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Activity Stream



  1. rlmankins added a post in a topic Fuse length and new gear   

    Thanks for the advice, I spent the day doing an inventory and taking a hard look. Looks good.
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  2. EDMO added a post in a topic Fuse length and new gear   

    "you will just have to use smaller bungees on them as the cub bungees are for a plane that weighs twice what yous will weigh so you wont have crap for travel on the gear."

    Not so sure about that statement - Guessing that the bungees may end up somewhere between the Avid size and the Cub size, although they go on differently, and considering the extra width of mount may put extra strain on them.
    - The J3 Cub comes in under 800 EW, and gross is only 1200 and certainly not "twice as heavy".
    SuperCubs are a whole different story!
    ED in MO
    P.S. Add my Welcome Aboard - You can get lots of help from members here - We may not always agree, but we try not to be "Disagreeable".
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  3. EDMO added a post in a topic Latest on Belly Pod/ LE Slats   

    Kitfox ships their plastic LE as 4 pieces, 2 for each wing - that would be more practical to build/ship.
    ED in MO
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  4. akflyer added a topic in Jokes   

    Need Help for a flying buddy
    Help For A Flying Buddy

    I'm reaching out on behalf of an airport buddy of mine who is down on his luck, and just needs a little help!



    It’s a sad story:
    His wife told him to go out and get some of those pills that would help him get an erection. When he came back, he handed her some diet pills.

    Anyway, he's looking for a place to live. Let me know if you can help.



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  5. akflyer added a post in a topic My 1956 Chevy   


    I'm in! sounds like a good past time at the lodge! hahahahahaha


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  6. akflyer added a post in a topic Latest on Belly Pod/ LE Slats   

    If only he could keep the prices on the belly pod to around the original price for them.. If he can keep the pod under 1,000 bucks it may be worth it, but if its over that I will be kicking rocks till I make my own. I hate to pay money out for things I can make myself.... Now if I could only get the time to build all the crap I am too cheap to buy

    At any rate, I agree, I do think there is a viable market for the parts as long as the cost is not prohibitive. Hmmm... Wonder what it would take to make CF fairings for the struts


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  7. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Latest on Belly Pod/ LE Slats   

    Sounds interesting, for me, especially the leading edge parts. If they were made in 3' or 4' long pieces, they would be easy to ship as well as easier to make. Just thought about that some more, and if the leading edge is made to go back as far as the false ribs do, it would be better in a 3' length, cause the splice would land on a rib. Take care, Jim Chuk


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  8. SuberAvid added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Latest on Belly Pod/ LE Slats
    I got to talk to Randy Apling at Plaschem for a good while yesterday and he is interested in building the belly pod patterned after the original Avid pod that Avid Heavy has, but doing it out of Carbon Fiber. I will pick up Jeff's pod this weekend and take it to Randy to see what he thinks about using it for a mold plug. We also talked about making the mold so it could be widened to fit the Avid+ and Magnum, and to make it with edge flanges so it could be fit to the variations between the Avid and KF generations. I plan to put it up to the Avid+ fusalage to see how close it fits to it;and if Dave or someone with a KF in this area is available, it would be good to see how close it fits to the KF. Randy says the stock SuperCub belly fiberglass pod is about 22 lbs and his Carbon fiber pod for the Cub is 12 lbs. I think Jeff said the Avid pod is around 18 lbs so in CF is should be under 10 lbs.

    Randy is also building an all CF leading edge slat system for Cubs, including the mounting standoffs. The next set he finishes we are going to take to the hangar and see if they could be used on the Avid wing with a new standoff designed for the Avid wing. If not that. he also builds CF leading edges for Cubs that save 10 lbs off of the stock alum leading edge. I showed him the sketch that Jim posted on the alum leading edge for the Avid and he said that would be easy to build out of CF. I think I will be using one or the other on my new Avid wings. He is reallly interested in adding to the parts he builds for experimentals and I think there is a reasonable amount of us in the Avid/KF community who would be interested in this stuff so I will keep you posted as this develops.
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  9. SuberAvid added a post in a topic My 1956 Chevy   

    Oh Yeh! I am glad my kids didn't do some of the things I did growing up. One that comes to mind; we had a big irrigation ditch behind our place in OR that they closed off in the fall and it trapped some nice trout and a few salmon in the pools. You know that fishing with dynomite can be great fun!!!
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  10. SuberAvid added a post in a topic Different Magnum Rudder?   


