Top Row (left to right): Parts completed to date, Keegan examines the firewall and seatback bulkheads, Ryley standing with completed fuselage left and right sides Bottom Row (left to right): Results of canopy test form, Non-bonded assembly of the fuselage, Remaining parts to complete
In March, we made significant progress on the main fuselage structures, including the fuselage sides, longerons, and all internal bulkheads. We also completed additional testing on our vacuum thermoformer that will allow us to proceed to a production test.
Fuselage Parts Coming off the heels of completing our fuselage side molds last month, we were able to successfully manufacture the left and right sides of the DarkAero 1 fuselage. Given their size, the vacuum infusion of these parts was relatively involved compared with some of our more recent smaller parts. We took our time with the fuselage sides and completely infused and demolded the left side before proceeding to infusing the right side. This minimized the risk of scrapping a part and maximized the opportunity to learn and improve on our manufacturing process. In the end, both parts were infused successfully, although we were able to optimize the second infusion based off of lessons learned on the first one.
In addition to molding the fuselage sides, we machined all of the internal fuselage bulkheads for the DarkAero 1, which yielded us 25 additional completed parts. This was made possible by using the same techniques we developed to produce the internal structures of the wings and tail. By machining the bulkheads from honeycomb panels, we created dozens of parts for the same amount of labor that it would traditionally take to mold just a few of these parts. The bulkheads of the fuselage are much stiffer and more robust than the bulkhead material we use in the wings since they are subject to more out of plane loading from occupants and baggage. They use 1/2” aluminum honeycomb instead of the 1/4” aramid honeycomb we use in the wing. They also use two layers of carbon fiber plus an internal layer of fiberglass on either side of the panel. Despite the fuselage bulkheads having a total weight of just 24 lbs, we will be making changes on production versions of the airplane to drop their total weight to under 22 lbs.
The fuselage longerons were also manufactured. These were small components so they didn't present too much of a challenge. After they were demolded and trimmed we trial fit them against the fuselage sides and confirmed a precise fit. They will be bonded into the fuselage sides in the next few days.
Canopy/Thermoformer After making further upgrades to our vacuum thermoformer used to produce our canopies, we ran a test that formed our best canopy to date. Based on the results of the form we achieved, we will be implementing several more upgrades, and will attempt a production test next month.
Looking Ahead At this point in time we have five molds remaining to complete the exterior airframe structures of the DarkAero 1. These include the canopy fairing, aft fuselage floor, wing fillets, wing tips, and gear doors. With the fuselage left and right sides and internal bulkheads now complete, we can begin assembly of our fuselage structure. We can’t wait to share the assembly progress in the coming weeks!
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