Activity Stream

Activity Stream



  1. EDMO added a post in a topic Soob ignition maintenance   

    Luke,
         I enjoyed the photos - I see that you have the (better?) type of redrive with the bearing on the front plate - mine has none there.    What kind of exhaust / muffler do you have?
    Looks like HUGE rad hoses!  and you did the rad flat sort of like Kitfox.  What kind of rad?
         Are you the guy who recently outbid me on the WD prop with the large spinner? - That spinner may be a PITA for you for adjusting blades and keeping bolts tight.   The small skullcap spinner lets you get right to the clamp bolts.
         You are much farther along than I am - I just got back from the steel supply with material for my new struts - more $$$ gone!
    Get it together and go flying!
    Thanks,
    EDMO
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  2. IFMT added a post in a topic Soob ignition maintenance   

    Here are the rest of the redrive pics Ed. I hope you enjoy because that was one painful pain in the ass!
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  3. IFMT added a post in a topic Soob ignition maintenance   

    Okay, I have figured out a way to up load. Email the photo to myself, then import a scaled version back into my photos and then it will upload. Weird!

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  4. birddog486 added a post in a topic Empty weights   

    I'm hoping just a couple hours of going over everything again for the 1000'th time and then sending in the paperwork. I've already talked to the DAR and was told he normally gets the paperwork within 5 days from the FAA. He's only 30 min. from me and likes to get these done as soon as he can so realistically I could have the inspection done in the next two weeks if I get busy.
     
    Heres a pic from a few weeks ago.

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  5. dholly added a post in a topic The 180.. saving a ramp mummy   

     
    Yes, yes I do.
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  6. dholly added a post in a topic Funny Pics   

      Nice ad wrap...
     

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  7. akflyer added a post in a topic The 180.. saving a ramp mummy   

    well it is slowly coming together. All parts for the engine are back and at the IA's shop, new carb, mags etc. The prop is in the hangar waiting for the IA to get the engine built and hung back on the plane. I took the elevator and stab to a guy 75 miles away who has been doing sheet metal repair work for 50+ years and came highly recommended..... He called and said the shit was ready to pick up so I drove down there and this is what I got for $3650.00...



    big gap on the stabilizer skin overlap





    Clamp / plier marks all along the edge of the elevator



    crack in the skin on the bottom of the elevator



    top side of stab had a bubble in the skin and the rivet was pounded in so hard that when you put a straight edge over the skin the rivet head is almost 3/16" below the surface of the skin.



    The stab skins dont even come close to matching the fiberglass tips



    99% of the rivet heads were pounded down below the surface of the skins.

    When I confronted the guy, he said all he would do was "repair" the crack in the elevator and put a 185 leading edge skin on the stab to hide the shitty work and big gaps. But as far as the rest of the rivets being pounded too hard, I was just being "to nitpicky" I don't think it is too much to ask that new skins not look like they have been through a hail storm. The bad part is he has these tagged as serviceable... anyone else see anything wrong here?
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  8. dholly added a post in a topic Empty weights   

    ^ How close to flying? I can't wait to hear the performance #'s on that one!
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  9. dholly added a post in a topic Looking for info on landing gear options   

    Luke-
     
    IMHO side longeron reinforcement gussets are a must have, particularly if you ever plan to swap from bungee to spring gear (and I have the salvage to prove it). If you plan on using the wire limit safety cables on your bungee gear, there are recommended instructions to change either the upper or lower oem attachment point (can't remember which) that can be found floating around the Kitfox forums. This helps reduce bending the seat truss when the cables limit out and I recall thinking I needed to do it to my Mk-IV. Last, some of the Avid+ seat truss tubing was upgraded to 3/4" o.d., and a lot more bridge tubing added. Here's a pic that shows both front and back seat trusses on my A+ fairly well. Perhaps you can use as a pattern if you go the D.I.Y. route.
     
    HTH.

