Arion's 170-Mph, 25-Mpg Two-Seater Just Got Better!

Arion’s 170-mph, 25-mpg two-seater just got better!

September 2008

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On the cover: Richard VanderMeulen photographed the Arion Lightning at Shelbyville, Tennessee. Flight Reports 8 ARION LIGHTNING With savvy development and a designer’s open mind, a sleek two-seat speedster just got better; by Chuck Berthe. 18 REMEMBER WHEN: THE BD-5 MICRO Examining the most sought aft er kitbuilt, some 40 years aft er the craze; by Bob Grimstead. 43 Builder Spotlight 2 4 DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: JOHN THORP His well-conceived, innovative designs have stood the test of time; by Amy Laboda. 32 BUILD YOUR SKILLS: FABRIC Make a lasting attachment; by Ron Alexander. 3 8 ALL ABOUT AVIONICS: CUTTING THE METAL Th ere’s no need to fear building your own panel. It’s easier than you might think; by Stein Bruch. 4 3 TO DREAM THE (ALMOST) IMPOSSIBLE DREAM Th ere’s no question the next great roadable aircraft will come from the minds of homebuilders; by Murry L. Rozansky. 49 TO LAUNCH A LIGHT SPORT Our Senior Editor chooses and then begins his next kit aircraft ; by Bob Fritz. 6 0 C O M P L E T I O N S Builders share their successes. Shop Talk 54 THE HOME MACHINIST We write, you write… alright! By Bob Fritz. 7 1 AERO ’LECTRICS Get the LED out; by Jim Weir. Designer’s Notebook 68 WIND TUNNEL Roll’s role in lateral stability; by Barnaby Wainfan. 8 Exploring 2 AROUND THE PATCH Development, done right; by Marc Cook. 6 WHAT’S NEW A new Carbon Cub and SUNLite LEDs; edited by Mary Bernard. 58 DOWN TO EARTH Th e fi nal stage of assembly… Or is it? By Amy Laboda. 73 LIGHT STUFF Learn how to maintain your Rotax engine; by Dave Martin. Kit Bits 4 CONTRIBUTORS 5 LETTERS 64 LIST OF ADVERTISERS 65 BUILDERS’ MARKETPLACE 75 THE CLASSIFIED BUILDER 80 KIT STUFF 24 Drawing on experience; by cartoonist Robrucha.

KITPLANES September 2008 1 Development, done right. ThreeTh years ago at S’FSun ’n Fun, I met Nick Otterback standing by the fi rst prototype of the Lightning. Surrounded by the, er... functional looking Jabiru high-wingers in the display area, the Lightning appeared low, sleek, sexy and fast. At the time, I wasn’t all that familiar with the Esqual, from which the Lightning was struck, but I did recognize traits that originally excited me about the Aero Designs Pulsar. Namely, the proportions are pleasing, there’s a good amount of horizontal tail—so I fi g- Nick Otterback and his Lightning. ured stability would be appropriate—and the design is intended to be as foolproof to build as is possible. Sometimes the wheels here at KP Cen- I had dinner with Otterback and the rest of those who admit to what they don’t know; tral move slowly, so it wasn’t until last fall the Jabiru family, based in Shelbyville, Ten- they’re the fi rst to seek out experts in a that one of our most experienced test nessee. He was excited about the updates, new fi eld, listen intently and sniff out the pilots, Chuck Berthe, was able to hook up now implemented into a new demonstra- truth of a situation. I’m delighted that he with the Lightning and its designer, Nick tor aircraft that, I learned later, had won was able to put ego aside and improve the Otterback. Soon after the fl ight, Berthe Best Composite at the show. But I could tell airplane. Forget about missing the mark reported to me that he’d found many he was worried about a bad review from fi rst time out. Focus on the result, and do things to like about the airplane but a someone as respected and unemotional everything you can to make the airplane few—including poor longitudinal stability about handling qualities as Berthe. better for builders and pilots. in some confi gurations—that warranted if Berthe sampled the second airplane Aviation history is littered with fl awed not concern, then at least a second look. and came back truly impressed. In private designs and hubristic designers convinced Berthe, not wanting to be misled by a sin- conversation and in the story he submit- they know more than the stalwarts—and gle data point—could the factory airplane ted, Berthe admitted that he was mighty certainly more than some hick test pilot. be the norm or an anomaly?—he sought pleased to see that Otterback had taken (Don’t worry, Berthe knows I say this with rides with builders in other Lightnings. his comments to heart as constructive fondness.) Good design is about humility. Those test hops indicated that his fi rst criticism. Careful development, a little bit Years ago, I spent the better part of a week impressions were accurate. here and a little bit there, moved the Light- with controversial motorcycle designer Around the same time, Otterback indi- ning design from pretty good to wow, Pierre Terblanche. No more irascible and cated that he was working on improve- beautiful job! No single thing was the cure. outspoken designer exists, I think, and yet ments to the Lightning, including a new Otterback worked to move the empty he was the fi rst to admit that areas outside trim system—a change from a spring- c.g. forward, reduce elevator gearing and his core skills were probably better under- bungee system to a trailing-edge tab— improve the trim system. stood by those whose core skills were and it seemed prudent to bide our time This tells me Otterback is a sharp guy— centered in that fi eld. Say what you want until these alterations were on line. and not just his building skills or design about how his creations looked, but they Move ahead to Lakeland this year, when chops. No, the smartest people I know are were all smart.

has been in aviation journalism for 20 years and in magazine work for more than 25. He is Marc Cook a 4000-hour instrument-rated, multi-engine pilot with experience in nearly 150 types. He’s completed two kit aircraft, an Aero Designs Pulsar XP and a Glastar Sportsman 2+2.

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Follow the leader. 1Subscription required. 2XM WX satellite weather and XM Radio entertainment not available with GPSMAP 495. NASDAQ GRMN CHUCK BERTHE EDITORIAL Our fl ight-test man in the fi eld took valuable time off Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook [email protected] from his fi tness routine to do an uncommonly thorough Managing Editor Mary Bernard job of evaluating our cover subject, the lovely Arion Light- Art Director Suzanne Stackle Senior Editors Bob Fritz, Dave Higdon ning kitbuilt. A retired naval aviator, aeronautical engi- Contributing Editors Chuck Berthe, Stein Bruch, neer and professional test pilot, Berthe brings a wealth Dan Checkoway, Cory Emberson, of knowledge and experience to the table. His in-depth Geoffrey Jones, Amy Laboda, Howard Levy, Rick Lindstrom, fl ight review of the Lightning begins on Page 8. Dave Martin, Dick Starks, Barnaby Wainfan, Jim Weir, Ed Wischmeyer Webmaster/Data Manager Julia Downie Cartoonist Robrucha

AMY LABODA ADVERTISING What you’d call a pan-enthusiast, Amy brings her con- Publisher/Ad Director Cindy Pedersen [email protected] siderable journalistic talents to bear on the story of John Sr. Advertising Manager Chuck Preston Th orp. Th orp was infl uential beyond the popularity of his [email protected] homebuilt designs—ask any pilot who has fl own a Piper BUSINESS OFFICE Cherokee, for example. Th at’s because he was the insti- 531 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 105, Encinitas, CA 92024 Main Number: 760/436-4747, Fax 760/436-4644 gator of the all-fl ying “stabilator” tail for light aircraft . Editorial: 562/608-8251 Moreover, Th orp brought matched-hole construction to the masses. Amy’s story begins on Page 24. PRODUCTION & CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Production Manager Marsha Blessing 717/433-7985 [email protected] Classified Advertising Allyson Patton 717/982-0744 [email protected] MURRY ROZANSKY It’s possible to stay inside your world so diligently that CIRCULATION Circulation Director Lisa Evans your view is more belly button than far horizon. Inventor Circulation Manager Laura McMann Rozansky this month takes us into the world of roadable aircraft , which should be springing forth from the Experi- SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT 800/622-1065; 386/447-6318 mental realm left and right, but remain, for many, a curios- www.kitplanes.com/cs ity. Murry’s story begins on Page 43. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 For Canada: Box 7820 STN Main, London, ON N5Y5W1

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QUALITY REPRINTS AVAILABLE Minimum Order: 500 BACK ISSUES: Call 800/622-1065 Contact Mona Kornfeld, 203/857-3143 WEB SITE INFORMATION: General homebuilt aircraft information, back issue availability, online directories ordering info, plus a KITPLANES® article index and selected articles can be found at www.kitplanes.com. Unsolicited manuscripts: Are welcome on an exclusive basis, but none can be acknowledged or returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. No responsibility is assumed for loss or damage to unsolicited material. KITPLANES® (ISSN 0891-1851) is published monthly by Aviation Publishing Group, LLC, an affiliate of Belvoir Publications, 800 Connecticut CHANGE OF ADDRESS? Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06854-1631, Robert Englander, Chairman and CEO; Timothy H. Cole, Exec. Vice Pres./Editorial Director; Philip L. Penny, COO; Greg King, Exec. Vice Pres./Marketing Dir.; Marvin J. Cweibel, Senior Vice Pres., Marketing Operations; Ron Goldberg, CFO; Tom Canfield, MISSING ISSUE? Vice Pres., Circulation; Michael N. Pollett, Sr. Vice Pres., General Counsel. SUBSCRIPTION QUESTION? Periodicals postage paid at Norwalk, CT, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright ©2008 Aviation Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Printed in USA. Revenue Canada GST Account #128044658. Canada Publishing Agreement #40016479. Visit www.kitplanes.com/cs. Or call 800/622-1065 Subscriptions: One year (12 issues) is $29.95 U.S. $41.95 in U.S. funds in Canada, includes GST. $41.95 in U.S. funds for Foreign Surface Mail or $57.95 in U.S. funds for Foreign Air Mail. Single copy price $4.99 U.S., $5.99 Canadian. from the U.S. and Canada. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes and subscription inquiries to: KITPLANES®, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 or call 800/622-1065. KITPLANES® is a registered trademark of Aviation Publishing Group, LLC. Foreign, call 386/447-6318 or fax 203/857-3103.

4 KITPLANES September 2008 Thirty K is OK about 800 hours done and a few hun- Does Mr. Wainfan have a book available Finally, you guys are getting it. Fred dred to go. Th e articles on aero electrics, that covers his lectures or articles on test Galloway’s $30,000 (or so) RV-9A [June colour schemes and avionics have been fl ying? Th ank you. issue] was a refreshing story. I’m tired extremely timely and greatly assisted me MIKE MALONEY of hearing guys agonizing over which in my build. Th anks, guys. $30,000 new engine they want to buy, I am a longtime reader of KITPLANES®. or how to fi t their $50,000 EFIS panel JIM LEWIS, CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA Sometimes I buy it at Borders or Barnes into a two-seat sport airplane. I mean, & Noble; sometimes I read it and put it really tired. Fred used his time and saved Dan’s the Man back on the counter. I’ll make you a deal. Aft er reading the letters in the latest his money. I like that. Other builders I’ll subscribe for as many years as you’ll issue I wanted to add my two cents’ ought to use him as an example of how allow if you agree to collate the wonder- worth. I personally like Mr. Checko- to [build] right. ful columns that Barnaby Wainfan has way’s articles. I’ve read his entire web BERT TOMLINSON written for you into a book. I’d also like site several times and look forward to his to buy the resultant book. What do you Wordsmith, Not Mr. Atlas contributions to the magazine. say? ROGER LAUBHAN I have read the Wordsmith’s (aka Ken DAVE ROBERTSON Scott) article in the June issue and I liked I suspect Barnaby has been rallying the Don’t mess with Dan’s column. Th is guy it very much. But, I do want to point out troops! Seriously, we are working on is a breath of fresh air who cuts through a misspelling…the horrors of it all! To a compilation of the “Wind Tunnel” hype and foggy thinking. my knowledge there is no Glenallen (the material, and hope to have more details available later in the year.—Ed. spelling that the Wordsmith uses in the LEO DRINGOLI article) in the fi ne state of Alaska. Th ere is, however, a Glennallen in Alaska. We Of Primary Importance Nice Evinrude You Got There will let this error slide this time, but Th e current maximum takeoff weight I am very interested in building an air- watch it! of 2700 pounds and the government plane in the near future. But when it DALE ELLIS burden of obtaining a production cer- comes down to the motor I’m having a tifi cate almost equal to the burden of lot of trouble getting used to the idea of Any Relation? obtaining a full type-certifi cate make paying so much for what I see as noth- Nice story by Mary Bernard in the June this [the Primary category] a tossaway. ing more than antiquated technology. I issue about Mike Maxwell’s Lancair. Even the RV-10 cannot be fully loaded mean when was the last time you saw a And now I know why I couldn’t get with passengers, luggage and fuel, magneto on a new car? My curiosity then N123MX for my SeaRey (May-August and make this weight limit, though turns to outboard boat motors. Not only 2004) and had to settle for N123XM, its weight limit has strategically been are they light, clean running, effi cient instead. Th e two airplanes couldn’t placed at 2700 pounds. Virtually all the and relatively cheap (especially the DFI be much more diff erent, despite hav- composite four-place airplanes have an two-strokes), but they are designed to ing almost identical registration num- empty weight of around 2000 pounds. operate at a constant power setting for bers and builders’ names. Hats off A 700-pound payload is woefully inad- extended periods of time. I would like to KITPLANES® for the breadth of equate for any type of four-place cross- to know if anyone has attempted to use coverage. country airplane. this type of engine setup before and if so DON MAXWELL LOYD WOODWARD how it worked, or if there’s some specifi c reason that you don’t see this type of Southern Praise Did Barnaby Put You Up to This? thing more oft en. I wanted to pass on my appreciation for I am not a regular subscriber, though CHET MOEN the quality of articles presented in your I do purchase copies of your magazine Well, the Johnson company once made magazine. I took a subscription last year in the stores. I fl y internationally and two-stroke aero engines, so there’s some mainly for the entertaining write-ups am gone a lot. I enjoy Mr. Wainfan’s precedent. Not sure the outboard power on diff erent kit planes, but renewed column, “Wind Tunnel,” and am inter- heads are all that light, and then you’d that subscription because of all the stuff ested in following it more in earnest. I have to come up with a radiator system to I am learning that is helping me with can’t carry numbers of magazines with cool them. We’d love to hear fr om anyone my project. My kit plane is a Sonex, me, but I can fi t a book in my fl ight case. who has tried a conversion.—Ed.

KITPLANES September 2008 5 Cub Crafters Introduces Study of LSAs May Affect Insurance Rates InCarbon a utility airplane, Cub the power-to-Kit Company President Jim Lauerman weight ratio reigns supreme, which is announced that Avemco will be con- why Cub Craft ers is making a big deal ducting an in-depth analysis of its Light about its new Carbon Cub kit. Said Sport Aircraft underwriting standards to weigh 200 pounds less than tradi- and is fi ne-tuning them to diff erentiate tional Super Cubs, the Carbon Cub is more eff ectively among models. Critical designed to accept powerplants from the 100-hp Continental O-200 to the 180-hp factors include dealer training—espe- Lycoming IO-360. cially for pilots transitioning to LSAs, Cub Craft ers says a 160-hp version, certifi ed in the Experimental/Amateur-Built parts availability and maintenance sup- category, can weigh as little as 925 pounds empty. An ELSA version, with the O-200, port. Avemco reps are visiting LSA man- can weigh as little as 845 pounds empty, according to the company, leaving 475 ufacturing sites and dealer facilities to pounds for people, things and fuel. Select use of composite materials and a simplifi ed conduct the analysis and get fi rst-hand wing structure—with half as many parts as the original Piper design—contribute to information. Says Lauerman, “We’ve the weight savings, the company says. A modern cowl design along with a stream- found that the light wing-loading of lined fuselage also improve performance to “130 mph or more” in cruise. LSAs requires a greater emphasis on low- Th e kit prices start at $19,995 for the standard fuselage kit plus $19,995 for the speed directional control.” While some standard wing kit and $19,995 for the standard fi nishing kit. Th ese subkits complete dealers and manufacturers are already the airplane save for engine, avionics, paint and interior. Additional options include addressing the need for training, Avem- ready-to-cover quickbuild wing and fuselage kits (add $3000 to the wing kit and co will adjust its underwriting require- $4000 to the fuselage kit) as well as a Deluxe fi nishing kit (add $4000). Cub Craft ers ments for models that “fall short” of the can provide the components painted for additional cost. Finally, there is an optional additional training or don’t have parts High Gross Kit ($4995) that takes the non-LSA version from 1430 to 1650 pounds and maintenance available. maximum gross weight. For more information, call 301/694- With all the quickbuild options, the Carbon Cub will be ready to cover in 120 4207 or visit www.avemco.com. A direct hours, the company says. For more information, call 509/248-9491, or visit www. link can be found at www.kitplanes. cubcraft ers.com. A direct link can be found at www.kitplanes.com. com.

SUNLite LED Lighting AeroLEDs now off ers a smaller version of its popular AeroSUN LED anti- collision/landing/taxi light system introduced last year. Both the SUNLite and AeroSUN systems are 100% solid-state and are designed for Experi- mental and Light Sport Aircraft powered by the Rotax 900 series engine. SUNLites off er a smaller footprint and use new high-intensity LEDs, which consume 20%-50% of the current of traditional fi lament or high intensity discharge (HID) lighting while producing more light per watt. Th e AeroSUNLite units can be installed as a single unit on the nosegear or cowling, or they can be installed in pairs within the wingtips. Th e wingtip confi guration allows for phased (wig-wag) fl ashing of the lights, off ering the most eff ective anti-collision protection without diminishing the life of the lights. All of the products are rated at 50,000 hours of operation. Th e AeroSUNLite lights are $224.95 per single light or $399.95 per pair. For more information, call 208/867-1319 or visit www.aeroleds.com. A direct link can be found at www.kitplanes.com.

To submit a press release on a homebuilt-related product, e-mail a detailed description and high-resolution photograph to [email protected]. Mailing address is KITPLANES®, New Products, 203 Argonne Ave, Suite B105, Long Beach, CA 90803. Visit www.kitplanes.com/freeinfo.asp for information on “What’s New” items and advertised products. Select the issue in which the item appeared, and then select the categories of information or individual advertisers you’re interested in. You’ll receive an e-mail.

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© 2008 Lycoming. Lycoming Engines is an operating division of AVCO Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. AArionrion LightningLightning With savvsavvyy development and a designer’s open mind, a sleek two-seat speedster just got better. BY CHUCK BERTHE A request from the editor of this mag- days, the Lightning is powered by the (Th e airplane you see on these pages is azine to strike out to Shelbyville, Ten- 120-horsepower, six-cylinder Jabiru the second prototype.) nessee, and fl y the Arion Lightning was 3300. Designer Nick Otterback thinks Th e control surfaces off ered little fric- just what I needed to skip a day or two the plane could be modifi ed to meet tion in the elevator system, though the riding my bicycle or mowing the lawn. LSA requirements. Th e maximum gross trim bungees were detectable. I was sur- Shelbyville is within easy range of my weight would have to be lowered to prised to fi nd some friction in the aile- RV-3, and a new airplane is what test 1320 pounds, and at that weight it could rons, as they are pushrod operated like pilots live for—in other words, a great meet the LSA stall speed (clean) require- the elevators, and such systems generally excuse to fl y to go fl ying. ment of 45 knots CAS. To keep from have little friction. Control friction, Having spent some time reviewing exceeding the maximum level speed obvious on the ground, can be overcome the Arion web site I was looking forfor LSA—120 knots CAS at sea level by aerodynamic hinge moments and not ward to learning if the Lightning fl ew as with maximum continuous power—the be noticeable in fl ight. We’d see. Rudder well as it looked. Th e Lightning is a slick propeller, either a fi xed-pitch or ground- friction and forces seemed normal. little two-seater whose wing has what adjustable Sensenich, would have to be Otterback had just removed the I’d call a comfortable wing aspect ratio carefully chosen. Sensenich ground-adjustable composite with three-quarter-span fl aps and aile- prop and mounted a Sensenich wood rons mounted outboard of the fl aps. Th e Meeting the Plane fi xed-pitch design that provides more fuselage provides a good length for the I arrived to meet Otterback at the Arion cruise speed. It’s also 6 pounds lighter tail feathers to operate on; the horizon- hangar, and he introduced me to the than the ground-adjustable, which has a tal fi n and elevator might, to my eye, be fi rst Lightning demonstrator, N323AL, metal hub and retention system. a little small relative to the wing, but the which is an exceptionally nice looking Estimated takeoff weight was 1325 vertical fi n and rudder size particularly airplane with outstanding workman- pounds for the fi rst fl ight—where appealed to me. ship. It looked better in person than I Otterback would demonstrate basic Like several Light Sport aircraft these expected; the photos don’t do it justice. fl ight maneuvers, and off er insight on

8 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Photos: Richard VanderMeulen KITPLANES September 2008 9 Lightning continued power settings and speeds for my later fl ight. Takeoff weight was 1375 pounds for the second fl ight, which included more fuel, balanced at 11 gallons in each main tank. Th e c.g. positions were calculated at 34 and 35 inches, respectively. Max gross weight is 1425 pounds, and the c.g. range is 29.0 to 36.5 inches aft of the fi rewall datum. We estimated baggage (behind the seats) at less than 10 pounds. Both fl ights would be comfortably under max gross and just ahead of the aft -c.g. limit.

