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Activity Stream



  1. cliff added a post in a topic Parts for sale   

    Snaps,
      Does your left damaged speedwing have a tank in it that you would consider removing and selling? I only need the left tank and fuel cap. If not does anybody have a left speedwing tank for sale?
     
    Thanks, Cliff
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  2. EDMO added a post in a topic Time for ski's   

    Randy,
         What are the blue pads ziptied to your struts?  I just realized - its one of the mounts for your twin Bushmasters!
    EDMO
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  3. allonsye added a post in a topic Time for ski's   

    Yes Mike - wheel penetration identical to Bandit's. I doubt I'll ever use them. I should put them for sale on Barnstormers.
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  4. Av8r3400 added a post in a topic What will replace the Rotax 447 and 503?   

    Rotax is manufacturing another small motor currently in the sleds that I (and many other guys i know) think could show promise. The Ace 600 4-stroke motor. Very light weight and a favorable power and especially torque curve. 60hp in a sled, derate it and drop the injection for a carb and it could easily do the 40-50 hp needed.

    http://www.ski-doo.com/technologies/engine-technologies/4-strokes
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  5. Guest added a post in a topic Avid MK IV Manual Section IV 912 Engine Installation   

    THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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  6. Guest added a post in a topic What will replace the Rotax 447 and 503?   

    A bit heavy but the HKS is a GREAT engine with a SOLID company behind it. Fits nicely in as a 503 replacement.
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  7. Bandit added a post in a topic Favorite pics of your plane thread   

    You couldn't have said it better Randy. If I lived in a place like you guys up there I would have a little different setup with my airplane also, but here in the flatlands my Bandit does just what I want it to do.  
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  8. Bandit added a post in a topic Turkey Day Video   

    Glad to see you getting home soon Joey!
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  9. Bandit added a post in a topic Time for ski's   

    Randy,
    Have to like that! I hope we get lots of snow. The lakes have around 5" of ice now.
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  10. akflyer added a post in a topic Kudo's to Sportsmen's Warehouse   

    Damn... I was torn when I read this.. New right hand elevator for the 180 or a new ar... The 180 won this round
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  11. horsepower added a post in a topic Kudo's to Sportsmen's Warehouse   

    That's a good deal,we have a Sportsman Warehouse in Coeurdalene only about 50 miles North of here,I should go check them out.Not to many Liberals around here to worry about.Randy
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  12. wolves200 added a post in a topic Turkey Day Video   

          Release the CRAKEN!!!       
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  13. C5Engineer added a topic in Two Strokes   

    What will replace the Rotax 447 and 503?
    Came across this article today and thought it was worth sharing. Doesn't apply too much to the Avid Community but I know a lot of us have other projects. I flew for over 10 years behind a 503 and I agree it was probably the most reliable carefree motor they ever made.
     
    What Will Replace the Rotax 447 and 503?
    by Steve Beste
      The Rotax 40hp 447 and the 50hp 503 engines are no more. The last available unit was sold in January. Since these engines powered almost every Part 103 airplane and trike on the market, what will replace them? I contacted six manufacturers of Part 103 trikes and airplanes to see what their plans were. Here’s what I found.   Why Discontinued?   An article in Light Sport and Ultralight Flying magazine explains why the engines were discontinued:
    “Rotax stopped producing the 447 and 503 because the molds for the engines needed to be redone,†explains Canadian Rotax distributor Dave Loveman. “Before spending the resources necessary to do that, they asked dealers/distributors to give a projection of sales they expected moving forward, so that [Rotax] could justify the cost. The feedback was that sales for those engines did not justify the cost. In the past, the 447 and 503 were also being used in the snowmobile industry. They have been now replaced with newer models, leaving the aviation industry as the only industry still using the 447 and 503.â€
    I would also guess that the company’s successful larger engines have squeezed out the 447 and 503. The 912 and 914 engines dominate the market in the 80-115 hp range. A company has only so much management attention, engineering talent, and factory capacity; much better to spend it on popular $20,000 engines than on a few $5,000 ones. Lastly, there’s a widely-held belief that electric motors will take over the low-end of the market in a few years. Whether this will actually happen or not, it would affect an investment decision being made today.   There Is No Substitute   There was general agreement that these engines have no easy replacements. Consider what they had:
    Reliability (and a reputation for reliability). When I took trike lessons at Kemmeries’ in 2005, their on-staff Rotax mechanic told me that the 503 was the most reliable engine Rotax made. Parts and service availability. Just leaf through a catalog from Lockwood or California Power Systems, and you’ll see that every spring and bolt on these engines is available, in stock, in this country. Plus, these companies will overhaul your engine if you want.   Rotax 447