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  10. birddog486 added a post in a topic Empty weights   

    For another reference I just finished the first Weight and Balance on my Model C tri-gear with 912ULS and extended Aerobat speedwing. Came in at 667# with a CG at 12.145
     
    Travis
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  11. dholly added a topic in Avid Model IV   

    Avid Mk-IV Weight & Balance Instructions
    Source:
     
    Avid Construction Manual - Section VIII D Rigging / CH.7 Weight & Balance Pages 1-4 Rev. 8/16/96
     
    Mark IV Weight & Balance Instructions.pdf
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  12. dholly added a topic in Technical tasks   

    How to Check the Fuel Flow using the ‘Bleed Off’ Method
    One way to measure fuel flow thru the mechanical fuel pump...
    fuel%20flow%20check.pdf
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  13. Luked added a post in a topic Valdez fly in   

    Nice, I don't think I've seen any Avids in the pictures I've seen online of Valdez. Hope to make it to that eventually. My wife's sister and her family live in Fairbanks, so we might have to visit...
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  14. Luked added a post in a topic Looking for info on landing gear options   

    It sounds like the standard upgrades (steel gussets or plywood) have proved to be adequate. I wasn't happy with the way the gussets in my plane look (looks like someone did a rough job with a mig welder, and blew at least a couple of holes in the top tube), so I'm going to replace the whole truss. I don't know what is normal for the gussets, but mine has .040". They are pretty heavy. I modeled the stock truss on the computer, and then added the gussets. I don't remember the exact numbers, but they basically doubled the weight of the truss. I'm hoping to keep the weight closer the the stock weight.
     
    As far as pilot skill goes, I'm sure I'll put the plane to the test. I just got back into flying recently after about 16 years away, and it wasn't too pretty at first. I'm a low time pilot to start with, and on top of that, I need to learn to fly a TD!
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  15. akflyer added a post in a topic Brakes for use with ABW 26" tires   

    no its for 2 plates and two additional calipers and plumbing.  you then mount two calipers per plate and plumb them together to give you double pucks on each side.
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  16. akflyer added a post in a topic Looking for info on landing gear options   

    By adding the plates to the side of the fuse, and the gussets on the truss, I think you will have a winner.  I have smacked mine down pretty hard and hit some snow drifts during flat light, bent a few sets of axles, and have yet to bend the plane or the gear legs.  I think most stress is put o the plane when guys are first learning to fly them.  They are a VERY draggy plane so if you round out the flare at 10' and wait for it settle in like a cessna, your gonna end up landing it 8' off the ground.. the drop and plop method only works once or twice before its back to the shop for a fuse rebuild   I know a lot of guys got it beat into their heads by brand new instructors that you shouldnt have to touch the throttle after your turn to base if you fly the right approach.. well that may be in a 172, but it aint gonna work in an Avid or KF.  Too much drag and the slightest wind gust will put you short of the runway.  Elevator controls speed, power controls rate of decent.  99% of my landings are probly around 4200 RPM until the tires are inches off the runway.  I think I jockey the throttle more than I do the stick during landings adding bursts of power here and there to keep the site picture I want of the runway.  The only time I have not done this was when I had a total engine out, and when I had it overheat and pulled it back to idle at 3000' and dove for the runway.  That time I was on skis and had 4000'X 500' to get it down and stopped and I used a VERY aggressive slip to get it to come down even faster than normal (I had the VSI pegged at 55 MPH and the GPS was showing around 3200 FPM decent)
     
     
     

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  17. akflyer added a post in a topic Funny Pics   



  18. Luked added a post in a topic Summer Shoes   

    Thanks for all the pictures you share on here. It's always to cool to see the stuff you guys get to do up there. The scenery is really pretty too.
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  19. Luked added a post in a topic Looking for info on landing gear options   

    That's kind of what I was thinking, but I just didn't know what kind of numbers are realistic. That's where feedback from you guys that have lots of hours in these planes is so helpful. You know what kind of a beating they can normally take.
     
    If I use 500 FPM, I should be able to figure out the rest by calculating gear stroke, acceleration, and then force. From there the stress calculations are fairly simple. The 6" rock is a good thought too. I think I'll assume that if you're hitting those, you have some tires that can help out a little.
     
