At last check in the progress was 17 gores of completed panels. Only 3 more to go.

Nomex arrived mid-week so that is one less thing to worry about. Only think left that is integral to the sewing is the load tapes. Arnold’s don’t seem to want to talk to me over the phone or over email, so I am getting tempted to take a drive out to them. Tape will start being needed next weekend (I hope), so it might have take a drive out to Arnolds to get something out of them. If not there is a few other options, first one is go to Leffers and buy it off them. They will just buy it off Arnolds and sell it to me with a bit of $$$ added on. Hopefully I can just drive out and get some from Arnold’s, that would save lots of hassle.

The lake is getting closer, but so is the end of the sewing, so I think it’s looking good to be finished for the lake.
Whether or not it will be legal (CoA) by the lake is another matter, and possibly something outside our control, but if all we can do with it at the lake is tether, I think that is still meeting the deadline.

These blogs are getting boring without pictures I know, but give it a few more weeks and there will be lots of pictures
Oh and if your reading, leave some comments!!

Just finished faxing off another round of forms to CASA late this week.

Turns out a “Reservation of Rego Mark - Form0028″ needs to be submitted before you can register the aircraft, who would have thought!
Also needed is an ARN (Aviataion Reference Number) as well, so that application form needs to be filled out.

To top is all off, next week I need to send CASA verified copies of both passport and drivers license. The forms aren’t really a big deal, just repetitive.
Damn terrorists make is so hard to register an aircraft these days.

Purchased the nomex today from Melba Industries. It is the lighter 150gsm version type, and is about $40 per linear meter. It ended up costing $849.92, a bit more than I expected, due to some companies inability to quote prices with GST, seeing as how you actually have to pay it.

Next task is to get some load tapes.

At last “check-in” with the sew-master, we were up to 13 sets of gores, this is all the panels put into single gores ready to be sewn together.
Progress is going well, and getting quicker and quicker with each stich.

I am starting to get some of the “other” bit’s organised here in Melbourne, such as load tapes, flying wires, carabiners and other miscellaneous bits. We have decided to go with rapid links to connect the flying wires to the load tapes, this is an expensive move but I think it’s worth it. I had a win yesterday by finding a source for those sticky temperature thingo’s, as well as the bit’s to make a tell tale flag, if anyone wants one of those sticky things let me know, I had to get a pack of 10. Only downside was they have to come from the US of A.

I updated to cost spreadsheet (on my pc, not of this site) last night to check in with how much everything has cost so far. So far I have spent a hair under $8000, sounds like a lot? Well actually more than 90% of that is faric, so apart from the fabric everything has been quite cheap, quite an ironic thing to say considering you need fabric to build a balloon, yet you have to take into account that I chose first grade fabric, and super expensive hyperlast. There is an extra ~$1300 due to hyperlast.
Also, we have what I estimate to be about $1500 in left over fabric, so if that get’s used on another balloon, the cost of this one drops by $1500.

Depending on what fee’s I end up paying to get the all CoA’d and registered,  Ithik the whole “exercise” will end up costing either a hair above or below $10,000. More than other homebuilt balloons, but still 3rd the cost of a new one

Speaking of registrations, today I sent away the forms for registration, so once that gets processed and OK’d the balloon will (hopefully) be designated VH-XUP (thanks to Adam for the suggestion). As far as names go, its a balloon, not a person, it doesn’t need a name, for now at least. If i had to, at the moment I would call it PITA.

That’s about all that’s been going on lately, I did buy a new (secondhand) car last week, so thats one step closer to a complete ballooning outfit I guess.