    Geared re-drives. All of the substitute engines have belt reduction drives. Although they work, they require more maintenance. And sometimes they don’t work (see below). It turns out that a good re-drive is hard to design because of torsional vibration. Acting as a flywheel, the propeller wants to turn at a constant speed. But the engine is pulsing, speeding up with each power stroke, slowing down with each compression stroke. Usually, the engine’s own flywheel dampens these out. But as you shrink the flywheel to save weight, more torsional vibration gets through to the re-drive, which has to mediate between the engine and the propeller. This stresses the re-drive. There’s an excellent online discussion of this at EPI, a manufacturer of gearboxes. Their conclusion is that there’s no substitute for an adequate flywheel. The upshot for us is that the manufacturer needs to evaluate not only the engine, but the re-drive.   Customer acceptance.   We light flyers are a conservative lot. If you’re like me, you have enough money to buy only one aircraft. If the engine is a dud, you’re stuck. The manufacturers are in a similar position. They’re all small. None of them has deep pockets. Nor is there a Consumers Reports to tell them which engines are reliable. They pick an engine and take a risk. That risk has just gone up.
    And the worst of it is, after they pick another engine and take this risk, they’re merely back where they started—they have added nothing to the value of their product. So what are they choosing?
    Don’t Know
    Todd Ellefson at Quicksilver wrote that they’re still looking into it. Quicksilver is perhaps the largest maker of ultralight-type airplanes. As such, they have the most at stake.
    Travis Brown of Kolb is in an easier position since he sells only kits, not completed airplanes, “there really is no substitute for the Rotaxes,†he says. He’s letting his customers pick their engine. Most customers are picking the Zanzottera MZ 201. He gets good reports from them.
    Trike maker Mark Gibson of Manta Aircraft likewise sells only kits and is letting his customers pick their engine.   Rebuilt Rotax 447 (40hp)
    The smallest manufacturer I talked to was Don Cooney, who makes the Prowler trike. The Prowler is a high-end Part 103 trike that won grand champion ultralight at Oshkosh in 2000 (and best trike at Sun ‘n’ Fun that same year). He makes a few kits over the winter and does other things the rest of the year. With this low volume, his plan is to buy rebuilt 447s. “I flew a Kawasaki 440 for many years up on Long Island. A great motor, but the belt reduction drive was a problem. The 440 is probably a better motor than the 447. But the re-drive is the problem. What we’re all looking for is a good 40hp 4-stroke.†Rotaries? Pricey. Half-VW? 110lbs with the starter and battery. Way too heavy. And high vibration.   Kawasaki 440 (40hp)
    Kamron Blevins of North Wing trikes has a different experience with the Kawasaki 440 (40hp). It’s the engine he recommends for his Maverick trike. “The Kawasakis have an excellent reputation. The [32hp] 330 is a bit underpowered for the [$1,500] cost difference. You might as well go with the 440.†As to Hirths, he reports nothing but bad experiences with both single and two cylinder models. “I’ve never had one run for any length of time without issues. Out of ten engines [back in 2000], only half the people were happy.â€
    Verner JCV-360 (35hp)
    Blevins is offering this new 35hp 4-cycle engine as an alternative to the 2-stroke Kawasaki’s on the North Wing Maverick trike. Says Blevins, “we have four out there now. It’s working out for them. It’s not a huge climb rate. 400-600 fpm vs. 800-1000 fpm with the 447.†According to the North Wing price list, the Werner adds $4,000 to the price compared to the Kawasaki 440.   Hirth F-33 (28hp)
    Terry Raber builds his Aerolite 103 airplane with the Hirth F-33. He’s been doing so since 2008, and is happy with it. He says he will offer the Kawasaki 330 and 440 as an option. He had much to say on the topic of light engines. He thinks the Verner engine is nice, but pricey. He likes the idea of industrial engines such as the Generac, since they are reliable, widely available, and you can easily get parts for them. But at 120 lbs, the Generac is too heavy for his purposes. He’s been looking at electric motors. He expects big changes in those in the next two years. And indeed, he says his next airplane will be electric.