Climbing In Nick Otterback removes the cowling of his award-winning Lightning prototype. Th e cockpit was well laid out with Grand Rapids displays on both sides of more than roll and covered a good bit of braking. I should have accepted Otter- the panel and “steam gauges” as back- the space from the panel to seat belt. Th e back’s off er to adjust the rudder pedals. ups. Th ere were full dual controls, which trim bungees’ feel was evident, and with For takeoff , Otterback recommended included adjustable rudder pedals (I this system the stick moves in pitch as the trim be set with the stick centered would later rue not taking full advan- the electric pitch trim is applied. for takeoff , and the fl aps set at 10°. Th e tage of those thoughtful additions) with Otterback made the takeoff and went full-throttle power response and roll toe brakes; a single throttle control is at through the program we had discussed. acceleration were similar to many GA mid panel. He described cockpit procedures, power airplanes—not as sporty as some of the Th e side-by-side seats were well placed, settings and airspeeds for the various RV series, but positive for an airplane and with padding to provide minimum confi guration changes and special tech- with a fi xed-pitch propeller. Typical head clearance from the canopy, visibil- niques required. His normal landing right rudder inputs maintained the cen- ity was adequate over the nose. Th e seat made it look deceptively easy. terline on the initial roll and lessened as reclining angle is typical of these slick speed increased. low-drag fuselage designs—comfortable The Test Pilot’s Turn At 40 mph, I applied a pitch input for but not exactly upright. A check for con- Th e Jabiru engine starts just like a car: rotation to the takeoff attitude. From trol motion showed that the lateral stick choke out if a cold start, turn the key and the demo fl ight I knew pitch forces were displacements for roll fi t nicely from instant ignition. Taxi is straightforward light, but I was still surprised by the knee to knee. Th ere was no aileron trim with eff ective rudder control and occa- rapid nose-up pitch to about 10°. Th ink- in this demonstrator, but Otterback said sional use of toe brakes. It soon became ing the trim setting could be the prob- some customers had added it. apparent that with each rudder applica- lem, I applied some nose-down trim. Stick motion for pitch was about 50% tion I was also getting some undesired As the trim and fl ap buttons are both on top of the stick, and they’re identical in shape, I managed to hit both while trying to damp the PIO and raised the fl aps as well. Aft er a few diminishing cycles the situation was under control, and Otterback’s body language relaxed considerably. Trim was not the problem. I now knew that takeoff rotation in this airplane, at least as currently loaded, must be made gently. For climb speed Otterback suggested the best rate fi gure of 100 mph. Full

Among the changes to the latest Light- ning is this new engine mount, which moves the powerplant forward to help the airplane’s overall center of gravity.

www.kitplanes.com throttle at this speed resulted in 2500 takeoff and should have. Th is could have rpm and a climb rate of 800 to 1000 caused the left roll in the stalls. With fpm. At this speed good visibility over wing tanks and no roll trim capability, the nose required slight S turns. the fuel tank selector valve becomes part Steeper S turns made the reduced of the control system. Mea culpa. control harmony more apparent. Stabil- Slow fl ight at 70 mph IAS required ity checks during the climb indicated about 2200 rpm for level fl ight. Th e air- slightly negative static stability in pitch. craft was a little more divergent in pitch, Th e symptoms were classic—light pitch and stick force per G was now near zero. forces, inability to trim for a speed and Accelerated stalls were not attempted the nose staying pretty much wher- due to the light pitch forces. ever placed without re-trimming. Th e Descent back to SYI and into the Lightning was controllable in pitch, but landing pattern was uneventful. Final required a high workload to achieve the approach, pre-fl are and fi nal fl are tasks desired precision. Before you jump to were dominated by the light pitch conclusions and accuse me of over-ana- forces. Power management was straight- lyzing this point, hang on; there is more forward, allowing good sink rate control to the story. for touchdown and minimization of pitch inputs. Cruise Flight Th e fi rst landing had a low sink We leveled at 5000 feet MSL (OAT 10° rate and was fairly well lined up, but I C) where 2950 rpm gave us an impres- touched down with too much right rud- The Jabiru employs a CDI ignition system sive 150 mph IAS, calculating out to 163 der. It was a combination of sight picture and an integral alternator. mph/142 knots TAS. (Th at’s close, but (too much recent time sitting center- not quite up to the claimed 170-mph line), not having the rudders adjusted and just not being good enough to do cruise.) I noticed we hadn’t changed the properly (my fault), being rather busy it all at once (defi nitely my fault). Th e pitch trim from the 100-mph climb set- with the fl are business (not all my fault), second landing was better, but there was ting, and the airplane was happy there at 150 mph. Pitch stability improved at this higher speed, as the pitch force per G was up to 2 to 3 pounds, indicating some damping. Other indications of What’s in the Box? low static pitch stability were the gust The Lightning, like most modern com- That central steel-tube structure response of the airplane (heaving rather posite aircraft, comes with a substantial also carries the main landing gear legs, than pitching) and the “digging in” feel amount of prefabrication. The overall which are also steel tube. The major of pitch response to control inputs. Lat- kit includes the airframe, which is made fl ying surfaces—rudder, ailerons, fl aps, eral/directional stability was still good from two shells, split vertically, that are horizontal stabilizer and elevator—all at this higher speed, and adverse yaw seamed at the factory. What’s more, the are premolded and ready for installation was less apparent, but still required some seat-back bulkhead, tail-reinforcement of actuating hardware and hinges. The rudder coordination with roll inputs. bulkhead and central tunnel are already fi rewall is a stainless-steel blank that bonded in place. Lightning Aircraft makes must be trimmed to fi t. Wheels, brakes Stalling, Stalling a big deal out of the fact that the builder and tires are included in the base kit. Th ere was adequate warning of the does not have to do any wet layups of Included in the fi rewall-forward unaccelerated stall, which occurred at critical structure. package: fuel-system components, oil 55 to 60 mph IAS with the fl aps up. Th e To that end, the central wingspar car- cooler, carb heat system and battery box. stall break was down and slightly to the rythough is made of prewelded 4130 steel The builder must purchase the engine left . Normal recovery technique (slight tube. Hard points are factory bonded into and prop separately. Also, the builder forward pitch input) suffi ced. Acceler- the mainspars where they penetrate the is responsible for sourcing the paint, ated stalls, left or right, broke left . Nor- fuselage; installing the primary wing interior, electrical system (including the mal recovery technique (reduced back structure is a matter of bolting in the car- battery) and instruments. A precut pressure) was successful. rythough and then bolting the wings on. instrument panel is optional. At about this time, some 15 to 20 min- The mainspars penetrate to the opposite The Lightning can be ordered as a utes into the fl ight, I was beginning to cabin wall, and are located one in front of single kit or in six sub kits. notice an out of trim condition in roll to the other. —Marc Cook the left . We hadn’t switched tanks since

KITPLANES September 2008 11 Lightning continued still some right rudder that didn’t have to be there. Th e third landing was OK. On all of the landings stick activity became greater the closer we got to the ground. I was working much harder than should be required to achieve a normal landing, on centerline, in the fi rst third of the runway, on a bright VFR day with light winds. The Debrief Otterback and I found a quiet place and discussed the fl ight. During our characteristics. Rich had a career in the the various fl ight regimes tested. Th e dialogue he was receptive to comments, U.S. Air Force with an impressive fl ying results from stick-free and stick-fi xed even when they weren’t what he’d hoped background, and has fl own a number of stability checks were the same for both to hear. Th e primary problem I saw with Lightnings, including at least one fi rst methods, which indicated the bungee the demonstrator was static instability, fl ight. He has fl own the Lightning pro- system was not exacerbating the stabil- probably caused by an aft c.g. Th e light totype and the demonstrator I’d fl own. ity problem. pitch forces were likely caused by this I contacted Rich, and we discussed and perhaps by the pitch stick-to-eleva- his experience in the Lightning as well A Reunion, of Sorts tor gearing (too much leverage between as the details of my fl ight. He listened Aft er these fl ights, I was convinced that the stick and elevator). Based on what patiently to my concerns, and replied the Lightning could have excellent fl y- I’d seen on this fl ight, I suggested the that he was high on the airplane and ing qualities to match its performance aft -c.g. limit should come forward. liked it just the way it was. I mentioned and overall design. Some seven months Otterback said he was working on the an interest in fl ying a customer Light- aft er my fi rst encounter, I met again with c.g. problem and felt the slightly heavier ning with a more forward c.g. He had Otterback. He was fl ying to my (red) ground-adjustable prop and a larger bat- done the fi rst fl ight in such an aircraft neck of the woods to give me a look at tery on the fi rewall would make some based just 20 miles from him in Wake- his new demonstrator, N324AL, which immediate improvements. He men- fi eld, Virginia (KAKQ). It had more had just won a best composite award at tioned that newer tail components were avionics than the demonstrator and an Sun ’n Fun. a few pounds lighter than those we fl ew. autopilot, and should have a more for- Otterback listed the changes incor- He also said some of the customer air- ward c.g. Th e owners, Linda and Joe porated in N324AL. He had moved craft probably had slightly more forward Mathias, graciously agreed to let Rich as many items as possible forward for c.g. locations. Reviewing the Arion web and I fl y their airplane. fi rewall mounting; the tail was lighter; site, I found a fl ight report written by Rich educated me on the bungee ele- the engine had been moved forward 1 Buz Rich, who has fl own his Esqual vator trim system common to the two inch with a new mount; and fuel capac- for some 400 hours. Th e Esqual is a aircraft . We agreed a traditional elevator ity had increased to 30 gallons. More Spanish design that was a predecessor trimtab system might be an improve- important: Th e elevator gearing had to the Lightning and has similar fl ight ment. I thought it could be a contribu- been changed to increase stick forces; tor, but was still concerned about the in place of the pitch-trim bungees was c.g. location. I hoped this fl ight would a trimtab on the elevator; and the aft - shed some light on the subject. c.g. limit had been moved forward to 35 I won’t recount the entire fl ight here, inches from 36.5. but the summation is this: Th e Mathias On the walk-around Otterback airplane fl ew almost exactly like Otter- pointed out the conventional elevator back’s demonstrator. It was fl own at a trimtab, and I noticed some unbalance calculated c.g. 1 inch further forward (trailing edge heavy) in the elevator that (33.8 inches) than the demonstrator, wasn’t apparent with the bungee system. and some 35 pounds heavier. I saw no Th is would increase steady-state pitch diff erence between the two aircraft in stick force per G to some extent. Th e roll and rudder control systems had not been Enduringly fashionable circular intakes changed, and the friction in the aileron feed the air-cooled Jabiru 3300. system was still there.

12 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com

Lightning continued

Happy Ending? Otterback had done a good job balanc- ing fuel on his trip down, so we had about 12 gallons in each tank. With two of us aboard our gross weight was 1400 pounds, with the c.g. at 34.9 inches (aft limit 35.0). We were near max gross and the aft limit, which was the condition I wanted to investigate. Th e takeoff was a non-event. I under rotated at fi rst (the takeoff and touchdown attitude looked higher than I remembered) and drift ed slightly left 1 (downwind) on the initial phase. None of this was the airplane’s fault. Th e interesting thing was that I under controlled instead of over controlling as before. 1. Thanks to new instrument technologies, Th ere was no problem holding 100 the Lightning’s panel can carry a good mph in the climb, and pitch trim deal of gear. The second demonstrator is response was normal. Th ere was positive fi tted with dual Grand Rapids screens. longitudinal static stability, and some 2. Because the Jabiru engine has a self- dynamic checks verifi ed a satisfactory compensating Bing carburetor, there’s no level of stability. Pitch stick force per mixture control. G was greater than 3 pounds, and the relatively higher roll forces were not as 3. Good speed effi ciency comes from details such as a well streamlined nosegear and tightly faired exhaust stack.

4. The Jabiru 3300 six-cylinder engine is LIGHTNING beautifully built, suitably labeled.

Price ...... $34,900 5. Reclining seats are set atop fi xed struc- Estimated completed price ...... $55,000 - $85,000 2 ture in the Lightning. Accommodations Estimated build time...... 400 hours for diff erent-size pilots come from cushion Number fl ying (at press time) ...... 26 swapping. Powerplant ...... Jabiru 3300A, 120 hp @ 3000 rpm Propeller ...... two-blade, fi xed-pitch AIRFRAME Wingspan ...... 27 ft 2 in Wing loading ...... 15.66 lb/sq. ft Fuel capacity...... 30 gal Maximum gross weight ...... 1425 lb Typical empty weight ...... 775 lb Typical useful load ...... 650 lb Full-fuel payload ...... 474 lb Seating capacity ...... 2 Cabin width ...... 43 in 4 PERFORMANCE Cruise speed ...... 170 mph (148 kt) TAS 7500 ft @ 75% of max-continuous, 6.7 gph Maximum rate of climb ...... 1200 fpm Stall speed (landing confi guration) ...... 45 mph (39 kt) IAS Stall speed (clean) ...... 56 mph (49 kt) IAS Takeoff distance (ground roll) ...... 315 ft Landing distance (ground roll) ...... 500 ft

Specifi cations are manufacturer’s estimates and are based on the confi guration of the demonstrator aircraft . As they say, your mileage may vary. 3 5

14 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com +IT0LANESPDF0-

Nickel

A smooth composite wing combines with well-sized control surfaces for good authority and a reasonably large delta between cruise and landing speeds. noticeable. Closed loop pitch-pointing tasks showed good response and precision. Turbulence response wasn’t a factor in the climb from a control standpoint, though light wing loading is always good for some jolts. We leveled off at 5000 feet MSL. Pitch stability checks indicated a good level of positive static and dynamic Nickel Cylinder Assemblies longitudinal stability. Trim response • 5 Year Warranty • Corrosion Resistant AIRCRAFT ENGINE PRODUCTS BY • Over 150,000 barrels strong... ®

Any other questions? www.www. ..aero/nickelaero/nickel SALES HOTLINE 800-324-2359 ©ECi. 9503 Middlex. San Antonio, TX 78217. T 210-820-8101. F 210-820-8102. E [email protected]

The Lightning’s horizontal stabilizer/ elevator and rudder come premolded and ready (just about) for mounting. The trailing-edge trimtab system has replaced an internal bungee (spring) system.

KITPLANES September 2008 15 was good, and all closed loop tasks— heading and altitude control during maneuvering, and pitch pointing, for example—required normal pilot workload. Pitch stick force per G was about 4 pounds. A speed check was performed with power set at 3000 rpm, indicating 140 mph at 5000 feet where the temperature was 15° C. Two GPS runs resulted in a true airspeed of 153 mph (136 knots), which matched the TAS on the Grand Rapids display. Still at 5000 feet, we slowed to 100 mph IAS to lower the fi rst 10° of fl ap, and the deceleration continued to a 30° full fl ap confi guration at 70 mph IAS. Th ere wasn’t enough nose- up trim authority to allow hands-off fl ight at 70 mph IAS, but that wasn’t a problem, and would ensure monotonic pitch stick forces in the landing fl are. (Engineers take note: Test pilots aren’t as dumb as you think.) In the landing confi guration, all fl ight tasks required normal pilot workload—no problem making aggressive steep turns at speeds a few mph above KITPLANES SUBSCRIBER ALERT! Several of our KITPLANES subscribers have received what appear to be “renewal notices” from a company known as Magazine Billing Services, Publisher’s Billing Services, or other similar names. Addresses for these firms include San Luis Obispo, CA, Salt Lake City, UT, Ponca City, OK, Prescott, AZ and Margate, FL. These firms have NOT been authorized by us to sell subscriptions or renewals for KITPLANES and we cannot guarantee that any orders or payments sent to them will be forwarded to us. KITPLANES does NOT offer a subscription term of more than 2 years. If you see an offer for 3 years or more, or a specific offer for 3 years for $73.50 or 3 years for $89, please understand this is NOT an authorized offer. Any offer you receive that does not bear our company logo and corporate or Customer Service address or 800 numbers should not be considered approved by us. The only authorized information for KITPLANES is: Toll free at 1-800-622-1065 • www.kitplanes.com/cs Our Florida Customer Service Center: 386-447-6318 • PO Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142 Or our corporate offices at: Belvoir Media Group, LLC Aviation Publishing Group 800 Connecticut Ave, Norwalk, CT 06854 Should you have any questions at all about mail that you have received, please contact us at our website, www.kitplanes.com/cs or to speak to a Customer Service representative, please call us toll free at 1-800-622-1065.

16 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com stall with prudent use of power. Stalls of the work. In this case, though, it was occurred at the same speeds (55 to 60 diffi cult to remain completely neutral. mph IAS, fl aps up; 45 to 50 mph with Nick Otterback had a product that had fl aps at 30°) as before, with some warn- been successfully completed and fl own ing prior to a sharp break. We recovered by some 26 customers, and there were with normal technique. 63 aircraft under construction. Th en Th e fi rst landing was made from a someone comes along and tells him the purposeful high start (just to stir the beautiful little airplane he has spent pot). Th ere was predictable response to money, blood, sweat and tears develop- control inputs, and touchdown was at ing has some serious problems in spite of the desired place on the runway with reported customer satisfaction. Th e typ- good touchdown parameters. Rollout ical response is for someone to dig in his was made to a full stop, and rollout con- heels and take the position that it fl ies, trol was satisfactory in the 6- to 8-knot customers are buying it, they like it, and crosswind. On the second landing we “I’m not changing a thing.” Th is may were lucky and got a good jolt on short suffi ce if no certifi cation process is in the fi nal, which required rapid roll and works, and most homebuilts never get to pitch inputs. Th e response was positive, that point. predictable and controllable, with the Otterback took another approach. desired touchdown parameters. I felt He began a process of improving the sta- demonstrated a level of professionalism comfortable making moderately aggres- bility of his airplane in purposeful, mea- that is commendable and refl ects well sive inputs in this airplane. sured steps. A little here, a little there on the homebuilt industry. and, fi nally, without major modifi cation, Closing Comments he succeeded in making the Lightning For more information, call 931/680-1781, A primary goal of all test pilots, and some a safer, more pleasant airplane to fl y— or visit www.arionaircraft .com. A writers, is to remain objective. We try to without compromising performance. In direct link can be found at www. keep personal opinions and emotion out this eff ort Otterback and Arion Aircraft kitplanes.com.

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KITPLANES September 2008 17 Examining the most sought-after kitbuilt, 30-some years after the craze. BY BOB GRIMSTEAD

“I’m sorry, Bob. You’re going to be dis- And just look at it. Th e thing’s tiny, sort its Evinrude outboard motor, so appointed,” Gordon Johanson said, tow- all cockpit, with no wing to speak of, he mothballed it until a better engine ering beside me. Snugly reclined in his minuscule control surfaces and a highly became available. Since its “fi nal” com- BD-5’s form-fi tting cockpit, the airplane tuned, turbocharged automotive engine pletion last year, he has fl own more than supported in a purpose-built cradle, I buried in its rear fuselage. A real hot- 100 hours in it. was practicing landing gear retraction ship. It would have to be challenging to Apart from its tubular spars and and extension, alternately yanking and fl y… Wouldn’t it? bonded ribs, the BD-5’s construction heaving on the stiff T-handle with my Now, let’s ponder a minute. Yes, it’s is conventional all-aluminum stressed- left hand while trying hard not to move small, but it’s also light, weighing little skin semi-monocoque, fastened with the side stick’s hair-trigger pistol grip more than a Cassutt. Its engine also aviation-quality Avex pulled rivets— loosely grasped in my right. “Disap- provides 100 horsepower. Th e wings mostly countersunk—making the exte- pointed?” I asked. “You’re just going to are similarly Cassutt size—as are the rior very clean. Th e swept, all-fl ying fi nd it’s so easy to fl y, that’s all. Nothing control surfaces, and its speed range is horizontal stabilizer and its anti-servo nasty. No drama at all,” he explained. comparable. But the Bede has tricycle tab are operated by cables, as is the tiny, Th is notion took some absorbing. gear, so you can see where you’re going. highly swept rudder with its relatively Quite simply, the BD-5 has a reputation. Why shouldn’t it be at least as straight- big aerodynamic/mass balance horn. It took forever to develop, the company forward to fl y? Th e ailerons are torque-tube operated went broke, thousands of aspiring build- to facilitate wing removal (a half-hour ers lost their deposits, and there were The 3+30 Year Plan job). All control circuits are commend- several early accidents—the makings of Johanson started his Bede 30 years ago, ably friction-free, the small ailerons have a real horror show. fi nishing three years later. He couldn’t neat balance horns, and the control surface gaps are tight. Less conventional components include the manually retractable landing gear, operated by that T-handle between your knees. Th is pops up or down in less than half a second, automatically lock- ing with its over-center geometry. Now- adays side sticks are common, but they were cutting edge in the 1970s. Th e pan- tograph canopy mechanism is light and neat. Th e fuel gauges are simple, foolproof and still unique: a cluster of six Plexiglas rods of diff ering lengths pro- trude diagonally from the wing’s upper surface down into each tank. When the lower ends are wetted by fuel, they appear dark; when uncovered, light.

18 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Th e BD-5’s most revolutionary com- Th e three-position manual fl aps are Gordon’s fuel system is unusual. With ponents are its pusher propeller and extended with a lever beside that gear no on/off valve, you merely switch on one associated drive system. Th ese enable handle between your knees. One acci- of the electronic ignition systems and the engine to be mid-mounted for low dent occurred when the fl aps popped the left or right fuel pump, and imme- drag and optimum mass distribution, up on fi nal, so Johanson’s has improved diately hit the starter (otherwise fuel while the chisel-tailed fuselage gives the detents. His other modifi cations dribbles from the Posa slide carburetor). sexily curved, multi-laminated wood include a fi rewall protruding slightly His Nissan motor instantly barked into prop a comparatively smooth airstream. into the cockpit and doubling as a head- life to run at a gentle 1000-rpm idle. Th e drive system incorporates toothed rest, substituting cold-bent aluminum Releasing the toe brakes and increas- drums turning a rubber belt to mini- maingear legs for the original frangible ing power to 1500 rpm soon had us mize harmonics, a long shaft , lots of fi berglass ones, Matco brakes instead rolling. Th e gear is fi rm, the nosewheel bearings and a freewheel clutch—it is of the ineff ective standard puck units, merely casters, and the wheelbase is a slightly odd to be able to spin the pro- a raised instrument panel for increased scant 66 inches, with a tiny 44-inch peller freely in one direction but with legroom, improved shoulder harness track, so you need to either keep up the resistance the other way. attachment, a special “almost constant- speed or use a burst of power while brak- speed” propeller, 11 inches clipped off ing for tighter turns. I didn’t experience All By Yourself each wing for a higher top speed and roll the problem of weathercocking other Th e cockpit has a sailplane’s snugness. rate, a fi berglass tail bumper and lots of pilots have mentioned. Pre-takeoff You enter by stepping over the low sill, engine mods, including to the fuel sys- checks are as simple as everything else. placing one foot on the seat pan, bring- tem, ignition, electrics, coolant system, ing in the other and then, supporting ducting and a ground cooling fan. Like Just Trying Out your weight on the cockpit sides or cen- most fl ying BD-5s, this one has over 20 First, I followed the owner manual’s ter-section leading edges, shooting your pounds of lead shot in its nose cone, advice and conducted a high-speed run. feet forward into their individual wells plus as much more as would fi t into the Lining up meticulously, and ensuring and relaxing in the fully reclined seat. long, removable pitot probe, to get the the nosewheel was straight, I carefully Th ere is no wasted space; it is comfort- center of gravity into its proper (very opened the throttle, increasing rpm to able, but not cramped. narrow) range. 6400 with a turbocharger boost of 8

Photos: Karen Grimstead, Allan & Siobhan Usherwood, Peter Gilbertson KITPLANES September 2008 19 BD-5 continued pounds. Th e rumble behind me quickly grew to a roar, and I was propelled forward like a human cannonball. Quick dabs of brake kept us straight to 30 knots, when the rudder became eff ective. With your eyes a mere 33 inches above the runway, your rear almost scraping it and those tiny wheel bearings whining, the world goes past awful quickly. At 50 knots I throttled back, and two things happened. I was thrown forward Teeny-tiny wings get teeny-tiny ailerons, A free-castering nosewheel is not actually in my straps, and the nosewheel lift ed. but everything is in correct proportion. from a shopping cart, though it looks Intending to raise the nose myself, I small enough for that to be true. covered the next 100 yards, bouncing the oleo up and down as I tried to fi nd Th is took a surprisingly strong, steady ommended 90, so I shift ed my grip to the the stabilator’s null point and attune my pull, but little stick movement. A sec- fl ap lever and raised them. Both caused wrist to its sensitivity and eff ectiveness. ond later we popped into the air aft er a little apparent trim change but, relieved Within seconds the far threshold was ground roll of perhaps 500 yards. of their drag, the little aircraft surged roaring toward me, so I carefully braked I dabbed the brakes, carefully relaxed forward, so I eased back on the stick. to a halt. my grip on the side stick, leaned forward Taxiing back, I had a little ponder. and heaved on the gear handle with my Reality, Meet Legend Th e noise, acceleration, control and left hand. “Th ump,” the wheels were What a rucking pocket-focket! Believe overall awesomeness of the experience up. A glance at the airspeed indicator me, without having immense self-con- were pretty much as I had expected, so showed it accelerating through the rec- trol, it is impossible to climb a Bede I determined not to hang around any longer, but to go for it this time. Once more, I lined up scrupulously, had a fi nal scan around the cockpit, carefully dou- Power For the BD-5 ble-checked the temperatures, fl aps and canopy latches, took a deep breath and Jim Bede’s prototype fl ew with a 40-hp, remarkably advanced Nissan MA09ERT then pushed forward that slim throttle twin-cylinder Kiekhafer two-stroke, engine. This 930cc all-aluminum, with much the same result—but this later changing to a thirsty three-cylinder overhead cam, four-cylinder, four-stroke time I was prepared. By the book, at 70-hp Hirth, then a similar Xenoah. The engine produces 108 hp at 6400 rpm and 60 knots I raised the nose so that the subsequent Microturbo-powered BD-5J jet 98 foot-pounds of torque at 5200 rpm, glareshield covered the far threshold. had a 200-pound-thrust engine. Today’s thanks to both a supercharger (for low common 64-hp Rotax 582 is slightly low rpm) and an intercooled turbocharger. on power, but should fi t and is certainly Compact, with a 7.7:1 ratio, multi-point pretty reliable. The larger 74-hp Rotax 618 electronic fuel injection and a total might be better. Honda’s Civic engine is weight of 245 pounds, it seemed ideal, if the most common U.S. option, but it is a a tad heavy. little heavy and rather bulky, necessitat- Removing the unneeded supercharger ing the later 5-inch fuselage extension and intercooler, putting an extra spring unless you want to share the tiny cockpit on the wastegate to drop boost from 10 to with your smelly powerplant. Some 8 psi (racers use 15 pounds), replacing the builders have tried the turbocharged exhaust and fl ywheel, and incorporating Suzuki Swift engine, substituting low- many self-made parts, Johanson’s entire compression Kawasaki pistons. Others talk installation (including intake, exhaust, of using the Smart’s 61-hp, three-cylinder, radiator—everything) now weighs just turbocharged, intercooled Mercedes, or its 130 pounds! Nevertheless, like every other The sidestick controller was the logical 74-hp Brabus derivative. fl ying BD-5, his still needs the battery plus solution for the BD-5’s cramped cockpit. After experimenting with an Evinrude over 20 pounds of lead in its nose. Small movements of this “joystick” pro- —B.G. voked plenty of change in the diminutive outboard, Johanson discovered the aircraft.

