Flight testing continued
We are still in the phase of flight testing. The pictures above show test flights where we have to determine cruise speed and fuel consumption. So far these values are …
Paint Job Done
Together with some expert friends we painted the Rebel. It was a lot of work to prepare the already “used” surfaces. We used Aluminum wash primer, base filler, 2K color …
Flying Impressions
This morning we continued our flight testing programs and checked Vy and Vx. At 3000 ft the Rebel reached about 650 feet/min (not fully loaded) at 65 kts. Final numbers …
Bungee Fairing
While performing the flight testing we do some minor improvements. One point is a fairing around the bungees. Firstly I wanted to protect the fairings against dirt and oil. But …
New blog layout
Due to incompatibilites of my old wordpress layout with the new versions, I had to switch to a new theme. All info is still there, it will take some time …
New Tailspring and Tailwheel
Having to repair the tailwheel, I decided to go for a slightly new setup. One of the major considerations was weight. With such a long lever I didn’t want to …
Tailwheel Spring Delaminated
During starting suddenly the tailwheel spring was breaking. This was not a nice experience. I couldn’t steer anymore and the Rebel went to the left. Furtunately not far and I …
Flight testing
Next phase to get the full aircraft permissions is flight testing. We have to do a long catalog of tests to make sure the Rebel is performing well. Calibration of …
First Flight
A great day this morning. Our Rebel made his first flight in Koblenz-Winningen. Everything was perfect. The engine ran smoothly and with enough power. Wow! This was a nice reward …
Strut Fairing
In the meantime I also made the strut fairings. They are fabricated from 0.015″ aluminum as per the manual. Getting them in a proper shape is a lot of work. …
Waiting and Waiting for the OUV – Gear Fairings
We are waiting and waiting for our OUV-assessment. It’s really frustrating having a ready to go airplane and waiting for the bureaucracy. Meanwhile I am doing minor things, which where …
Foil for rear wall
For insulation and soundproofing I used a aluminum air bubble film foil. This weighs nearly nothing and should give good insulation. Fixing of the foil on the back is with …
Rear Wall
Since I am still waiting, I started doing minor things. One of these was a rear wall, which I wanted to have to make sure no luggage goes into the …
Waiting and waiting for the reviewer
Long time no post! There is not really much left to do. The plane is ready to fly, but the bureaucracy drives me crazy. I am waiting for my reviewer …
Flap Indicator
The inspector advised to install an flap indicator. With the standard setup it was not possible to make appropriate markings. An aluminim strip above the installation makes it possible to …
Wing Fairings
Fabricating the wing fairings was a time consuming job. Lots of checking and reshaping. Due to the ballistic recovery system harness at the front wing connection it has to be …
Weight and Balance
With support from the local aircraft works, I did the weighing of the Rebel this morning. I am quite happy with the results: Although I installed a ballistic recovery system …
Rescue System Harness
I received the ballistic recovery system from Junkers Profly and started installation of rocket, container and harnesses. The picture above shows the holding point for the backward Aramid harnesses. Picture …
Cotter Pin in Aileron
Inside the ailerons the screws need to be secured via cotter pins. This is really a painful job. The size of the opening is one inch and the nut is …
Identification Plate
As required by the VLA and EASA specifications I needed to install a fireproof identification plate. I decided to install it near the left fin. For marking I used a …
Flaperons Down
Picture shows the flaperons in the Full Flaps down position. Again I got a deflection in the suggested range from Murphy (15 degrees or 3 inches). Looks really great when …
Flaperon deflections
Picture shows the flaperon deflections. The deflections are in the range as suggested by Murphy. I measured 3.5 inches up and 3 inches down.
Flaps Mounted
Flaps have been mounted these days. Now the rebel is in principle ready to fly. Of course some fairings are missing. But before we can do the first flight there …
Torque Tube Connections
Here you can see the connections between the fuselage tube and the torque tube inside the wings. Via this connection the steering commands are transferred into the wings. As nearly …
Aileron Covering
Although the ailerons were the first parts to build, I waited with the covering until now. So it is one of the final steps, but its time to do this. …
Electrical bonding
As requested by our german FAA (LBA) I had to electrically bond every moving part of the plane. This sounds rather superfluous in an all metail aircraft, but it’s probably …
Registration Number
We reserved a registration number for the Rebel: D-EREB. We used a printed foil to put the numbers on the plane. The plane will be painted later, but to …
Engine Running!
A great day today! The engine was started for the first time. It all went perfect. The engine started immediately. All engine values showed absolutely great values. Several security precautions …
Putting Pieces Together
Fuselage, wings, wing tips and tail unit were put together at the airport. Now it looks like a true airplane, ready to start off in the air. But a lot …
Wing Transport
Same trailer was used to transport the wings to the airport hangar. It was only possible to carry one wing at once. In any case it was a safe position …