dust

hi jack, hey I'm working on the hinge brackets and am not quite the metal worker you are, my metal worker is on strike, and I have yet another stupid question. for me, cutting out that shape 56 times seems dificult, but if i make a minor change it becomes much simpler. I would like to ignore the bottom 30 degree angle so that i don't have an "inside" cut(I worried about making this cut 116 times and not stopping perfect and having a weak spot because of a minor overcut). This would short each side by a triangle that is approx 1/2" x 1/4" x c" squared(too lazy to measure or compute) the plan doesn't show length but it appears to be 1/2"x1"x1/2"(total 2") looking from above could I change the 1/2" to 5/8" to make up for that pesky little triangle's strength?

understand - people don't build planes for a variety of reasons, one of them is because of fear of not knowing what they are doing. I wrote my reply 1/2 serious and 1/2 tounge and cheek. The point that we builders and the flyers need to emphasize is that plane building is not that dificult, it just takes a little bit of time. That doesn't mean you won't make mistakes along the way. But when we make a mistake it is clear and you won't end up with a bad part because you didn't realize it was bad. For example, we have just made 4 wings and as you know the trailing edge wing root layup is a bear. It is the only part we have made that consistantly has bubbles in it. But, as you also know, spotting bad layups is easy, they look airy and the tap test reveals them quickly. The repair is one of the reasons that foam/fiberglass is so much fun to work with, easy, sand/cut and feather bad area. Layup patch with at least 1" overlap, u bee done. So when someone implies that something is hard for a first time builder to do well or safely, I'll jump in with both feet. Mike

I want you to know, I TAKE PERSONAL OFFENCE TO YOUR REQUEST! It's an additude like this that makes airplane building look far more forboding than it is. I'll put my wings up against any "professionally" made wings, they are strong and well made. I bet almost, and I don't like to use that word but almost nothing can be everything, all of the wings are that good! By the time you get around to wing and spar building you know how to do it, the plans are an educational experience. The wings and spar are not particularly dificult, just moderatly time consuming. Have you gone to the FAA and read accident reports that say "oh well another cozy fell out of the sky because of poorly made wings!!!!!!!!!!!!" or "another spar fell apart on a long ez, when will builders learn that this is too hard to do correctly." The plane is not "hard" to build, and the parts are easy to make correctly. They don't fall apart Mike

Although my friend absolutely hates fuel shutoff valves (never investigated a fire, but many crashes for lack of fuel flow on shutoff valves, the FAA requires them, will this setup pass?

Are you going to have a valve to to fuel flow off?

I think this post should be kept current so I'll do it - am starting my brackets tonight

Since I have plunked down my cash, I thought I would ask the question of bluemountain. The following is the question and reply, in my book the reply is fine and the fix honorable. We all have problems and to admit them AND fix them is the best way to be. I couldn't help but to notice this site, as we (Thane and I ) have sent a deposit in, is this a true representation of what was delivered? Mike, Much to our embarrassment, Gary's story is accurate. The first 10 or so machines we made were built like the prototype, and a few of them were not the best. We have contacted all the owners of the early machines (Gary included) and offered to replace them since they were built more like the hobby project that this was at the time instead of the professional avionics firm we have become. Gary has taken us up on the offer of a free replacement unit and we have replaced or are in the process of replacing all the other early, hobbyist-type equipment. We have a strong commitment to making the best equipment available, although this _was_ a hobby of mine only a year ago and some of the early stuff was more suited for tinkerers like myself than for pilots who just want to install and go. I'd put our new equipment up against anything made. Hope that answers! -Greg

Wellllllllll, u can teach an old dog new tricks - bought the stuff and will try it out this weekend on the rudders The stuff i bought was 3m foam adhesive

