dav8or

My ground plane is the 6" square piece of aluminum which is isolated from the fuselage. The antenna is grounded to the ground plane through the mounting nut that holds it in. There is some interesting reading out there on ground planes including size and shape and it does not necessarily have to be a sheet form of metal.
I am not sure I would attach it directly to the fabric without having additional support of some kind. Think about what would happen if the antenna catches debris or gets hit by something. Mine is held against the fabric but secured to a plywood platform that is mounted across the fuselage tubing for support. Just something to consider. I fly from rough runways occasionally with tall grass that can hide debris and I worry about catching anything with the antenna which should be on the bottom for best reception.

I have a home made system based on Chris's diagrams. I currently have 190's in and it runs leaner than I would like at 6000 in level flight with OAT around 50°. My static is 5900 which I know seems low but allows a little over 6500 rpm in level flight at around 115 mph. I need to experiment a bit more with prop diameter I think. I am about to go up to 200's or maybe 205's to allow me to fly when the ground level (sea level in my case) OAT is near freezing. I still need to work on my mid-range which is a bit richer than I would like.
 
Dan
Avid Model C Speedwing with 582/B Box

I am curious to know how the Fat Avid is qualified to be registered as E-LSA? Did the kit manufacturer submit for that or were they ever sold as S-LSA?
 
Dan

I added a transponder a couple of years ago. I went with a Trig transponder which has a black box that I mounted under the passenger seat. From there the antenna cable run was not bad to a spot on the bottom of the fuselage about a foot and a half behind the seat. I have a small plywood deck there that the battery is mounted to. I cut a fair sized round hole for access through it then cut a 6" square piece of aluminum thick enough to hold its shape. Cheap Ebay dipole antenna is mounted to that with a small hole melted through fabric for the antenna to pass through then sandwiched with the nut from the outside. I used some 1/2" material as a spacer between the aluminum and the plywood deck which is mounted on top of the fuselage tubing. Hope that makes sense. The shop that tested the transponder said it has a very strong signal.
 
Dan
Avid Model C Speedwing

The original builder of my Avid used 90° barbed fittings at the top and bottom (pretty much vertical) of the aluminum 6 gal left wing tank for a sight tube(I used a sharpie for 3,4,5 gallon marks and an unpainted window on the fiberglass right wing. Unfortunately, Anything below 3 gallons or above 5 in the left tank and anything below 5 gallons in the right tank is unreadable due to the root ribs blocking view. I will eventually install an analog float gauge in the right wing which will let me read pretty much to empty. I might be able to do the same with the left tank but it will require a bit of surgery on the wing/tank to get it in there.
 
I have a 2.5 gallon header tank which has a capacitance fuel sender/ panel mounted gauge that just recently crapped out on me. I am trying to decide on how I want to replace that. If I go with a capacitance sender again I will have to replace the gauge to match the current sender output of 1-5 volts vs the older units 33-240 ohm resistance. My other option is to buy a 20" reed switch sending unit and keep the current gauge which was new just a couple years ago. If anyone knows of another option that is relative inexpensive that would be great. The system from Belite would be several hundred dollars, otherwise it would be a real possibility.
 
Currently, my SOP is to burn fuel from the right tank until empty (I have a clear glass fuel filter housing minus the filter for each tank so I can visually check for fuel flow) then switch to the left tank which I sort of use as a reserve on top of the header tank which by itself would give me a 1/2 hour reserve. The header tank gauge is the final countdown - if for some reason I have a fuel flow problem to it or for some strange reason actually run both wing tanks dry (that has never happened). I do run on the fuel in the left tank periodically to keep the fuel fresh. All fuel is drained from the fiberglass tank at the end of the day. I don't want to take any unnecessary chances with delamination.
 
I do have a fuel flow gauge to be installed some day but I never fill the right tank so it would be a little tough to use for the totalizer function.
 
Dan

I landed and taxied around at a paved field yesterday and it worked great. It turns really well now, although it would probably be a handful for a newer tailwheel pilot which is not surprising due to the short fuselage.
 
Maybe I was just used to the solid wheel since I have not had anything else on the Avid. I did feel bumps and cracks a little with the Matco but didn't really notice them with the Maule and new spring. To be fair my old spring was more a piece of flat 1-1/2" steel with a bend in it than a spring. It was adapted down to 1-1/4" at both ends to fit the Avid. My new tail spring was cut to 1-1/4" from an actual arched spring. I think that makes a noticeable difference.
 
