Author Archives: garaggio

Huge, Humbling Hurtle

Vacuum Bagging Cowl Parts Note: You wouldn’t know it by subscribing to this blog, but I have actually been continually working on things in the Garaggio. My frustrations over the failures I was experiencing with vacuum bagging and how demotivating that was made it difficult enough to keep working on projects much less write volumesContinue reading “Huge, Humbling Hurtle”

5 Years for Betty

November 2nd was the fifth anniversary of Betty’s first flight. So in celebration we had to take Betty flying, of course. As luck would have it, Jon was here on a layover to celebrate. Jon helped me on Betty all the way back to the early days, I think even the first year I wasContinue reading “5 Years for Betty”

Greg’s Visit Recap

I ended up a bit behind on blogging while Greg was here. By the time we were done with the day’s activities and I ensured my slave labor, I mean volunteer help, was well fed, I just didn’t have it in me to write up a post. So in an effort to document what weContinue reading “Greg’s Visit Recap”

Soaring Break and Greg’s in the Garaggio

On short notice, I took a week off of working on the Defiant project. A friend of mine was coming to Phoenix to do a commercial glider add-on, so I invited myself along on the adventure. It was about a week of really fun flying. I highly recommend it. After my soaring sabbatical, it wasContinue reading “Soaring Break and Greg’s in the Garaggio”

Lower Cowl Mold, times two

The lower cowl geometry doesn’t lend itself well to making it a single piece mold. The centerline scoop/tunnel/boat tail has geometry that would “capture” the plug, and subsequent parts, in the mold if it was laid up as a single piece. You can still do a single piece mold, but there are some draw backs.Continue reading “Lower Cowl Mold, times two”

Learning a New Technique

Vacuum bagging is a skill I have yet to master, as was proven when we attempted bagging the old design upper tool cowl. so why not take it one step further and try to learn vacuum bagging and vacuum resin infusion all at the same time? I like to take big bites of the elephant,Continue reading “Learning a New Technique”

We have a Cowl Mold; Inspired by Sid

The last few days, when I have been looking at the rear cowl, I have thought that the trailing edge shape reminded me of something, but I couldn’t figure out what. Turns out, it is the character Sid from the cartoon movie, Ice Age. While I am fairly certain this destines Brian’s Defiant to henceforthContinue reading “We have a Cowl Mold; Inspired by Sid”

Prepping for Mold Making with Jodi

On Monday, I got to the point in contour sanding and surfacing on the cowl where I was struggling to find flaws that needed to be fixed. Don’t get me wrong, there were still minor flaws, but most of them small enough that I would be liable to go backwards instead of making improvements ifContinue reading “Prepping for Mold Making with Jodi”

New Plan for the Aft Cowl

Last week Thursday, before our trip to Kanab, I got the layup on the lower aft cowl done. What an exercise in frustration. I have done quite a few layups in my building history, but this one made me feel like it was the first time I had ever seen epoxy or cloth. The planContinue reading “New Plan for the Aft Cowl”