It is amazing how much advancement there has been over the past few years with regards to portable electronics in the aviation industry.
The software I am running is Garmin Pilot. I have it installed both on my tablet as well as on my phone as an emergency backup. A $400 tablet has replaced what just a few years ago would have cost $5000.
What a great project! Do you have a building that can accommodate it, or do you rent hangar space?
Did it come painted?
I built it in my garage for the most part. Final assembly was out at the hangar where it now lives. I decided to vinyl wrap the entire airframe, so the only paint is on a few steel parts that I wanted rust protected.
Here is a link to my blog which covers the entire build for anyone wanting a little (or a lot) more information: Google Workspace Updates: New community features for Google Chat and an update on Currents
I love how much faith your kids have in your building ability… 
Started following your G+ page, I hope that’s alright?
For sure! I will be documenting the first flight and posting there when that time comes. I suspect it will also start posting Glowforge projects there in the near future as well.
Always thought about taking flying lessons and life got in the way. Watching projects like this lights the bug again.
As already mentioned I don’t have the money space or time to build one but I sure am thinking about building a powered paraglider now.
OK, that’s a far cry from the Pitts and EagleII I worked on with my grandfather…
Somewhere in the past few months, I got sucked into the jet engine design, construction and maintenance. I had no idea about lockwire for nuts and parts so that if they come loose, they don’t cause a catastrophe.I am sure I would learn a whole lot when it comes to safety, attention to detail, and work flow doing some type of intro workshop training… My hat’s off to you for the monumental effort!
I’ve been using the stuff for 30 years, I’ve never gotten particularly good at it, I can get it passed a technical inspector but just not real proud of them. I can do a great wire splice though.
Vibration on a gas turbine engine can be extreme. Besides mechanical vibration, sonic frequencies in resonance are powerful.
Trimming an engine after rebuilding is done on a test stand, and has to be taken to high power. Standing right next to one turning 100% hurts, and gave me a nose bleed more than once.
Safety wire or lock wiring is done so that a fastener couldn’t loosen without tighnting the adjoining fastener. Naval aircraft maintenance didn’t allow more than three in series.
There are many feet of safety wire on engines, and had to be done by hand, as opposed to twisting pliers because there was a tendency to over tighten the twists and weaken the wire, as well as scar the wire with tool marks which makes a weak spot. We used a ni-chrome alloy wire.
Did miles of that rebuilding engines, and got good at it. You learn to do it by the brail method one handed in tight areas.
Over the years when I have found myself facing a crucial or belligerent fastener, I’ll nail it down with safety wire. Probably half the scars on my hands are from wiring engine fasteners.
Yep, dem jets be noisy! When I was stationed on the Ike (CVN-69), my stateroom was directly below the #3 jet blast deflector. I became a connoisseur of engine noise – could tell what aircraft was on the cat by listening to the run-up. Was supposed to wear foamies + Mickey Mouse ears when racked out. Oddly enough, my exit physical showed a mysterious hearing deficit. 
Yes they are, I was an electrican on CVA-62, fixing the cats and elevators, for those noisy beast. Shop was directly under the flight deck.
Funny could sleep through flight opps but the phone ringing would wake me.
Roger that. I could sleep through everything but a “bolter.” The Indy relieved us on station in the Med in late '83 – she was tied up with operation Urgent Fury, so was a tad late. 
Between the F4, F14, A7 and A6, the A6 (J52) was the loudest I think.
My rack was below the flight deck near the stern. Laying there looking at the ceiling, there was a circular patch about 10 feet in diameter. After seeing films of the Enterprise fire, I understood where it came from…
I know you guys remember the shudder that ran the length of the ship’s keel when the cat piston hit the water break, and the thump of an aircraft with the hiss of the arresting gear.
With the moods of the sea, I felt very fortunate to be riding on a bird farm rather than an escort. I used to feel sorry for those guys!
@dwardio - stateroom? Hehe, you were an officer?
@numosbk - yes, odd how unconsciously a noise that didn’t belong there would wake us up!
30 years after I went to an airshow, and was surprised to see an F14 on the line. Walking over to it to get a closer look, I got within 50 feet of it and BAM! The smell of JP hit me.
Oh boy, that brought it all back.
Guilty as charged. Surface Warfare type, served as DivO in Training, Deck, and Nav during my stint (plus an average of 12 hours a day on the Bridge).
Here I am supervising a ConRep transferring JP-5. Dear g-d, was I ever that young?!?
Reflecting on the changes over the years (except in the mirror, I avoid that) I remember to talk to home, you wrote your message on a piece of paper and it started it’s journey with a cat shot on the mail plane.
Now they have video calls… Yep we are getting old.
Used to think the F14 in afterburner was loud. Until I was walking across the tarmac earlier this year and watched an F-35 hovering over the test apron. And when it flies by in afterburner… Not sure which affected my ears more, working as a sound man for a metal band or ground testing Navy jets. And folks here once worried about the Glowforge fan noise. I probably won’t even hear it.
So it seems a sizeable part of this group was black shoe or brown shoe Navy. Well, I gotta tell you, you were all just targets to us. Submarine navy all the way!
