flywise
Contributing Member-
Content count
374 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by flywise
-
-
Hey Firefox, this fibreglass taiwheel spring was discussed in the thread below. I am really happy with my fibreglass spring. It's much lighter, does not rust (I fly in the water) and can handle my heavy tail when wings folded (240Lbs) plus is still springy enough when wings unfolded (102Lbs on the tail)
-
Hey, I found this petrel LS doing a glide/land without engine (great exercise)
You will notice, prop hardly moves..
-
On my 912 when I did switch off the engine to check out how it would glide, with a 2 blade warp drive the engine did not windmill. That was gliding at 65-75Mph. I did not try and dive to see if it would mill at higher speeds...
My 2cents
-
Even with the Zipper Kit and others there have been failures with the older engines. Hal of Zipper fame will not buy the older UL engines for up grade pre 2006 if I recall. I would give Ronnie Smith at Mississippi Light Aircraft a call they also sell a low compression upgrade kit he or his son will give you the actual serial number cutoff for the older engines. Maybe if you go the route that flywise suggests above it would be okay but why not pickup a good used ULS and go fly. All that said I do have my used Zipper kit that I will sell that I had on my early 90's UL for $2500 USD. It has about 200 hrs on it but I would have to look back at the logs for the actual number of hrs if anyone is interested. I lost confidence in the upgrade after a friends engine failed within fifty hour of installation ( Larry's old plane and engine that we upgraded after my friend bought it)
There is my nickel worth. I bought a new ULS after I lost confidence in the upgrading the old engines. If I had a later model UL I would still be flying the Zipper.
Hey Wypaul,
I do agree it would be much simpler / better to just buy a good used ULS....but for me after searching for 2 years I could not find a good ULS below 11'000USD and hence decided I'd try to get my old / low Hrs 80Hp up to spec. The mods I mentionned earlier cost me a total of 5200 USD which I could afford. In the end, If you have the cash get a ULS, if your half poor like me, maybe try and mod your 912 UL
1 person likes this -
Hey firefox, I went fron a 94' 80Hp ul to a 107Hp uls spec...
I chose to replace the 80hp cylinders and pistons with 100 Hp rotax pistons cylinders (uls spec) . In order to accomodate the higher stress on the crankcase I had the original case machined to have the through bolts mod installed to prevent case fretting. Also to use your 80Hp heads you need to machine them to fit the 100Hp rotax cylinders. I also have a high performance camshaft from edgeperformance/norway.
Here the coordinates of our canadian dealer...http://badasspowersports.com/badass-shop/performance-camshafts/
here the edgeperformance website https://www.edgeperformance.no
Last and not least, you have to change your ignition rotor /pick ups to the different 100Hp spec..+ you need the stronger starter motor..
1 person likes this -
Just a silly question here...maybe your pilot has big thighs, in that case, it is possible to have aileron movement restriction to the left (stick butting against leg).
Just thinking outside the box.
L.W.
-
Hey Guys,
I found this 24 yr old magazine article about the Catalina you might like to read.
Enjoy & happy flying
1 person likes this -
Those are also an option, and maybe a better one, Since we do get a bullet hole thru the plane on occasion around here, sitting on a gas tank might not be too smart. I took one thru the challenger a couple years back. Went thru the prop and aileron missing the engine by about a foot. Mountain flying is exciting, more ways than one!
I find this totally unacceptable, sick. It saddens me to know that some play with other's life like that.
-
Hey Mark,
I highly recommend you not to fly until you find the issue(s). We need more info to help figure out what could be going on. Have you checked that the bottom of your seat is not interfering with your elevator control tube. Also your rudder cables pass through guides along the structure, did you check if they're ok going from your pedals to the rudder horns?
Is your electric trim actually working/moving? indicator correct?
Just a few things you might look at...
-
Hi guys, we a flying club in Egypt, had built an unfinished AVID MK IV for some reason they did not finish the project like 15 years ago, the question is, currently we decided to rework and finish that aircraft but we have a few questions,
1- The one we have is a taildragger, can we convert it to nose wheel? if so what parts do we need?
2- The wings were buried in the sand of the desert for all that period, we winched them out so the main tube of one of the wings bent, the other wing strut is bent, the question can we buy the main tube and the wing formers, because they are made of wood and of course they are with zero moisture now.
Thanks and regards
Why on earth would someone bury aircraft wings in the sand? Was the Avid outside long enough to be burried/ in the sun/ sand storms etc??
Just wondering...
-
Hey Guys,
latest update, the Kitfox is on its way to California. Passed customs as a project (no fees) no problem.
It is SOLD now
Happy flying..