20 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com straight ahead to 500 feet before turning. Lean left , and you’re instantly making a screaming climbing turn. Th e handbook specifi cally warns against the temptation to make a low-level, high-speed pass on your fi rst fl ight, but believe me, the urge is overwhelming. I climbed to 6000 feet for some stalls and the standard control, stability and performance assessments. Th at took half an hour, by which time my rolling wrist was becoming itchy, and some cautious aerobatics seemed in order. Th en Johanson called up to say he was taking off in his buddy Peter’s Bede, and The front offi ce, literally. The T-handle in the center retracts the gear. my resolve was shattered. As he orbited, climbing, I swooped in the same tight speed, but it can’t have been far short of with very little feel—just a squeeze with radius, watching his tiny gray planform 200 knots. Pulling up and rolling gently one toe is needed to coordinate even the growing rapidly in my sights. We exe- away, what could I possibly say but “Yee- quickest of banks. Th e elevator is heavier, cuted a classic scissors and yo-yo, and haaaa!” So I did. Th en I climbed a little and as one’s wrist is not so strong, signif- then circled once before I latched on to more, raised the nose, popped my wrist icant eff ort is needed to pull 3 G, which his right wingtip. an inch to the left , watched the world is precisely as things should be. Th ere was a momentary bob in pitch revolve in 2 seconds, and said it again. Control harmony is pretty good, as I got used to that Spitfi re-light stabi- Visibility is superb, only equaled in my and the airplane is nimble, but not at lator, and then we were howling into a experience in some gliders and helicop- all skittish. We’re talking drug-scales full-throttle, close-formation, curved ters. Th e ailerons are wonderfully light, fi ngertip pressures here (actually about approach to fi nal. I have no idea of our and the rudder is even lighter, though 2 pounds per G). Breathe on the stick, VAN’S RV-9A – ALL KINDS OF ECONOMY Build for less than $50K. Get 30 mpg @150 mph or 20 mpg @ 185 mph. Fly directly to your destination.

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KITPLANES September 2008 21 BD-5 continued and it’ll respond. Hit it, and you’ll snap your neck! Th e roll rate is around 180° per second with dead-beat roll damping. Th at tiny rudder prevents full-blooded slips, but you can still nearly double the glide angle. Clean, straight and throttled back, it glides at precisely 600 fpm at 95 knots. Pitch stability is remarkably strong for such a short airplane, and its posi- The Nissan’s fl ex plate is connected to the prop driveshaft through an elastomeric coupling. tive yaw stability is clearly helped by both the stabilizing eff ect of the lower up positively, so you need to do little of 4800 rpm returned 134 knots (142 rear fuselage and that pusher propeller. more for a successful go-around. Try TAS). Later, at 6000 feet, I sucked the Roll stability is a little positive of neu- that on a Bede, and you’ll tent-peg into rpm back to just 4000, and still got 100 tral, so when established and trimmed the ground among the approach lights. knots (114 TAS). Johanson says his nor- in a steady turn, the aircraft gradually Alternatively, close the throttle (or suf- mal fuel consumption varies between a returns to wings level—unusual for a fer engine failure) while you’re trimmed miserly 2.5 and 3 gallons per hour. low-wing airplane. Indeed, I could let for the climb, and if you don’t push for- Th ings weren’t quite so good at the go of the controls for long periods while ward very positively, you’ll quickly stall low end of the speed range. Clean and writing notes. thanks to the power-off pitch-up and power-off , I felt clear buff et through this light airframe’s low inertia. the side stick as the speed fell through Quite the Couple Th e clean full-throttle climb from 70 knots, and little more back pressure Th e one potentially hazardous charac- 500 to 1500 feet at 90 knots took just was needed for the stall at 68. Th e stick teristic is that strong nose-down pitch- 37 seconds, giving a rate in excess of was still a long way from the rear stop, ing moment when you open the throttle 1620 fpm—this on an 80° F day. Leav- and the wing dropped abruptly through and vice versa. Understandable due to ing the throttle wide at 3000 feet, trim- 45°, though full opposite rudder caught the high thrust-line, this is nevertheless ming carefully, and allowing time for it. Better prepared, I stopped the sec- unusual. For instance if, when nicely the speed to stabilize, pushed the ASI ond wing-drop at 30°, with a loss of confi gured and trimmed on fi nal at needle around to nearly 190 knots. around 100 feet; you have to be gentle 90 knots, you open the throttle wide (Th at’s a whopping 202 knots TAS on on the stick not to induce a secondary on most airplanes, the nose will pitch just 100 horsepower!) A high cruise stall. With gear and full fl aps, the buf- power of 5200 rpm gave 153 knots IAS fet speed was depressed to 60 knots, (163 TAS). Normal cruise of 5000 rpm and the break came at 57. Holding the showed 145 knots, and economy power stick hard against the backstop rather than easing the pressure, and carefully treadling the rudder to keep the ball centered, resulted in a nodding descent at an increasing rate. Th e Bede Micro is an anti-compla- cency airplane, and while not at all hard to fl y, it is not for novices or the inatten- tive. Like the stereotype Latin Senorita, pay her lots of attention and she’ll love you forever. Disrespect her, and she’ll slap your face—hard! If you’re lucky you might just get a warning fl ash of the eyes, or a nibble of buff et, as I did when throttling back into a steep descending turn to wash off some energy before joining the pattern. But I forgot that Jet-like in many ways, the BD-5 uses an Check your oil, sir? Lean forward while we pitch-up with power reduction. Th e “all fl ying” stabilator and wide-span trim/ add a quart or two, if you don’t mind. speed bled back further than intended, anti-servo tab. and as I increased the bank though 50°,

22 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com ing halves the apparent runway length. raise the nose as in a taildragger; fi nally Don’t keep raising the nose; just fl y her dropping us in from 2 feet. My second on in that attitude.” Clearly, the landing eff ort was much better, so I set off back would involve three particular issues: for Serpentine’s narrow, 2400-foot run- hold-off height, attitude and speed— way. My arrival there turned out to be summarized as low, feet-up and appar- a non-event. Curving around base leg Cooling air outlets help keep the modifi ed ently fast. Fellow glider pilots should and nicely in the slot, I pulled full fl ap, Nissan engine in the “butter” zone. have little trouble with the fi rst two, but put the trim wheel to Johanson’s recom- the third would have to look aft er itself. mended position, and concentrated on I felt a tremor in the stick. In any event, none of these aspects the picture. Sure enough, and once I got Wow, the airspeed was below 90 was a particular problem. At 90 with low enough, raising the nose to the cor- knots and dropping. How did that hap- approach fl ap and a trickle of power the rect attitude halved the apparent runway pen? Th e unusual pitch/power couple, speed is stable, and you have a good view ahead, and the little airplane settled on that’s how! Immediate relaxation of the of the threshold, improved by fl ying a to the ground, straddling the centerline back pressure saved the day. Th e lesson: curving base leg. All of my approaches just 100 yards past the threshold. Th e Any time you change the throttle set- were virtually glides—no bad habit in an gentlest of braking got us stopped well ting, re-trim, and watch your airspeed aircraft with an automotive powerplant. within the short runway’s confi nes, and like an eagle! Pulling full fl ap at around 200 feet I didn’t have any diffi culty with keeping dropped the nose a little and helped straight. Johanson has landed in sig- Buck Up for the Landing with that speed reduction. nifi cant crosswinds, and he assured me Johanson had said, “Enter the pattern As the threshold fl ashed past, I con- it’s not a problem. I can only say that, at 110 and lower the wheels and fi rst centrated on getting my bum right despite initial misgivings, I was mightily stage fl aps to stabilize things. Fly the down to 8 inches above the runway, impressed with this little airplane. approach at 90 knots, bleeding off to 85 while trying hard not to over control. on short fi nal and 80 at the threshold. I Willing myself to get down low, pitch For more information, visit www.sabc. take landing fl ap on short fi nal, because up a little and then hold the attitude, I org.au. A direct link can be found at www. the air loads are high above 85. Flar- failed on my fi rst attempt, continuing to kitplanes.com.

KITPLANES September 2008 23 IndUS Aviation was created by Ram Pattisapu, who purchased the rights to the Thorp T-211 and all of the remaining parts in stock. Pattisapu also purchased “Grandpa,” one of the original Thorp SkySkooters, whose dataplate shows that it was manufactured August 15, 1945. It sits in the hangar next to the newest, WAM diesel-powered Thorpedo, and is reverently fl own “at least around the patch” every day.

24 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com The fi rst time I saw a Th orp T-18 it was ness and pitch stability by allowing the like seeing a ghost. I recognized little horizontal stabilizer to be adjustable details in the meticulously constructed in angle of attack, moving opposite an side-by-side, two-place, all metal, anti-servo tab. Th is makes the entire low-wing homebuilt, including fl ush horizontal tail surface a giant elevator, dimpled rivets and an intriguing fl y- as opposed to the traditional fi xed stabi- ing tail (stabilator) I’d not recalled see- lizer and hinged elevator combination. ing on a taildragger. I wanted to know Th e stabilator allowed for the horizon- more about its designer. Th e builder, an tal tail surfaces to be as much as 25% elderly gentleman, smiled mysteriously smaller than traditional horizontal tail and said, “Sure you know it. You fl y surfaces while having the same pitch Piper Cherokees, right?” I laughed. As eff ectiveness. Airplanes with stabilators a fl ight instructor I had logged my fair have lighter tail feathers and require less share of time in Piper Cherokee 140s, material to construct. Th is all-fl ying tail Warriors, Archers and Arrows over the became a Th orp signature on aircraft for years. “Well,” he said, “John Th orp had a the next 40 years. hand in designing those, too.” I should not have been surprised. If you In fact, Th orp, with his former take the time to look behind the moni- employer, Lockheed, held the patent kers of many FAA certifi ed airplanes, on the “all-fl ying” tail. Instead of a tra- you’ll fi nd an Experimental aircraft at ditional horizontal stabilizer and eleva- their core. Th e T-18 I was looking at was tor combination, a fl ying tail’s one-piece designed four decades ago with a non- John Thorp in the 1950s. Courtesy of stabilator moves and changes its angle folding wing and the NACA 63A-412 IndUS Aviation. of attack to the airfl ow, giving the air- airfoil with a 50-inch chord. Equipped plane comfortably light control forces with a Lycoming O-360A1A, its cruis- with empty weights between 1000 and throughout the pitch axis. Th orp real- ing speed approached 190 mph, and 1200 pounds. Th at’s a pretty good use- ized that one could simultaneously many of these airplanes had maximum ful load for a two-seater. Its stick forces enhance an aircraft ’s pitch responsive- gross weights of 1800 to 1900 pounds, were predictably light, and overall the

Photos: Amy Laboda, Th orp Collection Courtesy Richard Eklund KITPLANES September 2008 25 Th orp continued

T-18 refl ected its designer’s singular goal: to create lightweight, effi cient and pleasant-to-fl y personal aircraft . Th at’s what Th orp was all about. Where It All Began John Willard Th orp (1912-1992) grew up in the house that his grandparents had built when they homesteaded in the San Joaquin Valley 50 years before his birth. Th e town of Lockeford, Califor- nia, was his town, and a “crazy” cousin (his mother’s words) lit the fl ying bug in Th orp early. “He told me a story of a local avia- The Barn, on the Thorp family homestead near Lodi, California, where John Thorp was inspired by the fi rst airplanes he saw as a child. It is much more than just a historical site, tor who was related to the family. Th e though. Today Richard Eklund continues to manufacture and sell parts and sub-assem- guy would fl y over the house, and his blies for the Thorp T-18 from this building. mother would say, ‘No son of mine…’” says Richard Eklund, a Th orp protégé House, a bed-and-breakfast near Lodi, who’s now the owner of the Lockeford California. It’s the house that Th orp was raised and, in his fi nal years, came home to. Eklund, a Th orp T-18 builder and owner, is the principal of Eklund Engi- neering, which still sells T-18 plans and sub-assembly kits (the rights to other Th orp designs rest with companies all over the world). He and his wife have created a small museum of Th orp mem- orabilia in the old barn on the property, Thorp and his wife, Kay, prepare to go for a ride in his T-18. and they are thrilled when guests at the inn are curious about the man who Th e T-1 was no more than a design This example of a Thorp T-18 from invented, designed or was a party to so study for a two-place, fi xed-wing air- Houston, Texas, won an award at EAA many of the aircraft and aircraft accou- plane penciled in 1931. It was a low- AirVenture for Best Restoration. The trements we take for granted today. wing, all metal, monocoque aircraft airplane is powered by a 160-hp fuel- injected Lycoming IO-320-B1C. (Photo by “He learned to fl y at what is now Lodi with a curious tail construction. Th ose Jerry Harjek.) Field over on Highway 99,” Eklund says. were heady times at the Boeing School “He was inventing from early on.” In of Aeronautics in the early 1930s, and high school Th orp patented an intercon- on the business side of things Th orp had nect linkage of spark retard, using levers the opportunity to aid in the design and and off sets so that when you pushed subsequent manufacture of the world’s the throttle up, it retarded the spark fi rst passenger airliner, the Boeing 247. on the Model A Ford engine. Eklund He probably spent time in Seattle, is pretty sure the sale of that patent to according to Eklund, but not more than Ford Motor Company fi nanced Th orp’s six months passed before the native engineering education. Californian was back in Oakland, With good money in his pocket teaching at the school. “Th e weather Th orp came out of his San Joaquin Val- probably brought him back,” Eklund ley hometown to the big city, Oakland, said, chuckling. The twin-engine Derringer was designed California, and settled in at the Boeing by special request by Thorp in the early School of Aeronautics, in 1929. Within Productive Collaboration 1970s, but proved to be an expensive six years he’d logged time in dozens of Th e fi rst few designs, the T-1 through airplane to manufacture. It is believed that aircraft and had hatched a few good T-6, were probably collaborations with only fi ve were ever assembled. ideas about how to build them, too. builder Rudy Paulic, with whom Th orp

26 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com formed the Rudy Paulic and John W. Going Solo Th orp Aircraft Corporation, in 1940. Th orp took things into his own hands Th e two had several ideas for light per- aft er the war, creating the Th orp Air- sonal aircraft from 1935 to 1940, which craft Corporation with nine employees. coalesced into the Paulic XT-3 design On August 15, 1946, he fl ew a proto- project, an outgrowth of that original type, NX-91301, from the Van Nuys all-metal trainer. Th e XT-3 had revo- Airport. It was the original SkySkooter. lutionary tricycle gear and a stabilator, Meant for the post-war boom predicted which Th orp patented. But the timing by every aircraft manufacturer (think of was off , and the beginning of the war all those pilots coming back from the John and Kay Thorp. focused the designers on more pressing war and the airplanes they’d want to fl y), tasks such as the design and building of the SkySkooter was the fi rst airplane Lockheed’s original P2 Neptune. that was going to be economical enough Th orp rose to the title of Assistant Pre- for anyone to own and fl y. Well, that’s liminary Design Engineer at Lockheed what Th orp hoped. But production and during the war years, but it was his con- certifi cation bogged down, and by the cepts for personal light aircraft that kept time the SkySkooter was ready for sale him up nights, doodling in the margins at $2000, the boom, or what there was of his big-airplane plans. He tweaked his of it, was over, and there simply were not designs by swapping a 50-horsepower any buyers. Franklin engine for a 65-hp Lycoming, Not to be defeated, Th orp brought and then swapping taildragger gear for the design to Fletcher Aviation Corpo- the new style tricycle landing gear with ration of California, and with Wendell extra long oleo struts. In the meantime, S. Fletcher developed it into the FD 25 Lockheed built a single-seat adaptation Defender, a diminutive ground attack The Thorps returned to the family home- of Th orp’s design and called it the Little aircraft . While the FD 25 Defender may stead near Lodi, California, in their retire- Dipper. Lockheed test pilots loved to fl y never have done much ground attack- ment years and restored the 100-year-old it, but the Army didn’t see the value in it ing, its agricultural derivative, the FU buildings to their original luster. It is now a bed-and-breakfast, Lockeford House, run and the company dropped it. 24, was sold to New Zealand, and then by Richard Eklund and his wife.The prop- to the rest of Asia as a crop duster. Th e erty houses a small museum that contains airplane was fi tted with a 225-hp Con- Thorp family artifacts. tinental engine, but over the years it has been modifi ed to run with 240, 260, sported fi rst a 65-hp, and then a 75-hp 285, 300 and even 400 hp. In Asia today Lycoming engine. you can fi nd Fletchers equipped with a While Piper dropped its plans for the 550-hp turbine up front! SkySkooter, Th orp’s aff ection for the Despite the airframe’s success as a design never faltered. He revived the air- crop duster, Th orp persisted with the plane as a kitbuilt machine in the 1960s, idea that the SkySkooter would make this time as the T-211, with a 100-hp the perfect runabout airplane. In the Continental O-200. Th is is where things 1950s he re-dubbed it the T-111 and, stood when IndUS Aviation bought the working on contract with Piper, went rights to the FAA Part 23 certifi ed ver- about developing it to go head-to-head sion. Th e company currently manufac- with the Cessna 150. But nothing really tures it in Bangalore, India, and ships came of that. Th e airplane did remain both kits and certifi ed aircraft to Dallas Thorp works on the tail section of a T-18. available through plans and as a kit from Executive Airport, where the certifi ed John, and then through succeeding aircraft are assembled for sale as Light companies in the 1980s. Its powerplant Sport Aircraft , and where a builder-as- was swapped several times. Originally sist facility helps fi rst-timers get a leg up conceived with a Franklin 50-hp engine, on their Experimental versions. it never fl ew with one. By the time the Th orp continued on contract with design matured enough to be built, it Piper, despite the demise of the Sky- Skooter. He helped with speed modi- Thorp T-18s gather at a fl y-in during the fi cations on the Comanche series of 1970s. aircraft , and was a principal designer,

KITPLANES September 2008 27 Th orp continued John Thorp’s Aircraft Designs Th e following table has been widely published. We found it at www.wikipedia.org. with Karl Bergey and Fred Weick, on the Piper Cherokee. Th e Cherokee was 1930s conceived as a less expensive alternative to the Comanche, with lower manu- T-1 1931 Design study of a two-place light plane facturing and parts costs (though some T-2 1932 Design study later Cherokees also featured retractable T-3B 1933 Two/four place, all-metal, retractable, built by Rudy Paulic gear and a constant-speed propeller). It T-4 1934 Design study was to compete with the Cessna 172. T-5 1935 Tandem two-place trainer, built by Boeing School Birth of the T-18 T-6 1936 Modifi ed T-5 with tricycle landing gear, built by Boeing School During the 1960s Th orp created the T-7 1939 Design study of an all-wood airplane T-18, perhaps the most popular of all of the homebuilt aircraft he conceived. 1940s Th e two-place machine began its life with an open cockpit, no cowling and T-8 1940 Design study a converted Lycoming O-290G ground T-9 1941 Design study power engine to pull it through the air. Mod 33 1942 Lockheed Model 33 single-place Little Dipper for fl ying infantrymen It matured quickly on Th orp’s drawing Mod 34 1943 Lockheed Model 34 two-place Big Dipper, single-engine pusher board to a high-performance design with a pressure cowl, canopy and slotted fl aps. T-10 1944 Series “I” SkySkooter, taildragger, proposed engine 50-hp Franklin 2AC-99 Th e T-18 can use any of the Lycoming T-11 1945 SkySkooter, 65-hp Lycoming O-145. FAR Part 23 certifi cation engines in the following series: O-290, TL-1 1948 Design study, Liaison airplane 320, 340 and 360. Th e design retained the taildragger confi guration, with 1950s strong A-frame main landing gear made T-111 1953 SkySkooter, 75-hp Lycoming O-145. FAR Part 23 certifi cation. of 4130 steel tubing that attaches to the fuselage at three points for ruggedness T-211 1963 SkySkooter, 100-hp Continental O-200. FAR Part 23 certifi cation. and simplicity. Its wings can be created T-12 1945-50 Design study from 0.025 or 0.032-inch 2024 T3 T-13 1950 FL 23, high-wing observation prototype built by Fletcher Aviation Alclad aluminum, wrapped trailing edge to trailing edge with no overlap. T-14 1951 FD 25, Defender armed light plane, 225-hp Continental, by Fletcher One of the attributes of Th orp’s Aviation designs that was revolutionary for its T-15 1952 FU 24, agricultural aircraft built by Fletcher Aviation time was the “matched-hole” drilling T-16 1956-58 180-hp, Piper Cherokee preliminary design. PA-28 fi rst built with and assembly process. Requiring no 150-hp engine. jigs or complex arrangements for an air- T-17 1958 Wing Derringer original design, which began as twin-engine Skooter. 1960s T-18 1960 All-metal, two-place, high-performance homebuilt. Don Taylor’s T-18 was fi rst homebuilt to fl y around the world. Clive Canning fl ew his T-18 from Austra- lia to England and back. T-19 1962 Design study, four-place, twinjet aircraft using Williams Research engine 1970s T-20 1971 Design study, single-place, open cockpit sportplane T-21 1971 Design study, utility airplane T-22 1972 Design study, sportplane The FD 25 Defender ground attack airplane became the FU 24, a cropduster T-23 1972 Design study, single-place, high-performance sportplane that still fl ies in Asia and New Zealand SE5-F 1973 WW-I replica, prototype built today, with some airframes even being converted to turbine engines. T-28 1974 Design study, two-place, twin-engine airplane based on the T-18

28 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Thorp demonstrates the light weight of the T-18 fuselage in this archival photo from the Thorp collection, provided by Richard Eklund. plane to come together, this has likely been key to the designs’ longevity in a tough marketplace. Th orp aircraft come together much like an Erector set: Pre- punched parts are matched up and Cle- coed together so that they can be easily riveted, and large assemblies can be made in no time. Any metal aircraft kit builder will tell you that pre-punched matched-hole aluminum simplifi es the build process and saves time. “I call it hole-coordination template technique,” says Eklund, who now sells the plans and sub-assembly kits for the T-18 (there are other vendors who sell modifi ed versions, including plans for folding wings, a diff erent airfoil and a wider fuselage). “Th ere are so few parts. So little to machine. For example, the ATS PRO TUBE BEADING KIT THE FINEST BEADING TOOL MONEY CAN BUY. WE GUARANTEE IT! fuselage side skins are cut from one 5x15-foot sheet of aluminum,” he says. The Parker Beading Tool has been the number one choice “Everything he designed was about as of mechanics for years. effi cient as he could make it for the particular mission. Th orp honed it down to

ty the basics.” Lifetime Warran Th e payoff for that effi ciency was big. By special arrangement, we’ve tooled Don Taylor, a T-18 builder, used his air- up to recreate this classic tool in ev- plane to fl y around the world, and then ery detail. And in the process we’ve from Pole to Pole, becoming the fi rst to added a few enhancements of our own, such as ground, hardened, and do so in a homebuilt airplane. His T-18 polished surfaces for mar-free beads is now housed at the EAA Museum in in aluminum, copper, brass, and mild Oshkosh, Wisconsin. steel tubes ranging from 1/4” to 1” diameter. Th e 1960s found Th orp working on Our ATS Pro Beading Tool Kit carries the other projects as well. Eklund met him ATS Pro Lifetime Warranty. at Whiteman Field, in the Los Angeles p/n AP145 Distributed World Wide By: basin, while Th orp was working on a AIRCRAFT TOOL project for Hiller helicopters. Th e rela- Toll Free: 1-800-248-0638 www.aircraft-tool.com SUPPLY COMPANY

KITPLANES September 2008 29 KK BB

SkySkooters prepping for fl ight. The SkySkooter was going to be the fi rst airplane that anyone could aff ord to own, with a sticker price of $2000. Thinking of tionship grew while Eklund was in col- As he aged, he and Eklund stayed in lege and the military. He helped while touch, oft en meeting at fl y-ins. When Building an RV? Th orp was creating the Volpar trigear Th orp passed away in 1992 of complica- For future builders: this is what it’s conversion for the surplus military tions from Alzheimer’s, Eklund and his all about. The decisions, the skills, C-45s and civilian Beech 18s that were wife, Lani, at the invitation of Th orp’s the issues you’ll face day to day as prone to ground looping as taildraggers. wife, came west and continued the your project comes alive. If you’re Th e Beech factory eventually purchased homestead restoration, eventually tak- still hooked, its time to call Van’s. the Volpar trigear conversion, and the ing over the property upon Kay’s death. For RV builders: this is 27 years of last Beech 18s off the assembly line were Th e barn on the property is more building experience, hints, tips, and all trigear aircraft . than just a historical spot. Eklund, an technical articles from Van’s set in Eklund and Th orp spent a lot of engineer by training, also sells T-18 the order which you build, test, fly, time together during the 1970s and plans and pre-manufactured subassem- and maintain your plane. Consider 1980s, and Eklund watched as Th orp blies from there, ensuring that Th orp’s it an addendum to the manual. was brought in on projects such as the signature airplane lives on in the numer- $29.95 (book, e-Book, or CD) Derringer, a sophisticated twin-engine ous garages, outbuildings and shops of aircraft that used chem-milled stretched homebuilders all over the world. “I just skins on the fuselage. sold a set of plans to someone in Sweden “It embodies what John called the low last week,” he said, smiling. speed or ‘poor man’s’ area rule for wing- Eklund fl ies to AirVenture religiously, to-fuselage juncture,” Eklund said. fi rst in his own SkySkooter, and now in “George Wing, inventor of the Hi-shear the T-18 he built. “Th e luncheons we rivet [fi rst used in the P51-C fi ghter], have for T-18 builders draw as many as was a SkySkooter owner. He apparently 100 people,” he said, proudly. In any saw drawings of a twin-engine Skooter given year some 20 to 50 airplanes ren- (T-17) on John’s draft ing table and hired dezvous at the event. John to do the preliminary design for a Th e IndUS Th orpedo, every version high-performance, two-place twin.” Th e of the T-18, the Piper Cherokee line, How to Fly Straight Derringer turned out to be an expensive and even the most advanced fi ghter air- Small rigging changes can have a airframe, and Eklund believes that only craft in the U.S. fl eet all owe some key big effect on performance, increasing fi ve airplanes were ever built. component, or their entire design, to it in some areas while reducing it in the doodling of a young engineer that others or at least making the airplane easier and safer to fly. This book is Winding Down Boeing Aircraft trained to make big about understanding your airplane’s Th orp retired in 1985, and took the airplanes. His were more than just good rigging and about applying cautious aircraft designs he still held the rights ideas. Th ey fl ew. techniques to maximize its control for off the market. He moved back to authority and so optimizing the safety Lockeford, the family homestead, and For more information on the T-18, contact and performance of your aircraft. tasked himself with restoring the 100- Eklund Engineering at 209/727-0318 or $29.95 (book or e-Book) year-old buildings and gardens with his visit www.thorpt18.com. Information wife. Th at didn’t mean that he didn’t get about alternative T-18 designs can be www.KITPLANESbooks.com around, traveling mostly in his own per- found at www.t18.net. Th ere are direct 800 780-4115 sonal runabout, a SkySkooter. links at www.kitplanes.com.

