magnum

I took another step forward with the project. I drove over to Miami, (3 Hrs) and picked up my fresh rebuild 20B almost complete. Everything new and it has a Judge Ito port done on it. Its a happy balance between a mild and a peripheral porting job. Its supposed to balance out the power curve throughout. I figured I would be there an hour or so talking about it and getting it loaded and it ended up 3 Hrs before I got back on the road again. The guy is super nice and he took a real interest in the plane and looked it up online so I could tell him about it. Ended up, he gave me a bunch of free stuff he had like alternator, extra water pump, AC compressor w/ brackets for everything on the front of the engine. Lots of different size pulleys, tensioners and a good two hand fulls of misc bolts, nuts and washers. I kept the lower intake manifold and will fab up the top section when I get to that part. The bottom will have 2 inches sectioned out of it to lower it down and new injector bosses installed on the inside between it and the block to sheild the exhaust heat. He had a brand new 90MM throttle body he sold me for $100.00 that list for around $180.00. He is a drag racer with rotaries and has a shop full of parts and pieces from all the stuff he builds for himself and drag racers in Puerto Rico. I counted 7 13 B's in various stages and one single rotor he wants to develope for aviation use. Its was wild looking with 3 exhausts, a turbo and stainless intake and exhaust manifolds! I'll need a turbo if I decide to go that route but I have a lot of the stuff I need including a complete engine wiring harness. I am trying to get everything as complete as I can as I progress so that when I do finally get set up and working on it daily, I won't be waiting on parts and pieces. Momentum is the key! OK, pics attached and they are from inside the back of the van. Press on! ~~~tg~~~

Nice panel, that red really makes it pop! Wonder how it is with sunlight on it??

I can only hope, I have a long way to go just to get moved but I have to keep after it. Once I get a shop space set up, I should make daily progress. ~~~tg~~~

OK, thanks. This helps some. Since I am putting it up for sale, I wanted to give correct info to the potential buyer. Thanks ~~~tg~~~

Hello all, I just picked up my project and it came with a brand new never used Dynafocal Engine Mount but I don't know if its a type 1 30 degree or a type 2 18 degree. Is there a way to determine this as I am not familiar with them. I looked for numbers etc but found nothing and the seller of the project can't remember. There was a tag on it at one time but as it was stored over the years, it has gone missing. Once I know what it is, it will be for sale to a good home as I am picking up my 20B rotary this coming week. Any input would be welcome. Thanks! ~~~tg~~~

Up date: Finally got to get my trip up to get the project over and done. It was a long 32 hour round trip so I broke it up with several stops and rest breaks. Only thing that was negative was a rock chip in my windshield about two inches below my line of site. I thought and thought about how to transport this plane. It has the spar installed so it limited me on options. I started to try to build a rack for it but since I was so far away, I couldn't take measurements to get it right and I didn't want to take a chance on having to rebuild it there at the hanger with limited resources. So, I opted to stand it straight up and let the spar carry the weight and supported it with carpet and foam on each end and some wood and carpet at the firewall. I let it hang over the front of the 12 foot trailer I used and that put the other end 10 inches forward of the end of the trailer. This helped with forward and backward movement. I bought a 4000# cargo net to drape over the nose, cris crossed its attachment loops and then we tied it down with 14 1000# ratchet ties to stop it from moving in any direction and it worked out really well. I started off with short distances and pulled over and checked it over. I only had to adjust it two times and it found its own neutral and after that, it road like a cadillac the rest of the trip and I stopped every two to three hours depending on my back etc.. It weighed just enough to stop the bounce in the utility trailer. The total height was right at 13 feet and I had about 12 inches under the gas pump canopies. I got a lot of looks as I went down the road with it but nobody asked what it was when I stopped at different places along the way. Its now parked at a friends shop in Kannapolis until I get moved up there. It will have a tarp over it in the next few days. I'm back in Fl now for a while. I will try to attach some pics! ~~~tg~~~

I'm sure that was a tough decision to make for John. He took all of us on his adventure with his site and was one of the sites that influenced me towards the canard aircraft. We are all going to have to face this some day be it financial problems, loss of medical or a number of other reasons. Hope it gets to a good home and gives someone the joy its inspired among us. ~~~tg~~~

Congrats and keep us posted on your progress. Do you have a site with the build? ~~~tg~~~

Aubrey, Thanks and its nice to "cyber" meet you! I won't be able to make sun and fun because of my schedule. I hope to be pickng up my engine soon and I am planning and getting things in line for a trip up to W.Va the first of the month to pick up the project and then drop it off in storage in N.C. (Kannapolis) on my way back here. Hopefully I will get the house sold and get moved there, then I can get started on my project. Do you have a site for your plane or is it done etc? After I get moved we'll get together as we may not be too far apart. I'll have a lot of questions as I go along I'm sure. Thanks ~~~tg~~~

I agree on this point also. I am building a fiberglass body for my race car and I am using black dye bid regular fiberglass and its very hard to see to wet it out evenly. I have adjusted my lighting and even tilted the table some to try to see it better. I would be very wary to try to do it with carbon fiber. The only proper way would be with vacuum bagging everything for peace of mind. Just my 2 cents..... ~~~tg~~~

Yep, good points here. This is exactly why I bought an in progress project. Also the gull wing doors were a consideration to get in an out of it with back issues. A lot of things factor into a build and you have to consider what the mission is going to be and what suits you best. I get to go pickup my engine next week. Finally some progress for my stuff! Good luck with your build and keep us posted. ~~~tg~~~

