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dholly added a post in a topic Do we really need to be cheap? Whats your life or those of a loved one worth? 17 Apr 2013

This is one of my sons last year. He wasn't shy about asking me to come pull him out of the ditch, but I do believe there was a tiny bit of embarassment on his face when he was trying to explain exactly how it happened.

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akflyer added a post in a topic Dual Brakes and Parking Valve Install on a KF4-1200 17 Apr 2013

Nice write up Doug! hmmm.. you must be kin to my wife... anytime I am working on something and get all greasy she comes down to the garage and um.. takes my mind off work for awhile! Did you (or can you) fill from the calipers to flush the air out the system? I use an old oil pump can to fill from the caliper and it assures you can have no air in the system and thereby leave the toys in the bedroom. Something tells me the better half would prefer a different lubricant than 5606!

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akflyer added a post in a topic Do we really need to be cheap? Whats your life or those of a loved one worth? 17 Apr 2013

Yeah, I dont think the kid would have a chance to be shy! I am certain we can teach them embarrassment though!

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EDMO added a post in a topic Dual Brakes and Parking Valve Install on a KF4-1200 16 Apr 2013

Great Post Doug - Glad to hear that I am not the only one who makes a mountain out of a molehill!
Just like scratchbuilding or modifying - "Gosh, this looked so simple - if I had just followed the original instructions"!
Ed in MO

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Av8r3400 added a post in a topic Do we really need to be cheap? Whats your life or those of a loved one worth? 16 Apr 2013

This was my thought when I decided to get a 406 for the Mangy Fox project.

Just a heart wrenching story.

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dholly added a post in a topic Do we really need to be cheap? Whats your life or those of a loved one worth? 16 Apr 2013

What a sad story, and remarkable composure from a grieving parent who has lost one of Life's most precious gifts. I pray he finds some small measure of consolation in his efforts to find answers and prevent any reaccurance of such tragedy. Leni I salute you for your comments and, more importantly, your actions. I wish you and Christine the very best in the birth of your child and hope such a tribute will serve you both as a lasting reminder of just how blessed we all are to have children in our lives. I can't imagine losing a child but sometimes still need a kick to count my blessings on a daily basis. Thanks for posting this.

On a lighter note, I rather doubt that any child the two of you bring into this world will be 'shy' about anydamnthing!

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dholly added a topic in Technical tasks 16 Apr 2013

Dual Brakes and Parking Valve Install on a KF4-1200

Since I had no idea how old the brake fluid was, I decided to flush and add some fresh fluid during the off season...

Uh oh...

In the process I found a little fluid weep at one brake, so it made sense to remove the fitting and replace with some fresh thread sealant at the time. Then I found some moron buggered up the vent bolt on one of the MC-1 cylinders so that needed to be rebuilt. Matco didnt have the parts, too old! Got to thinking about how hard and brittle the old brake lines were from the gun-drilled Hammerhead spring gear to the brake pucks. Probably a good idea to replace them, as they are hanging in the breeze just waiting to get whacked. That led to the decision to replace all brake lines and reseal all fittings in the system. At that point, I figured if I was going to do all that and spring for new integrated reservior master cylinders, I might as well add those passenger side brakes I wanted while I was at it. Poached parts from the Avid+ kit (again!), however, I still needed to buy (4) new MC-4a master cylinders. When I had Matco on the line, for some reason at that very instant I somehow decided I could't live without installing a parking valve too. Holy crap... my quick brake flush suddenly turned into $500+ out of pocket and several afternoons!

Here's the obligatory 'before' pic...

I used the dual brake plumbing schematic on Matco's website along with a pic I found in the member gallery on the TKF forum to get organized and plan before hitting the hanger...

Here I've replaced the original pilot side MC-1 master cylinders and added the (4) new MC-4a master cylinders on both sides. Special thanks to Larry (Av8R3400) for supplying the right side toe brake pieces! Of course, I had to do my $1.50 rudder pedal mod to the right side pedals too. (Hint: if you are the only other Kitfox owner with an orange powder coated frame, I had some Kubota tractor touchup paint that proved a dead nuts match for the new toe pieces)...

For the brake line I used Parker Parflex Nylon Tubing, High Strength, Semi-Rigid, Inside Dia .180 In, Outside Dia 1/4 In, Wall Thickness .035 In, Temp Range -60 To 200 F, Max Pressure 425 PSI, Burst Pressure 1700 PSI, Vacuum Rating 28 Inches Hg, ~$0.50/ft @Grainger. Definitely more rigid than the stuff it replaced, but it was easy to heat and form fairly tight bends when heated. I used some old Bing blue fuel line for chafe protection and routed back along the left kick panel to accomodate the new parking valve...

