akflyer

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Everything posted by akflyer



  1. akflyer added a post in a topic Fairings, more   

    that quote was from a movie.. that's what gets ya the good guy bonus award... 

     
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  2. akflyer added a post in a topic Fairings, more   

    I think the 63 pitch prop has more to do with the speed than anything else.  Piper was really stretching it calling at 130mph plane.  well. maybe is you have 500 tires on it and high pitch prop, but then its just a pavement pounder and you need lots of runway to get her in the air.  A pacer, configured for off airport use is a 100 MPH plane at best.  Most of my cruise is in the high 80s on the GPS unless I have a tail wind.
    However, it is cool to see what can be done with fairings and cleaning a plane up!  The RupRacer (experimental pacer built by a local guru) was about as clean as one can make it.. and I don't think he hit the speeds that Jims is reported to have hit. 

     
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  3. akflyer added a post in a topic Jetting and prop setting   

    again, I can not stress enough that things WILL change when its in the air and that prop unloads.  It will happen.  First flights your much better off to be a little fat than to be just perfect on the ground.  I would not know this from first hand experience or anything.. cough cough.  
    Tuning a sled and tuning the plane is just a tad different.  The clutching etc keeps the engine loaded on long pulls.  If the prop is not set right, the engine completely unloads, gets lean and EGTS will shoot through the roof.  I would not set the static max RPM at 6500.  You will blow right through the 6500 once your in the air.  Generally speaking (depends on the prop) but a good starting point is setting it for 150-200 RPM LESS than the max you want to see, then go fly and see where your at on take off and cruise.  If you can blow right through 6500 wide open throttle straight and level, then you WILL be running lean in the midrange when you pull the power back to cruise, the engine unloads because the pitch it too flat and your EGTS WILL shoot up so fast you wont know what hit you.
    You have lots of runway to play with, use it to your advantage on the first flights.  Flying a 2 stroke has a learning curve.  

     
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  4. akflyer added a post in a topic Vortex Generators   

    I think you will see that the VG's are worth the time to put them on.  The biggest thing is getting them into and area they will do the most good.  I would start around 5% as that seems to have worked best on mine.  Granted, I don't have a speed wing, just the stol wing, but the upper airfoil is the same and that's what you are trying to keep the air from separating from.

     
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  5. akflyer added a post in a topic LiFePO4 battery and a 582?   

    Just another shameless plug for them.. I got rid of the big heavy Concord batteries that were in the pacer and the 180.  The small odyssey battery will rip the 0320 and 0470 over even when its cold.  
    I cheaped out and got a napa battery for my sled and the lawnmower.. failed in the first year on both.  Stepped up and got the odyssey battery for both of them and still going years later.
    Some things I will skimp on, something I just bite the bullet.  Over the years I learned that cheap batteries will leave you stranded just when you need them the most.  As you pointed out above, you can get a lithium jumper pack that will put out 800 amps for well under 100 bucks these days.  They can be / are a real life saver when needed!
     
    Additional tip.  The lithium batteries are affected by the cold, however, in most cases, when you first hit the key or the button they might not want to turn it over.  Hold that button for 4 or 5 seconds.  This creates heat in the battery and "wakes it up".  Let it set for 15 or 20 seconds then try it again.  Most of the time it will fire on the second try.

     
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  6. akflyer added a post in a topic CONTRIBUTIONS TO KEEP SITE GOING   

    You folks are awesome.  Your willingness to contribute makes the trails and tribulations all worth while!

     
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  7. akflyer added a post in a topic LiFePO4 battery and a 582?   

    I keep a jump pack in the plane, truck, side x side and boat.  Less than 2 pounds of great insurance when one forgets to turn off the master etc.
     
    When it comes to cold weather the oddessey batteries have never let me down yet!  

     
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  8. akflyer added a post in a topic LiFePO4 battery and a 582?   

    What does the cold weather have to do with the equation?  I used a PC680 for a whole lot of years and never had an issue with it starting the plane at temp as low as -35.  Most people don't get out and fly at those temps   Using one for weight savings is one thing, but I would not factor cooler weather into it.
    For the record, I have seen these batteries being used in 582 power machines for years and it seems that they work just fine.  Don't go cheap on one though, make sure the built in charge system is a good one.  
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  9. akflyer added a post in a topic Header tank   

     If you have 2 wing tanks flowing into the header tank, it will vent from one to the other.  This is not theory, its a fact   in the 10 yrs I have been flying my avid like this I have never had an issue with it.
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  10. akflyer added a post in a topic Header tank   

    the lines from the tank to the header are clear.  It is pretty easy to tell if fuel is flowing through them or not.  You can also se the air bubbles in the lines when the header tank is venting and filling.  Once it is full, there is really no way to get air into the header tank unless you run both wing tanks completely dry.  
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  11. akflyer added a post in a topic Jetting and prop setting   

    Running too lean will show as soon as you get it in the air and unload the engine a little bit.  Static runs are sort of a base point but you will be doing more tweaking once you fly it.  I would much rather start off a little bit on the fat side and not have to be in a panic trying to ease it around the pattern and get back on the ground with EGT's that are bumping 1200+ .  On the ground wide open my EGT's are around 1050, but in the air I have to bump in a little more pitch or fatten up the mid range 1 turn to keep them under 1200 in cruise.
    Most props will unload when you start rolling.  Setting my prop at 61-6200 static will give me around 6500 on take off.  Anything over about 6500 on take off and performance actually suffers as you are just beating the air with a flat prop and not really moving much.  
    I am not sure on the 503, but the 582 has max tq at around 6500 and that is the one I shoot for. 
    I would also be careful having the needle in the top notch.  You will be pretty lean in the midrange which is where you will be doing most of your flying.  On the 582 its pretty much a given that you will be starting out n the 3rd notch from the top fattening it up a bit.
    If your sled is running lean and you melt a piston, you can tow it home.  On the plane its not that easy.  First flights I would much rather have a little stumble in the engine from it being too fat than to burn it down.

