marksires

Administrators
 View profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    927

  • Joined

  • Last visited


Everything posted by marksires



  1. marksires added a post in a topic Truckee-Tahoe airshow and Reno weekend   

    Looks like a good time was had by all.  Interesting high wing refueling crew - no ladder needed!
    My wife and I will be in Reno for the air races in September.  We are looking forward to it!
    Mark
     
    • 0


  2. marksires added a post in a topic Cam locks in fiberglass   

    Ditto Ditto
    • 0


  3. marksires added a post in a topic Any Chicago peeps here to help?   

    Hah - might make sitting traffic less unpleasant though...
    But you might also have the threatened topless protesters - imagine a pack of topless Rosie O'Donnells!  You just couldn't unsee that!
     
    • 0


  4. marksires added a post in a topic Original Avid Floats   

    I bought the set from Jim, I haven't got them on the plane yet.  I have the water rudders, but no rigging.  If you can take some pictures of the rigging, I'd appreciate it, I have to fabricate some for mine.
    MArk
     
    • 0


  5. marksires added a post in a topic Any Chicago peeps here to help?   

    That looked like a good idea until I went to their website and looked at the fares - 1 person + 1 normal car = $350 RT.
     
    • 0


  6. marksires added a post in a topic Any Chicago peeps here to help?   

    I had an apartment in downtown Chicago for a year for a contract I was working on.  It was right across the street from the building I was working on.  The client paid - I told them I wasn't interested if I had to drive in Chicago traffic - period.
    According to the iPASS website ( http://www.illinoistollway.com/tolls-and-i-pass/about-i-pass/using-i-pass-on-other-toll-systems ), EZ Pass and IPASS are supposed to be interchangeable.
    The others are correct, there are NO good ways through Chicago.  If I go this year (which is doubtful) from Florida, I'll go the 50-60 extra miles to take I-74 in Indianapolis across to I-39 in Illinois and up the west side.  Where I lived in Illinois, I-55 to I-39 was the most direct route.  Coming from upstate New York, I don't think you have any good options. If the ferry at I-96 is running, I'd seriously consider it.  Otherwise, I'd probably fight my way I-94 to I-80, to I-355, then up and around to I-88 and take it over to I-39, up to Madison, then 151 from Madison to Oshkosh.  The last few miles are two lane, but I've never had any issues on it, even pulling my 35ft 5th wheel camper.  That adds about 70 miles, but unless it is Sunday, it probably saves 4 hours and 2 or 3 years of life expectancy from stress.  In Chicago, anything that has 90 or 94 in it should be avoided unless it is Sunday, without a Bears, Cubs,  or White Sox game.  I-80 and I-355 are the most 'outside' loops, and aren't too bad except at rush hour.  Oh, and don't show any fear.  Chicago drivers are like sharks, they smell fear, and little blood in the water will drive them into a frenzy!
     
    • 0


  7. marksires added a post in a topic Teenie Two prep for a 2100 nautical mile cross country   

    Checking reality is always a good thing.  It would really s*ck to get halfway there and be REALLY sick of the trip, knowing you still have half to go, and the whole thing again to get back.
    Heck, I'm not sure I'd take that trip in my Cherokee 235.  It doesn't have A/C, but I could get up to cool air pretty quick, and at 130kts, get there faster too.  Plus I could haul whatever I want, 1433lb useful load comes in handy! However, 6 hours of gas, with a 2 hour bladder isn't always useful
    Mark
    • 1


  8. marksires added a post in a topic Time to blow this joint   

    I arrived in LA yesterday - I thought you were here!  109 today in Burbank.
    Mark
     
    • 0


  9. marksires added a post in a topic Moment on prop   

    Here is a chart I found online when I was looking for the same information:
     
     
    proptorquechart.pdf
    • 0


  10. marksires added a topic in For Sale and wanted, you got it, I want it   

    Here you go Ed, right in your neighborhood
    http://loz.craigslist.org/for/5634743462.html
     
    Oh wait, it has a two stroke Rotax, never mind!
     
    • 5 replies
    • 891 views


  11. marksires added a post in a topic From New Jersey to Utah trip in my Teenie Two   

    If you go through St. Louis, about 70 miles before you get there is Jacksonville, IL  KIJX is the airport.  They have crew cars, and a gas station in town (Steve's) that has ethanol free gas.  About 3-4 miles from the airport to the station.  I used to be based there until I got smart and moved to Florida.  I bet they'll even scrounge up a gas can you can borrow.  If Jack or Todd are at the airport, I know they will.
    Old picture on google maps, so the prices are not current, but 'special' on the sign is ethanol free
    https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x87dfebfa01ea70bb:0xbeb763608d66eba!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i100!3m1!7e115!4s/maps/place/Steve's%2Bgas%2Bstation%2BJacksonville,%2BIL/@39.7235639,-90.2292031,3a,75y,259.81h,90t/data%3D*213m4*211e1*213m2*211sRaj0FUgrkgce-4KCFgmtRw*212e0*214m2*213m1*211s0x0:0xbeb763608d66eba!5sSteve%27s+gas+station+Jacksonville,+IL+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e2!2sRaj0FUgrkgce-4KCFgmtRw&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjD0reX26fNAhUM74MKHT0JAkUQpx8IZDAK
    Mark
     
    • 0


  12. marksires added a post in a topic From New Jersey to Utah trip in my Teenie Two   

    I forgot to add - I doubt that Florida is on you path, but you'd be welcome if it was!  BTW - you do have a handheld radio to use, right?
    Mark
     
    • 1


  13. marksires added a post in a topic From New Jersey to Utah trip in my Teenie Two   

