Wings

Stall Warning unit.

On November 12th and 13th, work continued on both the wings and fuselage.

Doc Miller explains wiring.

Position light brackets in their fiberglass mounts.

The wings are DONE!

EAA Chapter 81 Vice President and retired master aircraft mechanic Steve Horton has a look.

Mr. Brasch shows Ethan a new technique on a grinding wheel.

On September 24th we started out with an intro to electricity class taught by Mr. Jordan.

Tomorrow instead of a work session, we are going on a sortie to the Lightning Aircraft West hangar. See the Sortie section for some cool pictures.

Our newest student Brian works on a rib while Jorge and Mr. Jordan looks on.

Jorge and Andrew start riveting the wing!

Work continued on Feb. 18th and 19th. We were off on the 25th and we forgot to take pictures on the 26th.

On the 25th we were given a presentation by Mr. David Hernandez on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott.

Then we began aligning wing ribs to the spars!

Pablo and Brian work on an individual rib, while Jorge and Mr. Northcutt look over the right wing.

Work sessions on October 15th and 16th Involved more work on the wings. Wiring is also involved for the landing light and stall warning unit.

The holiday season from Thanksgiving 2017 into the beginning of January 2018 brought continued work on the wings, fuselage, and another "fly day". There were also several days that we did not work due to the holiday school schedule. The following random pictures represent pictures that spanned those dates. Hope you enjoy!

CONGRATS to Mr. Northcutt on his retirement! On to a second career as an airline pilot!

Mr. North shows the students how a 4 stroke engine works on his iPad while Mr. Cooper observes.

Work starts on the wing spar.

Mr. Cooper talkes engines.

Stall warning device installed.

November 19th and 20th

We are actively seeking funding to purchase our finishing kit, engine and avionics which sell for over $50,000.00.

Please consider a tax deductible contribution to our project.

A tax receipt will be provided upon request.

"It's all about the kids."

The group in the foreground works on the fuselage while the work on the wing continues in the background.

Getting there!

Mr. Brasch and Muhs got caught helping debur.

On October 28th, we took a "sortie" to the Copperstate Fly In at Falcon Field in Mesa. See the sortie page for a few pictures.

October 22nd and 23rd, more wing work!

Pablo in deep thought.

Three mentors to one!? Poor Jorge!

Our build dates of September 10th and 11th (NEVER FORGET!) had one group working on the spar, then both groups getting into the boring task of deburring, trimming and fluting all of the ribs.

A dark quiet shop before a work session.

Mr. Sanchez having flashbacks of his RV-12 build.

The following images were taken on Feb. 4th, 5th, 11th, and 12th as work continued on both the wings and fuselage.

Left, Mr. Northcutt helps the students finish up rib prep, while Mr. Sanchez (above) does the same.

Work sessions 9/16 and 9/17 brought a near close to wing rib work. The highlight was a engine presentation by Mr. H.L. Cooper, (www.azsportflying.com) who has worked around Rotax engines for over 20 years. He has been kind enough to let us look around an engine that he has left in our hangar for demonstration purposes. Thank you Mr. Cooper!

Showing off the project to visitors!

Nicholas is quickly on his own, while Chase gets back to some grunt duty.

Took a break to learn a little about the Rotax engine. This used engine is on loan to us for demonstration purposes. We still have to buy our own! (Please donate! Wink, Wink!)

A fiberglass lesson as we prepare to finish the wing tip lights and fairing.

In the few pictures that follow, Brian and a few others start the installation of the landing light. While the finished product looks simple, it is a complex process involving aluminum fabrication, riveting, cutting plexiglass and electrical work.

Work continued on January 21st and 22nd on both the wings and fuselage. We also welcomed a new student, Nicholas. Below, Mr. Muhs give a talk about rules for the benefit of Nicholas, and a good review for the other students. Among other things, no alcohol, drugs, fowl language or phones.

Removing protective plastic from rivet lines.

Mr. Jordan shows Nicholas the in's and out's of our tools, while Chase gets him working on the actual wing.

Mr. Muhs looks over the spar with Jorge, Ethan and Chase.

Both wings are near completion!

We have completed our tail kit and on August 21st. 2017 began working on our wings. The first tedious task is to inventory each and every part (well, we don't count each rivet) and check them off a list.