30 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com GOT WINGS? Here’s what you get in EVERY ISSUE of KITPLANES® I Aircraft Flight Reviews I Construction Hints & Tips I Hands On Projects I The Latest in Avionics I New Products for Experimentals I Real World Builder Experience

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For fastest service, visit us at www.kitplanes.com/subscribe or call us toll free at 800-622-1065 MakeM k a lastingl ti attachment.tt h t BY RON ALEXANDER

Covering an airplane with fabric can seem a daunting attach one end and begin the shrinking task. Taken one step at a time, though, it is actually rela- process. You can save time by using an tively simple. No matter what brand of fabric covering envelope, but the cost is higher. Th ey are system you decide to use, the basics are the same. Th e surface available for most aircraft . being covered must be cleaned, repaired, inspected and then Envelopes have a sewn seam that primed or varnished before the fabric can be attached to the needs to be properly placed and hidden. structure. Aft er accomplishing those steps, you then protect Th is seam will be located on the outside the fabric from sharp edges, ridges, etc. by using anti-chafe of the envelope. You must then turn the tape. Th e next step is to attach the fabric to the part. envelope inside out to make sure the seam will be on the inside of the enve- Let’s Get Started lope against the structure, which will Attaching the fabric is the fi rst major task involved in the help hide the seam. actual covering process. It is imperative that this step be Can you buy the material and sew done correctly. Proper attachment provides the foundation an envelope yourself? You could do for the remainder of the process. this, providing you use the approved Th ere are two ways to attach fabric to a part, either by machine sewing thread. However, I do using a pre-sewn envelope or by simply cutting the fabric and not recommend sewing your own enve- attaching it. If you elect to purchase a fabric envelope, it will lope unless you have a commercial-grade slide over the part being covered like a sock. You would then machine. Th e fabric will wreak havoc

32 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com on a regular sewing machine needle. through the fabric. Th e overlap of fab- Save yourself time and grief and order ric should be a minimum of 1 inch on an envelope rather than attempting to all surfaces except the leading edge of sew it yourself. And if you are going to wings, where it needs to be a minimum do any stitching at all, even by hand, you of 2 inches. must use the proper polyester thread. The First Cut Is the Deepest When using the blanket method of cover- A Blanket Endorsement Now it is time to cut the fabric. Most ing, the fi rst step is to lay the fabric over If you want to save money and not worry small aircraft wings have a chord that the structure to be covered. about dealing with a sewn seam, you can measures less than 70 inches. Th e width cover the airplane surfaces using what of both Ceconite and Poly-Fiber fabric we call the “blanket method.” Th e blan- is 70 inches. Th is means that you should ket method simply means you cut the be able to lay a piece of fabric on both fabric to fi t and then attach it with fab- the top and bottom of the wing and ric cement to the surface. With this in glue them in place, overlapping them as mind, let’s go through the steps involved described later. Roll out a piece of fabric in attaching the fabric with this method, over the top of the wing, leaving enough using a wing to illustrate the process. extra to cover the entire butt end of the We’ll assume that the wing is ready for wing along with about 1 foot at the tip. cover. For a new fabric covering—that (You will see later why we need the extra is, not a replacement or restoration— length at the tip.) Cut another piece the it’s essential that all of the surfaces are exact same length for the other side of Use only a new, sharp razor to cut and trim properly prepped. Th e preparation steps the wing. fabric. Take your time! are explained in the manuals and videos, Before we actually attach the fabric, and we have touched on them in the pre- let’s consider an issue that has to do vious installments of this series. strictly with the visual appeal of the fi n- If you have elected to use the Poly- ished product. Which side of the wing Fiber covering system, it is essential that can you see when you are standing next you apply two coats of Poly-Brush on the to the airplane—top or bottom? If it is leading edge of the wings and any other a high-wing airplane, you’ll more than large plywood or metal surfaces prior to likely be looking at the bottom. If it’s a placing the fabric. Th is step provides a low-wing airplane or the bottom wing bed that will help the fabric adhere to of a biplane, you will see the top side of large surfaces and also reduces the pos- the wing. sibility of pinholes in later steps. Once you’ve considered which side A few considerations before we begin. you can see, plan to glue the seams on For larger cuts, use a pair of sharp scissors Fabric is generally attached using fabric the opposite side. Th is way, if the fi nal to cut the fabric along the pencil line cement. Th is is a special type of glue that cemented seam isn’t perfect, no one will you’ve already drawn. Remember to never has high strength in shear loads. Poly- notice. For example, on the lower wing use a pen or Sharpie. Tak cement is used with the Poly-Fiber of a biplane you will want to cover the process. Th is cement is applied initially bottom of the wing fi rst, so that the to the structure itself, and the fabric is top piece of fabric is overlapped and then placed over the cement. Th e cement cemented to the bottom piece on the is worked up through the fabric to pro- underside of the wing. Th is is purely vide a bond. cosmetic, but it is good to be thinking Th is step is used only to hold the fab- from the start about ways to make the ric in place on the structure. You will fi nished piece not only technically cor- then wrap the fabric around the surface rect but also visually attractive. you are covering and overlap it where the Now let’s proceed with the attach- fabric joins, which provides the neces- ment of the fabric to the wing. When sary strength to secure the fabric to the applying the fi rst piece of fabric, you surface. Again, fabric cement is applied should cement a 2-inch-wide area of Use cloth adhesive tape to cover any sharp to the fabric that you initially glued in fabric to the leading edge of the wing. structure that will be under the fabric. If place, and then the overlap is placed Where this is located is up to you. Th e you don’t, the sharp edges will eventually over the top of the cement and worked only requirement is that the second piece cut or wear through the fabric.

Photos: Richard VanderMeulen, Marc Cook KITPLANES September 2008 33 continued Fabric wing, the fabric should be attached loose enough to allow you to pull the of fabric you install reaches far enough fabric above the top of the structure around the leading edge so that you can about an inch. Th is is a rule of thumb. cement it to the fi rst piece with a 2-inch As you gain experience with the process overlap. Th is is for strength purposes. In you will be able to properly judge the other areas the overlap requirement is amount of tautness required. only 1 inch. Th e fi rst question is where to begin We will make our overlap on the cen- gluing the fabric to the wing, and the terline of the wing’s leading edge. To answer is that it doesn’t really matter. Do ensure that it’s straight use a chalk line whatever seems most practical—with and snap a line along the centerline as one exception: Always do the wingtip a marker. Th en measure 1 inch above bow last. We will begin with the trailing the centerline and 1 inch below the cen- edge and aileron. terline and snap parallel lines at these Apply a wet bed of cement to the marks. (Regular blue carpenter’s chalk surface using a 1-inch brush and then line will disappear later and won’t bleed press the fabric into the wet cement. through the fi nal coatings—do not use It’s important that you don’t go over red chalk). Th ese chalk lines will be used the top of the fabric with more cement. as a guide later when cutting and cement- Poly-Tak fabric cement is one of the You want the solvents to evaporate out ing the fabric to the leading edge. When chemicals that can be used to secure through the fabric. the fabric to the structure. Be aware that marking fabric for cutting, always use a certain cements must be used with certain Work with no more than a 12- to pencil—never an ink pen. Ink will bleed fabric types and systems. 18-inch strip of cement at a time. It is through the fi nal paint coat. advisable to go over the fabric using a small plastic or rubber squeegee to Over You Go... remove the excess cement so that there Next, position the wing topside up. You are no lumps in the seams. In some areas will now need lots of clothespins and you will not be able to use a squeegee, spring clamps to clamp the fabric in and you will have to use your fi ngers. place. Lay the fabric on the wing, ensur- (Protect your hands using latex gloves or ing that it rests smoothly on the surface, Invisible Glove hand cream.) and then clamp it in place exactly in the position where it will be cemented. You will usually have to reposition the clamps at least once before you are ready to cement. Keep repositioning the fabric until it rests smoothly on the surface. Do Here is an example of properly protect- not start to cut or glue until the fabric is ing the fabric from sharp edges; use only clamped in position. Th is is true when enough tape to do the job. you are covering any structure. How tight should the fabric be when you initially glue it in place? Th e tight- ness here will aff ect the fi nal tautness of the fabric. Heat tightening will shrink the fabric about 10%, so on a 50-inch- wide wing, the fabric will shrink about 5 inches. You do not want the fabric so loose that it will not properly tighten and, conversely, you do not want it so tight that structural damage results from the heat-shrinking process. You can actually bend or warp light struc- Fabric cement should be used to com- tures during heat shrinking if the fabric Apply the fabric cement in small sections, pletely coat the structure to which the is too taut to begin with. as it will dry rapidly, particularly in hot fabric will be bonded. For example, if you are covering a climates.

34 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com The new A600 Talon Next, we’ll cement the fabric to the butt or wingroot rib. Th is is done on the RotorWay Helicopter side of the rib that will be next to the fuselage. You are not actually attaching extraordinary. fabric to the capstrip area of the rib, but doing this now will help secure the fabric in position before turning the wing over to cement the leading edge. We now have the fabric glued in position on the trailing edge and at the butt rib where the wing attaches to the fuselage. Now we are looking at the bottom side of the wing where we will glue the fabric to the leading edge. (Again, we are assuming the wing we are covering will be visible from the bottom side, so we will want our overlap on the top of the wing.) Th e next step is to cut the fabric along the snapped chalk line that is 1 Forty years after introducing the Scorpion, inch from the centerline toward the top RotorWay is proud to introduce the New A600 Talon. With features ranging from digital navigation to a wider footprint for extended stability, it’s just what RotorWay’s family of owners asked for -- and just what they have come to expect. www.rotorway.com Built with Craftsmanship and Pride since 1967.

F L O A T S Poly-Tak is the preferred cement to be used with the Poly Fiber system. of the wing. You should be able to see the chalk line through the fabric, and this will show you where to cut. Now snap a chalk line on the piece of fabric that exactly corresponds to the chalk line already on the wing. Before cementing the fabric to the leading edge it must be cut to the proper size so that the seam follows our chalk line on the leading edge. Don’t make the cut yet. Th e fabric will want to fray badly when cut. If this happens, and you glue it down with the frayed ends, you will

KITPLANES September 2008 35 continued Fabric leading-edge skin where the wingtip starts, make a small vertical cut down forever see them in the fi nished piece. the leading edge material and cement Remember, in fabric covering, if you can that area. Leave the tip fabric loose for feel it, you’ll see it in the fi nal product. the moment. We are going to use a pro- Th ere is a trick to keeping the fabric cess called “heat forming” to mold the from fraying, and you should do this fabric around the wingtip. We will actu- every time you’re about to cut a piece ally pull the fabric tight around the tip of fabric. With a 1-inch brush, coat the and iron it to the contour. area you are about to cut with a small First, set your iron to 250 to 300® amount of cement. Th is seals the fabric F—this is for reference at this point. weave and will keep the fabric from fray- We’ll get into the details of how much ing. Always use a good pair of straight heat to use when, and how to calibrate scissors (not pinking shears) to cut the your iron in the next installment. Th en fabric. We want a straight edge for this begin ironing toward the hand that’s seam. Why not pinking shears? We pulling, but always perpendicular to the want to hide this cut under the second tip bow. Pull straight, and do a little at piece of fabric. A pinked edge has about a time until the fabric lies perfectly fl at. 40% more edge area than a straight cut, Carefully cut off the excess fabric along so it is much more diffi cult to hide. the curve, and start cementing in the Let’s cut the fabric carefully along center. Apply a bed of cement and then the blue chalk line. Now we are ready to press the fabric into it. Hand-squeegee glue the fabric in place. Starting in the out the excess. This picture illustrates fabric cement being middle, cement the fabric to the lead- applied just prior to placing the fabric ing edge using the chalk line previously Bottom’s Up onto the structure. snapped as a guide. Work in sections of Now we have fabric attached to the top 12 to 18 inches. Brush at least a 2-inch- side of our wing. We are ready to glue wide wet bed of cement on the leading the other piece we have cut to the bot- edge, press the fabric down into it and, tom side. Before we begin this process, using a squeegee, remove the excess. take a look at your cemented areas. Any Th e squeegee accomplishes two lumps or excesses? If so, they should be things: It fi rmly presses the fabric into smoothed out, otherwise they will show the cement and also keeps the glued in the fi nal product. Remove the cement area free from lumps. As you squeegee, with a clean rag and MEK (protect your put a slight side load on the fabric in the hands). Be sure not to scrub the seams, direction you’re cementing, but do not as that will fuzz up the edge. Always rub pull and tug on the fabric. in the direction that causes the fi bers to When you arrive at the tip end of the lie down in the seam edge.

After gluing the fabric to the structure, Anytime you are overlapping fabric and cementing it in place, you must have a minimum you can carefully trim it using a single of 1 inch overlap as illustrated. edge razor blade.

36 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com If you are overlapping fabric onto the leading edge of a wing surface, the minimum amount is 2 inches.

Now smooth out any wrinkled areas each line underneath. Apply cement to with your iron set at about 200°. If you the line and carefully cut the fabric. have a wrinkle that won’t go away, you You can now use fabric clamps to hold may turn the temperature of the iron the trailing edge fabric in position while up a bit, but be careful. Too much heat you cement the leading-edge seam. will release the cement bond. Th e objec- Important: You have a blue chalk line tive here is to clean up and smooth out on both the leading and trailing edges, all areas where you will be cementing the and you have a corresponding blue chalk second piece of fabric onto the fi rst one. line on the second piece of fabric that is Let’s glue the other piece and com- about to be cemented to the fi rst. Th ese plete the attachment step. Initially, posi- two lines should meet when you cement tion the wing with the covered side up. the seams. If they do, you will have a First, snap a line 1 inch inboard of the perfectly straight seam. trailing edge on the fabric. Th is will give Cement the fabric to the leading edge you a guide for gluing the fabric, ensur- with a 2-inch-wide glue area. Start in ing the proper 1-inch overlap. On the the middle and, with the squeegee, work leading edge, snap a line 2 inches past your way to each end, using a slight the edge of our fi rst piece of fabric. sideways motion as you go. Cement the Now for the bottom piece. Turn the trailing edge using this same technique. wing over and clamp the fabric in place It really does not matter whether you as before, making sure it rests smoothly cement the leading edge or the trailing on the surface. Begin cementing in the edge fi rst. aileron well (if there is one). You will Th e last step is the wingtip bow. Heat have to cut the fabric to get it to prop- form the tip just as you did before. Pull erly fi t. Remember to coat the fabric and iron toward your hand. Keep going with cement before cutting. You can cut until there is an inch of fabric resting fl at into corners at a 45° angle to remove the around the tip. Using your pencil and a excess fabric. Next, cement the fabric ruler, carefully draw a line 1 inch in from onto the butt or root rib. the tip bow radius. Cement the line and We now need to turn the wing over to make the cut. Now use the cement to glue the seams. You can spot-glue areas secure this edge in place. of the leading fabric to hold it in place You now have successfully covered while rotating the wing. You will be able the wing. Go back over any rough areas, to see the chalk line previously snapped and smooth them. Next time, we’ll dis- on both the leading and trailing edges cuss how to calibrate your iron and take through the fabric. Snap a chalk line a detailed look at shrinking the fabric to onto the fabric itself that corresponds to the airplane structures.

KITPLANES September 2008 37 Cutting the Metal There’s no need to fear building your own panel. It’s easier than you might think. BY STEIN BRUCH

Although I makemake a livinlivingg buildibuildingng prettypttpnlf panels for others, th I’m I’ alsolb a bigig advocate of cutting your own instrument panel. I know there will be some of you reading this who think it’s an insurmountable task, but really this is not as diffi cult of a project as you may think. More people can build their own instrument panels than they realize, and here’s the primary reason: By the time you’re ready for the panel, you already had to Modern panels have few purely round holes. Many of your cuts will be boxes and some, master some of the same techniques and like those on this panel with Advanced Flight EFISes, will need to be precise; many boxes mount from the back and leave the cut exposed. (Advanced Flight’s new models have an skills to build the core airframe. exterior fl ange to hide your handiwork.) Th e more planning you do, the easier it will be to accomplish this task. Before to simply use the old “paper doll” method will look than to have it life-size, sitting you begin, you need to at least have an where you gather printed images of the in front of you! idea of what you are going to install in items you are going to install, and then Th ere are a couple of web sites that the panel—but you’ve probably been tape them onto the panel. You can eas- give you the ability to lay out your panel planning all along. Still, you now need ily and quickly move them around until electronically. Two of the most popular www.epanelbuilder. to determine the overall confi guration you get something set up the way you are Epanel Builder ( of your panel. Steam gauges or glass? com) and Xpanl (www.xpanelsoft ware. like it. Many avionics and fl ight instru- How much stuff in the avionics rack? com). Both sites allow you to create, ment manufacturers have full-size color store and edit multiple versions of your This Your Size, Sir? cutouts of their units available for you panel, and both have a huge catalog of Aft er you’ve decided what you are going to use. Otherwise, you can just down- equipment. Neither one has every single to install in the panel, fi nd out if it will load them from the Internet, size them component you might use, but both all fi t. Th is can be done in a number of accordingly and print them out. Th ere is have most of what you need to plan the ways. Perhaps the fi rst and easiest way is no better way to know how your panel panel layout. Another option is to pur-

38 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Beginning the Layout Two aspects of panel design should be top of mind. First is the layout itself: Where does each instrument go? We’ll circle back to that in a minute. Th e second issue concerns behind-the- panel space. RVs, for example, have well-known stiff eners and substructure behind the panel that dictate where instruments and radios can be installed. Some aircraft have depth limitations from steel-tube structure, fuel tanks, canopies and such. I hope that by the time you’re scrawling your panel, you’ll know the airplane well enough to appre- ciate the subtleties. But “measure twice, cut once” still applies. Now for the layout itself. You may think that reinventing the wheel when Mounting radio racks takes care and it comes to instrument positioning is a patience. Nutplates are normally used, neat idea. Trust me, it’s not. Deviating because while you have good access on from well-worn standards invites confu- A surprising amount of hand fi tting goes the bench, everything changes in the sion in the cockpit and can, believe it or airplane. Make life easy for yourself. into even “standard” mounts. Some instru- not, adversely aff ect the resale value of ments have an internal lip that’s slightly your airplane. smaller or slightly larger than the conven- chase a specifi c soft ware program like We’ve all seen pictures of beautiful tional 2.25- or 3.125-inch hole. Panel Planner (www.panelplanner.com). homebuilts that have instruments and At a cost of $295 this program might switches scattered all over like some big using steam-gauge engine instruments, not be the best investment for every- avionics and instrument monster puked I recommend including oil-pressure and one, but it is a nice tool. Our experience all over the panel. We call this the shot- alternator-out warning lights on the has been that Panel Planner is OK, but gun approach, because it looks like you main panel. hasn’t kept up with most modern equip- loaded a shotgun and just “fi red” the Last is switching. Th is is another area ment and panel templates. It’s a bit on load of instruments at the panel. where I oft en scratch my head in amaze- the expensive side when compared to Speaking of standards, let’s take a look ment. I can’t think of any good reason the previously mentioned free web sites, at what I mean. For fl ight instruments to splatter switches all over the panel. and it has some quirks that sometimes there is a standard six-pack arrangement make it irritating to use. that has become the gold standard. IFR If you’re really computer literate, the training and fl ight is built around that best and most accurate way to lay out standard, as are most of the new glass your panel is by using a CAD (comput- panel EFISes. Th ere is no good reason to er-aided design) draft ing tool such as deviate from the standard arrangement. AutoCad, TurboCad or any other pop- Next is the radio stack. Th is area ular CAD program. If you are building isn’t quite as important as the fl ight a relatively popular homebuilt, there are instruments, but it is important. Th e samples and copies of templates avail- most frequently used items in the stand able for those panels available online in should be grouped together (radio, GPS user-specifi c forums. Along with CAD, and audio panel). Less frequently used many users have found they are able to items can be placed in less convenient create a nice panel layout using Micro- locations (transponders, for example). soft Visio. Both options take a lot more Most modern glass systems have built-in work to set up, but when you’re done you engine monitors that will let you know will have a panel layout fi le that is accu- when something is amiss, so it’s not Some holes cut by CNC may need to be rate down to thousands of an inch, and nearly as important to have those par- trimmed or deburred afterward, and it can oft en be sent to a machine shop that ticular instruments taking up valuable is a sure bet that any you cut with a hole will cut the panel for you. space in front of the pilot. But if you’re saw will.

