Last but not least comes paint...

just looked through this whole thread. very nice work. well done.

JB

That looks pretty great with paint. I also like the cirrus and pa32 in the background

bigrenna wrote: "Is that a tip you made? No offense but I dont like it." I love when people say "no offense," and then dump their pile of shit. Funny that the comment on the addition of two more landing lights is about aesthetics... I guess to each their own.

Don't be so quick to take offense-- I didn't say I didn't like it, just said I couldn't see it well enough to tell. I don't really think that was dumping a pile of shit, sorry if it offended you. What matters is if you like it.
Yes, adding more lights for seeing and being seen is great. I've just never seen a tip like that before-- looks like the landing light lens profile is that of the standard wing leading edge, with the tip itself matching the sportsman cuff or adapted to match. I just looked at the RMD website, none of the tips shown are like that.

I put the those RMD wingtips on a 185 when we added the Sportsman kit. They were very well made fiberglass, MUCH better than the stock Cessna plastic tips.

And, Greg is absolutely correct about the tip lights, particularly when set to flash alternately. ATC loved that set up on that airplane....it was interesting how frequently controllers commented on the lights.

Your project looks great, thanks for the update.

MTV

hotrod180 wrote:Don't be so quick to take offense.

I was just bustin balls...

bigrenna wrote:

Dang it, now I need to come up with a new paint scheme for the Bearhawk. The sketch I drew up looks way too close to this.

Fantastic work.

Those RMD wingtip lights... what bulb fits in them? I have the same wingtips (without stol cuff), and the bulbs in them aren't as bright as I'd like. I want to replace them with LEDs, but it looks like I'd need to remove the wingtip to get the bulb out.

UngaWunga wrote:what bulb fits in them? .....looks like I'd need to remove the wingtip to get the bulb out.

The tips are made for standard GE bulbs. You dont need to remove the tips, just pull the lenses and swap the bulbs. You are looking at a cover plate that dresses the fasteners, which is why it looks like you cant get the bulb out.

I opted to go with AeroLEDs for the tips as I feel they are by far the best LEDs out there (tested Whelens and others and there is no comparison) Aside from being the brightest, the AeroLEDs have internal solid state provisions for wig-wag, which is fantastic.

As MTV pointed out, the recognition is crazy. My local controllers know me 10-15 mi out even before I call. The but of good humor "UFO" jokes lots of the time...

Hotrod, here is a better pic of the tips from the front...

The widely separated wig-wag lights are great for recognition. Kenmore equips all their Beaver floatplanes with them and you can spot them a long ways off. I put a blinking LED in the standard left wing bay on my 180-- not as eye-catching as a wig-wag but friends tell me it makes me a lot more visible. I've heard that it's actually better NOT to wig-wag two lights right next to each other, as from a distance it just looks like a single light that's on all the time.

FWIW a guy I know wanted an LED wag light & installed these for about $100 total. Not STC'd or PMA'd however.

https://store.marinebeam.com/4-1-2-seal ... lamp-bulb/

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/e ... 1224dc.php

Mr. Renna,
Your airplane is okay, I mean if you like that sort if thing. Seems like an awful lot of work just to make it look pretty. No offense, but I'm pretty sure the AeroLED's suck balls compared to the Aveo Engineering Ultra Galactica's.

akgreg wrote:No offense, but I'm pretty sure the AeroLED's suck balls

Yeah... Accept no substitute.

akgreg wrote:Mr. Renna,
Your airplane is okay, I mean if you like that sort if thing. Seems like an awful lot of work just to make it look pretty. No offense, but I'm pretty sure the AeroLED's suck balls compared to the Aveo Engineering Ultra Galactica's.

Where's the epic quote thread? This should be recorded for posterity.

.

Absolutely blown me away. I am working towards getting a C185 and have similar designs to make it my own as you have done. This is tuely inspirational.

Thank you.

Cheers
Dave

Cloud basher wrote:Absolutely blown me away. I am working towards getting a C185 and have similar designs to make it my own as you have done. This is tuely inspirational.

Thank you.

Cheers
Dave

You got it

I've started posting a bit more over on my blog http://www.bushwagoneast.com lately, but I will try to re-post the on-goings of the Skywagon in this thread as well.

Fuel Bladder-



If you haven't heard, probably the least loved task to do on a Cessna Skywagon is replacing bladders. Fortunately for me, I was happily tapped by fate to take this dive after springing a leak.

Since I started on the resto of the Wagon, I knew that I was going to have to face this at some point, but have been pushing and pushing it off until finally my number was up.

My 66 has extended tanks, which is both a blessing and a curse. Curse because the tank is bigger. Blessing because there are two ports to allow just a bit better access.



First step is pull the bung and drain all the fuel. (This is a great time to order new sump drain valves and stainless steel safety wire screws)

Next, pull the ports and caps. Also a good idea to order new stainless fasteners here as well. On my airplane, the large machine screws are MS24694C48, the small ones are MS24693C293, and the stainless safety wire screws for the drain are AN500AD8-7.

