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philc1

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Everything posted by philc1

  1. Two more "non-engineer" thoughts/questions to add to the fray - probably worth what I paid for my engineering education. ($0.00) 1) If the solution is to machine a new, slightly oversized press fit pin, would it make sense to add a shoulder to the inboard end of the pin for retention? (Similar to the artwork in post #32 with the shoulder moved to the inboard end. and sized to fit in the available space at the peak "Infinity" triangle) The pin would then be pressed outward through the press fit hole. The pin geometry progression from inboard (forward) to outboard (aft) would be shoulder, radius, five thou oversized body (for the length of the oversized press fit hole), transition to the standard diameter needed for the ID of the bearing, and finally the retention mechanism which in the case of the original is a slot for a retention ring (and brings me to my next question/thought.) 2) The current retention mechanism (which keeps the brace assembly from sliding off the pin) is a special retaining clip. The current clip seems superior to the standard retaiing clip used in years past. If we make the effort to create a new pin, is there another retention mechanism that may offer additional reliability? (e.g. a castle nut and a short threaded section outboard (aft) of the bearing and retaining washer/bushing.) There seems to be great progress here toward a small design change that may prevent future failures. I don't want to take things off course with naive ideas, but thought I'd put these out there just in case eithier made sense to more educated and experienced minds. Phil - LEZ RG project Milwaukee.
  2. Zolatone (and other similar products) are used by so many because they bring special properties to the interior finishing process. The "speckle-paint" effect camoflages any glass transition areas (such as corner tapes) and makes the almost unnoticable. I considered working toward a smooth interior surface until I saw how noticable those transition areas were and experienced the amount of work required to fill all the weave and smooth the glass transitions. I don't think there's anything wrong with your approach, and if you feel there's enough value - go for it. That's the beauty of these canard aircraft; we're free (in most countries at least) to make customize them to fit our own tastes and preferences. I would just suggest you consider that, as with most mods, this one may take longer than you think. Phil - Long-ez project Milwaukee
  3. What a great way to spend part of a Sunday afternoon! I really appreciate you taking the time to show your great Long-ez, and your patience with my questions about all of the ideas you have come up with and incorporated in your Ez. I hope to learn from your 'get it done' attitude and get mine back out to the hangar and into the air. Your suggestion to "hang out at the end of the runway" was great! It looked like there was a turn off specifically for observation purposes just outside the fence from the approach end of 32. This put Trish and in a position to actually feel the low pass as you passed a few feet directly overhead. Trish tried to follow it with the camera and couldn't As you passed I heard her say "wow, where'd he goooo?" The pullup and climb was spectacular to watch! That CS prop really has some a serious bite! The climb was amazing. The rest of the trip? What a contrast from the I FLY EZ approach! I drove from Milwaukee to the Detroit area for a couple of family functions and then back through Toledo (and the Waiter visit) to Milwaukee.... 13 hours of "whyhaventifinishedityetwhyhaventifinishedityetwhyhaventifinishedityet". Arrived back in Milwaukee road weary but inspired to get it done! Phil
  4. If you're serious about securing a loan with your Long-ez, try theses guys. www.airloans.com/ I used them a long time ago for a Cessna. They seemed like a good organization and they do make loans on experimentals. Keep in mind though that if your loan is secured by your Long-ez almost any lender will require that you carry full hull (in-motion) insurance coverage. If you haven't priced that yet, prepare for a shock. Most ez owners settle for liability-only coverage. Hence the variety of indirect financing methods. Phil Long-ez Project Milwaukee
  5. Many of us use push pull cables for throttle and mixture control which are at least as long as the push-pull cables proposed here. Those seem to have limited resistance. If I understand correctly, the aileron circuit is more sensitive to resistance and push pull may me a problem there. I'm open to more educated feedback but it would seem that the proposed cables from the pedals to the belcranks would be an acceptable tradeoff. Phil, Long-ez project Milwaukee.
