dav8or

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Everything posted by dav8or



  1. dav8or added a post in a topic Cable operated enrichers (choke) 582   

    I had considered ordering one of the Mikuni double cables but they are all too short and I didn't know the cables could be changed. I may have to revisit this option.
     
    Thanks,
    Dan
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  2. dav8or added a post in a topic Cable operated enrichers (choke) 582   

    I am thinking about making my own using bicycle brake/shifter cable parts and fabricating a lever type control under the panel somewhere.
     
    Dan
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  3. dav8or added a post in a topic FLAPERON SPAR TUBES?   

    I'm pretty sure mine are steel. That is on an Avid Model C. I will check this weekend but I remember that they were not that easy to drill through when I added a few rivets during rebuilding of the one that came apart on me.
     
    Dan
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  4. dav8or added a post in a topic Avid speedwing.... Impressions from those that have flown one?   

    Hi Bill,
     
    I really haven't done much yet in speed mods. The short wing without the concave airfoil is the biggest help. Since I bought the plane I have removed the side mounted radiator and switched to a Kitfox style belly mount. So far I have found that adjusting the prop has made the biggest change in performance and a degree or two can make a huge difference. I am planning to change over to a MKIV cowling with custom radiators more for aesthetics but I am also hoping it will help with a problem I have with melting a muffler mount. I will also be changing to hydraulic brakes and narrower tires in the process. That might get me a mph or 2 extra.
     
    Dan
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  5. dav8or added a post in a topic Avid speedwing.... Impressions from those that have flown one?   

    It is true that we are at sea level for take off and initial climb. Our cruise numbers are typically between 2500 and 5000 ft MSL and is still around 100 mph at 5900-6000 rpm. I currently have the 582 with B-box and 2.58:1 but am using a GSC ground adjustable prop. You didn't mention what diameter your prop was. Mine currently is 68". I had the 64" blades previously on my 532 and saw my fastest numbers with the smaller diameter. As soon as I get my engine running better and a few hours on it I plan to put the 64" blades back in and see how much difference they make on the same engine, same day.
     
    I am surprised that you had trouble with take off. Mine seems really easy to keep straight on the take off roll. I wonder if the toe in/out on the mains might be different?
     
    Dan
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  6. dav8or added a post in a topic Avid speedwing.... Impressions from those that have flown one?   

    I just realized that the video above was from last November when he flew over my cruising group while we were on the other side of Galveston Bay a couple of miles up one of the bayous. My wife and I are on one of the boats that you see several minutes into the clip. It was definitely windy and bumpy that day.
     
    Dan
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  7. dav8or added a post in a topic Avid speedwing.... Impressions from those that have flown one?   

    That is the Avid that I share a hangar with. It is a Model C Aerobat with a 582, c-box 3:1 with a 3 blade Warp Drive Prop. My Avid is the regular Speedwing with a 582 b-box 2.58:1 and a 2 blade GSC prop. We usually use around 500ft of runway taking off from grass and we could probably get it stopped in about the same distance. His cruise speed is a little better than mine but I am getting closer to matching him now. Cruise speed is around 100 mph IAS with a top speed of around 115 mph. We have both cross checked against GPS in 2 directions and our readings are pretty close to being correct. Touch down speed is around 50 mph after 65-70 on short final. My stall speed is 46 mph. Oh yeah and climb in mine with just me and 12 gallons or so of gas is roughly 1200-1400 fpm depending on outside temps.
     
    If you have some tailwheel experience then landing a speedwing should not be much of an issue. We enjoy the higher cruise speeds and slightly more comfortable rough air handling.
     
    Dan
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  8. dav8or added a post in a topic 3 mile vis in Class G airspace (Sport Pilot)   

    Maybe taking a few hours of Instrument instruction might not be a bad idea for those who have not had any training. I do remember that my instructor liked putting post it notes over the AH, DG and Turn Coordinator pretty often while I was under the hood. With a bit of practice you can hold level flight using the compass, Altimeter and ASI. Not ideal due to the tremendous workload for the mind added to basic navigation but would save your butt when a vacuum pump goes out or if you manage to get caught in instrument conditions by accident somehow in an Avid.
     
