Skybolt N32DA Ready to Close

[Ralsmark]

Here is a progress report on my Skybolt refurbishment project that has stretched out over the past three years.

My goal for this project was to make some practical improvements and to fix up the more shabby looking appearance items as much as possible. I am hoping to wind up with a good flier but I have no pretensions for producing a showpiece with this effort.

Although there is plenty more left to do, the airplane and engine have sat inoperative now for so long, I feel it is best to git flying again. And I am satisfied enough with the fuselage to start replacing the cover panels. So the following is a summary of what has been accomplished so far:

1. Remove smoke oil system for 21.5 lb weight reduction: Remove tank, solenoid valve, pump, control switch, hoses and fittings. Cap exhaust duct connections and plug firewall.
2. Remove pilot’s cloth sling seat bottom and support tubes. Fab and install new bolt-in low height seat bottom to accommodate tall pilot. New seat bottom has attach lugs for belts. There are pics in earlier post here: http://www.biplaneforum.com/showthread.php?t=9352
   
3. Remove pilot’s sheet metal seat back. Fab and install new plywood seat back with dish-out recess to accommodate tall pilot. New seat back adds bottom hinge and quarter turn fasteners to ease access to aft fuselage.
4. Add one inch extension links to rudder cables to move rudder pedals forward for more leg room.
5. Fab and install new rudder return spring brackets to prevent springs from going slack when rudder pedals move forward.
6. Fab and install new sheet AL baggage compartment and locking baggage door. Fab and install new plywood baggage compartment floor. New baggage compartment and floor are removable for access to aft fuselage. New baggage door has slots for shoulder harness pass-through.
7. Remove sheet metal co-pilot seat bottom and install new deep dish seat bottom made by Steen Aero Lab.
8. Remove sheet metal co-pilot seat back and install new plywood seat back. New seat back is configured to mount radio console and altitude encoder.
9. Install new pilot and co-pilot 5-point harness and supplemental lap belt made by Alan Silver Parachute Co.
10. Fab and install new anchor point straps for pilot shoulder harness located at aft end of baggage compartment so as to eliminate spinal compression.
11. Fab and weld in new attach lugs for co-pilot harness below seat.
12. Fab and install new extension straps for co-pilot shoulder harness from floor to strap attachment.
13. Fab and install new removable A-frame riser for co-pilot shoulder straps so as to eliminate spinal compression.
14. Rework stick torque tube clamshell pivot bearings to eliminate excessive friction. Add new shims to allow proper clamp-up of clamshell halves.
15. Fab and install new plywood floor boards.
16. Install new pilot and co-pilot stick grips and modify stick grips to mount new push to talk buttons.
17. Add new static air ports to fuselage side skins and add new static air lines to connect pilot and co-pilot instruments and altitude encoder.
18. Fab and install new removable pilot radio console. View of transponder code windows were blocked by knobs on old radio console. New radio console repositions transponder to make code readout visible, and adds space to mount a nav display.
19. Install new headset jacks on pilot and co-pilot instrument panels.
20. Rewire new radio console, new headset jacks and new stick PTT switches.
21. Replace brake pressure hoses with new ones made by Earl’s hotrod supply.
22. Fit new gas tank filler neck grommet made by John Deere Tractor Co.
23. Remove tank vent line that discharged next to exhaust pipe. Install new tank vent line and mast tube spaced away from exhaust pipe.
24. Fab and install new fuel shutoff valve mounting bracket to better secure valve.
25. Remove plastic engine breather vent tube and replaced with anodized aluminum tube. Fab and install welded steel firewall feed-through fitting for vent tube.
26. Fab and install new pilot’s throttle quadrant mounting brackets to relocate quadrant, realign pushrod linkages and reduce friction. Clean up and re-install throttle quadrant.

Here is a pic of the co-pilot shoulder harness riser. The idea is to preserve the limited space between the copilot's shoulder and the pilot instrument compartment. The tube upper ends weld to a plate that rivets to the upper skin along with a doubler. The lower ends attach to the seatback crossbar using saddle clamps. The riser can be lifted off and removed along with the upper skin section.


I will try to obtain and upload some more pics. Many thanks to forum posters for ideas that went into some of these upgrades.


Mark

 

[Nate]

 

[SkyboltJohnS]

 

[Ralsmark]