6 Jan 2024

Riveted the center console armrest area together. I had previously modified this section with dimples to accommodate countersunk rivets on the sides because I don't like the bumps which show through the leather covering with the dome rivets. Came out nicely. Test fitted the seat rails to the console assembly. I have painted the rails black and am debating whether to keep them like that in case they get scratched over time. There are protective plastic slides on the upper and side surfaces for the seat bases to run over, so it should be okay. I stripped and repainted the front seat stopper brackets, leaving the area on the outside edges where the holes are for the seat position pins unpainted. This is because the pins are likely to scratch the paint in this area and leave unsightly damage.

Riveted the rear seat floor covers to the under front seat shut off skins.

Painted the upper surfaces of the front seat bases.

The new style canopy for the TSi is ready for delivery along with the finishing and undercarriage kits, but... having reviewed a more recent version of the KAI (8.1), I noticed a comment dealing with updated fuselage components for the canopy, none of which were mentioned to me when I ordered the fuselage kit. There are a few minor components (two stringers with related gussets which fit above the luggage area), the non-parachute upper longeron is replaced with the parachute version (luckily I had once of these, which was supplied in error - so I stripped the old one to recycle the reinforcement bracket and drill the hole to accommodate the combined GPS / Com antenna I will be using) but there are some brackets here which need to be replaced too. The biggest issue, however, is that the rear top skins are different. I had unfortunately just (literally) finished sanding the previously primered and deburred skins, getting them ready for test fitting, when the news from Sling landed that I would need to replace them entirely. So now I'm waiting to hear how this will be handled. Luckily they were not riveted in position yet! Thanks Evan Brunye for the tip to leave them loose until the canopy is ready for installation. The issue now is also primering the new skins - not sure if I have enough of this very expensive product left, and it is only available in quantities far too large for what I'll need now.

The new canopy also requires a new upper front skin, so I need to return the old one, and the new style dashboard (the old style was packed and about to be delivered to me). So... just as well I spotted the one comment which noted that some parts had changed (and even then, the pages referenced were inaccurate and not all the changes shown on the diagrams, so again... just as well I asked!)