In early January 2025 it was time to pull out that beautiful propeller and get it mounted onto the engine. Before doing so you have to pull out a plug so oil can reach the propeller to control pitch during flight. Anna helped me mount it and it went on great.
From there you fabricate the spinner to be able to have it mounted onto two plates. It’s challenging because you cannot see through the fiberglass to determine where to drill. So I used magnets to match the spinner to the spots in the forward bulkhead to determine where to drill through, add nutplates, and then screws. Another interesting procedure was to strap wood planks to the propellor blades to twist them to ensure enough clearance between them and the spinner.
Overall, this section was straightforward and moderately challenging. A good precursor to what comes next – fabricating and mounting the cowl. It’ll be a bit until I’m back as I estimate ~70 hours of work that will take me many weeks to finish.
For those watching closely, at the end of the time lapse video, I accidently included footage that marks the start of the cowling work. Consider it a teaser.