dav8or

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Everything posted by dav8or



  1. dav8or added a post in a topic Matco W62 wheels on Avid 5/8" axles?   

    Think I just figured out how it was done. Looks like Azusa sells a sealed tapered roller bearing with the correct 1.781" OD and 5/8" ID that should fit the W62 wheel and the 5/8" axle.    Dan
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  2. dav8or added a post in a topic Matco W62 wheels on Avid 5/8" axles?   

    My early C model definitely has 5/8" axles. It looks like a factory made landing gear and I can't imagine anybody modifying it to a smaller size.
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  3. dav8or added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Matco W62 wheels on Avid 5/8" axles?
    I was wondering if anybody has Matco W62 wheels and brakes on the Avid 5/8" axles? If so do you know what bearings? Matco tech rep says that the W62 wheel will not work on 5/8" axle but I am pretty sure Ralph Moe's plane had the same wheels I am trying to use on mine. I am trying to upgrade to hydraulic brakes with parts I have collected and now seems to be a good time since my wheels were submerged during Harvey.
    Thanks,
    Dan
    • 15 replies
    • 1,434 views


  4. dav8or added a post in a topic Takeoff and Landing styles   

    There is a tailwheel instructor here in the Houston area that requires her students to to perform that maneuver down the runway in a Citabria. on one wheel then switch to the other.
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  5. dav8or added a post in a topic Takeoff and Landing styles   

    I am curious to know if anyone with the standard gear/wheels (not bush tires) ever do a full stall 3-point landing with the stick all the way back? If I do this with my C-model Speed Wing the tail hits before the mains and causes the mains to slam down. Ralph Moe's speed wing did the same thing.
    These days most of my landings are wheel landings but occasionally I need to get in a little shorter and fly it on in 3-point at slower speeds. I also usually approach high and do a healthy slip on short final just in case of engine failure.
    Dan
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  6. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    The rear of the tank follows the diagonal wing brace at an angle from inboard rear to the next outboard rib then rectangular forward of that. It does have the airfoil shape over the top so it fits right under the cap strips. The welds look like they were done by a beginner with large sections that did not have penetration. The tank does not have any flanges. All edges are butt welds. I am keeping my fingers crossed that a sealant might fix the leak. I did notice that the fabric at the trailing edge cable of the "bat" wing is stitched along the edge. I am not sure how to do that but will have to figure it out I guess.
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  7. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    When I started pulling back the aluminum cover over the tank I found that the tank extends under the cap strips of both ribs. It would probably damage one or both ribs to remove so I have decided to just replace the covering and maybe try one of the sloshing sealers. If that doesn't work it will just have to remain inop until someone decides to rebuild the wing in the future.
    Does anyone have any pictures of the aluminum tanks that Avid used on the early models? I am curious to know if this might have been a custom one off tank that the builder had made or if this is what Avid actually shipped with kits.
    Thanks, Dan
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  8. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    The fabric is cut just behind and at the same angle as the tank. The tank is aluminum and painted yellow. It is under the cap strip on the inboard end of the wing and silicon-ed in around the edges. Looks like the foam was used to fill the cap strip gap maybe.
    I looked at the seams inside this afternoon and the welding was really inconsistent. A lot of places where they did not get good penetration. I attached one picture of an area that is suspect. It is actually the front inside corner. If that is the leak then it was running down the inside of the fabric from there to the trailing edge.
     
     

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  9. dav8or added a post in a topic Pictures of MK IV radiator mounting?   

    I had a side mounted radiator with scoop which was an early C-model feature I believe. I switched to a kitfox style belly mounted radiator that I got off Ebay. I had planned to switch to a MK IV cowl with twin custom radiators but the cowling I was going to use burned up in a storage fire last summer. I believe the key to getting those radiators to work is sealing them very well to the cowl openings such that no air can pass around them to get into the cowl. Make sure the bottom lip of that cowling is still there. It helps to create a vacuum which pulls the air through the radiators into the cowling. My belly radiator works fine even in the 100 degree days we get here in the Houston area. I was wanting a cleaner, more protected install with the MK-IV cowl but have abandoned that plan when the cowling burned in the storage fire. Good Luck
    Dan
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  10. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    Now I wish I hadn't started. The front part of the tank is covered with what looks like foam that must have been sanded to the airfoil shape then sheet aluminum over that covered with fabric. I stopped when I saw the foam. Not sure what I am going to do now. Time to rethink this. Forgot to take my borescope camera with me so I did not get an inside look yet. I will take it down this afternoon.

