Activity Stream

Activity Stream



  1. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Kitfox 1 questions   

    The cross tubes in the back of the plane that a hitch can attach to are 5/16" inside diameter.  I have had to run a drill through them at times though, cause the weld bubbled in a bit and the bolt wouldn't go through.  JImChuk
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  2. lostman added a post in a topic Kitfox 1 questions   

    I am getting ready to bring a Kitfox home in the next couple of months. Can you tell me what size the hole is that is in the tail you used for the scissor jack pin? 
    Hope the flight testing goes well! 
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  3. SuberAvid added a post in a topic Kitfox 1 questions   

    Can't wait to hear how it does Buckey.
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  4. Shipl14 added a topic in Avid Model IV   

    turtle deck pics
    My kit was missing the turtle deck parts. Anybody have good pics from various sides and angles? I do have the bearing pieces and fairings.
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  5. wypaul added a post in a topic Hoerner wingtips, not the shoes   

    I don't believe that was Hoerner's conclusion.  He actually wrote a short paper just about wing tips, "AERODYNAMIC SHAPE OF WING TIPS" which is online if searched for.  I will refer you to that and you can draw your own conclusions. There is a nice YouTube video of a fellow making some Hoerner tips for his Sonerai.  I will try to link to that for those interested. 
       https://youtu.be/ULhZchv7ito
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  6. Neil added a post in a topic Strut Farings   


    Thanks Jim. That looks like something I can do. My model C project is coming along real good. Thanks for everyone's help. N R
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  7. Willja67 added a post in a topic Hoerner wingtips, not the shoes   

    Here's the page from Fluid Dynamic Drag authored by Hoerner for those interested. 
    Apparently there are 2 considerations, the corners need to be sharp so the air can't roll around the edges as easily from bottom to top and the planform shape is important as well.
    Interestingly enough according to the diagram at the bottom a squared off wingtip actually increases the effective wing area by 0.04 or 4% and the best "hoerner" shape has a 0% increase in effective span. I guess the whole point is to look pretty without hurting performance, since most don't want to just leave the wing squared off. 
    And the worst shapes even with sharp edges reduce effective span by nearly 20%!!!  That's eye watering. 

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  8. TJay added a post in a topic RX1 Yamaha setup for Avid on facebook   

    Market place is the whole reason I joined Facebook.  And all the airplane for sale groups of coarse.  Its not my favorite website  but There is a lot of neat stuff on Facebook Along with all the liberal bashing that Lenny posts
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  9. lostman added a post in a topic Getting close for an engine choice   

    Allen, you bring up a good point, regardless of what we decide to fly behind, we all have to choose what our acceptable risks might be versus rewards. Personally I fly at least 80 to 100 hours per year outside of flying for a living. My work plane is a Pilatus PC-12 so I get plenty of fast and high stuff during the year that I balance flying lower and VFR type birds. I split it currently between a Lycoming IO320 powered Glasair, a Subaru powered Pietenpol, a one of 3 built open cockpit Parasol type plane and coming soon a Kitfox IV. Each hold different risks for me and I assess that every time I fly what is acceptable for that flight, weather, etc. Those are then weighed against my personal minimums and what reward I will gain. 
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  10. lostman added a post in a topic Hoerner wingtips, not the shoes   

    Years ago I read through the study NASA did on wing tips. The turn down or up tips were the most effective of the ones they tried, followed by the Hoerner style. Yes, the Kitfox tips may add weight but they also increase effective wing area making them worth their weight for slow flight. That is, if they are designed well. 
    I have done my own testing with tips, although not on this tyoe of aircraft. In a high wing load, semi laminar flow wing, the rounded tips actually increased vortices, ground roll, stall speed etc. Upturned droop style tips decreased ground roll from 600 to 450 feet on takeoff, stall speed by 3 mph (from 55 to 52) and increased cruise speed by 6 knots. I will never run a rounded tip on anything again if I have a choice of it. By rounded I mean just a tip that rounds a square tip off from top to bottom, not fro leading edge to trailing edge. 
    I would love to test Hoerner style tips on one of these to get a side by side comparison. 
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  11. Good old number 29 added a post in a topic Hoerner wingtips, not the shoes   

    I thought Hoerner tips were supposed to be convex on the bottom side, but the ones pictured in the article don’t appear to be. That is what makes them work, right? The convex shape speeds the air away from the wing, so the vortices don’t circle right back down and push down on the top. The vortices are sped up and out, away from the wing. Anyway, the pictures looked like a flat, or almost slightly concave, angle up to the tip. My droop tips are not removable, or I’d volunteer to try Hoerner wingtips in a fair comparison. I think the droop tips have similar benefits in reducing stall speed. The air can’t fall off (upwards) the ends of the wings, or whirl around and push down on top as easily. Holds the compressed air cushion under the wing, where it belongs. At least, that’s what the infallible internet told me.  
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  12. 1avidflyer added a topic in For Sale and wanted, you got it, I want it   

