As we are approaching my self imposed deadline of October pretty rapidly I thought it’s only fair to let you know where we are and what the current outlook is.

The Build Manual is progressing beautifully. We are up to Page 291 and working diligently through the build process. Since the last report we have added the detail on how to cover the fuselage frames, the door design has been significantly improved, the instrument panel assembly described, the seat construction made more robust, the canopy construction detailed, the rudder assembly, control column and elevator control assembly detailed and wonderfully illustrated.

Right now we are incorporating major simplifications to the Force Feedback design of the Rudder and Aileron assemblies. This without sacrificing any accuracy of in-flight representation. We have managed to build the full system into the fuselage rather than having it spill into the support cradle. This makes construction much easier and removal of the fuselage from the cradle very simple and fast.

So when will we publish? Well there are still all the auxiliary controls to describe. These are the components that run along the inside walls of the cockpit and below the instrument panel. Then there’s still  a description of the cabling and electronics and the commissioning process and setups for DSC World, X-Plane and IL2. And then proof reading and cross-referencing all referred to drawings, cutting patterns, bend diagrams, machine drawings and general arrangements. What that means is that I will miss my target of October but it also provides me with great confidence that we will be ready to publish during November.

So in the meantime, herewith a few extracts from the manual for your viewing pleasure….