Kent's Long-EZ project

[Voidhawk9]

I'm no prop expert, but I'd have concerns about what I cannot see. It's going to be spinning at 2700RPM or so, there's lots of forces. If it were my airplane.. do I want to have that lingering concern always in the back of my mind?

I'd always go for skinned prop too, whether that be glass or whatever.

[Kent Ashton]

Here's how I have made fuel sight gauges (not "site" gauges, for goodness sake!).  The bubble is PETG and the backing plate is Lexan [polycarbonate] from a sign shop.  Ask for scraps.   The forms are made from 3/4" plywood and a 3/4" dowel.  Aluminum tape is used to give a smooth bubble.  I used some cloth as shown but it left an imprint. The imprint did not hurt but a felt cloth would likely be better.  Heat your oven on BAKE to 280-320F and heat up the PETG on a clean cookie sheet.  Keep checking a corner to see when it gets flexible.  If you get it too hot it will form bubbles and be unusable.  When flexible, whip it off the cookie sheet with pliers, flop it on the male form, apply the female form and stand on them for 30 secs or so.  Make a float out of the dense urethane used to mount the aileron brackets or some sort of urethane.  

You can buy them from Vance Atkinson of slightly higher quality but what fun is that?  Here is a pic installed in my EZ project.

To mount them, roughen all surfaces.   Mount the white backing plate to the inside fuselage with wet flox.  After cure, drill holes top and bottom into the tank.  The bottom holes are drilled so they are near the bottom of the tank surface and the bottom of the gauge bubble but not so low as to be covered by the wet flox that is used next to hold the bubble.   Use a bit or grease to hold the float in the middle of the bubble and a small bit of grease in the lower hole to prevent flox from blocking it.  Now mount the bubble with wet flox.  It should squeeze out but not cover the lower hole.  If it does, just remove the bubble and do-over.  After cure, tape over the bubble for protection and apply 2 BID around the edges.

[Kent Ashton]

Sad to see that CanardCommunity.com has disappeared from the web (pic).  This follows CanardAviation.com a few years ago.  Both were good resources for researching canard questions.  I guess this one will disappear one day but fear not, faithful fans, "Kent's Long-ez project" is archived at the Wayback Machine for eternity or until the big Russian microwave pulse zeros-out all the bits and bytes   🙂 .   https://web.archive.org/web/20211019173724/https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/18661-kents-long-ez-project/   

 

[jridge]

Yes.  It's too bad someone couldn't archive all that information before it disappeared.

Who runs this forum and pays for it?

 

Jeff

[Voidhawk9]

8 minutes ago, jridge said:

Who runs this forum and pays for it?

Jon Matcho

I'm not sure of the site costs and so on, but there is a store link at the top of the page, it has some resources you can buy, or just fund a coffee in appreciation!

 

[Barry]

9 minutes ago, Voidhawk9 said:

Jon Matcho

I'm not sure of the site costs and so on, but there is a store link at the top of the page, it has some resources you can buy, or just fund a coffee in appreciation!

 

I never even noticed. Just bought 5 cups  Hope it helps.

Thanks for the tip Cameron.

[fshort]

 

Hi Kent:

I was just idlely scrolling thru this thread and saw the Zerk fitting you installed in the MKNG-6. I wondered how to lube that in service...

Did you just drill thru to the space between the races, tap it? It looks like the NLG is retracted, so you lube it w/ the gear down?

Thanks for the tip!

Regards,

James

 

 

 

[Kent Ashton]

1 hour ago, fshort said:

I was just idlely scrolling thru this thread and saw the Zerk fitting you installed in the MKNG-6. I wondered how to lube that in service...

Did you just drill thru to the space between the races, tap it? It looks like the NLG is retracted, so you lube it w/ the gear down?

I drilled and tapped it with the gear off the strut.  I think it was an NPT (tapered) thread.  You can lube it with the gear down.  It does not take much grease.

BTW, I am not using that microswitch setup.  Had a better idea.  🙂

  

Edited August 13, 2022 by Kent Ashton

[fshort]

 

 

 

Hi Kent:

Good tip!