The parking valve is from Matco, and it ain't exactly cheap. Kinda wish I'd seen Leni's tip to look in the sand rail parts catalogs before ordering but it is what it is. I made up a valve mounting plate and did a test install. Was conderned about clearance with the control stick aileron horn Heim end bearing with the original location I posted here so I moved it over some on the mounting plate. I also flipped it so the handle was down and tucked in nicely to prevent inadvertant operation...

You can see the brake line routing aft of the parking valve that I chose in this pic. I would have preferred to run them further aft to the next side-to-side tube before going under the aileron push/pull tube and then up to the fittings in the spring gear, but I was just that much short on my new brake line supply. Once heated and bent, they are very stiff but I added a bit more cheap chafe protection in case...

At first I was going to route a single supply line from the remote reservior, then mount a line splitter fitting someplace near the floor. This made for not enough flexibility and slack in the supply lines that enter the top of the pilot side master cylinders when moving through the full pedal operating travel. The reservior and mount didn't seem strudy enough to plum the splitter directly to the reservior, so I made up a mounting plate to put the splitter up under the panel and ran separate supply lines all the way to the master cylinders...

I also used a couple adel clamps as a flexible standoff for the supply lines to ensure some movement give with no chafing on the footwell edge. Reloaded with 5606 and tried to work the air through before taking a test taxi. Grrr, still soft on the right side so it's about to get messy rebleeding the system. For some reason I was wondering if moving a Lady's 'lil pocket rocket along the lines would help chase any air bubbles up first?

Time will tell if it's worth it but, after a few weekends futzing around, I'm just happy to have this right side brake job [almost] DONE.

[edit] add Matco schematic

DualBrakeInstall.pdf

12 replies
2,006 views

akflyer added a post in a topic Should I buy this 1990 MK IV? 16 Apr 2013

My bad, it is N399Q I think I must have dumb thumbed it.

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larry.mahoney added a post in a topic Should I buy this 1990 MK IV? 16 Apr 2013

Thanks for all the input.

I looked up N366Q on the FAA site http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=366Q it showed a deregistered 1963 beech. How did you come to the info associated with it?

I'm more confused than ever. So its not a MK IV you folks understand the older Avid sounds like I should pass on this. Does it fly the same and have same features? Does it have quality fabric and whats the life span of the fabric? It maybe just a slapped together older Avid from pieces.

I can pay more I would like to buy one that will keep a resale value if I become disinterested. What should I look for in a IV that would hold resale engine, age ect?

Question pass on this (Y/N)?

Thanks,

respectfully Larry

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akflyer added a post in a topic Do we really need to be cheap? Whats your life or those of a loved one worth? 16 Apr 2013

Damn, I never thought it would be me on this soap box! Now it's time to get back to my normal politically incorrect snake oil salesman self!

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akflyer added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar 16 Apr 2013

Do we really need to be cheap? Whats your life or those of a loved one worth?

OK, so the question is, after all the money we spend on our planes and various other parts of our lives, why do we sometimes cheap out on survival or locating equipment?? I have been of the frame of mind for several years that I was not going to get a 406 ELT as they just cost way to damn much. I was not going to upgrade to anything other than my old SPOT until it was no longer supported by the manufacture. The one thing I have not cheaped out on was my survival equipment and first aid kit in the plane.

I have been following a post on Back Country Pilots that started out as kind of a routine crash report, arm chair quarterbacking and the normal online banter about who screwed up. As the facts of the case came out it hit me pretty damn hard how this turned out. Here is the link if you would like to read it as it may open your eyes as to the importance of using the technology we have available to us today, and how we may spare our family alot of agony. I have been (and still am) of the mind set that if I burn in hard and don't survive a crash, at least I went out doing something I truly loved to do. The only way I can think of better to go would be in a bed full of hot blonds (women of course ) and expire of heart failure.

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11382

Above is the link to the thread. About page 3 it really starts to get to tearing at your heart.

For those of you who don't care to read it, I will give you a quick run down. Guy fly's his girlfriend and her 9 yr old daughter to her folks place (or some sort of family) for thanksgiving dinner. Plane crashed en-route to home in Wyoming (lots of speculation on why, probably overloaded and could not out climb terrain). CAP commander was a real Jackass and did VERY poor at coordination of the search efforts to the extent that he told private individuals that if they went out looking for this plane wreck CAP would suspend their active search and just let private citizens try to find it on their own. Some days later the wreckage is spotted by the sheriffs department. This search was bungled on MULTIPLE levels and in my mind there should be criminal charges brought against some people. Corrinor determined that the pilot died very shortly after impact. The girlfriend made it 3-4 days with both legs pinned and broken. The 9 yr old girl was unharmed in the crash, survived 4-5 days and left tracks all over the hill side as she wandered around trying to get cell service texting her daddy to come help her. She finally laid down next to her mother and succumbed to hypothermia.... In this day and age this little girl and her mother did not need to die!

