Wings Pickup
Well, today we picked up the wings, fuel system, and Flaps and Slats kit from Zenith Aircraft. Even though the garage won't be ready for a while, I looked through the online assembly manuals and realized that much of the slats and flaps can be done on a smaller table, like the elevator and rudder. So, the day before I was to pick up the wings, I called and asked them if I could add the slats kit, and they said they would! They are very nice folks to work with. Also, they said they might be able to take my son for a demo flight as well, weather permitting.
I know that one of my rudder workshop buddies picked up his wings kit in a pickup truck by letting the 14ft wing spars rest on the window sill of his cab and the top of the tailgate. The day before, I picked up a couple of 10 ft 2x4s and screwed a cleat on them to keep it from sliding back. I threw a roll of duct tape in the truck, and hoped this would provide a good bed for the slats to rest on. (Yep, that's an EAA sticker on the back.)
Once we got there, Shirley took the order and Donna has already pulled the parts and packaged them. After getting the truck loaded, we taped everything down for the ride home. Those rolls are the wing skins, which are normally 12 ft long. It takes at least 2 people to roll and unroll them, though. In this shot are the complete wings, the slats and flaps, and the 2 fuel tanks. I don't think a trailer was really needed.
Now for the demo ride! C-GECX has a new prop since I saw it last - they said this wooden Sensenich was about $1000 cheaper than the metal one, and much lighter out there on the nose. Of course, it is much more susceptible to nicks and dents from rocks, etc and needs more frequent maintenance. That's Demo Roger from Zenith flying and my son Philip next to him.
After the ride, I took a lot of detail pictures of C-GECX. I noticed that my son's knees were a bit cramped, nearly hitting the switches mounted on the lower lip of the dash. I wonder if the switches were down there simply because they are easy to get to during installation. A removable switch panel would allow me to put them anywhere, but still be able to get to the wiring. In any event, his knees were a hazard. He is 6'4", but I wonder if the dash can be raised somehow. He had three fingers of headroom, it was just the knee length with the seat all the way back that was the problem. I am 6'0" myself, and one of the reasons I chose this aircraft was the 44" cabin width, but I will look into the ergonomics a bit more. Just from this photo alone, it looks like the dash could be raised without disturbing the aerodynamics.
Can't wait to get started on the flaps.
Images on this website are either Copyright Zenith Aircraft Company and used by permission or are copyright Gary Liming