Bigglesworth

Solid rivets only in the spars and a couple in the rudder hinge, it was important for me to do some of them at the factory because I hadn't done solid rivetting before and had no idea about it. It is actually pretty easy but unless you know how much the rivets need flattening, you could easily make them too flat and crack.

A week in The Town With The River (Taree) It took Garry about 4 weeks to get the kit ready after I sent the deposit, but it took me longer than that to arrange the necessary moolah, so it was the last week in June when I drove the 10 or so hours to Taree. (I won't bother you with the stress it caused me when my ute failed rego the week before I had to leave, just say lucky I'm a mechanic). So I get to Taree And I start work. This plane really is incredible. By mid-morning I realised why there wasn't many photos available of the early construction stages: they were completed before I had time to get my camera out. By the end of the first day, I had the walls of the fuselage built, and started to pull them together. If anyone is going to build a Cheetah, spend some time at the factory. With Garry giving me directions I saved weeks of scratching my head, and I was sure of what I built. And, for the whole 6 days I worked there, Garry only charged me $600 for the privilege of telling me what to do. Thats right, just $600 for saving weeks of time, getting a better job done, and learning heaps on the way. And you couldn't ask for a better place to work in than the factory, plenty of space, all the necessary tools, good atmosphere; they even let me listen to my country and western music while I worked. So back to work, the next 2 days didn't go so quickly. Gussets, gussets and more gussets, the basic shape was the same, just stronger, On day 3 I started on the elevators. This was good because I hadn't done much fibreglassing and wanted to make sure that my standard was good enough. It was, but it was there that I made my first mistake: the root rib is angled and because of this angle it must be drilled 1/4 inch further back for the shaft. Mine isn't. Therefore my elevators are 1/4 inch longer. No big deal.:confused: I got to the spars next. Or to one spar, I ran out of time for both. The way to cut the angles down is first cut the bulk with a circular saw (messy job) then clean it with the power planer, and lastly sand it with a belt sander. Of course I thought I could do this better, I tried to smooth the edges with the planer. Uh Oh. BIG mistake. Firstly it took off too much from the edge and looked horrible, 2ndly, no safe edge on a planer: one deep chunk out of the spar angle. And now I have some rubbish aluminium to dispose of. :;)1: A new spar angle cost me $65 and I took better care this time. Warning. BE VERY SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH A PLANER BEFORE YOU TAKE IT TO YOUR NICE NEW AEROPLANE!! Then I had to put the spar together. The correct method is get the distance right at the start and the end of the taper, then make sure the angles are straight. I got this pretty right the first time, but one hole had to be slotted slightly (about 2 mm, solid rivet fills this). Then I was running late, I wanted to do the solid rivetting before I left, so I needed to clean the parts off as soon as I could. Garry lent me a drill and some sandpaper and I did it that night. I was camping in the back of the ute so no problems with aluminium chips getting everywhere. The Saturday morning was my last day. I got the the spar rivetted no problems, and then had to load the fuse on the roofrack and the rest in the back. It fitted but I had to put the camping gear in the front and could hardly see my mirrors. But I made it home with everyone staring at me. I enjoyed the trip, it was like "so what you have a WRX, I have something faster here, don't look down on me". One big step done.

Thanks for the tips, they will be followed, well, not the cow colours. The name comes from the fact that I always loved that expression, for those of you who don't know it, it means bull***t off, just do it. Cowboy up and get on that bull, that sort of thing. And thats what it was like for me to take on this project. Also I see myself as a cowboy of sorts, and it should take me up.

The Beginning So I suppose the start is when I learned to fly. I have about 56 hour total spread out over 6 years on planes ranging from a Bantam to a C150. I have done my PPL theory but have only got my RA licence. I got this in a Gazelle which is a plane I enjoy flying but consider hopelessly slow. Anyway I would have been content to hire planes from the club, but the airport is 1 hour drive away. By the time you get there the weather is sour. So I wanted my own plane. Of course it had to be fast, flash, be able to land in a nearby paddock, and it had to be a chick magnet :) Oh, and I had to be able to afford it. That last one left my choices between a 2nd hand drifter or thruster; so much for the other criteria. But I kept looking at all these planes I was dreaming of, and I started looking at kit planes. I mean, after all I was a part time mechanic and a carpenter's assistant the rest of the time; if I couldn't build a plane, then there was something wrong. In any case, the kits were still too expensive, only the Cheetah seemed reasonable. And the fact that Garry answered all my questions about it, even when I told him that I couldn't afford it, made me want one even more. And then, by Natfly 2007 I had a bit of money saved up from working 7 days a week, 6:30-5:00 so I figured I would check out this plane with a view to buying it. I was impressed by the plane at Natfly. Garry took me for a spin, but I only have 56 hours, I can't tell what's good or not. I just liked the looks of it, and the performance specs, and I felt that, even though I might run into problems, Garry was a good enough bloke to get me out of them. I sent off the deposit on the 27.4.07. 11 days after my 20th Birthday.

