Friends,
Wow, a whopping 8 months since my last blog update...so what's been going on?
Since November 2017, I have worked a lot on the project, but that all largely went on hold once winter set in. The 2017-2018 winter season was so cold I could not heat my shop/garage the same way I had in previous years. I tried several alternatives, but nothing worked. I switched gears and finished up a basement project unrelated to the Zenith build.
I also had emergency surgery, had to deal with a rental property that was destroyed by my tenants, among many other things. From April-July, I did nothing but work on the rental property. I was able to sell it, though, so that's a relief.
In addition, I bought an airplane. That's right, I bought a plane! I purchased a 1962 Cessna 172D with a Stene STOL kit. Prior to buying the Cessna, I had only logged about 11 flight hours in the last 10 years! Since the ultimate goal with the Zenith is to fly the darn thing, I figured I better get back in the sky and knock the dust off my piloting skills. I looked for months for a suitable factory airplane to serve me while I finish the Zenith. I figured that the 172D with STOL kit is pretty good certified approximation to the Zenith, even though it's a lot bigger and heavier. However, it gives me pretty good STOL performance in a tricycle, high wing package. I'll be doing some pretty solid training and practice with it, in hopes that I'll be ready to transition to the Zenith when the time comes. I got the plane for a really good price and it was local to my home airport.
The nose art was on the plane when I bought it. The former owner is an Air Force veteran, who had the nose art added in tribute to "The Ruptured Duck," of The Doolittle Raid. Not sure if I'll keep the art or not. But for now, she's a great VFR bird for training, practice and loads of fun!
Back to the Zenith:
I haven't given up. My shop has been full of other projects and such since about February, so the Zenith has just been in moth balls since then. Now that all side projects are largely done, I'll be getting back into the Zenith soon. I'm finishing up a DIY airplane tug for the Cessna right now. My last progress on the Zenith was in February 2018, when I worked on the elevator. I shot a ton of footage of the elevator build, but then the memory card malfunctioned and I lost over half of it. There is no way to get the footage back unless I re-shoot it while building a new elevator. You can guess that's not going to happen, So my next project update video will only have a little elevator footage.
More to come!
