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<SNIP>

So how the dickens do the Chinese get around this, when it comes to the supply of precise specifications materials?

Presumably same applies to the dodgy building materials that come in from China as 'asbestos free'.

 

 

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Properly-engineered materials, and the construction of accurately-engineered items, rely on precise measurements.

.

Although you should always stay on your toes here, there isn't much of a problem in high quality materials industries.

 

Presumably same applies to the dodgy building materials that come in from China as 'asbestos free'.

Whoa, back up there.

 

Chinese Standards state quite clearly that "X" percentage of trace elements are allowable in various products. No different to most countries. Those building materials involved in that "schemozzle" had traces of asbestos in the amounts that were allowable within Chinese law.

 

If you import product from another country, the prerogative is on you to ensure that product meets Australian Standards.

 

I have no problem stating that China has a large number of cheats, thieves and liars in business, but it's not always "Their fault!" either.

 

 

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Asbestos has become a lunacy thing in Australia. In the form of asbestos cement it is at least as safe as being outside on a windy dry day. Yep, asbestos occurs naturally and is present in dust.

 

Yet the politically correct pinko-greenie vegetarian loonies who would have failed grade 7 chemistry have declared it a taboo substance if there is a molecule present in a building material.

 

 

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Another lunacy thing is " heavy metal contamination" which means that sump-oil soaked into the ground. On the new hospital in Adelaide they delayed the project for weeks and spent millions digging out the soil which was going to be under the thick reinforced concrete basement floor because years before, the railways had let sump oil ( obviously with bearing-metals in it) out there.

 

 

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... and in the meantime...

 

The wing tips are proving to be a pain in the behind and I have started on a new iteration, no pictures because I haven't been to the factory for a few days. been busy with my Grant proposal and it's just too damn hot, totally normal for these few days of late July here.

 

 

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Presumably same applies to the dodgy building materials that come in from China as 'asbestos free'.

As Bex points out, under the rules in China a product is free of Asbestos if it contains less than 5%. You cant call them dodgy if the product meets their rules.

 

If you are talking about a facade panel as being the "product", 5% can be a lot of asbestos....

 

 

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Presumably same applies to the dodgy building materials that come in from China as 'asbestos free'.

Easy to interpret incorrectly, it actually means that there is no charge for the asbestos content. 096_tongue_in_cheek.gif.d94cd15a1277d7bcd941bb5f4b93139c.gif095_cops.gif.448479f256bea28624eb539f739279b9.gif

 

Alan.

 

 

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Wing tips are one of those bits where fiberglass does the job pretty good.

 

For a low-price kit, some templates and a polystyrene block would do. You sand the foam to the shape and cover it with glass to get the tip.

 

The foam could be left there or washed away with petrol. the tip could have a joggle and be riveted onto the wing.

 

A third-party could also make the tips.

 

But what shape? Lotsa fun deciding that.

 

 

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Wing tips are one of those bits where fiberglass does the job pretty good.

The very ends will have 'glass tips eventually, but I am trying to achieve a more accurate and, and, at least for the moment, quickly adjustable 'anti tip stall' scheme at present.

 

Wing tip stalling is a killer and not something I would risk to homebuilders making their own tips.

 

 

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So I drew up a new wing tip design.

 

Just very happy about the lasered pre-matched holes, how accurate and easy to assemble they are, bare minutes and they are done, the ribs in this case, but the skins to the ribs are the same, just line up and pop away.

 

884518263_newtip1.jpg.180b8c81c880a397abdb3d175b370279.jpg

 

60159533_newtip2.jpg.dd66627ac4a25df103e6f6d963f734be.jpg

 

1798335175_newtip3.jpg.34420c2945588fd5cbb1f69cc6a5d915.jpg

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

For the moment I have just finished off the wings as straight tapered. I will develop some fiberglass tips from some I already have.

 

They look great in real life, the patchwork effect you see in the pictures from multiple sheets with different orientations, is not the final sheeting schedule, and will look much nicer on production model with less sheets.

 

The ailerons will be extended also on the production model, but we'll see how it flies first.

 

I still have the step on area to do, and then I will do a load test.

 

1410415596_final3.jpg.6fb7d41f81dea26d3f72dc9aad541116.jpg

 

2017132872_final1.jpg.712ba98fe8362336e199b1e49ded11c9.jpg

 

1477618927_final2.jpg.64663ee8f9d60fa3eb85371667738d82.jpg

 

Got to move one of my planes in the morning, this should get a few stares driving down the road ...

 

113263645_towcar.jpg.6448bfddb2ad1da789e0607ae78c8967.jpg

 

 

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Tip tanks! I can see these wings crying out for a couple of slick tip tanks! At the end of the day, adequate fuel reserves are vital, and fuel stored in tip tanks is fuel stored away from the cabin area, with all the important ramifications associated with that feature.

 

 

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Tip tanks! I can see these wings crying out for a couple of slick tip tanks!

I must admit I love tip tanks.

 

I love 1950' sci fi movies lately and they often feature F84s sent to shoot down the UFO ...

 

300px-F-84E_of_9th_Fighter-Bomber_Squadron_in_Korea.jpg

 

 

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What aircraft is that...sort of looks like a Terrier

Not just a Terrier, it's number 001, with custom made aluminium wings (I know the guy who made them).

 

001, just imagine, collectible, worth a fortune!

 

 

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Well looks like I'll just have to stay on the one course for the next few months as it's unlikely I'll get a Government Grant this round.

 

Paperwork problem, nothing else.

 

We'll fix it of course, but will be a few months before the next application rounds start.

 

 

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Paperwork problem, nothing else.

We'll fix it of course,

... and went in today to Government Affairs, 20 minutes and all fixed.

 

Chinese Public Servants are not well paid, have a job for life (literally), read newspapers all day long and don't want to one bit of responsibility that might put their jobs at risk, i.e. "No" people. Can be frustrating.

 

One single mistake on a form and you take it away and do it all again, have a minor discrepancy in a Grant application, and it immediately fails.

 

So next time an Australian Public Servant changes something on your form and simply gets you to initial it, be thankful!

 

 

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Time to start on a canopy and cockpit in general.

 

Starting from 11am in the morning from scratch, I designed on the computer, laser cut, fabricated and fitted the entire canopy support frame you see here in blue by 4pm in the afternoon. Took pictures but they magically disappeared from my phone so you get the 3D version - but assure you it is very real and fitted.

 

Tomorrow I will start to cut out some cardboard and figure flat wrap canopy similar to what you see here.

 

506598709_canopy3.jpg.def3001e93280cba69f67a0d0525aadf.jpg

 

46975334_canopy1.jpg.cc049d579c158be2d3a446adf4fa63f4.jpg

 

1850893056_canopy2.jpg.5ba7bcfcdc6222f12cf04dff41ac27a9.jpg

 

 

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