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Vol.3 No.9 I September 2014 The Spirit of Homebuilt Aviation I www.eaa.org The Thatcher CX5 Two-place frugal fun Zigolo Motorglider Gas or electric power SuperMark Hein’s Sorta CubCub From race cars to Cubs EEAAEXP_Sept14.inddAAEXP_Sept14.indd 1 99/10/14/10/14 88:40:40 AMAM TOWER FREQUENCY 2 Vol.3 No.9 / September 2014 EEAAEXP_Sept14.inddAAEXP_Sept14.indd 2 99/10/14/10/14 88:40:40 AMAM Vol.3 No.9 I September 2014 CONTENTS Features EAA PUBLICATIONS Founder: Paul H. Poberezny Publisher: Jack J. Pelton, EAA Chairman of the Board Vice President of Communities and Member Programs: Rick Larsen Editor-in-Chief: J. Mac McClellan 10 Rising to the 18 The Zigolo Ultralight Homebuilding Community Manager: Challenge Another step toward a new era Charlie Becker Mark Hein and his sorta Super Cub BY JAMES LAWRENCE Editor: Mary Jones/EditEtc. LLC BY BUDD DAVISSON Senior Graphic Designer: Chris Livieri News Editor: Ric Reynolds 26 Introducing the Thatcher CX5 Copy Editor: Colleen Walsh The all-metal two-place fl ies! Multimedia Journalist: Brady Lane BY PAT PANZERA Visual Properties Administrator: Jason Toney Contributing Writers: Charlie Becker, Departments Budd Davisson, Dan Grunloh, Richard Koehler, James Lawrence, Michael 04 Homebuilder’s Corner 08 Flightline McCusker, Pat Panzera BY CHARLIE BECKER INDUSTRY NEWS 06 News from HQ NEWS FROM EAA ADVERTISING Display Columns Sue Anderson 34 What Our Members Are Building Mailing Address: The Long Game P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 BY MICHAEL MCCUSKER Phone: 920-426-4800 Fax: 920-426-4828 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.EAA.org 36 Homebuilders’ How-To Need to change your address or have Metal Propeller Repair other membership questions? BY RICHARD KOEHLER Call 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN EAA). EAA® and SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and AERONAUTICATM are registered trade- marks, trademarks, and service marks of the 38 Ultralight World Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use I’ll Never Do That Again… of these trademarks and service marks without BY DAN GRUNLOH the permission of the Experimental Aircraft As- sociation, Inc. is strictly prohibited. On the cover: Mark Hein’s Super Cub. (Photography by Jim Koepnick) EAA Experimenter 3 EEAAEXP_Sept14.inddAAEXP_Sept14.indd 3 99/10/14/10/14 88:41:41 AMAM HOMEBUILDER’S CORNER The EMG Glider. The Future Is Electrifying The revolution is under way BY CHARLIE BECKER I BELIEVE THE FREEDOM we enjoy as homebuilders to adapt to instead, we will piggyback off huge scale industries like any technology is what is keeping recreational aviation alive. cars and cordless drills. Let them fund the research and Over the last 60 years, homebuilders have ushered into general development (R&D) needed to make the batteries available aviation so many of the technological advances that improve in mass quantities. I see this as the difference from using a performance, reduce pilot workload, and enhance safety. specialty aviation fuel like 100LL versus using mogas. Everything from composites to glass panels to ballistic recovery Thought No. 3: Ultralight aviation will be the first to parachutes. The good news is we will continue to play that role practically use the electric engine for aviation. The main in the area of electric aircraft development. driver for this is that ultralights are flying purely for the I just finished watching Brian Carpenter’s Oshkosh enjoyment of flight. The flight duration is typically short, forum (available online) on his new aircraft design, the so landing to recharge your batteries is not a deal breaker. EMG-6, which he officially introduced at EAA AirVenture Plus, it will dramatically reduce the noise compared to the Oshkosh 2014. EMG stands for electric motorglider. The two-stroke engines that are the current standard while forum was extremely insightful on electric aircraft devel- increasing reliability and decreasing fuel cost. opment in general and his design goals in particular. I’m Thought No. 4: The battery R&D to make all this hap- going to share a few of the ideas that caught my attention, pen already exists. We are not waiting for a major research but I encourage you to watch his recording and hear di- breakthrough for this to happen. What we are missing is rectly from Brian. the commercialization that brings the technology to market Thought No. 1: The transition from piston engines to in a practical format and drives down the cost. Interesting- electric motors will be of the magnitude of when airlin- ly, it is the cordless power tool market that is driving much ers transitioned from piston engines to turbine engines. of the commercialization. Think about the huge gains in reliability that came with the If you get a sense that I’m