    Hi Ron,

    Thanks; the plane turned out to be just about everything I hoped it would be. It is still fun to fly like the Avid/KF's are supposed to be, but also has the improvements that are huge to me in making it much more functional for me. The only goal I missed was in the empty weight being heavier than I hoped it would be. Still, this plane handles a load so much better than my Avid MKIV; but I know it is not a great idea to fly it that way forever so I am going to build a new set of wings for it and strengthen them a bit. I am running a Stratus Subaru EA81 motor with a dual ignition setup from RAM, dual Bing 64 carbs and a manual mixture control, and an IVO IFA prop. The motor is heavier than the Rotax by quite a bit but is has been a great motor; good power, very reliable and very fuel efficient. With the IVO IFA prop it gets off better and increased my criuse speed by 15 mph over the fixed prop, plus it will cruise at 90 to 95 mph at just over 4 gph when I get it leaned out just right.

    I had Airdale build the fusalage with three mounting points for the gear to distribute the load better and increase the resisting force moment arm on the airframe with the wider length at the top of the gear leg. This was before Just Aircraft changed their bungee to a 3 point mount. I built my own custom bungee gear that is 5.5" taller than the airdale wide bungee gear but kept the wheel position and width the same (although the wider fusalage results in a wider track). I think it turned out just right with right at 50lb on the TW empty, and with my survival gear in the back of the cargo area I have good braking without any tendency to nose over. The attached pics shows the gear a little better.

    I am running the 26" AKBushwheels which I love! The first two pics are with the plane on 21" wheels and the last is on the 26"s which show the height a little better. I am 6' 1" for perspective.



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  11. akflyer added a post in a topic Fuse length and new gear   

    I echo every thing Doug said (big surprise there! )

    When I got my airplane it was balled up from TWO landing gear failures. The seat truss area was bent up and the lower longerons under the door sill. The first thing I did after I got the tubes straight was to plate the sides.

    http://www.avidfoxfl...ic/14-my-mod-c/

    Click that and take a look at the pictures and you can see where I plated the sides. The seat truss was beefed up using triangles welded in instead of the plywood gussets that the factory said to put in. I had the fuse torn down and the welded plates seemed the way to go. If the plane is covered then the glued in gussets would probably be the way to go unless you are good with a TIG rig.

    If you go with the wide gear, make sure the wheels are aligned. The tree sets I have installed were all off a pretty good bit making for exciting ground handling on pavement (grass and gravel or sand are a non issue)

    To stop most ground loops DO THE BRAKE UPGRADE to the pedals and cylinders that Mikesk (member here) sells. The brakes are night and day difference due to the better pedal geometry. You can easily lock up a brake now to hold her from spinning instead of mashing the stock pedal through the firewall and still not being able to hold it. It is an overall small expense to be able to maintain control of the plane when things start going bad.

    Cub gear... I have thought 1000 times about moding a set of cub gear to put on my plane. I have a set of 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" sitting in storage but if I swap to those, I will have to change out brakes, get new skis etc to use them. I don't see any reason why you couldn't use them, you will just have to use smaller bungees on them as the cub bungees are for a plane that weighs twice what yous will weigh so you wont have crap for travel on the gear.

    Fly pole holder.... You can see in my pictures the tube for the rod holder behind the passengers seat. It was used once. The cabin is too short to really get a good rod in there so 99% of the time I do the same as Randy and bungee the rod holder to the wing strut where the jury struts are. Same with Rifle and Shotguns. If I was to re-design anything, it would be to put a bigger baggage door in it more like a cub extended baggage so you can get more stuff in there easier. My baggage goes from behind the seat to the front of the vertical stab. With the 582 the plane generally comes out nose heavy anyway, so I stuff my survival gear in the back of the plane and forget about it. No need to carry lead on the tail spring that way If I have to move weight around I want it to be useful not just dead weight.

