Activity Stream
Activity Stream
-
akflyer added a post in a topic Tundra Tires in Kenai
In a word.... YES!
-
0
-
-
Russ. added a post in a topic Cabane gear installed
Looks really great. I should have auctioned them off at Oshkosh Russ N844RS
-
0
-
-
C5Engineer added a post in a topic Cabane gear installed
Sounds like I am in the same boat. My trailer is not going to work without some mods. I'm worried about losing some cruise also. I'm already slow and getting slower which sucks because alot of my playgrounds are hundreds of miles away. Guess we will see. McBean sells some fairing that fits over a 1" tube that is designed for Kitfox struts that might work.
-
0
-
-
Bandit added a post in a topic Cabane gear installed
Didn't measure the prop clearance. Brett said it is 2.5" taller and 11" wider. The height has a noticable difference sitting on the ground. The ground handling is completly different. You need alot less rudder work now, seems to track much straighter now. Takeoff was straight forward. The first couple landings I just flew it on to the runway or wheel landed it. Rollout was straight and no work to it. Last 2, I full stalled it with no problem on roll out. All 4 landings were done with no flaps, but some power. On the 2 full stall landings I didn't feel the tail wheel touch first. I would suggest landing with power on until you get used to the different attitude of the airplane on landing. A noticeable difference. I might have lost a little on cruise, just a bit more drag I think. The install went great. Took my old gear off and gladly threw the bungee's away. Fit the new gear to the airframe. I did have to grind 1/8" off of the left rear bushing to get it to fit in the gear mount. I also had to hone out the axle housing, but no big deal. Now I can remove the axles by hand as I turn them in or out. Removed the gear and painted it and reinstalled it. Used the same wheel spacers as the old gear. I might have to check the brake alingment. I don't have much for brakes, but I guess I never did. The only disadvantage I can see is I added a few more lbs. to my airplane. This gear is much stiffer than the old. It looks like the spring compresses about 1/8"-3/16" on the ground. Oh one more, now I have a really nice trailer for my airplane and it doesn't fit on it anymore. It looks like it is going to be a good investment.
-
0
-
-
Av8r3400 added a post in a topic Cabane gear installed
Looks real good, Mark!
Awaiting your flight reports...
-
0
-
-
C5Engineer added a post in a topic Cabane gear installed
Bandit any tips during the install? I have mine ready to go on just need to find some time to do it. How did you like it? Did you do any measuring on prop clearance before and after?
-
0
-
-
Bandit added a post in a topic Flying with a "Glass Panel" only?
When I was at the Oshkosh picnic this year a couple of guys asked me what type of GPS do I have, I told them I don't have one I just look out the window.
-
0
-
-
Bandit added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar
Cabane gear installedFinished installing my new gear from Brett tonight. Test flew it right before dark. I got 4 landings on it before i quit.
- 16 replies
- 2,024 views
-
akholland added a post in a topic Tundra Tires in Kenai
So that guys had those tires on alaska list for like 3 months and nobody bought them so he gave them to me and kept his new tubes. My 8.50 tubes should work in them. Their weather checked but better than my current set.
So I want to run them on my 140 with a 0-290-d conversion, I think i might put them on this weekend and try them out. Is it really worth the upgrade to the 26" Airstreak alaska bushwheel for 2200 plus shipping?
-
0
-
-
C5Engineer added a post in a topic Next mod=VG's
Well I finally got around to installing these things today. I put the tips of them at 4" from the gap between the horizontal and elevator. It's a lot of further forward than any other airplane I've seen. This was per the instructions I received via email from Stolspeed and it's also what he has published on his site so I went with it. Here's a bit of tutorial on the install.
First off because they were made for a wing they have a very slight curve and the instructions call for a slight rub on some sandpaper to flatten them out some to go on the flat surface of the stab. I used 220 and just a couple of passes.
So step one...sand sand sand, then wipe on a rag of denatured alcohol, then set aside.
Luckily the Stolspeed comes with their adhesive laser cut to fit the foot of the VG.
You have to peel the first layer off the 3M adhesive with the tip of an exacto. They come right off.
Next stick the VG to the adhesive. All of this is somewhat time consuming but not too bad. I did all of this at home in about an hour.
I used a pencil to mark out 5 or 6 marks at the 4" point. Rather than draw on my fabric I used some painters paint to make my line.
The stolspeed VG's come with two templates in the kit. The one for the stab is 30mm spacing. Once you get going with the template the actual install goes pretty quickly. I put 36 on each side. The adhesive they use is a 3M product and works well. It's fairly easy to peel one off if you don't' like the placement. Here are some pics of the install.
The sanding, cleaning, sticking station...this part is a bid tedious but not too bad.
Some shots of them installed before I pulled my tape line.
And now what you've been waiting for...well do they work??
