Off skiing at New Year so printed off the Jabiru 2200 engine manual which the factory have usefully put on the web. Time to get into what lies ahead !

Got a brand new unused 3 year old Jabiru 2200. Converted before it left the UK to run on Avgas … nice to have a built in starter – compared to hand swinging the Gypsy Major on the Stampe ! Nice to have learned how to do it though and really makes you appreciate key/push button starters. I remember it was always a finger and arm counting job after starting ! and especially challenging on hot starts … anyone who can hand start a hot Gypsy Major 5 minutes after landing in Dinard and still keep a safe technique on the  20th swing !

Still need to source a prop – but have looked at the Hercules wood, and why would you pick anything else ! Just need to decide colour pin stripe to match ‘plane colour

The 3 tailplane ribs are supplied slightly oversized and so require trimming back and shaping so that you get a neat joint with the rear of the Leading edge or the front of the Trailing edge. This is slightly trickier when the centre rib, which angles at around 45′ comes in to make a neat joint in the gusset sandwich.

Taking small amounts off with a file and constantly checking and re-checking helps.

This part is quite satisfying as each part you add makes this look more and more like an aeroplane and again, withe the Sherwood, stronger as each componant is fixed into place.

All this is a temporary fix at the moment as the plan notes you have to remember to remove all this for covering. First I have to remove it for two reasons,

1) I managed to drill one of the underside gusset holes directly into a cleco and broke the drill bit (part of which is now inside the tailplane leading edge … a simple dismantle and hold it upright will remove the part !

2) I need to treat the internal tubing against rust – so will be thinning down my waxoyl to run this through.

Leading edge requires trimming once it is pushed fully onto the mounting shafts. Each plate / gusset requires cleaning down so that you dont leave any sharp edges.

Then start to fix in place with a few holes cleco’d to get a basic layout

Note the sandwich gussets require shaping so they follow the line of the Leading or Training edge

The fast build kit comes with the leading edge mount for the Tailplane in place. The rear mounting consists of a sandwich of saddles and a nice neat turned alloy tube and a couple of leading straps to be cut and shaped and then the seatbelt harness securing point is put in between.

Having drilled the saddles the metal lead straps are bent to form a neat align with both the frame and the top bolt.

After a number of attempts to get these on and proving that this is not the task it first appears …

Checked with Bob at the Aero Club and he wasnt happy with my second attempt at the whip binding. Not tight enough and not neat enough ! Re tied as tightly as humanly possible this evening and it looks much neater.

Sequencing what is part assembled, what bolts are put in place, what parts of the steerable bracket are in place and then finding something to get those very tight straps around the wheel post. Having got the first one on using an old (well it is old now !) coat hanger …. The second one was having none of it …

Eventually remembered my old ball joint splitter from my MGB Roadster days … slid steel but with a forked point. BINGO ! got them on….