Photos: Richard VanderMeulen, Stein Bruch, Marc Cook KITPLANES September 2008 39 Avionics continued

Having them all located in one general area is far superior from a human factors standpoint than scattering them to the corners of the plane. Grouping them by specifi c systems or function also makes good sense, meaning that you put all of the lighting switches together, as well as avionics, ignition and others. Place switches in the order that they’ll most frequently be used. For every fl ight, you’ll fi rst use the key/start switch as well as the ignition, so those should be handy. Next, many of us need fuel boost This is a surprisingly common mistake. A builder, using a CAD program to design the panel, wanted to keep all the circuit breakers close together (left). But they’re so close pumps for priming and/or starting, so you can’t possibly wire them. This panel (right) is much better, with enough room to run that should be next. Avionics are usually a bus bar and the load wires. A rivet spacer does a great job laying out CB holes. the next item to be placed online, so that switch is important. From there, fi gure most popular, and it’s easy to work with. out what gets used most oft en and place Fiberglass or composite panels (with or the switches in the related order. without metal plates/inserts) are also It’s both important and smart to place popular on some kits. Some homebuilts switches like Flap and Gear near to the are still made with wood panels, though throttle hand if possible, because those that is not a good choice. Wood panels two will always get used—and they typically need to be at least an eighth of oft en need to be moved quickly during an inch or thicker to provide the neces- a missed approach or go-around. Th ey sary support, and most instruments as should also be clearly marked and con- well as EFISes are made for panels of fi gured so there’s no mistaking one for lesser thickness. Welcome to the pile of shame. Some the other. Th e two most common thicknesses builders just aren’t good at making instru- for aluminum panels are 0.063 inch ment cutouts. If you’re one of them—and, no, we won’t tell—seek professional help. Cutting a Big One and 0.090 inch. Much thicker than Next we need to decide what the panel is that and you’ll have a heavy panel that make our marks. Start by fi nding the going to be made from. Aluminum is the makes mounting instruments diffi cult, center of the panel and marking a ver- and much thinner than that will result tical line from the top to the bottom in a panel that can’t support the avionics of the panel. Next, do the same thing that are going to be installed. Many kits if possible for the center of where the will come with at least a general panel pilot/co-pilot will sit. From the center shape already cut for you, so all you need of the panel start drawing out a grid of to do is make the holes. 1- or 2-inch lines as references for the Here comes the fun part…cutting placement of instruments. Once you some holes. Don’t get too intimidated have a grid drawn, you can start to easily here, because it’s not diffi cult. It’s cer- locate the items that will be installed. tainly easier than cutting a plexiglass Start with the radio stack, because typ- canopy or drilling a gear leg. If you are ically most of the stuff has to be worked doing this 100% by hand, then one of to fi t around that. Standard radio stack the easiest ways to start is to get a nice openings are 6.25 inches wide, but there straight and long ruler (a yardstick will is a caveat here—you must leave some even work). Some people like to put a space on each side of the stack to allow coating of tape or other material on the for a way to mount the racks. We try to panel to make it easier to write on, but leave 0.75 inch on each side of the stack we just use the old standby Sharpies to for this purpose.

The fi nal product: Do you see why you need a reasonable amount of room between circuit breakers?

40 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Next, locate your primary fl ight good CAD drawing can be extremely instruments or EFISes, taking special helpful. CAD programs allow you to care to leave room between the instru- denote and display both the cutout and ments to account for the space the items the interference measurements of the take up behind the panel. For example, instruments behind the panel. Find- most standard 3.125-inch instruments ing a good CAD draft sperson is diffi - need at least 3.5 inches of space behind cult, but for homebuilders who are also the panel. Most 2.25-inch instruments engineers, working with such programs need 2.5 inches of space behind the is relatively easy. Once you have a good panel. Th is means that you need to leave CAD drawing of the panel cutouts, the 5 at least 0.3125 inch ( /16) between the fi l e c a n oft en be supplied to any number round cutouts for the instruments to of machine shops that will economi- fi t—but also double check your instru- cally ($100 to $400) cut your panel with ments. For example, the TruTrak ADI’s a CNC mill/router, laser or water-jet box is slightly larger than that. machine. Th is can save many hours of Some EFISes and engine monitors cutting and fi ling, and it’s our preferred What’s behind the panel counts, too. Be also take up additional space behind method of having panels cut. sure you leave room for radio stack depth the panel, so just be aware of the width If you are unable to use a CAD pro- and accommodate any and all aircraft of items behind the cutout as well as gram and CNC-type machine, then you structure. what you will see. Circuit breakers are need to cut your panel by hand. Th ere grinder, router, jigsaw or any other tool. another area that people oft en forget are a variety of tools to accomplish the (Review Bob Fritz’s “Home Machinist” take more room behind the panel. Side- task, but big holes are most easily cut installment in the March 2008 issue for to-side most breakers can be placed right with either an appropriately sized hole a great discussion of ways to cut square against each other (or nearly so, we like saw, fl y cutter or specialized instrument holes.) Just remember to fi rst drill a to see at least a sixteenth gap between punch/knockout tool. To assist you in hole in each of the four corners and them for air movement), but remem- locating the screw holes correctly (the cut between the holes. Perfectly square ber that breakers oft en have tabs/ears/ most diffi cult part of cutting instru- corners are not something you want, mounting terminals on the back, so the ment holes), several companies off er because they are areas where cracks can vertical spacing becomes important lest panel hole cutting templates made of and will start. With any of the cutouts the bus bars or terminals from two rows steel or aluminum to assist you. Another you make, it’s better to err on the side of end up touching each other. easy tool to use is an old broken instru- caution and make the holes smaller by a ment from which you remove every- few thousands than they need to be. You Spaced Out thing except the bezel, and then you use can always spend time fi ling them out to Forgetting about the spacing behind the the bezel as a template for drilling and the perfect size, but it’s darned hard to panel has cost more scrapped panels (for cutting holes. fi x a hole or cutout that is too big. both professional and amateur builders) Th e radio stack and other large square Aft er you’ve cut all the holes, it’s time than any other reason. Th is is where a cutouts can be done by hand with a die to start fi tting all of the equipment. Many EFISes and radios will require racks and or nutplates to be installed in the panel. Actually most don’t technically “require” nutplates, but our opin- ion is that anywhere a screw is needed in the panel and doesn’t have a threaded unit behind it, you had better put in a nutplate. It’s easy to put nuts on a bolt or screw while on the bench, but when you’re upside down under the panel trying to work on them later, you will wish you had installed nutplates! Make sure you take the time to mount each and

Take into consideration the size of each instrument enclosure. You might not be able to snug that ADI and autopilot right next to a row of switches.

KITPLANES September 2008 41 Avionics continued every instrument into its specifi c hole. Despite there being a so-called standard for 2.25 or 3.125-inch instruments, you’ll fi nd that the bezels and sizing can vary. Some will be tight and some will be loose, so it’s best to fi t each one before moving forward. One of the areas of panels where people tend to have the most diffi culty is in mounting the radio stack and its associated trays. Typically you will end up with units from more than one manufacturer, and even though the standard is 6.25 inches, the actual widths of the racks can vary signifi cantly. We like to start by stacking up all of the avionics units on the bench away from the panel. Line up all the radios and components exactly how you want them front to back and side to side. Th en simply tape all the trays together with some good wide duct tape or masking tape. Now when you remove the radios the trays should maintain their original positioning. Place your new “stack” into the panel This is what a program like Panel Planner might spit out (top), but what the shop doing cutout you previously made and deter- the cutting wants to see is a DXF fi le (bottom) that can be fed to the cutting machine. There is a surprising amount of work between the PP output and the “cut worthy” fi le. mine where the attachment points to the panel are going to be. We like to sporadic manner. It looks bad, it’s hard the more basic circular cutouts. (I will use 0.75x0.75 aluminum angle for the to fl y behind, and it cheapens the value defer to Bob Fritz’s excellent story in mounting of racks. We run a piece verti- of your plane. the March issue for ways to make rect- cally on both sides of the stack, screwed Rule number two: Th ou shall decide angular cutouts on your own.) Th ere or riveted directly to the panel. With on the equipment you are putting in are many ways to hog out your basic those angles in place, and your taped your panel and vow not to change your hole—we know, we’ve tried them all— together radio stack inserted into the mind until you’re done. Trying to mod- but I’ll show you how to perform instru- rack mounting angles on the panel, you ify the panel before the plane is done ment cutouts with precision and safety. can mark the holes for each tray with just to keep up with the latest gadgets a Sharpie. You can also choose to drill will cause a lot of headaches and waste If you have specifi c questions for author directly through the holes in the trays if a lot of time. Stein Bruch, or have certain projects you’d you want, but note that this only works Rule number three: Th ou shall not like us to cover, email us at editorial@ with a good 90° drill and a steady hand. make your panel larger than it needs kitplanes.com with “About Avionics” in Aft er you’ve drilled the holes in the to be. Lately I’ve seen a lot of RV pan- the subject line. mounting racks, you can now bolt them els that are many inches deeper than into the angles and you should be done! required. It’s a waste of legroom and a RESOURES You can choose to mount the trays with waste of material, which equals a waste Epanel Builder screws and nuts or nutplates, whichever of weight. And it just isn’t necessary on www.epanelbuilder.com you prefer. Nutplates are more work ini- most installations. Even with the biggest tially, but make life much easier when Garmin G900X EFIS screens, you don’t Panel Planner the panel is in the airplane. need to add more than about an inch to www.panelplanner.com the bottom of a panel. Stein’s Three Rules We have talked about a lot of “high” Xpanl Rule number one : Th ou shall not ran- concepts here, and I hope it’s been use- www.xpanelsoftware.com domly place instruments and switches ful. Stay with us next month, when all over the panel in a haphazard and we’ll demonstrate how to make some of

42 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com To Dream the (Almost) IMPOSSIBLE

DREAM K.P. Rice is happy after a successful test fl ight of his Volante at El Mirage Dry Lake. There’s no qgquestion the next great roadroadable aircraft willwill ccomeome fromfrom thethe mindsminds of homebuilders.homeb BY MURRY I. ROZANSKY

Consider the lowly duck. It can walk fetched. Yet the aviation visionaries who on land, paddle about like a boat, dive have pursued the dream of door-to-door underwater and is a strong fl yer. Our travel with roadable aircraft have a much airplanes, on the other hand, spend larger vision for the future of fl ying. A 99% of their time stuck at the airport roadable light aircraft as a practical per- where they can barely get around under sonal transportation vehicle for everyday their own power, and few can ven- use is their goal. It is a lot easier to justify ture on water. Th ey are expensive toys the cost of such a vehicle if it is useful for that contain most of the elements of commuting, business trips and vaca- a ground vehicle—a cabin with seats, tions. A truly useful light aircraft will engine, wheels and brakes—but cannot bring more people into fl ying, reducing be driven home and back to the airport. their costs. Lower costs will enable more Perhaps that’s why the idea of an aircraft people to fl y. It might just be the begin- that can provide door-to-door transpor- ning of a revolution in fl ying. tation has captivated the attention of Growth in general aviation is vital for some talented designers almost from the its continued survival. Without growth, beginning of aviation and automobiles. we will lose access to the air and con- Th e notion that a light plane can be tinue to lose the airports to fl y from. anything more than a toy may seem far- Roadable aircraft would help make light aircraft into an in integral part of the transportation system and make us harder to get rid of. An early model Fulton Airphibian (top) fl ying over the city. Just think about this picture the next time you are stuck in traf- Pure Flying fi c. The Fulton Airphibian (bottom) had a Th ere are few pure fl ying machines, convertible top for driving in bad weather. and multimode vehicles inevitably have compromises. Airplanes themselves imum compromise between the fl ight are sometimes defi ned as compromises and road modes. Another challenge is to fl ying in close formation. Th e primary minimize the weight penalty and, to a The compact road portion of the Volante challenge of producing a practical road- lesser extent, the additional drag caused has its own powertrain. able aircraft has been to achieve the min- by the road gear.

Photos: Murry I. Rozansky KITPLANES September 2008 43 Roadable Aircraft continued

Literally hundreds of important design choices must be made. Should the fl ight and road components each have their own engine, or should there be a single engine with a more complex driveline? Does the fl ight hardware need to be left at the airport? Can the fl ight hardware be towed as a trailer on the road or, better yet, fold within the body of the roadable portion? How many seats should it have? How many wheels: three or four, a car or a motorcycle? Most would agree that certain quali- K.P. Rice test-fl ying his Volante at Mojave Airport. The Volante may be as important ties are important to the success of a to general aviation as the wide bodies in roadable aircraft . Safety for new and the background were to the airlines. low-time pilots is a prime consideration, requiring benign handling characteristics. It is crucial that the time and eff ort required to do the conversion between road and fl ight modes is minimal. One must be able to take fl ight hardware It’s Not That Simple with the road vehicle either as a trailer If it were easy to do, there would be or onboard, making safe cross-country many roadable aircraft designs available trips practical. Reasonable performance today. Although there have been cred- on the ground and in the air is crucial. ible designs built in the past, making the Having freeway capability on the ground jump from prototypes to production has and over 120-mph cruise speed in the not yet occurred for a variety of reasons. air are desirable. A reasonable purchase Clearly, roadable aircraft are not impos- price, maintenance and operating costs sible to build. It’s just that no one has are also desirable. Th at’s not asking for gotten all their ducks in a row yet. much: half the capabilities of the duck Before we look at some notable exam- for not many bucks. ples of roadable aircraft from the past, we should mention VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft as poten- Taylor’s innovative Aerocar encouraged tial door-to-door vehicles. Powered lift pilots to dream big. is expensive. To date the most successful VTOL has been the helicopter, and it autogyro. It was a contestant in a design is even more payload-challenged than a contest sponsored by the Bureau of Air conventional light plane. In most places, Commerce to encourage the develop- you cannot operate a helicopter from ment of more practical light aircraft . your own home, because the neigh- Notable features included two steer- bors won’t stand for it. Other types of able front wheels and a single powered VTOL aircraft are even more neighbor rear wheel, making it a motorcycle on unfriendly than the helicopter. So it the road. Th e big plus for an autogyro looks like we’ll have to fl y our roadable is the ease of folding the rotor blades so aircraft from existing airfi elds. Anyway, that the fl ight hardware has minimum the challenge of mating a road and fl ight impact on the road vehicle. Newsreel vehicle is tough enough without trying footage of the AC 35 aired on television to make it go straight up. showed it landing in downtown Wash- One of the more successful pre-WW-II ington, D.C. and driving to the Com- roadable aircraft was the Pitcairn AC 35 merce Department. The Aerocar Model 3 ready to fl y. An older Molt Taylor (bottom) with the Aerocar Model 3, its fl ight hardware in tow.

44 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com "APDF0-

A young Molt Taylor, his hand on the tail- mounted prop he did so much to cham- The Independent Voice for Homebuilt Aviation pion, on the fi rst Aerocar (top). Gassing up the Aerocar to drive to the fi eld and fl y.

From the same time frame and developed from an entry in the same design contest is the Waterman Arrowbile, AutomatedAutomated EngineEngine with its six-cylinder Studebaker car MMonitoring...onitoring... engine and three wheels (single front wheel), a motorcycle confi guration. Th e ..of up to 29 parameters with 62 alarms. From RPM to peak-detection leaning, the one-piece, strut-braced sweptback fl ying EIS does it all. Includes graphical and wing of the Arrowbile was removed and digital displays, customizable screens, and alarms with external warning light. Models Actual Size 6"W x 2.75"H x 2.5"D left at the airport when the vehicle was forall engines up to 9-cylinders. Find out why the EIS is the choice of thousands of All-cylinderAll-cylinder EGT/CHTEGT/CHT analyzeranalyzer in the road confi guration. pilots. ffunctionsunctions forfor 4,4, 6 oror 9 cylindercylinder engines.engines. At the end of WW-II, the Fulton Airphibian, the fi rst roadable aircraft to Grand Rapids Technologies, Inc. achieve certifi cation, was built in small $473 $553 $995 3133 Madison Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49548 numbers. It had a four-wheel car-like 2-stroke 2-cyl2-cyl 4 4-stroke-stroke 4-cylinder 616 245-7700 Fax 616 245-7707 Prices include probes. www.GRTavionics.com undercarriage, and the propeller, wings and tail cone would detach and be left at

The Aerocar Model 3’s body was pat- terned after the Jaguar E Type and could pull its wheels up for reduced drag in fl ight.

KITPLANES September 2008 45 Roadable Aircraft continued the airport while the cabin portion was driven on the road. Molt Taylor was infl uenced by the Fulton Airphibian and went on to develop his Aerocar series. Taylor moved the engine and prop to the rear, and arranged the wings and tail cone to fold so that the vehicle could become its own trailer and could be towed by the Aero- car on the road. Th e Aerocar was certifi ed but, unfortunately, it was made in very small numbers. Taylor was able to make a shaft -driven, rear-mounted propeller work successfully on the Aerocar. Th is feature lived on in his homebuilt The Pitcairn AC 35 Roadable Autogyro, Imp series, and it infl uenced other air- ready to fl y. The Pitcairn AC 35 in road mode (bottom) with Eugene Vidal (the author Gore Vidal’s father), director of the U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce, at the controls. The Zuck Plane-Mobile ready for fl ight at Rosamond Dry Lake, now part of the AC 35 autogyro. One of the factors Edwards Air Force Base. Note that the that kept the Aerocar from going into wings can pivot at the strut and the production was the looming increase wingroot fi ttings. in automobile regulation. However, the and a single powered rear wheel. His use of a three-wheel running gear puts ideas for more advanced confi gurations a roadable aircraft in the motorcycle look modern today. Th e last chapter category, where regulations are easier to in the book is a description of a future comply with. A common thread among cross-country vacation trip with a road- many of these projects was the inability able aircraft set in 1963. to get the fi nancing to go from the pro- craft designers to use the tail-mounted totype to the production stage. Th e time pusher propeller. Still Locked to the Airport? was simply not right. In a coincidence that makes one What lessons can we learn from these Is the Pitcairn AC 35 the model for believe in providence, I found a copy of examples? It’s obvious that having to today’s roadable aircraft ? I think not. Daniel R. Zuck’s book, An Airplane in leave fl ight hardware at an airport limits Th e pool of potential buyers with rotor- Every Garage. Zuck was an aerospace the utility of a roadable aircraft . So score craft ratings, and the number of training professional who worked in Southern points for the Aerocar, Plain-Mobile and autogyros and instructors is so small that California and built two prototypes of a roadable aircraft called the Plain-Mobile around the time of WW-II. His depic- tion of the aviation transportation sys- Want to Find Out More? tem in the 1958 book is much like what The Pitcairn and the Waterman are in the developers. Borovec published a newslet- NASA is proposing now. One of the Smithsonian’s collection, and photo- ter in the early 1990s on the subject. interesting features of his designs was graphs can be seen on the Smithsonian Individual developers also hold forums at the use of a fl oating wing concept for web site and at Roadable Times. Some the event. safer fl ight handling and to help resolve of the Aerocars are in museums, and at The Roadable Aerial Vehicles Working the problem of using the same wheels as least one is in private hands. Quite a bit of Group is a special interest spinoff of the road and landing gear. He could control newsreel footage of the various roadables Design Group II, which meets at Flabob the wing incidence without having to has survived. Airport in Southern California. It was rotate the fuselage on the maingear. Th e There has been a forum at Oshkosh for formed after K.P. Rice made his presenta- strut-braced high wings would fold and several years, moderated by Ron Borovec, tion at a DG II meeting in 2007. rotate to store on top of the fuselage in featuring a variety of roadable aircraft —M.R. the road mode, with two wheels in front

46 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Waldo Waterman’s Arrowbile is ready for a fl ight from Floyd Bennett Field in New York. the chances for commercial success are limited. And there are still some safety and effi ciency problems with autogyros compared to conventional aircraft , though I’m sure Jay Carter, Jr. is doing his best to prove me wrong about that. One of the dreams that many roadable aircraft enthusiasts have is high-volume production and reasonable price due to that high-volume production. An interesting paradox is that it is less expensive to make a few really expensive items than to mass-produce many inexpensive items. A few craft smen can build a single expensive car, while it takes hundreds of millions of dollars to tool up to produce a high-volume economy car. And the cost of certifying a motorcycle/light sport aircraft are quite large. Th e costs of certifying an automobile/normal category aircraft are staggering. No one in their right mind would make the investment without a proven market for such a product. Yet how can you prove there is a market if not a single roadable aircraft is available? Th e dream of the visionaries will remain just that until someone reduces it to hardware that can be bought and

The Waterman Arrowbile was powered both in the air and on the ground by a Studebaker “Commander” six-cylinder auto engine. It is here ready to drive down Broadway in New York City.

KITPLANES September 2008 47 Roadable Aircraft continued Two Modes, Two Powertrains Th e road portion of the Volante has used to develop and prove the useful- its own powertrain, taken from an ness of the roadable aircraft concept. ATV. Th e fl ight portion, including its Th e proper home for roadable aircraft Lycoming O-320, folds and becomes its is the homebuilt Experimental market. own trailer, which can be towed behind Some dedicated enthusiast will build a the road portion. On the surface, having successful prototype, and hopefully be two engines seems like a needless weight able to make the transition to a success- penalty. But Rice explained that while The Volante’s wings are folded and the ful kit program. I have recently met K.P. there is a small weight penalty, having road portion is hitched to the tail of the Rice, and he may have the “right stuff ” an off -the-shelf powertrain for the road fl ight portion. The tail stand is raised, and to make it happen. portion eliminated the complexity of you are ready to drive on down the road. Like Molt Taylor and Daniel Zuck developing a driveline from the aircraft evidence of becoming a good fl ying before him, Rice is an aerospace profes- engine to the wheels. Th e two-engine aircraft with a very usable road-going sional and has spent many years refi ning confi guration also avoids using up the component, in essence a practical road- his roadable aircraft design. Our EAA expensive airplane engine’s life while able aircraft . He has correctly identifi ed chapter president has been trying to on the ground. Another complication the kit route as the way to production. get him as a speaker for years, but until avoided by the two-engine layout is that Infi nitely less expensive than the certi- recently, he wasn’t ready to talk about the road portion can have its own fuel fi ed route, going to kit production still his work. He is now in the testing phase tank for auto gas. Avgas is illegal to use requires signifi cant capital. But while of his second prototype, which he calls on the road, and auto gas is diffi cult to the technical challenges of developing a the Volante Flying Car. Th e fi rst version get at airports. Furthermore, a valuable roadable aircraft are great, they are not had canard fl ying surfaces and undesir- marketing advantage of the two-engine insurmountable, as Rice and past pio- able pitch changes with power. Th e cur- confi guration is that the buyer can com- neers have proved. What so far remains rent version is a two-place, side by side, plete the ground vehicle fi rst and have undone is making roadable aircraft into composite, twin-boom pusher with something usable before making the a business. What Rice needs now is the conventional surfaces. Although Rice commitment to buy the more expensive right kind of investors. Let’s hope he can calls the Volante a fl ying car, it has three aircraft portion. get his ducks in a row. wheels with a single front wheel and is A roadable aircraft can reduce the registered as a motorcycle. cost of fl ying—a good thing. One would RESOURCES expect a fl ying car of “the take it with Aerocar you” type to be kept at home, avoiding www.aerocar.com the airport storage fees. With Rice’s design, the road portion could take Fiddler’s Green/Aerocar the place of an economical second car, www.fi ddlersgreen.net/AC/ and by going the kit route, he avoids aircraft/Aerocar/info/info. the expense of certifi cation of both an php aircraft and a road vehicle, meaning reduced costs. Roadable Times Rice shares the dream with Daniel www.roadabletimes.com To ready the Volante for conversion from fl ight mode to road, fi rst the trailer wheels Zuck, the other pioneers and NASA Smithsonian Institution and tail stand are lowered. that the light plane can some day be www.si.edu a much more important part of our transportation system than it is today. Video Footage Th e door-to-door utility of a roadable http://video.google.com/vid aircraft can help make that happen. I eoplay?docid=25509028959 feel certain that the revolution will be 14120566 started by people building roadable aircraft in their own garages. Th ey will not Volante Aircraft be fl ying cars or VTOL investor scams, www.volanteaircraft.com/ nor will they be certifi ed. Th ey will be index.htm homebuilt fl ying motorcycles. Note: Find direct links to these Rice is now at the stage that has done sites at www.kitplanes.com. The Volante road portion is driven out in many of the roadable aircraft develop- from under the wing. ers. He has a prototype that shows every

48 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com To Launch a Light Sport OurOur SeniorSenior EEditorditor cchooseshooses aandnd then begins his next kit aircraft. BY BOB FRITZ

Theoretical, that’s what it was. Not and even further reaching: I have built surized cabin, fi xed gear (for landplanes), qualify for the Th ird Class medical? It my life around fl ying. I even moved my 120 knots maximum at sea level/max- was an interesting but not likely possi- home to be on an airport. My emotions imum-continuous power, maximum bility. Light Sport Aircraft ? Th e oppo- ran the gamut—despair, anger with the stall speed (clean) of 45 knots, fi xed or site: not interesting, in fact irrelevant. system. ground-adjustable prop. Th at leaves Th en the roof caved in: “You’re unlikely So I came full circle. Th e Light Sport many options. Moreover, I had a wide to pass your FAA medical.” Th at was the Aircraft option was initially rejected as selection of SLSA (ready to fl y) versions, Happy 59th Birthday message from my being populated by quasi-toy aircraft , ELSA (Experimental LSA, partially or doctor during a routine physical. an impression I hadn’t bothered to align wholly kitbuilt) or Experimental/Ama- Like many others in the same predic- with any sense of fact. However, I didn’t teur Built aircraft that meet the LSA ament, I’m sure, I panicked. I was 90% want to give up fl ying, and to fl y without performance and weight limitations. done building an RV-6/Mazda rotary a valid medical just wasn’t an option, so I scanned the annual KITPLANES® on which I’d worked for eight years. I was left with fl ying when another pilot buyer’s guides and found 155 LSAs in Th e engine was mounted, the prop was could go with me. Or looking into LSA the December 2006 issue and 71 plans- in place, the intake and exhaust were for myself. built LSAs in the January 2007 issue. built, and the radiators were almost Most of us know the main parameters Th ere ought to be something I would fi nished. Now it’s a dead project? Worse of LSAs by now: two seats in a non-pres- like among over 200 airplanes!

