Highlander 393

For general discussion of the Just Aircraft family of aircraft.
Includes: Highlander, Escapade, Summit and SuperSTOL.
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BDA
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Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 11:25 am
Location: Kenai Alaska

Re: Highlander 393

Post by BDA »

Bruce,
I ordered the 8”. Buuuuuut didnt measure haha, should be the 8 tho.

No I box

I did get the add on box for the AOA.
I just ran another piece of tubing right next to the reg pitot tube and bent another piece of 1/4” tube to use for AOA tube, will mount them together and bend the AOA tube to get the right angle for acurate input for the AOA we will see. I did not use a stock AOA setup because we will be seeing 10* more than normal. May not work at first, will have to just work with it.

Dont forget to mount your magnetometer near wingtip.
SuperStol XL Alaskan With Titan 340
N331AK. Shawn Taplin
Wing extensions,Symetrical Airfoil tail ribs (NACA 21)
Mods in progress: Heavier struts, Double slotted flaps
Goal: 15mph no wind
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BucF16
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Location: Alexandria, Ohio

Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

Thanks Shawn!! It looks like we are going to have a similar system. I will make sure to put the magnetometer in the wing tip. I am not going to install a transponder till after the FAA inspects before my first flight. I had a friend that just had an inspection on his Zenair 701, and the Feds required him to get a full initial pitot/static inspection. Well once $600. Not for me.

Cheers,
Bruce
Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
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BucF16
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Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

Merry Christmas to my "Just" Family. Thank you for making the build so Fun. You all ROCK!

Bruce
Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
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BDA
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Location: Kenai Alaska

Re: Highlander 393

Post by BDA »

Merry Christmas Bruce!!
SuperStol XL Alaskan With Titan 340
N331AK. Shawn Taplin
Wing extensions,Symetrical Airfoil tail ribs (NACA 21)
Mods in progress: Heavier struts, Double slotted flaps
Goal: 15mph no wind
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BucF16
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Location: Alexandria, Ohio

Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

Happy New Year to all you "Just" Folks. Especially all you who chime in, when we newbies, ask neophyte questions. Drinks are on me when we meet!

Cheers,
Bruce
Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
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SheepdogRD
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Re: Highlander 393

Post by SheepdogRD »

Happy New Year, Bruce, and Happy New Year to everyone on the Forum...
Richard Holtz
Highlander N570L -- Ms. Tonka -- in gestation

If just enough is really good, then too much ought to be perfect.
AV8R Paul
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Re: Highlander 393

Post by AV8R Paul »

Happy New Year Richard and to all flow Just Aircraft flyers and builders.
SheepdogRD wrote:Happy New Year, Bruce, and Happy New Year to everyone on the Forum...
AV8R Paul
Certified Light Sport Repairman LSRM-A
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BucF16
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Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

Well we didn't get the frightful amount of snow the Jim "Pinocchio" Cantore said we would get, But It's enough to be in the basement working on Covering the ailerons and flaps. I thought I'd give some thoughts on the process form my prospective.
I can't thank Shawn enough for his post!! As you may have read earlier, I chose Oratex because of time. That has shown to be correct assumption. Steve Henry (on Facebook) says he "Loves this stuff". I agree. Once I got used to it, things just clicked. I am currently in between glue application (20 minutes). My Oratex is Olive Drab. So, I am not having the issues that Shawn is having with the glue and bobbles and streaks showing thru the fabric. I guess because it is darker. What does show thru are larger imperfections such as the body filler. I HAS to be smooth! I asked earlier about Cellulite in the filler, and Richard Holtz said it had to be smooth. He's right!

The tail feathers were straight forward as in any process. BUT covering the "flying" horizontal stab was not the item to cut my teeth on :shock: . Stab and elevators were single sheet, but unlike the manual's recommendation, the center of the sheet is at the large attach cross member. Not the trailing edge. Otherwise the weave would be at an angle to the horizontal!!! The Rudder is in 2 pieces, due to the control horn.

Aileron and Flaps; once fabrication was complete, I used West System 2 part epoxy to varnish the wood components. I used PTI Zinc-Chromate to hit the AL parts that would come in contact with the Oratex, Hellmans "Spar Varnish" to protect the interior AL components (tube spar), and Evercoat Z-Grip for body filler. Shawn's Iron and heat gun temps work well. But I did use a hobby iron for tacking the fabric to the structure. Bill Tabbert has an excellent YouTube on the tacking of the fabric. Just Google "Oratex" and he'll be at the top.

Im not very good at new tech stuff, like YouTube and GoPro. But I am going to try to film my last Aileron covering and explain MY process technique. Frankly, a video series on "Covering With Oratex", is my only fault with Better Aircraft Fabric. They should have one of these like Stewart Systems! Other than that, they have been excellent to work with, and very responsive to all of my questions.

The following are a few Pix from my iPhone.

So "Hit the Like! Subscribe and Hit the Alerts!!! Just kidding. A YouTube channel will not be in my future. I'm not a narcissist. :mrgreen:
Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
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BucF16
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Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

A Mobile rack to dispence 74' Oratex and 48" brown paper; PTI, Helmsman's, and Evercoat
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Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
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BucF16
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Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

Here is the Cellulite in the Evercoat the I was talking about. All imperfections must be fixed.
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Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
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BucF16
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Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

Here is the Stab, Half Glued Elevator, and the back of the fabric with 2 coats of glue. You can see the huge wrinkle and minor wrinkles in the stab. They all stretched out with the heat gun in the final stretching at 460 degrees.
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Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
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BucF16
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Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

Pix of my aileron covering. The Craftsman Vise work bench is excellent for this kind of work. Harbor Freight has one as well.
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Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
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BDA
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Location: Kenai Alaska

Re: Highlander 393

Post by BDA »

Looks good Bruce!

What does the green fabric do when you overheat it?

The silver gets “tiger stripes”
SuperStol XL Alaskan With Titan 340
N331AK. Shawn Taplin
Wing extensions,Symetrical Airfoil tail ribs (NACA 21)
Mods in progress: Heavier struts, Double slotted flaps
Goal: 15mph no wind
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BucF16
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Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 11:47 am
Location: Alexandria, Ohio

Re: Highlander 393

Post by BucF16 »

Hey Shawn, this may be incriminating, but I do not know if I have overheated my fabric or not. I am trying very very hard to increase the heat very slowly for every aspect of my construction. I use the stencil gun that Lars sold me. But I will says if you’ve made a mistake, I’m sure I’ve made four of them. I’ll go back out and I’ll look if there are any anomalies, And share them with the form. Please remember I am about a month behind you on every process on our projects. I have learned very many things from you. Thank you so much for posting.
Cheers,
Bruce
Bruce Johnson Highlander # 393
"Because I fly, I envy no man on Earth"
Builder web site:
http://www.bruceshighlander.blogspot.com
User avatar
BDA
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Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 11:25 am
Location: Kenai Alaska

Re: Highlander 393

Post by BDA »

I learned about the tiger stripes when I had a big wrinkle because of poor fit, and then tried to shrink it all away.

It is easy to do, where the correct heat wont leave a mark on the first or second pass, if you keep going over it without lettin it cool it gets too hot.

Just curious to know how the other colors show that.
SuperStol XL Alaskan With Titan 340
N331AK. Shawn Taplin
Wing extensions,Symetrical Airfoil tail ribs (NACA 21)
Mods in progress: Heavier struts, Double slotted flaps
Goal: 15mph no wind
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