bferrell

And my point was that they do, in fact, work fine. Danny was a bit unconventional, and folks told him the PP cables wouldn't work. Turns out, they do, for hundreds of planes over 2 decades. It's hard to argue with success. Brett n44vf.com

Haha, sharp cookie. It works fine, and it's not burning a hole in my pocket to change it, but it's not a perfect system. They are a little on the heavy side, there is a bit of friction in them, and it takes some futzing around to get the slop out of the neutral position. The factory has also identified this as an area of improvement for increasing the Vne above 200 kts on the turbo charged Velocitys (the concern being flutter), and worked out a direct-rod aileron control for the higher speeds. That solution is a bit complicated for my tastes, and I'm not turbo charged, but if I can find a better cable without changing the design, that would be a plus. Brett n44vf.com

Yes, the Velocity uses Morse marine type push-pull cables and it does fine, I and some of my Velocity buddies are considering a lighter and lower-friction variety for future consideration. http://n44vf.velocityxl.com/articles/sport_aviation/1986_04_sport_aviation_Velocity_Flies.pdf Brett

Here are a couple to wet your appetite. Esstelyn Cozy 540 Brett n44vf.com

I got a 120v heater from Lowes that does/did OK for me, but I insulated my garage, and it probably doesn't get nearly as cold here in Ohio. Brett

The RSS feed address doesn't seem to be working. Any chance of getting it back up? http://www.canardzone.com/forum/external.php?type=rss2 Brett

Also, if we're going to post pictures like this, maybe it's better if Jon adds the Gallery feature to the forum, so we can easily get at just the pictures in the future? http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=92875 Brett

Steady boys, there are Velocity's flying with something very similar, though admittedly not on the panel. I don't like it myself, but I haven't heard of any Velo's going down due to this construction. The only difference is the Velocity fittings are metal, but the stock tube is just hose. A factory installation Brett

Well, for us, there's always next year.... (I feel like a Cubs fan). B

Not personally, but a Velo buddy of mine is installing a Vesta electric with Beta. I keep trying to talk him out of it, because near as I can tell, there's no good way to tell when it's bottomed out and starting to go into Beta, and it'd be a helluva thing to go into Beta prematurely. The Vesta pitch controller is just a more/less switch, no indication, no RPM control, just more or less. As Neat as Beta seems, I just couldn't do it. I'm going to help him try to find a way to work a limit switch in there or something to stop it before it goes into Beta, and require you to get back on the switch to continue. B

Yep, it's funny because my wife has gotten so comfortable right-hand stick and left throttle that she flies from the right seat when we rent something any more. Brett

We're flat-landers (~900'MSL) with a posted 3,500', but with a displaced threshold it's more like 4,200'. I typically use 3,000 as a guide for an unfamiliar runway, though shorter is certainly possible for our 310HP fixed-pitch Velocity XL. Brett

Aside from writing (you can learn to jot notes with your left hand! on a kneeboard), the center stick is quite nice. Working the radios lefthanded is not even a problem, really. The side-stick has the clear advantage that there are two, so transition training or split-pilot duty has a more reassuring feel, but our test pilot/transition dude-extraordinaire (Dave Bertram) had no trouble palming the top of the center stick to get the plane (and us) to do what he wanted. The side sticks and the door and elbow rests are always a bit tricky, but can be worked out, but you must push them in to enter/exit without removing your love handles. Also, many of the solutions (haven't seen the full factory solution) have a torque tube running across behind the radios which takes up a bunch of room, especially with the candy-cane pitch trim spring in there. http://www.velocityxl.com/phpBB2/files/IMG_7030_985.jpg B

They aren't additive to the base kit, and they've technically been available since Oshkosh. So, if you didn't want a fastbuild retract Dash 5, you could get out for 47,150 (just a slight premium over buying the whole kit outright). Admittedly that's still too steep for some folks, but that's what it is. Also, they will be offering side sticks before Sun-n-Fun apparently.

Yea, our Velocity "outing" was at the end of September, but we're doing great, and looking to throw a little real paint on before the flying season resumes. B

Yes, and I'm sure it will trouble him the rest of his days, as well. I can't imagine the burden, to be honest. But, having met him, I know he was not a careless pilot, and it gives me pause. I thought of him when my wife landed our Velocity on a country highway, and I thought 'there but for the grace of God go I'. Ugly, unexpected things happen, and the best you can hope for is that you don't harm anyone else as a result. B

I would be careful passing out judgement on situations like this. I suspect that he didn't hear the call that this was a 4 ship landing, and had it not been, that they likely would have been clear of the active. Anybody can make a mistake, especially doing something that they've done safely many times previous. Even if he'd flown the pattern he could have seen the #1 ship exit and miss the #4 and still chose to land. I know that I tend to go around if I haven't gotten the 'clear of the active' call by the time I turn final, but not everybody makes that call. I still wonder how he missed seeing them in time to go around, but I wasn't there. Maybe he was so focused on the touch-down point that he didn't see them, but it's all just speculation. B

Why no, he's not, but he gave me some cute nephews...

You... go... grrrls... {somebody had to say it}

Well, yes, now that you mention it, there's a little family resemblance there....

Yea, check him out in the video at http://www.hcsojobs.com/ then select "Terrorism"... and yes, he's a little goofy...

Deputy (David) Ferrell - Harris County SO, but works on a task force with the Feds... for aficionados of "Cops", he's had a cameo here and there...

Well, if you do get into any trouble, we should be able to take care of you. Between Chris and my brother, we've got the PD pretty well covered. B

Chris, That wasn't your problem, that's the "slow" hardener, which is easier to work than the 9700 "fast" hardener. Here's a views article about it. Velocity Views Brett

I don't think there's a market for the RRL, but at least they're pumping more money through Velocity... "VELOCITY AIRCRAFT RECEIVES PURCHASE ORDER FOR 20 VELOCITY XL-5’S Milestone Continues Momentum Since Acquisition by Rocket Racing Composites Corp. New York, NY—October 8, 2008— Velocity, Inc., a leading manufacturer of home-built canard design airframe kits, today announced receiving a purchase order of 20 Velocity XL-5 aircrafts. Today’s announcement is the first major sales contract secured by Sebastian, FL- based Velocity, Inc., since their April 2008 acquisition by Rocket Racing Composites Corp., a division within Rocket Racing Inc., the parent company for the Rocket Racing League, the new entertainment sports league that combines the exhilaration of racing with the power of rocket engines." http://www.rocketracingleague.com/pdf/Velocity-FINAL.pdf