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January 12, 2005 Day 281, 1929.5 hours For the new brake system, a hydraulic fluid reservoir needed to be installed in an accessible location for service (arrow). This serves to replace any lost hydraulic fluid and remove air from the system. A bracket had to be fabricated in the nose compartment to mount this reservoir. A defect in the reservoir vent was caught by Scott Swing. It pays to inspect each part; even new parts from a supplier can be defective. |
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January 13, 2005 Day 282, 1935 hours It was difficult to find a suitable place for the bracket. I asked five different people for recommendations, and got five different answers! The nose compartment is getting pretty tight, and the reservoir has to be visible, accessible, clear of the nose wheel, not too close to the oil cooler or hot oil lines, and in a location where plumbing could be easily run to the brakes. Here is the final location, looking into the nose compartment.
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January 13, 2005 Day 282, 1935 hours After the bracket was made, the reservoir was mounted, and plumbing was run to the cylinders on the brake pedals. This installation has the advantage that you can see the fluid level and to service the system easily. The old brake reservoirs were under the canard against the bulkhead, and were very difficult to reach without removing the canard. |
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January 14, 2005 Day 283, 1938.5 hours The brakes are now fully installed and plumbing completed! There are some problems remaining with the operation and adjustment of the rudders that will have to be addressed during the next session. The right rudder cable was found to be wrapped around the bellcrank in the wing, changing the length of the cable. |