I have done alot of reflecting on the stupid shit I sometimes find myself doing. Generally I do this when I am only flying with myself, but over the last couple thousand hours I have done some bone headed stuff with my kids and others in the plane. Had the pilot had a 406 ELT or a Personal Locator Beacon and had brief the passengers on how to use it this would have had a very different outcome.

I realize that alot of you guys are flying in pretty populated areas so you don't think that you need all this tracking stuff because you are only 10 minutes away from real civilization. What if your on the other side of a ridge, or the other side of a river and you die looking at the lights of town because you could not summons help?

For me I always justified it as costing too darn much money and chances are my SPOT would summons help if needed. Truth is, I could have bought the Delorme Inreach SE and a 406 ELT for what I spent on a crawfish boil and booze a few weeks ago. Yesterday I made the commitment to myself that I would not be in the air again with my airplane until I had those two pieces of equipment on-board. (hopefully I will arrive at home and have the presents waiting on me when I get there so I don't have to skip flying this time home!

At any rate, just something to think about the next time you take passengers up in the plane, it is your responsibility to take care of these people and make sure you have done all you can to get them home safe! I know I damn sure have been very lax on passenger briefing on how to manually activate the ELT, how to pull it out of the twisted ball of metal and use the built in antenna in the event that we are upside down and the external antenna is broken off, the location and type of survival equipment on-board etc.

Finally, The wife and I have been struggling over baby names (particularly middle names) especially if it turns out to be a girl (we should be finding out very soon if the little thing has a pecker or not) After reading this story and observing the way that her father has conducted himself (on the backcountry pilot forum after he stumbled onto the post while doing an internet search trying to find any facts he could on the wreck) I contacted him and asked his permission to honor young Shyann and the bravery and horror that she must have endured those cold lonely nights on the side of that mountain. With his blessing we will be naming our child Allison Shyann should it be a girl.

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akflyer added a post in a topic Should I buy this 1990 MK IV? 16 Apr 2013

The N number is 366Q.

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garage monster added a post in a topic Should I buy this 1990 MK IV? 16 Apr 2013

I happen to live just 3 miles from beagle Sky Ranch where the pictures were taken. I was looking at this ad but I noticed the cable brakes and the lack of the baggage door. I also noticed the N number comes up as a Baby Great Lakes as least it seems to be N3990 which is what I searched for.

Robert

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akflyer added a post in a topic Should I buy this 1990 MK IV? 16 Apr 2013

Serial Number 399 Status Valid Manufacturer Name QUARNOCCIO ROSS A Certificate Issue Date 12/08/2009 Model AVID FLYER Expiration Date 02/29/2016 Type Aircraft Fixed Wing Single-Engine Type Engine Reciprocating Pending Number Change None Dealer No Date Change Authorized None Mode S Code (base 8 / oct) 51122626 MFR Year 1990 Mode S Code (base 16 / hex) A4A596 Type Registration Individual Fractional Owner NO

Based on Serial number, it is NOT a Mk IV, and probably a B model that has been modified... Closer inspection of the pictures and I see the cheek radiator that would make me think B modle for sure with the cable brakes etc... Either this guy does no know what he really has, or is just trying to pawn it off as a MK IV because it has the rounded tail. It looks like the tail started off life as a B or C tail and then it was modified to have the round profile. The odd little "stinger" at the bottom of the rudder looks like the original profile of the B or C rudder that for what ever reason was not cut off when it was modified. That had to be kind of a bitch to cover and make it look good!

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akflyer added a post in a topic Should I buy this 1990 MK IV? 16 Apr 2013

I dont think it is a MK IV for the reasons already mentioned, as well as it does not have the baggage door on the left side. It appears to be cable brakes also. Those are worthless at best. It has a C model cowling and a homemade or modified MK IV rudder. The serial number would tell the tale and it is possible that it was a "D" model (early "D" model) that then became the MK IV with a few other modifications. It is still worth looking at for sure, but I am sceptical that it is truly a MK IV. Check Gross weight on the paperwork!