Conditions: OAT 98 degrees Winds 10 degrees off at 7kts Field Elevation 120ft Density Altitude 3200ft Empty wt 535lbs 9 gallons of fuel on board
On my initial takeoff I did my normal thing and the first thing I noticed was the tail came up extremely quick. Climbout felt normal. I went to 3500ft msl to try and get out of the heat. During the climb the stick was farther forward than it used to be.
Once the OAT got down to 75 or so I started doing various stalls. I started with a power on and right away I noticed that there was a noticeable buffet and break which I never used to have. Not sure of the speed as I was damn near vertical.
After that I went into slow flight I was cruising easily at 45mph IAS flaps UP. Flaps down I was able to stay level at 40ish. Before anything below 45 and I was falling out of the sky.
Next was power off. Flaps up before power off stall was 44ish. After was 40 with a noticeable buffet and break once again more like a Cessna. Flaps down stall was 35-36. Overall I decreased my stall speed by 4-5mph.
After the stalls and falls I opened her up and headed back to the airfield. The stick in cruise is farther forward now than it used to be. I flew my first approach at my normal speed of about 55 on final. Pitch felt way more solid. I did a stop and go. On the go I held the brakes and shoved the stick full forward with the flaps at 15 degrees and I was able to lift the tail and hold it level without moving. I could NEVER do that before. I let off the brakes and the tail dropped some but I was able to pull it off slower for sure. On my second approach I flew it at 50 which before would work but without a lot of power I would touch TW first. 50 felt great so I tried my next one at 45 hanging on the prop which I anticipated a TW first landing and plop onto the mains which happened but it was about the same as flying an approach at 50 before.
I can't wait to get my taller gear on. With that I think I can comfortably fly an approach at 45 to get in super short.
Keep in mind these numbers are just my numbers on my indicator. As a trend I was able to fly approx 5mph slower all the way around which in the world of STOL is pretty huge. I'm happy with the results and it was pretty cheap. I think I'm gonna go ahead and put them on my wings next and try it.
I got my VG's from www.stolspeed.com He's a nice guy, the instructions are clear, and the product is nice. Sheesh I wish I could leave this thing alone.
-
0
-
-
C5Engineer added a post in a topic Idaho roadtrip
Randy the lookout is Hemlock Look out. It's located about 14 miles from Pierce up the French Mt Road. Jaype was the lifeblood of that town for years. It shut down in 2000 and things have never been the same up there. Lots of people moved away. You got that airplane into the pattern yet??
-
0
-
-
horsepower added a post in a topic Idaho roadtrip
Nice pics Joey,Its a good thing Im not flying that RC Helicopter or it would end up as fish food. Is that lookout Horseshoe Lake Lookout and that small town in the background is that Pierce?Havent been back in that country for years.My Uncle used to work at the Potlatch JP mill when it was still there.Sorry you had to visit under the circumstances but its always nice to go home. Randy
-
0
-
-
C5Engineer added a post in a topic G loading for MkIV Flyer
Huh? Your getting way to serious about these little airplanes. I are pilot
Here ya go
Horsepower: 300 Gross Weight: 3300 lbs
Top Speed: 153 kts Empty Weight: 1560 lbs
A 185 should clear up any gross weight concerns you might have.
-
0
-
-
C5Engineer added a topic in Hangar Talk
Idaho roadtripWell since Leni said he likes seeing pics of all types of adventures I thought I would post this up. I just made a whirlwind trip to Idaho to attend a funeral. It was a bad reason to go but it was nice to see a ton of family I had not seen in a while. We also spent a whole day on the quads and made a nice drive down to the River. I also flew my Align 450 Pro RC heli in a few cool places. Enjoy the pics.
This is a lookout tower still in use. It's 100ft tall and sits on the highest peak around. It's manned all summer to look for smoke from fires started by lightning. Pretty cool job if you ask me.
The old house I grew up in till I was about 12.
Town from the distance...population 400
My Mom and I rooting over an old couch we found at one of my old partying spots
My baby Sis and I with the parents at the funeral.
Screwing off in the River...they had a late runoff that water was chilly!
Always gotta do the bridge while home. To get to this river it's 45 miles on a Gravel road. It's so beautiful down there and very little people.
The quality of this video kinda sucks but it sort of gives you an idea of how fast these little electric helis can move when you really open them up. My sis needs to learn how to film with a digi cam
- 2 replies
- 1,509 views
-
DBVZ added a post in a topic G loading for MkIV Flyer
Help me understand the G-loading question. In looking for load ratings for the different wings used on the Mk IV, I think I have this right:
Gross Weight G-load Wing Span
Speedwing: 1050 +6/-3 23' 11.5"
Heavy Hauler: 1150 +4.4/-2.2 29' 10.5"
My question is, if the Speedwing is +6/-3 at 1050, how does that change with increased weight? My simple calculation is 6 X 1050 = 6300 pounds loading. 6300/4.4 = 1432. So why not set the max gross at 1432? Or set it at 1320, and have a G-load of 4.77? If someone can direct me to authoritative load ratings for the other wings, I would appreciate it. Thanks.