    My longest adventure was in a Cessna 180 on straight floats from Tavares, FL to Lake of the Ozarks, MO (look up Coconuts Caribbean Beach Bar and Grill, Gravois Mills, MO). I was flying, the owner was in the right seat, and we had all the owners 'stuff', 4 full gas cans, and one very unhappy cat in the back.  It was about 1000nm overall, with 3 fuel stops along the way, but only 1 was a Seaplane base.  2 were done using the cans at lakes - the seaplane base was in the middle, so we filled up the airplane and the cans there (Guntersville, AL if anybody is interested).  Flying along at about 100kts, mostly at 1000ft AGL was quite an experience. They were repositioning the plane to their summer base, and I got to do the flying for basically paying for the gas.  Given the cost of float plane time in Florida, it was a heck of deal, and a great adventure.
    The same owner is currently flying a 206 on floats (amphibs this time) from Alaska to Tavares.  He advertised for basically the same deal (a lot more expensive obviously), but my schedule didn't allow the time this year - that would have been a real adventure!
    Mark
    • 1


  14. marksires added a post in a topic I did it by myself! (Bungees)   

    Good job!  I'm glad I paid an A&P to change mine after I bought it!  That just looks like work, which is a 4 letter word that usually leads to a lot of other 4 letter words.
    Mark
     
    • 2


  15. marksires added a post in a topic Found my next plane...On Craigslist!   

    I'm pretty sure they accomplished all the did by using all the bureaucrats they could find as fill material on their first project.......
    Mark
     
    • 0


  16. marksires added a post in a topic Now this is a shop!   

    Just south of Dulles Airport in Washington DC.  They have an observation tower so you can watch the airliners landing at Dulles, with the ATC radio piped in.
    More information here:
    http://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center/
    Admission is free, parking is $15 - pretty darn good deal.  I got there 10 minutes after they opened, and stayed until 10 minutes before the closed.  I did not get bored (feet were a little sore though!)
    Mark
     
    • 1


  17. marksires added a post in a topic Now this is a shop!   

    Yes it is, well, half of the part you can see.  The plain is 'Flak Bait', a B26 that saw a lot of combat in WWII, and still came back, a very rare thing.  They also had the Horten flying wing (German) in the shop restoring, and a Sikorsky flying boat that is the only airplane that was at Pearl Harbor during the attack that has survived to this day.
    Some days the shop is open and they do tours, I could have spent the whole day just doing that.  One thing I really liked is they don't try to restore the aircraft to 'factory new' condition.  Their main goal is to stabilize them so no additional deterioration occurs.  The space shuttle tiles are all scorched and worn, the UH-1 helicopter has bullet hole patches all over it, etc. They also have the entire spectrum of airplanes - from the early death trap spruce and linen planes to the more recent death trap hang gliders...   Several WWI, WWII, and Vietnam era military planes, the Concord, Bob Hoover's Shrike (the best pilot that has ever lived), J-3 cub, Lear jet, and on and on. 
    Mark
     
    • 2


  18. marksires added a post in a topic Pretty terrible day in Aviation!   

    Maybe, but I know some friends crazy ex's wouldn't know which plane was which, so they'd get them all to be sure.  In their mind all pilots are *ssholes anyway (in their opinion, because their ex was), and deserved it.  Never underestimate the evil of a woman who feels scorned!
     
    • 1


  19. marksires added a post in a topic Pretty terrible day in Aviation!   

    Or their wife...., or a Pilot's ex-wife.... (akflyer might know some suspects)
    • 1


  20. marksires added a post in a topic Fiberglass Methods   

    Looks good to me, I only see a couple of air bubbles.  I was going to suggest this kit:
    http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/practicekit.php?clickkey=339852
    but it looks like you have a handle on it.
     
    Mark
     
    • 0


  21. marksires added a post in a topic Fiberglass Methods   

    All good advice Ed.  The cutting and grinding isn't so bad - if you need to trim it, do it before it fully cures - when it will hold shape, but is still plastic, like stiff putty.  If you are picky about your finish, you can plan to spend most of the rest of your natural life sanding.  And if you weren't eligible for the northern regions of the afterlife, plan on spending eternity doing it also   You'll want some microballoons to mix some micro to fill with.  Bondo is way too heavy, and will peel off after a while.  You mix the micro balloons into epoxy until it is about the consistency of peanut butter.
    Oh - and don't mix too much epoxy at once.  An exotherm will get your attention real quick!
    Mark
     
    • 0


  22. marksires added a post in a topic Fiberglass Methods   

    You won't get much strength with the woven mat.  It's possible that the sizing on the mat may not be compatible with epoxy, but I doubt it.  BID isn't terribly expensive, and would be better for making a new cowl.  If you are just doing one of the 'bubbles' to get around a muffler or intake, the mat would work fine.  If you are extending the cowl such that the new part will be taking some of the load of keeping the cowling in place, I wouldn't use mat.
     
    Mark
     
    • 0


  23. marksires added a post in a topic Motorcycle Education   

    Per Wikipedia:
    The concept was patented in 1896 by engineer Karl Benz, who called it the "contra engine."[1][2]
    • 0


  24. marksires added a post in a topic A&P is not a lawnmower mechanic!   

    You must be talking about their weed wackers, and worse, the blowers.  They don't use those d*mn things in cemeteries because they'd wake up all the residents......
    I don't know of any 2 cycle lawn mowers.  There was one manufacturer of a 2 cycle push mower - green, was very popular with lawn services because they didn't need oil changes, had a cast aluminum deck and lasted forever.  The newer EPA regulations killed them.
    Mark
    Edit - Lawn Boy - darn I can't remember anything now that I can always look it up on Google!
     
    • 1


  25. marksires added a post in a topic Canadian Ultralight Eh   

    My favorite is the guy obliviously mowing the grass.
    • 0