2 people like this -
Hey Guys,
here the update about my "non-buyer" I met yesterday....To sum it up, after both of us drove many hours in bad weather, the buyer stopped at the usa customs to enquire about the procedure bringing in the Kitfox..well he got more than he bargained for, got spooked by the strict customs officer and didn't dare bring it through the us border. Both of us drove a long way home and the kitfox is still for sale.
PLEASE do your homework with the FAA and customs. I have gone the other way (USA-Canada) and found it easy to go through customs but I am not sure how to work the us government agencies (neither was my buyer)
Anyone interested, you will get copies of the US papers from the builder to the last person who owned it in the usa and you will get a bill of sale from me. The aircraft has been declared sold to canada and deregistered in 2013 from the FAA registery
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N569F
-
Hey guys,
I have someone picking up the kitfox tomorrow. If it doesn't happen I'll let you know.
Happy flying to all
1 person likes this -
I found a small nick on the tip of one blade of the prop (repairable), here the details also some more pictures. Also regarding the fabric, it was re covered sometimes after March 2000. I do have one paper about the wing being inspected prior to covering.
-
Flywise I've sent you an email last night.
Hey NWflyer,
I got a couple e mails but not one from you....must have been a late night
You can PM me or ask any question here
Laurent
-
Hey guys, you get the first ad for my Kitfox 2 I found in a garage a couple of months ago. Here the story:
Sometime in the 1990's it was imported from the USA into Canada. The aircraft was stripped from it's original fabric and re-covered /painted. All the windows are new also. Apparently it has flown 87Hrs (hobbs meter). The elderly owner died before he could finish it . I took it over so as to finish it and register it here in Canada....Unfortunately there is no Canadian paperwork with the aircraft (lost) and that means I have to take the fabric back off to have it inspected again besides some other papers they require I don't have to make it an amateur buit (experimental). My easiest would be to register it as an ultralight but in Canada you can't take a passenger
So I am trying to see with you guys if any one is interested to bring it back to the usa.
It is fitted with a GH 582 (dual spark), has a 3 bladed warp drive propeller, King com and transponder.
The gearbox is a "B" type (2,58), engine serial number is 3916346
To get it flying :
It is missing one Bing 54 carburettor and the exhaust header. Otherwise the wiring loom (aircraft grade) has to be re-installed, re-start the engine (or overhaul) and you're good to go
I can bring the Kitfox to the border (Vancouver-washington state). I live 2Hrs drive from Vancouver.
All yours for 7900 USD
-
Who makes and where do I buy one of those balancing rings? I've done everything I can and still have a few different RPMs where I have annoying but not serious vibrations or harmonics in my usable RPM range. Sounds like that ring is just the thing. Does it have mercury or something else around the perimeter that moves around to self balance the overall assembly?
I found the balancing ring here too...cheaper than others
https://www.aeroplans-blaus.com/en/balance-masters/334-balance-masters-helice-912.html
So what currency is that??
euro....about 110 usd
-
Who makes and where do I buy one of those balancing rings? I've done everything I can and still have a few different RPMs where I have annoying but not serious vibrations or harmonics in my usable RPM range. Sounds like that ring is just the thing. Does it have mercury or something else around the perimeter that moves around to self balance the overall assembly?
I found the balancing ring here too...cheaper than others
https://www.aeroplans-blaus.com/en/balance-masters/334-balance-masters-helice-912.html
-
I used the andair cleanable inline filter. Over time it's cheaper than single use versions. It filters 62 Microns with very little pressure drop (Rotax specs maximum 100 micron filter)
https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/eppages/pump05-12560.php
-
Hey Allen, good idea as long as you find/adapt a prop reduction gearbox. I am not sure what kind of cruise rpm and torque these outboards run....but for us flyers I understand that torque is paramount not necessarily Hp.
-
How can I contact Jim Chuk about a couple of things I need for my Avid ?? Thanks, Neil 419-551-1812
You can just click on his name and then directly send a private message from his personal info page.
-
I'm doing a full tear down on my plane and looking at anything and everything that can go away on the name of weight reduction (safely of course). What purpose do the stringers serve? Could some of them be eliminated?
Sorry if it's a dumb question but I have never heard the reasons for having the wood stringers.
If i were to guess I'd say these might be reasons:
1. Improve the aerodynamics of the fuselage
2. Possibly structurally reinforce some tubes against buckling.
3. Add some internal volume if a control line or something needs to be run outside the frame.
4. Keep fabric from flapping too much.
5. Cosmetic
Anyway if i can lose a few ounces or even a lb or 2 that'd be nice.
As I am weight mad myself I can just give you the different items I found I could loose a lot of weight. If I were you, I'd start with the heavy before the lighter stuff..
