Experimenter

January 2014

Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.

Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/247918

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HINTS FOR HOMEBUILDERS Framing in the hut. Heat Hut A hangar within a hangar BY CY GALLEY HAVE YOU EVER HAD a project in your hangar that you wanted to work on but you couldn't because your hangar was too cold due to outside temperatures? As you may know, there is nothing colder than an airport in winter up north. Going into a metal hangar doesn't make it any warmer. This fall, Keith Williams of EAA Chapter 75 sold his instrument panel of steam gauges from his RV-6 to replace it with a couple of glass panels similar to what he has in his RV-12. Planning ahead, he knew that he needed to have a warm spot to do the work, as winter was coming. He built a lightweight "heat hut" in which to do the work; making it small in volume meant that he didn't need much heat if it was well insulated and sealed. Pictured here is the basic 2-by-2 framing that he built around his plane. Note that he put his roll-around light stand inside with the diagonal bracing. It also gives some lateral bracing to the hut. The 2-by-2s are on 24-inch centers. The space between the studs is filled with 24-inch-wide insulation batts, with the paper on the outside and the plastic vapor barrier on the inside. Ceiling insulation was laid on top of the hut with 1-by-2s used for support. The only real protection for the insulation is an inexpensive brown tarp that was laid on top of the ceiling insulation. It is just visible in the picture as the edges were taped down on the sides. He also taped paper around the wings to seal those openings. There are three 3/8-inch plywood doors that are faced with insulation. You can see the front door in one of the photos. The other two are on each side of the tail so one 24 Vol.3 No.1 / January 2014 A door on either side of the fuselage makes walking around the aircraft easier. Photography courtesy of Keith Williams

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