Poor man's Sonex trim...

I have always liked Sonex trim system but you just can't buy everything you like just because it would be nice on the plane (my wife says)... 

...but I'm allowed to build anything I like as long as I'm using scrap material...

Oratex 6000 used for exposed areas

While using Oratex UL600 for all other parts I used Oratex 6000 for the landing gear for extra protection on this particularly exposed area...

I used extruded polystyrene foam for the trailing edges, it is very stiff, easy to shape and it weighs nothing...

Aluminium tape give a good strength to the edge where the foam is thin.

While Oratex UL600 is very strong the 6000 feels almost destructible. This might be overkill but the landing gear take a lot of beating - particularly when passengers get in and out...

There is a video on YouTube where gravel is shot on Oratex 6000 with a slingshot at -25 C (-13F)... and another where they beat it with a hammer...  

Covering has started

The 1.5 minutes in the film represent a full hour
I agree, watching this film is like watching paint dry (but it only lasts 1.5 minutes while paint take much longer..!). It is not very exciting, nor is it particularly instructive as you don’t really see the details. But there is a message in the film…
Using Oratex provide a lot of flexibility. I had already, actually a few days ago, prepared the fuselage and the fabric by applying the glue. So when I decided to skip lunch and work on the plane instead for one hour I could easily do that and know that I could stop on top of the hour, roll the plane back in the barn and with clean hands and without having to change go back to work. I can pick up exactly where I left at a later time (after dinner, lunch tomorrow or this weekend)... 

Finally read for covering…

The preparation of the fuselage has been delayed by work obligations but I’m now ready to start the covering work.

All “difficult to cover” areas have been prepared as well as openings for cables, jettison/purge and break tubes. 

An additional inspection trap is prepared for above the tail wheel for easy change of tail springs and cleaning out whatever nuts and bolts accumulate in the end of the tail...

I hope I have prepared and done all that is required before covering the fuselage.