Knuckledragger

I have a pair of flat bottom 13gal avid tanks I don't need...

I appreciate Kathy's post and the research behind it. Is it enough for me to bet my life on?  No   Time will tell for me.  I'm looking forward to this technology proving itself safe over more time - I really would like to dump that hunk of lead, but the sheer simplicity of lead acid batteries is a plus for me 

IMHO Lithium batteries are not ready for aircraft.   They are not even safe enough for the automotive industry to start using them yet. If you buy lithium batteries for your RC hobby, you will get recommendations to also buy the flameproof  charging bag/box because of a charging lithium battery's propensity to spontaneously combust when not correctly charged (which is easy to do). 

 These batteries not only have to be very carefully charged and carefully matched to their load, but they also have to be balanced. The individual cells within the battery must all be the same voltage when the load is applied.   It takes a computerized charging machine to do this properly, it's called a balanced charger.

 Even a Prius where everything about its design is about weight and aerodynamics, and has a Lithium battery for driving the electric motors still uses a lead acid battery for starting the engine.   The lithium battery has an advanced computer with it to manage the charging and load currents   

EarthX  seems to be failing in its duty to point out the serious dangers of using their batteries without proper charge, balance, and load management   This thread should remain in hopes that other aviators will find it before they are tempted by the tremendous power to weight advantage these batteries offer.

extended aerobatic speed wing. That's the exact configuration I had on my plane last year. Very sporty and responsive

A little late to the conversation, but...

I bought "AN" Fittings from a variety of sellers on ebay.  Bought a bunch of stainless tubing polished it all, got the right flaring tools, high quality bending tools and hard line plumbed a hotrod Roots blown Corvette.  Things held together well enough.  Thinking back on it I would not use those no-name fittings in an aircraft.  I don't think all the positive feedback has anything to do with happy pilots.

Real aircraft fittings are mfg'd to tight tolerances by reputable companies and the price of them reflects that.  There was definately a difference between that and what I got on Ebay to make my car look like the guys at Boeing plumbed it.

Nice Plane!  Are those extended speed wings?

Would you be interested in an 2006 F350 Crew Cab Dually Lariat?

Bob, Please keep me posted on this!  I'd love to see how it turns out and perhaps even come visit when its done....

I decided to put this in a new thread, kind of like a new beginning.

I went flying yesterday.  Soloed for over an hour, doing mostly pattern work and some slow flight & stalls/recovery.  It got pretty windy (13G17kts) in the last 1/2 hour while the FAA FSDO guy was doing the 44709 check ride portion of my flying but it didn't phase me, I just knew what to do.

After the initial stress of throttling up that first time, I had a fun time and seemed like my skills were still intact.  I rented the plane I initially trained in and hired my instructor to check me out before the FAA arrived.  Within about 30 min of flying and landing/taking off, instructor was ready to send me up on my own.

What a great day!:)

Edit:  You guys and the pilots around me here at home really make a difference.  Aviators are a great group of humans.

I have one for sale.  $100 +shipping

Agreed, the plane was well designed and built, which gave me a fighting chance.  I want to comment on this from another angle too:

Whenever I strapped into my plane, I would cinch my belts so tight that only my arms, head, and legs, could move around in the cockpit.  Each time I strapped in, I would have to loosen things up from the previous flight to get the belts to buckle, then cinch again.  My thinking as a newer pilot was, if I get into an unusual attitude, negative Gs etc, I want my body held fast in that seat so that my arms and legs can do their respective jobs.  I think this habit had a lot to do with minimizing the upper body injuries I could have sustained.  My face and arms were unscathed. 

Also, take a look at your cockpit, secure all gear adrift and ensure that sharp edges are dressed up or covered.  Especially the area above your head.  I came to rest upside down, which is fairly common.  This implies that when you release your restraints, you still have 6-12" more to fall.  My scalp was peeled back because I fell on an intercom box with sharp edges.  Had I known to mount that box lower or at least tape up the edges to round them off I would have been dealing with a bump on my noggin instead of rough field surgery.

I don't mean this next part to seem like preaching, but I feel its worth mentioning:  For those of you who like to "buzz the field" and/or climb out aggressively... If during one of these you have an engine out, your plane WILL lose significant airspeed BEFORE you can react.  If you're at or near Vx or Vy, and especially if you're also turning, physics dictates that the flight will not end well.  I was climbing at Vy+~5 and turning at about 20 degrees when my engine went out.

Please be safe

^^True dat!

Several planes around the field where I hang out have unpainted VGs.  These are in open T-hangars in the florida sun.  They seem to hold up very well.  Paint with care, the polycarb seems a bit sensitive to solvent based paints.  Spray light coats and allow to dry completely before handling.

Hi Guys,  Another quick update.  I'm healing very well, well looked after, and applying myself with 100% effort to physical therapy and proper nutrition for healing.  I'm truly thankful to have the family and the means to provide a proper recovery and healing process.  I'm about to graduate from the walker to a cane and becoming more independent every day.

