Kent Ashton

It turns out I am many years behind on wood prices.  Even Home Depot is selling two 6" maple boards for $97 (takes 6 boards to make my prop).  There is a dying Ash tree on my property, being killed by the emerald ash borer.  I wonder if chain-sawing a 6' length and carting it to a sawmill would be worthwhile?  Maybe I could just cut-out a prop-sized chunk.  Only one surface needs to be nice and clean, i.e., the surface that mounts against the prop flange.  'Course I would have to dry it for a year or more before I could use it.  No, I guess will just bite the bullet and buy some kiln-dried boards.

I like the multi-laminate Performance Props and have thought about buying a sheet of aviation-grade birch plywood and gluing-up pieces for a prop blank.  A 1/4"-thick sheet of the aviation-grade stuff has 12 plies.  The stuff at Home Depot, also birch, has three plies.  A 4" prop hub thickness would take 16 pieces of 1/4" plywood.  That is quite a lot of layers to apply glue to and clamp up.  I suppose a slow epoxy hardener would tolerate the time to wet-out and clamp but a 3-blade prop likely needs a 3-arm clamp.  I will stick to 2-blades for now.

Don Black's EZ reported sold on B-stormers.  Originally listed at $40K, reduced to 36K.  Sale price not stated.   https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/21972-sales-ive-seen/?do=findComment&comment=89695

I could not salvage my botched prop where the router bit cut too deeply after the bit got loose in the router.  It cut into the other side of the prop.  Dang!  I was also unhappy with the Cascamite urea formaldehyde glue I used.  I found it did not glue the boards together securely and pieces would separate at the glue line while cutting the blades.  As I said, Weldwood Plastic Resin glue which I used successfully before is no longer sold.  I might use Resorcinol the next time or epoxy.  $319 worth of firewood.  😞

4 hours ago, Pavel said:

From what I've been able to find on the internet, 3.5" clearance seems to be a reasonable starting point... 🤔

I can't swear to it but I don't think it matters much.  I would guess an 1" should be fine.  I think my Cozy is about an inch to 1.5".  Here are a few http://www.briansplane.com/2016/07/     https://www.longezpilot.com/N6PC page4.htm   http://www.freeflightcomposites.com/the-krossfire

It is helpful to go to Google Images for this kind of question or even better Google Verbatim then Images to see what others have done.    https://www.google.com/webhp?tbs=li:1    That's where I found these

4 hours ago, A Bruce Hughes said:

 I just weigh 160.   . . . I still have 4 lbs. lead in the extreme front.    Have an O320.  Would like to have a lighter battery but......   Get rid of the 3 blade and 6" extention for a 2 blade and 4" extention?

The passenger's compartment has a VERY heavy aluminum bar for the upper two seatbelt straps.    I need to take that out and make a composite bar?

4 lbs seems very light ballast for your weight and engine.  Post a wt & balance if you have one.  Regarding the bar: maybe you could attach the the rear shoulder straps to the mounts for the bar and use a center-strap behind the neck that pulls the shoulder straps in closer.  You have not provided enough details or pics to help much.

I doubt it the prop and extension change would make much difference but if you had the weights and stations it would be easy to make a spreadsheet.  I imagine carbon cowls would help.  My Cozy cowls are heavy as heck.

4 hours ago, Marc Zeitlin said:

From a climb and cruise performance standpoint, sure.

But the aero limits must be adjusted when flying well over design MGW (1325 lb. per the POH). Since the V/N diagram indicates that the LE is a 5G airplane at 1325 lb., and since a 1035 lb. empty weight airplane with 400 lb. of people on board and 1/2 fuel (160 lb.) weighs 1595 lb., all sorts of limitations change (G max., gust loading, landing speeds, rotation speeds, etc.).

Of course you are correct Marc but AFAIK, Rutan did not test the strength to destruction and the canard test I recall showed the canard design was much stronger than anticipated.  So the true strength is unknown.   As you know many people fly them heavy.  If the basic structure had weak points, I think we'd have seen more in-flight breakups or reports of failures.  Maybe it is just the way people fly them.  They don't generally use a lot of G at high gross weights.

An EZ with an O-320 can tolerate being heavier than one with an O-235.  The one I built (O-320-h2ad) was 993 then the next owner added electric nosegear and autopilot so it is probably about the weight of the one above.  It flew just fine with him (about 190) and me (225) in the back seat.  I used stouter main gear mounts, though.  Those are a weak point.

3 hours ago, mquinn6 said:

very cool design on the replicator.  I found this one - seems to be a bit easier (less moving parts?).  but pretty much same principle...

Yeah, some good ideas there.  The linear bearings on a shaft he uses are probably a lot easier to build and just a rigid as the Russian's idea. 

