4/2/07, 8 hrs: moved the plane out of the hangar.  Fueled it gallon by gallon while noting EIS readouts, followed the EIS setup instructions.  Next, disconnected the fuel line from the carburetor and did a fuel flow test/fuel cleaning on both tanks, yielding about a gallon in two minutes. Checked with Ken at Vans that this 31gph rate is a good one, and he confirmed that it is.  Tightened a fitting at the pump to solve a leak (aaarrrgghhhh!), cleaned the gascolator screen, checked that the fuel selector works on both left and right tanks, and that both "off" settings do cut off the fuel, and tried to set the EIS up.  Keep getting a -4psi reading for fuel pressure, so I have a call in to GRT.  Installed the fire extinguisher bracket.

But, the big development was starting the engine.  Martin Gomez assisted me, first by checking that the brakes and parking brake hold the plane.  Additionally, I chocked the wheels and tied the tailwheel to the rear of the truck.  Started and ran the engine up four separate times as follows:

- First run, 30 seconds, cowling off: objective was to get the engine to start, get an oil pressure reading, and see if anything leaks.  Took some prodding, but the engine started, I got a good oil pressure reading of about 80psi, and there were no leaks.  Used the left tank.

- Second run, about 4 minutes, cowling off:  next objective was to do a runup, explore mag drops of the magneto and EIS, see if the carb heat works, and cycle the prop.  Turns out that if I shut off the mag, I get no RPM reading because the EIS gets its info from the mag.  Turning the EIS off resulted in an unexpectedly small 40rpm drop.  Applying carb heat made no change to RPM, partly because it was already a hot day and partly because the carb heat setup on the RV is really inadequate.  Cycling the prop did nothing the first two tries and after that it worked right.  Did find some flung grease on the root of the blades, which I am told is normal - although I will report it to Hartzell, JIC.  Stopped the test when the CHT of cylinder 3 reached 360 degrees.

- Third run, 30 seconds, cowling on: just started the engine to make sure that the cowling Camlocks were holding right and that the spinner doesn't rub on the cowling.  All's good.

- Fourth run, about 3 minutes, cowling on: objective was to run the engine up to 2,500rpm.  Did so and shut it off when cylinder 4 reached 350 degrees.

Sound is pretty loud even at 2,000rpm, and the plane feels like a rocket just waiting to be let loose.

4/3/07, 5 hrs: I thought I had the brakes bled, but a few presses of the foot brakes revealed bubbles galore.  Tried the pressure bleeder again, but bubbles kept appearing.  Pumping the pedals does nothing as the pedal pressure and bleeder pressure work against each other.  Got some advice from my friendly IA to try using the Piper instructions since the RV's brake setup is similar.  Settled on pressure bleeding from the brake fluid reservoir out to the calipers, while pumping the pedals.  We'll see tomorrow.  Removed the left flap and installed the left rear spar castle nut.  Also, marked the oil dipstick at the 8, 7, 6, 5 quart levels.

4/4/07, 8 hrs: finalized the flaps, enlarging the pushrod holes slightly for correct clearance, as well as the fit of the flaps to the fuselage when retracted.  Checked deflection again and ended up with 42.1 degrees for the left and 42.7 for the right.  Attempted to flush all the air from the brake system by pressurizing the system from the brake fluid reservoir and bleeding it from the caliper.  In spite of doing it more than 5 times per side, air remains because it is hiding inside the pedal cylinders.  Tomorrow, I'll use this setup, but press on a pedal while an assistant bleeds the appropriate caliper for a second, and repeat until the air is all out.  Hope that will work.  Installed the seat belt bushings and seat belts.  Adjusted the collar that connects the left side header to the tail pipe since one of the bolts was touching the header.

Received my final tech inspection by Dick Koehler.  All's well, save for a few suggested fixes which I will implement.  Finished up the day by shortening the pilot stick to eliminate the interference with the throttle control.