  6. Roger, I don't know about the link you posted but I saw you didn't get any (public, at least) replies to your post. I ahven't flown my long-ez yet but I do have some nice fuel caps that I would recommend to anyone. You must lift the tab and then twist it 90 degrees before the cap will come off, They are a little more expensive, but in my case, my confidence in the cap more than makes up for the cost. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/aerofuelcaps.php I have model C36L but A36LFF should work too. You can go for the locking option too for a few more dollars. Not sure that's worth it. Phil Long-ez Project Milwaukee
  7. I bought some a few years ago, and as I recall I reached him at the phone number on his site. http://www.carbinge.com/index.html At the time the carbinge was strictly an extension of his (Lancair?) hobby. Good luck! Phil
  8. My project still has its max altitude limited by the sawhorses I'm using but I have played the tire size game. If the tire is hitting the well, a different model of tire may indeed help. The Michelins and Matco's I'm using are both larger than the Goodyear Flight Custom II and Cleveland combination they replaced. I talked with the Michelin Man about the inflated diameter of the 5.00 x 5 Michelins and he said there was an acceptable range for production and that the set I had was at the upper end of the range. I wanted to use the Michelins and they were a bit tight in the wells for my comfort, so I sliced up the wheel wells, expanded the diameter and extended them the full depth of the strake. If it's a matter of the tire hitting the aft edge of the well rather than a diameter issue, I wonder if it would be acceptable to install a shim on the trunion pin to move the entire strut forward. Phil
  9. One of my favorite canard Photos is on Nick Ugolini's website. It shows a long-ez dwarfed by some weather. Having been in a similar situation a friend's Long-ez, Nick's photo reminds me of the confidence in the aircraft that that situation evoked. For others not familiar with our aircraft it might help deliver the message that these are serious aircraft, not ultralights or toys. I asked Nick about it a few years ago and at that time he still had the high resolution version. I don't know if Nick would be willing to have the photo published, but if so, I think it would make a great addition to the book. Phil Long-ez project Milwaukee
  10. It could be an EzJets project where the customer just ran out of cash or was too difficult to deal with. If that were the case then any wourk done by EzJets would be first rate.
  11. JC, If you are seriously considering getting into canards, there is a can't miss opportunity this weekend in Falls of Rough, Kentucky. There should be at least one of almost anything everything canard related, and many of the owners would be happy to accomodate someone in yoru position. You could try on a Veri-eze Long-ez, CozyIII, CozyIV, Cozy540, Velocity, Defiant, and perhaps even a Quickie, Q200, Tri-Q, or DragonFly, Many years there has even been a Vari-Viggen or two. Sitting in the planes is a small part of the value. Rough River is an event where the pilots tend to stay near their aircraft and they're typically very generous in sharing canard related information and opinions. If the weather is right and you're willing to provide some funding for fuel you may even be able to arrange a ride, which would raise your due diligence to a much higher level. The event is held within Rough River Dam State Park, which has a runway large inough for our type of aircraft. The designator is 2I3 (two-india-three). If your're driving it's about 90minutes southwest of Louisville. Phil
  12. I had planned to put it in another location, so I didn't install my Nav antenna until after the canard was finished filled and sanded. I installed it in the standard bottom location. I usd a popsicle stick with sandpaper glued to it to sand down to the glass, attached the antenna and then covered with west filler and sanded smooth. (Use caution during the final sanding step to avoid damaging the foil.) Based on the feedback from others about the bottom being the preferred location, this approach may work for you too. If you'd like to make the job a bit easier, consider laying out the dimensions of the antenna on the foam, and making slight depressions in the foam where the outboard ends of the foil will be. The inboard ends are inside the fuselage and contour isn't critacal, but the depressions will make the final contouring over the outboard section of the antenna easier.
  13. I was interested in the question so I went out and looked for myself. What I found was interesting... First the wiki: http://www.basaltex.com/en/applications.aspx Basalt fiber or fibre is a material made from extremely fine fibers of basalt, which is composed of the minerals plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine. It is similar to carbon fibre and fiberglass, having better physicomechanical properties than fiberglass, but being significantly cheaper than carbon fibre. It is used as a fireproof textile in the aerospace and automotive industries and can also be used as a composite to produce products such as tripods. Then product specs for a cloth that will not melt or burn: http://www.basaltex.com/en/applications.aspx The good mechanical properties of BCF (strength & rigidity), the easy wetting of the filament surface and their recyclability make them particularly suitable for said composites application. The UV resistance, the better acid resistance, the somewhat better alkaline resistance and very low water absorption of BCF fibers ensure excellent weather ability to outdoors BCF fiber reinforced Composites. BCF fiber reinforced injection molded parts seem, for a same fiber volume fraction, to have a better surface finish. This could allow direct metallization as for automotive interior decoration components. Kevin6q, if still reading - it would be interesting to hear how you see this cloth being used in other applications. And where we would find some in small quantities for testing. With the right epoxy system this may be an effective firewall material.
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