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An Exclusive First Look Inside! LANCAIR’S TURBINE SCREAMER 750-hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A • 380-mph Cruise • 4 Seats

September 2007 Demon Tweaks

Builder Paul Lipps Shares His Experiments $4.99US $5.99CAN 09 Strong, Sticky Stuff Home Machine Shop Basic Building With Carbon Fiber Composites Tune Up Your Tools

Wiring In A Tangle? 0 09281 03883 2 An Innovative Box Bundles It…And Much More the evolution continues Oshkosh 2007

www.lancairevolution.com CONTENTS September 2007 | Volume 24, Number 9

On the cover: An artist’s rendering of the Lancair Evolution comes with something of a pedigree, as it’s based on detailed computer- aided-design drawings. Builder Spotlight 10 LANCAIR EVOLUTION Here’s an inside look at the next big turboprop thing from Redmond; by Marc Cook. 16 WAG-AERO SUPER SPORT Here’s a Piper Cub-alike that you can build; by Bob Grimstead. 16 25 A SIGN OF THE ZODIAC O ff in all directions at the same time; by Rick Lindstrom. 32 A FUTURISTIC ANACHRONISM Paul Lipps is an experimenter down to the nth detail; by Bob Fritz. 36 BUILD YOUR SKILLS: COMPOSITES Part 5: working with carbon fi ber; by Bob Fritz. 42 ALL ABOUT AVIONICS For fair-weather fl iers on a budget, a VFR panel-mount or portable GPS might be just the ticket; by Stein Bruch. 50 VERTICAL POWER A new experience in power management; by Marc Cook. 53 EXTREME GLEAM It’s easy being green…and clean; by Bob Fritz. 70 COMPLETIONS Builders share their successes. Shop Talk 54 THE HOME MACHINIST Tuning up the equipment; by Bob Fritz. 60 ENGINE BEAT Exhaust tech is both art and science; by Tim Kern. 62 AERO ’LECTRICS Flash yourself, Part 3; by Jim Weir. Designer’s Notebook 68 WIND TUNNEL Th e value of a constant-speed prop; by Barnaby Wainfan. 10 Exploring 2 AROUND THE PATCH Let’s unplug the Wayback Machine; by Marc Cook. 8 WHAT’S NEW Smart welding helmets, a folding mobility scooter, relays to protect your radios and more; edited by Mary Bernard. 22 BUILDER LIABILITY AND YOU Avoiding a close encounter in court; by Dave Higdon. 72 LIGHT STUFF Kappa KP-5: conventional excellence; by Dave Martin. Kit Bits 4 CONTRIBUTORS 6 LETTERS 64 LIST OF ADVERTISERS 65 BUILDERS’ MARKETPLACE 75 THE CLASSIFIED BUILDER 32 80 KIT STUFF Drawing on experience; by cartoonist Robrucha.

