That SOUND, That WHISTLE, Those GUNS...

[Zulu01]

That SOUND, That WHISTLE, Those GUNS...: Click Here for more on this story

[Chalkie]

Congratulations. Does the LS3 refer to Chevy 6.0L V8?

[Little Friend]

Yes @Chalkie

Chevrolet Performance LS3 6.2L V8 430HP Crate Engine.

Due prop size and gearbox weight, the firewall forward will arrive at 300HP Effectively increasing engine longevity!

It will be fitted with a custom gearbox from AutoFlight, a New Zealand manufacturer and a Whirlwind 84" Hydraulic Propeller.

[RuanS]

This is going to be fantastic

[Little Friend]

Following on from the featured article…

As we progress with the build - Robin has undoubtedly pulled his years of aviation knowledge together, providing invaluable experience by adding impressive ideas and improvements which has become obvious both cosmetically and mechanically!

So what has been done?

• Thorough inventory check, QC on parts, frame assessed (Solid and accurately balanced)

• Inner and outer skins lined up, dimpled, prepped for priming and now being sikaflexed/ riveted on (Fuselage)

• Baggage doors adjusted to bigger size (H5000 flush latches), additional access panels for easier inspection (maintenance)

• Custom one piece 5mm plexiglass windshield moulded to fit (Improved safety and forward visuals)

• Tail wheel gear doors strengthened by fitting another inner skin, inserted expanding foam on the inside, closed up the ends, which resulted in a perfectly shaped and rigid door.

• Fibreglass belly - temporarily cladded the bulkheads underneath and clamped the fibreglass in place, injected expanding foam in and removed the belly from the aircraft by adding an additional layer of glass and carbon. Sides were replaced with alclad and have made the belly scoop removable with screws in order to service the radiator if needed (huge improvement).

• The radiator exhaust doors were also made of composite prelam. Instead of the door being mechanically operated by a wired cable, an improved design was added by using an electric actuator for door movement.

All the above one can see in the video attached Enjoy watching! (39 seconds)




So what’s next?…

STAY TUNED!!!

[Bearcat]

Thank you for sharing the passion and excitement around this build
I look forward to following the updates

[Skyline]

Exciting update , video has me “ on frequency standing by for next transmission”

Following on from the featured article…

As we progress with the build - Robin has undoubtedly pulled his years of aviation knowledge together, providing invaluable experience by adding impressive ideas and improvements which has become obvious both cosmetically and mechanically!

So what has been done?

• Thorough inventory check, QC on parts, frame assessed (Solid and accurately balanced)

• Inner and outer skins lined up, dimpled, prepped for priming and now being sikaflexed/ riveted on (Fuselage)

• Baggage doors adjusted to bigger size (H5000 flush latches), additional access panels for easier inspection (maintenance)

• Custom one piece 5mm plexiglass windshield moulded to fit (Improved safety and forward visuals)

• Tail wheel gear doors strengthened by fitting another inner skin, inserted expanding foam on the inside, closed up the ends, which resulted in a perfectly shaped and rigid door.

• Fibreglass belly - temporarily cladded the bulkheads underneath and clamped the fibreglass in place, injected expanding foam in and removed the belly from the aircraft by adding an additional layer of glass and carbon. Sides were replaced with alclad and have made the belly scoop removable with screws in order to service the radiator if needed (huge improvement).

• The radiator exhaust doors were also made of composite prelam. Instead of the door being mechanically operated by a wired cable, an improved design was added by using an electric actuator for door movement.

All the above one can see in the video attached Enjoy watching! (39 seconds)

Note for Apple users: due format click DOWNLOAD (not view)…


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So what’s next?…

STAY TUNED!!!

[Chalkie]

Robin and his team at RCA are sure the best guys for a quality build.

[Daimler]

Following on from the featured article…

As we progress with the build - Robin has undoubtedly pulled his years of aviation knowledge together, providing invaluable experience by adding impressive ideas and improvements which has become obvious both cosmetically and mechanically!

So what has been done?

• Thorough inventory check, QC on parts, frame assessed (Solid and accurately balanced)

• Inner and outer skins lined up, dimpled, prepped for priming and now being sikaflexed/ riveted on (Fuselage)

• Baggage doors adjusted to bigger size (H5000 flush latches), additional access panels for easier inspection (maintenance)

• Custom one piece 5mm plexiglass windshield moulded to fit (Improved safety and forward visuals)

• Tail wheel gear doors strengthened by fitting another inner skin, inserted expanding foam on the inside, closed up the ends, which resulted in a perfectly shaped and rigid door.