excited about electric aircraft, transition to the jet age. We are on the cusp of that same you would most definitely be correct. I’m excited enough technological shift. Electric motors typically have just a about it that I’m going to start constructing an EMG-6 few moving parts. Bearings should be the only wear item. (when I’m not working on my clone of a Super Cub). I an- When you think of the electric motors in your home appli- ticipate electric will completely reinvigorate the ultralight ances and how reliable they are, you can imagine how big a and light experimental amateur-built market as existing leap forward it will be for aviation. designs are retrofitted for electric motors and new ones are Thought No. 2: Aviation can and should leverage com- created. With a foothold in ultralights, the electric revolu- mercial development of battery technology. There is no tion will then spread up the line until we have an electric- reason for an aviation company to try to develop batteries; powered RV! 4 Vol.3 No.9 / September 2014 EEAAEXP_Sept14.inddAAEXP_Sept14.indd 4 99/10/14/10/14 88:41:41 AMAM Aircraft | Personal Non-Owned | Powered Parachute & WSC Trike | Accidental Death & Dismemberment | Flight Instructor | Hangar | Airport Ta i lor-made Tailor-made stands for quality and durability. Like builders and restorers who tailor-make the intricate details of their aircraft, we take the time to evaluate all your coverage options to tailor a plan that won’t fall short of the mark. Visit EAA.org/tailormade or call us toll-free at 866-647-4322 for a quote. Insurance Solutions Administered by Falcon Insurance, Inc. EAALowerRates.com 866-647-4322 © 2013 Experimental Aircraft Assoc., Inc. EEAAEXP_Sept14.inddAAEXP_Sept14.indd 5 99/10/14/10/14 88:41:41 AMAM NEWS FROM HQ EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 WITH THOUSANDS OF dedicated volunteers • More than 10,000 aircraft at Wittman others were here but did not register at willing to do whatever it takes to get the Regional Airport and other facilities in the International Visitors Tent. job done, it’s hard to fail. EAA AirVenture east-central Wisconsin. • 917 media representatives on-site, Oshkosh 2014 was an unmitigated suc- • 2,649 showplanes, up 308 from 2013, from fi ve continents. cess due largely to more than 5,400 including almost 1,000 homebuilts, • EAA’s One Week Wonder project volunteers working together for a com- 1,050 vintage airplanes, 303 warbirds, totaled more than 2,500 participants mon cause—to produce the World’s 122 ultralights and LSA, 91 seaplanes, and resulted in a fi nished airplane on Greatest Aviation Celebration, and the 40 rotorcraft, 38 aerobatic aircraft, and closing day, August 3. 2014 version was certainly that. eight hot-air balloons. Next year (July 20-26) expect to see Attendance topped 500,000, or 5 to • 2,081 registered international visitors Burt Rutan, a new B-29 restoration, 70th 6 percent higher than in 2013. Satur- from 69 nations, led by Canada (505), anniversary commemorations of World day and Sunday saw 20 percent more Australia (416), and Brazil (194). Many War II’s end, and more. people coming through the gates than a year ago. “It was a tremendous week on many levels,” said EAA Chairman Jack J. Pelton. “We filled Wittman Regional Airport with aircraft for the first time in several years, with both aircraft camping and parking areas completely full at midweek.” The historic fi rst appearance of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at Oshkosh no doubt attracted many people to the event. Exhibitors reported outstand- ing business throughout the week, with some selling out of product. Other facts and figures from the 2014 convention: • KidVenture experienced record atten- dance in its 16th year. The One Week Wonder team escorts the Zenith Ch 750 Cruzer to the fl ightline on Sunday afternoon. First Convention Without Paul AIRVENTURE 2014 WAS our fi rst convention without the man who Sunday evening before opening day to volunteers raising their created it. But there were reminders throughout the grounds all glasses in his honor at the annual wind-down party a week later, week of EAA Founder Paul H. Poberezny, who died last year at the 2014 Oshkosh convention was a tribute to the man who the age of 91. From the ceremony held at the Memorial Wall made it all possible. The memorial featured a missing-man formation fl ight of P-51s led by EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast. Paul’s prized P-64 and P-51 were prominently displayed on Boeing Plaza through- out the week. Members had the chance to learn or revisit Paul’s life story at the Welcome Center exhibit, which featured Paul’s VW Red One, the replica Waco Primary Glider he built (and fl ew in June 2003), the Mechanix Illustrated Baby Ace that launched EAA into a national organization, videos, and more.