4/5/07, 8 hrs: finished up the pilot stick.  Slightly short now (!) but I'll see during flight testing if I want to lengthen it; if so, I'll order another co-pilot stick from Vans and set the pilot side up that way.  Finished applying all the decals on the switches, including the required "off" labels.  Measured the fuel selector plate and switches in order to have engraved plastic labels made that will look a lot better.  Installed the data plate.  Set EIS user page 1 up per online web site and set pages off (0,2,3,4,67,9,13,14,15).  Changed auxOFF for Aux 3 (fuel pressure) to 1 in order to get "0" reading when engine is off.  Bounced back and forth between 1 and 3 in order to get a zero reading.  Also, pressurized the system but didn't get a reading for a while, and then a reading of "3" which did not go away when I turned the fuel pump off.  May need to check and see if there's air in the line to the sender, but in any case, need to fix this issue.  Fuel flow is just fine, though.  Installed extension to the gascolator, drilled a hole in the lower cowling for fuel tester access, and pressurized everything for checking leaks.  None.  Installed my favorite ASA timer, which with its local and UTC time functions should take care of the IFR equipment requirement for a clock.  Also, implemented some of the suggestions of my tech counselor, to whit, putting a couple globs of RTV between the cabin heat SCAT tubing and a couple of cables, eliminating the interference between the primer line and engine case in one spot, and eliminating the interference at a couple of spots between the flaps and fuselage.  Finally, put dabs of RTV on the engine mounting bolt cotter pins so they don't vibrate.

4/6/07: flew three flights for a total of 3.6hrs with Alan Ham, my RV transition instructor from Goldsboro, NC.  His RV7 has a 160hp engine with three-bladed fixed-pitch prop, and empty weight of 1,026lbs.  Easily climbed to pattern altitude by the time we reached the departure end of the runway, did a 200mph run, climbed out at 2,000fpm, etc...  Did a bunch of landings as well as stalls, slow flight, etc...  Will meet Alan for a second session soon.

4/7/07: installed the engine control labels.

4/10/07: another 2.5 hours of RV transition training.

4/11/07, 4 hrs: solved the fuel pressure reading issue when while bumping the fuel pressure sender connection, I pulled the wire out of the connector.  Simple tug on the fuel pressure sending wire also pulled it out.  After crimping on new connectors - and giving both a good tug, got a good fuel pressure reading.  Installed another set of nutplates on the cowling inlet scoops.  Checked the configuration of the autopilot and determined that the roll servo is not responding...  The wiring passed a couple of voltage tests per Trutrak's tech's directions, so now I have to connect the roll wiring to the pitch servo and see if it works.  If it does, the roll servo's going back to Trutrak, if it doesn't the issue may be with the wiring (hopefully).

4/12/07, 7 hrs: conducted further tests on the autopilot.  Wiring seems to be the problem, as connecting the roll wiring to pitch servo does nothing, whereas the pitch wiring makes the roll servo work normally.  Tested resistance of the power pin to ground and ground pin to ground on both connectors but both were normal.  On Stein's recommendation, I fabricated a jumper to bypass the harness between the programmer and roll servo, and the result is that everything worked normally.  I re-terminated Stein's original harness, but the problem persists.  I will have him send me a new harness and connectors tomorrow.  On another frustrating note, I found that the brake lines are full of air again, so it's time to call Vans and see what they say.

4/13/07, 4 hrs: got my airworthiness certificate.  No significant issues, a slightly short bolt here, a label there.  The FAA inspector had me take notes of what needs to be addressed and wants an email simply telling him that I've fixed as needed.  First was putting a longer bolt in the lower rudder hinge since the one called out in the plans is too short.  He also wanted me to label the canopy latch, so this is what I did.

Regarding the brakes, Vans says they hear of my issue now and then but can't really help with a solution.  Some on Vans' AF have experienced bubbles, but it's always because of a leak -- as in, leak of fluid, which has not happened with me.  First fix will be to purge the system with fluid from a pressure can that does not introduce air into the fluid, unlike my garden sprayer setup.  I'll also pump the pedals until bubbles are gone, and then pin them in the pressurized position to see if air materializes.  If that doesn't work, I'll disconnect each master cylinder so it can be pointed up, in case that helps purge the bubble.  Final solution will be do install small reservoirs on each of the pilot's brake pedals, and remove the co-pilot's.

4/17/07, 7 hrs: used 5/8" ID high-temp hose to prevent chafing between the oil cooler hoses and oil pressure sender hose.  Used similar smaller diameter hose to keep the lower baffling hold down wire from chafing against lower oil lines.  Used spiral wrap to isolate CHT and EGT wires from spark plug wires.  Devoted another 3 hours to bleeding the brakes, using a couple of pressure bleeders to try to get rid of all the air bubbles.  Also tried using the pedals to force the air out of the caliper, but was unable to get a last bubble that resides on the intake side of the pilot's right brake master cylinder.  When applying pressure on the pedal, the bubble disappears into the master cylinder, but refuses to pass to the pressure side.  Since the pilot's pedals are firm, I am going to try to live with this situation, keeping a sharp eye out for more bubbles and, especially, pedal softening.  Soldered the ring connectors to the oil and fuel pressure senders.  Replaced the autopilot switch with a B&C 2-10 to control the EFIS and AP together.  GRT says you can have the DUs on during engine start, but they blank out and reboot when you hit the starter, so I'd rather have them off.  This means that only the EIS is on during engine start.