I emailed this link to blue mountain - as I sent dollars, it interests me greatly Mike

we always welcome visitors, I mean slave labor, and we are closer than you think m59 and 23. This sunday we start the verticle stabilizers, we build one day a week, normally saturday. Thier are three of us, often 4 and sometimes up to six. We love training new people and as we are so many, learning goes well. I would come over soon, as the chapters are moving by, Sloooooooooooooooooooowly but steadily. Mike

blades are never a problem for any saw, just go to a commercial supplier and they will happily cut and weld a blade to any length. All you have to know is the tooth design, number of teeth per inch and the size of blade you want. For wood and foam 4 to 6 teeth per inch hard tooth/soft back hook tooth shape For metal, bimetal and ask advice at shop for number of teeth. Just take blade to shop and they will measure it for you I just bought a 143 1/2 inch 6tpi hook hard tooth/soft back 3/8's inch blade for 15.00 I use this blade for 1/8" to ten inch thick cuts in wood. For fiberglass/foam it will trash your blade FAST. it takes the set (spelled grind) right off the blade and it won't work for wood anymore, just keep it and use that blade for foam or fiberglass. Don't trash a bimetal blade on fiberglass, trash the cheeper blade mike

Well we are now done with the wing building stuff and for that matter all of the stuff needed through chap 19. All bulkhead templets - allows for oversize construction and quick trimming to exact size. We have rotisserie - great for fuselage until nose is attached. Allows rotating and locking into position at any point from right side up to upside down and anywhere in between. Canard cutting templates Wing cutting templets Wing assembly jig with 12 foot spacers, really makes wing positioning and leveling easy. Main spar jig, because of my furniture hobby, way overbuilt, and worth every minute I spent on it Located north of detroit. Please only active builders - no sense letting them just collect dust in someone's garage without use.

great idea - will look into soon

well, all added up yesterday was the end of the spars, 16 spar caps - done, 8 for wings, 4 for main spars and 4 for canards. One more cover layup and on to the verticle stabilizers/rudders. What do ya think, two at a time - 4 days/weeks each?? Mike

Yes, fumes, cancer, don't burn any of the foams except styrofoam. The sticks work well - use plenty of micro and it is a non issure - the sticks are not where you cut em and after you cut them nice and perfect then you cut the the leading edge off and then you glue the odd shapes of core back together, leaving you with fronts and rears for installing the sheer web. I know this process quite well as i have been doing it for 27 weeks with just two weeks to go. One more spar cap and one more cover and 4 wings done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once the cores are cut, then it is a seven step process - 4x7=28 and on the first one we didn't realize (read as did not read next sentence in plans) we could attach the leading edge after the sheer web was installed, hence the 29 (27+2) In three weeks we start the verticle stabilizers. Mike

deposit sent and as a note - we as the largest manufacturer of airplanes in the world, have to support new technology, especially at this price! If we pick the right technology and buy it, it will become and stay real. We need to group together financially as a large group and we can have new instruments at a reasonable price and new engines, etc More on this later, just got home from a 2 week visit with my 2 week old grand daughter Mike

It's on the can! But gallon size container don't save you, must be in large container.

everyone that is past chapter 4 is now rolling on the floor laughing, 4 - hard - no way it is simple, just some flat layups, no big deal, can do it in my sleep, well chapter 4 is the scarriest/mentally hardest chapter of them all. Your doing things that you have never done and the mental push to start with these strange materials is immense, why else do so many take the longest time (in many cases years) on chapter 3? Some tips smooth foam doesn't take much micro, slop it on, squeege it off. Coarse foam takes allot more. Add lots of epoxy on the lower layers,pour it on - squeege it around, on the top layer don't add any at all and soak up the extra. Don't move glass with one hand - always takes two to keep fibers straight. Adjust glass in small increments for fiber straightness, if you try to move it two inches at once it will be a mess. Get the epoxy in thin film quickly, sets allot slower that way. Mix and pour Wax bench with johnsons or some other paste wax that has no silicones, makes bench easy to scrape off. Remember when gluing foam together, make sure the joint is as strong as the foam (almost impossible to screw up) move fast - five minuite epoxy is quick stuff. Remember, you are building an airplane NOT a spaceship and thousands of untrained plane builders have done this before you. Mike

