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Waiter

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Everything posted by Waiter

  1. I wouldn't trust my hide to ANYTHING with zero backup. Waiter
  2. On the LongEZ - NONE. Just don,t cut them short. I now have a policy, "Don't cut anything until you can no proceed without cutting" The only thing different was, I glued a couple support sticks vertically inside the leading edges to hold their proper shape. while assembling. The sticks are still in the tanks after ten years. "Close enough for Government work" 1) Measure it with amicrometer. 2) Mark it with a crayon 3) Cut it with an ax Waiter
  3. Here we go again! Put in the loudest, most obnotious horn you can find. Install a switch on the throttle so it activates whenever the throttle is at idle. Wire another switch so it opens only when the nose gear is down, locked, and overcenter. Now wire these switches into the LOUD horn. The horn will go off whenever the throttle is at idle, and the gear is not down and locked. A light is not enough, and small buzzer is not enough. You'll be looking at the light, kind of wondering why its on, just as the nose settles to the runway, and skids to a stop. (been there, done that, got a "T" shirt) The sound of the horn must override everything else, I could be on fire, or have a passanger screaming and puking, but when that horn goes off, It gets my immediate attention. Oh yah, Did I mention that the horn needs to be VERY LOUD. If you do not install this type of warning system, I am so convinced that you'll do a gear up within the first 1000 hours, I'll put $100 on it. Ok, All those that "HAVE" send me my money. Waiter
  4. Take a look at www.aerocad2.com. They have a complete set of plans that you can download and inspect. Good luck, and if it doesn't work on the boat, just keep building until you have a plane!! Waiter
  5. Waiter

    Long EZ size?

    Baggage, NO, ballast Maybe. (you may not have room for 5 lbs of baggage, but you can always find room for a 5 lb sheet of lead) I tood extra care to put everything as far forward as I could. Brake master cylinders, Strobe Power Supply, Battery forward of F22 instead on on F22. The battery was a high density Recombinant Gas that weighed 24 lbs. When I finished I had a mid CG (100) aircraft, with no ballast, Empty weight of 947 lbs When I added an MT prop a couple years later, I had an aft CG (102) airplane. and an empty weight very close to 1000 lbs All this and still NO BALLAST. I have a feeling when I finish my current round of mods, I may need ballast. The ballast will most likely come in the form of an additional battery. (I need anyway for dual electronic ignition) I'm not selecting a battery until complete, then I 'll select the battery based on weight. The additional battery will also serve as my ballast. Hopefully, I shouldn't need to install any lead plates. If you plan to build, Be aware of weight. Also attempt to move as much weight forward as possible (especially if your running an O-320 with full electrical system, starter, 55 amp alternator, etc) Waiter
  6. Waiter

    Long EZ size?