Heya Everyone. Those of you who have been reading the other Cheetah thread will know that I am in the process of building a Morgan Aeroworks Cheetah kit. I have been working on it for a few weeks now and have realised that I have the time to keep an ongoing progress report with pictures and more. So, for the sake of anyone interested in buying one, or anyone who wants to learn form my mistakes, this is the thread. Also if you want to track my progress and laugh at my mistakes, feel free to read it and post comments, questions and other things. And if you see me making a mistake, For Goodness Sake TELL ME Before I Go Any Further.:) I normally work on the plane on the weekend, so over the coming week I will try to fill in the basics of what I have already done. (and why I did it and how I fixed it up :)) Then starting next week, you will get a running commentary on what I've been doing. As to the title of the thread; Cowboy Up is the name of my plane, I will paint it large on the side like on a BnS ute. Next to the RM decals. Look forward to your comments, and to seeing you in the air. Biggles

You posted while I was writing, read in different order. Back to proper order, It looks like I'm way ahead of Tim at the moment, but how long that will last, I don't know. Especially when it comes to fitting out the motor and electrical where he can copy the original but I have to design all my own wiring etc. Maybe it won't be as hard as I think, but then again......... I think if you get yours first, I will be that jealous that I will stop working everywhere else and work 16 hours a day on mine. You getting yours is good incentive for me to keep working. I am indebted to you . Now I'd better get of the computer and get some sleep. Work on the plane tomorrow night. Probably work until past 1. Again.

Nice, but I wanted the nav lights too. In fact the full night kit. The tip lights I mentioned seem to cost about $900. Ouch. I want the full night kit because; a, I won't draw attention if I am up late, b, hopefully there will be a change in regs one day to allow rec. night vfr. Anyone else support a night rating? Say, the plane has to meet Casa specs, pilot has to have a GA NVFR rating, what would be the problem?

BTW don't let me put you off with the story of the tail (tale of the tail) if you are thinking of buying a cheetah: Garry knows the plans are the weak point and is getting them redrawn on CAD. The new ones should make building even easier than it already is. They are expected (I think) sometime later this year.

How did you do that picture so easily? I was thinking of metallic green on top and light grey underneath. And with a stripe pattern instead of a sweep. I've got the fin and rudder done, so progress is happening, but I only seem to be able to spare 2 days a week it plus a night or 2 which isn't enough. I will work harder. The tail is drawn a bit hard to understand in the plans, so mine ended up slightly different shape;), same as 4763. I told Garry this and he has changed the plans but that doesn't help me. It isn't too bad, see the attachment. I've been looking into lights and strobes for it, I wanted to put one on the tail and run the wires before rivetting, but I found out that you can get combination heads for the tips which meet all the specs. Not that rec planes can fly at night legally..............;) What extras are going onto yours?

Heya, I love your car, what about building a plane next?

Continue the equation: Less fun= might as well be dead :clown: By August mine should be about 3/4 done, it seems Tim will beat me. Have you decided on what colour you want? As for a surfboard, I could probably fit it in mine, just remove the passenger side seat and you can stick it right to the back and through to the firewall, How you'd get it there I don't know :).

Garry took me for a short flight at Natfly, that is the only time I have been up in a Cheetah. I figured that with only 56 hours flying experience I probably can't pick a good or bad plane anyway, so I rely on what others say. Talking of storage, if you think Garry's has a large cargo hold, mine is bigger. I challenge you to find another 2 seater where you can fit a guitar in the cargo hold. Or fishing rods. How soon are you getting yours? You have to learn to fly it already? I predict that I will have fun and games when I go to try to learn to fly mine and test fly it at the same time. I might get someone else to test fly it but that would spoil the fun. I got the turtle deck on mine today, very happy.

