nlappos

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Everything posted by nlappos



  1. nlappos added a post in a topic Very cool Tool mat   

    $130 for three plastic trays??  I know who is the shark in shark tank!
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  2. nlappos added a post in a topic Avid Flyer Mk IV Major Change and Upgrade   

    Av8r_Sed,
    I am checking with the Warp Drive folks. Some literature says ok, some says not (70" max for 3 blades). Thanks for the heads up.
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  3. nlappos added a post in a topic Avid Flyer Mk IV Major Change and Upgrade   

    I have an exhaust modified from my 582 system by Mike Hair. I'll let you know here how it fits. I think it looks generally like this for an upside down Avid Mk IV

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  4. nlappos added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Avid Flyer Mk IV Major Change and Upgrade
    Well after my illustrious gear fail landing last October, I have gathered the parts and will be getting her ready for flight in mid to late Feb.  I pulled my 582 (using a Harbor Freight hydraulic table, which was surprisingly easy.) I packed it up in a big plastic tub sold at Walmart, using about 5 pillows as recommended by 'Rick".
    I shipped it to "Rotax Rick" Ron Davis, and he swapped parts and is sending back (4 weeks later) a zero time 91 HP 670 engine with my C box. I will also install a Warp Drive 3-blade 72" Prop with Standard blades, nickel leading edges and HPL hub, ground adjustable, and a new set of wide Lowell Fitt gear with my old 8.00 x 6 wheels and brakes to round out the major items.
    I will keep you all informed of how it goes, I will drop back to Phase 1 for 5 hours, and take careful notes.
    I am now based at Parowan, UT, so that 6000 feet will make the 91 HP mighty welcome.
     


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  5. nlappos added a post in a topic Engine Failure yesterday   

    Fred, 
    I think the header tank was drained by the engine, which quit when the header was empty. The header was not refilling, because the pressure difference (suction) from the main side was too great.
    I drew up a simple sketch of the single tank Avid system

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  6. nlappos added a post in a topic Engine Failure yesterday   

    Gfry,
    Your fuel system is identical to mine. It is accurate to say that the holding tank serves as a debubbler, and not a vent. Any bubbles rise to the top, and you release them on the next preflight inspection. I believe my summary above is correct, in that the negative pressure from the missing cap  stopped the flow, and that the electric pump would fight this "suction" while it was on. Clearly the Rotax air pump didn't have the suction when acting alone.
    Again, great job handling the emergency, and also documenting the results for us all!
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  7. nlappos added a post in a topic Avid Fuel/Gas Cap   

    Here is the thread that attacked this subject . I use a Stant cap, this thread has some good photos to nail that down. Need to add that vent tube to the cap, with drill and epoxy.

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  8. nlappos added a post in a topic Engine Failure yesterday   

    Emory Bored, You read what I meant and not what I wrote, thank goodness! Every time I hit Enter I learn something new. I fixed the screw up.
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  9. nlappos added a post in a topic Engine Failure yesterday   

    What a great job getting it down. Nice piloting!
    Classic fuel problem: The loss of the gas cap would remove the positive pressure on the gas in the tank, which helps force it down the tube to the header, and replaced it with a big negative pressure (which also whips the gas all over the wing). This probably caused the gas in the line to backup. If the header tank was then your fuel source, and was not being fed by the mains, it would exhaust in only a few minutes (a header tank made of 2.5" spar 20" long holds about 100 cubic inches, or about .43 gallons) at 6.5 GPH (edited) in climbout, the header will drain in no more than 4 minutes.
    Cure? Gas cap retention, and an electric fuel pump that continuously feeds the Rotax pump (don't feel guilty, I bought one 2 years ago and it is on the shelf in my hangar, doing nothing to help!) A 4 psi pump can pull the gas enough to help break the "suction" that probably caused the problem.
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  10. nlappos added a post in a topic I'm still here   

    ppilotmike,
    I run back to your note that the flow from the wing tanks is low. (" I have to force feed the wing tanks to the header to get the flow to start using an outboard motor squeeze bulb for now.") That is not at all normal, check for debris and blockage at the fittings at the tank bottoms. A small screen might be there and that gets flakes of stuff that blocks it. I had to clean out mine annually.
    The wing tank, header tank system works really well, and should be your default configuration, IMHO. It works well.
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  11. nlappos added a post in a topic BRS on an Avid   

    EDMO, I really agree, the landing speed we have is so slow it is almost like the wings are our BRS.
    But Jwhetnall, I also think it up to each of us to assess the risk and get a solution. I know I spend a lot of time spotting one field and then the next, and a chute could relax me a bit! I looked up Second Chantz but the web site seems dead.
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  12. nlappos added a post in a topic BRS on an Avid   

    You know, I really agree with the feelings on this post, and am too cheap to spend $6000 on a BRS, but OTOH, what a great story you could tell about coming down on that silly chute!
     
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  13. nlappos added a post in a topic avid cooling   

    On the recommendation of another guy on this forum, I found that green solution that they sell for car radiators that makes the water wetter actually work (Hy-Per Lube Radiator Additive). I replaced my coolant 50% mix with pure water and added this stuff and I was 20 degrees cooler (still not perfect in 100 deg weather, but much closer.

