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egp8111 added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar 9 Aug 2010

In the process of recovering my KFIII elevator I noticed it was out of line. When you put it on a flat surface the left elevator is about an inch higher than the right. The tubes are all straight and it doesn't appear to have been bent but it definitely not even. Have I pulled it out of line by uneven shrinking of the covering or bend it or is this some aerodynamic Kitfox thing of which I'm ignorant?

thanks,

EG

7 replies
2,586 views

Trackwelder added a post in a topic Any interest in moving a kit across the country for Dean Wilson? 8 Aug 2010

I am in Iowa but for the chance to meat Dean Wilson and fuel costs I would be willing to do it. open trailer but I hauled an A model a long way on it,fit is no problem.

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C5Engineer added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar 7 Aug 2010

Any interest in moving a kit across the country for Dean Wilson?

A good friend of mine, Bill (Avid67) was talking with Dean Wilson on the phone today. It seems Dean has been searching high and low for an early kit or unfinished project to use as a platform for an engine that he built. The only thing that he's found that suites his needs and price range is on the East Coast somewhere. He did not say exactly where but more details to follow. Dean is unable to make a trip clear to the east coast. I know we have Avid folks scattered all over the country. Bill thought up a great idea to see if we could somehow network together and try to get the kit Dean found back to Clarkston, WA in Eastern WA. Bill said he would be willing to come quite a ways East. I've seen homebuilders come together for things like this before and wanted to see if there was any interest.

1 reply
1,443 views

dholly added a post in a topic Buying my new Avid 6 Aug 2010

Jezz-

x2 for the exhaust port inspection, cheap 'n easy but effective. I bought a set of (4) JBM graphite coated wire mesh replacement gaskets for less than $20 shipped from 'adventurepilot' on fleaBay, good deal on JBM carb sockets and Bing throttle cable adjuster grommets too.

I use LPS-1 Premium Lubricant on all control hinges and articulating joints. Good stuff, recommended by Kitfox Aircraft.

I dunno about water or salt water in the fuel tanks, but I sure as hell wouldn't pressurize them with a compressor for fear of bursting a seam (initial leak test pressurization is typically done with a balloon). I 'gravity flushed' the wing tank in the new-to-me KF III when I got it and it was a real eye-opener. All I did was remove the quick drain, twisted in a length of old fuel hose leading to a funnel with fine mesh strainer and ran a couple gals of the old gas I drained from the main tank through while rockin' and sloshin' the wing. Rinsed and repeated x3 before all was clear. Got insects, old o-ring remnants from the quick drain, cork filler cap gasket pieces and a couple tiny light brown flakes of what are likely the aluminum tank sealant sloshing compound. Then I plugged and removed the finger strainer from the fuel outlet and did the same, just in case. Put everything back together with Permatex 9AR Tack & Seal Gasket Sealant and feel a whole lot better now!

I've since decided to add an in-line fuel filter where the line comes down the front door frame post. This is not recommended if you have fiberglass wing tanks because the fibers loosened by the ethanol are invisible in fuel and will clog the filters. That is a non-issue with my aluminum wing tank but at least I will see and catch any sealant flakes or other debris that make it thru the shut-off before it hits the main fuel selector valve. Gascolator seems to do it's job very well and I do not run any filter in-line from the gascolator to pulse pump or from pump to carbs, although I am considering it. Hesitate to compromise the integrity of the firesleeve FWF though.

Interesting observations about the chamois filter. I have a large funnel and was going to try the chamois based on positive comments off the supercub forums but it seems like it took you a LOT longer to run the fuel through. Could it be the material? They stress you must use a genuine, high quality natural skin chamois with the fuzzy side up, not a cheapo shammy rag typically used for car detailing, and suggest this source: http://www.chamois.co.nz/home.
Sounds like you found some great digs for the Avid... an old firehouse with extra rooms for 'The Overcast Bar and Lounge'... niceee!

