Knuckledragger

Thanks for posting this! 

I've been reading and watching everything I can get my hands on in preparation for tail wheel training in the not-to-distant future. 

To all you seasoned pros: 

As as time allows in the next few months I plan to train with CFIs in

tailwheel w endorsement

spin recovery

emergency maneuvers 

aerobatics

seaplane rating

is there anything else I should add to the list?

Thanks for the pics Chris. Your plane is looking good. Do you plan to keep the little wheel up front?  

I'll finally be reunited with my plane this weekend. Lockwood had it an entire month, the jones was damn near unbearable.  

Then I 'll take pics and do some testing, post the results here. I'm encouraged by the comments here that I can lose the belly rad.  As I recall there is a pretty big lip under the cowl to create the low pressure in the engine area. 

So are you saying you have a belly instead of cheeks?

Will the wing extensions make me look younger?

This makes perfect sense Chris.  Do you have a picture of your suck it out lip under the cowl?

Mark,  I'm in FL.  When are you coming and where will you be?  I fly out of 3FD4.

Color me green, and inspired...  Great job!

What is "silicone cowl seal rubber"?  

I know, kind of like asking "How long is a piece of string?"

If the 582 was designed to be cooled  by the two radiators in the cowling, I'd really like to be rid of the one hanging out in the weeds creating drag.

I've built a couple corvettes over the years, and the secret to getting the C3's to cool well was to seal all around the radiator with foam to close off any "leaks" and force all the incoming air through the rad.

Is sealing around the cheek rads enough to cool the 583 Mod 90 sans belly rad?  If so, is there a proper way/style to approach this?

Thanks guys!

OK, I've googled my brains out and cannot come up with a supplier for the landing gear bungee shock cord.  My understanding is we use 50% stretch mil spec cord with cotton sheath and I need a black tracer for year ending in 5.

Does anyone have a supplier for the cord?  Aircraft Spruce lists shock cord in their PDF catalog, but it is absent from the website for ordering. 

Perhaps the Avid Mk4 market has taken a big turn for the better? (tongue firmly in cheek).

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Good stuff Ed!  Food for though for a newbie pilot like me.  Thanks for writing this up.

Could the nosewheel have had anything to do with it?  If so, I may need to take precautions

Use mineral spirits on the greasy stuff.  Should take it right out.

FWIW, regarding Chinese radiators, I've been running them in dirtbikes used for single track in the mountains of AZ for years.  Never had a problem with any of them, despite the severe service and occasional lay downs/crashes.  YMMV

thanks!  I get it

Ironically, my taildragger plane is pink!  Lol

Thanks for this!

QQ: I have a nosedragger.  I notice that line 8 doesn't seem to care if I'm weighing the nose or the tail.  It's really the same nose or tail?  I'm brand new at all of this, so sorry for the silly question.

Agreed!  A wealth of wisdom in these docs.

I'm fixing up an old Buccaneer XA.  The previous owner put a really nice 503 with a clutch driven 6 blade IVO prop.  However I don't have much faith in the sails.

I'd like to sew a set for it myself.  I'm a pretty good seamstress with a walking foot machine (web gear & tactical kit).  But I don't have patterns, nor have I sewn and installed sails before.  The wings are formed by battons.  The rest of the surfaces are pretty straightforward. 

I think a plane like this uses preshrunk polyester fabric like Dacorn.  Any guidance/advice is appreciated.

The second pic below, I pulled the Buc out of the hanger and within 15 minutes all these other planes flew in from other airfields, including another pink Buc!  It was kind of funny.

Are you going to piano hinge both sides?  I'm confused

I find a soapy solution (laundry soap, dish soap, etc, it doesn't matter) and a shop vac together work best.   Blot the seat with wetted cloth, about 6-12" sections at a time and immediately vacuum the area 'dry'.  When done, do the same thing with clean water to rinse.  Blot, vac, blot vac.

The blotting loosens the dirt, and the vac removes it.  then the blotting loosens the soap and the vac removes that too, along with any dirt that didn't come during the soap phase.  If you get the soapy solution too concentrated then the rinse phase will take more effort.

If I were to guess, a hell of a lot of upper body strength and endurance!  I got winded just watching him!

My cowling looks just like this one, but it's hinged in the top - down the middle to allow one side to be opened at a time if you want.   Its attached along the length of both sides with camlocks spaced a few inches apart, and as mentioned above, the two tabs behind the prop have a tab of aluminum riveted to the top piece, and a camlock through the bottom piece, each side.

There are also a couple of camlocks on top that I set first that kind of line the whole thing up.

I can take pics, but I'm AFP (Away From Plane) for 2-3 weeks.

I found the UFO Welcome Center...

(I did not look inside; me not being a Space Person and all)