    As Doug said, welcome aboard here and post up build pictures!


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  12. SuberAvid added a post in a topic Fuse length and new gear   

    Ditto on the Welcome. I will throw in my two cents to your questions as well. I have an Avid MkIV that I flew for quite a while before I completed my Avid+ which is about an 18" stretch and 6" wider Avid. The Avid Mk IV is a pretty easy tail dragger WITH the wide gear on it and reasonable brakes. The wide Airdale bungee gear that I had on mine is 14" wider than the stock Avid gear. I don't know of anyone who has used actual Cub ger adapted to one and as you say, there will be a drag penalty, but the other thing you will need to do is fabricate the cubane bungees to match the weight of the Avid. As far as the added width, this will certainly help the ground handling. Reinforcing the seat truss may not be necessary with the cabane type gear, as it is with the bungee gear, since it does not apply a bending load to the seat truss like the bungee gear does. I did the plywood reinforcement to my seat truss with microlam plywood epoxied into the web openings between the tubing and it worked just great.

    As far as the fusalage strech, As Jim said, it is primarily to allow heavier engines without having to add weight to the tail but it does add some improvement to ground handing, but not enough that I would do it just for that reason. The longer fusalage also tracks straighter in flight, which is nice on a longer trip, but he best part about it is the added bagage area if you convert it to the push/pull cable controls as the Avid+ has; or you could modify your bagage area to fit around the push/pull tubes and control mixer; possibly deepening and lengthening the bagage box and disconnecting the PP tubes when you fold the wings.

    You have to run your fishing poles down througn the fusalage which is hard to do if you ave the standard bagage box in the MK IV. I just used takedown rods and bungeed them on my wing strut; same with rifles, snowshoes, etc.
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  13. dholly added a post in a topic Fuse length and new gear   

    rlmankins

    I would only add the following: During my Avid Mk-IV build, I fabbed up extra mounting brackets for the main tubing cluster in the tail behind the main strut attach point for floats, plus brackets for under the front door posts in case I swapped out the oem gear legs for a 3-point gear attach setup like the Highlander has. If you think there is even a remote possibility of adding wider gear, in addition to strengthening the seat truss, I would definitely plate the side longerons below the door as well. Having bent my KF3 in that exact location, I now think it is imperative to spread the force over three mounts rather than two AND plate the sides. These little birds were not designed to endure that kind of repeated stress. IMHO, that side plating may well have saved my plane. Not a pancake landing, but dropped a wheel into a drainage ditch and the horizontal force rearward twisted the Grove spring gear mounting block and lower longeron tube (plus a bunch more after that ) all to hell. A lot easier to head trouble off at the pass than fix and recover that kind mess I say! Another idea: Kitfox 3 and 4-1050 required an add on fuselage brace when on floats. (see pic) Wouldn't be terribly hard to make something similar and it might be weight well spent if you're pounding your plane into short or unimproved strips on a regular basis. As for the stretch, I have never seen a negative comment from anyone who has done it aside from the cost. I got mine the easy way when I sold my Mk-IV for an Avid+ kit, but starting a build all over should tell you how strongly I feel about longer and wider. In any event, whatever gear you use, make sure you check for proper wheel alignment before high speed taxi tests or takeoff/landing. If you've done any reading, you know the Avid TDs with bungee gear can be a real handful if not set up correctly. Post your progress please, we always like to read about other folks builds!

    -Doug

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  14. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Fuse length and new gear   

    Beefing up the seat truss is a good idea. That is definatly a weak point. A suggestion from the Avid factory was to fill in the triangles in the seat truss with plywood and it was a requirement if you went with the wide gear. A number of different controls and such run through the truss so you have to plan for them. The fusaloge stretch is also a good idea especially if you intend to put a heavier engine on the plane at some point in the future. As long as you have the fus. uncovered, now would be the time to do it. If you go to www.airdale.com you can see a fus. being stretched. Click on the Avid box on the top of the page. If you have never flown behind a 2 stroke, before, be sure to learn about how to operate it before flight. They are VERY sensitive to high EGTs and will burn up if EGTs are run hot (especially at full power). Also, cold seizure can be a problem from running hard before the engine is warmed up. You really need to run a thermostat in cold weather. Hope I didn't scare you to much on the engine part, and one other thing, welcome to the group! Take care, Jim Chuk (another MK IV flyer)