Following up on the $60K EZ I just listed in my "Sales" thread (which seemed expensive), I see that a gallon of MGS epoxy and hardener today at Spruce is $358 plus shipping.  https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/mgsresin.php    What?  $380 for a gallon of freaking epoxy!  Yikes.

This brings me to philosophize:  That EZ seller should probably be asking $100K.   With official inflation announced at 8.2% yesterday and the unofficial rate tracked by John Williams of ShadowStats--calculate the way they used to do it--at 18-24%, how can you protect you against inflation?  Well, may I suggest gold miners.  They should be going through the roof but instead they are Picassos-on-the-curb.  Utter giveaways.  Take a look at NFGC, ODV, and BTG.  These are 30-40% BELOW where I bought them a year ago, sitting on visible gold with great drill results.    Or just buy the junior miners fund, GDXJ.   The precious metals and commodity metals, cobalt, nickel, copper are dirt cheap--pun intended.

This EZ today.  N412DM.  Couple more pics in the B-stormers ad.  Sometimes I think the price might be a little dear for a 37-year airplane, even a past award winner, but at least it is a frequent flyer and to build a comparable today would likely be as much and not include your time and labor. 

I see that an EZ-Poxy kit--gallon of resin with hardener is $298 (plus shipping) at Spruce--and listed "no stock".  Yeah I guess $60K doesn't look so bad now, huh, pallies?

Quote

LONG EZ • $60,000 • FLY RIGHT NOW • TTAF: 2290, SMOH: 700, 971lbs, IO-320 PennYann, 1 EMAG, FI system just OH, new items include: electric nose gear and speed brake, MGL V16/Razor Touch Screen, MGL RDAC MP/EMS-1/FF-4, Garmin 696/GDL-39 ADS-B In, Trig TT22 ADS-B out, Trio EZ to 696, new fuel select valve, new seats/belts. 165kts all day on <8.5 gal/hr. Fresh annual on sale (due 12/22). 3rd owner, have plans and lots of documentation. KS plane it’s whole life. Flown around 90 hrs last 12 mo. Fun, fast, climbs like a home sick angel, economical speed demon! Email for fastest response please. • Contact Curtis Mead , Owner - located Wichita, KS 67205 United States • Telephone: 3167378045 • Posted October 13, 2022

Pretty good deal considering the retail price is $3470 + tax.  Add another $150 for two coils.  You can get them from Nology.  Pic in the ad

Quote

PLASMA LLL DUAL IGNITION • $2,000 • AVAILABLE • New never installed Lightspeed Plasma lll Dual ignition. (Coils, and spark plugs not included). • Contact Dan Dufault - SEAPLANE OUTFITTERS , - located Lincolnville, ME 04849 United States • Telephone: 207-322-4452 • Posted October 12, 2022

Prop set up for routing (pic1).  Notice anything amiss?  Yeah, the blank is not mounted on the cutter side.  😞   I am using a wimpy 1/4" shaft router.  It works but I think I will buy a larger 1/2"-shaft router.  It is too tedious to rout off all the excess wood with the small router bit.  Other than that, the prop-carver works well enough.

Mistake #2: as I was routing the stations on one side of a blade, I noticed that the router bit had slipped lower on the shaft and was cutting the stations too deep!  Dang!  I think it can be salvaged but more checking required.

My homemade carver works pretty well but I ran across this Russian chap with a stouter design that could be easily adapted for props.  The video will not let me embed it but search for youtube video  iOidSuCZG_I  or  cut&paste "Заменит ЧПУ ? Копировальный станок"   I took a few screen shots (pics 2-4)

4 hours ago, zolotiyeruki said:

What else do you find unsettling?  Any why, do you think, it's black?

Many years ago Rutan recommended a black UV primer.  Could be that.  If so you would not want it on the airplane.  Pic 1: Is the canopy cracked?  A crack might be repaired though.   The fit of the canopy looks good.  Pic2:  What is that foam(?) between the strake-skin and the centerspar?  It looks like maybe Task (molded) strakes were glued to the centerspar with pour foam.  Why paint places black like the aft face of the center spar?  Pic 3:  Some sort of separation of an aileron near the hinge?  Aileron workmanship rough.  Also, the skin was primed but not filled first.  Might give problems later getting a micro/epoxy filler to stick.  Also, rolls of fiberglass sitting on the hangar floor are not too reassuring

Today on FB:  The nose could be rebuilt pretty easily but there are other pics that look rather unsettling.  You would want to have a hard look with someone who knows EZs

for a low tech builder, prop with a straight trailing edge, that is, a trailing edge that would be flush with a table surface, is easier to build than a fully tapered prop.   Then Paul Lippse, Gary Herzler, Jack Norris, et al, and my own experience convinced me that thin, tapered tips are very important.  That empties my clue bag.   I don’t know if thin blades like Performance Propeller builds have an advantage over wider blades but I don’t have the capability to make those stiff multi-laminate blades like PP.  yep, watched the Culver vids

4 hours ago, wdhenson said:

My big question is; Is getting an airworthiness certificate signed off on even a possibility without dismantling everything that has already been built? The built parts look good but without pics of the build or documentation is this a path worth starting down???

