HANDS ON
HOMEBUILDER’S HANDBOOK
only goes so far. Take a look at my Hints for Homebuilders
video clip on turnbuckle safetying for a good primer on how
it’s done (look for a link on www.SportAviation.org).
Another detail where spending a little time with the
thinking cap on will pay dividends is routing of lines, wires,
and cables. Some builders do a pretty good job of this, but
many seem to only think about the single system they’re
working on and forget about what’s going to come later. You
really want the area under your cowling or behind your
instrument panel to look like a well-laid-out road map rather
than a bowl of spaghetti. Spend some time thinking about the
whole project, including continued airworthiness concerns
(in other words, how you’re going to access stuff for maintenance) when routing lines, cables, and wires. A little time
spent during the construction process will pay you back
handsomely down the road.
Remember, building an aircraft isn’t one big project. It’s a
series of small projects. Spend time thinking about the little
things.
Joe Norris, EAA Lifetime 113615, is EAA’s homebuilders’ community manager.
He is a technical counselor, flight advisor, CFI, A&P-IA mechanic, and a designated
airworthiness representative.
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