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horsepower added a post in a topic Buying my new Avid 6 Aug 2010

What RPM should a guy shoot for with a ground adjustable on a static run up. Mine is a 68 inch 3 blade Powerfin. Its a 582 silver head motor.Im starting the paint part of my Skyraider build so Im thinking ahead.Randy

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dholly added a post in a topic Fuselage question 6 Aug 2010

Jezz - even if you have to move your plane around without the tail stand / dolly, count your blessings. Another interesting (and functional) difference between Avid / KF fuselages is the rear grab handle location. On the Avid it is situated on the lower longeron, while some boneheaded KF designer decided to placed it on the top longeron. As a result of the additional leverage provided by the lower handle, it is about 10x easier to pick the Avid tail wheel off the ground with the wings folded.The KF is a real chore!

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akflyer added a post in a topic Buying my new Avid 6 Aug 2010

Jezz,

The most I would do is pull the exhaust and take a look at the piston that way. You can see the rings and top of the piston to see if you have any carbon build up. I at at 150+ hrs and no tear down. Most people I know dont pull them down "according to schedule".

Get yourself a Mr. Funnel. They are awesome for filtering out water and particles, and will take fuel pretty damn fast! If you cant find one over there, PM me your addy and I will ship one to you.

I would put some fuel in the tank and swish it around then drain. It only needs a couple gallons at a time at most to be able to rock the plane back and forth and get the crap sloshed out. I have my gas cans that are only for use in the plane. I use the Mr. funnel when I fill them at the pump so I dont have to mess with using it when I am fueling the plane.

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Jezz added a post in a topic Fuselage question 6 Aug 2010

I have something similar, except mine is with 2 wheels which it pivots around and comes back to a steering handle. Pretty neat - only problem is there was no way it was going in the wing locker when I ferried the plane back from England, so now it is sitting in storage in England until I drive over in the fall. Shame because I now have a garage where I store the plane and have to fold the wings. This steering thing would be a Godsend. Oh well!!

Jezz

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Jezz added a post in a topic Roush Racing can do racecars but not airplanes 6 Aug 2010

Thats the beauty of the Avid - sitting side by side you can always let her play with the stick as you happily fly along

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Jezz added a post in a topic Buying my new Avid 6 Aug 2010

Back in the hotseat now!

I would like to say that I have been away because I have been flying the Avid all around Europe ... but that would be a lie. I have been working my ass off (feels like 24/7) with the summer schedule.

Had quite a cockup putting the Avid into it's new garage. I broke into the wrong one (there were 2 to choose from), and then proceeded to trash all the belongings of the tenants who had leased it. The Avid sat nice in there though, then, 1 day into a business trip I got a call telling me that the police were going to be called and I was in the deep doodoo.

Good job I am in with the council guys who are responsible for the airfield. Nonevent, and the tenants got a load of their trash thrown out for free (turned out they didn't want the stuff anyway!).

So, got back, moved Avid to new home (turns out it is not just a garage, it is 4 rooms, 1 of which is big enough to turn into a bar - IT WILL BE SO!!!!!!!! )

After that, was flying ass off for work, and not in the Avid

Earlier this week I flew off the last hour or so before the 50 hour check. I have 1 question from the Rotax maintenance manual for the 582. It states that the cylinder head should be removed to inspect for deposits and also inspect piston rings. I cannot believe that everyone is removing the cylinder head each 50 hours, checking and then replacing head and probably gaskets etc. Is there a short cut to doing this?

One other question is what grease should I use to grease the flapperson hinge points? They are looking like they would benefit from it (and it is also part of the check schedule).

Final question. I a bit of black sludge in my left main tank and I am getting tiny flakes of black stuff out when I do the fuel test from that tank. Since I noticed this I have been restricting myself to using only the right tank (which is clean). Any ideas how I can flush the tank? I have read some stuff on a boating forum about disconnecting the feed line, half filling tank with salt water then sealing an air compressor hose into the filler cap and building pressure until all of the water is flushed out, then flushing tank with normal warm water, repeat with saline water until particles stop flowing - any ideas if this would work?