 

Now, for something completely different:

 I just bought this true ASI from a Piper on eBay:

 

All the varied plumbing types just kills me!

How could this not leak?

[Anthony P]

There is always plenty of atmosphere to replace the leaked air.

I wonder how much pressure drop before the gauge would be required to create one heck of a leak and noticeable gauge error?

[Kent Ashton]

Fshort said "How could this not leak?"

What a mess!  But it reminds me of a tip I saw to use spring-style hose clamps on the rubber oil drain-back tubes on a Lycoming.  The spring-clamps will maintain tension as the tubes heat-cycle.  I am planning to do that next time I do some cylinder work.  Just bought a tool for them:

[mquinn6]

I understand the theory of spring tension heat cycle maintaining - but I have never had much luck with those clamps (must be correctly matched to the OD of the tube - and correct squish (which is different for different thickness of hose)... ).  I know we are talking about near zero pressure...  I have seen hose clamps with built in springs to do this - but I found them to be kinda gimmicky....  check this out 

 

 

 

[Kent Ashton]

3 hours ago, mquinn6 said:

I understand the theory of spring tension heat cycle maintaining - but I have never had much luck with those clamps (must be correctly matched to the OD of the tube - and correct squish (which is different for different thickness of hose)... ).  I know we are talking about near zero pressure...  I have seen hose clamps with built in springs to do this - but I found them to be kinda gimmicky....  check this out

The spring clamps seem to work well on my Subaru.  I was thinking I would go to my local Pull-A-Part and collect some.  McMaster sells them    https://www.mcmaster.com/spring-clamps/constant-tension-spring-band-clamps-for-firm-hose-and-tube/

With the standard hose clamps, it is easy to get them too tight and cut the rubber or too loose and they leak.  Anyway I will give them a try.

-----------------

Tip:  don't throw away old cylinders.  They are good for making cylinder torque plates for when you want to remove a couple cylinders or more to work on them.  Mike Busch talks about being very careful not to change the torque on the cylinder hold-down bolt if you want to avoid shifting the main bearings or cam.  This guy in Seattle has old cylinders for $20 but is is probably too expensive to ship them to N.C.  https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/avo/d/seattle-used-aircraft-cylinders/7514291987.html    However if some local builder wants to pay half the shipping (hint, hint) maybe I will order a couple and cut them up.

[Kent Ashton]

Seen the movie "The High and the MIghty"?  What a great aviation flick, availabe on Youtube.  I get choked up every time John Wayne nurses that DC-4 into San Francisco.

[mquinn6]

I see your point about the spring clamps - however pulling them from the parts yard does not ensure you have the correct size - and you _could_ land up in the same boat of having too big of a clamp (making a loose connection) - or too tight of a clamp (and cutting into and compromising the rubber).  As I said - concept is sound, how to properly size is my concern - different diameters and wall thicknesses of the rubber all play a part in this - will research this a bit more and see what I can find. (first pass https://hpsperformanceproducts.com/blogs/how-to-diy/tech-tip-how-to-measure-a-hose-clamp)

Edited August 15, 2022 by mquinn6

[Kent Ashton]

A friend got me some discarded cylinders to make torque plates.  This one (pic) was pretty dramatic.  Another cylinder had a red mark inside around the spark plug hole as if a dye-penetrant had shown a crack but I could not see one there.  It was quick work to cut the bases off versus the day-and-a-half it took me to make a torque plate from scratch.  They are about $37-$49.  If you have not read Mike Busch's cautions about cylinder work, look them up on Youtube.  Torque plates keep the bearings from shifting when cylinders are removed.

Did you know that in a Lycoming cylinder heads are screwed onto the barrels?  That is right where the crack is--the top of the barrel. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Kent Ashton

[Kent Ashton]

Saw this pic of a battery mount on the centerspar.  Imagine what could happen if this airplane runs off into a ditch or some other sudden stoppage.  Heads up!

[fshort]

Hi all:

Yes, I bought parts from a airplane that crashed - battery on CSS hit pilot on his head & killed him. Batteries, fire bottles, crash axes(!) really need to be mounted down low & well secured.

Think about the KE of a 5 lbs battery at 10 Gs.

