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Show Planes Fastback
I've decided to do the Show Planes Fastback conversion. I will use this page to be a one stop shop for all the posts that detail the required modifications
I’ve decided to do the Show Planes Fastback conversion. I will use this page to be a one stop shop for all the posts that detail the required modifications, plus a general overview of the kit, the process, and the lesson’s I’ve learned along the way. Show Planes provides a number of aftermarket modifications and accessories including a modified cowl similar to the Sam James cowl. You can visit the website at www.showplanes.com. The kit costs just over $3,000 at my time of purchase. Almost everything you need is included, well packed, and they provided fairly comprehensive instructions. I am providing this page as an index of all the work required for the Show Planes Fastback modification. I am organizing the posts in two sections. The first is by subcategory, or section. The second is chronologically. In the first section, I will list posts that contain work on more than one section in both categories.
- Showplanes Fastback -
Why did I chose the Show Planes Fastback modification?
- Fastback 1 -
Delivery, unpacking, and inventory of the Show Planes kit.
- Fastback 2 -
Began work on the aft turtledeck by preparing the bulkheads and match drilling with the skin.
- Fastback 3 -
Removed turtledeck for deburring.
- Fastback 4 -
Removing the original rails from the quick build fuselage. Preparing bulkheads for new rails. Match drilling new rails.
- Fastback 5 -
Deburring and more deburring.
- Fastback 6 -
Completed rail installation prep. Began work on the forward fuselage skin. Match drilled. Cut and removed section for installation of removable instrument cover. Fitted skin reinforcement strip.
- Fastback 7 (4.0 hrs) -
When I attached the forward skin yesterday there were a few items I ignored in favor of focusing on the skin modifications. First among these were the bagg
- Fastback 8 (5.0 hrs) -
First on today's agenda was to do a little practice for the double flush rivets I would need to set for the forward fuse skin to F 821afb. I did this by dr
- Fastback 9 (4.0 hrs) -
Not a lot to report in this post. I deburred and dimpled both the forward and aft fuselage skins, and any miscellaneous parts associated with both that had
- Fastback 10 (5.0 hrs) -
Lots of miscellaneous tasks in this post. First, I had been unsure how to position the nut plates shown in the first photo here. The instructions from Show
- Fastback 11 - Cockpit rails -
Today I set about installing the rails for the ground adjustable rudder pedals. I immediately noticed that I had drilled every hole to the wrong size. The
- Fastback 12 - Vert Stab Modification -
The Showplanes Fastback is slightly higher than stock at the intersection of the turtle deck and the vertical stabilizer. As a result, the front of the ver
- Fastback 13 - Riveting turtledeck -
Riveted the aft upper-skin (turtledeck) to the fuselage and other misc work inside the aft fuselage.
- Fastback 14 -
Fitting the fiberglass top for the rear seat and other misc fuselage work. Plus hangar wifi!
- Fastback 15 -
Filling pinholes in the rear seat back top.
- Fastback 16 -
Setup of instrument panel and instrument panel cover.
- Fastback 17 -
Began riveting the modified forward front deck on the fuselage.
- Fastback 18 -
Fabricating the fiberglass instrument panel cover and custom instrument panel.
- Fastback 19 -
Installing the custom instrument panel, panel frame, and instrument panel cover.
- Fastback 20 -
Joining fillets to instrument panel cover & other panel cover work.
- Fastback 21 -
More work on the instrument cover and fillets.
- Fastback 22 -
Further work on the instrument cover, and the initial work on the canopy skirt.
- Fastback 23 -
More canopy skirt work, including hinge installation and additional trimming.
- Fastback 24 -
Canopy skirt minor repair. Rear seat back top installation. Preparing canopy skirt bulkheads.
- Fastback 25 -
Preparing the hinge cover plate and installing the forward canopy bulkhead.
- Fastback 26 -
Installing the rear bulkhead on the canopy skirt.
- Fastback 27 -
Trimming the canopy skirt for canopy installation and installing the center bulkheads aft of the roll bar.
- Fastback 28 -
Affixing the lower skirt reinforcement rails.
- Fastback 29 -
Cleaning up flox fillets. Ensuring proper alignment and adhesion for stiffeners and bulkheads on canopy skirt.
- Fastback 30 -
Canopy skirt - Cleaned and sanded flox filets. Began laying micro balloon filets.
- Fastback 31 -
Micro balloon fillets and edges.
- Fastback 32 -
Applying fiberglass to rear bulkhead.
- Fastback 33 -
Installing more fiberglass reinforcement.
- Fastback 34 -
Completing fiberglass application, sanding, and first application of Rage Gold body filler for smooth transitions in the canopy skirt.
- Fastback 35 -
Fill, sand, repeat.
- Fastback 36 -
Sanding. Sanding. Sanding. Oh, and Rage Gold application. Yay!
- Fastback 37 -
Sanding and more sanding. Tired of sanding.
- Fastback 38 -
Finally trying to start working on the plane again. Sanding and Rage Gold work.
- Fastback 39 -
More canopy skirt work and Rage Gold. Installed engine desiccant inserts.
- Fastback 40 -
Beginning installation of canopy skirt latch mechanism.
- Fastback 41 -
Instrument cover and carbon fiber work to canopy skirt.
- Fastback 42 -
Instrument cover, filets, and latch bushing blocks.
- Fastback 43 -
Canopy latch preparation.
- Fastback 44 -
Canopy latch points in instrument panel and rear bulkhead.
- Fastback 45 -
Canopy latch and lock work.
- Fastback 46 -
Canopy latch setup.
- Fastback 47 -
Canopy latch and skirt work.
- Fastback 48 -
Canopy skirt priming and pin hole filling.
- Fastback 49 -
Basic fiberglass for tonight.
- Fastback 50 -
The big canopy cut!
- Fastback 51 -
Final trimming of canopy and taper prep.
- Fastback 52 -
Canopy drilling and mating prep.
- Fastback 53 -
Two primary projects in this session – continued work on the front canopy fairing / filleting, and drilling the canopy.
- Fastback 54 -
Flox fairing for skirt to canopy mating at front. Canopy prep.
- Fastback 55 -
Work on the canopy skirt to canopy front fairing.
- Fastback 56 -
Work on the front canopy skirt to canopy fairing.
- Fastback 57 -
Tack welding the canopy latch to the roll bar frame. Bonding the canopy to the canopy skirt. Big day!
- Fastback 58 -
Preparing the canopy for fiberglass layups around the bond.
- Fastback 60 -
Canopy adhesive rivet finishing.
- Fastback 61 -
A ton of work on the cleaning up the canopy bonding, sanding, and instrument panel cover work. Multiple shop sessions covered.
- Fastback 59 -
Sanding and adhesive correction.
- Fastback 62 -
More work today on the fillets that attach to the instrument panel cover and prevent airflow into the cockpit.
- Canopy Work and New Toys -
Basic canopy hinge work and a number of new purchases.
- Roll Bar -
Roll bar welding and powder coating.
- Canopy Installation -
Canopy installation and latch work.