July 29 - September 6, 2026
       Last Mango...
                   in Paris.

Big big big big decision... decided that since I am remaking the entire engine mount WHY NOT take it all the way back to how the engine mount connects to the fuselage and redesign the engine mounting brackets, eh? What an incredible landfall having to make the engine mount and then deciding what the hell... let's just add more hours onto this Bird and cut off the engine mounting brackets I spent all that time in making and mount it a different way. Ya know... for sits and giggles? lol

Seriously... ever since I made those brackets I had this nagging feeling in the back of my brain. Yeah... I went down a rabbit hole when I bought the engine ring. Hey, it came off of a UC-78, just make the engine mount and the engine mount brackets just like the UC-78. Brilliant? Eh? Well... if you were building a transport but this ain't no transport. I don't plan on flying heavy akro... ya know, Unlimted. But hell, who knows...

And digging deep down into my thoughts, this was the opportunity that I gave myself to do it like I know it should be done like.

I've spent three days taking BIG ASS BIRD's Station Zero back to where it was. Yep! Something like 12 hours of back paddling.

First cutting off the actual brackets from the mounting plates. And then... the mounting plates from the fuselage. And then... cleaning up the excess weld on the tubes. I still have two corners of Station Zero to finish file and then sand to 400 grit.

So instead of updating the BLOG on stepping backwards, I save a few work sessions for one post. I have a number of photos but I'm not going to show each stage of cutting them off. Below is a sanpshot of the fuselage with all those beautiful brackets I make. And then a few images of one corner being cleaned up and then painted with primer. And it looks mighty fine with a coat of gray primer on her.

'Last Mango in Paris', just alludes to me listening to Jimmy Buffet quiet a bit over the last three sessions...

UC-78 bracket(s) that I made.


Bracket and plate cut off. Still needs cleaning up.


Cleaned up mighty fine.


Primed

I have two more corners that need cleaning up. And I need to figure out exactly how I'll be connecting the engine mount to the fuselage. I have a set of Pitts 12 plans I'll be looking at, as well as any other plans or photos I can take a look at before moving forward with the new plan.

September 19, 2026
       Thank you...
                   God.

Moving along with that BIG decision...

Figured I'd tackle the most challenging project today (that's what they always say, yes?) and that is aligning the mis-aligned holes of the engine ring with the back of the Jake's case. Thoughts prior to today ran all over the place... make a jig with 1/4inch thick sheet of 4130 metal (but needing to figure out where the mis-aligned holes need to be located! Uh... yeah.), among other thoughts of fixing the mis-alignment. One thought, and the easiest of them, was to heat the ends of the ring while it was bolted to the case. Get only that part cherry red and use the alignment pins I made for the old engine mount attachment brackets that helped with getting those 3/8inch critters aligned. Figured, what the heck... try the easiest way first and then if 'No Joy' try one of the more difficult options.

Tried it.
It worked!
On to cleaning those two remaining corners on Station Zero!

A task I beat myself over for weeks turned out to be something simple... thanks to God. Seriously. Thank you God! For chasing me back out of the UC-78 rabbit hole and having me re-think all this out again.

There was a reason why the mount was the wrong length. There was a reason why the ring got slightly mis-aligned. And that made me challenge what it existed all the way down to the engine mount attach brackets.

I always had this nagging thought in the back of my head... yeah, made the engine mount and mount attach brackets like the UC-78 'cause the ring came off a UC-78 but is that the best reason for making the engine mount like that? Just because?

I think not...

Previously I decided to totally re-make the engine mount. Tubing figured out. Tubing bought. Ready!

Now with the decision to re-think the engine mount brackets... I had to figure out the way it was going to be done. Since I decided to use the design of the Pitts 12 engine mount, I'm going to go with the Pitts 12 engine mount attaching brackets. All I need to do is purchase the tubing and washers for the attachements. Do some reaming and cutting threads into the pieces. Then weld them into place. THEN start on the engine mount...

ALL of the bolts fit... now.


Station Zero's corners are ready for service.

I have two more corners that need cleaning up. And I need to figure out exactly how I'll be connecting the engine mount to the fuselage. I have a set of Pitts 12 plans I'll be looking at, as well as any other plans or photos I can take a look at before moving forward with the new plan.

And as always. See ya... next week, or should I say, next time...