Alum_Knife_PLANS.pdf

Several people have requested these plans in PDF format instead of MS Word. The PDF file is attached.

Best Regards,  Larry Zepp  CH 650B builder, Fort Wayne, IN

Worked all day, got the windscreen fitted and pilot drilled.

Drilled the tubes first, then used a hole finder to drill the acrylic…

Update June 16, 2012. I've managed a couple of flights since installing the sound insulation. The first flight was after some Bing carb adjustments and it seemed like the engine was running smoother. Later I realized it was the sound insulation, duh.

Just completed another flight and the Thermo-Tec Suppressor mat has reduced the engine and dual exhaust significantly.

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I've been meaning to add a barrier under the cabin floor to deal…

701 builders:  I was too cautious about forcing the screws down on the top aft edge of my windshield for fear of cracking the plexiglass.  As a result, I "wobbled" out two screw holes in the top tube of the cabin frame and now the screw holes are stripped out and won't tighten.  Any machinists out there that can advise me how to fix them without removing the windshield?

Don Herbel

N848DH

Claremore OK

On Saturday, June 9th, several EAA Chapter 25 members gathered at my house to move the Zodiac project from it's humble birthplace in a Minnesota garage to a local airport.

The day began with one group meeting at the EAA chapter hanger for some early morning prep and cleanup operations, and another group meeting at my house to prepare the Zodiac for transport.  Several people displayed great stamina by participating in both operations during a hot, windy day and under a…

The following is excerpted from Innovate Online, the online publication of the College of Engineering at Iowa State University (Ames,…

Garlock%20DU.doc 

By Larry Zepp, Zodiac 650B Builder, Fort Wayne, IN

Reducing friction and wear between aluminum and steel at the pivot points in your aircraft is a good goal. Usually, space is a problem – how do you add a bearing or bushing without changing the aircraft design?

A combination of space age technologies has offered an elegant…

Maybe not quite complete. I still haven't cut a hole over the engine intake.

Improved Aluminum Knife Plans

Even though the Olfa scoring knife gets the job done when cutting aluminum sheet, I kept thinking there must be a much better way to cleanly cut out aluminum sheet. Knife blades are designed to cut soft and flexible materials. When we use an Olfa or utility knife blade to cut T6 tempered aluminum, the aluminum resists spreading at the cut line and requires many repeated scores. Even though the aluminum is thin, the blade must cold flow the…

does anyone know if the 750 double door latch can be retrofit to the 701 bubble doors?

I bought my 601HD in Ft. Worth, TX, on 6/2/12.  My instructor (Jeremy Desruisseaux) and I flew her all the way home to Denver (KAPA) that day.  She didn't cruise as fast as we thought and hoped, so the trip took longer than expected.  We went through about an hour of turbulence that left me at my wits end.  We also ended up spending 4-5 hours in Guymon, OK, waiting for a huge squall line to dissipate over CO.  At about 18:15 central, we made a go decision, jumped in her, and played dodge the…

Got back on the project this weekend after a few weeks absence. Yesterday, I spent time repairing the horizontal stabilizer ribs that I damaged during the initial assembly. Listening to comments from others on this site, I cut some small "L" angle pieces, fluting them where necessary, and reinforced the damaged areas where I got a little sloppy with the drill. Also did some corrosion control with these additional pieces and along the mating surfaces of the ribs.

Copied Phil Smith's idea for seats.He posted here:

Light Weight Seats

I added memory foam found here:…

I am waiting on some aluminum to start on my fuselage, so in the mean time I am planning on tackling bending the upper front longerons.  Do you guys think I should wait until I have more of the fuselage done before I do this, or is it OK to tackle this right now?

Also, I have been hearing from some non-builder types that tell me that I could crack the longerons when doing this. Has anyone had this problem?

Also, does anyone have any tips or trick for me in…

Found this technique for hydroforming on the EAA video "how to" site.Works pretty good!

I decided I need to put drain holes in the skin under the fuel pump area. These scuppers will go over the drain holes.

I finally ordered the 650B Airframe Kit; Led Nav / Strobe / Position Light Kit; Landing Light Kit; Long Range Fuel Tanks; Aileron Trim Tab Kit; and the Wing Baggage Locker Kit. I will make the trek to Mexico, MO on July 23rd to pick everything up! I sure hope it fits in the luggage area of my 1975 Corvette or I…

  I just realized I haven't posted an update here in over a year.  I've been updating at my plane blog over at Jeff Builds a Plane instead.

  Go there for updates!

I have a row of rivets to measure out.  The plans inform A5 with a 20mm pitch, and do not specify how many rivets in the row.  I figure that (5/32) *3 = 15/32. So, I marked my first two rivets at both ends of my L stiffener at 15/32 from the short and long edge.  Then, I measured out the distance in mm between the two marks and came up with a number that does not fall on a perfect 20 mm spacing.  Furthermore, my plans do not inform of a normal rivet spacing tolerance.  I called zenith for…

Painted the tail feathers yesterday.Urethane epoxy from NAPA. Used alumiprep followed by alodine prior to priming.