John Slade

Spent the morning arranging for the radio to go back to ICOM , trying to find a DAR that charges less than $1500 , lining up in the post office and dropping off my data plate for engraving. Later today I might get to start tuning the engine. and annoying the neighbors

No offense taken, I'm sure. Mike's just winding you up.

 

One comment I'd like to add, though...

In the first few chapters the plans say (cloth) peel ply this, and (cloth) peel ply that, etc, etc. After a while the author stops telling you every little detail for brevity and assuming that you've learned which technique to use when. Basically the plans say to (cloth) peel ply wherever a part will be bonded to another part, even if this isnt specifically mentioned in later chapters.

Here's my take on the use of clear plastic:

 

I've heard it called "poor man's vacuum bagging" because it gives many of the benefits of vacuum bagging without the hasstle or investment. I call it "clear plastic".

 

AFTER you've done the plans (cloth) peel ply in important bonding areas, use clear plastic on top of everything anywhere and everywhere you can. If a compound curve is making the plastic crease and/or bubble, cut the plastic and lay down multiple strips. Don't worry too much if the plastic coverage isnt "perfect". Accept the benefits where you can get them. WHen laying up BID strips, for example, I lay them up on plastic, cover with plastic, squeege and cut them up with scissors. Remove the plastic one side, brush epoxy onto the prepared bonding area then press in place. Then remove the other stip of plastic, stipple & add epoxy as needed, then add a new piece of plastic wider than the strip and squeege (or press with a mixing stick in tight areas).

 

IMHO there are only two post layup materials worth using. Cloth peel ply per plans and clear 4mil plastic. Forget the wax paper, butcher's paper and saran wrap.

 

Yes, I did do an experiment on my lower winglets. I think the weight saving was around 15% of layup weight (not including the core).

 

When using clear plastic be careful not to over-squeege and leave the layup dry. If you see white patches returning, lift the plastic, add epoxy, replace the plastic and squeege again while warming the layup with a hairdryer.

 

The reason some use peel ply everywhere is that later they can fill with no sanding, in other words, no cutting of fibers with sand paper that reduces strength.

This is true when using clear plastic also. I can't see the value in cloth peel ply everywhere. The cloth is pourous and hard to squeege so you can't do the hairdryer / squeege thing and compress the layup to remove excess epoxy and air like you can with clear plastic.

 

The clear plastic technique may not work well with the thicker epoxy brands. The epoxy has to flow under the plastic.

 

Does this help?

Responding to Jerry's question a little earlier in the thread...

 

Remove a strip of foam from the inside of the armrest parallel to the torque tube. Do a glass to glass bond in that area. Trim the armrest edges until it fits almost up to the torque tube. In the plans setup there's a gap of about an inch between the tube and the armrest skin. Steal that inch, plus maybe another 1/4 inch or so from the removed foam. You have a wider cockpit (but a narrow armrest). Does that help?

 

To Jim's concerns about front seat limits. I finished my CG calculations today. These are determined by forward CG limits. Even with the electric nose lift, the AC evaporator, heater core, and heavy ELT up front my front seat limit turns out to be just under 500 lb. Of course this will decrease if/when I lighten the cowl, or move the batteries, but with a 13B, radiator, oil coolers, fan, plenum, turbo etc. etc. in the back I dont think theres any need to worry about front seat limits, or any need (or perhaps advisability) to lengthen the canard. The bird will lift you're weight just fine. The way my W&B works out I need about 60lb of ballast to fly solo, but zero ballast to fly with a passenger. With 4 passengers (350 lb in back) I'm limited to half tanks. No big deal.

Another option you might consider is stealing an extra 3 inches of cabin width by removing the foam on the inside of the armrest and having the torque tube close to the outer armrest skin. Very easy to do, and I wish I'd done it.

Actually its the other way around. The stock turbo rotors are the ones with lower compression. I've spoken with a few rotary experts on this. They say that running the turbo with high compression (non turbo) rotors gets you more power with less boost. Apparantly this is common practice with the race guys. You have to be a bit more careful of overboosting to avoid detonation (hence my 6PSI pop off valve). One guy put it this way - you're getting you're power from the hardware (compression) rather than the software (boost).

Mine's a turbo with non turbo (high compression) rotors.