KITPLANES September 2007 1 AROUND the Patch MARCBY COOK

Let’s unplug the data logging to the EMS-D120. I’ve been hugely impressed by Dynon’s approach to developing new features, which are Wayback Machine. vetted in the lab, then among a small number of aircraft “in the family,” and y morning ritual probably isn’t a lot diff erent than most. With a hot then fi nally with a group of public beta mug of life-giving caff eine in front of me, I take a virtual tour through testers of which I am a member. Th is last the world of homebuilding. In addition to the handful of builder soft ware version didn’t get to the public lists that fl ood my email inbox every day—many of them from Matt group until Beta 8, and had four more MDralle’s Matronics Aircraft Email Forums—I scan several more web forums. updates in six weeks until arriving at a Almost without exception, I’ll fi nd a thread dealing with new technology—glass- release candidate around the middle of panel fl ight instruments and electronic ignition are oft en the topics—in which a June. In each version there were bugs, poster has asked about fi eld experience, reliability, ease of installation or any num- sure, but minor ones, and a dozen subtle ber of other subtopics germane to the subject. And, almost without exception, a self- improvements were implemented in part described realist will pop up encouraging at the very least caution toward the new based on feedback from the group. technology, though sometimes it bleeds over into an “I’ll never use equipment like One of those improvements is a peak- that myself and if you do you’ll die.” OK, maybe not that strident, but we’ve all seen EGT detector coupled to a percent-of- something close to this kind of remark. power calculator that’s done properly, in What I fi nd most interesting is that the issuer of such comments oft en has lit- my view. It fairly accurately determines tle to no personal experi- when you are rich or lean of peak EGT ence with the equipment and uses diff erent algorithms to deter- and, sometimes, feels com- mine power based on which side of peak pelled to post news reports the engine’s operating on. of some Russian satellite So for those whose suspicions of new- having massive soft ware fangled technology might be based on problems as evidence that the belief that one guy sits in a lab and we should all go back to cranks out code for immediate release needle-ball-airspeed fl y- to the public, guess again. My experi- ing. Maybe it’s just me, ence in this regard says that, for Dynon but these Luddite com- at least, the development process is care- ments couched in the tone ful, measured and conservative. Oh, and of fatherly concern strike on the subject of soft ware, the problems Beta-testing Dynon’s new-look software. Despite running me as just a bit out of place I had with my GPS talking to the EFIS, all manner of beta-test and release-candidate software, in our world of forward- autopilot and Garmin SL30 nav/com this suite has been as reliable as fi stfi ghts in a biker bar. looking aircraft . through the RS-232 serial stream seem I’m all for taking a to have been cured by an update to the measured, conservative Garmin 496’s operating system. approach to the development of new technologies—it partly explains why I still have a pair of big old Bendix magnetos on the Sportsman—but let’s rely on genuine, Such a Deal! relevant data and real-world experience before skewering anything beyond the insect- Th ere’s good news for KITPLANES® in-amber tech familiar to pilots. Sherman and Peabody can go back. I won’t. subscribers. By the time you read this, As you can see from the panel shot above, I’ve been fl ying with the new Dynon soft - the contents of our web site, including ware that improves data presentation on the EFIS-D100 and D10A, and that adds magazine back issues and aircraft directories, will be available to subscribers Marc Cook has been in aviation journalism for 19 years and in magazine work for 25. free of charge. In addition, the cost of He is a 3800-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. the electronic-only subscription will be reduced to $26.95 a year.

Yes, there are other glass cockpit displays for kitbuilts. End of comparison.

Announcing Garmin’s new G900X™ kitplane installation program. Now do-it-yourselfers don’t have to settle for semi-suite avionics. With the launch of Garmin’s new G900X series – and its installation network of factory-approved avionics dealers – builders of the popular Lancair and Van’s RV series* aircraft can now step up to the most proven, most capable, most fully integrated “glass cockpit” ever to fly in any kitbuilt airframe. The dealer-supplied package comes with everything you need: from GPS/Comm, transponder and AHRS sensors to audio panel, wiring harness, and drawings. So, you simply add the finishing touches. Garmin’s new G900X: For your next kitplane cockpit, the choice is clear as glass.

To explore the possibilities, go to www.garmin.com

*Garmin G900X packages are available for all new 4-place Lancair piston models, as well as all Van’s RV series products configured for 2-across seating. For a list of approved avionics dealers, visit Garmin’s website. NASDAQ GRMN CONTRIBUTORS

