Sierra 100 Kit Build Underway

Garry let me know my Sierra Kit was ready a little while ago & while I was champing at the bit to get going there are things in life (when you have a wife and a new house that according to her needs a few... well lots of changes plus gardens landscaping etc) that have to be done in a pretty quick order. And I always thought retirement was going to be "My Time". Not so but I knew the time was nigh and went to Taree last Monday just in time to check out Kevin Harrison's new S200 before he headed back to Adelaide with his brand new baby.

 

Nothing really began till nearly lunch and I cut out a whole bunch of gussets and linished them all up, laid out the longerons and all the right sidewall framework with the steel fuselage central cage on the bench template and proceeded to rivet them all together. Some gussets required trimming for a neat finish and I was slow and deliberate but by about 4:00pm I had the first side done.

 

Tuesday dawned cool but sunny with a reasonable westerly breeze. We said our goodbyes to Kevin and Karl and I went back to look at the beginnings of my Sierra. I then turned the frame over and laid out the other side on top to create a mirror image left hand side. I finished this before lunch. Next was to bolt the steel central cage to both sides and then to join them at the firewall end. The sides needed to be pulled in with some ratchet ties to a precise width and the gussets rivetted in. Then the steel engine mount pins were added. After that the seat top and bottoms were bolted in. Again slow and deliberate and I kept checking the plans and manual to make sure it was right. Garry and Tim just kept on working to their own schedules unless I asked a question.

 

Wednesday the weather turned cold and very wet, a good day to be in a hangar. Made a few mistakes and realised that I still needed to think the process through. i.e engage brain before putting body into gear. Pulled the tail in with the ratchet ties and installed the tail fin. Plumbing it was a mission but my perfectionist attitude took over and after a long process got it sussed.

 

Thursday, pay for it day and home. Garry had generously offered me his aircraft trailer to get everything back to Corindi Beach. Got home just after dark. The trip computer showed 7.8 litres/100km going down and 18.5litres/100km towing the trailer coming back. Wow.

 

Now it's on my bench in my garage and I have spent the last day identifying every nut, bolt and part to try and build a good mental picture of where it all fits together.

 

Now the building fun really begins.

 

Watch this space for progress reports.

 

Cheers

 

Kevin

 

 

I'll see you in your magnificent machine soaring above Coffs before you know it!

 

 

Hi kev

 

sounds like we headed back to adelaide the right day, had an educational flight back home it was very exiting with the weather(lots of head wind cloud and rain) learnt so much that you can’t get by reading in the books everyone should experience that first hand.

 

It was good to talk and will look forward to seeing your progress with you sierra keep in contact best wishes

 

kev

 

 

Hi Kg looking forward to seeing your progress reports but don't forget if you are working late in your garage building your new baby...don't forget to telephone your wife before you enter the bedroom because that could be when 'The fight begins' Alan Marriette.

 

PS had to change my avatar because that other Kevin pinched mine.:thumb_down:

 

 

I now have a completed fuselage frame with the firewall, seat bracing, parcel shelf and the elevator spar installed. I was about to install the cable and control box when I realised the cable was too short. Id been given a dual control cable by mistake & it is about 25mm shorter. I'll get the correct one next week but I'll just carry on with the build & install the floor & fuel tank next. The fuel tank will take a while I think as there are several bits to it with baffles that have to be fibre-glassed in, the 2 halves joined, fuel cock & drain plus the filler cap & neck.

 

Boy did we have some rain this week. 400mm in 48 hours & on Tuesday morning at around 6:00am the manhole cover in the garage disappeared up into the roof cavity & water was forced in past the sectional lift door & all the Sioerra parts that were on the floor were now on a wet surface. Plus all the Aluminium sheet nicely stacked against the wall with the ply sheet in front got sucked off the wall & were now all leaning on the bench. This saved them from damage & the ply sheet was wet for about 15mm up from the floor.

 

I dried everything and it all now sits on blocks. The ply dried naturally & there isn't even a water mark on it. My biggest shock came from finding a major abrasion gouge on one wing spar angle. This must have happened on the trip home & I never saw it when putting everything away. Anyway I now have a couple of good solid angle straight edges and work well as a manual sheet folder when clamped in a vise. One new spar angle required though.

 

Here are a couple of pics of the build to date and the spar damage. I can't download photos from my camera at present due to our 11 week old puppy finding his was into the office and deciding to chew up the camera data cable. Luckily the phone camera & cable still work.

