goatherder

Thanks so much Joe. I'm still in the mockup and adjust phase here...but those dimensions help alot. I was thinking about tilting the IP too. Just might do that. I hope mine comes out half as nice looking as yours has.

No glassing yet as some of it is still in the mail. Just laid out the side panels and nailed them to the bulkheads to see wtf it'll look like.

SO Joe - how far is F22 from the firewall? I'm fixin to jig the bulkheads and firewall upside down on the table and then see what kind of bottom curve I want before I cut the foam for the sides...but I need that F22-to-firewall dimension.

Tom - thanks for the link and the plans. I'm looking at them now.

Thanks Steve - I'd like to come and see your project. You're in Tacoma, no? Send me a PM with your contact info and I'll give you a call.

Yeah, I was talking to Todd about that today and he mentioned that the hoop in between the two canopies really restricts the passenger's view. So I guess its a one piece canopy. Maybe I have to make the turtle deck a bit longer.

I just talked to Todd and he says he can make it 4" wider no problem. 4" longer is another story. He claims it ended up costing him 3 grand to make the limo canopy so he could sell it for $500...and he doesn't like to lose money, so max canopy stretch is about 2". I'm sending him a pic of my firewall template so he can give me some firm details and pricing info. I'll end up making the firewall and canopy frame fit the canopy. No big deal.

FiberglassSupply.com has H45 and its cheaper than H80...but they only have it in 1" thickness.

Will definitely contact Todd re: canopy but may be able to order a Limo-EZ canopy and recontour the top of the firewall to fit. Why should I buy the red foam at a hundred bucks for a firewall-sized piece when I can get a whole sheet of this plywood for the same price and make all the bulkheads out of it. ALso - it is stronger and more rigid and foam. Yes there is a weight penalty but most of these bulkheads end up being cut away, so any weight penalty is negligable and not worth the price you pay to aviod it. I hate being bent over. Its the principle. The Goatherder thing is a reference to how I feel sometimes in my supervisory role aboard the fishing boats I work on. Some of these boats have 60-80 people on board...and not too many rocket surgeons among them. Sometimes we get alot of short-bus riders, and trying to keep them all going to same direction and not dragging their asses is about how I imagine herding goats would be. Goats might be easier though. You can give a goat a good kick in the ass when he needs it...and he probably won't go and get a lawyer.

Ok...I'll order a few yards of the 7725 for the tough spots. Thanks

Next question: does anybody know the dimensional differences between the Cozy main gear hoop and that of a Long-EZ? Could one use the Cozy hoop on a Long-EZ that's 4" wider?

I heard a rumor that there used to be some .pdf Aerocanard plans flying around. I ASSume that this plane uses the same main gear bulkhead mounting system that the Cozy does, and I would like to see a drawing of how it's put together. Or a Cozy drawing...or a link to a builder's site with enough pictures that I can figure it out. Thanks in advance.

I guess the clock is ticking now. FYI - 4" wider, 4" deeper. These bulkheads are plywood - not that rediculously overpriced red foam. Lloyds of London rated structural Oukume. Hey - at least I didn't use OSB! Tomorrow I start whackin. (Foam) Glass and glue (Pro-Set 125/226) is in the mail. 7715 UNI and 7781 BID...which is 13.3333333333333333% stronger than 7725 according to this chart: http://www.hexcel.com/Products/Downloads/Fabrics+Data+Sheets.htm?map=P1&t=Fiberglass+Data+Sheets should be here soon And yes, I bought the 7715 from ASS because hardly anybody carries it, ASS has a cool name and the price wasn't that bad. So what do I call this thing...the Goatherder Special?

Yes, I've had this picture in the collection for quite a while now, as well as any other picture of that plane (or info) I can get my hands on. I guess I'll just have to get in contact with the owner.

Ok...then what? What are these factors? I plan to hang a direct drive V8 on there and the prop centerline is NOT going to be above the wing...cause the engine's crankshaft is like down by the bottom of the engine, and I'm going to bolt the prop directly onto the back of the crank. Just like an airboat. Oooooo! So what will happen if the prop is down by the bottom of the wing? Too much down trim at cruise? (due to inceased canard lift the-faster-you-go) Maybe there's some rocket science involved...and a rocket scientist that can provide a little insight?

I think thats what you call it. Am I correct in assuming that the axis of the propeller needs to be exactly centered (vertically) on the back of the spar & wings? Is there any vertical leeway with this, and if so...does anybody know how much. Does an inch or two make much difference? Can you have your prop centered on the bottom of the spar, or maybe on the top without adverse effect, or would that tend to tip the plane up or down? I'm sure one of you engineer types must have the answer to this...so educate me.

I sold the legs and made stew from the innards. (I'm saving for the plane)

Or Kwanza or whatever. Eat Drink and be Merry. We're having goat stew.

Thanks for the reply Joe. Maybe I'm off base here...but I was just thinking I could just add the same amount to all the bulkhead templates, and then add the 4.5" stretch just behind the front seatback where the bottom is relatively flat, and then add 4" width to the middle of the spar. Seems to me that it should be relatively simple to scale it up this way. However, this method might result in a plane that is rather boxy looking and not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as some other planes are. Can't have that. More later. Merry christmas.

Joe's plane will be the same. Have you seen that thing? Check his progress report.

RE: Limo EZ Hi Joe - I am about to start building bulkheads here and I want to build a larger fuselage similar to yours. What I'm thinking is to add a 4" strip to the middle of all the bulkhead templates, and another 4" strip down near the bottom (below spar level of course) which will make the fuselage 4" wider and 4" deeper. This should add considerable room to both the front and rear seats. Hopefully my wife will maintain her girlish figure and not fill in the extra room with ass. (I've warned her about this.) I also want to lengthen it, and I need to know where to position the canard....or I guess where to position F22 in relation to the firewall. Did you work a drawing for the Limo, or from Berkut drawings or did you just talk with Sam Kriedel and get the info from him? I want to make a roomier plane, but I'm no engineer and so I want to follow a tried-and-true formula. Any info would be helpful.

FiberglassSupply.com has 6781 S-2 BID 50" on sale for $8.45/yd for 16+yds. Any thoughts on this material as an alternative to 7725? It is stronger in both directions.

Ok, well that sound easy enough. I had envisioned muddling around in there with sticky gloved hands trying to pick out these stupid little strings with my fingernails.

Maybe. I saw some guy downtown trying to sell one out of the back of his van. He had some used stereo speakers too, and an old Hibachi. Lynn - thanks for the info on the glue. I do intend to post-cure...but if the 226 will give enough open time then I'll just use that. Martin - I watched that video you gave me the other day and noticed that when Burt and Mike were demonstrating the spar cap layup that they were NOT pulling all the little cross weaves out of the spar cap UNI. They just slapped it in there, wet it out and squeegeed it in. So...I wonder if you really need to bother with that? Oh yeah...thanks for the spar jig. I managed to get it home nice and dry.

I just discovered that Fisheries Supply in Seattle sells Pro-Set epoxies. I have a commercial acct there which gives me a pretty good discount so it's $93/gal for 125 lo-viscosity resin, $74 for 135 med-viscosity (but they're backorderd on that), and $50 ea 229 med or 226 fast hardeners. You can blend these. The 135 is back-ordered but the 125 is on the shelf. On the shelf is good. Also - Just bought 3ea 48x96" sheets of 3lb Divinycell for $223+tax. Thats a good deal.