New Onex Progress

[Scott Todd]

I really enjoy seeing what others do so I thought I would share also :) I don't have a Blog but wanted to document some of my work and will put it here occasionally. I also want to talk about design and operation philosophies (as related to my Onex) and may put that here later also.

I was at OSH the year they were announced and a friend and I bought tail kits as soon as they were available. Life got in the way so I didn't get much further for several years. A local friend heard all bout our tales and also bought a Kit. He is a retired Airline A&P and has built several home builts. I was his Flight Advisor and helped get him ready to test fly a new Kitfox. I kept up with him and would go drool on his project and lend a hand every chance I got. I had built an Aerovee and flown behind a few others so I was a resource when assembling his. Well several years later and his life got in the way after medical issues. The next thing I knew I was the new owner of a bunch of Onex parts and another AeroVee :) It was time to finish mine dream of a Onex.

I was going to use my original flying Aerovee but he had a brand new one so I decided to use it instead. He had finished a panel but it wasn't really what I wanted so I removed it all and started over. He did a nice job of adding nut plates to make it removable. I wanted better access so I added a new front hinged at the bottom of the old one. My new one is the photo. I'll talk more about it later but I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. Besides what you can see, it also has the MGL AHRS and Compass, Sandia STX-165 transponder, and UAvionix EchoUAT and modified Rudder pedals.

I've had mechanical brakes before and didn't like them so I went with the AeroConversions. I also wanted Toe brakes. Not necessarily for the differential but the familiarity and to help de-clutter the cockpit. The hoses came from Aircraft Specialty. They were Awesome to work with! Steve really helped out and made exactly what I wanted. I made a mistake and ended up cutting some of them shorter. He re-made the ends for me and shipped them back for free! You can see the reservoir on the firewall if you look carefully. I plan to add a small fairing to mount and hide the hoses on the gear leg eventually. The plastic ties are temporary. It may be a shameless plug but they really were great to work with and I'm really happy with the hoses.

Well that's about it for now. I'll try to post back with photos as I make progress.

Scott

[N21X]

Welcome aboard, to finish the plane is to always do something, even if it’s organizing tools...

[Scott Todd]

So Onex93 quilted me into an update :) Major construction done. Fuel lines done. Engine compartment done except EGT and CHT probes. Aft fuse closed out but bottom is not on yet. Panel and avionics done. Canopy done. I'm just about finished with the stub wings. I made seat upholstery and baggage compartment. I'll post a photo of them next time I put them in. I'm trying to get the paint done before it gets hot (Phoenix) so I can only paint a few hours of the day because its too cold or too hot. Wake up to 60 and its 90 at lunch. I've never painted anything before so I'm learning. I'm doing it in my driveway. At least the air is quite dry :) All the control surfaces and the tail are primed. The aft fuse is prepped and ready for primer. I need to prep the stub wings. In the other garage, I'm adding wingtip lights. Stay tuned :)

[Scott Todd]

Don't try this at home ;) Upol #8 Self Etching primer sprayed thru a $15 harbor freight gun. It went on well.

[Scott Todd]

We talked about this in another thread but I thought I would add the photos here. Onex Builders will find them. The other wing was a bit looser and I used a small drift to get it into position. On this one, I use an inspection mirror to align the bolt hole. Gentle taps with a soft mallet moves the wing pretty easily. Then a bit of grease and the bolt goes right in. Getting the cotter key is a bit tricky but not bad. It took me about 10 minutes to get it completely on by myself. The Harbor Freight lifting cart is key to put the panel in the exact place to get it slid into place.

[Scott Todd]

Now I'm officially waiting on the DAR. FAA says all the paperwork is good and I just need the actual inspection.

[pappas]

Looks great, Scott!

[WesRagle]

That's beautiful Scott! How long until inspection?

Wes

[13brv3]

Love the paint. Should be a really nice ship! Congrats (since there's no chance you won't pass the inspection).

Rusty (1 month from being finished...for the past year)

[Scott Todd]

I spoke to the DAR a few weeks back. He was ready but I got delayed. Family. He said to let him know when I was ready and he would get over in a day or so.

Edit:
The DAR called tonight. SUPER nice guy. He pointed out a few hiccups in paperwork that I can easily fix. He will get it updated with FAA Monday and we'll go from there :)