4/18/07, 7 hrs: another breezy day with little chance for a taxi test.  Implemented the last of the FAA inspector-mandated fixes, to whit, modifications to the vent tube.  Bent the bottom so it vents between the exhaust pipes, not on one of them.  Also, cut a sharper angle at the bottom to minimize air stream pressure up the pipe, and drilled a relief hole near the top (size X, halfway between Mattituck-recommended 3/8" to 7/16").  Turn the upper left header/pipe coupling bolt around because it was too close to touching the exhaust header.

Tackled the autopilot issue with the help of breakout boxes.  Midway through testing, I noted that the pin 6 to pin 9 (ground) voltage was a negative value.  I performed the identical test on the pitch servo and got a positive value.  I then looked at the roll servo connector and found that I'd inadvertently switched the pin 6 and pin 9 wires.  Fixed that and all's well.

Proceeded to a low-speed taxi test.  Unable to start the engine, I checked the fuse for the fuel primer solenoid and found it burned out.  The wire can easily take a 2A fuse, so I installed one and the engine fired up immediately.  Test took 25 minutes total.  Findings:

- Performed the brake conditioning per Cleveland's instructions, low-speed taxi maneuvers and confirmed that the brakes hold fine.

- Idle is 510rpm on mag only, 720rpm with LSE on, 700rpm (approximately) with mag off.

- Even with a checklist in hand, I missed several items due to excitement/terror; need to work on that.

- After 1,700rpm run for brake dragging, was able to get CHT to drop by idling, but oil temp gradually rose unabated.

- Fuel pressure indicated 12 psi, which is outside the range, but shows 6 psi after shutdown.  Need to check that the sender is grounding to the frame; will do a test on that tomorrow.

- Established landing attitude picture: end of the cowling is on the horizon, centerline is between 2nd and 3rd camlock.

- Idle rise test during shutdown leaning only resulted in 10rpm rise.  Need to do it again.

4/19/07, 7 hrs: checked clamps on exhaust pipes as they were looking a little close to the cowling.  Installed the remaining inspection plates as well as the wing root fairings.  The latter are best clecoed at the upper leading edge, working your way back to the trailing edges of the wing.  WD40 on the rubber is pretty critical too.  Installed all the inside metal panels, as well as the leather and faux leather paneling.  Finally, worked on familiarizing myself with the EFIS.

4/20/07, 6 hrs: did some configuration work on the EFIS and EIS, and then a full inspection of the firewall forward.  Torqued and tightened every bolt, screw, and fastener.  Noticed a discolored place on the inside of the lower cowling, where the exhaust header and pipe come within about 1/2" of the fiberglass.  Wrapped the pipe with heat shielding and applied a couple of strips on the cowling using high-temp RTV.  Also, used some .041 safety wire to ground the body of the fuel pressure sender in an attempt to get a better reading of fuel pressure.  Flew an hour with my hangar neighbor in his KISTR-1.

4/22/07, first flight (see Flight testing.)

4/23/07, 4 hrs: took cowling off and retorqued everything.  Went through the whole baffling-to-engine fit and RTV'ed every last gap.  Got rid of all the alerts on the EIS except for low oil pressure, and raised the alerts on the engine monitor to 450 for CHT, 240 for oil temp.  Thanks to Martin, determined why fuel doesn't drain from the gascolator -- it's above the lowest point on the airplane when the tail is down.  The gascolator may disappear to make room for the GRT fuel flow option someday.  Checked the exciter voltage to the fuel pressure sender and it's normal.  Today, the fuel pressure was normal when I pressurized the system with the fuel pump.  We'll see how that holds in the future.  Relabeled a couple of switches where the labels had fallen off.

4/24/07, 6 hrs: glassed in the inside aspect of the cowling inlets scoops since the outer aspect of the scoop is outside the baffling.  Loosened up the bolts around which the pilot's right brake pedal pivots in order to see whether the slight sticking of the brake master cylinder can be eliminated.  Made no detectable difference, so left the left brake pedal alone.  Conducted the GRT initial, GRT magnetometer, and Digiflight IIVSGV ground tests.  Cowling's on tight, all's good for flight number two tomorrow.

4/25/07, 4 hrs: second flight.  A great flight.  Afterwards, updated checklists, marked 10, 20, and 30 degree marks on the left flap for experimentation purposes on pattern work - when I get another 5 hours on the engine, at least.  Adjusted low oil pressure alert to 20psi, changed p1 of EIS to show RPM - which I need before the EFIS boots up, at the expense of fuel pressure - which I can wait for after the EFIS has booted up.  Glassing in of the inlet scoops' inside opening, as well as a more detailed sealing of baffle-to-engine gaps with RTV probably resulted in closing off about 50 square inches of air leaks inside the cowling.  I expect this had something to do with better engine cooling.

