bmckinney10

I have wrapped up the majority of all work I wanted to do on my VE before I take it down to Covington to visit Robert & Ryszard for its condition inspection and getting it back in the air. Most recently I installed the SkyBeacon ADSB and Artex ELT. I put the ADSB in the nose, mounted to the battery bracket, and the ELT on the backseat floor. I have also added secondary headphone/mic. jacks in the headrest triangle. I am going to update my other post soon with latest pictures of N40LC. My current plan is to trailer it down to Covington in September.

Made the trip back out to CA this past weekend to help my son move back from his Scale Composites internship. Was lucky to get to see Marc Zeitlin again on Friday and take a closer look at his Cozy. Awesome aircraft, it makes my VariEze look tiny. Another bonus was getting to meet Mike Melvill while at Marc's hangar. We chatted for quite some time about many of his first flights in Rutan-based aircraft. Amazing stories, I could have listened for hours. I have attached a quick video of Marc departing in his Cozy. marc_zeitlin.mp4

Follow up from my earlier post regarding the crack/delam in the side below the canard... I have repaired this area using the "epoxy fill from the bottom" method. I drilled two small holes, one low and one high at opposite corners of the affected area (about 6" diameter) on the inside layer. Slowly injected epoxy in the lower hole until it came out of the upper & plugged the holes. A day later is it all solid, no flexing or hollow sounds. Getting close to schedule the condition inspection and get it back in the air. On a side note, on a driving trip to California last month, I visited Marc Zeitlin in Tehachapi. Learned a lot in the short time we spent with him (Thanks Marc!) . Our drive was from Minnesota to Mojave, so we stopped along the way in Spanish Fork, UT and met Mike Patey and toured his shop and projects. Incredible enthusiasm and workmanship. Lastly, my son is working a summer internship at Scaled Composites, so he is enjoying all the exciting things that happen there. I'm jealous.

Back to my ailerons. Taking Marc's suggestion, and after several minutes of thought before I actually started sanding a perfectly painted aileron, I stripped away all of the paint layers (2) and the black primer layer from the entire bottom surface and the top surface behind the hinges. The owner prior to me (not the original builder) had only painted the visible surfaces so the nose of the aileron was still in original paint. My thought was to see how it would balance out, keeping some of the paint weight on the front. Prior to sanding, the aileron weight was 3 lbs, 13.3 oz, After the removal of the 2 paint layers and the primer, the weight dropped to 3 lbs, 8.1 oz. The aileron still balances slightly tail heavy. A quick test required me to add 4oz. to the nose in this current sanded state to get it balanced. My guess is that will increase by possible 2-3+ oz. after adding the primer and single layer of paint back on. There was no excess filler on the top or bottom surfaces. The total weight was underweight compard to many even with 2 layers of final paint. I can only assume that this VE flew 570 hours with slightly tail-heavy ailerons. The builder was very meticulous and the overall build quality is very good. I am going to keep sifting through the CP's to understand if there is something I am missing for the balance procedure. I created a solid template with a level attached based on the aileron build plans (see below) showing the level waterline that I hold along the top skin. You can see in the picture above that even with all paint and primer removed on the entire lower surface, and all the top surface behind the hinge that it is still tail heavy.

I received the "Lord" engine mount kit from Fresno. It appears these may be aftermarket copies as they do not have the markings on them as the originals do.

Thanks for the reference! Their entire kit is $50 less than just the rubber bushings from AS.

I attached the image you referenced. It appears that the lower skin would be closer to level? That seems to coincide with the "view J-J" from above when rigging the control arm to 90 deg. of the waterline. I suppose the acceptable "or nose heavy" notation would come into play if the upper was closer to level.

Thanks Marc. More work than I wanted to do, but better to be safe. I need clarification on how to mark the aileron waterline to determine balance. I attached a couple of images that were found in the manual. The first is from the section that describes balancing, then second is from the section for installing the control hardware. The waterline reference looks different in each. Is the aileron waterline based on leveling the airframe, securing the trailing edges of the aileron and wing together, then marking a level line on the inboard side of the aileron?