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  15. rlmankins added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Fuse length and new gear
    I just purchased a Mk4 with heavy hauler wings. It had been landed hard and ground looped. Damage to fuse has been repaired in a worksman like manner and I need to replace 2 end ribs and the wing tip, included in purchase. This is a very nice plane and I would like to keep it that way. I have been going through th NTSB and air Canada accident reports for these planes and there seems to be 2 common causes of accidents, engine failure and landing gear collapse. I am haveing firewall forward (582 c box 3-1) zero timed at Oregon Aircraft Designs.

    Tha strength of the crossmember under the seats looks questionable. I plan on plating both sides with light sheet metal to increase shear load, maybe 2 lb weight penalty. I have a set of super cub landing gear that happen to be very close to the same size as my float attachment points. These would raise my fuse about 4 inches and widen my track about 18". I am not sure that I want the drag of the carbane and oleo struts but do need advice on it. Does this seem a reasonable upgrade?

    While all my cover is off it would be a perfect time for a fuse stretch. I am a low time tail wheel pilot and want my daughter and my grandson to learn to fly in this plane. I have a Cherokee 180 but there is no way that either one of them can afford to fly it, besides the gear is on backwards. Does this increase the directional stability enough to justify the work. Weight penalty look very negligble. Advice for and against would be appreciated.

    Plane is very well built but was completed in 1994, has 186 hours on it. Empty weight currently with BRS is 537 lbs without floats, no idea with floats, gross with BRS and floats is 1200. There must be some collective wisdom on failure points, upgrades, best tweaks for the plane. Not looking to redesign the plane or add a bunch of weight, but it will be carrying precious cargo and should be as safe as possible. I have purchased a BRS for it and am interested in the collective wisdom for mounting it.

    Last but not least, where do I put my fly rod?

    thanks
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  16. EDMO added a post in a topic Different Magnum Rudder?   

    Someone else may say that square corners are easier to cover - I'm not an expert.
    I can say that designing / modifying your own makes building time about 10 to 20 times longer - Well, moving, and other things had more to do with adding time than mods. I filled several pages with nothing but calculations, and still dont know if I got them right.
    Yes, this will be my joy, or pain to bear - cant blame anyone else!
    Still wondering if I can get the nose up when I put those big flaps down?????
    ED in MO
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  17. RDavidson added a post in a topic Different Magnum Rudder?   

    Ed,

    Thanks, I found the pic. I like that shape. Good point about not squaring off the corners!
    You enjoy adding your own touch to everything, don't you? I like it!

    Thanks again,
    Ron
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  18. EDMO added a post in a topic Different Magnum Rudder?   

    Ron,
    My photos have disappeared in my puter - Go to the Kitfox IV section here, and bring up "FOXY FLAPPER FOTOS", and the last photo shows my rudder and one elevator. Mine is about 53 inches high - I believe the KF4 is 54 or so inches, but theirs dont overlap - mine is a little wider too. I added about 6 inches in width to all of my tailfeathers, and put a dorsal fin on the VS. I didnt square the corners, as they cover easier when rounded, I think.
    My "Grand Plan" is to wrap the overlaps in fiberglas cloth, making a pocket, into which I will put a mixture of lead shot and 9460 until I get an overbalance of at least 1 inch, to make up for the weight of the fabric and paint added later.
    ED in MO
    Maybe Leni can attach the photo here - but I dont have a clue as how to do that.
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  19. RDavidson added a post in a topic Different Magnum Rudder?   


    Randy,

    Your plane is awesome!
    I called Brett and left a message, but I'm going to use your rudder if Brett can get one to me.
    A couple of questions for you...
    Are those 26" tires?
    Looks like a custom gear. Did you build it? I couldn't see clearly in the picture, but did you add another gear attach point near the firewall? What kind of gear is it, bungee, spring, etc?

    I love everything about your plane! Nice work!


    Thanks,
    Ron
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  20. dholly added a post in a topic Calling Brett at Airdale...   

