So, I've finally decided to build this aircraft. I've been going back and forth for some time between buying a used Glastar, or building my own Sportsman. I finally decided that building my own is the only way I am going to get exactly what I want. I'm tired of the Lycosaurus and all of the associated problems, and I want to be able to customize the airplane, and be able to do all of the maintenance and inspections without being forced to pay someone else to do it.

Click here for an ad for the plane.

31 Oct 2004 - 4.5 hours
We've started to prepare the garage to transform it into a work area.

Gotta do a little cleaning... (Isn't she cute?)

Here is what we had to start with - note my new work bench, tool chest, and shelves in the boxes!

Putting it all together...

Starting to look like a work area! The green bowl is for the Halloween candy we were handing out.

Maybe she can spell the rivets in place!

The cars still fit, barely...


06-07 Nov 2004 - 2 days
I attended an EAA Sport Air work shop on aircraft sheet metal construction.
Great class!!! I hadn't driven a single rivet before I went, and found it to be an easy thing to do. The class gave me the confidence to proceed with the order for the kit.

The classroom for the sheet metal class

The instructor - very knowledgable and nice guy

These are the basic tools - what the heck do I do with these?
Most I'd never even seen before.

Our gracious hosts, Aircraft Spruce. This is their new East Coast facility.

The project was to build a small simulated section of wing.

Two others in the class, Bob and Michael.
Bob is building a Sportsman slow-build kit in Manchester, NH, and Michael is rebuilding an L-19.


Feb 2005
Life throws us large curves every now and then.
I've had to put the Sportsman project on hold due to a job change and a move from Orlando, FL to Chapel Hill, NC. Hopefully the new job and environment will be stable enough for me to pursue this dream sometime in the near future...

Mar 2005
MOVING TO CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA

14 Apr 2005
I'm rolling the dice and jumping off into the deep deep end of the pool. I decided to go for it. Last week (Thu, 07 Apr 2005) I faxed in my order for the Sportsman tail kit. This past Monday (11 Apr 2005) I placed a very large order with Cleaveland Tools for all of the Glasair Aviation recommended tools for the Sportsman tail and wing. On Tuesday (12 Apr 2005) after many days of reviewing the options, I ordered an air compressor from Campbell Hausfeld, the VT6315.
Most of these things are supposed to arrive next week, and the tail kit will be shipped after 21 Apr (they are waiting for parts to arrive).

And so, my journey begins...

The new house does not have a garage, but there is one room that should be large enough to build the tail kit.
Here are some pictures:




Feb 2006
MOVED AGAIN


28 Mar 2006
Wow, it has been about 4 months since I've had a chance to work on the project. A lot has happened in that time. We bought a new house, and along with it is a nice Aircraft Assembly Facility (AAF). Most people would call this a 2 car garage, but since there are no cars in it... *grin* I now have a decent workshop to complete the whole plane. I ordered the rest of the kit (wings and fuselage) back in Dec 2005 to lock in the pricing, and am expecting the rest of the kit to arrive during the first week of April 2006.

Now that I have the workshop together enough to continue work on the project, I hope to make better progress and keep the web site updated more often.

Jul 2007
It was way too hot in the shop last summer (2006), and I basically had to stop working for a few months due to the heat. This year, I decided to buy some insulation in hopes of keeping it cool enough to continue work. I'm happy to say it worked out well. The insulation is rated R14, and before putting it up, the temps inside the shop were several degrees higher than the outside temps. Now they average 10-12 degrees below the outside temps, and that is without the window mounted air conditioning unit turned on.

I bought Prodex Total Insulation: 4 ft x 175 ft roll (700 sq ft) from http://www.insulation4less.com/prodex_Ffmf.asp. It is very easy to install with a staple gun, and I am very happy with the results. It also provides some soundproofing (about 19Db they claim), which will help keep the neighbors happier I am sure.

25 Jul 2007 - 3 hrs
Start insulation installation on the ceiling.


26 Jul 2007 - 2.25 hrs
Continue insulation ceiling installation, and put up some additional lighting.


27 Jul 2007 - 2.75 hrs
Finish ceiling insulation installation and lighting.


29 Jul 2007 - 3.5 hrs
Finish installing insulation around the doors and a/c unit.