. AREA 103 .

Kerry Kearney and Mary Jones The Spirit of ’03 ...lives on! Shortly before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2002,

Ultralight/Lightplane Bob Severance Area Chairman Charles “Chazz” Humphrey suggested that a great way to commemorate the then-upcoming 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903 would be to build an ultralight. After all, the Wright brothers were the first ultralight pilots! Bonnie Eales-Jensen and her husband Dave (left) took the lead on fi nishing the Spirit of ’03 during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006. By the end of the convention, the machine was on the gear with the wings attached. Now, it’s awaiting painting and some other fi nal touches before fl ight testing begins.

ut which ultralight should it methods, including wood, welded The plan was to build as much of be? After much debate, Leonard steel, aluminum tubing, and fabric the machine as possible during EAA BMilholland’s Legal Eagle design covering. Additionally, the Legal Eagle AirVenture 2002 to showcase how was chosen because it involved can be built in compliance with FAR easy it can be to build an ultralight. several construction materials and Part 103, which defi nes ultralights. Chazz asked Jerry Eales, the Ultralight/ Lightplane Area’s technical counselor, to take the lead on the project. As a member of EAA Ultralight Chapter 1’s

M. Jones Microlite Flyers from the Milwaukee area, his proximity to Oshkosh would

be benefi cial. Plus hePhotos courtesy Morry Hummelhad a lot of building experience, having built an Ultra Piet that won the grand champion ultralight award in 1998. For AirVenture 2002, Jerry set up a project tent outside the Ultralight Barn and construction began. The welding was done at the Welding Workshop on the north end of the AirVenture grounds. Jerry oversaw the construction and directed the many volunteers who aided in the project. Many AirVenture attendees stopped to watch and/or assist with the project, too. When AirVenture 2002 Fred Flood, a longtime EAA volunteer, works on wing ribs with an AirVenture attendee ended, there was still much work to during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2002, when construction the Spirit of ’03 began. The welded be done, so Jerry took the Legal Eagle fuselage is visible in the background. to his home in Hartford, Wisconsin,

50 . NOVEMBER 2006

550-53_area103.indd0-53_area103.indd 2 110/16/060/16/06 9:24:549:24:54 AMAM where he organized the project into volunteers, the EAA Ultralight Chapter tasks for the next AirVenture. 1 Microlite Flyers, and Bonnie and Dave When EAA AirVenture Oshkosh are determined to see this Legal Eagle 2003 rolled around, Jerry again set fl y at AirVenture 2007. They’re hoping up the project in a tent near the maybe one day it will fi nd a home in barn. Throughout the week, many the EAA AirVenture Museum. This little AirVenture attendees stopped to learn plane, after all, does have a lot of spirit! aircraft construction techniques and Courtesy Bonnie Eales-Jensen lend a hand. Showing the Way At the end of AirVenture 2003, Chazz’s idea that demonstrating how many parts still needed to be located easy it is to build an ultralight might or constructed. During the following inspire others was defi nitely on target. winter, EAA Ultralight Chapter One of those who happened upon 1 members covered the machine the Spirit of ’03 project at AirVenture and learned proper fabric-covering 2002 was Scott Johnson of Oshkosh, techniques under the watchful eyes of Wisconsin. A commercial airline pilot, Jerry Eales led the Spirit of ’03 project, with Jerry and his daughter, Bonnie Eales- Scott then had more than 10,000 assistance from EAA members from around Jensen, an airframe and powerplant fl ying hours logged, but he’d never the country. (A&P) mechanic with an inspection built an airplane because he wasn’t authorization (IA) rating. sure he had the skills. construction. Overall, he fi gures he But, time and AirVentures slip by During the fi rst three days of has invested about $6,200 in the quickly. AirVenture 2004 and 2005 saw AirVenture 2002, Scott said he found machine, with the major portion more progress on the project. During himself wandering back to watch the in the full-case 1/2 VW engine that the winter of 2005, Jerry’s health progress on the Legal Eagle several powers it. He kept a detailed builder’s deteriorated, affecting his ability to times—six times on the fi rst day, log in case he had trouble keeping carry the Spirit of ’03 project forward. in fact! By day three, Jerry and the the machine within the 254-pound At AirVenture 2006, Jerry’s daughter, other volunteers had convinced him weight limit for ultralights so he Bonnie, and her husband, Dave, took he could handle the project, so he could certifi cate it as an amateur- charge, and other volunteers jumped sought out Leonard Milholland and built, if necessary. Altogether, he in to help. Before AirVenture 2006 purchased a set of Legal Eagle plans logged 632 hours constructing the ended, the Spirit of ’03 was on its gear, and a construction video. Silver Slug as he’s dubbed it (silver for with the wings attached and the full- Scott began building his Legal its color; slug because it’s slow). Scott case 1/2 VW engine mounted on the Eagle in the winter of 2003, starting says between the plans and the active fi rewall. fi rst with the wooden wing ribs. builders group on the Legal Eagle Now, the Spirit of ’03 is stored at Next he tack welded the fuselage. website (www.BetterHalfVW.com), the East Troy (Wisconsin) airport As money permitted, he purchased there’s more than enough assistance awaiting paint and fi nishing touches. more materials and continued the available to beginning builders. Chazz, the EAA Ultralight Barn Throughout the construction of his M. Jones M. Jones