    I was unable to reach Paul Mather of M-Squared. But his Breese XL Part 103 also uses the Hirth F-33. So does the Belite Superlite, named 2010 Grand Champion Ultralight at 2010 Sun 'n Fun.
    Bautek-modified Briggs & Stratton (38hp)
    German hang glider and trike maker Bautek is also alert to the virtues of industrial engines. They have taken a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard 4-cycle engine and modified it for use in their Skycruiser light trike. Although the trike is too fast for Part 103, it does make weight. Climb rate is 550 fpm, comparable to the North Wing Maverick with the Verner engine. The engine and re-drive weigh 75 pounds. Price is about $4,600 plus about $500 shipping. Bautek’s Harald Zimmer reports that they have three years’ experience with no problems. TBO is 1,000 hours, but Zimmer says that Bautek has 25,000 hours on one of the engines that they’re using to power a pump. It still runs well, having had only spark plug and oil changes.   Bautek/Briggs & Stratton 38hp
    Bautek has also begun shipping a 50hp B&S engine, similarly souped up, but with a Hirth geared re-drive. About $8,000.
    Rotary Engines
    Rotary (Wankel) engines have been a great disappointment. They would seem to be a natural fit for aircraft use—lightweight, high power, and smooth running. But no one has yet gotten them to work reliably in airplanes. In 2005 or thereabouts, the people who owned the Phantom ultralight experimented with rotaries. They ran into heating problems that they could not overcome. Reports Kamron Blevins of North Wing, “I had a mechanic who had two of them. The engine had too much torque and ripped the cogs right off the belt within half an hour after putting a prop on it.†Paul Mather at M-Squared had the same problem in 2009. Pressing on, he told the EAA’s Sport Pilot magazine that he overcame that problem with a different belt setup. But he subsequently abandoned rotaries —due to bearing problems I hear tell.
    Most recently, paramotor vendor Parajet has offered two rotary engines, a 25hp and a 40hp model. Our own Michael O’Daniel had one of these at the Airpark last year. He found it amazingly powerful and smooth, but a little too heavy for backpack use. He thought it would be a good fit for a paramotor used with a cart. However, Terry Raber reports that he has been unable to get the Parajet people to reply to his inquiries about using the engines in his Aerolite 103. He thinks they’re going after the UAV market. Contrary to what you might think, this is not good news. Says Terry, “If so, it means that they’re not focused on my industry and that they’ll probably over-price it. I have seen other cases where people go for the high price up front, sell a few, and go bust. As a manufacturer, I have to be very aware of the parts availability.†But at least the Parajet rotaries are not ripping up their re-drive belts. That’s progress of a sort, so maybe something will come of them yet.   Electric Motors
    We all hope that the billions of dollars invested in battery research by the auto industry will succeed, since the battery is the main limitation. As things stand today, you can buy an electric trike (the ElectraFlyer) for $19,000 that has an 18hp motor and a two-hour flight duration at, I’m guessing, about 25mph. Designer Randall Fishman is moving next into highly-streamlined airplanes. These will deliver more performance, but not necessarily more battery life. That depends on battery development (or, perhaps, on super-capacitor development) outside our industry.
    ElectraFlyer. 18hp, 25mph cruise, 2 hour duration, 247 lbs.
    All of us have heard of Yuneec, the Chinese manufacturer of radio-controlled aircraft that has burst on the scene. But Terry Raber, the Aerolite 103 maker, says that the engines from Yuneec are not really available yet.
    Yuneec e-Spyder. 27hp motor, 37mph cruise, 1 hour duration, 253 lbs.
    We all are watching electric motor developments with excitement. But it’s clear that electrics are not yet a replacement for the Rotax 447 and 503. Sooner or later, maybe; but not yet.
    * * *

