Willja67

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Everything posted by Willja67



  1. Willja67 added a post in a topic ISO GSC Spinner   

    What's the diameter of the base? I might be interested.
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  2. Willja67 added a post in a topic Repairs & Mods: custom cowl, new gear,etc   

    Got a little more done:

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  3. Willja67 added a post in a topic Repairs & Mods: custom cowl, new gear,etc   

    The tank hasn't been used in some time and is not currently plumbed, and in addition to the sloshing compound the integrity of the tank itself is suspect therefore if it could come out in the name of weight reduction so much the better but since it's part of the structure unless i recover the wings that's not likely.
     
    More progress on the cowling (very little):


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  4. Willja67 added a post in a topic Repairs & Mods: custom cowl, new gear,etc   

    I'm guessing at least one of those problems is structural since the seat truss wouldn't be supporting the gear loads anymore. What else would it affect?
     
    As you can see the first step in creating a new cowling has been taken. That's a 9" diameter piece of plywood. I'm not going to wrap the engine and do the pour foam method like I've seen a lot of guys do.  My plans right now are to add foam bulkheads with little dabs of hot glue and then wrap it with sheets of dollar tree foam board until i get the shape i want, then lay up the fiberglass over that. 
     
     

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  5. Willja67 added a post in a topic Repairs & Mods: custom cowl, new gear,etc   

    I actually am kinda looking forward to getting to know the nuts and bolts of this plane and doing more to make it mine, however I'm already building a plane and this was supposed to be an interim flyer not a project. Now i have 2 projects with not enough money to get either flying very soon.
     
    As for wanting a better landing gear about 6 years ago on my first tail dragger solo I dumped a legend cub on its nose. It was my first landing and i wheel landed it and that was fine but i prematurely pulled the stick back to set the tail on the ground and it started going side to side on me so i added a little brake to the mix and it went over real nice and slow onto its nose. I forgot i didn't have 160 lbs of instructor holding the tail down like the previous times I'd done that. Everyone has told me that i should have goosed the throttle, didn't know that then though. In any case once bitten twice shy. And i haven't flown a tail dragger since. I'm thinking of moving the gear forward a little also since i have to weld new brackets on anyway. I want to stack the deck in my favor as much as possible. 
    One thing that i need to do on this project is slim the plane down. It only has a 382lb useful load and I'm worried that with all the repairs I'm going to have to do it'll lose some of that. 
    I've already decided that the aluminum wing tank will go if its easy ie don't have to recover the whole wing. I imagine i'll have to add some ribs? I can still see some of the original sloshing compound in it that is peeling off and I've read on here that those aluminum tanks were prone to leaking.  
     
    Anyway for now the cowling will be what i work on since i have the materials on hand. Btw what diameter spinner do kitfoxes with fixed pitch props usually use?
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  6. Willja67 added a post in a topic Repairs & Mods: custom cowl, new gear,etc   

    it's not kinked, so that's a huge relief. So how does one go about straightening atube like that?
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  7. Willja67 added a post in a topic Plastic prop hub replacement?   

    Just barely called GSC and asked about the prop. Long story short I've got a wall ornament.  As per the service bulletin the plastic hub is not something you want to fly behind and the blades at the roots are square (ie not adjustable like current GSC offerings) so I'm looking for a completely new prop since all their current aluminum hubs are made for round blade roots,or in other words ground adjustable.  They quoted me a price of $625 for a 68" 3 blade prop or $740 for one with leading edge protection.  
     
    About the comment above about the wood blades being life limited to 5 years the new owner Marty said that is not the case.  As long as they are in good condition you can continue to use them. 
     
    If anyone wants to see close up pics of a dinosaur here's the original plastic hub:
     


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  8. Willja67 added a post in a topic Plastic prop hub replacement?   

    Anyone know what the numbers that were on the cowl are? You can see a large 2 and a smaller 257. I'm guessing the 257 is the kitfox serial number but have no clue what the large number 2 meant. 
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  9. Willja67 added a post in a topic Plastic prop hub replacement?   

    My apologies I just assumed that it was a commonly known thing.  It's #1 here: http://www.kitfoxaircraft.com/index.php/service-bulletin
     
    I guess being solved nearly 20 years ago means the issue doesn't pop up much.
    And i do have the plastic spinner so i do have to worry about it.
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  10. Willja67 added a topic in Kitfox I   

    Plastic prop hub replacement?
    Hey everyone, 
    If you've seen my other thread you know i recently bought a KF1, which I'm going through right now.  Despite the fact the previous owner told me all service bulletins bad been completed the only one so far that I've found that's actually been done are the gussets on the elevator.   As the thread title indicates I've got the original plastic prop hub/ spinner and need the aluminum one or possibly another prop. Can any of you tell me what the options are? I'm wondering since it's been 2 decades almost since the service bulletin was issued if the aluminum hub is even being made anymore?
    Thanks, 
     
    Will A.
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  11. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Ok I'm beginning to think the guy who sold me the plane totally snowed me about all the service bulletins being complied with.  So far not a single one that I've looked up has been. Right now the one I'm wondering about is the plastic spinner on the prop. Given that we're about 2 decades after the issuance of that bulletin I'm wondering, are those props and aluminum spinners even being made anymore?
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  12. Willja67 added a post in a topic Chemtrails at night   