4/27/07, 5 hrs: unable to fly because of weather and needing another sim session to bring my IFR currency up to date, I spent time on the gear leg fairings and wheel pants.  A few questions to ask Vans and just the grinding tedium of finishing fiberglass parts.  Glad I did not build a composite airplane.

4/30/07: third flight.  Another excellent adventure.  Afterwards, performed an oil change per Mattituck instructions, made some adjustments to the EIS and EFIS settings.  Checked firewall forward fittings for tightness, leaks, etc...  All's good.

5/3/07: in the course of my pre-flight inspection found that one of the blades is rubbing against the spinner in the high pitch position.  Removed the spinner to relieve this interference, but discovered that the base of the propeller blade bears a 1 inch long gash about 1/64" deep.  After a good, solid "holy shit" moment, I sought the advice of two IAs who unanimously recommended I contact Sensenich at Lancaster airport.  Removed the prop and cuddled it up in the back of the truck for transport on Monday - on the way to moving my younger daughter back home from college in Massachusetts.  Without seeing it, Sensenich opines that it probably can be dressed instead of having the blade replaced.  Also, removed the governor for shipment to MT so they can adjust the hunting problem out (see the explanation in the flight testing page).  Finally, received the "fuel flow option" package from GRT, which I will begin to install tomorrow.  With a little time to spare, sent off the governor.

5/4/07: I called Sensenich this morning at 9 and asked if they could do the fix while I waited -- assuming it was fixable. The boss said "maybe", so I drove the 2.5hrs to Allentown.  They looked at it and pronounced it doable and I left for lunch.  Back 2 hours later I found that they had just finished and were preparing to balance it.  The prop looks new, with no visible or tactile trace of the repair.  Back to hangar at 7p, mounted the prop with the assist of a possible RV-builder-to-be, and home by 9pm.  The Sensenich guys are not only fine technicians, they are artists too.

5/9/07: safetied the prop (use 18" lengths of .041" wire), improved the spinner-to-prop clearance to 1/8" all around, and reinstalled the spinner.  The pen tube is exactly 1/8" in diameter).  Checked the brake fluid reservoir and added enough to bring it to 3/4" from top of the reservoir.  Checked alternator and aux alternators P-lead nuts for tightness.  Notched the baffle seals in three spots in an attempt to improve the fit against the cowling.

5/13/07: installed the governor and performed two run-ups, cycling the prop several times each time.  Confirmed no leaks and no chafing between the prop and spinner.  Ready to resume flying.

5/24/07: secured flapping left wing root gap seal end with E6000.  Installed the PCU5000X propeller governor and performed a runup 1,700rpm and 2,200rpm without leaks or problems.  Set up rpm/map data boxes on DU1 primary flight display.

5/29/07, 6 hrs: made the gear leg fairings, installed the hinge on the left one.

5/30/07, 3 hrs: installed the USB extensions to the GRT EFISes.

5/31/07, 4 hrs: fabricated a jacking setup to raise the plane off the ground for the purpose of installing the gear leg and wheel fairings.  While up on the jack, I replaced the wheel fairing mounting brackets with stainless steel versions.  Moved into my new hangar.

6/11/07, 8 hrs: installed the left wheel fairing.

6/12/07, 8 hrs: installed the right wheel fairing and began work on finishing the right gear leg fairing.

6/13/07, 8 hrs: finished the right gear leg fairing.  Removed the zip ties on both legs and replaced them with lacing cord because they made the fairings bulge weirdly.  Installed both leg fairings and performed the alignment procedure per Van's instructions.  Test fit the Fairings Etc intersection fairings, which seem excellent.  Removed the gear fairings and drilled the nutplate holes -- very tedious given the location and stainless brackets.

6/14/07, 7 hrs: finished installing the nutplates on the fairing brackets and finalized the wheel fairings and their installation.  Trimmed the wheel openings to 7/8" -- in between Van's alleged 3/4" to 1".

