bbaillod

Searey Part Upgrades so far

This is a classic Searey which has been replaced by the Searey LSX.  The manufacturer has some improved parts which are compatible with the Classic.  There are also 3rd party parts available. The building log spreadsheet details all our purchases, We’ve spent $15K on upgraded parts.  Here are some of them. Australian aluminum fuel tank –…

Organizing parts

I bought a rolling 74 bin part organizer from Harbor Freight which is working well for the small parts http://www.harborfreight.com/mobile-double-sided-floor-rack-95551.html It is useful to have a small plano tacklebox to hold assorted hardware that you can carry with you when you are working. We got some AN5 10-32, AN4 1/4-28, and AN3 5/16-24 white plastic nuts from…

Engine Choices

Here are some of our thoughts on engines: Fuel injected engine – I prefer not having a carburetor.  I don’t want to have to worry about carburetor icing.  I only rent the fuel injected Cessna’s at my local airport.  One of the best things about building an experimental airplane is that you can affordably use current technology…

Avionics

We’ll probably select flat screen avionics in place of traditional gauges. Here’s our latest thinking: G3x 7 inch touch –                  $4995 Considering the 10 inch also includes magnetometer outside air temp probe Garmin GDL-39R ADS-B In       $ 799 for G3X and Tablets Garmin GI…

Carbon Fiber Hull

I ordered the carbon fiber hull which is about 60 pounds lighter than the standard fiberglass hull. I made a hull caddy out of a harbor freight moving dolly,  Sometimes we use a shop tool to hold up the back end. My hull was not gel coated like some that I see.  I don’t know…

Project History

I ordered the kit in 2007, it arrived in July 2008.  We built the fuselage in 2011 and resumed building in the summer of 2015.   We took the fuselage completely apart in 2015 and put it back together again so perhaps that counts as a fresh start. I’m using this blog as a builders…