Welcome to the age-old confusion over the "major portion" rule and the Repairman's certificate rule.   The "major portion' (51%) rule is that the major portion of the aircraft must have been built by amateurs for their education and recreation.  Any amateurs, anywhere.  With a plans built EZ, it is pretty easy to convince an inspector/DAR the major portion was built by amateurs.   Just document your work from now on and you should have no problem. 

The Repairman's Certificate issue is different.  Only one R.C. can be issued for each airplane and you need to show the inspector you know how to repair the aircraft.  Usually that is not a high hurdle.

9 hours ago, jridge said:

How long was the manufacturing process from start to finish (not counting all the precursor analytical and design work)?

The way I do it is rather low tech but it's still quite a bit of work.  I had the vertical mill and the bandsaw already.  Made the prop-copier.  Made the jigs to precisely drill the prop holes.  Made the clamps to glue up the boards.  For a fresh design I made two jigs for flat and curved sides that guide the prop-copier along the airfoil stations, then there was a lot of surplus wood removal.  It is somewhat easier with a blade to use as a template.

I enjoy the exercise but it is probably not worth doing unless you have a favorite prop blade to copy.  The prop-copier is pretty low tech but his guy seems to have a good idea for a homemade CAD machine.  Man what I could do with one of those!  🙂

https://youtu.be/0G3tEE7HEDA

The Montana EZ  reported purchased.   https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/21972-sales-ive-seen/?do=findComment&comment=90277

Starting on another prop, a replacement for the last one I did not carve precisely.  It is a 2-blade 67 X 80P (26.87 deg chord angle) which seemed to be about the right pitch for 180 hp but the last one was a nightmare to balance due to dumb mistakes so I will use one blade as a template.  Wow, the price of maple is outasight--$319 for six 7-foot boards.  Weldwood Plastic Resin glue is no longer made so I am using Cascamite, a similar british urea formaldehyde glue.  I ordered 1.5 kg but half that seemed to be enough with a bit left over.  Instructions say to apply to one board.  Check out youtubes for some tips on the glue.

[EDIT:  I was not happy with this Cascamite glue.  Maybe it is how I mixed it or applied it to one side of a board as instructed but at the ends of the prop-blank where I left a hold-down stack that would be cut off later,  a couple of the laminates in the stack came away with a small bump.  A chap on HBA said there are various formulations of urea-formaldehyde glue and some of them have been modified to make them "greeener".  If you want to use it, do some tests yourself to check the strength of the lamination]

I have shown my clamping setup in previous posts.   https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/33481-kents-propeller-thread/     Here is the rough-cut blank, partially cut out.  Next step is to mount it in the prop-carver.

OT but I was just talking to a chap about generals exceeding their brief:

(1) When I was flying Tweets, the general in charge of Training Command, George Simler, was a real a-hole.  One mistake got you hammered.  He was promoted to head of Military Airlift Command and took off in a T-38 with an IP in the back seat (his aide) on a final flight headed for MAC headquarters.  Word was that he tried to do an aileron roll right after takeoff, got about halfway through the roll and tried to reverse it or the IP took control but the crash killed them both.   The Accident board demurred.

(2) From the book "Red Eagles":  General Bobby Bonds was the head of A.F. Systems Command and wanted to fly one of the Mig-23s maintained at Area 51 (which he controlled).  The Flogger would do Mach 2.35 but it had a throttle interlock that engaged above about 1.8 mach because throttle reduction at that speed would destroy the engine.  You could only raise the nose a little and wait for the airplane to slow down.  Bonds got an over-the-shoulder cockpit briefing from a pilot, took off and left his T-38 chase behind.  It appears he tried to maneuver to slow down but the Flogger was unstable passing through the Mach.  He bailed out, shredding his parachute.  Lots of good stories in that book about the USAF Migs, including deadsticking a Mig-21 back into Tonapah.

I watched a video by a test pilot with 1000 hours in the F-22.  He said a Flogger would easily out-run the F-22

Today:  Worth $1K if the wing attachments look decent.  Might be worth that much even if they don't but some rebuilding would be required.  A cracked canopy can be repaired with the proper glue so as to be almost invisible.