You can get an engine from either Aitkins, or my preference, Bruce Turrentine. I preferred to let an expert build it.

Chris

I WAS saving the multiple dancing bananas for the first flight announcement. Now I'll have to find something different.

 

Hmmm. An attorney with multiple dancing bananas? Now that's something you don't see very often.

 

PS - no work on the plane today.

Hi Mike,

Bulent Alieve is "larger than the average bear" also. I'm not sure of his height and weight, but he says he can't physically get in my stock Cozy IV because of his leg length. We'll see if that's true when he wants some Cozy time.

 

Buly shifted his seatback rearwards about 8 inches. This movement of the pilot (and passenger) moment toward the CG will increase his max front seat weight. His back seats are pretty short.

 

His web site is http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-MyPlane

Taxi test number 3 was performed today. I have a witness. CNCDOC was there to make sure I haven't been making all this up.

 

The test went fairly well. She got her first "sniff" of the runway from a taxiway intersection. At first I was measuring engine time on the hobbs in minutes - almost up to an hour now. Now I can measure distance travelled and speed. Today we did around a mile and got up to - maybe - 25 mph!

 

I fixed a few things, and found a few more minor snags. Details at the end of http://kgarden.com/cozy/chap27.htm

OK, totally off subject, but since we're talking tech support, let me tell you about the teacher (a family friend) who bought a new Apple II. Seems she got the last one off the production line and she couldn't find software to run on it, because no-one was designing for the Apple II any more.

 

She called Apple and explained her problem. The answer she got [i swear]

 

"you're a teacher. Think of this as a learning experience".

 

Live Chicken???

How do you fiberglass a live chicken?

Wouldn't that be cruel?

 

 

By the way, I haven't tried the inner tube technique, but the perfect fiberglass pipe Richard handed around was the shape of DNA

Speaking of landings, the Pilot Manual says "make a complete flare" I've never heard that description before. What do you think the author means by that?

 

PS - Thanks for the video, Norm

The radio did work as installed, then suddenly it started blowing the fuse when I turn it on. I hope to find out why tomorrow. I have a nasty feeling it'll have to go back to ICOM.

 

Yes, Joe. All future taxi tests, and the first flight, will be done outside in the open air.

Joe,

The idea of the "count down" was to give you a taste

You want the whole meal, you have to cook for yourself.

Besides, I wouldn't want to keep anyone from building by giving them to much to read.

 

Seriously, though - you DO have good timing. I just added a small paragraph about the spinner to the bottom of http://kgarden.com/cozy/chap27.htm

 

Oh - by the way - I didn't taxi through the hangar, just across the first 10 feet of it. I'm pleased to annouce, however, that I'm not the only one who makes mistakes. One builder recently admitted that the DAR found all the nuts missing on his control linkages during the inspection.

 

The throttle cable is now fixed. As soon as I get the spinner attached (tomorrow) I plan a second, or is it third, taxi test. My (new) com radio seems to be dead, so this may delay things a bit.

OK.

I like to "tell the story" rather than just "relay the facts" and tend to get a bit "verbose" so I'm keeping the updates in

http://www.kgarden.com/cozy/chap27.htm rather than filling up the database here with chatter.

 

Wanna read about the hangar owl and the first fright? Go to the end of the chapter.

How does building make you feel?

Remember Christmas when you were a small kid? Every day is just like that.

 

The UPS guy comes with packages of facinating airplane parts that you get to unwrap, toss aside, and dive for the next one. It's Christmas!

 

You did a layup last night and left it to cure. This morning you get to remove the plastic & peel ply and examine you're new airplane part - it's Christmas!

 

There is nothing quite so satisfying or rewarding as looking at the airplane every day as it grows and knowing that YOU made it. That's true of anything you build, but with an airplane there's a very important extra ingredient - it will go 200 + mph and you get to fly (and use) it at the end. Every stage has it's own thrill.

 

Sit in the completed tub on wheels. Wow! This is going to be my airplane!

 

Carve the nose. Enjoy the cool shape.

 

Cut the wing cores and lay them out on the bench. Look at the size of the wings!

 

Install the canopy. Revel in the curves.

 

Attach both wings to the spar. Take in the wingspan!