-
0
-
-
akflyer added a post in a topic Flying with a "Glass Panel" only?
About the only time I am looking at my instruments is when I am letting the kid fly and teaching him to hold altitude in turns. Other than that, I dont look at them much as I am low enough that I really dont want to take my eyes off the ground a few feet below me.
That being said, I did fly into a lil fog bank a couple weeks ago that gave me some flashbacks to about 15 yrs ago. I dropped down 200' and I was flying clear again. Did give me a little pucker factor though as I was crossing open water with an engine I only had 3 hrs on since I resealed it and I was on wheels. I like to stay high over that cold water and did not like giving up that 200'. When I lost visibility, I just kept an eye on the GPS for heading and watched the airspeed and VSI. My whiskey compass does not do me much good when the radio is turned on as it swings about 60 degrees and hold there for the entire flight...
-
0
-
-
akflyer added a post in a topic Changing the gross weight with the FAA...
If you are talking about an Avid or Kitfox, or any other Experimental Ameture built aircraft, the FAA does not have any design info on file. Spend 10 bucks and get the CD from the FAA that will show all info they have on your plane. The ones I know that have done this did not come up with ANY paperwork from the FAA that showed a "gross weight". About the only real thing I know of that you have to re-submit paperwork for is an engine swap (say you are going from Rotax to Subaru). There is no "gross weight" for experimental planes, only a "max take off weight" for LSA.
-
0
-
-
DBVZ added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar
Changing the gross weight with the FAA...Is it possible to change the weight when you change the wings, for a non-builder owner? The different wings allow higher weights when building, but how do you do it later as a non-builder owner? And if the builder can set the max gross even higher than the kit MFG suggests for a particular wing, what can a non-builder owner do if he makes a "major modification" and submits the resulting new W/B to the FSDO?
- 1 reply
- 1,072 views
-
Russ. added a post in a topic Skyraider Lifts Off
Congrats Randy. Great feeling of accomplishment. Wishing you many happy flying hours. Russ. N844RS
-
0
-
-
SuberAvid added a post in a topic Flying with a "Glass Panel" only?
I agree. Mine is all electronic now except for the compass but flying VFR I don't really "need" my gages. You can fly the plane with feel and hearing and I do that most of the time. I could rarely tell you what my airspeed was on takeoff or landing. I would be wondering why the heck my instruments quit working though.
-
0
-
-
C5Engineer added a post in a topic Skyraider Lifts Off
Congrats Randy I was in Orofino that day. Sure makes me miss flying up there being there in the truck.
-
0
-
-
C5Engineer added a post in a topic Flying with a "Glass Panel" only?
If you get hit by lightning in a Kitfox...well then your probably flying IMC too. Both of which you would have to make multiple poor decisions to happen. If it did happen losing your airspeed is probably the least of your worries. Not sure how much time you have in these type of airplanes but you'll find that after a very short time you'll find yourself using your instruments very little compared to a faster, bigger, heavier certified airplane. It's very easy to become one with the airplane in a Kitfox/Avid. I fly by feel and sound most of the time. Unless I was completely IMC I probably would not even end my flight if I lost all my instrumentation. In fact one time I was about 20 minutes into a flight before I realized my airspeed was stuck at zero. In a Cessna part of my takeoff roll was always to state "Airspeed Alive" No time in the Avid. By the time you see it move your airborn. When I went to my ANR headset it really screwed me up for a couple hours till I relearned what the airplane sounded like.
I certainly would not pass on an airplane because of it. It would be easy to add a steam airspeed altimeter and vvi to the panel as a standby.
-
0
-
-
DBVZ added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar
Flying with a "Glass Panel" only?I looked at a plane where the owner replaced most of the steam gauges with an Integra 6624 and Avmap GPS. If those are lost due to a power loss or lightning strike, the only flight instrument is a compass. No air speed, altimeter, VSI, turn and bank, or gyro's - just compass. So what do you think?
I have always liked having some redundant instruments, and while this is a VFR aircraft if you happen to get into IMC with just a compass it seems like survival gets pretty unlikely. In IFR aircraft you usually have electric, air pressure, and vac powered instruments so no single failure will leave you flying blind.
With the current state of aviation electronics, that have both panel power and an internal battery, would you fly a VFR aircraft with a glass panel that is not just primary, but is the only source of flight information other than mag heading? The Integra and Avmap provide a nice display of more than enough flight information, as long as they keep working.
- 4 replies
- 1,144 views
-
TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Skyraider Lifts Off
Congrats!! That first flight is the most memorable feeling ever!
-
0
-
-
horsepower added a post in a topic Skyraider Lifts Off
When I look back on it I think your right................
-
0
-