The wings for the Spirit of ’03 Legal Eagle Scott Johnson built his own Legal Eagle after watching volunteers begin to construct the were completed during EAA AirVenture Spirit of ’03 at AirVenture 2002. He said watching them gave him the confi dence to tackle Oshkosh 2003. the project.

EAA SPORT PILOT . 51

550-53_area103.indd0-53_area103.indd 3 110/16/060/16/06 9:25:049:25:04 AMAM Scott followed the plans nearly to the letter, only substituting miniMAX wingtips for the squared-off Legal Eagle tips because he liked the appearance better. He also added 1-

M. Jones inch-thick pieces of foam between the wing ribs to prevent the leading edge of the wing from dimpling. He used Lexan to form the windshield and used a bending brake to add a fl ange to reduce wind fl ow into the cockpit. M. Jones

Scott used the Better Half VW engine to power his machine. He’s still completing fl ight testing, so he wasn’t ready to offer performance fi gures. Leonard Milholland lent a similar engine to the Spirit of '03 project to power it for its fi rst fl ights. The Better Half VW uses the full VW case. Scott said the benefi ts are there’s more oil capacity to help cool the engine, and the original engine mounts can be used.

52 . NOVEMBER 2006

550-53_area103.indd0-53_area103.indd 4 110/16/060/16/06 9:25:219:25:21 AMAM machine, Scott sought Jerry’s advice. He took his tail fi ns to Jerry’s house for him to inspect the construction before he covered them, and Jerry visited Scott’s home to check the wings before he covered those as well. Building the 1/2 VW engine was one of the bigger challenges of the project, but Scott said there’s a lot of support for engine builders, too. He retrofi tted the engine with a stronger 78 mm crankshaft and 92 mm cylinders, which are larger than standard VW cylinders. That combination is projected to develop 37 hp at about 3400 rpm. However, with only about eight hours total time on the engine and two on the engine/airframe combination when we visited with him, Scott wasn’t ready to commit to what the machine’s actual performance is. On one of his initial fl ights he recorded 55 mph at 3100 rpm. Still, with that little time logged, Scott said he’s pleased with how the ultralight handles. “It fl ies well…all the way down to three-point landings, and it taxies well. The rudders are hooked directly to the tail wheel, so any time you move the rudder, the tail wheel moves with it, but the tail wheel will only go as far as the rudder, so the machine has no tendency to ground loop. It helps that it hangs really low to the ground, too.” But Scott said he’s not sure how much longer it would have taken him to get his courage up to build an airplane if he hadn’t seen the Legal Eagle project in progress. “I just didn’t have the know-how or the experience, but watching the folks working on the Spirit of ’03 project gave me the confi dence I needed.” Good job, volunteers!

Postscript: As this issue was going to press, we learned that Jerry Eales passed away in early October. We extend our sincere condolences to Bonnie, the rest of Jerry’s family, the Microlite Flyers, and Jerry’s many other friends. Jerry’s interest in aviation began in middle school. He earned his private pilot certifi cate in 1989. In the early ’90s he developed heart problems, so his aviation interests turned to ultralights. He began building an Ultra Piet in January 1993 while recovering from heart bypass surgery. That’s the aircraft that won the grand champion ultralight award at EAA Oshkosh 1998.

EAA SPORT PILOT . 53

550-53_area103.indd0-53_area103.indd 5 110/16/060/16/06 9:25:349:25:34 AMAM