 

 

 

looking good kev.Well your hanger looks a little more comfortable than Garry’s ha-ha. Good to see your progress.

 

i have replaced the prop on my sierra, wooden one that was on it before was being destroyed by all the gravel taxiways at Gawler so i decided to replace it with a bolly fibre ground adjustable one. i tried a 56" 3 blade and a 60" 2 blade. the 3 blade achieved about 800 ft/min and 120-125 @ 2800 rpm.the 2 blade achieved 1200 ft/min and 130-135 @ 2800 rpm @3200 rpm it was doing 150 not bad.no second price for guessing which one i choses.

 

kev

 

 

Well the damaged one is now in 3 pieces. One 2 metre length is good for something. The other 2 1.1 metre lengths are now clamp straight edges.

 

 

looking good kev.Well your hanger looks a little more comfortable than Garry’s ha-ha. Good to see your progress.i have replaced the prop on my sierra, wooden one that was on it before was being destroyed by all the gravel taxiways at Gawler so i decided to replace it with a bolly fibre ground adjustable one. i tried a 56" 3 blade and a 60" 2 blade. the 3 blade achieved about 800 ft/min and 120-125 @ 2800 rpm.the 2 blade achieved 1200 ft/min and 130-135 @ 2800 rpm @3200 rpm it was doing 150 not bad.no second price for guessing which one i choses.

kev

I hope Kjfab (my son-in-law) doesn't mind me adding to the above, but the performance with the Bolly prop is about the same as with Gary Morgan's wooden prop, it was only the stone damage that was the problem NOT the performance of Gary's prop. Alan Marriette.:thumb_up:

 

 

I figured it was just because of the stone damage as Kevin came back from a flight along the beach the day before he left Taree & told us he'd got 150 knots & joined overhead at 140 knots. Garry has always claimed that the 3 blade props don't perform as well so you have proved this now.

 

Cut the floor today & spent about half an hour trying to get it in without success. I've checked the fit both sides and front so its a matter of technique. Got it 3/4 in & then had a real hassle getting it out. Now I am going to trim it, sand and paint & then have another go.

 

Kevin

 

 

150 knots as per the published specs. 150 knots IAS would be a little less in CAS/TAS.

 

 

Correct but IAS is what the pilot sees and when he said 150 knots along the beach at full noise after he landed the comment could only be construed as IAS. The TAS would probably be 5-10kts slower depending on altitude so he wasn't flying straight and level at Vne.

 

 

Sorry kev about changing your thread with other comments. it is always good to see your progress

 

kind reg

 

kev

 

 

Progress has continued with the build. I was concerned about getting the 2 halves of the fuel tank glassed together without any leaks but in the end this wasn't too hard. The secret is to get the Vinyl ester and Q cell mix to a paste that is not too runny so it all falls out of the joint area and not too stiff so it doesn't stick well. I had it clamped with about 30 clamps to get a good seal and after 24 hours I pressurised it with compressed air there were no leaks in the join, but I found 3 in the main tank, glassed those and then found another 2. Glassed those & re-pressurised and left it for an hour and no more leaks.

 

I cut out the floor to shape and tried to get it in and couldn't so took it out and cut out the corners where it fits round the frame & then managed to get it in. I was going to take it out again and paint it before installing it permanently. That didn't work. I couldn't get it out again so I turned the fuselage on its side and primed & top coated it working around everything.

 

I cut out the 2 bulkheads and bent the straight edges, drilled and bent the tabs for fuselage shape and installed the rollover angle on the rear bulkhead so these are ready to go. I got the correct length elevator cable and installed this with the control box and joystick.

 

Next I drilled the holes for the elevator spar in all 12 elevator ribs. All this imperial sized stuff is a pain after a lifetime in metrics so I didn't have a hole saw the right size. Anyway drilled slightly smaller holes and honed them with a half round file and hung them on the spar. They weren't all perfectly lined up as I expected but with a bit more fiddling and and filing I got everything where it should be. I clamped them to the bench and glassed them in. Both sides are done and look nice and straight.

 

Next I am installing the rudder pedals and brake master cylinders, fuel drain and breather and getting the main undercarriage leg cleaned up for its final cloth wrap and glass roving . This is to prevent possible de-lamination over time and hard landings.

 

I have placed a few things like the pedals, seat and panel to give a better idea of how things end up. The panel will be much lower in the final install. Progress pics attached.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love the photos Kevin....Isn't life exciting in the World of the Morgan Sierras.

