We hope to be able to include some helpful hints and How-to information on this page.
Things like how to work with fiberglass or wood finishing tips.
I hope we can get some feedback both from those who would like some handy tips on how to do something that they may be working on
I think it would be interesting if we could get some of the more experienced builders to share some of their expertise and answer some of the requests that may be sent in.

For example; how do you make one of those Plexiglas canopies? Do you start with a flat piece of Plexiglas and bend it?

Anyway, I'm sure you get the idea.

What's the difference between 1025 Steel tubing and 4130 Steel Tubing? And why do all the ariplane kit manufacturers use 4130?
Click here to get some more info.
Here's another site that has some good info on 4130 Steel Tubing.

Epoxy Fiberglass repairs. Ever wanted to learn about working with Epoxy and Fiberglass? Here's a little article with lots of photos.

You can build a great shop work table with these plans provided by EAA Chapter 1000.

Jim Hail's RV-6A wing mounted running lights

The Plexiglas Oven Mold    Click on the image to see a larger view

Take a real close look at the image to the left. It's one of the running lights mounted in the wings of  Jim Hail's RV-6A. Can you identify the light itself? Does it look familiar to you at all? Look again.  I'm sure at some point or another you've had the misfortune of being nearly blinded by one of these as you drove home after a late night event.  How about the headlights of an old quad-beam Cadillac? That's right,  it's one of the four halogen beam quad headlights out of an '84 Caddy Sedan DeVille. The installation here is nearly factory perfect.  Jim molded the plexiglas shield himself using a plywood and sheet metal mold shaped to fit the inside contour of the wing's leading edge. (See the sketch below). The sheet metal cover transmits the heat better than wood and is covered with a light cotton cloth to help protect the surface of the plexiglas.  The mold is positioned in place and the plexiglas laid on top so that the center of the glass will align with the top center of the mold. Jim used a piece of plexiglas that was larger than the finished piece required.  The whole thing is carefully placed in the oven, (ya, that's right - the kitchen oven). Preheated to about 240-250 Degrees for only approximately 10 minutes.  The plexiglas will slowly begin to bend down and assume to shape of the contoured mold. Be careful here, too much heat or if it's left in too long, the plexiglas could crack, split, or develop those little crow's feet cracks or may develop a foggy glaze within the material itself. This process may take some practice and every oven heats to a different temperature at the same heat setting. With a little patience and some extra pieces of plexiglas for practice, - Bingo!- you've got yourself a molded plexiglas running light shield and housing cover.  The inside of the mounting cavity is painted a flat matte black to help conceal the mounting hardware. And there is a narrow strip of aluminum cut to fit around the inside edge of the finished plexiglas. This is used to hold the screws that hold the finished assembly in place. Silicon Caulk is used to seal the seams between the outer surface of the plexiglas and the inner surface of the wing's leading edge.  All that's required then is to drill the holes and tap the sheet metal strip for the screws and of course mound the headlight itself. Incidentally the headlight is adjustable.  Now that you know how it's done, all you need is an RV-6A to put one in.  Thanks Jim, Beautiful work.  Click here for another look at Jims RV-6A.

 
Here's a good On-Line E-book written by John S. Denker.
The name of the article/book is "See how it flies -A new spin on the perceptions, procedures, and principles of flight".
http://www.av8n.com/how/

Ever wanted a handy chart of metric conversion factors, here's a good one to start with.

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