One other word. Last time I flew, I was using some MOGAS that had been stored in a (brand new) can for a couple of days. I decided to filter it anyway through a chamois leather (see previous question). The results were astounding. After about only 5 gallons of gas there was no water, but the center of the cloth was pitch black with dirt particles. I am now going to buy a huge funnel and filter all fuel through the leather - it is a bloody slow process (about 2 gallons an hour), but it is worth it for the result.

OK, I am now off to the airfield to do some parts of the 50 hour check (my aircraft is still maintained under the British LAMS schedule which means it gets an airframe/electrics/avionics inspection too at 50 hours). I really don't mind as this gives me a chance to learn quite a bit more about the baby

Jezz

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C5Engineer added a post in a topic Hacman Kit install 6 Aug 2010

I got to do some testing of my HAC system this morning. After doing several run ups and seeing temps I was used to I took off. Temps looked good so I started a climb to 7500ft. My field lies at 117ft. I left the control knob in full rich for my climb. Upon reaching 7500 my EGT's were right around 1000 degrees and I was burning 4.9gph at level off at 5800rpm. Previously at this altitude and power setting I was burning 5.3 so it was already doing better which I can't fully explain. I suspect it was a combination of the kit install and the rejetting the kit requires. I started turning the knob towards the lean position and immediately saw the EGT's start to go up and the fuel flow start to go down. After about 6 turns I was reading 1150 and the fuel flow had dropped to 4.1 gph. You could hear an audible change in the engine as it leaned out. I did some climb tests at full rich and then leaned and when it was leaned out I was getting almost 300fpm more climb rate so the engine was definitely making more power.

Here are my current settings.

Field elevation 117ft
Airscrew 3 turns out
Idler 50
Needle Jet 2.74
Needle 1G2
Needle on bottom clip both carbs
Main Jets 180 (up from 160 with the HAC kit install)

Since I'm at Sea Level I my jetting dictates how rich I can go. My midrange was running hot which is why I'm running the 2.74 needle jet and the clips on the the bottom. With the HAC you want your base settings on the rich side because you can always lean it out.

Overall I'm very happy with this kit. The next testing will take place at 10,500ft. If I can get my fuel burn down by almost one GPH at 7500 I'm sure I'll see savings in excess of that the higher I go.

Onto the install pics...

Where you tap into the factory plug on the carb

The three way valve. As you can see one end goes into the aircleaner, the middle one goes to the float chamber vents and the top one goes to the controller in the panel.

Behind the panel hooked up to the HAC controller

Looking at the carbs

The short line that connects the two inner float bowl vents

Before leaning

EGT's just over a 1000 and fuel flow 4.9 GPH

Same conditions after leaning EGT's 1150 and fuel flow 4.1gph

Overall panel shot.. 4.1 gph at 78 mph IAS and 5850rpm. On my Idaho trip I was burning 5.3gph at these same power settings and altitudes.

Pulled back the power and got it down to 3.6 gph. I was indicating 72mph IAS at this power setting. I've NEVER seen fuel flow's below 4.0 gph above 5,000 rpm EVER.

For $159 I only need to fly about 30 hours for this thing to pay for itself. Fuel costs is only one benefit..... more power and less carbon build up are a few others.

It's a simple system to operate. When I'm just flying locally I won't mess with it.. Just leave it at full rich but when I need to get over the mountains this is going to be a huge benefit.

One last thing to note on my test flight I was turning up 6600 rpm on take off up from 6300. I'm not sure what exactly caused that. I added a degree of pitch and got it back down where it was. The extra load helped to bring my midrange temps down some also.

Another thing to note is how worthless my needle tach is compared to my tiny tach.