    RX1 Yamaha setup for Avid on facebook
    No I didn't join facebook, but did run across this from a different aircraft forum.  Don't think the guy is from our forum here, but at any rate, maybe some one is interested.  Seems like a lot of the work is done....JImChuk
    https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/470000237047623/
     
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  13. Neil added a post in a topic Strut Farings   

    Thank you for the input.Looks like I'll be building the farings out of wood.
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  14. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Strut Farings   

    I know that TJay made wood fairings for his Kitfox 1 build, and are somewhere in his posts of the build.  Here is maybe a simple solution, take some ranch style casing, cut it down with a table saw to the right width so two pieces equal the width of the lift strut when they are glued together.  Fit it to the strut tube with more table saw work, and glue on with epoxy.  JImChuk

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  15. Allen Sutphin added a post in a topic Getting close for an engine choice   

    Take the 2K and rebuild the 2 stroke every 2 or 3 years and you have about as much reliability as one can expect from ANY engine. Even every 5 years ups the scale a bunch. Unless one flys a couple hundred hours a year, a 1500-2000 hr TBO doesn't really mean a whole lot. Most average rec pilots may get 50 hrs a year so 20-30 years down the road, rubber engine seals are already done in. And at the price of a four stroke overhaul, one keeps on flying a ticking time bomb till it goes boom. A lot of 912's on the market for reasonable prices and low hours, but how old are they?  Does one want to fly a newly overhauled 2 stroke or fly a "seems to run alright" engine that's X # of years old and never been torn apart?  Everybody has their opinion. Not saying anything but want everybody to consider the amount of risk they are willing to accept vs. cost.
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  16. marcusofcotton added a post in a topic Getting close for an engine choice   

    That's the one, Jabiru powered. They probably stole the pic from Mark Mendick's site, I had sent him some when he was trying to get going.
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  17. lostman added a post in a topic Getting close for an engine choice   

    Guess I am going crazy. I was looking into these last week bit now cannot find it again. Admittedly, I am out of it after pretty major back surgery last week too. Probably saw something else but sure thought it was the UL power prices. Oh well. 
    Allen, I agree, spending 15k to me is out of range for a plane I didn't spend 18k on for initiation purchase price when it already had an engine. A $2000 rebuild all the sudden sounds more reasonable. 
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  18. Allen Sutphin added a post in a topic Getting close for an engine choice   

    New, most 4 strokes are in the 15K-20K range. A couple under that but generally in that range. A tad too much to put on a classic airframe such as an Avid/Fox, at least for me anyway. Especially when a 2 stroke can be had for under 10K plus a few hours learning how to setup and operate one. Those working on the Apex or Phazer engine conversion might be on to something. I think there are more possibilities out there.
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  19. sioux201 added a post in a topic Strut Farings   

    Check out  streamlined fairings at U-Fly-IT,  aerolite 103 .
     Years ago I made a jig four splitting his  vinyl  streamline fairings, 
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  20. 109jb added a post in a topic Getting close for an engine choice   

    Where do you see a UL power for under $10k. From Sonex the UL260i is $20k. UL power doesn't list prices on their website that I can find. 
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  21. marksires added a post in a topic Getting close for an engine choice   

    They indicate on the page the picture is just and example of the aircraft type, and state that the pictured aircraft is not UL powered.
    They do have a firewall forward package for the Avid.  I priced it a few years ago, and it was around $18,000 as I recall
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  22. Buckchop added a post in a topic Getting close for an engine choice   

    U mean the have ur plane (the nice yellow/red trycicle gear) on the website as one that is UL powered and u not have that motor in ur bird? 
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  23. Allen Sutphin added a post in a topic Strut Farings   

    A few options, foam carved using a hot wire setup, remake new wood fairings, make fiberglass ones, etc. Only ones I know of that you can buy off the shelf are the Kitfox ones. QCU Challenger did sell plastic fairings for 1" tubes for around $125 in 10' lengths.  Welcome to the world of homebuilding. Sometimes buying isn't an option. Fabricating something is the only option.
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  24. Neil added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Strut Farings
    I recently had my struts rebuilt using 1" tubing because of rust on the old tubes. I now need to paint and install the faring. There in lies my problem, what should I use to do this without buying Kit Fox's plastic faring ?  I'm thinking the wood faring was available from Avid years back. So what do we use now ? Thanks, Neil
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  25. marksires added a post in a topic Photo Record of Extended Wing Build   

    There would have to be a LOT of excess resin for that to happen!  The biggest hazard of wet layups is weight.  One of my other (very) long term projects is building a Cozy (Rutan Canard).  Since the entire airplane is moldless layups, even a little excess resin on each layup can add up to a lot of extra weight.  Excessively wet layups mean the part is too heavy, but usable.  Post cure evidence of a dry layup (white spots usually) means you either remake the part if possible, or cut out the dry section and repair it.
     
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