    I have thought about beefing up the rear attach point though. Extending the gear leg length puts more force back there (especially when you hit big rocks). Moving the attach point back would help, but means adding more weight to create a new reinforced point on the fuselage. Adding more reinforcement to the existing point is probably more practical. Of course, I don't want to outsmart myself and make gear that's so overbuilt it just bends up the rest of the airplane
     
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  20. RDavidson added a post in a topic Brakes for use with ABW 26" tires   

    Leni,
    That $260 is for 2 plates? 1 for each side? Why so expensive? With the cost of machining equipment slowly coming down why do we have to pay so much for parts like these? Is it still liability? Shouldn't the "Experimental" part of our planes get rid of a lot of the liability?
    I'm not slamming Matco, it is all aviation related companies. Sorry, rant is over.

    Do you just tee the line into the first brake over to the second? Not a bad idea, I guess it would be a little more bulky of an install.
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  21. akflyer added a post in a topic Valdez fly in   

    I am jealous.. I hope to be there next year with the Avid.. and the big engine... I may not be able to land as short as some of the cubs, but I bet takeoff will make up for it
     

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  22. akflyer added a post in a topic Looking for info on landing gear options   

    to calculate the stress think of the plane at gross weight, you just hit a sinker on landing and smacked down at 500 FPM and hit a 6" rock
     
    Or put 26 or 29" bushwheels on it to take the sink and the rock out of the equation since they absorb 90% of the impact not your seat truss or fuse.
     

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  23. akflyer added a post in a topic Brakes for use with ABW 26" tires   

    I think the MCMC4GH master would work better on the Avids with the updated pedals as it is shorter than the 4D master.  But you still have to deal with the rudder bar issue and slot the bottom of the master or move one mount tab on each of the rudder bars.
     
    http://www.matcomfg.com/MasterCylinders-tp2-5.html
     
    Link the Matco master cylinder page
     

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  24. akflyer added a post in a topic Brakes for use with ABW 26" tires   

    I talked to Matco yesterday and George got a good laugh out of me trying to stop the 30" airstreaks with the single pucks.  for 260 bucks they will send you a kit with new backing plates that allow you to put two single puck calipers on each wheel like the highlander has.  I figured while I am at it I will put new pads on my existing calipers and see how that does.  Just for shits and grins I plan on putting a pressure gauge on the end of one of the hoses just to confirm that I am getting enough pressure to the calipers with the updated pedals and the MCMC4D masters.
     
    I filled the brakes from the caliper to the reservoir so there is no air in the system and the masters are nice and tight.  I was pushing on the pedals so hard that I hobbled around for 3 days after the flight due to a pulled hamstring
     
    Using the MCMC4D masters I had to make some mods since they wont bolt on to the older style rudder bar on the Avids.  I don't have any pictures of it but I will try to draw something up to show what I had to do to make them fit.
     
    Edit:  added drawing to help muddy the waters on installing the MCMC4D masters.
     
    With the updated pedals having a lower mount point to get the correct leverage, I had to modify the clevis on the top of the master to make it as short as possible.  I also had to cut a few threads off the shaft of the master so it would not hit on the pedal mounting tab.  I ground off the corners of the pedal mount tab to give me more clearance as well.  The base of the master is rounded with holes drilled in it 90° apart.  I used a hack saw and cut down the center of the master to give me slot to slip over the mount tab on the rudder bar as the mount tabs on the rudder bar are too close together to just bolt the master on to it.  I had to make the slot about 1/4" deeper in the master as the hole drilled in the base of the master was flush with the bottom of the slot.
     
    I will see if I can pull up a stock picture showing the base of the master so you can get a better visual on what I had to do.  It would be easiest to just cut one of the tabs off the rudder bar and move it out and not have to modify the master, but if its already in a flying plane and you don't want to pull out the rudder bar, modifying the master is your only choice.
     
     
     

    mcmc4d install on avid.pdf
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  25. EDMO added a post in a topic Soob ignition maintenance   

    I was told that the belts should be changed every 500 hours, or as needed.
    Thanks for posting the good info Randy.
    EDMO
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