VELOCITY XL FG
N478B
DOORS / WINDOWS
Velocity’s Fast Build Fuselage option
includes molded doors aligned and hinged to the fuselage,
finished through primer with latch
mechanism and windows installed.
FAST LINKS TO:
1. Door Fitting
The Fast Build kit comes with the latch mechanism and
doors installed at the factory.
2. Door Lock (Key)
The factory had installed the lock stop collar too far
back on the door making it very uncomfortable to pull up the security lock from
the cockpit to open the door. I decided
to install two new ones forward and use the installed one for the keyed
lock. Installation of the keyed lock was
done per the manual.
3. Door Handle
I decided to reverse my door handles and position them
down as opposed to up. I polished the
handles by sanding with increasingly finer sandpaper and finishing with steel
wool, rubbing compound and metal polish.
I will polish further with a buffing/polishing wheel later.
4. Door Panel
I trimmed the panel as needed, considering the
reversing of the handles. Then glued
several pieces of 1” dowel on the inside surface of the door and installed door
panel with small wood screws.
5. Door Window
I applied microballoons with rounded tool (large
washer) and smoothed its surface, after some curing, with finger wet in
denatured alcohol to minimize sanding.
6. Door Hinges
The doors came hinged with the fast build
fuselage. However, these need to be
adjusted and a bed of microglass done to strengthen the area and make the
hinges flush with the doors’ and fuselage surfaces. Using a method similar to the one used for the
axles’ pads, I used washers as needed and glued them in place with hot glue to
determine and guide the thickness of the microglass bed. They are all now flush with the fuselage
surface.
7. Door Hinge Inside Covers
I applied EZ-Poxy to a layer of UNI flat on the bench
and left for curing covered with peel ply.
Once cured, I cut square pieces just big enough to cover the door hinge
areas flat. I placed a mix of 5-min epoxy and microballoons around the
edges and glued them in place, removing any excess. These served now as a flat base for the three
layers of UNI I placed on top for final glassing. I used UNI because I considered that these
covers were not structurally important and had a significant amount of UNI left
that had come with the kit. I still
placed UNI layers oriented at 45° from each other.
1. Fairing of
Windows
The inner reinforcement around the windows was done
with microballoons, per the manual.
2. Window
Frames
I thought it would be easier to do this while the
fuselage was upside down. The window
frames supplied with the kit were longer than the windows installed in the Fast
Build fuselage. I matched the frames
with my windows and determined that I would need to cut the supplied frames
only on the top and the bottom to fit. I
decided on a ¾” flange and marked a line around the frame. I cut most of the excess material with a
cut-off wheel, grinded to the marked line with a 36 sanding wheel on the right
angle grinder and finished with sanding block (80 grit). I cut the frames on the top and the bottom
segments. I placed the fore section of
the frame against the inside of the window and with a fluorescent light on the
outside, marked the perimeter of the window.
This method allowed me to determine how wide the frame should be to
properly cover the window edges, one and 5/8 inches wide in my case, and marked
the inner frame line. I cut the inner
edge of the frame and placed sheet metal screws through the center of the
flange, as needed, to keep the frame section in place and the flange against
the inner skin around the window. With
the front section in place, I repeated the process to fit the aft section of
the frame. My Fast Build-installed
windows were not the same length. There
is a difference of about ¾” between the two.
Therefore, do not assume the windows are the same size and shape when
fitting the frames.
3. Windshield
Frames
I used the same method to trim and adjust the
windshield side frames supplied with the kit.
There was no middle section frame supplied with the kit. I duct-taped a straightedge to the bench, laid
2 BID over it and left it for curing. I trimmed
it to fit in the windshield frame and used the heat gun to mold it in
place. I duct-taped the area, placed the
part in place and laid another 2 BID layup with peel ply over it, leaving it to
cure. I used the initial part as a guide to re-trim
it.
LINK TO
CONSTRUCTION IMAGES ON THE OFFICIAL VELOCITY WEBSITE
THIS SECTION
IS UPDATED REGULARLY.
PLEASE
REPORT ANY MALFUNCTION OR BROKEN LINKS TO:
Jorge A. Bujanda / 2004