SonexBuilders.net

Here we are drilling some of the holes. You can see we have scrap clecoed across the fuel door area. We also started trimming the bottom halves to mate.

We got our center hinges drilled today.


Here Adam is drilling the lower hinge.


A view inside:


Everything getting upsized to #30.


We need to trim the fuel filler door and cooling exit cutouts.

After our 2 hours were up, I went and got Matthew to come over and work his hovercraft.


Adam came back and kept working solo on the cowl. Hinges deburred, side holes countersunk, and side hinges riveted on. Good thing he looked at the plans else we would have used universal head rivets.


So do people fill in the flush rivets on the cowl or just paint them? Why are they flush?

Bryan Cotton wrote:So do people fill in the flush rivets on the cowl or just paint them? Why are they flush?

I filled and sanded mine before painting... as for why they are flush, i'm not sure other than cosmetics. Hard to make a dome rivet head disappear beneath paint I suppose.

Here's a little motivator for you guys...I learned how to edit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhPfqCsXTOE&t

Kip,

Very well done! Makes me want to own a Sonex product. Oh wait......... I already do.

Art,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sonex taildragger #95,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Jabiru #261

Kip
Your video was fantastic. While watching your video I found myself dreaming about making some cross country trips in my WAIEX someday. Thanks for the motivation.
Don
WAIEX 132

Hi bryan, adam,
Your cowling is looking good. Some have posted that using flush rivets that they are getting some cracking over time. I used pan head on #183 to avoid this. Also i use the skybolt fastners over the southco.
Keep at it! By the time the snow melts there , you'll be ready to fly!
Thanks for sharing your journey. Im sure your daily posts have guided many others.

WaiexN143NM
Michael

Hi Bryan,

I think we are at approximately the same spot (although I'm way less good at posting ;-) ). I too am working on my cowl, I'm keeping notes and will post later but I've been pleasantly surprised at how relatively painless it is. i.e. it is just as much of a PITA as your cowl but both seem like less pain than I had fitting my RV cowl. So good news!

One question: Did you make the bottom hinge longer than per plans (because we don't need that third cowl hole) ? it looks from the photo like you might have and I'm considering it.

It looks like you are close to done!

Thanks Kevin! The cowl has been no where near the horror story that I read about in some posts. We kept the hinge at the stock length. Seems hard enough to jam it into place as is. I am still going to do the Southco under the prop just to help hold it together. It looks pretty good without it though.

Question for the group: does the bottom pin really need to be two pieces? Length makes it harder to insert due to friction. Or does it need to be one due to the exhaust being in the way later?