    Shouldn't be a problem. Normally you don't fly an EZ with your feet on the rudders, they are actually in front of the rudders. I am light 160 - 170 lbs ( So when I build mine, I actually moved the pilots seat forward 2 inches. (CG issue) I'm 6 foot tall, and with the pilots seat forward 2 inches, I still have no problems with the rudder pedals. I have my rudder peddls adjusted so that its actually starts getting uncomfortable if I leave my feet on the rudders to long (30 - 45 minutes) There are taylor made adjustments to make the airplane fit the pilot. Most EZs (if not all) should be capable of reconfiguring the rudder pedals and brakes for long or short legged people. Its not an adjustment you can make before every flight, because it may require reconfiguring cables and brackets, with nuts and bolts. Good Luck Waiter
  7. I lived in Japan for 5 years, and commuted back and forth for another 5. Thats their attitude, Invest whatever it takes to get the manufactureing process down. I read a really good book "From those wonderful folks who brought you Pearl Harbor". It Discussed Japanese production and financial attitudes, i.e. there is no such thing as a 5 year plan, They have 30 and 40 year plans. The only problem I had living there was $170 / hour to rent a Cessna 172 (dry of course) Konechuwa Waiter
  8. Actually, having the humidity in the air is a good thing. I have a humidifier in my house as part of the central HVAC system. Its set at 40%. Nice and cozy (no pun intended). The only problem I have with the ventless, is occationally, (not sure if you were Natural gas or LP), our supplier will supply a high sulfer content Natural Gas. This gives off a strong odor of "something burning". This only happenes a couple times during the winterr, but its something to be aware of. If your running LP, this shouldn't be a problem. My Garage is 24x24 with 4 inches of pink on the walls and ceiling, sheetrocked. I usually keep it at about 45, but if the wife is having a large company, we crank it up and use the garage as a gathering hall. My Barn is 24 x 32 (Pole barn) that has 6 inches in the walls and 4 in the ceiling, sheetrocked. (no windows) As i stated in previous post, this stays nice and warm and is reasonably well insulated. The roll up door is 8x16 ft. It has 1 inch of styrofoam all the way around. If your loosing it all thru your roll up door, try sealing it with plastic, or better yet, buy a couple sheets of that 1/2 inch foam (Its aluminized on one side) Maybe cut it and glue it to the panels on your rollup door. That little heater you have should be able to run you out of there. Waiter
  9. That heater (ventless natural gas) is dumping a huge amount of water into the air. This is probably what is contributing to your ice on the door. You might try sealing off the door with a sheet of plastic. This should help by creating a dead air space and help with the ice formation. The ceiling fan should help keep the air stired so you won't get condensation on the floor. I have one of these ventless heaters in my garage and it will warm up to 75 or 80 if I crank it up. I have a regular vented 30k BTU in my barn (very well insulated) and it was running about 25% of the time to maintain 70 when it was -15 outside. Cold in Toledo Waiter
  10. Install a ceiling fan and leave it run on low speed all the time. The will keep the air stirred and prevent condensation on the floor when the temperature starts getting above freezing. Waiter
  11. The Vari-Viggen is mainly more wood than foam. I've flown it, and it flys like a truck. Waiter
  12. Keep me posted on your progress. I just started retrofitting my LongEZ. Check out the web site at www.iflyez.com Waiter
  13. The plans I have aren't a lot of help when it comes to gear doors (1998 version). Any help (and photos) would be appreciated. I'm retrofitting my ez with the infinity gear and am now ready to make doors and start plumbing. 1) Door mounting brackets. Ideas on mounting the doors to the legs. 2) Grasscutter(bottom of main door). Ideas on how this is rigged to swing up and down. 3) Inspection/top door (Top of main door), how is this spring loaded, spring type and mounting. Also any photos on routing hydralic/brake lines. E-mail me photos if they're to much for this forum. I have high speed, so file size isn't a problem (waiter@iflyez.com) Waiter
  14. Good Starting point, However, make sure the cat is not in the box when you start your layups. ( I seen a cartoon somewere that had a missing cat under a wing layup) The Plans are very good about this, as they have you doing non critical stuff first. Like most builders, I had ZERO experience doing this before I started, and I'm really not what you would call , an artistic person. However, I'm sure you will also endure, and like me, you'll be surprised that you were actually able to do this. After all, like someone said, "This isn't Rocket Surgury" (I like that saying). Good Luck and start building Waiter
  15. Ah, The Photo, I love it.. Math time. I just sent Jack a check for $1800. I can probably sell the old nose retract on E-Bay for $50. This comes with a boston gear that is clean on one side. Absolutly no gain in speed, and I loose my emergency brake. NET COST $1,800 for one wheel. Infinity Gear, $5,500. I can probably sell my old bow for $700, This brings it back to $4,800, or $2,400 per wheel. Out of this, I get 15 - 20 kts, and "cool factor" that is off the scale. Looking at it on a cost per wheel, I think its very competitive. (Hey, I sold it to my wife like this) Waiter
  16. JD from Infinity say's "YES". SSSSSOOOOOOO, Guess what I got planned for them cccoolllddd winter months here in OHIO land!!! I got a brand new pole barn, insulated, heated, water , electric, that I built last winter JUST FOR THIS OCCATION. KEEP WARM Waiter
  17. Use caution on the fuel burn calculation. A Cherokeee 150 will burn about 8-10 at sea level turning 2300 rpm. An EZ running the same engine will burn 10 - 14 at sea level turning 28-2900 RPM. This was one of the factors that contributed to JDs demise. Waiter OH YAH, I built mine for all the reasons listed, It would be cheaper, I'd have it flying in 18 months, and I could take the wings off and keep it in my driveway.
  18. Actually, I put mine in the leading edge of the wing. The lamps I used were high beams from a 1992 Camaro, They are 2 inches tall and about 5 inches wide. I performed some "Heat" studies before I did this. The Bulbs produce a great deal of "Radiant" heat that reflects mainly out the bottom of the lamp. To keep from absorbing this heat, The leading edge covers extend below the wing in a triangle shape, that matches the shape of the bulb. I'll get some pictures of these and post them on my web site (www.iflyez.com) If I was going to do this today, I would look at the newer "Projector" style lamps. I think these would be much better suited, but I haven't performed any heat studies with these bulbs. Waiter
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