8/27/2006
A couple of days ago I decided to jump ahead and install the landing gear and wheels. I know this is going to make working on the inside of the fuselage much more of a pain because it will sit up high enough to require something to stand on. I did this because I need to be able to move the fuselage around in the garage to position it for mounting the wings. I also did this because it appears that a tropical storm is on its way and I might need to reposition the fuselage on the side so I can try to get my and my wife's cars into the garage.
It took 5 hours to put the wheels together and install the spindles and brakes. A lot of this is because I couldn't tell from the plans how the brakes are installed in relation to the spindles. An isometric view is badly needed in the drawings. Above left is how I think it is supposed to be. Everything fits including the brake pads.
The fuselage stands a lot taller than I expected. I sat down in it and could not see over the instrument panel. I think it is due to my "seat" not having very much padding.