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EDMO added a post in a topic What's the proper way to repair this? 16 Apr 2013

The planes I have owned that had bent tubes were also showing cracks in the welds at the nearest joint - I would strip the fabric and inspect the closest joints for cracks before straightening the tubes - fabric should be easy and fairly cheap to replace. You may not be able to fully straighten the tubes anyway without cutting the fabric because you have to bend them more than you want and let them rebound.
ED in MO

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1avidflyer added a post in a topic Should I buy this 1990 MK IV? 15 Apr 2013

It looked nice in the pics. Not a bad price either. If the extra wings are good, I would guess they are worth $2500 or so. We were just discussing a few weeks ago, what flaperons are worth, if they are on the long wings as well, I've heard prices of $750 each used. Might be high, but it's still valuable and makes the price of the plane itself that much less. Trailer must be worth $500 or so any way also. Look it over real good, if you are worried about it being twisted up, bring a ruler and measure from tail to wing tips and such to see if it's square and true. Another place to look for dammage is the seat truss. Lots of them get bent in hard landings. Top and bottom tubes were never spliced from the factory. Not a big problem if it's fixed good, but evidence of dammage history. Just a few thoughts, look it over and see what you think. If you can bring someone else who is familiar with rag and tube planes, so much the better. Bersa Chute? Does he mean a balistic chute? They are worth a fair amount also, maybe $1500 or more if it's current. Take care, Jim Chuk

Just read birddog's post, what is the serial # if you know it? After 1000 is probably a MK IV, before probably a C

Cowl does look like a C model.

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birddog486 added a post in a topic Should I buy this 1990 MK IV? 15 Apr 2013

My .02 isnt worth much but I dont think the MK4 was out until 1991. Avid was still shipping the C model in December of 90 and I'm guessing thats a model C with a mk4 rudder. The cowl, offset in the tail and no trim tab built into the elevator are a couple clues to it's type. It does look decent from the pics and with all the parts included that could be a pretty decent deal.

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larry.mahoney added a topic in Avid Model IV 15 Apr 2013

Should I buy this 1990 MK IV?

I know basically nothing but would like to get into flying. I'm in Sacramento Ca and haven't seen it in person and will drive up based on the advise. It appears to be in good shape from the pics.

My main concern is the wing fabric how do I know if its good and what its made of and how much longer will it last?

How do I know If the fuselage is OK not bent or other damage?

It has had a recent annual is that good enough or do I need more inspections?

I don' want to buy a turkey just an Avid with reasonable maintenance cost.

What do you experienced people think? Any and all advice appreciated, thanks.

Experimental / Avid

AVID FLYER MK4, SPEED WING â€¢ $10,500 â€¢ FLY CHEAP â€¢ Foldable wings, Similar to Kitfox, Rotax 582 TT 127, TTAF 579, Spare Heavy Hauler Wings, Bersa Chute, Open trailer all included, All logs, manuals, annual Mar 2013, Flown regularly, Mostly stored in garage, Great flying little plane,

13 replies
3,110 views

akflyer added a post in a topic joke thread 15 Apr 2013

Morning funnies!

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egp8111 added a post in a topic starting a sitting 582 15 Apr 2013

Akflyer,
thanks for you suggestions. EG

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BryceKat added a post in a topic What's the proper way to repair this? 15 Apr 2013

Hi Randy,
In your photos, it looks like the tail is supported with the wood blocks but the fuselage is not level. When trailering or towing your bird, the fuselage needs to be as level as possible because this will transfer the weight from the tail to the main gear. As the tail gets higher, more weight gets transferred to the mains, especially as the fuselage gets past the horizontal position. This plays a huge role in taildragger ground operations. Hope this helps, Bryce

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1avidflyer added a post in a topic What's the proper way to repair this? 15 Apr 2013

Two problems I see with leaving the fabric on. Hard to get at the bent tubes, and also, you need to overbend the tubes to get them straight. It's really sad to buy a plane and be all excited about bringing it home and when you get there you see that. OUCH! On the other hand, the poly-fiber system is very simple to learn, and for sure it can be repaired. Take care, Jim Chuk

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1avidflyer added a post in a topic Fabric repair question 15 Apr 2013

Hi Ed, yes I was aware of the stamps and their meaning. I believe Avid's supplied fabric was the lightweight fabric. Don't think it came with a stamp. Thanks, Jim

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larrym added a post in a topic What's the proper way to repair this? 14 Apr 2013

I would not be in too big of a hurry to assume that you have to strip the fabric. If the tube is only bent, then I would tend to think that it is more ascetic in nature. I would tend to agree with a 2x4 and mallot would work wonders, assuming the tube is not dented sharply. Also, 4130 tubing has a fair amount of spring to it, so you may have to "overbend" it so that it will relax straight. The stressed tubing does want to return to its "rested" shape. The tubing is rather small diameter, and do not be surprised if you see wrinkled fabric with a change of weight on the tail, or when you lift the tail by the handles.

larry

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