I removed the ailerons & hung them by the hinge to check the balance. I didn't have a level with me, but by sight they are definitely tail heavy. The previous owner repainted the plane, but never flew it. I found an older post on here suggesting to a drills holes in the ends just behind the embedded leading edge rod and epoxy in lead rods. That seems logical. Any other suggestions?

Thought I would update my list from about 6 weeks ago. Items with a * were completed since the last post. Completed Work - finished up the starter installation - moved the breather tube to the other end of the engine - pulled new mag wires when pulling the new starter cables - cleaned up the wiring in the engine compartment - removed the GNC-250XL - installed a GTR-200B - CNC/3D print new panel for new mag switches, starter breaker and start button, pilot headphone/mic jacks, USB charging ports (see pic below) - rewired everything behind the panel - changed oil/cleaned screen - new air filter - new quick connect on trim servo - removed unused/old wiring * new plugs & new mag harnesses * new B&C regulator installed * new canopy lock installed * rewired canopy/throttle/gear safety switch circuits * N-number decals installed * Tempest oil filter adapter installed Upcoming - co-pilot headphone/mic. jack panel & mount (ran wires, just need to make a plate to hold the jacks) - fix the skin crack/delamination below canard - "EXPERIMENTAL" decal inside - new canopy seal - service wheels/brakes - ELT - ADS-B out - replace Lord engine bushings - re-balance ailerons & elevator

* rudder cables...

See attached pictures. The nylon tubing used as with the rubber cables (both inboard and outboard) had become brittle and cracked off external to the wing. The outboard end probably isn't too much of an issue as it still has a bit of protection from the skin/structure. The inboard end cracked off about 3/16" inside the skin. I assume it would start cutting into the glass and potentially get pinched. Is there a accepted fix for this or do I have to carve a bigger hole and splice on new tubing inside the skin?

I removed the ailerons to check the balance due to the previous owner having painted the VariEze. 3 of the 4 hinge pins had the teflon sleeve enhancement where the standard pin was replaced with a thinner pin and a teflon sleeve. The sleeve would not slide out, so I had to use a razor and cut it at each junction of the hinge halves. Anyone have a source for the sleeve material when I reinstall?

Was working on it... Attached. Wing Attach.pdf

I have the TERF CD's and they have the full assembly manuals for the VV, VEZ, LEZ, and section 1 for the Solitaire. They have the Owners manuals for all these plus the Defiant. There are no plan templates for bulkheads or surface profiles. They also include the Moldless Composite Aircraft Construction manual, various pictures, and all the CP's. My VEZ came with a full set of plans and templates from the original builder, but I bought the CD's anyway as they are much easier to access and then just print the page of interest as needed.

Work on N40LC continues: I found a defective wire in one of the original mag harnesses, and decided to replace both and all the plugs. Engine now starts quick and is very smooth. I have the B&C 12 amp PM alternator. I was not getting the DC power from the regulator. The alternator is putting out AC power, varying with the engine RPM. The regulator is dead. It is a potted metal box with 4 wires. 2 for the AC input and 2 for the DC output. It appears to be a simple full-wave rectifier, but one of the legs must be out. There was no external filter capacitor or O/V circuit as B&C provides now. I will order these replacements from B&C. I found/installed a replacement canopy keylock. The original was missing the key and a replacement lock ($4) was cheaper than getting a locksmith to redo the tumbler to make new keys. The original builder had a unique canopy locking mechanism that doesn't require a small door in the fuselage. I will post a picture soon. I am installing new canopy-latched & throttle position switches. The landing gear position switch is still in good condition. I pulled all the mounting parts and cleaned/painted them. I also have a new 1/2" flashing LED warning indicator for the panel. I am leaning towards not replacing the existing push-pull nose gear mechanism. It is simple and has over 560+ hours of error-free operation. As long as I keep my weight in check and my thighs from growing, it shouldn't be an issue for comfort. I did get an oil filter adapter kit for the O-200, but have not installed yet. I changed the oil once, maintaining just the original oil screen setup. It is a pain to remove the sensor, screen, etc. I am leaning towards installing it. I need to replace the tachometer. I can't find a part or model number that matches, but it appears to be a Westach of some type. It was driven directly off of a mag lead. Hoping to find a decent used replacement.

