Dave’s RV-7A Building Log

There’s about a hundred different wiring tasks I could work on now. I decided to get the more difficult/unpleasant stuff out of the way first. That would be the alternator. Working with the thicker 6 AWG wire is not as fun, and routing stuff forward of the firewall is always tricky. I ran a wire from the alternator back to the panel for a circuit breaker and then from the panel back to the main bus. I haven’t decided exactly where the circuit breaker is going to reside yet, so I left those ends long for now.

I also hooked up the alternator field wire to the switch on the panel. The connector on the Vans alternator is very goofy. The only way I could figure out how to attach the two wires from that connector to the wire running aft was to use a Molex connector. It’s odd to have two connectors in a row, but the Molex connectors are much easier to aquire and use.

The tangle of wires is getting a bit crazy. It’s time to do some organization and tie-wrapping.

The parts I needed finally arrived from SteinAir. I was able to hook up the master contactor to the main bus with some #6 wire. I also wired the master switch to the contactor and ground. Flip the switch and bingo. The contactor energizes and juice is flowing. I have to be careful now that I have +12V running around the plane. For example, I don’t want to accidentally fire the starter. I think I’ll leave out that fuse until I get to the hangar.

So to recap, I have 1/2 of one switch wired so far and I have 10.5 to go. The others should go quicker, though.

A side note on comments. I’ve decided to disable comments on posts. 99.9% of it was spam, and I’m tired of dealing with it. If you have a comment on a post, just shoot me an email using the link in the right sidebar.

I installed a 3/4″ fitting from EPM.AV in the firewall for passing wires through. I should be more fire-proof than just a snap bushing and RTV. It was a bit difficult to install. Drilling through stainless steel is never fun. And it also doesn’t provide any anti-chafe protection for the wires. Hopefully there will be enough room after wiring to jam some firesleeve in there.

I was originally planning on using a 3/4″ fitting for the engine sensor wires and 1/2″ fitting for everything else. However, it quickly became obvious that 1/2″ was not big enough for anything other than a wire or two. I’ll return that one for another 3/4″.

With the fitting in place, I can now run wires through the firewall. I started by running wires for the starter contactor. The electrical parts I ordered from SteinAir 2 weeks ago should finally arrive tomorrow so I can hook up the battery and finally start turning stuff on.

I spent most of today down at the hangar getting it tricked out. I’m going to hire somebody to put in drywall, but wanted to add a few outlets first. Running metal-clad wire is not fun, but it’s a commercial building. I also spent a while down at the pool enjoying the sunshine with Adele on her last day of summer vacation.

I found a little time to work on the plane. I figured out the best location for mounting the fuse blocks. I drilled #12 holes and temporarily put some bolts in there. I’ll order some screws that have a smaller head for permanently mounting them.

I didn’t get as much done over the 3-day Labor Day weekend as I had hoped, but I had some excellent time away from the project instead.

I guess some builders simply use star washers to keep their switches from rotating, but I like the keyway washers. I made backing strips from .063 sheet with dimensions from Aeroelectric. It worked perfectly. On the second strip I made one minor change that worked better. Instead of drilling a 1/8″ hole for the keyway washer, I used a #36 drill bit. It’s just big enough and doesn’t allow the switch to turn as much.

I temporarily mounted the switches so I can wire them up. I also made labels, so I don’t get confused. I like the blue tape look. Maybe I’ll just use that for the final panel (not).

I also ran the headphone and mic wires for pilot and copilot. I debated quite a bit on where to locate the jacks. The place I was originally going to use will be covered by my fancy side panels. Looking through the Aircraft Spruce catalog, I found some flush-mount housings that will work out great. The jacks will be right under the arm rest and just aft of the seat.

John Adams asked if I wanted to ride down with him to Van’s Homecoming in his RV-7. Of course! I thought about going down on my own, but it would take forever in a 172.

We flew in loose formation with Mike Robbins in his RV-8 with his friend Terry. John’s got a fixed pitch prop (for now), so Terry was rubbing it in that he caught up in about a minute eventhough he took off after us.

It was an extremely hazy day. This is downtown Seattle with Mount Rainier barely visible in the background. I can’t remember a day that was so clear overhead and yet so hazy looking toward the horizon.

The trip down was just over an hour, but it felt like 15 minutes. I’ve driven many times between Seattle and Portland and it is a boring drive. Flying on the other hand, especially in an RV, is the only way to go. Here we are on final to Aurora.

There were several RV’s departing. How often do you see an RV traffic jam?

Quite a few planes showed up. I’d guess there were many 50. Hard to capture in a few photos as the planes were spread out all over.

Vans had the factory doors wide open for everyone to wander around. AFS and Trutrak had their products on display. The first picture is the screen I hope to be getting soon. The second shows the Trutrak product. It’s definitely a different display.

Lots of quickbuilds on the shelves ready to go. I visited the factory a few years ago, but they have many more QBs on the shelf now. The wings are 3 deep up there!

I snapped some paint jobs that I liked. I’m leaning toward white with a simple stripe or two down the side.

After lunch, we were back on our way home. This gaggle of 3 RV’s pulled in right behind us and there were 5 more behind them.

We flew over East Bremerton and Poulsbo on the way home. Lots of people out in boats enjoying the day.

And here’s the trusty steed that got us there and back.

Awesome flight. Thanks John. Now I’m really motivated get my bird finished up.

I ran the pitch servo wire back through the plane. It was a little difficult to get it through the F-704. I used some tubing to keep the pins together. There’s a little slack in the wire, which is perfect. Better a little slack than not enough.

When I had Ross make the panel, he made the hole for the starter switch undersized. I wasn’t sure what size hole it needed. Turns out it’s the same as the other switches. Looks pretty cool.

I also ran more of the wires up and down through the shelf. It’s starting to be an actual wire bundle.