just a short note on the wing building forms. These forms get pretty heavy use over the building of two wings, for me, and have to be assembled in a variety of ways and releveled and bondoed in place many times. When I looked at this I decided to make a minor change. I made 4 - 3" x 3" tongue and grooved 12 foot long birch plywood tees and increased the reverse template size by 2" per side and bottom. I then cut notches into both the tees and the templates so that they snap together. (a double lap joint) A couple of screws countersunk at each juncture hold it all tight. One of the tees was cut down to an 8 foot section and a 4 foot section with lower notches on the inboard root template and the next template. Each time we have to reconfigure, it takes less than two minutes and the entire assembly is level and straight in all directions. In the upright floor position we have two tees on the bottom and a long one on one side and a long and short one on the other side. On the bench we remove the top and a side and have an additional set of notches on the now bottom of the jig and use it. When we flip the wing we just do it in reverse. When on the bench only 3 tees are used, except when leveling and flipping. The tees are very accurate as I can cut very straight pieces on the table saw and when you take two very straight pieces and join them with a tongue and groove at a right angle, you get a darn straight tee, especially when it is supported in the jig. Each 12' tee is made with an 8 foot piece and then a 4 foot piece with a groove and then a 4 foot and an 8 foot piece with a tongue, no need to form a joint at the ends, when the tongue is glued the edged can be just butt glued and lined up. Does this make any sense, it is very simple, made complicated by the writing, thank you Nat for writing plans that don't read this way. (I guess illustrations and pictures help too)

well, for all of you that are near Toronto, that is the point of import of mgs and they will sell it to you at a healthy discount, if you pick it up AND buy the resin in 5 gallon containers. The name is on every container you have. You have to stay 4 days for customs waiver on 400 dollars and you have to pay sales tax, which you can get back at the border. I have done it twice now, once when a friend was going to toronto and now one of my partners is going. With freight and hazmet etc, it's better than 30% off

jack - the drawing appears to have a "flat" at the bottom/back of the ramp of the bracket. Is it there? this seems to make it harder to make ( I have to make enough for two planes, I think that amounts to 48, and the flat at the back seems daunting. On the other hand if just ends up being a ramped all the way without a ramp, it doesn't appear to be very dificult. Tanks Mike

One thing to remember in building this plane is it is strong, I don't mean just strong I mean STRONG. Every part of the plane ends up being part it's structure. The front seatback is not just a seat back it is a massive bulkhead, the heat duct is not just a heat duct, it is a u channel that adds stifness. It is so strong that one builder, the third in a seriers of builders on a single plane, assumed that the plane that he took over was built correctly, one part wasn't. A very simple item that is clearly marked in tha plans was overlooked by a previous builder in the chain of builders. He probably didn't overlook it, he probably thought he would just do it later, not a good idea in plane building. He did not check the balance of the elevators. Now this is very easy to do, I have done it 4 times as I am building two planes, it was just overlooked. The canard went into full flutter at high speed. Well the pilot pulled the throttle and the stick as the canard was oscilating through a 1 foot arc at the tips in a blur. THE PLANE RECOVERED! Not only that but it didn't damage a thing. A short call to nat puffer, he diagnosed the problem, the fix was easy and the plane and the pilot are flying today. Quality is very easy to determine, the glass is white on the roll, when properly wet out it is clear everywhere and the appropiate amount of epoxy is when you drag a squeegy across the part and no line of epoxy appears when you lift up the squeegy. The plans are organized as a learning tool. Each chapter intruduces you to new and slightly more complex procedures. No extra layups are needed anywhere on the plane and no layups can be ommited, you just follow the plans, it's all there, they even tell you when to go pee, as you will be too busy for a coupla hours so you better do as told. Enjoy and stop by for a day of free instruction, spelled slave wages. Mike

I'm in michigan and will probably remove during the slush months of the year

There will be NO vacuum driven items on my airplane, or ventury tubes sticking out in the air! This is 2003, Vacuums suck

we have a dremel with a pointed drill tip, hard to explain the shape, like a curved letter V that we lightly clean up the area with, don't spend allot of time on it, no foam left and no shiny glass or micro, but basically no glass removed, light touch. Little bit of micro is no problemo, just not chunks. I'm sure it's more than fine, Mike Hope this helps