I am having no issues with the Skytec starter, nor the starter contractor setup. The engine kicks over with the first or second blade. I've had a Skytec on my Cherokee for 10 years with no issues. ELT was a mis-type, I meant ADSB. I was researching ELT's earlier and that was on my mind. As far as headset jacks, I guess we will see. I sat in it for several hours today while installing the radio and tried it out with my headphones on. I am not concerned at this point, I didn't notice anything that would cause me to dislike it. Plus, the wires only had to be 16" long, so easy install.

I retained the existing electrical circuit similar to what was specified in the LEZ manuals. It utilizes a 20 amp toggle switch instead of a master relay. I have 5 existing breakers for the radio, elt, instruments, trim servos, etc. that were already in place. There was no room for another breaker in the original location for the starter, so I put it in the new panel I made. The large cable starts at the battery in the nose, runs to the push-pull 40A breaker, then to a start solenoid located behind the panel, then runs to the starter in the back. The small push button only activates the starter contactor, just as a normal start circuit would as you described. If I have a starter stick, I can just pull the breaker which is only is for the new starter. As for the headphone/mic jacks, I considered the behind-the-shoulder setup, but preferred to have them in the front. The are near the center of the panel, so not in the way of the left & right hand controls.

Some updates on N40LC... Completed Work - finished up the starter installation - moved the breather tube to the other end of the engine - pulled new mag wires when pulling the new starter cables - cleaned up the wiring in the engine compartment - removed the GNC-250XL - installed a GTR-200B - CNC/3D print new panel for new mag switches, starter breaker and start button, pilot headphone/mic jacks, USB charging ports (see pic below) - rewired everything behind the panel - changed oil/cleaned screen - new air filter - new quick connect on trim servo - removed unused/old wiring Upcoming - new plugs & new mag harnesses - co-pilot headphone/mic. jack panel & mount - investigate alternator & regulator - new canopy lock - rewire canopy/throttle/gear safety switch circuits - 3D print bezel for GTR-200B Further Out - fix aforementioned skin crack/delamination below canard - "EXPERIMENTAL" & N-number decal install - new canopy seal - service wheels/brakes - ELT - ADS-B out

So we have successfully hand-propped the VE a few times. Fairly easy as we figured out the proper process. But, this ended up being much easier. VariEze Starter.mp4

What seat harness have most used for the Varieze? Mine still has the 4-point EON E8000 which was suggested in a CP to be replaced due to inadvertent opening with the latch system.

Everything around F22 is good and solid. It is just the outside layer/filler. It would bug me if I left it, so it'll be repairing it.

Self-inflicted fuselage damage... We were working through the re-wiring job today and noticed that we have a crack on the left side just under the canard area. I believe this was due to our ratchet strap being tightened a bit too much during shipping and causing an inward flex on the thinner part. The inside shows no cracks, but the outside has the crack and flex that should not be there. Noticed that that the right side seems a bit thicker in this same area. We will have to strip off the paint a see what is behind it. It sounds from tapping to be roughly a 6" x 6" area heading down and aft that was affected.

Very nice Curt! He didn't mention anything negative in regards to the handling with the cuffs. He put almost 600 hours on it in this configuration. He lived on a 2500' airpark strip and said he regularly flew himself and a neighbor (near/at) max gross. I am planning to visit the RAFE guys in TN at some point to get canard training time prior to flying my VE. I will look into the X-Plane sims. Thanks!

Great video, never saw this before. It shows the nose-gear pushrod system that I currently have...