Hi Ian,
> Pictures as soon as possible please.
I posted already a picture. It shows where I cut the upper fuselage. It
also shows that I had to fiddle a little bit with the window flange to
make the window fit again. The rear flange got a bit narrow, so I
extended it with 5 layers of bid, then temporary put the window in with
plastic tape over the edges to fil the gap with expancel. For the lower
flange I extended the 3mm foam from the insert and shaped it into the
window's curve. The cut itself is fixed a la the mod 64B manual. On the
outside there are a few extra layers of bid. It is probably stronger
than it used to be. Once this was ready, fitting and bonding the window
was no different than normally.
The idea was that the hi-top extended the head room with 5 cm, but the
firewall with 7 cm. Compared to the normal XS this would cut 2 cm of the
lower part of the vision to the outside. I wanted to take that back,
plus a little bit more, without changing the look of the normal XS, and
retaining the panel space that became available by the still taller
firewall.
> It would
> also be useful to know what regulations apply to what you are doing. In the
> UK we would need to convince the LAA that it was sound engineering.
In the Netherlands we have no regulations. :-D Well, we need a compass,
an ASI, and Altitude gauge. There is no inspection. Once the airplane is
ready I only need a statement from a certified mechanic (not an
inspector!) that he has no objections and that's it! He will walk
around, kick the tires, confirm that it pretty much looks like an
airplane, and sign it off. I don't have to tell anything about mod's etc.
Once I have gone through that, I'm finished with it for the rest of my
life. The builder is considered to be the manufacturer, and once a year
I have to sign a document that I maintained my airplane conform the
rules of the manufacturer (yep, that's me too), in order to get a new
airworthiness certificate. If I want to cut off the last foot of my
wings, to see how it flies without it, I'm free to do so.
It is no coincidence that some mod's (nose wheel springs, tail wheel
mod, etc.) originate from the Netherlands. This is probably the most
liberal country for experimentals worldwide.
Frans
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