EDITORIAL BOB GRIMSTEAD Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook Widely experienced author—and Aussie—Bob Grim- [email protected] Managing Editor Mary Bernard stead has been a regular contributor to KITPLANES® Art Director Suzanne Stackle over the years. Th is month he takes fl ight in friend Rob Technical Editor Ed Wischmeyer Senior Editor Dave Higdon Felton’s Wag-Aero Super Sport. For pilots with fondness Contributing Editors Ken Armstrong, Walter Atkinson for the Piper Cub series, the Super Sport (and its stable- Stein Bruch, Dan Checkoway, mate the Sport Trainer) are excellent kitbuilt choices. In Cory Emberson, Bob Fritz Geoffrey Jones, Tim Kern, fact, they can be built from plans or purchased in a variety Howard Levy, Rick Lindstrom, of subkits. Bob’s story begins on Page 16. Dave Martin, Dick Starks, Barnaby Wainfan, Jim Weir Webmaster/Data Manager Julia Downie Cartoonist Robrucha BOB FRITZ ADVERTISING Bob poked his head out of the shop this month to spend Publisher/Ad Director Cindy Pedersen time with inveterate tinkerer Paul Lipps, whose ideas range [email protected] Sr. Advertising Manager Chuck Preston from the sublimely simple to the nearly outlandish. Th e [email protected] indefatigable Mr. Lipps has always carried on, shall we say, BUSINESS OFFICE a vocal commentary with KITPLANES®, so it seemed time 531 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 105, Encinitas, CA 92024 to return the favor and fi nd out just what makes him tick. Main Number: 760/436-4747, Fax 760/436-4644 Bob’s interview with Lipps begins on Page 32. And if you Editorial: 562/608-8251 have even better ideas than Paul, let us know; we’ll print PRODUCTION & CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING them in a future issue. Production Manager Marsha Blessing 717/433-7985 [email protected]

CIRCULATION DAVE HIGDON Circulation Director Lisa Evans Circulation Manager Laura McMann Veteran reporter Dave Higdon, while recovering from a particularly debilitating experience with carpal-tunnel SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT 800/622-1065; 386/447-6318 syndrome, nevertheless worked through the pain and www.kitplanes.com/cs craft ed this month’s story on builder liability. It’s a sub- Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 ject that gets some discussion in chat groups and around For Canada: Box 7820 STN Main, London, ON N5Y5W1 the coff ee machine at the airport, but is, according to the BACK ISSUES experts Higdon talked to, more smoke than fi re. Th e fea- P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 ture begins on Page 22. 800/622-1065 www.kitplanes.com

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 CHANGE OF ADDRESS? 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 MISSING ISSUE? 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, SUBSCRIPTION QUESTION? Vice Pres., Circulation; Michael N. Pollett, Sr. Vice Pres., General Counsel. Periodicals postage paid at Norwalk, CT, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright ©2007 Aviation Publishing Group, LLC. All rights Visit www.kitplanes.com/cs. reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Printed in USA. Revenue Canada GST Account #128044658. Canada Or call 800/622-1065 Publishing Agreement #40016479. from the U.S. and Canada. 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. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes and subscription inquiries to: Foreign, call 386/447-6318 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. or fax 203/857-3103.