6/18/07, 7 hrs: installed a 9/32" bushing and AN3-12 bolt on the throttle control arm in order to reduce the angle between the throttle control cable and control arm at the idle position.  There seemed to be some binding when I pulled the throttle control all the way back.  Also, moved the control cable back in order to allow some space between the control rod and plastic fitting.  Test fit and trimmed the upper intersection fairing with the lower cowling installed.  Glassed on the optional reinforcements on the gear leg fairing fingers, let them cure, and final installed for flight.  Installed the wheel fairings, safetying the U-808 bracket's AN4H-5A bolt to a hole I drilled in the bracket.  Spray painted white the area on the lower cowling where there are oil varnish spatters from earlier flights.  Applied a bead of RTV where the carburetor meets the FAB mounting plate; there was blue avfuel residue which I believe was evidence of fuel leaking out from the carb and getting blown through the gap by the pressurized air coming from the FAB.

6/19/07, 4 hrs: safety wired the clips that connect the tailwheel chains and spring to the rudder control horn and tailwheel control arm.  I had found one clip's section disconnected from the tailwheel control arm.  Upon return from test flight, found that the gear fairings had both slipped forward at the base, not back as I would have expected.  Moved on to install the fuel flow meter.

6/20/07, 6 hrs: finalized the installation of the fuel flow option.

6/21/07, 4 hrs: turned the idle mixture screw out one full turn.  Lean test did not result in an rpm rise, so let it out one more full turn.  Reoriented the exhaust pipes that may have been chafing against the cowling.  Added safety wire to better secure the heat wrap around the left exhaust linkage.  Installed the upper intersection fairings as shown in the pictures.

6/22/07, 5 hrs: installed the lower intersection fairings.

7/5/07, 4 hrs: sanded lower intersection fairings in preparation for glassing on layers to protect the seams.  Performed a backflush of the fuel flowmeter, finding no debris, so I removed it for return to GRT.

7/6/07, 4 hrs: installed the upper fiberglass overlapping layers on the lower intersection fairings, let set up, and sanded to fit.

7/9/07, 2 hrs: soldered P-lead wires to their respective ring terminals, and same for ground wires for the fuel primer solenoid and another ground lead.  Redocked the 430 and got a good-but-a-little-scratchy radio check from a station about 3/4 miles away.  To be monitored.  Covered up the hole at the top of the crankcase vent tube to check whether it's the source of the oil I am finding on the firewall recess.  Turned the idle mixture screw out on more full turn, since I am still not getting a rise in rpm as I lean to idle cutoff.  Glassed on the inside layers between lower intersection fairing halves, made 11/4" holes for access to the tire valves, and replaced the right valve core.

7/16/07: replaced the 430 com 10A fuse with a new one and the radio works fine.  Old fuse ohmed out perfectly, so there may have been a problem with it vibrating out of the fuse block.

7/17/07: finger crimped right aileron in an attempt to reduce heavy left wing, per Van's instructions.  Performed oil change, filter change, spark plug service and rotation (1 to 4, 2 to 3), differential compression test #1 77/80, #2 77/80, #3 78/80, #4 75/80.  Found oil trace from right side nut that secures the governor pedestal to the engine case, burned oil at #2 cylinder header junction.  Laced the cabin heat SCAT tube to an AWG 2 wire since the RTV is not sticking to the casing of the wire.  Checked and tightened all hose clamps, valve cover screws, fuel fittings, and oil fittings.  After the runup, found oil at the #2 cylinder header junction and solicited Mahlon Russell's assistance.  More information about leaks and anomalies is in the builder book for hand written notes.

7/18/07, 8 hrs: as part of reinstalling the GRT fuel flow option, installed a pulsation dampener per GRT's instructions in order to make sure flowmeter readings with the boost pump on and off are consistent.  Used a 12" length of aluminum fuel line, teed into the remaining port of the gascolator.  Upon fitting the flow meter to its mounting shelf, I found that I had inadvertently installed the first flow meter backward, with fuel flowing into the "OUT" port and out of the "IN" port.  Had to refabricate the input line and modify the output line to accommodate a flexible fuel line.

7/19/07, 4 hrs: finished the flow meter installation.  Ran a flow test that showed 27.1 gph by calculating how long it took for 1.187 gallons to run in 2'38".  The EIS showed an average of 28.1 gph, so apparently the unit works right.   Sanded the filler on the wheel fairings/lower intersection fairing seam and added some more.

7/30/07, 1 hr: sanded filler on the wheel/lower intersection fairing seam.

8/1/07: trimmed the upper intersection fairings to eliminate interference and chafing with gear leg fairings.  Installed Arlon rubber material on gear legs to give gear leg fairing clamps something to grip on -- left gear leg fairing gradually slipped down about 3/4" from proper position.

9/3/07: modified the fuel flow FloCal setting on the EIS to address the flowmeter's 5% high reading.  Set number to 190.

9/11/07: finalized installation of the XM module and ADI.  Updated Horizon I MFD Version 30a (2007-08-09) (includes AHRS version 0.26).