• Fibreglass belly - temporarily cladded the bulkheads underneath and clamped the fibreglass in place, injected expanding foam in and removed the belly from the aircraft by adding an additional layer of glass and carbon. Sides were replaced with alclad and have made the belly scoop removable with screws in order to service the radiator if needed (huge improvement).

• The radiator exhaust doors were also made of composite prelam. Instead of the door being mechanically operated by a wired cable, an improved design was added by using an electric actuator for door movement.

All the above one can see in the video attached Enjoy watching! (39 seconds)




So what’s next?…

STAY TUNED!!!

Very exciting indeed. Eagerly following this progress and can't wait for the next update.

[Little Friend]

Little Friend's weekend warrior update!

Center Section:

• Undercarriage removed completely - Original Primer coat finish

• Gear - clean up, spray, replace brake line hoses from plastic to braided hoses (improvement)

• Fuel tanks - 3 x installed, design setup to include fuel sensors and 1 x 13 Gal aft fuel tank (additional tank)

Note: Titan have upgraded their main gear system with 3" larger legs. Solidly built and far superior to its predecessor.

Wings:

• All alclad - Primed and skins skimmed

• Ribs / Stringers - fitted, glued and riveted

• Ailerons / Flaps - to be checked, lined up and mated with center section

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Fun Headaches:

What really gets the brain fuse twitching is deciding what cosmetics will be installed and where. Will they fit? Do the data sheet specs work for their intended purpose? Which brand? What about style? etc... With a range of options on the market i.e. Landing lights, Wing/ Strobe lights, placards etc. There comes a time to just damn well make up your mind!

A few items finalized as RC tackles a particular section:

• Stunning 3-1 Aveo wing set lights as well as Aveo landing lights

• Quality 3 x Newton Aero fuel caps with matching keys

• Bob Averys .50 cal custom machined Brownings (Bob is well known amongst the Vans community)

• Dynon Servos, Magnetometer, Matco brake fluid reservoirs

Lets not go down the road of Paint Scheme this ones a battle!!!

Enjoy the weekend everyone. Until next week...

Little Friend OUT

[Little Friend]

NEW NOVEMBER

Center section & Wings:

• Center fitted to fuselage

• Wings fitted to center

• Center tanks installed and plumbing complete

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Logistics

Ailerons missing from packing list - Managed to recover from the manufacturer (Titan), promptly delivered to the hotel which I was staying at in Chicago IL. Collected along with Dynon items. Instant customs target lugging a 130cm x 50cm x 20cm box through ORD - HKG Finally made it back to HKG and onto dropping off at Fedex VHHH - FACT ...

Built in systems:

• 170 degree HD fish eye camera - to be installed just above radiator leading edge (full view of gear/ taxi)

• 90 degree HD bullet camera - to be installed top of tail (full forward view of aircraft from rear)

• O2 - MH O2D2 EDS pulse demand with AITHRE MESO oxy app, setup for 2 crew (removable bottle, custom jacks)

Looking forward to sharing the next update!...

Little Friend
Out

[Ray W]

Wow

[Little Friend]

UPDATE before the December craze kicks off..

Wings

• Ailerons & attach hardware arrived - New from Titan

• A/P servo mounts - Custom made by RC (see comparison between Dynon and RC improvement)

• Rigging - completed

• Skins - can finally be fitted

NB: Standing by on Aveo lights, wiring and fuel caps...

[Little Friend]

Herewith a short clip to end off 2021 on Little Friends build progress!

See you all in 2022… Enjoy!

[FutureCpt]

A New Year, New Beginnings, New Adventures- Little Friend

Towards the end of December 2021 it was non-stop staying ahead of the game from packing, crating, logistics, communication etc. On the 2nd January 2022 a whopping 350kg pallet arrived at Cape Town International Airport. The journey Titan - ORD - ADD - FACT... Ethiopian don't only forget to load or misplace luggage they have the same delay on Air Freight after a 7 day journey, the package made is safely across to RC.

Cargo Arrival

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Once offloaded, you can imagine the suspense...

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So what can you see VS what is actually packed?

• GM Chevy LS3 6.2L V8 480hp - dyno testing completed

• Custom PSRU fitted - Neil Hintz

• Custom made cowling - for better look and shape

• Custom exhaust - by Hutter Performance

• Jihostroj Prop Governor - Hydraulic (original Czech governor)

• Spares - Brake reline, Main gear wheels, Tailwheel

• All parts and fittings required to strap on and start the Fire Breathing 8 cylinders

UNWRAPPED

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Standby for a guest speaker and video update!

Until next week...

Little Friend OUT