Be very careful removing the screws as chances are they are in there good and solid. Get some penetrating oil on and let them soak overnight. Use the CORRECT screwdriver, and take your time.

If your unlucky enough to round out the well, don't fret as you can use a Dremel and cutoff wheel to carefully make a slot in the head for a regular screwdriver. Takes practice, but doable without getting into the surrounding alum. (Just make sure there are no vapors kicking around!)



With the caps out, a good idea is to line the edges of the cavity with duct tape to protect both the tank AND your arms. You will thank me later...



With the caps out, take your time and remove all fittings. This will be fuel outlet screens (forward and aft in later models) crossover vent, fuel sump, fuel sending unit, and outboard vent.

The fuel outlets are the trickiest because they are delicate. Once out, it's a good time to give em a real good inspection. Although not always possible, I am a big fan of replacing parts with new. The problem with these screens is (like everything) Cessna wants an ungodly chunk of change... Have a late mode bird and you have now doubled that ass raping cuz you need two.

The good news is that Burl's Aircraft in AK has a fantastic solution. Their STC'd spun aluminum screens are not only cheaper, but they provide a much better flow rate. Worth checking out!



Anyway... reach in the cavity and roll the bladder into a nice tight sausage, and then CAREFULLY work it out the port. This part sucks for sure, but enjoy it cuz getting her back in will make this part feel like cotton candy and prancing unicorns.



With the tank out, get her in a box and ship her out. There are two big places to send out the bladder. Although their website is cerca 1990, I have had great luck with the service from Heartwig. Eric is a good dude and worth a phone call.



If you weren't having fun yet, strap it on...

Lots of AP's lazy-out here because when it comes down to it (you know who you are,) it's really tough to send the customer a bill for all the time it actually takes to clean and prep a tank bay. But if you want it done right, make sure you take your time and get it clean enough to eat off. (Took me 9 hrs of labor to remove tape & clean.)



Start by pulling the old tape that you can grab. Heating it up with a heat gun makes this a bit easier and if your lucky, you will be able to get most out without falling into small strips.

Once the tape is off, you will be left with the dried glue. I find that the best solvent to get this stuff off is called "Goof Off." Stuff works fantastic, but a real killer... so make sure you have good gloves and a solid respirator.






Now that you have cleaned the bay, you can start laying in the new tape. The point of the tape is to protect the bladder from chafing on corners and rivet heads. Some think that you can just use Duct tape, but this is not the case. Tell Eric at Heartwig you need a roll, and he will provide you with one on return of the bladder.



Laying the new tape in perfectly is next to impossible, so don't get too bent if it isn't 100% pretty. Just take your time, and do your best. If you did a kick ass job with the prep, the tape will hold solid for another decade and the next guy wont shake his head at you when he gets back in here.

Sometimes they are too far gone, but with some luck, Heartwig will be able to repair the bladders. They will come nice and shiny and oiled. If you can, put the bladder in a heated room overnight to get it nice and playable. You will also want to crank the heat in the hanger.



Lay out the bladder, roll it up into a sausage again, and start sliding it in.

Once in, lay it flat and start asking Job for patience. First, connect the snaps (bottom of the tank) to their position in the corners. Once you have these, patiently work the top fittings, getting the furthest ones first. Ain't gonna candy coat it... this really blows.

Truth be told, this isn't the hardest thing to do, but there is no doubt that this is the most trying task one can undertake. All I can say is know it can be done. You don't need to take the damn wing off, remove any ribs or skins... Just take your time, don't get frustrated, and motor thru. Oh... and if you have short arms your F'd.

With the bladder in and all the snaps fitted, go ahead and reconnect all the plumbing, caps, and sending units. Make sure you use NEW gaskets! If you are really progressive, you might think about installing new McFarlane fuel sending units here, but I guess I should remember how easy it is for me to spend your money on the interweb.

If you don't have a good torq wrench, make sure you pick one up. It's always critical, but here, an overzealous wrist can cause a leak pretty fast... And that blows.



At any rate, that's a quickie on Wagon bladders. Good luck!

Nice bigrenna! I noticed you swapped out and sold your monarch caps. Is there a better option now and why?

If one has standard size bladders is it possible to install larger ones?

My first job as an a&p was bladders on a 210. The owner said if you do this and still want to be an a&p you're cut out for the job.

soyAnarchisto wrote:Nice bigrenna! I noticed you swapped out and sold your monarch caps. Is there a better option now and why?

If one has standard size bladders is it possible to install larger ones?

I still have Monarch's on. You can see em in the foreground. They are the way to go.

RE: bladder size... Unfortunately the only way to go to get more capacity if you have small tanks is go with Flint tip tanks, but that adds about 34lbs for just the tanks.