REFLECTOR: Strake build with doors on or off?

[Keith Hallsten]

Well, the obvious disadvantage of glassing the strake to the fuselage and
door, then cutting the strake when it's completed, it that you can't open
the door.  On the other hand, as long as the door latches and fairing have
been completed first, the strake alignment across the door cut line will be
perfect.  I know some builders have done it that way.

I wanted to build both strakes at the same time, so as to avoid creating
differences between the two.  However, I did a fair amount of fitting of the
baffles and bulkheads in the strakes through the opening into the cabin, so
I needed to have at least one door open.  Therefore, I took the doors off as
soon as I had the top and bottom skins fitted to the fuselage and wings.  I
cut off the strake tips and glassed them to the doors after the strakes were
closed.  However, the fit of my strake tips is not perfect across the door
cut joints.  I think a little filler will suffice to blend them in, but
that's the risk with the technique I used.  Your mileage may vary!

Keith Hallsten
XLFG - Engine install and panel building
 

-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of gattenby at tulsaconnect.com
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 2:47 PM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Electronic PoH for Velocity



I've got the strake trimed and ready to glass on.
Is it better to attach it with the door on or with the 
door off?


Noel
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