Here you can see that most of the tubes are tacked into place. Everything has been checked and triple checked for straight and square.

Installing the front steering tube:

I couldn't find both 2"x.058 and 1 7/8"x.058 tubing so I had to go to the next smaller size. The smaller tube goes into the larger tube and rotates to provide steering. I checked with Wicks, Aircraft Spruce as well as many smaller metal supply places and just could not find any 1 7/8x.058. A quick look at the "load allowables" table shows that a smaller tube can easily handle the loads.

The tube is angled back 18 degrees and that is pretty easy to establish however, getting the angle right as well as centered and absolutely vertical is a little tougher. Below shows how I accomplished this. I placed a carpenters square on the last plywood jig making sure it is perfectly aligned with the centerline and squared with the top. I then placed a long tube in the front, stood back and sighted down to compare the long tube with the carpenter square.

This shot shows how easy it is to get very accurate alignment. Using this method you can get extremely precise in the vertical alignment as well as the centerline.

By welding the tubes to the side of the front tube, it allows a little more room to move the rudder pedals forward a slight bit. Carl Unger and his co-designers were apparently leg length challenged. I'm 6'2" and ummm...husky, so I need just a tad more leg room. On a side note, I increased the length between the forward stations by a few inches for a total stretch of 7 inches. This will give the passenger a little bit more leg room  and allow the front seater to not be hitting his knees on his chin. I haven't decided yet if I will add back seat controls but this will make it easier to position them if I do. However, even a small stretch has consequences. But with very simple mathematics we can easily move the large, heavy weight we call an engine, back a couple of inches to compensate. I want to keep this as minimal as possible as the Breezy is a well balanced flying machine as is. Others have done an even longer stretch and it doesn't seem to affect the flying qualities so I should be in good shape. The other negative to any change is that it will invariably add weight. A lighter airplane will always perform better but I feel this change is minimal enough to be well worth it.

Just about time to start welding in earnest!!