nlappos

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Everything posted by nlappos



  1. nlappos added a post in a topic Flaperon Torque tube failure   

    Just for clarity, because I find the photos in the initial post to be unclear as to the actual failure, here is the picture from the New Zealand report. It appears that the tube itself sheared and separated, due to corrosion of the tube itself the rivets appear to have little to do with the failure. Is that correct anders?

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  2. nlappos added a post in a topic home brewed nav lights   

    Cloud Dancer, those old nav lights from a T Craft are surely ok, I'd use em.
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  3. nlappos added a post in a topic Flaperon Torque tube failure   

    Thanks for posting anders. Was the aircraft exposed to moisture more than normal, parked outside for example? Also, how visible was the corrosion from a normal look? Do the parts need to be disassembled (rivets drilled out) to do a complete inspection? Thanks
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  4. nlappos added a post in a topic home brewed nav lights   

    In the end, don't expect to stick it to the inspector. The PIC is responsible for the compliance with regulations. 
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  5. nlappos added a post in a topic home brewed nav lights   

    And the reason why the lights have to be approved is really simple. Most experimental items only affect the safety of the aircraft and its crew. We all accept the calculated risk, and our passengers do when they read the big placard that we are required to post. But when you fly at night or IFR, or operate your transponder, the fitness of your systems now affects the safety of others. Bad night lights? Midair collision. Bad transponder signal? Traffic conflicts, mid air.
    Also, the angles appear different between boats and airplanes, boat lights are probably deficient especially when measured from above or below (duh).
     
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  6. nlappos added a post in a topic Rib stitching   

    My Mk IV has poly fibre, and the undercamber wings, and was not rib stitched by its builder. It has 800 hours, and was flown first in 1996, and not one fraction of an inch of any rib is disbonded.
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  7. nlappos added a post in a topic How to Pop In a New Starter   

    Rotax 582 Replacement starter choices:
    Cheapest (same part number) , $76!!  https://www.snowmobilepartsstartersparts1982.info/?phrase=995430&brand=search
    What I bought, $195  https://www.ebay.com/itm/233052881422
    Aircraft Spruce, $262  https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/ep/starters_xrotax/gplheavydutystrtrmtr.php
    Rotax Pricing $903 (but this is a full kit with housing and gear, not a fair comparison)  https://www.air-techinc.com/product_detail.php?pid=2442
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  8. nlappos added a post in a topic Is the stock bungee gear the lightest?   

    I've got the Highwing LLC gear, which is higher and wider (and maybe 7-10 lbs heavier) and the difference on landings is miraculous. Stable, and easy to correct. Also, the more firm landings (I searched for a term that wasn't "hard landing") are almost squishy as the springs pick up the load and softly spread the wheels to absorb the bump. 

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  9. nlappos added a post in a topic How to Pop In a New Starter   

    Good advice. Those multiple rubber rings that act as standoffs on the mounting bolts (#17 on the parts diagram) also help isolate the starter from the engine, I bet there is a vibration mode where the starter whips back and forth at a certain rpm, which asks for the compliance so no metal is fatigued as the starter does the limbo rock.
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  10. nlappos added a topic in Technical tasks   

    How to Pop In a New Starter
    My starter is acting up, and I wanted to troubleshoot it. But for an Avid Mk IV, it is all the way in back, in its little cubby hole, and sure looked like I had to pull the entire engine to get at it. But what I did instead was cut a hole in the back side of that cubby hole, and open up a flap door that gives me access to the whole starter. An hour after I started the job, I had the starter in my hand. I could have drilled out the rivets, but there is so little room back there, and I don't have an angle-head drill, so a quick job with my 3" cutoff tool did the trick. When I finish with my trouble shooting, I intend to clap a new piece of sheet steel on the hole and rivet it in. There is a ground wire that runs from the forward face bolt to the starter bell housing (#13 in the parts diagram)  that I had to cut since the bolt is almost impossible to get to even with the new hole. I will re-run the grounding wire on re-assembly, probably to a more accessible bolt on the engine case. The photo of the hole is taken from the pilot's knee position looking up toward the firewall.



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  11. nlappos added a post in a topic Question that may have been answered already   

    Not sure what they cost, nor what your budget is, but the biggest concern for selecting between the various models of Avid is the Useful Load, the difference between the Empty Weight and the Max Gross Weight. Later C and D models can have 500 to 600 lbs of useful load, two adults and gas, so they are favored. It is good that you are looking at Rotax powered birds, the ones powered by car engines often lose 100 lbs of useful load. Ask the seller what the empty weight is, and the max gross weight, so you know what you are buying.
    To get an Airworthiness Cert, the inspector will want to see some build records, to judge the quality and craftsmanship, as well as the type of materials used. Since some areas are inaccessible, like inside the wing and the tail section, the records give the inspector some confidence. Thus, a build photo book is an important buying decision for you.
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  12. nlappos added a post in a topic Cabin Heat   

    One helicopter I flew had a Janitrol, outside next to the engine. It was terrific, hot air by the boatload.
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  13. nlappos added a post in a topic MATCO Tail wheel shimmy   

    1avidflyer, what did the fiberglass spring weigh? Seems like a good way to cut a pound or two.
     
