Frame Installed

Instruments

Hull & Deck Mating

No Fabric Yet

Cockpit Comfort

Wing Assembly

Pylon & Tail Covered

Rough Cover

Fabric Installation

Paint Booth

Trim

Right out of the Box

Engine Installed

Windscreen & Canopies

Test Run

Wings On!

Deluxe Seats

Once you have unpacked and inventoried the crate, the basic frame is quickly assembled from pre-formed parts and bolted into the hull. No, the handmade wooden grips didn't come with the kit. Plastic keeps the dust and dirt off.

Yes, this was a bit of a challenge but everything worked when I threw the switch!

Pop rivets and a little trimming here and there. The hull and deck are easily joined.

The landing gear assembly is complete and cargo shelf installed. Tail fin is ready for fabric.

You can see the instrument panel now in place. A light-weight marine carpeting was used on the floor, dash, cargo shelf and cabin sides.

So now the fuselage is rolled aside and we start on the flying surfaces. Most of the wing and tail parts are pre-fabricated by the factory. A large flat table makes assembly easy.

The pylon has been covered in aluminum sheeting and the tail fin with (Stits) Polyfiber. We leave the flying surfaces till this stage just to protect them from damage.

The fabric is cut to size. At this stage I decided to make some stands that hold and rotate the wings. This made the covering and painting process much easier.

The wing on the right is prepped for covering. The other wing has already had its fabric shrunk with a calibrated iron..

I constructed a large paint booth complete with exhaust fan and fresh air to my mask. Here the final coats of "Endura" flexible two-part polyurethane are being applied.

Finally, blue trim is applied to the wings, tail and hull. It was very important to completely cover and mask pre-painted surfaces. Overspray is not fun to clean off.. I was glad to get the painting behind me.

I left my engine, exhaust and prop purchase untill the aircraft was nearing completion. The engine arrives as a very complete package.

Rotax installation is a snap. The photo also shows a Titan exhaust and the kit-supplied radiator in position.

The Lexan Windscreen and canopies are easily scratched and seem to attract paint overspray. I left these rather finicky items until the very end of the project.

Before we put the wings on we tied the tail to a tree and here Doug lets her rip!

All that remains after trucking to the airfield is to install the wings, tail and control surfaces. If you look closely you can see several bits and pieces (flaps, rudder, gapseals etc.) still missing.

Even after final inspection and first flight there were many improvement in the months and years ahead. I chose to upgrade the seats to something a bit more comfortable.