The rotorhead is now mounted in the fuselage in preparation for pull tests. This view is from the rear, and the fuselage is on its side.

Bonding the wing center section to the fuselage. You can see the two aluminum tubes, one for hydraulic lines and the other for electrical wiring. The tubes extend through the fuel tank.

The aircraft airframe is now complete and on its retractable gear. The mottled appearance is because of the prefinished state (bodywork done but not primed or painted).

Front view of aircraft.

Aircraft mounted inside in preparation for rotorhead mount pull tests, wing bend tests, fuel tank pressure tests, fuselage pressure tests, and landing gear mounting tests. The aircraft nose and spinner opening are attached to the floor, and the rotorhead is connected to the ceiling by a hydraulic cylinder. The rotorhead mount will be tested to 4 G's by pulling up with the hydraulic cylinder. The landing gear mounts will be tested by putting 1250 PSI on the landing gear cylinders to simulate a 24 foot per second crash landing. The fuselage will be pressure tested by filling it completely with water and pressurizing it to 24 PSI. The wing will be bend tested to 4 G's by pushing up from below using a special fixture not shown. All these tests will be proof tests, and are not intended to damage the airframe.

Version 3.2 propeller tests. The crew is inspecting the propeller and test stand between runs. Soon after this picture was taken, the propeller was dust after a failure at 6500 engine RPM, a propeller tip speed of mach .982. See the proof test summary for details. The version 3.4 propeller, which looks very similar, finally passed the tests.

Version 3 rotor tests with the V3.4 propeller also running. The rotor was run up to 580 RPM (Mach .91), requiring 145 horsepower. At 540 RPM the horsepower required was 88. The complete system as shown was used for simulated jump takeoff testing. See proof test summary for details on all testing.

The nose gear was attached to a trailer carrying two barrels containing water to test for shimmy. No shimmy was found at any combination of nose gear pivot angle, weight, and speed up to 55 MPH. The nose gear has an elastomeric shimmy dampener built in.

The engine being installed into the fuselage. All component tests have been completed so the big remaining task is to install all the systems into the aircraft.

Determination of engine, exhaust system, engine mount, and drive system weight and CG. Without hoses, wiring, and radiator it weighs 480 pounds. The exhaust system is 321 stainless steel.

The fuselage has now had its first coat of primer, and the engine with all its accessories is being test-fit again. The prop is temporarily installed.

The rear cowling in place. Also visible is the new air scoop on the bottom of the fuselage.

The spinner temporarily installed on the propeller. There is an annular gap between the spinner and the fuselage, which is the cooling air exit.

The aircraft is now mechanically complete and painted. The wiring and instrumentation is still to be done.

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