right skin fitted with holes lining up very will on the back half but match drilling will be required for several holes on the front to avoid deforming the panels

  

 

Left side skin Clecod in place and secured with rivets in locations that did not require match drilling.

 

Left skin fully installed

Door strike plates installed and rivnuts JB-Welded inplace behind the strike plates.

Aft floorboards Clecoed in place, the left and right riser panels need to be match drilled to the sides of the fuselage.

 

 

 

Panels match drilled and finishing riveting panels in place.

This is a quick build kit and the factory pre-paints the inside of the canopy with a blue/grey gel coat but this did not match my interior. So the painter had to prep and paint the inside, from the inside.

I selected a metallic dark gray that matches the leather intior I selected for the seats.

I also had the inside of the door and and fiberglass panels color matched as well. These little touches will be something I see every time I am in the airplane and are worth it.

 

Interior - Part 1

There quite a few interior panels that need to be covered in carpet or in leather.  The interior kit supplied by the Sling factory provides all the necessary pieces roughly cut in the approximate shapes that align with the interior panels.

The upholstery pieces should be laid out a few days in advance to allow them to relax, as most of them pieces are tightly packet together and will retain some memory do to the stiffness of the material.

Each piece need to be trimmed, and in some cases folded or wrapped over part edges to protect sharp edges.

I used 3M high-strength adhesive spray for the large surface areas and DUALL-88 leather Adhesive for some of the more compound edges or areas where the carpets will lift away from the skins.

The spray on adhesive is used just like contact cement by applying to both surfaces and allowing it to tack-up for about 4-5 before mating the two halves together.

 

 

 

Parts Are sprayed with contact adhesive and sit until glue starts to set up.

These parts also require the leather to be wrapped around the parts.

Closeout panel for the spar carry through

Closeout panels for the spar carry through and control sticks

Lower center panels covered in carpet

Rear kick panels that cover the spar carry through and control linkage underneath the front seats

Rocket cover for the parachute system in the baggage section

Baggage extension in progress

Parachute box carpet install

Bulkhead liner

Another view of the bulkhead liner