Regards,

James

[Kent Ashton]

SPARKPLUGS - I have not had a spark plug blow out but others have.  A recent post on the Cozy list described an 18 mm adapter + 14 mm auto plug blew out of an IO-360--top one in pic1.  His other adapter had cracked threads.  I have used adapters with 14mm plugs as well as 18mm Autolite 386 plugs and 18mm Bosch M8ACO.  Never had any problem with any of them but the adapters are a bit fiddly and I can't tell any performance difference between the 14mm and the 18mm.  Using 386s at the moment.  It seems that the 18mm was mostly developed for tractors.  They are cheap enough that you can toss them every year or so.

I looked at some scrap cylinders I have as well as a new Superior Millenium and they all have very few threads in the sparkplug holes--about 5 threads (pic 2).  An 18mm Autolite 386 has a 1/2" reach and it only has about 5 threads too so I suppose it is a good match (pic 3).   An aircraft plug has about 6 threads with the copper washer used (pic 4, an REM38, electrode removed). 

None of them stick very far into the cylinder (pic 5).  You can buy Autolite 388s with a 9/16" reach but they do not seem necessary.

Lightspeed says torque the insert to 25 ft-lbs and the 14mm plugs to 15 ftl-bs,  Lycoming torques 18mm aircraft plugs to 35 ft-lbs.  I gather some brass inserts are of higher quality than others.  Don't know which, though.

With inserts or 18mm A/C plugs I keep a string of copper washers handy and anneal them after a couple uses.  Get them cherry-red and allow them to air cool which softens them.  Somewhere I read to use copper anti-seize on sparkplugs and don't get the anti-seize on the business-end of the plug.

I do not know if heat-range is very critical in these old low RPM, low compression engines.  If your plugs are fouling it can be lead, oil, or carbon.  Lead must be blasted off with a machine, carbon can be removed by a lean runup and running lean when able.  Oil, you can't do much about except refresh your cylinders.

Reasons why a plug might blow out?  I'm guessing old, beat-up inserts, improper torque or maybe an old copper washer which does not seal as well

[mquinn6]

I know I have seen 14mm spark plugs with longer threads (and one could use a longer adapter...)  - would think the shrouded electrode, abet safe to prevent from knocking into the piston head somehow, is not the optimum in flame front production!...

 

https://www.jbugs.com/product/W8CC.html?msclkid=b863784265b218220ad31b4777c62e8e

Edited August 23, 2022 by mquinn6

[Kent Ashton]

I saw an email response from Mike Busch today saying helicoil inserts that are 1/4" long are a problem and should be replaced.  Apparently, Lycoming makes special Helicoils and inserts them with an expensive kit but it is not hard to do.   See   https://www.aircraft-tool.com/shop/detail.aspx?id=4260-18     

      There was an old Service Instruction (I cannot find it in the current list) that discusses replacing spark plug helicoils.   See S.I. 1043a here    https://support.cessna.com/custsupt/contacts/pubs/ourpdf.pdf?as_id=50867  I don't find any curent S.I. on the subject.

     However, this current S.I. 1042AH discusses short and long reach plugs   https://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/SI1042AH Approved Spark Plugs.pdf   Also confirms to use copper anti-seize

[Kent Ashton]

Sad to read of the death of Cozy designer Nat Puffer at age 96.   https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000434649/      I have kicked around homebuilts long enough to hear many guys talk about ideas to design an airplane and market it but when you consider what it takes to develop those ideas, draw up the plans, build a prototype (twice!), revise plans, market the plans at airshows and devote  thousands of conversations to builders and potential builders , collect information and publish a newsletter . . . not many individuals have the follow-through to do all that.

I do not know what motivated Nat to do that.  Certainly he could have just built his own airplane and been quite happy with it but he chose to do more.  Maybe the income was decent.  800 plans-sets at $500--if that is how many he sold before selling out to Spruce--is a good motivator but perhaps he saw it as a legacy.

I'm only sorry Nat did not offer the design to a builder who was really interested in supporting it.  I wonder where we'd be today if we hadn't had the support of Marc Zeitlin.  In 100 years, will the Cozy Mk IV be a thing?   Folks are still building Long-EZs nearly 50 years after they debuted, so maybe.

