nlappos

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  1. nlappos added a post in a topic My mk4   

    Jared, you're doing fine! Thanks for the great posts.
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  2. nlappos added a post in a topic Blocking off the Oil Injector 582   

    I have a 6 quart tank and mount if you need it. Any reasonable price and it's yours.
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  3. nlappos added a post in a topic Matco Axles   

    I miked my original Avid axles today and they are both 0.750", and they are an interference fit to the landing gear tubes, take minor taps with a hammer to insert or extract.
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  4. nlappos added a post in a topic JB from NC   

    I wonder JB if you have compared the Avid Flyer to the Kitfox? In the earlier designs they are nearly identical, but due to name recognition, Kitfoxes cost considerably more. The KF design was an Avid, basically a controversial intellectual property escape allowed KF to use the Avid design, although later years the KF matured away (and later models are arguably worth more as a result).
    My Avid Mark IV is a terrific tail dragger, almost 600 lbs of useful load, burns car gas and can be bought for $15k or so. I have seen equivilent KFs asking 25K or more.
    Just a thought.
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  5. nlappos added a post in a topic Fred's films   

    Wonderful! I love the music and the excellent cinematography, you are a wonder, Fred!
     
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  6. nlappos added a post in a topic New Rotax 670 Install   

    North,
    I'll keep posting here and also respond to any PM. The engine slipped right into the 582 mount, and only weighs about 10 lb more.
    Yes, Rotax Rick (Ron Davis) pointed me to Mike Hair, who made the tuned exhaust. Mike charged me $250 plus shipping, which seemed very fair. I noted that the 90 degree elbow probably wants to be a 135, Mike is making that 135 now and will swap at no cost (good guy).
    I have a fuel flow meter, and intend to take careful readings in Phase 1 and will post it all.
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  7. nlappos added a post in a topic New Rotax 670 Install   

    Trial fit of Mike Hair 670 muffler, looks good. I will have to cut back the cowl bottom, for sure. Mike is making a 135 deg elbow to replace the 90, which is shown here. I intend to hang the muffler off the firewall, using the existing circle clamps and some strong silicon rubber straps.

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  8. nlappos added a post in a topic Exciting day   

    Congrats, Joey! Welcome to the civilian world!
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  9. nlappos added a post in a topic Reverse prop torque - 582 engine   

    Engine torque is not a factor in yaw on airplanes, but many instructors use that term to get pilots to center the ball on initial climbout. The real factor that drives the ball out on takeoff and climbout is propeller P factor, which makes us use Left rudder on rotax Avids, and right rudder on most Cessnas.
    Basically, when the aircraft is slow and operating at high angle of attack, the downsweeping prop blade has a higher angle of attack, and more thrust that the up sweeping blade, so the center of prop thrust moves to the left on an Avid, driving the nose right, and asking us to put more left pedal in.
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  10. nlappos added a topic in Files and Forms   

    Rotax 670 Illustrated Parts Catalog
    Here is a Ski Doo 1997 illustrated parts catalog with exploded views of the Rotax 670 and part numbers. Might be useful.
    MCP9706A.PDF
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  11. nlappos added a post in a topic Bad Landing, Failed Landing Gear, Missed Inspection?   

    There is another thread that discusses these kinds of gear, and goes into details. One poster put forth some interesting ideas, I also posted a structural analysis of the Fitt gear. Interesting reading for us geeks.
    Here is that thread:

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  12. nlappos added a post in a topic Bush gear failures   

    He added a cross bar that ties in the two sides, parallel to the belly. Early models didn't have that, and some hard landings caused the side frame to buckle in. The new bar considerably strengthens the frame against side loads (now it is much like the High Country gear, for example).  I think that answers many of the concerns posted. We shall see.
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  13. nlappos added a post in a topic Bad Landing, Failed Landing Gear, Missed Inspection?   

    Jenki,
    I agree, the grove concentrates the load, while the cabane spreads it out across the belly, especially with the cross struts and the belly rod that joins the two sides. I did buy a set of Fitt cabane gear and will install it this week. It is very similar to the High Country, except for the stiff spring instead of the bungees (the springs catch a lot of flack around these parts!). The Fitt gear also looks to be a bit heavier, made of somewhat thicker steel (but that is hard to judge from a few snapshots.) I will mike my gear and publish the dimensions for comparison.
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  14. nlappos added a post in a topic Bad Landing, Failed Landing Gear, Missed Inspection?   

    The drop test videos are on the home page in a box. Impressive.
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  15. nlappos added a post in a topic Bad Landing, Failed Landing Gear, Missed Inspection?   