Here's the part I think you guys will enjoy.  As the pain ebbs off and capability returns, so the fear ebbs and the desire to fly returns!  At a minimum I'll prepare with a CFI buddy for and fly the FAA 709 ride to keep my ticket.  The guys at the local FSDO are helpful and understanding.  I'm 3 weeks from being able to drive (officially) and of course operate rudder pedals!

To replace the Avid, I'm giving thought to later model Zenith CH701's and CH750's with either continental, lycoming, or rotax 912/914 (engine preference in that order I think) 100+ HP min..  Of course your feedback and suggestions are always appreciated   I'll take time to learn all I can about this line of aircraft and I'm not married to of getting a Zenith, but I like them so far.

Its going to take a lot of faith and a whole lotta deep breaths to firewall that throttle for the first time again!  I've given the crash a lot of thought and plenty of honest discussion with other pilots, including several that saw it all happen.  I'm confident this all will endow me with some valuable wisdom and a healthy dose of respect for safe and correct take off and landing operations.  I still see the ground rushing up at me quite often, and 'hear' the CRUNCH of my plane and my bones coming to an abrupt stop at the end of my short flight on the cloudy morning of 1/9/16.  This will always be with me, compelling me to be a safe pilot.  Its either that or take up knitting and stamp collecting.

 Guys, thank you so much for all of the kind thoughts and positive  energy. It is so lovingly appreciated. 

 Considering the condition of the airplane and the type of crash, I feel very lucky to be alive.  Quick synopsis: Engine out during climbing crosswind turn at approx 400' AGL just after take off.  Almost immediately the inboard wing stalled, plane went inverted then settled into a spiraling dive.   Plane struck the ground left wing low, nose down attitude.  This forced the nose gear through the floor and the floor of the flight deck rammed sharply upward and to the right.  The plane then flipped over onto its back and came to rest. 

In the avid I have this habit of pulling my seatbelt and shoulder restraint so tight that it has to be loosened each time in order to engage the buckles.   I think this had a lot to do with minimizing the amount of injury.  Other than the broken ribs and bruised insides caused by the  hydraulic shock of my shifting innards,  my torso, arms and face were pretty much unscathed.  ( this brought about much conversation among the amazed doctors and nurses who at the time were referring to me as the 'miracle plane crash guy' -as  News and pictures of the plane crash reached the hospital before I did )

 My right femur seems to have taken the brunt of the force in the crash, breaking in three places.   Because of the seatbelts, I remained fully conscious and aware during the entire event. Immediately after the plane settled I was able to reach for the quick release, drop out of the seat and extricate myself from the aircraft to put a little distance between me and the hissing engine and the dripping oil and fuel .

In the three months that I had possession of the Avid, I put 65 hours on the Hobbs, made a myriad of new friends, and had the time of my life.   In the four months I've been a pilot I've logged just over 100 hours total in flying Cubs, Seareys, a tecnam, the avid, an Explorer, a Quicksilver, a hanglider trike, and a Pitts.  This has fulfilled a lifelong dream to be a pilot. I have no regrets, but I think it will be some time if ever before I have the nerve to fly small aircraft again. 

My hat is off to the  first responders and pilots who came so quickly to the scene of the crash.   I am forever grateful   

I think this is what may be driving the market ATM.  All the guys who would do projects like this have several projects in progressus tractus.  The market for more projects is a bit saturated.  This is great news for those who want to stock up on future projects to work on when they run out of things to do.

(tongue only partially in cheek)

Here are the measurements:

Wow, amazing skills.  Cool sound.  I find its fun to watch these guys either exotic/unusual IC engines or run OLD BIG engines that idle around 300 RPM.

I just bought these at HF for $2.99:

For that kind of money it would need to be amphibious.

I'll measure these tomorrow.  At a glance, they are 4-6" longer than the gear legs I currently have installed.

Luked, thanks for taking these!  Definitely good documentation to have. Any chance you could snap a couple more: directly above looking down and bottom up and maybe some close ups of a couple of the grafts?

I have these two gear legs for use when I eventually remove the training wheel. Does anyone recognize them?

Chris,

I read back through the thread and perhaps missed it...

What nosewheel fork is that and where did you buy it?

Ed,  I just talked to Snaps and that is something he decribed to me to try in my avid.  He mentioned also pulling the stick all the way back while yanking in the flaps then relax some in ground effect.

Leni, that looks like so much fun!  If you haven't looked at any of my videos, I think there are more places to land wet than dry out where I fly.  Heck, I live in Lake county! 

LOL!  That's the beauty of a swamp.  There is no bank.  Just sort of shallow, shallow, and really shallow.

I'm sure its me that is confused.  I think...

Now I realize you were not offering to sell me the tubes - DOH!

However, I do not have a set of Dessers to sell to you for your tubes either.

I have pants and 600's now, so don't need those.