     
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  14. dynomike added a post in a topic Time for ski's   

    allonsye, are they wheel penetration skis.  looks good on skis randy!
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  15. SuberAvid added a topic in Hardcore Avidfoxflyers   

    Kudo's to Sportsmen's Warehouse
    Off the flying topic for a moment; Sportsmen's had a black Friday sale up here with Bushmaster AR15's for something like $579 and 223 amo for $399 per 1000 rounds.  Probably would have given all the liberals a real heart attack to see the line of folks at the gun counter and they actually had the guns.  One employee was dedicated to walking them to the door x2's.   
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  16. SuberAvid added a post in a topic Rants   

    Haha, and they must coat them with wax at the factory!
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  17. SuberAvid added a post in a topic Time for ski's   

    Hey Mark, 
     
    Looks good!  Your jack system looks like it will work for a variety of plane and is well out of the way.  Hope you get some good snow this year to enjoy them.  I took mine out for first play on skis this year last Friday.  The lakes have about 7-8" of ice and we had about 6" of snow (before the wind blew it off out here in Palmer yesterday).  No problem, will just tow the plane over to the lake if I need to.


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  18. allonsye added a post in a topic 1993 Avid C For Sale   

    Good luck w/getting someone to take your Avid of your hands Cory. I have a very similar one. I can't get anyone to take it off my hands even for $10500 I hate to admit.  I don't expect the market to get much better on these toys especially w/talk of a looming stock market bubble.
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  19. SuberAvid added a post in a topic Favorite pics of your plane thread   

    Yep, the Avid+ getting it's flying papers.  Took it for its first flight that evening and it has been just a blast ever since.  For me, it has been a very good fit for what I like to do.  I liked my Avid MKIV but it just did not have enough room to pack gear, and was really tight with two larger people.  The Avid+ solved that problem for me and it is about as inexpensive to fly and maintain as any airplane I know of.  The plane and engine combination has been very, very, trouble free, about like a car in fact.  At 3.5 to 4.5 gph cruise on mogas and 28 gal tanks it has the range I need, and I can afford to fly it anytime just for fun without worrying about the cost of the fuel. 
     
    There is a lot to be said about finding an airplane that fits what you want to do.  The Avid+ lets me go places and land at the places I want to go.  A friend in our EAA club build a beautiful RV and flew it for about 1 year and decided to sell it.  He said once the go fast thrill wore off and he flew to all the airports on his list he kept looking down at the places he wanted to land and knew he could only do it once.  He sold it and is working on a Rans S-6.  Others love to go fast or do aerobatics.  I would love to have additional planes to do that but my primary interest is getting out to places and being able to land there.  The Avid+ and the Avid/KF planes let us do that affordably.
     
    In a word it is best described as freedom.
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  20. allonsye added a post in a topic Status of Airdale   

    Afterall, isn't this a reasonable expectation for any of us in our careers and what have you that involve others. It's not like tragedy only visits some of us. For Christ's sake - we ALL have tragedy visit our our lives at least once; yes? ......come'on already!  
     
    I sort of figured this was the issue. Kudos to those who offered to help the guy out and I hope he get's it together for his sake.
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  21. allonsye added a post in a topic Time for ski's   

    Thanks for posting this Bandit.
     
    Speaking of skis. I have this exact same type that accompanied my Avid I'll likely never use. Don't know what kind they are but they're available for a reasonable exchange if someone wants a pair.
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  22. C5Engineer added a post in a topic Avid MK IV Manual Section IV 912 Engine Installation   

    Thanks for posting Paul. I was able to open them with no issues. If anyone has issues with this file type please let me know.
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  23. C5Engineer added a post in a topic Turkey Day Video   

       
    9 more days buddy.....and ya not seeing your wife for almost 200 days is rough in more ways than one!
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  24. EDMO added a post in a topic Time for ski's   

    We don't use skis down here - Just put tirechains on, or switch to studded tires when ice storm hits! 
    EDMO
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  25. wypaul added a post in a topic Time for ski's   

    Well the snow is coming your way.  Wind is howling here bring snow and cold out of Alaska and Canada tomorrow evening.  Skis are looking good.
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