Here a few things I got a lot of weight saving (not exhaustive list):
1. replaced heavy mech altimeter and VSI with electronic altimeter LED display (also shows VSI/OAT)
2. removed tubes in tires...1.5Lbs saving and easier field repair if punctured / also removed brake rotors for lighter ones/drilled holes
3.installed lightweight 406 ELTfitted with lithium battery
4.installed lightweight fibreglass tailwheel spring & light matco wheel with air tire
5. installed newer lightweight VHF radio / garmin SL-40
6. installed lightweight shorei li-fe main battery
7. recovered seat foam with lightweight fabric
8. installed light & bright LED anti collision light
Also if you recover your plane, use Oratex covering...saves time and lots of weight
-
**RUMOR CONTROL**
Trent and Hals engines were **NOT** Edge Performance kits. They were/are both Zipper Kits designed and produced by Hal.
Trent's engine failed due to case fretting and closing of the main bearing clearance.
Hals engine failed at the wrist pin due to running in excess of 120 hp through a first generation STOCK 80 hp crank and rod assembly. The first gen cranks had inferior design bearings at the wrist and rod.
I have over 400 hours on my Zipper with no problems. I know of several with over 1000 hours on them now. This is Rotax engineers throwing the aftermarket under the bus.
Thank you Avr8r3400 for shedding light, my bad as I thought they had the edge performance kit fitted vs the zipper big bore. Also after some research it seems the big bore kit fitted to the accident aircraft is an old/outdated version. Edge performance have changed the shape of their pistons a few years ago..
There isn't anything "old" or "outdated" in the kits installed in either Trent's or Hal's engines. They are the same as the kit that I have as far as piston design is concerned.
What could be considered "sub-standard" would be the use of the older 80 hp crankshaft. The older crankshafts had a different design wrist pin and rod bushings from the newer engines which has proven to be a weak spot when "hot-rodding" the engine. Combine this with case fretting/main bearing problems and crank failures are the result.
Edge performance now makes/sources their own big bore kits, having started by buying kits from Hal. I do not argue that they offer very high quality parts and engine assemblies. Also important to note, they assemble all of their 912 engines from brand new, "in the crate" engines from Rotax. Most of Hal's kits are "budget projects", fitted to used, much older engines which may or may not have been treated the best throughout their lives.
**RUMOR CONTROL**
Trent and Hals engines were **NOT** Edge Performance kits. They were/are both Zipper Kits designed and produced by Hal.
Trent's engine failed due to case fretting and closing of the main bearing clearance.
Hals engine failed at the wrist pin due to running in excess of 120 hp through a first generation STOCK 80 hp crank and rod assembly. The first gen cranks had inferior design bearings at the wrist and rod.
I have over 400 hours on my Zipper with no problems. I know of several with over 1000 hours on them now. This is Rotax engineers throwing the aftermarket under the bus.
Thank you Avr8r3400 for shedding light, my bad as I thought they had the edge performance kit fitted vs the zipper big bore. Also after some research it seems the big bore kit fitted to the accident aircraft is an old/outdated version. Edge performance have changed the shape of their pistons a few years ago..
I agree with you when it comes to the very early rotax 912 ul 80Hp crankshaft wrist pin and rod bushings being weaker than the newer engines. In the accident aircraft however the engine was a 2010 rotax 912 ULS with 230Hrs TT, not an old 80Hp case/crankshaft. Also when I compare the zipper vs edge performance piston, they look very alike with a substantial part of the skirt missing to make them lighter. If I understand the report it seems that the minimizing of the piston skirt induces excessive side loads on the original rotax 912 uls con rods....
I did modify my old 80Hp 912 to the 912 uls specs but I used 100Hp rotax pistons (full circumferance piston skirts) and cylinders vs the edge or zipper kit with tiny skirts..
Maybe a badly synchonized engine for example exacerbates the side loads ......and most guys with the zipper / edge kit with well tuned engines will never have a rod failure...who knows.
Also from the report, the aircraft owner who installed the pistons did buy them used (10Hrs TT) from edge performance...who knows the story behind the first 10Hrs???
Below a picture of the zipper big bore piston with tiny skirt
1 person likes this -
Removed flaperon and pulled a wing today. Havent found anything bad yet. Planning on using the acrobat reinforcment plans for the hangers.
Why did you cut open the wing fabric? Was /is it bad? If it was to inspect the inside you don't normally open up the wing like that but istead you make access holes from underneath or get one of these 30$ tiny borecope cameras you hook up to your laptop. A pinhole is enough to inspect the inside as these cameras are tiny and include a bright LED light
Catalina Project
in Avid Catalina
Posted
HEY CHRIS,
YES MINE IS MODIFIED TO ELECTRIC..WORKS GREAT
My actuator is a SKF CAT R 33x15/C12c
see this website page https://www.skf.com/binary/tcm:12-243108/index.html