     
    EDMO, 
    Those are great videos, and show the Grove gear being dropped from 12" and 18", fairly standard tests for landing gear. In fact, Part 23 (which every Avid meets) is 8 feet per second drop from 12.6", at max weight. The 18" drop Grove shows is 10 feet per second, but at reduced gross weight that helps compensate for the extra height and extra drop speed.  Judging by the flexing of the aluminum, I would guess that the gear would fail if it was dropped at 10 ft/sec and full gross weight.
    Note 1, I rejected the Grove gear as a choice because Grove quoted over $3000 for my avid (without any wheels or brake parts, just the gear, the fuselage saddle fittings and hardware.) I was expecting 2000 or so, and fell off my chair. I called and talked to them, no dice. They wanted $500 for the fuselage aluminum saddle blocks, which looked like a hour's work for a machine shop, once the curve shape is known. I think Grove has priced themselves out of my market.
    Note 2, the Lowell Fitt gear I am installing this week meets the same drop criteria as the Grove gear, to a T.  I am not sure I will drop it, mainly because I cant think of an easy way that won't harm the rest of my airplane!
     
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  16. nlappos added a post in a topic CG Excursion   

    I flew my Avid Mk IV at about 17 inches (1/2 inch aft of the limit of 16.5) and I could feel the difference in the flare to land, much less pitch stability. The longitudinal dynamic stability about neutral in the flare, so that if you pick the nose up a bit more than needed, it wants to keep going slowly nose up with neutral longitudinal stick. When I get back in the air I will explore this a bit more.
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  17. nlappos added a post in a topic ellison throttle body for 582   

    Ellison looks like a class act, but their list includes no 2 strokes (any more?) .
    http://ellison-fluid-systems.com/index.htm
    Might be good to email them  info@ellison-fluid-systems.com.
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  18. nlappos added a post in a topic 582 blue head radiator hose routing   

    To get back to the original question, I would not mess with the bypass line. I’d plumb the belly from the regular pump outlet directly, and then have the belly’s outlet feed the nose (if you leave them in).
    I’m in the same boat with my new 670. I think I will add the belly radiator and leave one nose radiator on to drive my cabin heater.
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  19. nlappos added a post in a topic evolution of the old avid Catalina   

    Like the Flyer, the Catalina is a testament to a great Dean Wilson design.
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  20. nlappos added a post in a topic evolution of the old avid Catalina   

    About $400,000.
     
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  21. nlappos added a post in a topic Bush gear failures   

    I just bought the gear from Lowell a few days ago. We exchanged emails about it and he knows it works, and that it is strong, but how can he control folks who land off site?  As I said above the gear is quite strong enough for landings at 8 to 10 feet per second. As an indicator of how hard that is, the max landing at 8 feet per second is a 4 G landing while not damaging the gear. In a UH-1 helicopter, 8 feet per second (480 feet per minute) will spread the skids and make the belly touch the ground. 
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  22. nlappos added a post in a topic Avid Flyer Mk IV Major Change and Upgrade   

    Marcus
    The angles I used are the actual ones, the upper rod is 58.5 degrees from the ground, and the lower one is 32.3. The sketch I drew is not to scale, it is for identification of the terms used. Here the dimensions and angles are correct, the drawing is just a cartoon, don't use it, just its numbers. The spring is correctly sized, the gear meets Part 23 requirements for a 8 feet per fecond drop, and the spring does not bottom on that drop, it can go to almost 4 g's before it bottoms.
     

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  23. nlappos added a post in a topic Avid Flyer Mk IV Major Change and Upgrade   

    I did an analysis of the Fitt Cabane gear that I have and the numbers all look good, as does the sizing of the coil spring. Let me post them for you all to shoot holes in them (and the way I analyzed it).
     

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  24. nlappos added a post in a topic Bush gear failures   

    Here is a full analysis of the Lowell Fitt gear. It shows that the spring is not too stiff, it is sized just right for the design conditions (8 feet per second drop at gross weight) and it does not go solid until you exceed that drop and get about 4 G's on impact. Note too that he has addad a cross bar across the top of the Cabane strut so the two aircraft sides now have additional bracing from the side forces the gear puts on them as it shoves the longeron inward.


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  25. nlappos added a post in a topic Remote control outlet   

    akflyer knows his stuff!
    https://www.amazon.com/KiaoTime-GSM-AUTO-DC-US4G-Output-Control-Contact/dp/B01N5LGJLA/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1519092278&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=GSM+4G+remote+switch
    First user comment on the page: "Using it to turn on a heater in airplane hangar. Turns on and off immediately on phone call, and sends a confirming message within a few seconds that I have programmed to tell me that the heater has been turned on, or off. I was also able to program it so it will only react to phone numbers I have pre-authorized. I had to connect it to a relay that will switch the current required for the heater."
     
    I swapped to a better listing, akflyer is right, must make sure the device is at least 3G, (the listed unit is 4G) because the cheaper 2G units are being dumped in the US for low prices, and the ATT cell network won't talk to them.
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