    Another option is the MGL Extreme Mini EFIS with the AHRS sensors added. I have though about putting one of those in my Avid some day and right now it is what I would plan on putting into the Quickie Q1 that I need to get busy finishing. Avionics will have changed completely by the time I need any for that plane though. One of the guys in my EAA chapter put one in his LongEZ minus the AHRS and has been happy with it.
     
    I had forgotten about the Dynon pocket panel. I might save up for one of those since I am also switching between 2 planes and one is certificated.
     
    For the experimentals there is one more relatively cheap option:  http://www.beliteaircraftstore.com/tuco.html
     
    A small solid state turn coordinator. Not quite as good as an AH but way cheaper.
     
    Dan
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  9. dav8or added a post in a topic Avid model C turtle deck pictures needed...   

    I would just add that although I do not have a ton of hours in the Avid yet I do like the rear windows. I occasionally fly places with one of the other guys at my airport and we do not fly formation. I am able to spot him through the rear windows when I am looking for him on the occasion that he is behind me to the right. I also have those clear round pop out vents in each window because it can get a little warm in the summer down here along the Texas Gulf Coast. Those allow the pop out vents in the door windows to pass more air. I will be replacing all lexan soon with a light grey tinted version and the door bottoms will be switching to lexan as well. The other Avid recently added windows to his turtle deck. He was not able to see me if I was coming up on his right side.
     
    I do have a Grumman Yankee and that definitely gets warm if the canopy is left closed. Opening it several inches up to halfway cools things down nicely though.
     
    Dan
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  10. dav8or added a post in a topic Avid model C turtle deck pictures needed...   

    I can take photos of mine this weekend but I am not sure if that will help. My hangar mate also has a C model and his stiffeners are located differently than mine. Mine may have been altered by the original builder to install large windows in the turtle deck.
     
    I actually want to replace my turtle deck with a single piece tinted lexan part like I have seen others do.
     
    Dan
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  11. dav8or added a post in a topic trailing edge of flaperon   

    This is basically how I made the replacements for my damaged ribs when repairing my flaperon. It worked very well. I used Dow Blue insulation foam from the hardware store which funny enough is the same exact thing I received from Aircraft Spruce when I ordered Styrofoam from them.
     
    Dan
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  12. dav8or added a post in a topic Plugs up for avid #82   

    Very nice!  I would love to have my Avid on floats but I have a speedwing and I don't think that would work.
     
    Dan
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  13. dav8or added a post in a topic trailing edge of flaperon   

    Definitely rivet! The original builder on my Avid did not rivet. They did last for a long time but the right flaperon separated on me a little over a year ago. I noticed slightly strange handling in the air, then on the ground I found a small separation of the trailing edge. I came back a day later to repair it and about 2 ft of the flaperon had separated with a gap large enough to stick my hand into. Glad that didn't happen in the air! It took me quite a bit of work to get it back together and straight again. I used squeezed rivets as they do not have the big tail that a pop rivet has.
     
    Dan
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  14. dav8or added a post in a topic Plugs up for avid #82   

    Oops, just read the topic title. Did it take a lot of modification to the cowling around the prop shaft or were you able to match the original location?
     
    Thanks,
    Dan
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  15. dav8or added a post in a topic Plugs up for avid #82   

    Is that an Avid with the engine mount flipped upright or a Kitfox? I like the radiator shroud built into the bottom of the cowling.
     
    Dan
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  16. dav8or added a post in a topic Rotax 582 getting air in the cooling system   

    The engine is inverted on the Avid so the air is not trapped in the cylinder head. It comes through the water pump and my radiator cap is mounted forward next to the gear box.
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  17. dav8or added a post in a topic Rotax 582 getting air in the cooling system   

    Thanks for the replies. I burp every time I refill the cooling system. I had the plane leveled with the tail wheel sitting on a bucket trying to get the last bit of air out of the water pump. The 532 was plumbed the same way and I never had these issues with it. This time I burped then fired up the engine until warm and shut down. There was quite a bit more air coming out of the water pump steam fitting. I topped off the coolant and repeated this process 3-4 times and each time I still get a significant amount of air bubbles coming out of the steam line at the water pump. I am thinking about pulling the head and having it checked for cracks.
     