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  14. nlappos added a post in a topic Cabin Heat   

    ak, they say it is 8000 watts, which is 27,000 btus, but the  heat is produced by burning the fuel. You agreed with their fuel consumption number, which is stated at .24 liters per hour (about .06 gallon per hour.) Diesel fuel has 139,000 btus in each gallon, .06 gallon has .06 x 139000 = 8340 btus. Even the Chinese cant make heat from air.
    I guarantee either the fuel consumption number is wrong, or the heat it produces is wrong, and you said it burned a bit less than a gallon a day, which agrees with 8000 btu.
    I bet they have a typo and like it because it sounds better. I have seen them do this with electrical stuff, and computer stuff too. I am not saying they like to exaggerate, don't get me wrong.......
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  15. nlappos added a post in a topic Cabin Heat   

    Some thoughts about that diesel heater:
    1) The heat value makes no sense, at 0.24 Liters per hour max diesel flow, that would be right at 8000 btus. (diesel has 139,000 btu's per gallon, .24 liters is .06 gallons per hour. akflyer confirms this flow when he saw 1 gallon every 24 hours, that is about .05 gal per hour) . The claimed 8000 watts is about 27,000 btus.  Even so, I would bet the 8000 btus it really gives out is nice heat.
    2) Putting heater, a flame source, in the cabin is near suicide, anything goes wrong and its toast.
    3) Putting it right outside (like akflyer's belly pod), with a firewall between it and the cabin would be pretty safe.
    I have the Avid "stock" heater funnel off the left radiator and it works well down to about 25F (all I've seen so far). If the water temp drops to 145 or 150, the heater falls off too. As a result I block my belly rad off (at 35 deg takeoff, I have it half blocked). Most important was lifting the top cowl and blocking all the area behind the firewall up to the windshield off so the drafts almost stop. I also sealed the door leading edges with stick-on door seal, works well.
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  16. nlappos added a post in a topic MATCO Tail wheel shimmy   

    My high speed shimmy stopped when I tightened up the pivot nut enough to damp the wheel pivot, but at that happy place where the TW still castored and allowed me to turn. Took a little experimenting.
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  17. nlappos added a post in a topic Avid C HH wing build 101   

    There are ethanol capable fiberglass tanks, I have them. Much better than aluminum wing tanks, which are reported to not flex and therefore cause tank cracks.
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  18. nlappos added a post in a topic MATCO Tail wheel shimmy   

    1avidflyer is quite right. One way to explain it is to be sure the axis of pivot of the TW is as near to vertical as possible. The spring often bends flatter with time, so getting it bent steeper, so the wheel stands more vertical, is a strong contributor to fixing shimmy.
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  19. nlappos added a post in a topic MATCO Tail wheel shimmy   

    I have a similar tail wheel (the single arm version) and had to cure the TW shimmy when first installed. The shimmy is more prevalent at higher speed, but can be cured by crushing the washers a bit more below the main nut, #3 in the photo. Try going one more flat on that castellated nut.
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  20. nlappos added a post in a topic Becoming a rejuvinated bird   

    mack55, Wasau Spring can get you the tail spring custom made. I bought my springs from him and he was great.  wausau.spring@frontier.com     (715) 845-6335
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  21. nlappos added a post in a topic Tail Leaf Spring Maule Tailwheel   

    contact Al at Wasau Spring, he will make whatever you want, and his customer service is first class:  wasau.spring@frontier.com,  (715) 845-6335 
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  22. nlappos added a post in a topic Replacement of Jesus Bolts on Fuselage Wing Strut   

    I looked over mine this last year and saw no significant damage or wear, after 22 years and maybe 800 hours. I think they are nicely oversized for the job.
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  23. nlappos added a post in a topic Rotax 582 engine failure. Can you solve the mystery?   

    He waited about 5 seconds during the climb as the engine wound down before he reduced to angle of attack, that frittered away his flying speed and his lift. You can watch the stick move progressively back as he basically just stalled the aircraft in place. Had he positively lowered the nose when he first heard and felt the power loss, he could certainly have landed dead ahead with no damage.
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  24. nlappos added a post in a topic Rotax 582 engine failure. Can you solve the mystery?   

    One thing for sure, a little flare before touchdown would have made this a lot better outcome. Plunking down on the nosewheel with no flare is a real no-no. Failure to actually fly the airplane is the principle cause of the crash, once the engine seized.
    And thanks Cloud Dancer, this is a great thread, and those guys who did the teardown are fantastic pros.
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  25. nlappos added a post in a topic Nimbleone2   

    TRICYCLE GEAR - 2017 AVID FLYER SPEEDWING • $16,000 • FOR SALE • 2017 AVID FLYER SPEEDWING N9695Q Length:  17’11” Width wings folded:  7’10” Height:  71” Empty 565 lbs Gross 1050 lbs Useful load 485   34 gal of gas Cruise 100 mph Burns 4.5 gph 7.7 hrs endur Rotax 582 UL DCDI 65 HP (41 hrs on the eng & airframe) Gear Box Type B 2.58:1 Stainless firewall w/ Fire exting 3 bladed composite scimitar prop Jet hot coated exhaust Grt sport efis Garmin 296 Narco AT165 digital trans Ditel digital comm Digital engine gauges Elec elev trim Whelen nav lights with strobes Flown 40 hours for phase I First flight Dec 19, 2016 • Contact Stephen H. Irving - US ARMY, Owner - located Clarksville, TN USA • Telephone: 228-209-4561 • Posted November 8, 2018 • Display Specs Page • Show all Ads 




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