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rviglierchio

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Posts posted by rviglierchio

    ICON Aircraft

    in Coffee House

    Posted

    Supposed to be moving to Vacaville. You'd think they'd have enough fiscal sense to get out of CA....

    I was standing in front of their booth at Osh with a friend that dragged his butt out there in an Osprey. He commented that this thing was near his empty weight and had almost 1/3 less horsepower and his was a serious dog...how to sell that for $200k...!

    ICON Aircraft

    in Coffee House

    Posted

    Marc,

    Just curious - how much would you estimate Icon has spent trying to get their design to market ? I have a friend in Tehachapi that says they are throwing money around worse then a band of drunken sailors.

    Supposed to be moving to Vacaville. You'd think they'd have enough fiscal sense to get out of CA....

    Landing Light Plans ?

    in Electrical System

    Posted · Edited by flyingriki

    Wondering if I could instead put a small powerful one right on the portion of the nose gear that doesn't touch/rest on the ground while the aircraft is kneeling ? That way I don't need a second mechanism/ opening/control-lever in the aircraft. There are several small lights now available that put out a great deal of lumens at reasonably low voltage.

    I'd be interested in what you've found that's so small and yet capable of landing light lumens and distance when approaching at our speeds in the dark. Contrary to some opinions, most anything you hang out there on the gear is nice for landing drag but also drag for takeoff and we already burn up some distance doing that. Small and very powerful would be a nice compromise!

    Other designs have done what you suggest with traditional sized lamps and lots of drag. Just reduces your runway options. Not a game breaker but not good either.

    For Sale Catto Gen One 3 Blade

    in For Sale (or for Free)

    Posted

     

    Will hold at Catto for buyers choice of colors.

    57x80

    Will be newly refinished and balanced by Catto Props. It's an old one but moved me through the air quite well. Maxed out at 180 KTAS at 3000' with 150 tired HP.

    New, Gen 3 Catto props with nickel leading edges are going for over $1000 per blade.

    Asking $1200 OBO. No, it doesn't have nickel edges, it's a Gen One...

     

    Email me for pictures or other questions.

    Also have a brand new Saber 4" Extension I tried and can't use. $430 new - make offer...

     

    Reducing landing speed using both rudders

    in Operations

    Posted

    Jon,

    I'm usually high on final and use belly board plus both rudders all the way to the numbers to get down.  Could have better technique I suppose but would rather make the runway than come up short.  Just the way I was trained.  I like slipping but it has never felt right in the EZ.

     

    Randy,

    Jim Price set an altitude record using VGs on both canard and main wing.  He developed the right installation, I believe, in a wind tunnel with a college project backing the research.  They allowed him to fly very slow which happens at the upper end of the service ceiling.  No Holiday Inn necessary, you nailed it!

    Updated Suppliers List

    in General Construction

    Posted

    Well Jon I certainly like the various choices for the electric nose gear retraction, some of  them actually seem quite idiot proof. But what kind of redundancies does the electric landing brake have ? I have never flown an Ez  but have read that the landing approach without the brake is quite flat and requires a longer runway. I think of all the electrical failures I have had over the years ( quite a few actually) and I factor in having to find a longer runway while cranking down the gear with a socket wrench at night and I can imagine that I would've rather had a manual landing brake. But maybe it's not that big of a deal to land without it. I would think the manual version would save a bit of weight though.

     

    Something to consider.  Of the few off field landing wrecks I've seen those with electric gear extended stayed upright while those with the manual system were either up or overcentered and rolled up allowing the nose to dig in and flip over.  Have only seen a couple of these situations but I don't think it was a coincidence. 

     

    My Wright system has an electric bypass that he felt was more useful than the original crank.  Fortunately the ramifications of a failed retract is slow speed and failure to extend just makes a stripe on the runway and requires some glass work....  Don't often hear of failures requiring it?  On the other hand, if an electric speed board fails to retract it can affect engine temps very quickly.  Good to check during climb out.

     

    PS: a buddy flew without his 'brake' working for years and we went into some short (2100') runways so the 4000' to 5000' requirement is incorrect. (Long EZs)  It is definitely a flat approach.

    "Safe" modifications ?

    in General Construction

    Posted

    David Orr (canardfinder.com) keeps an up to date list of the mods and background.  He was an original builder along with a large group of builders and keeps tabs on most canard information and data including a huge library.

     

    I too was very interested in the UL engine and followed the development of the higher HP versions but when I needed to overhaul mine this Spring found that would be half the price of the UL so stayed with Lycosaurus.  

     

    All your other ideas are well proven and there are several more you'll come to be interested in with more research.

    Good luck.

     

    PS: you'll get better advice on doing the mods from past builders with one, or more, finished, flying airplane.  A lot of first timers (unfinished) are eager to provide advice.....

    Anybody have/had a main gear wobble at low speed?

    in Landing Gear

    Posted · Edited by flyingriki

    Mine does it too on one side.  Discs are perfect.  Check your alignment. Mine is off on one side.  Best way to see which one is late in the day, when the sun is low, if you can see the shadow of your gear.  One will jiggle like crazy.  Hopefully only one!

     

    What's funny is a lot RVs do it too and they never talk about it.......

     

    Check with Dale Martin on the best way to align them.  His system is excellent.  Will get to mine soon......

    For Sale Catto Gen One 3 Blade

    in For Sale (or for Free)

    Posted

    Will hold at Catto for buyers choice of colors.


    57x80


    Will be newly refinished and balanced by Catto Props. It's an old one but moved me through the air quite well. Maxed out at 180 KTAS at 3000' with 150 tired HP.


    New, Gen 3 Catto props with nickel leading edges are going for over $1000 per blade.


    Asking $1200 OBO. No, it doesn't have nickel edges, it's a Gen One...


     


    Email me for pictures or other questions.


    Also have a brand new Saber 4" Extension I tried and can't use. $430 new - make offer...


    post-168677-0-88966300-1411430593_thumb.jpg

    Long Term Engine Storage

    in General Engine & Fuel System Topics

    Posted

    I stored an O-360 on an auto engine stand for two years in central CA with fog, wet hangar and high humidity etc. Covered with blankets, filled with oil, desiccant plugs changed every 4 months, and rotated every couple months (easy to do on an auto stand) it was spotless inside when we pulled a cylinder, inspected it and made photos to sell it. During the winter months I had an oil filled heater from Home Depot under the blankets on low. Not a lot of effort and a perfect storage. Usually it was inverted to keep the cam coated. Good luck!

The Canard Zone

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