Small airplane? No, Gene is 6-foot-7 and fi ts nicely on a 3-inch-thick seat.

Photos: Bob Fritz KITPLANES September 2008 49 continued Building a Jabiru Surprisingly, I found several aircraft that come close to those criteria. Th e Let the Shopping Begin SeaRey, SeaStar, Jabiru J250, Dynamic Th e variety is amazing! You can fi nd WT9 and Mermaid are just a few of autogyros, fl oatplanes, seaplanes, high them. I found others that were attrac- wings and low, one, two and three tive but, as too oft en happens, they were wing, and nothing but wing, WW-I and already out of business or out of my price WW-II fi ghters, sailplanes, motorglid- range—even as a kit! Such is the volatil- ers, fully enclosed cockpits or nothing- ity and range of the industry. but-the-wing-enclosed airplanes. You The forklift operator was amused by the can be launched by bungee, or go under author’s choice of hobbies. The box fi nally The Evaluations came out when one of the guys swung your own power at 90 knots and 1000 For decisions like this, a second set of that door to the right. fpm. You can rocket off the runway with eyes is really important, so I took my a 4-second roll, climbing at 45° for as buddy, Gene, along. I fi gured that with long as you like or just noodle your way his experience in IFR, twin engines up among the clouds. Now I had a new and warbirds, he’d have some pithy problem: choices. remarks—that and he’s 6-foot-7, so if he Well, rather than picking something fi t, anybody would. by looks or reputation, I made a list of Our fi rst stop was to see a Jabiru J250. my purely personal requirements: two It’s a four-place airplane kit with two people, side by side, 44-inch-wide, fully seats removed, a diff erent wing and re- enclosed cockpit, comfortable head- classifi ed as LSA. Th e west coast rep, room for a 6-foot-2 frame, baggage area Jim McCormick, characterized it as “a large enough to hold two sets of sleep- 172 that got washed and then thrown Home safe but too late to unpack. The ing bags, a tent and clothes for a week, into a too-hot dryer.” For comparison, heaviest component is that box on the top, the engine. It’s held with plenty of 100 knot-cruise, 1000-fpm climb, a we pulled it out alongside (make that screws and straps. nosewheel (I love tailwheel, but I antici- under) my wife’s 172. It’s a pretty good pated my wife wanting to use the plane), assessment, actually. and less than 750 hours of build time. Jim fi t nicely, but he’s 5-foot-8, so I Everything was fl exible if a design had wasn’t feeling good about this. When an unusual advantage or appeal. And lest Gene decided to try to sit in it, all I you think my engineering background could think was, “Th is will be amus- controls all, I have to like the look of ing.” I should have heeded the clue of the plane (so much for my dispassionate an extra, removable back cushion on the approach). Still, it seemed a diffi cult set left seat. Surprise! Gene declared it to of requirements. have good headroom, and his feet were on the pedals! Reducing the foam from It’s really three boxes! The bottom has the 3 inches to 1 inch of Visco-Elastic would wings. The author’s neighbor, Kim, came give me a decent view out the side while over with her tractor, fi tted with forks, and being very comfortable. it was no problem to bring the engine into the hangar. Th e other big surprise was that removal of the rear seats created a lot of cargo space while keeping a big third door for Aircraft Works. Th is gem is all alumi- loading. Th is is more like a sports car num held together by a whole lot of riv- with decent baggage room. Th e J250 got ets, 90% of them already driven. What a complete review in the February 2007 you see is essentially what you get in the KITPLANES®, so I won’t go into the kit. And it is roomier than the Jabiru! details, but it met my performance crite- But a close consideration of these two ria when I went for a ride. aircraft prompted a phone call to the With this as encouragement, I went FSDO. Could a private pilot with a on to look at the Mermaid from Sport Th ird Class medical install additional

This is really light—especially Bob’s end! Once it was on the sawhorses, Bob found he could roll it over and lift it to the middle of the sawhorse by himself. Here Rob and Mark had to take the forward end.

50 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com seating in an ELSA and take additional weeks aft er I had ordered it. Don’t be deceived into thinking that passengers? Th e answer was yes, but the It came in through Long Beach, because the J250 fi ts nicely under the aircraft would have to be re-certifi ed California, which is 500 miles south of wing of a Cessna 172 that it’s a too-small airplane. as Experimental/Amateur-Built. Th at where I live, and was then trucked north means someone holding only Sport to the San Francisco region. While road with a few rough spots. How many Pilot privileges could no longer fl y it closer, that’s still about 140 miles one screws were holding it up there? Frank (not because it’s E/A-B, but because it way. Enter another good friend, Frank. advised that we throw a strap over it. would have more than two seats). Still, In addition to being a charter pilot on a Th e next morning I’m up at 4:30, it might be a consideration for eventual Learjet, he has the biggest trailer in the feeling like a 12-year-old kid on Christ- sale of the airplane. Gene and I went on neighborhood and a truck to pull it. He mas morning. “C’mon Dad, get up! Th e to look at other aircraft , both land-only was willing to go with me to pick up the sun’s almost up!” As I said, I can get and amphibians. Almost without excep- boxes, so bright and early on the fi rst of enthusiastic. Some initial impressions: tion, we were pleasantly surprised by the June 2007, we were off to the Bay Area. Th ey must have found a deal on screws number of nice aircraft that fi t under the On the way down, I made several at the Jabiru factory because this thing LSA umbrella. phone calls confi rming that the kit had is full of ’em! While I don’t think that I arrived at the warehouse (it beat us by could have gotten away with turning the The Decision about 2 hours) and that all of the paper- whole thing upside down and shaking Ultimately, the Jabiru J250 was my work was in place (it was being faxed as it, it was pretty clear that my concerns choice. It’s advertised as being able to we drove). I sometimes cut it a bit tight. for the stability of that engine box were be completed in 600 to 700 hours and a little over the top. Still, placing that comes with everything needed. I got a Monster in a Box? extra strap over it was good for my secu- CD of the assembly instructions several It was one strange looking package! rity if not the engine’s. weeks before the kit and read the fi rst “Wuzzat in the box?” asked the fork- I’d built about 100 square feet of three chapters a half-dozen times with lift operator. Th e reply of “an airplane shelving in the hangar, rolled my big increasing enthusiasm. For instance, kit” got a rejoinder to the eff ect that I workbench out onto the hangar fl oor the very fi rst chapter had me cutting must be nuts. You get used to this when and positioned the fuselage on padded slots that are marked on the tail. One of explaining to non-builders what you’re sawhorses. Th e directions suggested them is for the elevator trim cable. It’s doing, but it’s still amusing to see the using the sides of the crate to hold all of marked with a fat, black, felt-tip pen, expressions such a revelation elicits. Th e the parts that are shrink-wrapped onto and it’s really obvious where it should engine was in a little box on top, and that cards. Th is is really a great idea. Several be, so I thought I could hit the ground caused me some concern. Would it make folks commented on the organization at a full run. it through a bouncing ride back home? I and were quite impressed with my skill. Th at fi rst chapter also told me that live up in the mountains over a winding Wish I’d thought of it. I was to then permanently bond the bracketry to which the elevator con- Only after installing the elevator, cables and trols attach. Right aft er that I’d set it hardware was it appar- up on the landing gear. Th is was great! ent that the tan/green It was quickly going to look like a real fi berglass horn was airplane. misaligned. The hole for Jabiru kits, like the engine, are manu- the elevator trim is off - screen to the right. The factured in Australia, at what might be solution was to cut off described as a leisurely rate. But luck was the shroud (not shown) with me this time. Even though I didn’t nd the horn, bond the have to put any money down until the horn correctly and then kit was ready to go onboard the boat the shroud. This horn is a critical component for the trip from Australia, someone of the project, so the else dropped out of the queue, and I was builder should be skilled bumped up one slot. I was notifi ed that with fi berglass before my J250 kit had been shipped only six attempting it.

KITPLANES September 2008 51 continued Building a Jabiru As a former supplier quality engineer, it was my job to work with outside com- In the Cards panies to improve their parts and how In putting up the cards, though, I got a they were sent. As such, I felt like the clue that all might not be quite as per- proverbial fi reman who jumps for his fect as it seemed. I found that some of gear every time he hears a bell, even aft er the cards had an outline of each part, retirement. Good ideas such as placing its part number and, at the top of the the parts on the cards are good ideas card, what this particular group was for. only if the implementation is consistent. Wonderful! But some of the cards were I think Jabiru was on to a good idea missing this data, and some others had here, but missed opportunities to make the parts taped on over the skin-pack this concept really work for the builder. material. Th e entire throttle system was Well, there was nothing to do but Here are the throttle bits and pieces—and packaged in a thin, oversized sandwich inventory everything as much as pos- a whole lot more. Among other mysteries in the bag are two heavy double spring bag. Th e bag, though, was too small to sible and hope that whatever was miss- sets that look more like they belong on contain all of the parts, so those that ing could be replaced without too much the tailwheel of an RV-6 and a lot of small wouldn’t fi t in the bag were held with delay. Although some of the cards had bits that are totally foreign. They were tape around the opening. Th e sharper stickers saying things like “oil cooler sorted into plastic boxes as a way of keep- ones had poked several fi nger-sized holes back-ordered” where the oil cooler ing track, so maybe that’ll help. in the bag, and there were a lot of smaller should be, without a part number or than fi nger-sized parts. I was left to won- outline on the card I had no idea what needed a batch of epoxy, I was delighted der how many had disappeared through might not be so noted. And I certainly to give the pump a stroke and have the those holes. wouldn’t know the status of the throttle right ratio without even opening the until I tried to assemble it. I realize that cans and messing up interim contain- all kit manufacturers face similar chal- ers. Later in the project I would discover lenges, but to come as far as Jabiru has that it had a drawback; you can’t get that with the concept and not close the loop last ¾ inch of material to pump without is frustrating. sucking air and throwing the ratio off . Jabiru’s advertising says that every- At the end, I resorted to pumps in cans thing you need to build the airframe is rather than buying the quantity needed included, even the cups and stir sticks. to stay above the sucks-air level. How- And while they were indeed there, a ever, the small-batch ability of the ratio half-dozen of each wouldn’t cut it. (It’s a pump probably saved the cost of wasted nice gesture to get you going, but build- material even compared to the pump-in- ers with composites experience realize can method. that you’ll tear through expendables This is great! The parts are outlined on such as cups, stir sticks, gloves and the The Horn of a Dilemma the paper, the part numbers are printed like.) Sticks and spoons are one thing, Th at brings me back to that fat, black, alongside, and the card is even labeled but the hardener that goes with the resin felt-tip pen line on the tail that indi- “Flap control.” was nowhere to be found. A call to Jim cated the cut for the Telefl ex elevator McCormick revealed that the $400 fee cable. I had cut the slot to the inside of for the paperwork associated with ship- the line. Had I read a bit further on, or ping a hazardous material is collected even thought it through beforehand, I’d whether for a gallon or a truckload. have realized that I should check to be Because I picked up the crates at the sure that the cable would fi t through the shipper, he didn’t have the opportunity slot because bonding the ventral shroud to add it to the crate from his stores. makes it almost impossible to enlarge He told me that Aircraft Spruce has a it should it be too narrow. As I am sure tested hardener and then immediately you’ve guessed, it was indeed too narrow. got a small quantity delivered to me at But with a bit of help from Gene, I man- no cost. aged to fi t a round fi le onto a 30-inch- What I did order from Aircraft long shaft and, using a drill motor, was Trouble in paradise. No outlines, part Spruce was an epoxy pump. It is, I think, able to reach through from inside the numbers or labeling. At least you can see an essential tool. Aft er futzing around tail to enlarge the slot. Consider that a them all at once. with scales for 20 minutes every time I bullet dodged.

52 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com However, it turned out that the align- ment of that elevator bracket was a bit wrong. (Does it go to the left or to the right of the factory-supplied line?) I eventually had to cut it off and re-bond it. In the course of doing so, though, I had to question the wisdom of making such a critical component the fi rst project for someone new to fi berglass. Yes, it’s easier with the fuselage upside down, but there are other areas such as cowling vents that could be fabricated without the risk of using this as the initial experience. Worse, just aft er bonding the horn in place, the builder is instructed to bond a cover over it. Th e result is that to reposition the horn, you have to take a saw to the cover fi rst, then cut the horn off . If you cut the horn improperly, it will be too close to the fuselage, and the linkage will bind. If you botch the removal of the cover, well, you’ve only made a mess of it, and by then you have a good idea of how to fi x it. Such is the forgiving nature of working in composites. Th at was my experience. But it doesn’t have to be for current builders. Allow me to jump forward a bit: Jabiru has just released a new version of the builder’s manual that’s much improved over the one I started with. So much so, in fact, that the confusion I just described is greatly reduced, and the initial steps in the build are much more clearly and accurately defi ned. Voltaire’s main character in Candide went from disaster to disaster always with the attitude that it would work out for the best. It did, too, but in the interim he had quite an experience. I am now, as the Brits might say, a “bleeding” expert, an adjective that bugs me. In spite of a blizzard of challenges, I fi nd that I’m having a lot of fun building this airplane. I’m reminded of something that my personal hero, Albert Einstein, once said: “In the middle of every diffi - culty lies opportunity.” Next month I’ll install the brake system, have the plane on its wheels, and even get the fuselage interior painted. It goes fast if you read ahead and, as Averaging 33-42 mile per gallon cruise. . . my wife said, “Don’t be a hostage to the instructions.” that “hundred dollar hamburger” is now 35 bucks! Save Gas at: www.SonexAircraft.com/fuel or call: 920.231.8297 KITPLANES September 2008 53 WeW write,it you write...it alright!l i ht! BY BOB FRITZ

I get letters. Letters with great questions, most with compliments, some with other sorts of, shall we say, opinions. But most interesting, there are tool-and- die makers reading my humble eff orts at Metal Shop 101, and they’ve made some great suggestions that are worth passing on. I also want to say, before we go too much further, that I and my editors are gratifi ed by the response to this series and the dialogue that has emerged. Projects Frank Weiss suggested that a couple of good projects would be to build a self- centering drill press jig and/or a drill press vise. He pointed out that he made these when he was in high school. I rather expect that Weiss’ high school shop was a lot better equipped than today’s. I had access to lathes, mills, shapers, welding and even basic foundry. Th e bad news is that the average reader is fortunate to have a mill and lathe, so this is a bit over the top. Th e good news is that if you do have these tools, you could do it. Th e better news is that, per Weiss’ letter, both of these are available through Northerntool.com. Better still, if you don’t have the mill and lathe, you likely have a drill press, and both of these are essential. Th e drill press jig is an excellent tool for drilling a hole through the With the drill motor off , as large a drill bit as will fi t and the clamp loose, bring the drill bit centerline of a tube. You’ll need a couple down into the bottom of the groove. Now tighten the clamp. The result is a fi xture that of clamps to hold it place, so be sure to will hold a cylinder exactly on-center to the bit. This assumes, of course, that you’ve fi rst buy those as well. put the table perpendicular to the drill bit and locked it down.

54 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Computer Control I heard from a couple of you asking about upgrading to computerized numerical control. I would love to get into CNC, but for the foreseeable future this will have to be limited to HDC (human “digital” control). But that’s what the Internet is for. Visit www.cnczone.com, a good commu- nity of young fogeys (as opposed to old) who can help. Th ose guys are always rat- tling on about building their own CNC machine out of sticks and rocks. Accessories Alan Reich wrote, “So thank you for This type of collet is available for modifi ca- your series and thank you for getting me tion to just this sort of purpose. off of my duff and get going.” Now, that’s what I call a measure of success! Reich bought a three-in-one to I’ll say again: Don’t put 700 pounds use in building a “modifi ed Wittman of machine tools on a wooden bench. Buttercup” and wrote to say that his It’ll shake, and even if the weight doesn’t experience in purchasing the mill/lathe collapse the bench, the instability will was as I described: One should expect interfere with accuracy by allowing the the quality and usefulness to be propor- lathe bed to twist. tional to the cost. Here’s another acronym: DRO (digital He went on to say, “I am so glad I got read out). It’s an accessory you can put on the stand with it. I suggest that you tell the machine that shows the position of Although it looks like a run of the mill (pun your readers that the stand must be the the cutting tool in, well, digits on a fl at- intended) 5C collet holding a drill bit, it’s fi rst thing they get if they do not have a panel display. It makes resetting to zero not. real solid place to put their new tool.” easy, the numbers are easy to read and it looks cool. Does it help? Not Cleaners if the machine itself is not It matters not how good an idea you stable and all of the toler- have, someone has a better one. I haven’t ances are sub optimum. tried this suggestion from Ted Edwards, I would suggest that you but I will: budget money for improve- “Over the years I have tried many ments. At the top of my list cutting fl uids including the Tap Magic would be a set of good bear- you recommended. Some years ago a ings for all of the moving very knowledgeable machinist recom- parts. Th ey will improve mended using d-limonene, the active your work, the machine will ingredient in citrus cleaners, on alumi- sound better, and the pride num and its alloys. Th e 100% stuff is not of ownership will pay you the easiest to get ahold of, but I tried the back enormously. most concentrated citrus cleaner I could Several of you were inter- fi nd. Boy, does it work! As I’m sure you ested in the quick-change know, the ultimate tests are tapping and tool post I use. It’s from drilling small diameter but deep holes in Enco (www.use-enco.com). such material. I wouldn’t even consider Go there, do a search for Part using anything else for those tasks. It #505-2253 or Page 366. also works very well to keep the teeth

Clearly, this tube drilling fi xture could be built as a machine-shop project. But in that it’s available from several sources, why bother?

Photos: Bob Fritz KITPLANES September 2008 55 continued Home Machinist a mechanic whose job was to trim the guide board running against the outer passenger door opening [had] retired. edge of the router frame, this puts a tube on my bandsaw from clogging up when Th e fellow who took over the job using close around the router bit, and you cutting aluminum stock.” the same tools couldn’t get the door to keep your eyes on the cut. Sounds like Another reader took me to task for fi t, so they called the man who had done a good idea. suggesting the use of disposable lathe the job out of retirement. Sure enough, Buck Postlewait suggested simply bits. He pointed out that a greenstone it was kind of a body English thing, a using a router with a larger diameter wheel would sharpen up a dull bit. But learned process. Just because the router shank, which seems plausible. So dif- it will also take up bench space, be used was guided by tooling didn’t neces- ferent bits with larger shanks running once a month, and it requires its own sarily get everything just right. [Once against a diff erent guide. Th at sounds skill set. I’ll stand by my recommenda- everything was sorted out] the surface like a fi x to me. tion on that one. trimmed by the router was fi nished… and did not require further work.” Which Machine to Buy Routers on Aluminum Now, if I were a thin-skinned sort, I I can’t bring myself to unequivocally In the March 2008 issue I described might take umbrage at “body English,” endorse a particular machine. I’d love using a router to cut sheet aluminum. as it’s a euphemism for skill. Skill it is, so to have a stream of trucks come to the I’d done it once before on my RV-6 with practice on the cheap stuff and get bet- shop door on a monthly basis dropping very good results, but this time I was ter at it. Clint Corbin chimed in with a off new toys for a road test. having not much success cutting the suggestion that a tooling improvement Th e only metric I can suggest is a rather instrument panel for the Jabiru. I had a might help. succinct statement by one of your fellow comparison of several methods, but on “Th e cut example you showed is readers that: “Good tools aren’t cheap, this project the panel material was quite exactly like an issue I used to have when and cheap tools aren’t good.” To that a bit thicker at 0.090 inches, where the cutting thicker acrylic sheets when using I would add, how much good can you RV-6 skin could be cut with hand shears. a straight cut bit. It leaves a very rough aff ord, followed by asking you to assess if Rawson Mordhurst wrote in response to edge and is very hard to hold against the you have the tools to fi x the tools. my less-than-stellar results. router guide. Th e result is generally not Separates or three-in-one? I’d rather “I worked for a major aircraft com- that usable. have separates if for no other reason pany for 14 years. Routers are used to “Th is all changed for me when I pur- than I don’t have to move the vise out trim the ends of fuselage sections and chased an eighth-inch spiral up-cut solid of the way when I want to do some lathe the passenger door openings. carbide router bit for a special project. If work, or true up the vise when I go back “Th ere was a story in the factory that you look at that bit, you will notice that to the mill. it is built exactly like the many end mills I made that comparison way back you have. Because of the slicing action of in the fi rst “Home Machinist” and the spiral bit (versus the chopping action received quite a few letters from you of a straight bit), you get a much cleaner saying that small separates don’t take cut, and the bit is much easier to guide. up any more space. To that I can only Th e force you must use on the router suggest that when you do your shop- to move it through the material is also ping, take a tape measure and a scaled greatly reduced. drawing of your shop, and fi nd separates “Th e original eighth-inch straight bit that have the capacity of an equivalently lasted for approximately [missing num- priced three-in-one and lay it out on the ber] linear feet of cutting one quarter drawing. If you can get the capacity you inch deep in MDF (medium density need from separates while staying inside fi berboard) before it broke. Th e replace- the square-footage of a similar-capacity ment spiral up-cut solid carbide bit has three-in-one, write to tell me. Include cut over 100 linear feet of MDF and an the drawing. unknown amount of acrylic as well. It is an all-around superior bit that will give Drill Chucks you very superior results.” Carl Taylor had trouble with his drill Corbin went on to describe an chuck. Matter of fact, he was having a improvement to the guide I used. Rather whole lot of trouble with a whole lot of than shift ing one’s concentration from a things including reference books. Yes,

A router-cut in 0.090 inch aluminum looked great until the end. The wobble ruined a perfectly good piece of material.