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  11. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    No worries. I had forgotten that the earlier Avids had the panel tank. Now I understand somebody wanting to get rid of that one for a wing tank. According to the log books the original builder had aluminum tanks in both wings and replaced the right one in the first year or so with the large fiberglass tank. Heading down now to get it opened up.
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  12. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    I have to remove the tank to determine if it can be repaired. If it is determined that it cannot be repaired then it wouldn't make sense to me to go through the effort to reinstall it. Installing the larger fiberglass tank seems like it would be quite an undertaking.
    I have a 16 gallon tank in the right wing and a 2.5 gallon aluminum header tank behind the seat. That is around 3 hours of flight time for me with about 30 minutes reserve.
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  13. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    Hopefully, I will be able to get down to the airport in the morning and get the tank out to see what the actual damage is. That tank has been in for over 300 hours before having an issue. I liked being able to leave that one full of fuel all the time without worrying about the fiberglass resin issues. There is a very good aircraft welder near me. I will see what they would charge for the repair if it is feasible.
    I still need to get my wing open but I suspect those fiberglass tanks might not fit my speed wing. Right now I am thinking that if my aluminum tank is not repairable I will probably leave it out and simply recover that part of the wing. How many people fly for more than 2 hours at a time in an Avid anyway? I have only flown slightly longer than that once. I was definitely ready to stretch my legs after that.
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  14. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    I will use my borescope camera to see if I can find the leaking area from the inside of the tank. I can already see just looking into the tank that the weld quality was poor when it was built. I am hoping it is just a seam and it can be repaired by a good welder. I can't imagine trying to maneuver the wing around trying to coat the inside of the tank. I know it has to be a seam along the bottom and near the rear because the tank emptied completely. It is raining here today so I cannot work on it.
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  15. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    I know I can't re-use the fabric all the way across. I was a little unsure about how to attach it to the rib and want plenty of extra material before I start cutting it down. There is also a 2" wide tape run over the top down every rib. I am not sure why. I am hoping I can re-use the section of plywood or whatever it is over the forward part of the wing so I will retain the stripes that were painted. I will peel back enough to see what it will take to remove the tank so I can take it to a shop to see if repair is possible. If it can't be fixed I will probably just seal up that wing and live without that 5.5 gallons.
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  16. dav8or added a post in a topic Access for fuel tank repair   

    Almost a waterfall coming out of the trailing edge. I removed the wing this morning. All of the wing except the first rib bay has aluminum skin leading edge. It appears to be a maybe a thin plywood over the leading edge of the tank bay. Next time I am out there I will start trying to open it up. Maybe releasing the fabric glue at the first rib with MEK?
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  17. dav8or added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Access for fuel tank repair
    I have to open up my left wing to remove and see if I can get the fuel tank repaired. Does anyone have suggestions for the best way to open this up so it will be easy to recover the area. My wings have aluminum sheet for the forward top portion of the wing covering part of the tank.
    Thanks,
    Dan
    • 28 replies
    • 3,282 views


  18. dav8or added a post in a topic Need to replace aluminum wing tank   

    I looked inside the tank along the one seam and the weld penetration is very inconsistent. I'm sure the tank could have been built better.
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  19. dav8or added a post in a topic Need to replace aluminum wing tank   

    In my case it would not lead to an off airport landing. I would notice a lack of fuel flow from that tank and switch to the other. I have 2.5 gallons in the header tank that would easily get me to the nearest airport.
    I am not excited about sloshing myself but it would possibly give me back my reserve tank without having to do major surgery on the wing and trying to find or make a suitable replacement for the tank.
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  20. dav8or added a post in a topic Need to replace aluminum wing tank   

    I removed the finger strainer and re-sealed the threads when re-installing it. Poured a couple gallons in the tank and immediately got a fast drip from the flaperon after it ran down the inside of the fabric along the inboard rib. For now I am flying right tank only but now I seem to have a charging, battery, starter or possibly some combination of these problems. Once I get that sorted out I may try sloshing the tank for now until I figure out what I want to do for replacement.
    Dan
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  21. dav8or added a post in a topic Need to replace aluminum wing tank   

    Thanks, going to look at it closer this morning. The fabric at the trailing edge in that bay is messed up and loose so at the very least I will probably have to recover/patch that section. According to the logs the original builder replaced the right tank with fiberglass not long after the plane was completed because it leaked. It would be nice if the poly versions came in the speedwing profile too.
    Dan
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  22. dav8or added a post in a topic Stratux ADS-B receiver   

    Good to know. I have double 2.6A USB adapters in the plane.
    Thanks,
    Dan
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  23. dav8or added a post in a topic Stratux ADS-B receiver   

    Do you have to have the battery pack or can it be connected directly to a usb port type charger (cell phone cord)? I was hoping to just power it from the other port on the charge plug that I use for the tablet's power
    Dan
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  24. dav8or added a post in a topic Stratux ADS-B receiver   

    I will probably build one of these soon. I just got a new Samsung tablet to run Avare and I set it up with an OTG host/charge adapter and an SDR tuner/antenna but it will only receive one band at a time. I am not really planning to use it in my Avid and I have not flown with it yet due to a prolonged annual on my Yankee but I have turned it on and watched traffic being vectored into Houston Hobby over the sectional chart on the screen. I would like to have the dual band capability for flights in the more congested airspace and when I fly to the Dallas area. I am interested mostly in the weather info but traffic would be nice too although I will most likely be on flight following.
    Dan
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  25. dav8or added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Need to replace aluminum wing tank
    Looks like I will probably have to replace my aluminum left wing tank. I went to the airport to fly this morning and it was bone dry. I always keep that one full so the gas must have leaked out onto the hangar floor. I will look at it closer tomorrow morning but I did see a wet spot on the fabric near the tank outlet connection.
    Has anyone done this replacement with a speed wing? I am wondering if this is something I will have to custom fabricate a tank or is there something available. I have seen the plastic tanks at wingtanks.com but guessing that they are shaped for the STOL wings.
    Thanks, Dan
    • 15 replies
    • 1,648 views