 

Start the engine. What a thrill!

 

Taxi the plane. Oh so cool!

 

Take off. I'll let you know.

 

Another aspect that's interesting. Friends & family hear you're building an airplane and look at you strangely. Then they see the fuselage tub, and they look at you even more strangely. On the next visit they see the wings, and start to wonder. A few months later the airplane is taking shape, and they're facinated. Gradually they build respect and admiration for you and what you're doing. You'll probably convince a few to start their own build.

 

Top ten reasons to build a plane:

 

10. It gives you something useful to do when the top ten list is on

9. Better than beer, and cheaper in the long run

8. It's a great way to keep the mother-in-law at bay

7. Gives you an excuse to make a huge mess ... for years

6. No-one can argue when you spend money for safety's sake

5. You learn to pick you're nose with you're elbows

4. You end up with the best toy a guy ever had

3. You get to meet some really interesting crazy people

2. Makes you happier than you've ever been

 

and, the number 1 reason for building an airplane.....

 

1. Flying you're own plane has a big advantage over sex. The less skill you have, the more exciting it gets.

John Slade's site (unless you object John!)

Not at all. Help yourself. Check the links. Some of them are a bit old. Let me know if any are broken.

 

You might also link to Chrissi & Randy's site - http://www.cozygirrrl.com

 

and Greg Richter

http://www.bluemountainavionics.com/greg/aircraft.html

there's no such thing as a pilot's "license" - it's a "certificate" :-).

 

Oh really?

I have one in my hand. Says "Private Pilot's License" right on the cover.

Joe,

I had a helluva time getting hold of Rick for a few weeks, then he was easy to get. Appararantly he travels a lot. I think his answer machine gets full or something. Keep trying the number in the Cozy newsletter.

 

The email I have is Cktman3@aol.com and I'm sending you his address via PM. Send him a check for a couple hundred. That should get his attention.

John

Oh Geese. Are we sure we want to get into this discussion?

 

As I understand it, and correct me if I'm wrong here somebody, a summary of the regulation is that you can fly planes of certain weight and speed in certain areas with less training (than required for a private license) and a drivers license for a medical certificate. I remember getting my private licence, and looking back its scary how much I DIDN'T KNOW at the time I ventured out with my "license to learn".

 

It's a busy sky and getting busier. A plane that's only 800 lb and can only go 150 mph, or whatever the limits are, is still a VERY dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. You should SEE some of the people down here who have driver's licenses.

 

We have already had too many accident and deaths at fly-ins because of the "bees nest" syndrome, pilot error under pressure because of high traffic etc. etc. What will it be like with "Sport" Pilots joining in? I don't think I want to find out.

 

I'd much prefer to see a more intelligent approach to aviation medicals than abolishing them (for this group). Cutting the training doesnt make sense to me. It does, however, make sense to EAA because it'll allow them to increase their membership to a large new group and collect vastly increase dues.

 

I think the Sport pilot will let a lot of people get in the air without sufficient training or qualifications.

 

But - that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Mike,

I've sent contact info via private email.

Call me when you know the date you want to come.

 

I'll take you for a ride around the airfield ....

(on the ground)

Yea, I'm here for a couple of minutes.

 

While the redrive was off I took the opportunity to revise the turbo piping which was touching the cowl on both sides. This meant moving the intercooler which is now interfering with the throttle cable, so I needed to remake the throttle cable bracket. I did, and the remake didnt work well so I have to take another shot at it. A long day of scratched hands and scrathched heads with no visible progress. Didn't even get close to putting the redrive back. I also have to do something with the ELT mount that is interferring slightly with the canard, then I'm going to drain the oil and water and redo the w&b. Before taxi testing comes EC2 programming. Oh - and it would be nice to have my radio and turn & slip working, and the vacuum guage is jiggling too much. The annunciator is flashing on & off when the engine's running, and my no-charge light is on, even though the voltmeter shows charge..... the list goes on and on.

 

There's a lot of little stuff to do yet, and I'm in no big rush, so don't hold you're breath.

Wanna take a 2 1/2 hour drive south?

Yep. I agree - join.

I don't agree with some of their directions (sport pilot, for example), and the fly ins are way too commercialized these days, but overall it's worth $50 to have them on you're side.