56 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Machinery’s Handbook is too much for the beginner. Th e alternative is appropriately named Shop Reference for Stu- dents and Apprentices (www.use-enco. com #422-1362). It’s about 10% of the price of Machinery’s Handbook. His other question had to do with the drill chuck. It looked as if it should come away from the mill head, leaving the collet in place. Well, yes, it will. But you don’t want it to any more than you want to pull the tires off the wheels if all you’re going to do is rotate the tires on your car. Leave it assembled unless you intend to change the chuck to a more accurate one, or to a keyless version. If your experience with drill presses stops with dedicated units you’ll be surprised to hear that even those from Sears have better drill chucks than most three-in-one machines. (I hear someone saying “One more point for the separates!” Agreed.) However, you can fi x this by upgrading the chuck. Before you buy a new chuck, though, Yes, a router can be used on aluminum. It’s especially easy to control on wing skins and a be sure you can remove the old one from lot faster than sheet-metal shears. Practice on small pieces fi rst. its adapter. Some are simply press-fi t to a taper; you’ll have to get them apart mark at that place. Bring the tailstock for 20 years now and fi nd that it’s far eas- any way you can (suggestions welcome). up with a live center installed. Run this ier to repair electrons than aluminum. Some have a screw holding them. Open center up to hold the piece against the I would be interested in hearing from the chuck all the way and look down the chuck. Th en you move the chuck jaws the experts out there. How many of you throat. Remove the screw and it should into position to hold the part.” Th at’s just start whittling without a drawing? come apart fairly easily. the sort of advice that really makes the Can you decide on hole-to-hole dis- H. D. Candland, a T&D expert, had job easier. Th anks H. D.! tances without laying it out accurately? I a dandy idea on setting up the material Bruce Fortier doesn’t like comput- know I could, but it would have required in a four-jaw chuck. “When mount- ers or anything to do with them. In his several trips between the mill and the ing an odd shaped piece in a four-jaw felt-tip-pen letter he blasted me for the installation. chuck, determine the center you want articles on CAD, saying, “Th e purpose Doing so misses the whole point of to machine around, put a center-punch of elaborate drawings is so that someone our sport/hobby/love. I’ve encountered else can make the pilots who are nuts for building an air- part.” plane. Th e other side is, “If you really My draft ing set wanted to fl y you could have just bought of inking pens, something!” To which I could retort, “It bow compass, divid- would have been cheaper to drive!” ers and slide rule is Th at fails to assess the goal. Flying is now in a case labeled fun, building is fun, machining is fun, Autocad 0.1 and drawing on CAD is fun. I know of a hangs on the wall, couple of builders who don’t even fl y! so I, too, have been Th ey just like to build. Th e short of it is down that road. But that a hobby is something we go crazy I’ve been using CAD over to keep from going insane.

The sleeve allows the use of a guide under the base plate of the router. If the guide is placed to run on the outer edge of the router base, your eyes are bouncing back and forth, degrading your control.

KITPLANES September 2008 57 The fi nal stage of assembly…or is it? Here’s my quick disclaimer: I didn’t assemble this beast, and my name is not on the data plate, but I did watch it come together day after day. In quiet moments I’d wander into the hangar and marvel at the cables, noting how they are routed— the servos for the trim system and the autopilot, and their connections. I stud- ied, and I am still studying manuals and discussing how the electronics and avionics on this all-electric machine work. Many of my questions are posed straight to the source, the people who invented the black boxes. That changes the depth of our discourse considerably. Final fi ttings. With the doors off but the cowlings on, Barry Marz climbs in the airplane I won’t tolerate an unreadable manual or yet one more time to fi re it up on the ground and make sure that nothing pinches or rubs one that’s hopelessly out of date. (With a together. 28-day software update cycle, some of these manuals have no relevance to how approval, test-fl ying. Our Van’s RV-10 is high-performance aircraft is like that. their boxes actually work today.) Getting not painted yet, and even though the Take the fi rst engine start, for example. to know the people who build and install seats are upholstered, the interior is any- We had our engine built from a core these systems demystifi es much and thing but fi nished. It fl ies, however, and taken off of a Piper Aztec that had been is sometimes the missing link to really that’s something to write home about. on Part 135 charter and needed a quick knowing how to operate them. I’ve been The process of getting it fl ying took lon- engine change. The IO-540 Lycoming has turned on to secret FTP sites, handwrit- ger than I thought it would. Then again, ECI cylinders, two Aircraft Exhaust stacks ten developer’s notes and other nice- it didn’t. and an Airfl ow Performance experi- ties that are essential for timely updates. mental fuel-injection system with the Whatever works to help me understand. Patience Is Key controversial purge valve shut-off . We In the air, in the soup, is no place to start A month after its fi rst engine start, we went with the Airfl ow Performance sys- learning your systems. But I digress. called DAR Ray Howell to schedule an tem for two reasons: We hoped it would In recent months I’ve spent time hold- inspection. He issued an airworthiness allow us to tune the engine’s fuel fl ows ing screws so they won’t turn while the certifi cate after a thorough look at the precisely with its interchangeable nozzle nuts are tightened on the other side plane, suggested a few tweaks (most were system, increasing effi ciency and making of the fi rewall, pulling wiring under accomplished with black Sharpie writing the engine run smooth and wear even. the seats and alongside panels to the on the bare aluminum), and it was ready And we hoped the unique primer/purge remote-mounted battery and ADHRS to fl y. It seems so simple when you wrap valve, which is used on engine startup units, organizing and collating Pilot’s it up like that in one sentence, but each and shutdown instead of touching the Operating Handbook details and, of those events took days, even weeks of mixture, would eliminate the hot starts fi nally, a few days after the DAR gave his prep to culminate in success. Building a this engine is famous for. We added Slick

has taught students how to fl y in California, Texas, New York and Florida. She’s towed gliders, Amy Laboda fl own ultralights, wrestled with aerobatics and even dabbled in skydiving. She holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating, multiengine and single-engine fl ight instructor ratings, as well as glider and rotorcraft (gyroplane) ratings. She’s helped with the build up of her Kitfox IV and RV-10.

58 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com magnetos and an energetic lightweight Trick of the Trade Sky-Tec starter for quick starts, too. After about 10 minutes of various power The overhauled and rebuilt engine ground runs we calibrated the propel- arrived two summers ago and sat, pickled, ler, just to make sure that we weren’t without even one start to its credit while too far off the mark on rpm. We had to the airplane was built up around it. Only wait until after nightfall to view the prop in the past four months have the accesso- through a fl uorescent light bulb to see if ries been attached, and the plenum and the tachometer matched the actual rpm. scat tubing trimmed and permanently This really works as a poor man’s tach screwed or wrapped into place. sync. Here’s why: The light bulb pulses at Doesn’t seem like much: a logbook entry The fuel system had its own chal- a fi xed rate, 60 positive and 60 negative and a small envelope of paperwork. But after three and a half years, the endorse- lenges, with a leaky right tank that had pulses per second in the U.S. or anywhere ment, airworthiness certifi cate and to be removed and resealed at the fi nger using 120-volt household electricity to operating limitations provided by the DAR screen. This slowed the build by a week power the bulbs. When you illuminate after inspection are all that’s needed to fl y. or so, but no more than that. In fact, the a spinning propeller with a fl uorescent engine’s fi rst runs were done completely bulb it will appear to stop at certain rpm. That day did come. Armed with my from the well sealed left tank. It looked This is where the frequency of the puls- fi re extinguishers, pry bar, crash ax and a little funny, and there was no question ing light matches the frequency of the camera, I followed my husband as he tax- as to whether we were going fl ying that spinning prop. For two-blade props such ied out to the runway, and waited as he day (heck, the doors were not even per- as our Hartzell, we can calibrate certain pushed through the checklist and runup. manently hinged on at that point), but it key rpm, 720, 1200, 1440 and 1800 this I listened on the handheld as he called got the job done. way. What was fun about this task was his departure, and then he was gone, Then one day, after nearly two years that for once on this project, I got to be at with just a puff of white smoke on liftoff of silence, the engine shuddered to life. the controls. The good news was that our to raise concerns that maybe something White, then dark smoke puff ed from the rpm seemed to be within 2%. wasn’t quite right with the landing gear. dual exhaust pipes, which seemed, at low High-power runups and a taxi to burn Fortunately the engine ran strong, power, as if they were going to shake right in the brakes came next. All the while I the avionics hummed, and the controls off . But they didn’t, and as the engine rpm was faxing paperwork to the DAR, who all worked nicely and balanced for the increased, the airplane seemed to settle had to submit everything to the FAA for next 30 minutes. Then it was time to into something smoother. One minute. pre-approval before he could even come land. By now we’d talked and fi gured Then shutdown. out to look at our project. Only when that the white puff probably came from It was still cool enough to lay your the Feds blessed our paperwork did he the nosewheel, which has a propen- palms on the cylinder fi ns. Still, a fan schedule a visit. sity toward shimmy, and we knew that was immediately mounted on top of It was bright and sunny and, frankly, something might be amiss. To minimize the engine to pull away residual heat. the inspection, what with the paperwork any dire eff ects, my husband held the Sealant oozed from the slip joints of the already approved, went quickly. Howell nosewheel off the ground in a full-stall, exhaust pipes and steamed off . A few told me that how the paperwork was soft-fi eld confi guration until there sim- drops of oil blew out, but there had been handled, in combination with a brief ply wasn’t enough lift to keep it there. a lot of oiling going on that morning dur- conversation with the builder and a look Sure enough, once it touched down ing the pre-start lube. No obvious leaks. around the builder’s shop, often let him the screeching began. The spacers had Not even fuel (being provided by the still know right away whether the person crunched a bearing, and the wheel had attached, non-leaking left tank). standing before him looking for an air- locked up. He shut down the engine and A second start and run for 1.5 min- worthiness certifi cate actually did the we towed the beast back to the hangar. utes was nominal. A third 2-minute run build out of the kit. The damage? One new nosewheel at a leaner mixture provided a much tire because of a nasty fl at spot that smoother experience. Snags? The throw Get the Picture warranted replacement. The complete rod on the purge valve was a bit long In our case the well worn shop equip- wheel and axle assembly was pulled and interfered with the control stick in ment and history of building spoke vol- apart and replaced, too. A quick check the cockpit. We ordered a shorter rod. umes before my husband ever opened of the Matronics listserv showed several That’s it. his mouth. It was a Saturday, now pushing alternative assembly techniques that For longer ground runs we installed an afternoon, and neither of us were ready could prevent this very occurrence, and aluminum cooling shroud on the top of to jump in and fl y, even if we did have the we took that advice to heart. It was only the engine to duct in air and keep those paperwork that said we could. First fl ights a couple of days before the airplane was temperatures nominal throughout the are best done in the cool, still mornings, back up in the sky, this time rolling on all initial, and highly critical, run-in period. with few oglers. We held out for Monday. wheels.

Photos: Amy Laboda KITPLANES September 2008 59 Rod Swendener’s RANS S-6ES I brought the RANS kit home from Hays, Kansas, on September 19, 2005, and received the Airworthiness Certifi cate on May 13, 2007. I would like to thank Ed and Steve at RANS. Also thanks to my tech counselor, A. J. Smith, and the members of EAA Chap- ter 804 for their support and encouragement. A special thank you to my wife for her help and patience in making a dream come true. Th e airplane fl ies great and currently has 24.5 hours with no problems. Th ank you Randy and Paula for a great design and a great kit. I would like to hear from other RANS builders. BURWELL, NEBRASKA [email protected]

Norman St. Peter’s Hummingbird 260L N5179 took its maiden fl ight on August 14, 2007. I began construction on this 2006 production-run kit in September 2006. I am the owner, builder and pilot of N5179, and the fi rst fl ight was perfect and amaz- ingly smooth. It is equipped with a Garmin 530, 496, Dynon EFIS and engine monitor. Th e interior is full leather with cabin heat. Paint is Imron. I looked at a lot of helicopters and decided to build my own. Th e Hummingbird was my choice because of the proven record and four- place capacity. Factory support was fabulous and 24/7. Many thanks to Vertical Aviation Technologies for their help with the fi nal inspection, rigging and fl ight testing. Th anks also to V.A.T. pilot Dale Stutesman for helping with all the fl ight testing. [email protected]

Martin Davidow’s Sonex On October 6, 2007, aft er a little over three years of part-time fabrication and assembly, my garage-built Sonex, N705SX, made the fi rst fl ight. It was piloted by my EAA Technical Counselor Ron Caraway, and fl ew from the Jacqueline Cochran Airport (TRM). Th e aircraft incorporates an Aero- Vee engine, Sensenich prop, MGL Stratomaster XL instrument package, Icom A200 transceiver and an Ameri-King AD-450 ELT. Th e initial fl ight test indicated a cruise speed of 110 mph and full-fl ap stall at 34 mph. I was fortunate to have help and encouragement from many friends, the most important being my wife, Betty, whose unending encouragement made this project possible. Many thanks also to the Sonex staff , Tom Schuh for the engine assist, and my local EAA Chapter 1116 members for their help. PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA [email protected]

Submissions to “Completions” should include a typed, double-spaced description (a few paragraphs only—250 words maximum) of the project and the fi nished aircraft. Also include a good color photograph (prints or 35mm slides are acceptable) of the aircraft that we may keep. Please include a daytime phone number where we can contact you if necessary. Also indicate whether we may publish your address in case other builders would like to contact you. Send submissions to: Completions, c/o KITPLANES® Magazine, 203 Argonne Ave., Suite B105, Long Beach, CA 90803. Digital submissions are also acceptable. Send text and photos to [email protected] with a subject line of “Completions.” Photos must be high-resolution—300 dpi at a 3 x 5 print size is the minimum requirement.

60 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com INC.

VË2¬ËÍË¤É´Ë+ËWÁj?ÄjËËÄjË?¬¬W?ÍÄË wÁË?ËÄÍ?a?ÁaËÖwzjÁËÄßÄÍj± VË0jÄjËÍÄË?ÝËßÖËÍËajÄ~Ë?aËMÖaËßÖÁËÝË jÞ?ÖÄÍËÝÍË?ËÍÁÖjË|ËÍË¤ËjÁ~jËWjWÍÁ± Kit comes with 1 or 2 build a fixture around it and collectors and 4 or 6 stub fabricate an identical system risers, depending on Engine using polished stainless steel. size. Components are Kits come complete with sized to fit 1-1/2” schedule hardware, clamps and cabin 40 PVC, which is same or carb heat shrouds. When OD (1-3/4”) as the system arrives customers finished header will be in direct contact with tubes used. Some a fabricator to avoid Continental and any communication Rotax may use issues. different size PVC. Kit comes with full instructions and tips to obtaining the most Finished PVC horsepower for Mockup your engine style. After you send your completed mock up to us, we Finished John B. Thibaut’s Challenger II Exhaust Th is is my Challenger II, with a Rotax 503 engine, landing on Lake Verret near *deposit required for kits* System -Í?ÞËVË ÍjÍ?ËVËßW~ Napoleonville, Louisiana, on September 16, 2007. My dream has fi nally been com- 4 into 1 ……………………P/N 08-00673……………………..$1350.00 Complete pleted. Since 1983, when I started to fl y ultralights, my goal was to build a plane with Dual 3 into 1 ………………P/N 08-06158………………….….$1950.00 Complete fl oats. During this time I fl ew more than 400 hours, but I always knew something 800-770-7287 was missing. I wanted to land on water. In 1996 I fi nished building this plane. In www.aircraftexhaust.net "AXTER2OADs0RINCETONs-.s 2006 I installed the fl oats, and now the possibilities have expanded by opening a new SALES AIRCRAFTEXHAUSTNETs world in my fl ying experience. NAPOLEONVILLE, LOUISIANA [email protected]

Larry Traver’s Traver Spirit Th e Traver Spirit, N211LT, is a one-of-a-kind STOL. It took three years to build, totally outdoors, and was worth every bit of it. Th ree seats fold down into a bed; there are 50 gallons of gas; built-in fl oat mounts and belly tank mounts; 45° fl aps; Grove aluminum landing gear and a 150-hp Lycoming. Sensenich 74x57 fi xed Prop Shop prop; two large baggage doors and a baggage tube. Th e door and window are hinged at the top. I put everything I could think of into this mini bushplane. It’s the best of the best. STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA [email protected]

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KITPLANES September 2008 67 Roll’s role in lateral stability. WeWti continue our didiscussion i of lateral/ directional stability and control with a look at the dihedral eff ect. As we saw last month, the motions of an airplane in roll and yaw are both aff ected by sideslip. We’ve looked at yaw, so we now turn our attention to roll. If an airplane in straight and level fl ight is rolled or yawed by either a gust or a control input, sideslip will result. When an airplane is rolled into a bank, it will start to sideslip in the direction of the bank. To be laterally stable the airplane must gen- Part-span dihedral such as on this Thorp, while looking cool, off ers no particular advan- erate a rolling moment that will oppose tage or disadvantage aerodynamically. the slip and tend to level the wings. When an airplane is yawed relative to wingtips are above the roots, and nega- tion is reversed. The angle of attack of the fl ight direction, a rolling moment is tive dihedral or anhedral when the tips the advancing wing is reduced, and the generated that causes one wing to rise are below the roots. In some older British angle of attack of the retreating wing is and the other to fall. This roll in response works, anhedral is also called cat-hedral. increased. A wing with anhedral will tend to sideslip is called the dihedral eff ect, Legend has it that Sam Cody’s Cathedral, to roll toward the advancing wing, which because it most often arises as a result the fi rst airplane to fl y in Britain, got is an unstable situation. There are situa- of the geometric dihedral of the wing. its name because someone misheard tions where it is desirable to use anhedral As we will see later, other features of the the term cat-hedral while listening to a to compensate for the eff ects of other airplane confi guration can also infl uence description of the airplane’s confi gura- features of the airplane geometry on dihedral eff ect. tion. Positive (wingtips up) dihedral is dihedral eff ect. Dihedral eff ect is stable if the advanc- stabilizing. Anhedral is destabilizing. Most airplanes have constant dihedral ing wing rises, unstable if the advancing When a wing with dihedral is fl ying angle along the span. On some airplanes, wing falls. For example, if an airplane with at zero sideslip, both panels of the wing however, there is a distinct change in stable dihedral eff ect is yawed to the left, are at the same angle of attack. Introduc- dihedral at some point on the wing. One the right (advancing) wing will rise, and ing sideslip changes this. The advancing common confi guration is a center sec- the left (retreating) wing will fall. wing presents more of its underside to tion with no dihedral, and outer panels the air, while the retreating wing pres- with dihedral. This arrangement is a fea- Geometric Dihedral ents more of its top surface. This places ture of the Thorp T-18, the Rand KR-2, the There are several means of giving an the advancing wing at a higher angle Jodel and several other homebuilts. airplane dihedral eff ect. Not surprisingly, of attack than the retreating wing and There is no particular aerodynamic the most common of these is to put causes the advancing wing to have more advantage or disadvantage to this dihedral in the wings. Dihedral is the lift than the retreating wing. The lift part-span dihedral, though the dihe- angle from the horizontal of the wings diff erence causes the airplane to roll dral angle of the outer panels must be in the front view. It is called positive toward the retreating wing. slightly higher than the dihedral angle dihedral (or simply dihedral) when the If the wing has anhedral, the situa- of a wing with constant dihedral to get

is a principal aerodynamics engineer for Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Design organization. A private pilot with single engine and glider ratings, Barnaby has been involved in the design of Barnaby Wainfan unconventional airplanes including canards, joined wings, fl ying wings and some too strange to fall into any known category.

68 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Authorized Kodiak Service Center For: the same level of dihedral eff ect. The net eff ect of these lift changes is to roll primary motivation for part-span dihe- the airplane toward the leeward wing. dral is to simplify the wing structure by This is the same eff ect one would get by putting the dihedral in at the attach fi t- putting geometric dihedral in the wing. tings where the wings are removable In other words, mounting a wing high AIRCRAFT ENGINES anyway for ground transportation. This on the fuselage gives the airplane some is a good structural design approach, as additional stable dihedral eff ect. Engines, Parts, it tends to make the wing carry-through If the wing is mounted low, the wing- & Related Accessories. structure and the attach fi ttings lighter. fuselage interaction causes unstable Serving the industry Because the outer portions of the dihedral eff ect. The high pressure in for over 10 years wings are farther from the fuselage than the fuselage windward side acts on the 250+ page catalog the inner portions, changing the dihedral upper surface of the windward wing, near the tips has a greater eff ect on lateral decreasing its lift, while the low pressure 1-800-LA-ROTAX stability than changing the dihedral near on the other side of the fuselage acts (1-800-527-6829) Orders the root. Over the years, designers have on the upper surface of the other wing, Phone: (863)655-5100 used this fact to tailor the lateral stability increasing its lift. The lift of the windward Fax: (863)655-6225 of an airplane after it has fl own by chang- wing decreases, the lift of the leeward e-mail: [email protected] ing the dihedral of the extreme tips of the wing increases, and the airplane rolls www.lockwood-aviation.com wings. One example is the Heinkel HE-162 toward the windward wing. This is the Lockwood Aviation Supply, Inc. Volksjaeger jet fi ghter of WW-II. This air- same eff ect one would get by putting Master Service Center 1998/99 plane had too much dihedral eff ect when some anhedral in the wing. Lockwood Aviation Repair, Inc. fi rst fl own, so the tips of the wings were Because of this eff ect, high-wing air- Specializing in the repair given a large anhedral angle to fi x the planes need less geometric dihedral and overhaul of problem without necessitating changes than low-wing airplanes. To have the ROTAX Aircraft Engines to a major portion of the wing structure. same level of lateral stability, a low-wing FAA Repair Station #L2DR339H Similar tailoring has appeared on several airplane must have more dihedral in its (863)655-6229 Rutan designs including White Knight. wings than a high-wing. This diff erence is quite noticeable if one looks at typical Wing Position & Dihedral Eff ect production light airplanes. In extreme For airplanes with straight wings, the cases a high-wing airplane may even dihedral is the dominant factor deter- require a bit of anhedral to counteract mining lateral stability. The vertical posi- the eff ects of wing vertical position and tion of the wing on the fuselage also has give the airplane the right dihedral eff ect, a signifi cant impact on dihedral eff ect. particularly if the wing is swept back. The diff erence in the lateral stability of high-wing and low-wing airplanes with Eff ect of Sweep the same dihedral is often attributed to a Another factor that can have a large pendulum eff ect, but this explanation is eff ect on dihedral eff ect is the sweep of incorrect. In fact, the diff erence is caused the wing. When a swept-back wing is by the eff ect of aerodynamic interfer- yawed, the aerodynamic center of the ence between the wing and fuselage on advancing wing swings outboard as the dihedral eff ect of the airplane. well as forward, while the aerodynamic When the airplane is sideslipped, the center of the retreating wing swings aft fuselage interferes with the lateral fl ow and inboard. This causes the lift of the of air. Air pressure on the windward advancing wing to act further outboard side of the fuselage increases, and pres- than the lift of the retreating wing. The sure on the leeward side of the fuselage lift of the advancing wing thus acts on decreases. If the airplane has a high- a larger moment arm than the lift of the mounted wing, the high pressure on retreating wing, and the airplane experi- the windward side of the fuselage acts ences a net rolling moment toward the on the lower surface of the windward retreating wing. wing, increasing its lift. At the same time, The unsweeping of the advancing the low pressure on the leeward side of wing caused by the yaw increases its the fuselage acts on the underside of eff ective aspect ratio, and hence its lift- the leeward wing, decreasing its lift. The curve slope, while the opposite happens

