I built two cowlings. On the first one, I plied up the foam, sculpted it to
shape, and used drywall mud and varnish to finish it. I plied up the glass and
epoxy, THEN I sat down in the seat. I suddenly realized that I would never see
the runway on final and probably wouldn't see the taxiway I was trying to go
down.
The second time, I made three plywood templates, one at the nose, one at the
cooling tin behind the engine, and the third one at the front end of the tappet
covers. I then filled in between with the foam. The end result was that I
knew exactly where the cowling was going to be in relation to the engine and
exhaust system, and it was low enough that I have a possible chance of seeing
where the wheels are going to hit the ground.
I paid a month's tuition to the school of hard knocks: thought I would pass it
along to perhaps save you some grief later.
Jim Vance
[email protected]
