The first job today was to complete the installation of the brakes. The top end of the master cylinder pistons were connected to the brake bars on the rudder pedals. Then the fluid intakes were connected to the "T" junction on the fluid reservoir. Finally, the fluid outlets were connected to the AN fittings screwed through the floor. These will then connect to the brake lines running down inside the leg fairings. Next the front cheek panels were covered on the inside with the same self-adhesive felt fabric as the baggage compartment walls. These were then clecoed into place ready for riveting to the firewall.The posting on the 26th October shows how I had had to cut the airscoop in half horizontally in order to increase its depth. Yesterday, I had put a first layer of glass on the inside of the gap to join the two halves and put a slurry of resin and microballoons on the outside to level up the surface. I had also put a first layer of glass over the joint between the top section of the airscoop and the cowl proper. Today, the joints were sanded to create a key and two extra layers of glass were glued into place over both the joints. The three layers should be enough for a final result but I'll check it tomorrow to see if I think it needs one extra layer. Then the cowl was inverted and a slurry of resin and microballoons used to filet the intersection between the airbox and cowl. This can be easily sanded once set to get a clean smooth joint. Any resin left over from each layup is mixed with some white pigment and painted onto the inside of the cowl. Once completed properly this will seal the inside of the cowl and allow any drips from the engine to be easily seen. Finally three layers of glass
were applied to the joint in the airbox. Once this is set I will filet the inside of the joint to make sure that the air can flow smoothly into the filter.
