The Murphy Builders Site

My co-builder and I are having a "lively" discussion concerning cutting the cabin roof skylight holes. She wants to cut the aluminum sheet first in accordance with MAM supplied dimensions and then cut the molded MAM headliner to suit when it is installed. I want to cut the headliner first so that the skylight opening is placed symmetrically in the flat area for the skylight. The roof would then be cut to match the headliner cutout. My argument is that if the lights are not placed symmetrically in the headliner recesses they won't look right. Her argument is that is not what MAM tells us to do. Comments please from a jury of our peers.

Next, While my co-builder is long on opinions, she is short in stature and is requesting a step on the fuselage sides to ease her entry. Have any of you solved this problem? Suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ralph Baker / Sue Scouten
Elite 624E (reserved)

As per the step for the Elite you could use the factory supplied step for the SR2500/Moose. This is contoured aerodynamically, and the support should not be that difficult. As for the skylight placement, I haven't done that yet, but I think that drilling a pilot hole in the centre of the preferred headliner position and checking to see that the hole in the sheet metal will not compromise any structural pieces, would be reasonable.

Phil McGrogan
Moose

My co-builder and I are having a "lively" discussion concerning cutting the cabin roof skylight holes. She wants to cut the aluminum sheet first in accordance with MAM supplied dimensions and then cut the molded MAM headliner to suit when it is installed. I want to cut the headliner first so that the skylight opening is placed symmetrically in the flat area for the skylight. The roof would then be cut to match the headliner cutout. My argument is that if the lights are not placed symmetrically in the headliner recesses they won't look right. Her argument is that is not what MAM tells us to do. Comments please from a jury of our peers.

Next, While my co-builder is long on opinions, she is short in stature and is requesting a step on the fuselage sides to ease her entry. Have any of you solved this problem? Suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ralph Baker / Sue Scouten
Elite 624E (reserved)

Ralph & Sue
How about this for the skylights, mock up the roof panel and the (important details of the) headliner in bristol board (cardboard) and try cutting to both theories. This should tell you how well the two parts do or don't match up and it is a whole lot less expensive. When I want to make up a part from scratch by the cut & try method the cardboard always comes out first.
My two cents worth on the roof panel, won't it look funny from the outside if the skylights aren't symetric?
As far as doing what MAM tells you to do, don't blindly follow them because they can lead you down a blind alley quite fast unless you think out what they are doing before hand. I learned this the hard way on a couple of occasions and then went back to do what my gut feel was telling me. The instructions are a guideline written in the office after the airplane is finished..........It has to be that way for there to be so many mistakes in them.
Well, I had better quit the manual rant now, try the cardboard and let us know how it worked out.
Cheers,
David A. Ricker/Francine Desharnais
Nova Scotia
Canada
Elite 583


Ralph Baker wrote:

My co-builder and I are having a "lively" discussion concerning cutting the cabin roof skylight holes. She wants to cut the aluminum sheet first in accordance with MAM supplied dimensions and then cut the molded MAM headliner to suit when it is installed. I want to cut the headliner first so that the skylight opening is placed symmetrically in the flat area for the skylight. The roof would then be cut to match the headliner cutout. My argument is that if the lights are not placed symmetrically in the headliner recesses they won't look right. Her argument is that is not what MAM tells us to do. Comments please from a jury of our peers. Next, While my co-builder is long on opinions, she is short in stature and is requesting a step on the fuselage sides to ease her entry. Have any of you solved this problem? Suggestions would be appreciated.Thanks,Ralph Baker / Sue ScoutenElite 624E (reserved)

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