Building in the living room and covering with Oratex

[miklos]

Hello Carbon Cub builders,

a complete newbie here, hoping to clarify some questions regarding building a Carbon Cub. This would be my first-time build and my experience is limited to a fabric covering and riveting workshop in Oshkosh...

For the last few years I've been thinking about building an airplane but mainly due to space constraints in my home/garage, it wasn't possible. I also couldn't find any other space nearby to rent and I'm pretty sure that building it in or near my house will raise the acceptance for the project in the family and thus the chances of finishing it.

A few days ago, I've stumbled upon this video about a gentleman in Anchorage, who has built his CC in his extended living room:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rTI2tj2WWk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_i-SHZbqi8

I could extend my house with a similar room, but the size would be limited to 19.55 x 12.27 feet.

A few questions:

1. Does the fuselage and wing fit into the above mentioned room with 1-2 ft to spare on one side? I realize a small space will not speed things up and make some steps more cumbersome. But is it doable?

2. From the (Polyfiber) covering course I remember the odor being very strong, not something I'd like to have near the living room. Oratex seems to solve this. Does anyone have experience with it? I realize that the look isn't quiet the same - especially the lighter colors seem to be a bit more transparent. How about durability and repairability?

3. Regarding noise and odors. Can I do most of the riveting with a (pneumatic?) squeezer or do I need to use the gun a lot? Are there any other steps that are noisy or create odors that I need to be aware of?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Miklos

[David H]

Miklos,

Great questions.

1. The videos you listed show how one can get creative in minimal space, so a qualified "yes".

2. I did not want to have anything to do with the dangers of the PolyFiber system (fresh air breathing apparatus needed for painting etc.) so I used the Stewart Systems products (covering and paint). I am very satisfied with the outcome. I still used a very good (3M) full face mask carbon respirator when painting.

I looked into Oratex but was very unimpressed. To me, the colors are drab at best and of limited selection. After meeting the company owners/representatives at Oshkosh, I passed on this option. This is more like Monokote from my RC days.

3. Building noise can be very minimal. Drill noise may be the biggest issue as you can hand squeeze most rivets if you choose.

This squeezer is highly recommended:

http://www.cleavelandtool.com/Main-S...uctinfo/SCH22/

Take a look at my posts and others, there is a wealth of information here.

Good luck! let us know what you decide on.

David

[aeroaddict]

Miklos,
With regards to Oratex, I too was very interested. After contacting the company, I was less that impressed with their customer service. I did not order anything.

But a person in our area has built 2 CC's using Oratex and has flown to Alaska a few times. The planes are probably 2 years old now and I occasionally get to see them up close at the airport. As far as I can tell, the durability is adequate.

Oratex would be a great solution if building in an area close to other people. I do not know about Stewart Systems but the Poly Fiber flat out sinks when you apply the Poly Brush coat. I'm building in a hanger, so the odor is not an issue.

Dan

[miklos]

Dan and David,

thanks both of you for the great feedback!

Will look into Stewart as an alternative. Regarding Oratex, I suspect you've experienced what the normal German (and Swiss) customer service is like. I'm always amazed at the service I'm provided for almost everything in the US, unfortunately that is not the norm here in Europe...

I guess I still have some time figuring out the covering/painting details, but not needing a paint booth (for which we need a permit for here) or paying for a good paint job is tempting...

My first priority is sorting out the workshop space issues. Does anyone by chance have the exact dimensions of the EX-3 fuselage? How much does the Bogert rotator add to that? I suspect not using a rotator adds a lot of time and inconvenience...

Regarding the build sequence. My estimate is that I will be able to work about 350-400 hours a year on my build, thus taking it around 3-4 years to complete. Would it make sense to order the wing & fuselage kit first and the rest later as it might take 1-2 years until I'm that far into the build to use them? When do I need to make a decision regarding the avionics? I guess there must be quiet a few avionics-specific wires and sensors installed in the wings/fuselage before covering. The market changes quickly and a successor to the G3X Touch can't be far away...

Thanks again for your replies so far, it's great to see that there's a lively community here in the forums welcoming and helping out newcomers.

Regards,

Miklos

[aeroaddict]

In your particular situation, Oratex would be a good solution. Again, over here it is still somewhat of an unknown and people have very strong opinions when it comes to covering systems.

Concerning build time, I have not kept track of the hours, but the kit builds FAST, I mean REALLY FAST! I easily did the wings in maybe two months, but being retired I have time to devote to the build.

What has taken the most time so far has been the covering (using Poly Fiber).

Avionics/sensors depends on your mission. I'm starting out with a just daytime VFR plane. I have pulled wires for nav and position lights so they will be available if I decide to install lighting. My panel is a single flat screen (Skyview). Very simple panel and the plane should finish up to be light. Light weight flies better IMO.

Cheers

[Mark Albery]

I'm in the finishing stages of an Oratex-covered EX2. My choice was driven by the fact that I was building in a city-owned hangar where painting wasn't permitted. I also dislike the idea of breathing toxic vapours.

Your choice of colours will be more limited and it is more translucent except the blue and olive green materials.

You also have the advantage of it being a German product, so easier to source locally.

It is being used on some new factory aircraft now and several STCs for recovering part 23 aircraft.

Regards rivetting. I think I only used the rivet gun on about 3 or 4 occasions and those could be substituted with a Cherry rivet if needed. The compressor gets used regularly for my air drills and rivet puller, but not strictly necessary.

Your build space may work up to the wing rigging stage, though it would help if you had additional storage for completed wings etc and unstarted kits.

[miklos]

Thanks Mark for your reply. Good to hear that there are CC builders out there who have successfully worked with Oratex.

I'll let you guys know when I've started the build, still got a few obstacles to overcome until then...