    Thanks,
    Dan
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  18. dav8or added a post in a topic Merlin GT   

    I would guess that this would reduce your roll rate at least some and I don't think you would notice much difference with short flaps if they are separated from the wing like an Avid. Your best bet would be to work out some sort of flapperon mixer but it should be tested very carefully. The Avids can have issues with control reversal if one of the flapperons were to stall with too much angle.
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  19. dav8or added a post in a topic Cooling questions   

    I would guess it had to do with the large and very hot exhaust expansions for the 2 stroke engines which the 4 strokes don't have. My hangar mate did fiberglass work to add a motorcycle radiator just below and behind the propeller on his Avid. It works well for him but requires a good size opening. Not sure if that would work on a Kitfox but it might be an option to look at.
     
    Dan
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  20. dav8or added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Rotax 582 getting air in the cooling system
    Hi all,

    I have recently installed a used 582 to replace the 532 that was on my Avid. I have had cooling problems since. The last several test runs of the engine on the ground with cowling off show it running fine and temps on the gauge are in the safe range but when I shut the engine down I get a long stream of air bubbles from the steam return line from the water pump back to the coolant header tank/cap. I have tried carefully removing all air from the system when filling it. I have run it briefly with the cap off and topped off with coolant to make sure any extra trapped air could escape. I never had these issues with the 532 which used the same radiator. I just changed the cylinder o-rings in the head in case I had a compression leak there into the water jacket but that made no difference. The rotary valve oil remains clean and at a constant level so no leaks there. There were no visible cracks in the cylinder head. Has the 582 ever had issues with cracks? I don't have any external leaks. Is there anything else that could be bringing air into my cooling system?

    Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I am grounded until I can figure this out.

    Thanks,
    Dan LaFon
    • 24 replies
    • 4,500 views


  21. dav8or added a post in a topic FS: Motor Mount, Spinners, Oil tank, Radiator, Fuselage   

    I could use the MK4 Spinner and might be interested in the motor mount and firewall. Also, there is actually a cost effective way to ship the doors.
     
    Thanks,
    Dan
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  22. dav8or added a post in a topic 582 Exhaust   

    Do you have a picture of that. It sounds like what I have on my Avid. I have a Vernier throttle cable pushing a lever mechanism mounted to the top of the engine mount. The lever pulls my carb throttle cables from a couple inches closer to the pivot. It seemed to work well.  I will try to get a picture when I am at the airport this weekend.
     
    Dan
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  23. dav8or added a post in a topic Pictures of MK IV radiator mounting?   

    The 2 keys to shedding the side mount radiator and using just the belly mount are:
     
    1.  Remove the lip (if you have it) at the bottom of the cowling that deflects airflow down and effectively under the radiator.
     
    2.  Keep the heated air from the muffler/exhaust from passing through the belly radiator.
     
    I made an aluminum pan that attaches to the center section of the cowling, fits between the 2 mounting brackets of the belly radiator and ends just past the top of the radiator creating a tunnel where air entering the small oval opening around the prop can exit. exhaust air can also still exit the bottom of the cowling at the sides away from the radiator. The only issue I think I have with this setup is melting the muffler mount on the inlet end of the muffler probably due to the reduced airflow through the cowling.
     
    I'm not sure if that will help Joey since his muffler appears to be mounted lower than most of the others I have seen but I am sure there is probably a work around.
     
    Dan
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  24. dav8or added a post in a topic Pictures of MK IV radiator mounting?   

    If the radiator can be mounted high enough that a cap mounted on the tank would be the highest point in the system I will go with that. I need to get as much cooling efficiency as possible so I can still fly when the outside temp is hovering around 100 degrees. I plan to seal the radiators to the cowl inlets well. I know that has been an issue with some MK4's cooling. I would rather be over cooled than under. My current Kitfox style belly radiator is cooling very well even in summer but is vulnerable to damage being under there. The new cooling system I am working up will have either the same number of clamps as the current set up or less if I skip the bottom cross over between radiators. Of course there would be 2 more clamps eliminated if I can work the cap into one of the radiator tanks.
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  25. dav8or added a post in a topic Pictures of MK IV radiator mounting?   

    I am going to have the radiators custom made and done in aluminum so I can modify the design a bit and I can decide to have the cap either on a radiator tank or separately between the tanks. I will determine the highest point and work it in there. I was thinking that a connection between tank bottoms might allow more efficient cooling more like a standard radiator.
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