     
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  12. akflyer added a post in a topic Header tank   

    You don't need to vent the header tank if you have a line from each tank running to it, it will vent to which ever tank is lowest on fuel.  I had mine with the candy cane vent that Avid showed to use and it dumped fuel on the skylight and ruined it the night after I had just put a new skylight and windshield in.  
    I have the 2 main tanks running into it and if the system is completely empty open both valves and fill one wing tank.  The header will vent into the empty tank. I always start and take off with both tanks on, then in flight I will shut off one tank or the other.  

     
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  13. akflyer added a post in a topic CONTRIBUTIONS TO KEEP SITE GOING   

    You folks are the best!  Thank you for the support, it means the world to me and the group as a whole.

     
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  14. akflyer added a post in a topic Fairings, more   

    I got the popcorn but they don't let us have beer here at work.  Kind of pisses me off that I can't have both for the next week or so.  Pretty sure the point has been made pretty clear.  Shake your dicks boys this pissing contest is over.. don't go chasing waterfalls.  <bonus points to whoever can tell me where I got that from   hint, cmon captn you gotta know your making references to the songs...

     
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  15. akflyer added a post in a topic Flaperon attachment repair   

    That is awesome!  I have 2017 so I can't open these files.  We are a bit behind it seems
     
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  16. akflyer added a post in a topic Flaperon attachment repair   

    nicely done! Still on my list of things to eventually do is cad the ribs so I can cut them out with the CNC router.  I like the way you did the clamp/alignment blocks!

     
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  17. akflyer added a post in a topic Kitfox model 1   

    I tend to buy high and sell low.. or just hang onto things.  I know I will have sellers remorse.  If the sale falls through I am sure I wont be butt hurt about it.  Something about taking a twisted pile of wreckage and making it fly again that gives one a bit of sentimental feelings for it.  I know I won't get hurt or loose much on the sale, but I also know I probably will never be able to replace it for that.  At any rate, I will just take those funds and put it right back into building the Coyote or the amphib.

     
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  18. akflyer added a post in a topic Fairings, more   

        I'm just here for the show.  keep it clean, no holding, no hitting below the belt.  Gents, lets see a good clean fight.  Ding!

     
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  19. akflyer added a post in a topic another short wing death trap   

    Got a little snow dump overnight.  We went from rain and zero snow to 12-15" in about 9 hours.  That snow was on top of nice slick wet ice.  Spent 360 bucks on grip studs for the side x side and was able to make 200' full pushes through the snow without slowing down.  

     




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  20. akflyer added a post in a topic site migration issues   

    I got the invision developers to straighten out the files.  Unfortunately, I think the time has come that I need to update the software.  I have held off for a long time as I hate change and hate some of the features on the newer software.  For the sake of site security and to hopefully prevent another hacker attack (there was malware found in the files that were left over from the last attack) I think I will have to bite the bullet and do the update in a couple weeks when I get back home.  For now, it appears things are functioning properly again.  If you run into any major issues with posting etc, please let me know.

     
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  21. akflyer added a post in a topic Avid Stretch (Mini Plus)   

    That is a pretty significant increase!  Looking good mr.
     

     
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  22. akflyer added a post in a topic Kitfox model 1   

    they are still out there, I am one of the dummies that don't believe in raping a fellow aviator.  I would rather sell mine cheap then to watch her sit and not get flown.  She deserves better than that.  If I can help out a fellow aviator on a tight budget well that's just a double bonus for me.

     
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  23. akflyer added a post in a topic Fairings, more   

    Something to think about, especially in the mountains.  If there are things we can do to clean these birds up that translates into less power needed to keep them in the air.  This also is a direct benefit to having more that required power available when you get caught in that downdraft etc to help you power out of it and perhaps keep you from becoming a statistic.  When I was putting some fairings on mine, I was not really impressed on the speed increases I got.  I was very impressed with the increase in rate of climb.  As one who plays in the mountains, this should be of utmost importance to you.  As we all know, when you are dicking around and change one thing, it probably has some unintended or unforeseen consequences, and as such, can also have unforeseen or unintended benefits!

     
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  24. akflyer added a post in a topic site migration issues   

    akflyer_2000 at yahoo.com is my pp addy.
     
    Thanks guys.  I am considering crawling through the phone and beating some dweebs ass for the way this server migration has gone...

     
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  25. akflyer added a post in a topic site migration issues   

    Thank you sir!
    Folks,
    please refrain from posting any serious content till I get this ironed out and get the forum back to running correctly.  I would hate to loose any more new info if I have to revert back to the Wednesday backup.. again..
    Thanks

     
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