Not this time

The next thing to break in the drivetrain won't be the ratchets (and with our increasing speeds, there will be a next thing). The overloaded box wrench ratchet has been upgraded to a massive 3/4" drive version.

Cool things I don't have

Spent some fun time at Applied Process Equipment last night. Chris, the owner of the company has been a significant contributor to our project - taking on a few of the larger machining jobs that my hobby mill can't tackle.

While I was there I grabbed a few shots of some of the machining centers lining his shop floor. For a guy like me who loves to build stuff it was a bit like visiting heaven.

Thanks Chris.

Carving

We are likely about 1/2of the way done with the fitting of the nacelle as of this evening.

Ratchet upgrade

As is well known from previous posts on the blog, our higher than expected speeds and accompanying loads on the drivetrain have forces us to upgrade our drive ratchets.

We found a 3/4" drive 'female' ratchet which will take many multiples of our small ratchet box wrenches that we previously modified while still allowing the 'thru-linkage' capabilities we need through the hollow shaft.

We'll soon have the hubs completed for these and reinstalled.

Bombs away

We put together a giant foam 'lathe' to make the nacelle. We'll start chopping away at it and glassing it today. More pics from that phase coming up later.

Pop quiz

We'll let y'all figure out what we're building out of this giant foam lamination.

One for the money, two for the show ...

The winds were not cooperative enough to justfiy hauling the Blackbird out to the runways so we rolled the rig a few blocks way to an empty parking lot where the Discovery crew set up the onboard and remote cameras and we put on the best show the limited space would allow.

Credit where credit is due.

Sponsor logos going on with the Discovery Channel cameras rolling.

Nose job

Chris the artist at work.

Last minute adjustments

Rick putting a radius on the rear hinge tangs so it won't hook the foam, but really the pic is here just because it's a good shot of the symmetrical airfoil profile on the pylons.