In March we made exciting progress on the remaining sections of the DarkAero 1 prototype. We mounted the engine to the airframe and started to mount engine accessories and interconnect these systems in addition to the continued manufacturing of our landing gear components. 

COVID-19 Impact
As of March 25th, Wisconsin went into a statewide shutdown enforcing a “shelter in place” order and the closure of all non-essential businesses. We are working to comply with the order while still making progress on the DarkAero 1. We have a long list of tasks that can still move forward during the shutdown including completing build instructions, outstanding design tasks, purchasing remaining hardware, and planning with key partners. We are not certain how this will impact our timeline for flight testing but we will continue to keep everyone updated on our progress and where things are at. We are closely watching the data from both the CDC and WHO and are taking it day-by-day. Our team is healthy and we hope that you are staying safe and healthy as well. 

Canopy
The canopy that we formed in February was near enough to a final product that we were able to use it to begin developing the process for assembling the canopy to the canopy frame. Canopy assembly is a challenging task in many aircraft kits so we remained mindful of this and tried to find ways to make the process easy on the DarkAero 1. 

The first step of the process was to cut excess stock from the canopy and trim it to its final dimensions. One improvement we had conceived early on and were able to test was the use of locating features on the canopy. Our canopy mold has indents on it that mark the centerline and perimeter of the canopy and these get transferred to the specific locations on the canopy itself during the manufacturing process. The features on the canopy give a clear indication of how much stock to trim and where to mount it on the canopy frame. This approach proved useful as the final perimeter of the canopy lined up with the canopy frame. With the test canopy trimmed and positioned, we drilled and clecoed it in place. The test article will ultimately get replaced by the final canopy before the first flight.

Firewall and Firewall Forward
Significant progress was made on the engine installation in March. With the last of the structure installed to support the engine mount, it was straightforward to bolt the engine mount and engine to the firewall. We had built a plywood mockup of the firewall early on that we used to test out different arrangements for the engine accessories. The lessons learned from this work were carried forward onto the actual firewall as we began installing the hardpoints and mounting studs for the engine accessories. We focused on the right side of the firewall first and installed the ignition coils, oil cooler, oil separator, and fuel return bulkhead fitting. Additionally, we cut out the firewall heat shield insulation, started on the ignition wires, and built a few fuel and oil lines. We are looking forward to finalizing this work on the right side of the firewall and moving on to the left side.  

Nose Gear
There has been a lot of progress made towards the completion of the nose gear. There are only a few components left to machine before final assembly and drop testing. The nose gear is free castering and designed to provide over 4 inches of travel to absorb the hardest landing conditions. It was designed in accordance with the FAA’s Part 23 load guidelines for certified aircraft gear. The nose gear is equipped with an off-the-shelf oleo pneumatic shock that will be housed inside the strut and upper trunnion. The strut and trunnion are designed to take any off-axis loads while allowing the shock to absorb the impact energy from hard landings. The next steps will be to machine the remaining components of the nose gear and perform drop testing. Following this we will be mounting the nose gear into its final position on the airframe. 

Wing Load Test Fixture
The base of our wing load test fixture is now built. This fixture will allow us to simulate aerodynamic loads and validate the structural integrity of the wing under positive g-loads (flight loads that push up on the bottom of the wing) prior to flight testing. For this load test we perform a proof load and do not take the wing to total failure.  Prior to the load test, we will be installing additional reinforcement of the structure and testing basic loads before performing the full test. For negative g-loads (flight loads that push down on the top of the wing), we will reconfigure the fixture for this condition and perform additional proof load tests. 

Avionics Hardware Installation 
All the hardware for our center tunnel avionics box located between the forward baggage areas is now installed. This box is one of three areas where avionics will be installed on the DarkAero 1. The hardware in this box includes both ECUs for the UL Power engine, the Vertical Power solid state breaker, and the Garmin Engine Interface system. Wiring of these components has also been started inside the box. Next, we will be finalizing the connection of these components to central plug terminals in the front and back of the box that will allow the box to interface with the rest of the aircraft wiring. 

YouTube Channel
We released five new YouTube videos in March that give more insight on the design process, parts manufacturing, and final assembly. Our latest video highlights how we used CFD simulation tools to help design the wing for the DarkAero 1. Head over to our YouTube to check it out! We recommend subscribing to our channel to stay up to date on the latest content we release. We have some more fun YouTube videos we are planning to release in April that you will not want to miss!

DarkAero YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/darkaeroinc

In the News
Rockwest composites article:
https://www.rockwestcomposites.com/blog/kit-plane-developers-look-to-composites-for-new-models/

“Through a series of innovative designs and custom-built manufacturing processes, the brothers achieved the goal of being able to create a complete kit that only requires customers to join and bond parts. All the difficult composite fabricating is handled on DarkAero's end.
As far as the plane itself, the DarkAero 1 is pretty impressive. It is a dual-passenger aircraft with a cruising speed of 275 mph and a 1700-sm range. The aircraft even features retractable landing gear. It looks sleek, sexy, and a little bit like a World War II fighter plane on steroids.”
 

DarkAero Apparel 
We recently expanded our apparel offering to include crew neck sweatshirts and zip hoodies. If you would like to check out the new items, visit www.darkaero.com/shop! 

April and Beyond
As mentioned at the top of the email, Wisconsin is currently in a statewide lockdown that forces all non-essential businesses to temporarily halt operations. That said, this order does not bar us from doing remote work from our homes and there is still plenty of progress our team will be making over the next month under these unprecedented circumstances. We are hopeful and optimistic that the lockdown will ease up going into May and June and will not be a significant roadblock to us getting the plane through flight testing this year.