Moving on to the next project

Nice day for flying - and great performance

First really cool day (for Florida anyway) I've flow in the -14A.   Perfect weather, very enjoyable flight.  I grabbed some photos/videos and screenshots to capture some of the experience today.

Finished? For now anyway...

I wrapped up post-paint tasks over the past few days including: 

• re-inspection of all bolts, jam nuts (none of these were loosened by the paint shop but I checked them anyway), cotter pins, and miscellaneous hardware installed at the paint shop.
• installation of fairings
• installation of the full interior.  I had previously only been using the front carpets.
• installation of a snubber for the manifold pressure gauge.  I had been seeing some vacillation in MAP values and this solution is apparently recommended by Garmin to damp the readings.
• drained all fuel from aircraft and re-weighed.  Gained about 23 pounds from the paint.
• rechecked and adjusted nose wheel break out force.  I noticed after paint that it felt a bit loose.  I removed the bellville washers, cleaned and greased them while I had the cotter pin out.

Random note:  before I took N14VB to the paint shop, I was never fully happy with the elevator friction.  While in the paint shop, I made some new shims for the center bolts using stainless steel sheet material.  I had used feeler gauges to get as close as possible on the extra width needed and there were no standard washers that would fit.  I'm very happy with the result - the elevator friction is about as low as I can imagine it being now.

Photos:

Back home from paint shop

Got back on Thursday from Ormond Aircraft.  Very happy with the paint scheme.   I still have to install the fairings.  I plan to pull the interior, clean up the inside and fully install my interior from Classic Aero, then install fairings, drain fuel tanks and re-do weight and balance. 

Paint getting very close.

Hope to pick her up this week.

Paint Shop Visit / Update

I visited the paint shop today.  First contrast color which will cover the entire bottom of the airplane and parts of the HS/VS/Rudder and Elevators and the N-numbers is on.   Very happy so far with paint.