    Just a heads-up about Brett's email...

    For the past few days I've been receiving spam/spoof emails from Brett and other email addys that I know are Avid related folks. I suspect Brett's email account has been hacked and his computer infected with an email virus or Trojan horse (his was the first spoof email rec'd). The emails simply say "hi Doug" in the subject line and "hey, check this out [insert bad link here]. Brett" The link addys are different in each or the spoof mails, however, I suspect just as damaging. I hope he is aare and taking corrective action.

    Just a FYI... never click on any link or open attachments from people you don't know and make sure that you have an up-to-date virus checker and virus definitions file. If you find that your email account has indeed been compromised, any and all information that can be used to recover your account should be validated, removed or changed the instant you get your account back. That includes personal information, PINs, secret questions and and answers, alternate email addresses and more - anything that the system you're dealing with might use for account validation and recovery. A good hacker will have access to that information and use it to retake your machine until you change it.
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  21. 1avidflyer added a post in a topic Kitfox Bungee lengths and number of wraps   



    This morning, I measured the factory bungees for my Kitfox 4 project, and they are 4'9" inside of loop to inside of loop. Also, I just got my shock cord from ACS for the new bungees from the FedEx truck. In the box with the bungees was a bunch of flat 4130 if I decide to build anything that doesn't need bungees. Take care, Jim Chuk
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  22. C5Engineer added a post in a topic Calling Brett at Airdale...   

    Just wanted to let you guys know that Brett replied last night to an email I sent just a few days ago letting me know he was shipping my order. He apologized for the delay but didn't offer anymore info. If I hear anything I will pass it along.
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  23. akflyer added a post in a topic joke thread   

    Went out last night and got really wasted. I woke up in the middle of the night next to some chick who was snoring and farting, so I knew I made it home OK!

    The wife's back on the warpath again. She was up for making a sex movie last night, and all I did was suggest we should hold auditions for her part.

    I've accidentally swallowed some Scrabble tiles. My next shit could spell disaster.

    My sister-in-law sat on my glasses and broke them. It was my own fault. I should have taken them off.

    I spent a couple of hours defrosting the fridge last night, or "foreplay" as she likes to call it.

    After both suffering from depression for a while, me and the wife were going to commit suicide yesterday. But strangely enough, once she killed herself, I started to feel a lot better. So I thought, “F**k it, soldier on!”

    I woke up this morning at 8, and could smell something was wrong. I got downstairs and found the wife face down on the kitchen floor, not breathing! I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. Then I remembered McDonald’s serves breakfast until 11:30.

    Bought the missus a hamster skin coat last week. Took her to the fair last night, and it took me 3 hours to get her off the Ferris wheel.

    The other night, my wife asked me how many women I'd slept with. I told her, "Only you. All the others kept me awake all night!"

    My missus packed my bags, and as I walked out the front door, she screamed, "I wish you a slow and painful death, you bastard!"
    "Oh," I replied, "so now you want me to stay!"

    A Catholic boy in confession says, “Bless me Father, I have sinned, I masturbated while thinking about my sister.”
    “That's a disgrace,” said the priest, “especially when you have two gorgeous brothers.”

    A government survey has shown that 91% of illegal immigrants come to this country so that they can see their own doctor
    .
    I've just installed strobe lights in the bedroom. It makes the wife look like she's moving during sex.


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  24. akflyer added a post in a topic Picture says it all   

    I am still pissed that the white house did not accept the tickets I sent to them for a great show at the Ford theater....



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  25. SuberAvid added a post in a topic Picture says it all   

    That same hypocracy seems to be just fine for all of the political ruling elite from "KingO" on down. They sure get it when it comes to protecting themselves. We are not as important as they are and neither are our kids. I wish the NRA had continued to run that add.


    But in the now infamous words of Hilary; "what does it really matter at this point anyway?" so what if a few Americans are killed. I guess it is just unfortunate that those on the outside are sacrificial. They just couldn't use that one to further their agenda.


    Evidently, so are our own troops; as Obama gives F-16's and M-1 tanks to those who hate us! Not to mention the non-muslim citizens of Egypt.
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