    You learn something everyday i guess. Btw i hope everyone knows i was just joking about 100ll being psychotropic.
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  13. Willja67 added a post in a topic Chemtrails at night   

    You guys do know that our 100LL doesn't have lead in it because it saves the valves in our engines, it is there to mess with people's brain chemistry. All this time the government has had plausible deniability because everyone was looking in jet fuel for the psychotropic drugs when it's been in the little plane's fuel tanks all along.
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  14. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

     
    No, they're homemade. I opened a pic of the kitfox logo in one window then sketched it in a graphics program and simplified it a little and shortened the tail then took it to a print shop and had a few copies made then used some spray adhesive and glued the prints to some vinyl i had left over from my truck, cut out the pieces then used the spray adhesive again and used a mirror image print and stuck all the pieces in place on it then preeled the backing off and stuck it on the side of the plane. Then peeled off all the paper and scrubbed the spray adhesive off. 
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  15. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Its time for some performance mods to the plane.  These are absolutely 100% guaranteed to add 200 fpm to the climb rate and 10 kts to the cruise speed:
     
    STICKERS!!!! I can already tell it flies better just by looking at it.  In all seriousness it needed a little color and I had to personalize it just a little.
     

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  16. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    As far as ideas for weight reduction what about the sling seat vs fiberglass and upholstery? 
    Here's the website the seller put up on the plane so you can see a few more pics: http://n75hh.s3-website.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
     
    As you can see the radio is a dinosaur.  I have a Becker radio that i think came outof a glider that I'm going to use in another plane I'm building but it's years away from completion so mean time it can be useful in the KF.
    Also realized the G5 might have a compass so i can pull the one on top of the dash out as well. I know that kitfoxes have a rep for good performance but density altitude around here can go to 7000 during the summer so every bit helps.
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  17. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    The last condition inspection was July and i think i saw in the log books that it was test flown after that.  So fairly recently. Not sure on the engine seals though. 
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  18. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Thanks guys I'm really looking forward to it. The last entry in my logbook was 4 years ago and it was a bfr so gotta get current again and need to brush up on tailwheel as well.  Only have 13 hrs of that. But now that I've got my own plane I've got incentive to get back in a cockpit.  
     
    On another note i haven't had time to review all the paperwork that came with the plane but it seems written procedures for operating the engine (rotax 532) are lacking.  Having read about the need for strict following of certain procedures i want make up a good checklist before i even start taxiing it around. I've already read a few posts on the subject but if anyone can point me to a definitive source it would be appreciated.  The checklist gives warmup requirements but that's about it.
     
    Will also have to rejet for the higher altitude ( about 4500 msl here vs sea level where it came from). 
     
    Also thinking about how to put the plane on a diet.  Only has a useful load of 382 lbs.  Has electric start a 6 gallon wing tank and upholstery kit that i understand are options that add weight but don't think are removable except perhaps the upholstery kit.  The last owner said there's probably about 15-20lbs extra of paint on it and a new cover job isn't in the budget for awhile.  The only things i can think of to eliminate are the backup altimeter and ASI ( it has a Garmin G5). So any ideas about where to look to remove weight are welcome.  
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  19. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Well i gone and done it now!  I'm officially an airplane owner, just got back to Utah from Cali with the kitfox. It survived fairly well but the straps holding the mains chafed some paint and fabric. Also one of the flaperons rubbed on the vertical stab a little but it had already done that at some time in the past. Seems like a solid little plane. 

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  20. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    That was pretty much my assessment.  I compared the Rans dealer with airplanes to my boss and trucks.  Last year i bought an 06 Ram with nearly 200k on it but in excellent condition.  It has the diesel and 6 speed manual in it which means it should have a lot of life in it.  There are a few small things wrong with it but i could afford it.  My boss would have cut a salesman off as son as he said anything but brand new, wouldn't even think of considering it. This Rans dealer had 2 shiny new planes with perfect paint and glass panels in his hangar and I'm sure doesn't comprehend my budget limitations.  If it means i have a plane to fly i'll put up with an older design and be happy with it. 
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  21. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Thanks Jim i appreciate that. Received a message from the seller/ builder and he has all of these provisions already for the plane but going forearmed with knowledge is always a good thing.  With any luck this time next week i'll be the proud new owner of a shiny low hours KF1. I'll be on pins and needles the whole drive back to Utah from California though, and my brother just warned me the Sierra Nevada passes could get snowed over and closed even this time of year. So fingers crossed. 
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  22. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Thanks TJ that's really good to hear. Had 1 guy ( who happens to be a Rans dealer) Warn me away from model 1s  said not to look at anything less than a KF3. 
    I'd greatly appreciate that Jim.
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  23. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Jim, 
    The money just came through and I'm arranging a time to go see the plane so that brace holding the tail and the one from the bottom of the lift struts to the front spar just became really important.  My biggest question on the tail one is if there is usually a hole drilled through the fuselage there to run that bolt through?  And if not, what then?
    On the wing brace how do you connect the ends of that steel conduit to the plane?
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  24. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Just out of curiosity why are the trailers set up to tow the aircraft backwards? I understand that loading is a issue but there are ways around that. Just seems to me that there are a few issues such as the wings swinging out and elevators being bent the wrong way that would be mitigated to some extent if the plane was towed nose first. 
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  25. Willja67 added a post in a topic Buying and towing a KF1   

    Thanks Jim that's good info. Brings up the question of how fast is too fast?
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