[Barry]

On 8/23/2022 at 12:05 PM, Kent Ashton said:

SPARKPLUGS - I have not had a spark plug blow out but others have.  A recent post on the Cozy list described an 18 mm adapter + 14 mm auto plug blew out of an IO-360--top one in pic1.  His other adapter had cracked threads.  I have used adapters with 14mm plugs as well as 18mm Autolite 386 plugs and 18mm Bosch M8ACO.  Never had any problem with any of them but the adapters are a bit fiddly and I can't tell any performance difference between the 14mm and the 18mm.  Using 386s at the moment.  It seems that the 18mm was mostly developed for tractors.  They are cheap enough that you can toss them every year or so.

I looked at some scrap cylinders I have as well as a new Superior Millenium and they all have very few threads in the sparkplug holes--about 5 threads (pic 2).  An 18mm Autolite 386 has a 1/2" reach and it only has about 5 threads too so I suppose it is a good match (pic 3).   An aircraft plug has about 6 threads with the copper washer used (pic 4, an REM38, electrode removed). 

None of them stick very far into the cylinder (pic 5).  You can buy Autolite 388s with a 9/16" reach but they do not seem necessary.

Lightspeed says torque the insert to 25 ft-lbs and the 14mm plugs to 15 ftl-bs,  Lycoming torques 18mm aircraft plugs to 35 ft-lbs.  I gather some brass inserts are of higher quality than others.  Don't know which, though.

With inserts or 18mm A/C plugs I keep a string of copper washers handy and anneal them after a couple uses.  Get them cherry-red and allow them to air cool which softens them.  Somewhere I read to use copper anti-seize on sparkplugs and don't get the anti-seize on the business-end of the plug.

I do not know if heat-range is very critical in these old low RPM, low compression engines.  If your plugs are fouling it can be lead, oil, or carbon.  Lead must be blasted off with a machine, carbon can be removed by a lean runup and running lean when able.  Oil, you can't do much about except refresh your cylinders.

Reasons why a plug might blow out?  I'm guessing old, beat-up inserts, improper torque or maybe an old copper washer which does not seal as well

I have always used Champion spark plug anti seize for aircraft on my race car spark plugs with aluminum heads, and also on my street cars. I've never had a problem. My bottle of anti seize must be 25 years old now...

[mquinn6]

4 hours ago, Kent Ashton said:

Sad to read of the death of Cozy designer Nat Puffer at age 96.   https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000434649/      I have kicked around homebuilts long enough to hear many guys talk about ideas to design an airplane and market it but when you consider what it takes to develop those ideas, draw up the plans, build a prototype (twice!), revise plans, market the plans at airshows and devote  thousands of conversations to builders and potential builders , collect information and publish a newsletter . . . not many individuals have the follow-through to do all that.

I do not know what motivated Nat to do that.  Certainly he could have just built his own airplane and been quite happy with it but he chose to do more.  Maybe the income was decent.  800 plans-sets at $500--if that is how many he sold before selling out to Spruce--is a good motivator but perhaps he saw it as a legacy.

I'm only sorry Nat did not offer the design to a builder who was really interested in supporting it.  I wonder where we'd be today if we hadn't had the support of Marc Zeitlin.  In 100 years, will the Cozy Mk IV be a thing?   Folks are still building Long-EZs nearly 50 years after they debuted, so maybe.

It will happen to all of us - we never know when.  What we leave behind (nice airplanes - or teachings and seeds of curiosity) will be what will be around (and improved?)...

[Kent Ashton]

Valve spring compressors - I got ahold of a scrap cylinder with valves and thought I would take the valves out for grins.  It's good to tool-up for this job because if your engine develops "morning sickness" (sticking valve), you will need to drop the valve into the cylinder to perform the rope trick.  I saw this valve compressor at Spruce (pic 1) and tried to make on (pic 2).  A day's worth of fiddling later, it did not work because it does not compress the spring evenly (pic 3).  I have seen several homemade compressors similar to pics 4) that seemed to work but got tired of trying to fabricate tools  --continued

Edited August 31, 2022 by Kent Ashton