Quote

BURT RUTAN DESIGNED VARIEZE • $1,000 • ACCEPTING OFFERS • Sold as is - Burt Rutan designed VariEze composite canard aircraft is in mid-production & needs completion. Fuselage, wings, with winglets, canard, canopy, fuel strakes assembled. Brock wing fittings appear clean & pristine, includes the Brock pin/bushings and long bolts. Firewall, header tank, rudder cabling, LongEZ gear extrusions, VEze main, nose gear struts, nose gear push-pull rod, wheels, brakes, and tires installed. Stored outside over several years with tarp covering, glass surfaces weathered some & canopy has two-inch crack at top rear. No engine, cowlings, instrumentation or plans. • Contact Steven Broom - VARIEZE1 , Owner - located Azle, TX 76020 United States • Telephone: 817-845-9248 • Posted September 29, 2022

Today:  Was listed at $45K about a year ago.  I guess he has done more to it.   Still a lot to go though.  pics are from https://www.facebook.com/groups/CozyMkIV

Quote

AEROCANARD SX/COZY IV PROJECT • $55,000 • AVAILABLE • Aerocanard SX project with IO-360 1400TT in primer, amazing work, Cozy plans, most airframe done • Contact Jamie Hicks , Owner - located Franklin, OH 45005 United States • Telephone: 432-349-7577 • Posted September 27, 2022

10 hours ago, mquinn6 said:

On the cooling - with bottom up cooling - would it not make sense to shroud MORE of the top to keep the air that is coming up from the bottom "attached" to the fins?  It looks like once the warm air get past the baffles - the "easy" route is out the back (leaving that top center section to get pretty toasty...)

My upper baffles near the head were smaller than I intended but the temps were pretty even with the other cylinders.  I am satisfied with the wraps around the lower barrels.  But yeah, I think you want to force all the air to go through the fins.  I suppose it is a balance between shrouding the cylinders too much and restricting flow-thru, or small baffles that let the air spill out of the top without passing through the top fins. 

90 years old and selling out.  What a wimp!  🙂  No pics

Quote

VARIEZE, FOR SALE • $29,000 • FLY RIGHT NOW • First flight 1985. Total time 404 on 0-200 engine and airframe. Always hangared. A&P built (me). Controls in rear seat. New P tip Prince propeller just installed. I comm 200 Radio. B & C Starter and alternator. Includes new in the box Sandia STX165 transponder and new JP Industries fuel flow computer. Needs only some minor cosmetic paint touch ups. Fly it home with a fresh condition inspection. Reason for selling - almost 90 and building a low and slow machine. Norm Radtke (920) 539-9270. Located KOGM, Ontonagon, MI. in the UP. • Contact Norman Radtke , Owner - located Ontonagon, MI 85713 United States • Telephone: 9205399270 • Posted September 27, 2022

Cylinders are re-ringed and installed.  I used part of a break-in schedule from engine-man Mahlon_R on the Van's list  (1) run at 800 rpm for 3 mins, cool until you can hold your hand on the cylinder 3-5 seconds, (2) run at 1000 rpm for 3 minutes, cool, (3) run at 1200 rpm for 3 mins, cool.  Then I just went out and flew for an hour.  Surprisingly, the cylinders did not get that hot--about 375F--but it is a nice fall day here.  We'll see how they do in another 20-25 hours.

Always looking for a better way to do baffles.  Pic 1 is what I had before but it is fiddly to make and install.  Pics 2 is a new idea, pretty easy to make and install.  The outside wraps pull the center wraps tight and the small white piece made from soft aluminum flashing seals the irregularity on the case .  Seal remaining cracks with silicone sealant.  Below is a drawing (pic 3) and one of the halves shown on a cylinder.

(pic 5) I have made these exhaust seals before out of round stove-door fiberglass cord liberally slathered with RTV and formed around scrap exhaust pipe.  They last a long time.  I cut this one to fit over the installed exhausts and looped .025 safety wire through it to hold it in shape. 

A few more pics here https://www.canardzone.com/forums/topic/18661-kents-long-ez-project/?do=findComment&comment=61694

The Mikalor 4 X 19 W1 spring clamps seem to be the perfect fit with the Gates 361970 power steering hose.

I thought I would try an auto oil filter.  Some folks recommended Napa 1515,  I bought a Napa 41515 which is a better filter with anti-drainback valve but it did not work with my B&C oil filter adapter.  The Napa filter threads project out further than Champion/Tempest threads and the filter bottoms on the B&C adaptor before the rubber gasket is compressed.

If somebody knows a compatible auto filter for the B&C adaptor . . ..