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  14. nlappos added a post in a topic Landing light options   

    I can't help but believe the arrays of small lights are not the right way to go for a landing light. Small bulbs don't project far, and a lot of them will have lots of lumens on paper, but won't throw a concentrated beam very far.
    One bright light with a big reflector behind it, of the same total lumens, should throw a spot that travels farther and stays concentrated.
     
    As soon as I can I will post a picture of the 25W LED spots in action at night.
     
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-4-7-CREE-LED-Work-Driving-Light-Spot-Beam-25W-Round-Cannon-Fog-Lamp-Jeep/262864495165?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
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  15. nlappos added a post in a topic 582 hot start problem   

    I had the same problem on my last cross country, I had no start, pulled one plug in each cylinder and saw they were coated with a light brown lead coating. I scraped the tips off with a feeler gauge and it started right up. I wonder if the lead coating insulates the spark a bit.
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  16. nlappos added a post in a topic I gotta ask...   

    I bet that stash would cost 3 mph cruise speed in an Avid.
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  17. nlappos added a post in a topic Mk4 Gross weight   

    Let me weigh in:  It is safer to stall and spin (then recover) then it is to suffer a structural break up. At higher weights, the wing lift at speed makes lower load factor (lower "G") so the aircraft is much less likely to break apart. The load factor is the ratio of the wing lift to the gross weight.  At light weight, the wing lift at stall (the exact same lift as the heavy weight case) makes much higher load factor so the aircraft might break up before it stalls.
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  18. nlappos added a post in a topic Checking out an Avid   

    A big factor is the useful load, which is of course the difference between the empty weight and the max gross weight. Many car engine Avids have very high empty weight, which limits the useful load. For a typical C model with a 2 stroke Rotax 582,  the useful load might be about 450 to 480 lbs, for a Mark 4 it might be around 580 to 600 lbs. That means two 180 pounders and lots of gas is permitted. There are some auto engined Avids with 350 lbs useful load or even less, which makes it practically a one person airplane..
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  19. nlappos added a post in a topic Cowl/muffler interference   

    My Mk4/582 does exactly  that. There was enough flexure in the whole the muffler assembly that I could pull it straight aft about 1/2” with a few wraps of safety wire from the bottom of the circular  muffler bracket (shown in your photo ) to a screw I put in the bottom of the firewall. 
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  20. nlappos added a post in a topic Pre-buy inspection in Grey Eagle, MN   

    Always ask the empty weight and Max Gross weight (they are neither standard and are the best single measure of the payload that you end up with). A good Mark IV will weigh perhaps 560 lbs empty, and the max gross should be 1150 for a true MK IV, so you get almost 600 lbs of useful load. The serial number of a Mark IV should end in a D (mine S/N is 1172D)
    Also, ask about the fuel tanks, older birds cant take ethanol mix, and the tanks dissolve and leak. They are a pain to change out, but nearly everyone has done so. Ask if these are the original tanks.
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  21. nlappos added a topic in Close Call's and dumb stunts   

    Bad Landing, Failed Landing Gear, Missed Inspection?
    Well, I was ham-fisted enough on a landing in Oklahoma to fail a weld on the gear. The landing was not one of my best shots, but also not a whopper. I was surprised when the gear folded outward during the roll out about a second after touchdown. My Avid is a tough little bird, so the wing is straight and true (but the tip is scraped) and the fuselage is straight, especially the seat frame and side members that attach the gear. Prop hit the turf and split, as you can see. Just as a safety check, I am sending the engine in for overhaul, and debating now whether to reweld the gear or go to a Grove set.
    But please Avid folks note the weld on the gear cross member. That looks like a cold weld (factory fitting I am told) and the paint in the weldment says I didn't inspect hard enough on my annual or I might have seen it. It might be good to strip and inspect that area, and maybe even put a gusset in that corner so the weld isn't under tension.
    Nick
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  22. nlappos added a post in a topic lights   

    I bought this 25W spot (10 degree beam) that throw a very intense beam and has 2500 lumens, too lazy to install yet, but took it out at night and it will clearly work as a landing light:
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-4-7-CREE-LED-Work-Driving-Light-Spot-Beam-25W-Round-Cannon-Fog-Lamp-Jeep/262864495165?hash=item3d33f1e23d:g:ic8AAOSwSlBYvQpc&vxp=mtr
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  23. nlappos added a post in a topic Wanted: MATCO 8" Tail Wheel   

    The Tail wheel steering arms that come with the Matco 8" pneumatic TW are 45 degree arms that wont release the wheel within the normal rudder range, there are modified arms that release at 25 degrees: The wheel is $255 from Matco, new, and the extra arms are about $20 I think. I put this wheel on a year ago and it is great, especially as compared to the Maul 6" hockey puck it replaced.

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  24. nlappos added a post in a topic Fuel sight tube pics anyone?   

    I bought two 1/8 NPT brass barbed nipples, and cut a few of the barbs off to shorten them, drilled a 3/8" hole in the top and bottom of the tank, and used permatex fuel tank epoxy to butter the threads and then screwed the nipples in. When set, I added the 1/4" tubing and some clamps, and had a nice gas gauge.  And yes, I chewed through the fabric with my teeth, or at least it looks that way!
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  25. nlappos added a post in a topic VG's for AVID Flyer   

    Is there any effect on top end speed with the VGs?
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