Dan

 
I believe an angle below the shoulder causes the spine to compress in an accident. I have a Grumman AA-1 Yankee that I am about to add shoulder harnesses to because they didn't come from the factory with them in the early days. Unfortunately, the only approved shoulder harnesses for the Grumman AA-1 series mount just below the rear windows (below the shoulder). I don't have any choice there but it will be better than what I have now which is lap belts only. I have 3-point belts in my Avid. Those might get upgraded in the future. I sure do like the freedom of experimental aircraft.
 
Dan

I apparently have a 2 versions older model and would require new bushings to be used with that new kit along with a few other parts. I think it was going to total over $200 in parts. The guy said I should just buy a new one.
 
The Maule cost me $180 on Ebay which is about what a new Matco was going to be. My hangar mate has flown his Avid for years with the Maule tailwheel with no issues so I decided to give it a try and so far it seems to work well. I will find out how it does on paved runways tomorrow.
 
Dan

I called a talked to a tech guy at Matco a few weeks ago. It was going to cost more than a new tailwheel in parts just to get mine working.
 
Dan

I have standard gear and do not have large bush tires so I need to stick with the small tailwheels to keep what little deck angle I have for 3 point landings which already cannot be done to a full stall without hitting the tail first. I have no need for the bush tires in my part of the world so I am staying with the smaller mains to keep my cruise speed around 100mph.
 
We are using a relatively light single leaf spring which I am sure helps with smoothing out the bumps from the solid tailwheel.
 
Dan

I had the 6" solid Matco. It was binding on the shaft (even with lubrication) and the "wings" would not release the lock to swivel. I could not get it to break out to the right at all. It also was making a horrible squeaking sound any time it hit a bump or pressure was put on the horizontal no matter how much it was lubricated. I could not get it to break out to the right at all. I looked like I had never taxied a tailwheel aircraft anytime I went down the runway.
 
I have yet to try it on a paved runway (will try that tomorrow) but my setup felt much smoother on our grass strip than it did with the Matco. I wonder how much of it is in the spring and caster angle?
 
Dan

No. I had to cut one out of a spring that was left over in our hangar. It looked like an add-a-leaf of some sort. I just found the section I wanted for the arch and cut it to width and length then drilled the mounting holes in the ends.
 
I used a Maule 6" solid tailwheel. My hangar mate has had one for a while.
 
Dan

I like the patch!
 
My belly mount radiator is working well. Probably the best test I have had so far was yesterday with OAT around 100°. I stayed in the pattern and did 5 take-offs and landings. I was also climbing at around 1000 fpm with my speedwing at around 75 mph. My water temp never went over 170°. The only problem I seem to be having is melting the left side muffler mount rubber. I have gotten good at making these. I just wish I could find a better material that would be more heat resistant. I have been using pieces cut from the sidewalls of an old tire and have also tried using the rubber muffler hanger material from the local auto part/aircraft supply. I wish I could find a high heat silicone sheet of some sort that would work. I think the melting is caused by higher heat build up in my cowling due to the air splitter I made to keep the muffler heat from going through radiator. That splitter made a 40° temp difference in my water temp.
 
I will be interested to see how yours does with just the belly radiator.
 
Dan

Also consider putting together your own leaning system like the Hacman. The only hard part to find is the needle valve. The other pieces can be ordered from McMaster Carr pretty cheap. I put mine together using diagrams from Chris B. and it works great. I run fairly rich jets and lean the engine to conditions with the needle valve control mounted in my panel.
 
Dan

I would have to agree that shimming a blade does not sound like a good idea. I have found that The blade tip tracking changes slightly by starting the tightening sequence from a different side of the prop hub both in pitch adjustment and when mounting to the gearbox. Getting the individual blade angles exactly the same is a PIA but the GSC angle gauge is pretty simple and useful. My hangar mate has used the GSC angle tool to adjust his Warp Drive prop instead of the protractor.
 
The only prop I have run other than the GSC GA was a fixed pitch wood prop which was smoother but unfortunately had a little too much pitch and prop diameter for my 582. I ordered new blades for my hub last year to try an increase in diameter. I also noticed that the old blades were over 20 years old with only 250 hours on them. I am waiting until I find a deal on a Rotax C box before buying a new prop but will likely change to a full composite GA prop at that time.
 
Dan

 
That gives me a great idea for modifying my coolant recovery tank to help remove the air from the system.
 