The Sierra is going to have a slightly higher/larger canopy which will help with headroom, although Garry says that they have had 6'2 in the cheetah. Seating is in sports car fashion with very low seats and is comfortable if you like that sort of thing (I do). Elbow room is 42 inches, just keep away from large people and you will be fine. Attached is my boss and I in Garry's demonstrator at Natfly. Used without permission of my boss, and he's probably going to read this.

I've been looking all over the net for good advice on painting aeroplanes but have as yet been unsuccessful. Does anyone know of any site where you can get a clear answer on what paint is needed, what it costs and where you get it? The plane I want to paint is my Cheetah (when I get it built) which is aluminium, stits, and fibreglass. I want two colours, one of them metallic (no, I won't tell you the colour scheme) Could someone point me in the right direction where I can compare cost and quality. Thanks

I'd better hurry up, I have got the tube frame built and the spars almost. I haven't got a loan approved yet so I might get stuck without a motor :( How many rubber bands do you think I need? Considering that Garry's designs come from models, it might work I think I managed to attach a picture of how far I got.

If I remember correctly, Tim told me that told me that the person buying the built one wanted a higher canopy and rather than modify the existing one, he was going to build an entirely new one. So I will be racing Tim. A bit of a no contest. You will get a better built plane earlier than me. But I will get a cheaper one, and have it more personally customized than you. Please don't beat me to requesting the rego number 4242; for me this plane is twice the meaning of life, the universe and everything, :)

Reminds me of when I tried to learn Assembly coding (programming). One the example programs with the tutorial brought up this message box saying "Windows Desktop: Do you require extra space for beer?" Click on yes and it opens up the CD drawer.

Race you to finish your kit. Best of luck with yours, I'll come and see you when I've finished. Are you calling yours the 'Heart of Gold' ? :) Keep in contact, I'll see if I can help with any problems if I have passed them first. And I'll ask you in return. But most of my questions are like "what do you do when you accidentally put bolt A into hole B instead of a rivet, and now where do I get another bolt A?" :)

Have got the kit, have spent a week at the factory and would recommend that path to every one else (the purchase and the week at the factory). I would put pics up, but things go together so quick that there isn't time for pic taking. I will keep working and in a couple of months it will be finished. Then I will have more time. It has been so fun so far that I am thinking of writing an article about building it for the RAA mag if they accept it. So sorry for nothing now, wait for big write-up and look for me upwards.

A would be hijacker jumps up with a bag over his face. No eyeholes. "Hands down, this is a stuff up". Then he says "one false move and you're geography". A passenger says, "um, don't you mean history" "don't change the subject"

I heard a varient which is a bit shorter. On the building site, there's 2 Irishmen; Mick and Paddy, a Scotsman; Mac, and an Aussie; Wack. Oh, and a wog. He's always getting picked on. One day the foreman sees them picking on the wog and says: "Mick, Mac, Paddy, Wack, leave the wog alone".

That depends, is that in the nature of an enquiry or an invitation? :) Actually I drink very little, the bundy is for the others to provide entertainment for me.

G'day, I can't give you any pointers because I am only a newie here myself. But I am sure you will find enough info on these forums to help. I just wanted to say that the idea of flying to an isolated spot for a campfire is also my idea of heaven. Maybe substitute a bottle of Bundy for the coco, there is no alcohol limit on flying planes :) Hope you find what you are after, your plan is a worthy one.

I started serious training when I was 15, I was flat broke for a few years. I only have 50 something hours up, but at average $130 an hour thats $6500 and thats a lot for someone that age especially since, until recently, I have had nothing to show for it. I could have spent it on my car and had something to show off. Then again a lot of people spent it on alcohol and never have anything to show for it :( So I am used to being flat broke for the sake of aviation. This time, however, I hopefully will have something serious to show for it. Like (I assume) all kit builders, I wish I had started <insert length of time it will take to build it> ago. But it is no point worrying about the time it will take, or I will still be worrying about the build time when I would otherwise be finished.

Being young and stupid, he probably tried to land anyway (like I would) and most likely made it and then the controller looked like a real fool. And the pilot thinks he's cool, but his good looking female pax that he wants to impress was that scared by the night landing that she never wants anything to do with him again. You can't win them all......