 

Alan Marriette.:thumb_up:

 

 

Hi kev looking good keep the good work up i will look forward to seeing the finished product,when complete we will have to arrange to meet up and go flying together some were

 

Regards kev

 

 

Hi Kev, Your project is sure looking good! I have a Sierra kit on order and I'm using the waiting time to set up my workshop. just a couple of questions ... Which Matco wheel/brake kit did you choose (including axle diameter)? Also, what are your thoughts on a Jabiru 2200 for the Sierra including any possible C of G ramifications. I'm intending to use that engine and the fuselage tank. John.

 

 

Mine are the Matco 5 inch MHE51B which have a static capacity of 750lbs and load limit of 2250lbs each and bearing axle diameter of 1.25 inches. These were recommended by Garry as there are so many types to choose from. Have a look at the Matco website http://www.matcomfg.com/MainWheelsBrakeAssemblies-tp2-4.html?Pos=99999 I'm glad I checked now as I have the wrong manual. No problem though as everything can be easily downloaded from Matcos site. If you are planning on using some rough strips then the 6" wheels will be better.

 

The 2200 option is fine and there are no issues with CofG etc as this needs to be specified when ordering the kit as the cowl, engine mount, fuel tank etc are different so it is all taken into account. It is a bit shorter firewall forward as there are 2 less cylinders to cater for & the fuel tank has about 5 more litres capacity. Garry has a 2200 powered Sierra at Taree and the only difference to the 3300 is performance (climb rate and top/cruise speed) and fuel consumption. The trainers are all 2200 powered.

 

Mine is the 3300 but that is because I like the idea of being able to be able to outperform most of the $120,000 plus plastic fantastics around in an aluminium homebuilt kit. Plus the extra grunt can come in handy in certain circumstances and the 6 sounds good too.

 

Kevin

 

 

Hi Kevin,

 

Thanks for the prompt reply and the good info! I've ordered the kit with the 2200 in mind but I thought I'd chase another opinion before the order got too set in concrete. I feel a lot better about sticking with the 2200 now ... I had been a bit concerned about weight distribution and it's reassuring to know there are 2200 powered Sierras already in operation. The Matco wheels sound good ... Garry is making the spats to suit 500x5 wheels so what you're using sounds like the way to go.

 

Best regards,

 

John.

 

 

Hi Virago you had some concerns about weight distribution so I was going to advise that there are no problems with any of the Morgan aircraft however,

 

I am now a little concerned when you advised that the aircraft order was about to be set in CONCRETE !!!!

 

Alan Marriette.

 

 

Alan, Now that IS funny! Just to set your mind at rest, it won't be all concrete ... the framework and spars will be ... jarrah! John.

 

 

Thanks Kevin, I feel quite confident about the 2200 engine now. I'm having electric trim and electric flaps. I've decided to go with MGL avionics ... I've ordered an MGL EXtreme Mini EFIS system (with AHRS, compass module and engine monitor module) and the MGL V-10 VHF COM radio. I guess I'll end up with quite a bare panel but I will also fit an ASI, altimeter, tacho and CHT as steam backups (and a whisky compass of course). The Mini EFIS does it all, even an onboard GPS (no moving map but I can live without that). My workshop is taking shape nicely now and I can't wait for the Sierra kit to arrive. John.

 

 

Thanks Kevin, I feel quite confident about the 2200 engine now. I'm having electric trim and electric flaps. I've decided to go with MGL avionics ... I've ordered an MGL EXtreme Mini EFIS system (with AHRS, compass module and engine monitor module) and the MGL V-10 VHF COM radio. I guess I'll end up with quite a bare panel but I will also fit an ASI, altimeter, tacho and CHT as steam backups (and a whisky compass of course). The Mini EFIS does it all, even an onboard GPS (no moving map but I can live without that). My workshop is taking shape nicely now and I can't wait for the Sierra kit to arrive. John.

 

 

hi kev

 

just touching base how’s the progress coming along.

 

kev

 

 

hi kev just touching base how’s the progress coming along.

kev

Hi Kev,

The Kit is in the crate at Taree ... just finalizing the freight and insurance before it comes over to the west. The workshop is just about ready ... can't wait to get started on the build.

 

John.

 

 

Good to see another Morgan out there ,we are having lots of fun flying around SA definitely made a good decision

 

Kev