Photo: Richard VanderMeulen KITPLANES September 2008 69 continued on the retreating wing, which experi- airplane with good lateral stability at Desirable Lateral Stability ences a reduction in eff ective aspect cruise may become laterally unstable on The level of lateral stability an airplane ratio and a decrease in lift-curve slope. approach. But if the approach lateral sta- should have is dependent on its mission. Both wings are fl ying at the same angle bility is acceptable, the dihedral eff ect at Acceptable lateral stability varies from of attack, so the advancing wing, with cruise speeds may be excessive. neutral to stable. Unstable dihedral eff ect its higher lift-curve slope, will generate Designers try to deal with these eff ects is never desirable and rarely acceptable. more lift than the retreating wing, caus- by combining sweep and geometric A major consideration in the choice of ing the airplane to roll toward the retreat- dihedral properly. Several jet trainers and the appropriate level of dihedral eff ect is ing wing. attack airplanes have high wings with the requirement that the pilot be able to As a result of these two eff ects, sweep- considerable sweep back. Examples of control the airplane laterally using only ing the wing back will give the wing this are the Harrier, the Anglo-French Jag- the rudder. This is a requirement for cer- stable dihedral eff ect as long as the wing uar and the German Alpha Jet. Because of tifi ed airplanes. On some production air- is fl ying at a positive lift coeffi cient. The the combination of the sweep back and planes, the aerodynamic dihedral eff ect opposite is true for sweep forward. If the high position of the wing on the fuse- is insuffi cient, so a spring between the a wing is swept forward, both eff ects lage, all of these airplanes would have far rudder and the ailerons is used to pro- just discussed for swept-back wings are too much dihedral eff ect if the wings were vide the pilot with the same feel as an reversed. Sweeping a wing forward will mounted fl at or with positive dihedral. On airplane with more dihedral. therefore cause the wing to have unstable these high-speed aircraft, the wing sweep Appropriate lateral stability is also a dihedral eff ect. If a swept-forward wing is is set by the need for good, high-Mach- function of the mission of the airplane. For used, the airplane must have more dihe- number performance. The designers airplanes that must be highly maneuver- dral than an airplane with either a straight have compensated for the dihedral eff ect able—aerobatic airplanes and fi ghters— or swept-back wing would need to have induced by the required sweep and wing stable dihedral eff ect can be annoying the same level of lateral stability. position by giving the wings a signifi cant because it opposes the pilot’s attempts Sweep introduces another complica- amount of anhedral, which produces an to initiate fast rolling maneuvers. tion. Because the dihedral eff ect due to unstable dihedral eff ect increment. The Designers of fi ghters and aerobatic sweep is caused by moving the lift of the stable dihedral eff ect due to sweep and airplanes strive to have as little dihedral wings inboard or outboard and changing the high-wing confi guration and the eff ect as possible so that the airplane is the lift-curve slope, the dihedral eff ect unstable dihedral eff ect caused by the neutrally stable laterally and responds produced by a swept wing varies dra- anhedral, when added together, properly quickly to a roll input. Neutral dihedral matically as the lift coeffi cient of the wing give rise to a small, stable combined dihe- eff ect also allows these airplanes to accu- changes. As the angle of attack of a swept- dral eff ect that gives the airplane good rately capture a roll attitude, which is back wing increases, so does its dihedral fl ying qualities. essential in competition aerobatics and eff ect. Increasing the angle of attack of a One caution is appropriate here. in air-to-air gunnery. forward-swept wing, on the other hand, Straight-wing airplanes with aspect ratios At the opposite end of the spectrum destabilizes the dihedral eff ect. typical of light airplanes almost never are cross-country airplanes. Cross-coun- The designer of an airplane with have anhedral, and the use of anhedral try, cruising airplanes need good lateral swept wings is faced with the problem on a light airplane will almost undoubt- stability, particularly if they are to be of getting acceptable lateral character- edly cause the airplane to be laterally used for IFR operations. It is desirable to istics from an airplane where the eff ec- unstable. On swept-wing jet transports, have the airplane maintain straight and tive dihedral is diff erent at each angle which must be more laterally stable than level fl ight while the pilot’s attention is of attack. If the airplane has swept-back fi ghters, electronic yaw dampers are diverted by navigation or communication wings and good spiral stability at cruise used to help compensate for the exces- tasks. A cross-country airplane should speed, the increase in dihedral eff ect sive dihedral eff ect the airplane has when generally have as much stable dihedral caused by the sweep can make the Dutch fl ying at high lift coeffi cients. eff ect as possible without rendering the roll mode of the airplane unstable when Delta wings, circular wings and other Dutch roll mode too lightly damped. If it is slowed for landing approach. On the very-low-aspect-ratio wings behave like the airplane has too little lateral stability, other hand, if the airplane has an opti- swept-back wings. They tend to have it will require constant attention by the mum amount of dihedral eff ect at high stable dihedral eff ect that increases rap- pilot to keep the wings level, and will be lift coeffi cients, it may be defi cient in lat- idly with increasing lift coeffi cient. As a tiring, high-workload machine to fl y in eral stability at lower angles of attack and the sweep of a delta wing gets higher, instrument conditions. higher airspeeds. and its aspect ratio gets lower, this eff ect Next month, we will take a look at roll If the wings are swept forward, an becomes more and more pronounced. control and rolling maneuvers.

70 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Get the LED out. InIt contemplatingl ti whath t theh mechanical layout of our lights is going to look like, let’s refl ect (no pun intended) on the FAA minimum intensities graph from last month. The Feds want the maximum amount of light directly forward and relatively little to the sides. Me? I’d like to be lit up like the 4th of July in Philly. I care about getting hit from any direction, front, side or rear, so I’ll put out way more than the minimum number of photons fore, aft and side to side. For 15 bucks’ worth of parts, it is a million dollars’ worth of peace of mind. To do this, I’m going to put two LEDs in each nav light hole, one facing forward and one facing 90° directly out to the side for the red and green lights. For the white aft light, I’m also going to put two of them in the hole, but here I want one The “scientifi c” way to measure facing slightly starboard and the other temperature. one facing slightly port. What’s slightly? For best radiation pattern and maximum Mounting a single diode to the wingtip coverage, I’d like the two lights at about plate. Note that a fi ber washer has to be a 20° angle between them (10° each side used under the screw head to keep it from of center). shorting out the pc board traces.

Talking Temps is going to cost in temperature rise. Let’s (150° - 28°) 122° C. The thermal resistance Now that we have the mechanical stuff work backwards to see what temperature between the case and the mounting sort of in hand, it is time to discuss tem- we’ll need for the heat sink at (wingtip or plate (supplied already attached to the perature. The LEDs themselves consume rudder mounting plate) and to keep the case) is another 2° C/watt, or another loss about 2.5 watts each, or 5 watts for a diode within its ratings. The diode junc- of 5° C. Now we know what the maxi- “dualie” on each wingtip and the tail- tion itself doesn’t want to be anything mum temperature of the mounting plate feathers. Somehow we have to get rid of over 150° Celsius. The junction-to-case must be 122° - 5°, or 117° C. Does this that heat. How hot will things get? thermal resistance is 11° C/watt, so just seem reasonable? Other than the engine, In solid-state work, we have a con- getting from the junction out into the does anything in the airplane get this cept called thermal resistance, which real world is going to cost us (11° times 2.5 hot? Remember, 117° C is about 240° F, or tells us how much heat each of the paths watts) 28° C. That means we are going to about the top end of the green arc for oil between the diode junction and free air have to keep the case of the diode below temperature. Hot. Spit-sizzle hot.

began acquiring Aero’Lectrics expertise in 1959, fi xing Narco Superhomers in exchange for fl ight hours. A commercial pilot, CFI and A&P/IA, Jim has owned and restored four single-en- Jim Weir gine Cessnas. These days, he runs RST Engineering and teaches electronics at Sierra College. Ask him questions at rec.aviation.homebuilt or visit his site at www.rst-engr.com/kitplanes.

Photos: Jim Weir KITPLANES September 2008 71 continued

What is spit-sizzle hot? That’s when Digikey and even Rat Shack) carry ther- you lick your fi nger and momentarily mal compound, which is nothing more touch it to the surface in question. If the than a metal oxide in paste form that will spit sizzles, then the surface is above the fi ll in the valleys and round out the hills boiling point of water (100° C or 212° F). If so that all the heat gets from the diode the spit doesn’t sizzle, then the old gee- into the heat sink. This so-called “goose zers among us have developed, over the grease” isn’t cheap by a long shot, but The whole plate with two diodes and what years, a roughly calibrated thermometer the small quarter-ounce tube I bought is left of a quarter-ounce tube of thermal grease after some 35 years of use. called the “how long can you leave your when I started RST Engineering in 1973 fi nger on this sucker” method. It is diff er- is still about half full. And I’ve done a lot (that’s a technical term, you’ll get used ent for everybody as a function of how of heat-sink work in those 35 years. One to it) the current up to an amp. I mean, calloused your fi ngers have become, emergency replacement you can try really, 100,000 hours is a little over 11 but most of us can tell within 20° or so if you just can’t fi nd any thermal com- years running 24/7, so how much do you how hot a surface is by how long we can pound is to go to the drugstore and get a really think the life will be shortened by leave our fi nger on it before it hurts bad small tube of zinc oxide. That’s the white running them at their rated maximum? enough to pull it off . paste some people put on their nose so Nine years? Eight years? Is there anybody To fi nd out how hot the surface is that it doesn’t sunburn. It isn’t quite as around who has amassed that much going to get, I fi red up the two red LEDs good as real thermal compound, but it night time? and ran them at their rated current (more will do in a pinch. The problem is that the diode voltage about this later). I monitored them care- The one trick I will impart to you before versus current curve is fairly steep, so if fully for half an hour to make sure that we leave the goose grease subject is that we are going to run constant voltage, it they weren’t getting spit-sizzle hot and too much grease is as bad as no grease. is going to have to be a well regulated then measured them with my carefully The trick is to use a thin layer of the voltage. While constant current supplies calibrated fi nger. I also let them run over- stuff . If you can’t see the metal shining aren’t all that diffi cult to design, doing night at rated current to be sure that I through the layer, you’ve used too much. a switching regulated constant current wasn’t seeing some other phenomenon Remember, you are trying to fi ll little can- supply is a real trick. dissipating heat that I wasn’t aware of. In yons that are millionths of an inch deep, So what are we talking here? My both cases, the heat sink (wingtip alumi- not a quarter-inch deep. And the stuff is measurements showed the following num fl ange) got to 39° C (104° F) and sta- messy. Use too much, slop it all around, voltages and currents for the red LEDs bilized. That’s not even a good summer’s and you will be wasting hours trying to (two of them in series). At 700 mA the day in a lot of places. The ambient air is a get it cleaned up. I believe that MEK is the voltage was 4.09 volts, and at 1000 mA nice cool springtime 20° C, so that means solvent for thermal grease but (a) it is also the voltage was 4.27 volts. This is a dif- that at full-bore current the heat sink rise the solvent for the epoxy diode case, and ference of 0.18 volts (180 millivolts) from is 19° C over ambient. Because the heat (b) I’m not all that shot up about using low current to high current. That’s a little sink can go to 117° C, the ambient can MEK to wipe grease off my skin. over 4%, and a well designed switching be as high as 98° C (205° F), or just about power supply can easily hold better than boiling water hot. Not likely, even in an The Electronics a tenth of that (0.4%) over variations of Arizona summer’s midday. On to the electronics of the little rascals. battery voltage and temperature. To go We said last month we were going to one step further (and spend another half Heat Conductors use the LEDengin series of 3-watt LEDs a buck of your money) we’ll use a ballast Now, one more word about heat and we (LZ1-10?103, where ? is replaced by R for resistor to open up the voltage spread can plow into the electronics. Bolting red, G for green and CW for cool white). between low and high current. We have a fl at piece of bent aluminum fl ange- Referring to the company’s data sheets, “headroom” of about 8 volts between heat sink to a fl at piece of LED mounting it appears that the lamps are rated for the 12-volt aircraft bus and the 4 volts of plate should conduct all the heat of the 100,000 hours if we run them at 700 mA the LEDs, so why not use some of that to plate into the heat sink. Should. Won’t. (0.7 amps). But if we heat sink them well make the adjustment of the diode cur- I don’t care how fl at you think the sink enough we can run them at 1000 mA rent a little easier? is, or how fl at you machine the diode (1.0 amp) if desired. As a matter of fact, Next month we will look at the switch- plate, there will be microscopic hills and the temperature test data I reported ing regulator and the fi nal details of the valleys that make for less than perfect above resulted from running the diodes nav light design, plus a little trick to get heat conduction. The good news is that in series at 1000 mA overnight, so if you your fellow aviators’ attention at night. most of the usual suspects (Mouser, want a little bit less life you can boop Stay tuned.

72 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com Learn how to maintain your Rotax engine. In the 24 months that I’ve written this column, one topic has come up almost as often as the term Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)—understanding and maintaining the 900-series Rotax engines that are far and away the most popular choice for this new breed of aircraft. The three Rotax four-stroke engines (80-hp 912, 100-hp 912S and 115-hp turbocharged 914) and their uncertifi ed (UL) versions are unlike Lycomings, Continentals and auto engines. Rotax heads are liquid-cooled, and the cylinders rely on air cooling. The dry-sump oil system uses crankcase pressure (about 7 psi) to force oil back into an external tank before being pumped into Dean Vogel talks his students through some of the details of maintaining a Rotax engine. the engine (using a conventional pump) for pressure lubrication. its retailers and maintenance centers are hauls. All three courses run two days and A gearbox equipped with a shock encouraged to off er. Lockwood Avia- cost $455 each. At Lockwood’s facility in absorber and overload clutch reduces tion Supply is a leading Rotax dealer and Sebring, Florida, participants are taught engine rpm (by a 2.43:1 ratio in the 912S) overhaul center in the U.S., and owner by Dean Vogel of Aero Technical Insti- to drive a large, effi cient propeller. Dual Phil Lockwood had set up Rotax courses tute, which is associated with Lockwood breakerless capacative-discharge units before the fi nal factory-approved courses Aviation Supply. excite the dual spark plugs. Two altitude- were completed. Tim Kern attended one compensating carburetors provide effi - of the older courses and reported on it in Let’s Get Started cient use of the recommended auto fuel the July ’07 KITPLANES®. The Rotax Ser- Fifteen of us—a full class—gathered to (unleaded regular for the lower-power vice Training session I attended this year learn about Rotaxes. Some were already 912 and premium for the 912S). was a combination of the older version fl ying 912s in their LSAs or homebuilts. Rotax has a reputation for improving and the newer material. Others work at an FBO and will main- its products and operating procedures, The entry-level service course is tain Rotaxes for their customers after which has resulted in highly detailed pro- intended for owners of Rotax 912/914- completing an advanced course. A few cedures for engine installation, operation equipped aircraft, operators and renters, were working on a homebuilt that will and inspection plus specifi c recommen- and it also provides basic information be equipped with a Rotax. Vogel listed dations for consumables such as fuel, oil for homebuilders who will be installing primary course goals: enhancing safety, and coolant. a Rotax in their new aircraft. It is also the teaching students to fi nd and interpret prerequisite for the maintenance and the information correctly, and develop- Back to School heavy maintenance courses, which deal ing the students’ confi dence. For all of these reasons, Rotax has not only with maintenance but also with We each received Rotax manuals on designed a series of training courses that engine teardown and complete over- operation, installation and maintenance,

served as editor of this magazine for 17 years and began aviation journalism evaluating ultralights in the early ’80s. A former CFI (airplanes, gliders, instruments), he’s Dave Martin fl own more than 160 aircraft types plus 60 ultralights (including a single-seat, no-basket hot air balloon). Now living at a residential airpark in Oregon, he fl ies his Spacewalker II homebuilt as a Sport Pilot.

Photos: Dave Martin KITPLANES September 2008 73 continued and Vogel provided web site addresses or synthetic oil. Because of the high lead Many More to Cover for keeping up with changes (www. content in 100LL avgas, however, its use We learned to avoid paper fuel fi lters, that rotax-aircraft-engines.com is a primary precludes synthetic oils because they the thickness of the fuel pump gasket will reference). We also received reprints of don’t scavenge excess lead well. With aff ect pump pressure (use the right one), 100LL, even using natural how to service reusable K&N air fi lters, oil results in shorter rec- and that all “soft stuff ” including O-rings ommended oil change and hoses must be replaced at fi ve-year intervals. (Here’s another intervals or sooner as required. We walked point if using 100LL through the periodic service table in the avgas: The gearbox maintenance manual and took notes on overload clutch should items such as recommended torques and be overhauled at 600 spark plug gaps. We also learned that pis- hours. Without the lead, tons and cylinders are made of the same it should go longer.) It’s aluminum alloy, so they expand and important to use genuine contract together; a ceramic coating on Rotax oil fi lters, as they the cylinders precludes wear. A rubber include a required fl ap- strip protects the bottom of the coolant per valve. expansion tank. Spark plugs on oppos- The magnetic plug ing cylinders fi re together, but one is a on the engine should be wasted spark because it’s not on a com- removed and checked for On the Lockwood hangar fl oor, Vogel metal at each oil change, discusses Rotax 912 inspections. and it’s not easy. It requires a No. 40 Torx bit, a wobble extension to get at it magazine articles by Lockwood on Rotax and a hand impact driver tapped with a 912 installation. 12-ounce ball-peen hammer. The plug We learned about the cooling system should be torqued (210 inch-pounds) and what to use in it (Evans waterless and safety-wired. coolant because of its high boiling point New engine installation requires or Dex-Cool diluted 50% with distilled mechanical and pneumatic setting and water). The coolant system is important synchronizing the two Bing carburetors; At this point the two carburetors are out but not fl ight-critical. For up to an hour, it’s recommended to check sync dur- of sync. the engine should run without liquid ing 100-hour inspections. We did it to a coolant to the heads. But to protect the new Flight Design CT. We fi rst set equal pression stroke. Therefore, all eight plugs engine, you would want to land immedi- slack on the pair of throttle cables, which fi re once per revolution. ately if you lost coolant. is part of the 12-step mechanical proce- There is a lot more to the Rotax Service More critical than coolant is engine dure. Then we attached a pair of pneu- Training than can be listed here. My class- oil, which also lubricates the gearbox. matic gauges to the two carbs via the mates said the course was well worth the We spent considerable classroom time crossover tube and ran the engine at idle. time and money, and several proceeded on the oil system and how to service it. It’s a back-and-forth procedure between to take the more advanced courses. Because the oil is held in its external tank, the mechanical and screwdriver adjust- it is drained from the tank rather than the ments at several rpm settings. Rotax Vogel’s Plea crankcase. Vogel recommended remov- recommends a minimum of 1800 rpm at I’ll end with an unsolicited comment ing the oil tank and cleaning it, and he idle, but that’s too high for some smooth from our esteemed instructor: “Guys with showed us how to do it. Most systems airplanes such as the CT. On it, we set enough money to buy a $100,000 air- include an oil cooler, which should be 1650 rpm, and the pilot must remember plane should fund their grandchildren’s mounted with at least the outlet at the to taxi at 1800 rpm minimum and use fl ight training.” It’s worth a thought. top so that air cannot be trapped. wheel brakes as required. Brake linings, Specifi c oils and their replacement somebody noted, are a lot cheaper than For more information including class times are based on the fuel used. gearbox repairs. Pulling the gearbox openings, visit www.aerotechnical Unleaded auto gasoline allows 100 hours from the engine, incidentally, requires a institute.com or call 863/655-7373. Find between changes with either petroleum special tool. a direct link at www.kitplanes.com.

74 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com THE CLASSIFIEDBUILDER

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KITPLANES September 2008 75 THE CLASSIFIEDBUILDER continued

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PROPS INC. Quality & Performance for all Homebuilt, Kitbuilt airplanes. Computer designed and Hand Crafted. www.propsinc. net 354 SE 2nd St. Newport, OR 97365. 541-265-3032.

SABER MANUFACTURING - World’s largest manufacturer of the highest quality Prop Extensions, crush plates, solid spacers, and stainless steel replacement lugs. Your source for extended thread prop bolts. Worldwide distribution, 23 years proven success, NO fail- “Sorry! I thought you said ‘ribbit’!” ures! Web site: www. sabermfg.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 817-326-6293.

78 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com GSC SYSTEMS - Propelling the world since METAL forming equipment and machines, Video Tapes & DVDs 1984. Best quality Eastern Maple Hardwood, Welding supplies, and Handtools for Aircraft available in fixed pitch, ground adjustable 2- and Metalwork. See our incredible Air Power Hammers CHALLENGER VIDEO, $10. Exciting 45-minute 3-blade, 2-blade mechanical in-flight adjustable - they shrink, stretch, curve flanges, turn edges, and VHS video of Quad City Ultralight’s Challenger II and now available props for PPG market. Diam- more. Complete product line on our website at: and Challenger II Special. We will also include a www.tinmantech.com 530-292-3506 (CA). eters range from 36”-72” with option for leading complete information package with prices. Send edge protection on all models. Outstanding PLANS for 2”X72” metal belt grinder. No $12 to QCU Aircraft Corp., PO Box 370, customer service. #8 2440 B 14th Avenue, welding, milling, lathe, required. Easy, low Moline, IL 61266-0370. Web page: www. Vernon, BC V1T-8C1. 250-549-3772 ph, 250- cost build. 15 pages CAD, 27-page manual quadcitychallenger. com Or call: 309-764- 275-8441 fax. www. ultralightprops.com; $25. www.midwestknifemakers.com 3515. Fax: 309-762-3920. We accept Visa/MC. email: [email protected] Ultralight Aircraft TRAINING videos and DVDs for rent. Sporty’s IVOPROP. Inflight or ground-adjustable. Car- and King Schools available. Private, instru- FALCON EAST, HEADQUARTERS for FAL- ment, CFI, plus A&P, and entertainment titles! bon/graphite fiber composite blades with CONS, XP, UL, new, used parts, owner’s assis- www.justplanevideos.com 601-544-0668. stainless steel leading edges. Number 2, 3- or tance. 845-528-8940. www. aerofalcon.com 6-blade. No.1 selling prop in the world. Con- 25+ METALWORKING DVDs including: Air stant speed electronic governor. Readily Hammer Operations (2Hrs. $60); Advanced INTRODUCING THE “DOUBLE EAGLE” reassembles from 3-blade into 2-blade config- Techniques for the English Wheel (2-dvd set / uration and one spare blade. Beautiful high- 2+Hrs. $65 / Learn to form a polished skin from gloss finish. Unique pitch adjustment, no pro- 2024T3); Aluminum Gas Welding 2.1 “The Diffi- tractor needed. Low drag hub. 30-day money cult” (Covers welding, brazing, and soldering, back guarantee. Ivoprop Corp., PMB #330, and 5052 and 6061 alloys); 4130 Airframe Con- 15903 Lakewood Blvd., #103, Bellflower, CA 2 Place Sports Plane powered by reliable 4 cyl. VW. struction, Shaping Wheel Pants, Fairings & Empty wt. 385#. Plans, videos, propeller hubs: Reverses, Basic Aluminum Damage Repair. His- 90706. Call: 800-FOR-PROP or 562- L. E. MILHOLLAND PO Box 747, Brookshire, TX 77423 torical aviation metalworking videos & more. See 602-1451. Fax: 562-602-1374. Website: Ph: 281-375-5453 • Cell: 281-785-3777 Email: [email protected] • www.betterhalfvw.com our website for details www.tinmantech.com Ivoprop. com E-mail: [email protected] Kits & materials pkgs., welded fuselages: John Bolding, 281-383-0113. Estimated cost $5,000-$7,500. 530-292-3506. Real Estate Classified Line Ad RIVER Fly-In Condominium, Merritt Island Rate/word: 1 time 6 times 12 times Airport, Florida. Perconstruction Reserva- $1.25 $1.15 $1.00 tions, Ultimate Heaven on Earth for Pilots 20 word minimum per ad. To place your Classified Box Ad and Boaters, www.riverflyin.com 321-636- online ad, log on to www.kitplanes.com 4 word heading, 25 words of copy, 6631. [email protected] plus your company name, address, and up to 3 contact numbers. 1 time $94 • 3 times @ $89 ea. Tools Advertising Deadlines 6 times @ $84 ea. ISSUE: Nov ’08 AD CLOSE: Aug 06, 2008 12 times @ $73 ea. AFFORDABLE CNC MILLS & LATHES ON SALE: Oct 07, 2008 Classified Photo Box Ad Includes ISSUE AD CLOSE : Dec ’08 : Sep 03, 2008 1 8 ON SALE: Nov 04, 2008 4 word heading, 1" x 2 ⁄ ” B/W photo, 25 words of copy, plus your ISSUE: Jan ’09 AD CLOSE: Oct 01, 2008 company name, address, ON SALE: Dec 02, 2008 and up to 3 contact numbers. To place your ad in 1 time $188 • 3 times @ $177 ea. Kitplanes magazine, 6 times @ $167 ea. Syil America offers quality Machines, 12 times @ $146 ea. Tooling, Software, and Technical Support. phone: 717-982-0744 Special Deals: Super X2 and Super X3 CNC Mills or email: [email protected] Digital Photo Specifications: 1200 dpi resolution for B/W, U2 CNC Mill & Surface Grinders Fax: 717-427-1525 C6 CNC Lathes Tiff and EPS formats accepted. SYIL AMERICA Subscriptions: syilamerica.com • 888-594-1097 Ph: 800-622-1065 (US & Canda) • 386-447-6318 (International) • Fax: 386-447-2321

KITPLANES September 2008 79 BY ROBRUCHA

80 KITPLANES September 2008 www.kitplanes.com