ChrisBolkan

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About ChrisBolkan

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ChrisBolkan's Activity



  1. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Flying again   

    Wow Jim, that IS great news!
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  2. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Flying again   

    Jim, So happy to hear you made it through the gauntlet. Get stronger!
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  3. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic New early Model C project   

    Avids are great planes. All I have ever owned. But I agree 100% with nlappos. Building and tinkering is great. Flying is the best. Enjoy assembling your new kit, but get SOMETHNIG to fly NOW! The years go by fast and building a plane takes a lot longer than you ever think it will. And once you are actually flying you will most certainly regret not flying sooner. I can't stress that enough. I realize getting the kit IS your economical way into the hobby and buying a flyable or near flyable plane doesn't fit your economic model, but the reality is you are a LONG way from flying. I bought a plane to fly while I was working on my "dream" plane. it was supposed to be ready to fly. In reality it took a couple of years for me to get it to the place where it was actually ready to fly. Don't underestimate how long these projects take. There are precious few who can really get in and get a project done quickly. There are all too many who never complete their projects before a medical issue or something else erases the possibility to ever fly.
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  4. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Wingtips Hoerner style   

    Wow that looks nice.
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  5. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Kitfox IV Standard Gear for sale   

    I think but am not positive that the KF TW main gear does not sweep forward like the Avid TW main gear. I seem to remember that the gear attach points are further forward on the KF than on the Avid fuselage. (But I DO NOT know for sure and have very little experience with kitfoxes) At the very least double check. Or maybe someone here knows for sure. 
     
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  6. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Matco brake fluid replenish   

    I always fill from the bottom. I don't think it matters how you get the old fluid out but your idea sounds great.
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  7. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Dean Wilson ‘40 Special’   

    This plane just has regular rectangular wings but it looks like he copied his Elipse wing struts.
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  8. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Dean Wilson ‘40 Special’   

    Here are some pictures i took of it in Deans shop. I was very impressed with it. He made the prop that is on it in these pics. I took a picture of the jig he used to make the prop. Pretty cool.






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  9. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Do I have the correct gear?   

    You have tricycle gear in the TW position. Tailwheel gear has longer legs and is swept forward.
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  10. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Wing Stand   

    Nice!
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  11. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic Catalina Project   

    Thanks! Yes the gear moves so easily from extended to retract it is amazing. I feel lucky that the idea to use a bungie came to me :-)
    Regarding the battery, I don't know. I just took the fuse to the airport to put the wings on and I will do a W&B. and figure out if I need to move it or not. That's where it was. I'll move it if W&B says I should. Good call and thank you!
    I have it all re wired and re plumbed, have run the engine so its pretty much ready to go. I just got an email from the FAA yesterday asking me what phase 1 fly-off radius I wanted! Can you imagine that? Since when do they ask? They have been wonderful to work with on this project.
     
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  12. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic New here just bought an Avid   

    Welcome! This is an incredibly helpful and knowledgeable group.
    That looks like a nose wheel weldment in that fuselage. Worth it weight in gold IMHO. That means the plane can be easily converted between trike and TW configurations making it more saleable to a much broader audience.
    One thing I notice is that the fuse appears to be sitting on trike gear positioned in the TW mounts. If you are planning to fly it as TW you will need the TW gear legs which are longer and swept forward.
    But that and many other details are a long way from being important right now.
    Congratulations on your new plane! Avids are awesome.
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  13. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic SAVE the Ellipse!   

    I almost bought an Ellipse! It was a beautiful plane. Could fly very fast and very slow. This was many years ago. It was an unfinished "kit" The wings came completed because they were so complex. Made of wood. Then common sense took over (for me anyway) when I realized just how difficult it would be to repair a wing if a ground loop or something damaged it. And I would be just the one that something like that because I like to fly and land lots of places that are sub optimal. I ended up passing on it but it was a GORGEOUS plane and would have been incredibly practical except for the complexity of the wing.
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  14. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic EDMO   

    Bye Ed! You are missed.
    Chris
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  15. ChrisBolkan added a post in a topic NEWBIE   

    Hi! my Catalina has gull wing doors. Here are a couple pictures (including one in back of my home where I intend to play a lot :-) . I have not flown mine yet, but it's getting close. It's ready to move to the airport and put the wings on. I need the phase one flyoff moved to my area. That is in process with the FAA now. I need a condition inspection since I am not the builder, and I need to do a W&B once it is together. Mine has a blue head 582 which I just fired up a week ago and runs fine. That's a relief. I have re plumbed and re wired the entire aircraft. It is pretty much ready to go and I am getting excited.





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