Pretty interesting. I think a lot of it is the cost of getting a ppl now and still the economy is playing a big factor in the amount of new pilots. College is getting beyond the reach of most and a pastime with any kind of expense is just out of the question. I'm just getting started in getting mine and its a sea of info to take in and thankfully I have a pretty good grasp on it so far. I have spent a lot of time reading and going to the forums over the years and it's paying off for me. I can see where it could be very intimidating for some. I tell people what I am doing and the usual response is, " I'm scared of, (insert adj. here)" etc. I have a great instructor and it really makes it a lot more enjoyable. The decline of military pilots makes sense as a lot of guys use to take advantage of the military for a career training. Its just not like that now with the younger generation walking around with with a computer in front of their face. Add to that all the ever changing policies and the stress of commercial public anything and its not as desirable as it once was to get paid to fly. I wish I had started a long time ago. I have missed so much now that I am finally doing it. Everyone is right. Don't wait to build, get started! ~~~tg~~~

* 'We' as in my wife and I... yes, she flies and builds things That makes life a lot easier when you have a mate that enjoys your passion also. Nice to have the extra help on those hard sections of the build or just to hand you something. Good luck with your choice and get started soon! ~~~tg~~~

This pic gives new meaning to the words, "starter kit" I think. That's a bunch of bagged parts and a good start for someone new. ~~~tg~~~

Sounds baffling to me but then again, I'm very easily baffled..........LOL.... On a serious note, I think its a good idea so all can get a handle on whats needed to cool different setups. Might take some of the voo doo out of the equation on what to do and not do. ~~~tg~~~

I agree, you are correct as there is no substitute but this has got to be a good knowledge builder and confidence aid. I will be able to come home after a lesson and redo it over and over while it's fresh in my mind and try to get it as good as I can. I'm on my way and having a ball! Thanks for the link by the way. ~~~tg~~~

Done, done and done! Ordered X Plane 10, yoke and pedals this morning. Should have everything within a week. Looking forward to getting this as I feel its going to make a big difference in my training and comfort level! ~~~tg~~~

Thanks Jon. I'm going to start off with a 152 to practice on so I can get as many hours in as I can for school with the sim. I think I will be more comfortable with each new class. Right now its like I'm drowning in information but I understand it all. I can practice on my schedule and be a better student. ~~~tg~~~

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm going to look into it today and over the weekend and make a decision. The X-plane for sure. ~~~tg~~~

OK, had my 3rd lesson today and again, it was great. I have been thinking about getting a sim, so any advice would be great. I just bought a new lap top so I know it will have all the power I need. What have you used or are currently using? Thanks ~~~tg~~~

Nice find. I have a nice tip for you to start with, always hold the piece you are working on with vice grip pliers til you get the hang of it. It will save you a lot of pinched finger tips! You tend to get carried away when you start and thats when it shows you who is the boss. Great piece of tooling to make just about anything you need. Enjoy! I've always said that having the right tools is 75% of the fight somedays. ~~~tg~~~

Its great to see some fresh, new enthusiasm for the canard. You are on the right track and there is a wealth of info and people on the forums to help out. Any subject you want to read about is out there! This is one of the main reasons I am taking on my project. I have found almost every part I need and the only thing holding me up is getting my house sold and moved back to N.C.. Plus, I know there are a bunch of people out there to advise me. Once I get there and get a shop set up, I'll go W.O.T. and I am planning on having as much parts as I can sitting there waiting on me rather than me waiting on them. As far as any other progress on my part, I had my second lesson yesterday and it was another exhilarating time. I didn't do as well as the first time as far as holding altitude and heading, but I still learned a lot and we even did some "hood" time with the instruments only. That was some white knuckle time again but I loved it. I even sucked at taxiing and that really upset me. I just don't have the feel for it quite yet. The controls are a lot more sensitive than a race car and its just going to be seat time to cure it. My instructor is great and is always upbeat about everything. Its a challenge for me and it makes me engage and push myself and its just what I need after all I have been through! OK, keep us posted on your progress as well as everyone else thats lurking. If your not working on your project, maybe this will get ya movin again!!!!!!! POST IT UP! ~~~tg~~~

Update: Things are going good on the parts scene. I finally got in touch with Andreas and come to find out, he bought out all the molds and parts from the factory "debacle" I'll call it. He has in stock, 12 pairs of strakes!. He also has all the molds for everything to make an SQ2000! So, I'm on my way with everything. I forgot to ask if he has any wings in stock but I'll get to that when I call him again. While I am in limbo waiting to get moved, I decided to bite the bullet and start my PPL training yesterday and what a day it was! I went in thinking it would only be an hour of ground school and it ended up about 45 mins and then he said, "Lets go have some fun" and out on the tarmac we went. Trained me on a basic preflight of the 152 and then climbed inside for first time cockpit instructions. Climbing into this little plane was no easy task for me, 6"2", 200 Lbs., especially with my back!. I finally had to sit down and scoot back in and pull my legs up one at a time and stuff them under the IP. Getting old sucks and I now understand the word, "COZY". Fired it up and off we went and he was teaching me all the time. Taxiing, staying on the line, stopped for the run up, got clearance and he had me keep my feet and hands on the controls and pedals so I could get a feel for what he was doing and down the runway we went! Rotated up and at about 100 feet he handed it over to me and starting explaining and telling me what to do. Talk about your white knuckle moment! I only experienced this a few times before and it was in my race car and the first time I did some laps in one of Pettys school cars when I worked there. Leveled off at 2000 and stayed there for a while and I got calmed down and learned the basics and then we started turns, banking and then landmarks and just on and on. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have had in a long while and it was over too soon even though we were up there for over an hour. Next lesson is tomorrow morning and I can't wait, what a day!!!!!! One of my life long goals is coming to life! ~~~tg~~~

Interesting looking cowl intakes. Don't think I have ever seen a set like that. Would they be draggy or? ~~~tg~~~