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Avid67 added a post in a topic Airventure! 5 Aug 2010

If the pics were on digital, they are probably still there. I thought I "accidentally" erased all the Christmas pics of grandson's 1st Christmas. Then I heard about a recovery program, can't remember the name right now, but WOW even all the pics that I had ever deleted were still there. Don't give up yet. I'll post the recovery program name later tonight.

www.cardrecovery.com

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dholly added a post in a topic Airventure! 4 Aug 2010

Crap, that hurts! I lost every single pic from the 2nd year I ever went to OSH. Our group was renting the lower part of a house and I left 5 rolls of film (yes, no digital way back then) on my cot side table. I know right where I left them and can only surmise some jerk in the other group grabbed them. I was VERY pissed, I feel your pain.

p.s. - nice job, you local guys always get the good parking front and center, lol.

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Av8r3400 added a post in a topic Airventure! 4 Aug 2010

More details of the Warbird Monument...

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Av8r3400 added a post in a topic Airventure! 4 Aug 2010

I am so pissed. Most of my pictures have been lost from my camera!! There are a few, but most of the airplane and airshow pictures are GONE!!!!!

Here are a couple that I have... (Warbird Memorial, parked at the UL barn, our campsite)

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egp8111 added a post in a topic 582 to 912 conversion 3 Aug 2010

Thanks everyone for the information. FYI Grand Rapids will convert you 2 stroke EIS to a 4 stroke model for $80.

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Av8r3400 added a post in a topic Airventure! 3 Aug 2010

Pics will come as soon as I can get the time... Lots of work to catch up on after missing a week.

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C5Engineer added a post in a topic Hacman Kit install 3 Aug 2010

I had an empty hole. The manual shows the fuel shut off right there. My shutoff is mounted to a small plate down on the bulkhead in front of the seat on the right side. I sometimes wish I had a choke rather than a primer. On my airplane there is a half of a squirt of primer difference between it firing and it flooding. Sure seems like my grey head started better than this Blue Head does for some reason. I've changed out the plugs 3 or 4 times on this engine already. I think my ultrastart red battery might be getting old too. It's about 2 years old now and they are not much of a battery to start with. At 4lbs and $89 bucks I'll be getting another one. These engines sure seem to start better when they really crank.

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dholly added a post in a topic Hacman Kit install 3 Aug 2010

Good spot for it right next to the throttle. Did you have an empty hole or relocate your choke?

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dholly added a post in a topic Airventure! 3 Aug 2010

Hey Bob that's a pretty good idea, they got classes and categories for just about everything else. Would make for great advertising and bragging rights I would think.

C'mon Larry post your pics and videos! I saw the Seaplane Gold Lindy this year went to another Wigeon. Drop dead gorgeous inside and out, me love the Wigeons!

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C5Engineer added a post in a topic Hacman Kit install 3 Aug 2010

I got the system all in and plumbed this afternoon. Of course my memory card to my camera was still in my computer at home so no pics. I'll get a bunch before I button it back up. All that is left to do is safety wire some stuff and clean it up a little up. It took longer to drill the holes in the firewall and figure out a clean way to route the lines than it did to actually plumb it. It came out pretty well. Looking forward to doing some testing.

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Av8r3400 added a post in a topic Airventure! 2 Aug 2010

No there isn't. I agree, though, it would be tough to compete with the factory facility in building a show-plane...

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akflyer added a post in a topic joke thread 2 Aug 2010

Just so you know, I lost the office trivia this morning by one point. Not only did I get the last question wrong, but I was immediately asked to leave!

The question was; where do women have the curliest hair....

Apparently the correct answer was Fiji

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akflyer added a post in a topic Avid / Kitfox Accident Causes and Rates 2 Aug 2010

Maybe I should have mine delivered to work instead of the house. That way I get to see the damn thing before my kid carts it off to go only knows where.. hell when I was his age I was using um, different mags, not airplane rags for props

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napierm added a post in a topic Hacman Kit install 2 Aug 2010

Couple of pictures of the barbs. I just didn't like the ones supplied...

The single fitting closest to the knob attaches to the hose from the carb "ported vacuum." The hoses on either end of the "tee" go to the air cleaner "sense" and the carb "overflow/sense.".

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