Thanks,
Dan

I plan to put it back but that was the first thing I pulled out when I overheated on a flight a couple of months ago. One moment the temp was at its normal 150-160 and the next time I look down it was showing close to 220. The following 10 minutes after that were very anxious with throttle reduction as the first move which brought the temp down and also put me in a 700 fpm descent. I picked out a rough sand road crossing the Intracoastal pasture below me as my landing spot while I tried increasing throttle as much as I could until the water temp was a little over 190. That was just enough throttle to barely maintain altitude which after the descent was 1500'. I debated landing out and risking damage or flying the 7 miles to make it back to the field. After a couple of minutes of maintaining level with a stabilized temp I decide to go for the runway and made it but it was a tense few minutes of flying over an area with few good places to attempt an emergency landing.
 
I have tested that thermostat in a pan on the stove and it appears to operate properly but had scraping marks on one side. I was not sure if it was the thermostat or the air bubble issue that we noticed while testing after that was the cause of the overheat so the thermostat has been out since then. I will install a new one soon.
 
Dan

Rotax 532/582 uses O-rings as the seal between the water jacket and the cylinder with another type of o-ring to seal the head to the water jacket. My o-rings were still useable but I replaced them anyway with a set from JBM industries. Their O-rings are just slightly larger is material thickness which I think will help the seal. If the cylinder o-rings were leaking I would expect to see oily residue in the coolant which I have never seen and I have drained it numerous times in troubleshooting. I also do not have any signs of steam in the exhaust.
 
These are good thoughts but have already been checked.
 
Thanks,
Dan

If you are still looking, the Sea Doo 587 engines have the same piston as the 582. Those would have been in early 90's Sea Doo's
 
Dan

Maybe cavitation causing those air bubbles? I have only 2 90 degree fittings in my system other than the inlet and outlet of the Kitfox style radiator. My hangar mate has several 90's in his system and he does not seem to have the problem as far as we know, although he does not have a clear line for the steam return. I guess it could be super heated coolant when passing around the exhaust ports? Not sure what the temp of the liquid is around there. On the Avid the temp sender is all the way at the lowest point in the system since the engine is inverted. Didn't get to fly last weekend due to a leak in the coolant tank that I had to modify. Hopefully this weekend if the weather isn't too bad.
 
Dan

I have a couple of 532's. I am planning to experiment with converting them to CDI ignition to eliminate the points adjustment hassle. I think the mini-airboat community uses the 532's because they are relatively cheap these days. That may be an option to sell. I may use one of mine for a mini airboat and sell the other or possibly use on a PPC.
 
Dan

I went through the belly radiator swap on my Avid last year. I ended up with the radiator a little more than an inch below the fuselage due to the way it was mounted. First problem for most Avids on the belly mount is the lip at the bottom of the cowling. I am sure it was there to create a better low pressure area at the cowling exit but it also deflects air passing by the outside of the cowling and forces it somewhere below the radiator. The other problem is the heat from the muffler/exhaust which exits the cowling and passes straight through the new belly mounted radiator. The Kitfox may have a different setup. I have not seen one up close so I can't compare. I solved both problems at once but removing the lip and fabricating an aluminum pan that both helps the outside air stay attached to the bottom of the fuselage and pan until it passes through the radiator. The pan also keeps the exhaust heat from passing directly through the radiator and instead passes it over the top of the radiator through the gap between fuselage bottom. Exhaust heat is also allowed to spill off the sides of the pan out away from the radiator.
 
The pan is fastened the the lower edge of the cowling and lays on top of the radiator. There are also 2 aluminum bracts riveted between the pan and firewall to keep it in place. I folded the sides of the pan down with plans to make a scoop to go over this but may be changing cowling so have stopped development on that.
 
With this setup most recently with OAT around 70 F I had to tape almost half of the radiator off to get temps above 130. I currently do not have a thermostat installed but plan to put it back in. I have flown with this set up in the 90+ degree weather we get down here in South Texas last summer and never had the water temp get above 160 (that was with thermostat).
 
Hope this might help a little.
 
Dan

I am still working on this one. It is possible that my old 532 did the same thing but I never noticed because I had a solid line. I only noticed on the newer 582 when I substituted a translucent line from the water pump to the coolant tank (engine inverted) where I could see the air bubbles. I have changed my plumbing around a bit and will see if that works. The other possibility is the system is pulling back air from the coolant overflow line when the engine shuts down. I have an hour or so of ground run time on the new plumbing with no overheats so I will give it a try in the air flying circles over the runway.
 
Might be able to find the barb fitting at a hobby shop. The threads are small and they are tough to find. I just happened to have a few.
 
Dan

The flight attendant's best action would be open the cockpit door.