Project News

One of my favourite reads in the Project News inbox, is the unexpected updates for projects that we have seen before and that have progressed over the last year or so. One such recent surprise was an update from Richard Shingler on his Super Emeraude – a lovely looking type – and I must say one that would be on my very short list were I ever to find the time to scratch build a wooden aftraft.

This is Richard’s third project, and he was in touch about this time last year when he’d just about got the wing to a stage where ribs were being mated to the spar.

He had explained that any glueing outdoors had become impossible in the cold and that he had retreated inside to finish building ribs on the kitchen table in front of the Rayburn.

With at least 10 new project starts in the last 12 months, the Sling TSi has become a firm favourite with LAA members in recent times We’ve an update on the first UK customer’s example to fly, built by Paul Hennessy. Apart from tackling the build as a lockdown project,

Super Emeraude (LAA 216-15564)

By Richard Shingler

extracting it from his fantastic looking basement workshop must count as a major project achievement.

James Chapman provides an interesting review of his RV-7 project built by him and his father. It must be a wonderful thing if both father and son fly, but what could be a better bond than building an aircraft together. Should any builder need reminding, his tale re-enforces the wisdom that radios and electronics should be bought for one’s project at the last possible moment. Bought too early, and there is not only the possibility of equipment being out of date by the time it enters service, but the modern phenomenon of the software that it relies upon will almost certainly be many revisions behind and as James discovered, not all manufacturers allow you to update it yourself. Free software updates that require the manufacturer or its agent to apply are not free! Read on below.

To get in touch with Project News, and tell your story, report a milestone or just to send a picture, email: projectnews@laa-archive.org. uk. Please share your story!

I’ve been working on the wings, flaps, and ailerons since last spring (2021) when the weather became warm enough to start glueing again. They still aren’t finished but they are getting closer. Due to the wings being one piece they take some handling when you are working alone, so I’ve mounted them on a Heath Robinson support that rotates them right way up, upside down, or pointing straight down. Additionally the support is also on castors so that I can move it about the workshop or outside should the need or mood dictate.

My Inspector, Pete Whitehead, has had a look and cleared me to install the leading edge ply top and bottom, back to the spar after having giving it three coats of varnish inside, I can’t fit the inboard leading edge ply yet as I’ve still got to mount the undercarriage legs, these are being worked on at the moment. I was lucky enough to find a pair of legs off a crashed Emeraude, one is OK, but the other one has been bent and is in the process of being repaired. Hopefully I shall soon have it sorted so that I can get both legs fitted and carry on with the glueing once the warmer weather comes this spring.

At the end of August I recruited (press ganged) my good friends and LAA members, Trevor Pugh and Ian Jones, to help move all the parts out onto my airstrip and assemble the Emeraude for a photo shoot and in the finest Blue Peter traditions there it was with two that I had made earlier, Hatz Biplane G-BXXH and Evans VP1 G-PFAW –thank you Trevor and Ian.

While I’m waiting for the U/C to be sorted out I’m having a go at making the sliding canopy frame, bending the steel tubes and fitting them ready for welding – but moulding the perspex will be a job for somebody else.

G-HYPE (LAA 400A-15698) Sling TSi

By Paul Hennessy

Sling TSi G-HYPE flew for the first time at the end of January from Booker with test pilot Al Seymour at the controls. A proud moment for me and the first customer-built Sling TSi to fly in the UK.

She has been a true lockdown project for me, having started working on her in the first week of lockdown in March 2020 – and I clocked 2,100 hours on the project. I did all the work myself including designing and building the avionics and harnesses. I was also pretty hands on with the painting, which was done by GA Livery at Eshott.

The build was pretty straightforward on the whole and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. The only real point of interest was that I did most of the construction in my basement workshop! Getting it out was an exercise in logistics…

There is about 400kg payload available, so a reasonable mix of four occupants and say four hours of fuel is perfectly achievable. It is hoped that the cruise will come out at around 135kt for a fuel burn of 25 ltr/hr or slightly less. Time will tell.