4 KITPLANES September 2007

Acoustic Feedback align a set of wings properly, why would Th e article “Sounding Down” in the June KITPLANES® concerning aircraft sound- aligning a few lights of the correct colors proofi ng was interesting and informative. I’d like to add one thing that may be of prove diffi cult? interest to your readers. I sat up one night and researched aircraft soundproofi ng on I fi nd the haughty, consumerism atti- the Internet. I ran across one article that had an interesting fi nding. Th e research tude exhibited here to be insulting and found that the glue used to fasten the soundproofi ng material had as much sound- subversive. We’re building airplanes over proofi ng eff ect as the soundproofi ng material itself, especially on metal surfaces here, and we’re doing it well. We don’t such as aluminum that tend to vibrate like a kettle drum. It seems the glue was quite need to hear about how some marketing eff ective in damping vibration and reverberant noise. Th us, a simple alternative to fl ack is puzzled that we’d want to do it soundproofi ng foam or rubber would be something like the Super Soundproofi ng ourselves, and we don’t want to hear that Liquid sold by Aircraft Spruce. You can use it as a standalone soundproofi ng by just we might not be able to handle the job. painting it on, or paint it on, then glue foam over it for even more eff ective sound- If we just wanted something “that was proofi ng. As with anything we add on to an airplane, it adds weight, so you have to approved and guaranteed to work,” we’d just buy a Cessna and be done with it. consider the advantages versus the consequences. SKIP PARDEE ERNEST CHRISTLEY Missed One on the Aussies Well it looks like Technical Editor Ed Wischmeyer may have splashed around too Ask, And You Shall Receive much! Ed’s comment on page 12 [of the June 2007 issue] regarding Australia’s cer- Th ere’s a subject important to builders tifi cation of homebuilts is totally incorrect. For the record, Australia’s amateur- that seems to be ignored in print. Th at built aircraft are covered by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s “Civil Aviation subject is propellers. What I’d like to Orders” (CAO) 95.10, CAO 95.32, CAO 95.55 paragraph 1.5; our LSA regulations see is an in-depth article, or better yet, a are included into a revised 95.55 paragraph 1.8 with kitbuilt in paragraph 1.9, CAO series, on all the various aspects of prop 101.55. Amateur building of aircraft in Australia is administratively covered by selection including materials, blade CAO 100.18 “Airworthiness Administration and Procedures-Amateur Built Cat- count, blade foils and aspect ratios, egory Aircraft ” (see www.casa.gov.au.). Also the U.S. is trailing Australia in certifi - power absorption, effi ciency, operating cation of ultralights, and our LSA regs off er a lot more design standards and a wider speeds and noise production. I feel that range of props. Hoping the above helps to provide some facts. Barnaby Wainfan would be the man to author such a study. JOHN WASHBROOKE FORMER TECHNICAL MANAGER OF THE AUSTRALIAN ULTRALIGHT DON POST FEDERATION INC. (AUF), NOW RECREATIONAL AVIATION AUSTRALIA (RAA) We feel the same way. Barnaby began a short series on propeller design last month; All Lit Up it continues on Page 68.—Ed. I’ve been enjoying getting KITPLANES® every month, happy to have fi nally found a magazine that carries the true spirit of homebuilding. Everything has to stop while I read it cover to cover. But I was very disappointed by the June issue [“Light It Up,” Ottomated Response I was happy to see your recogni- Page 78]. Aerofl ash’s Gonzalez seemed puzzled that we would want to build our tion of Ottopilots in the July issue of own strobe and marker lights. She thinks everyone would want something that was KITPLANES®. At long last we’re get- approved and guaranteed to work, and she wonders how that could be guaranteed in ting the acknowledgment of our talents a garage. Th is made me very sad. Did [author] Mary Bernard not inform her that she and services and general lack of notori- was writing an article for KITPLANES®? ety. I’ve had an Otto-pilot in every air- But then I was made even sadder with Mary’s comment that you probably could craft I’ve fl own or owned since 1965 and build your own, but you might not meet the regulations. You mean, like maybe I found him to be invaluable in keeping could bend my own gear legs, but they might not be straight? Or, maybe I could the shiny side up and wheels-side down. build my own wings, but they might not be true to the designed airfoil? Mary, this Seriously, keep up the great coverage of is the sort of inane comment that has turned me and many other builders off to all things of interest to contemporary the Elite Aircraft Association’s fl agship publication. Making things work and meet aviators… Ottopilot or not! regulations is what we do. Buying Aerofl ash’s overpriced LEDs will not guarantee that they are aligned properly on a crooked wing. If someone has the audacity to LOREN OTTO

6 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com DYNON AVIONICS /NBOARD 3PACE3HIP/NE !FFORDABLE'LASS#OCKPIT!VIONICS ANDTHOUSANDS OFOTHERAIRCRAFT

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%-3 $ #ONNECTABLE 3HAREDISPLAYS #ONNECTYOUR$YNONINSTRUMENTSTOGETHERWITHTHE$YNON3MART %-3 $ !VIONICS"US$3!" ANDSHAREDISPLAYPAGESSOTHATANYSCREEN CANBEDISPLAYEDONANYINSTRUMENTWHENEVERDESIRED #OMBINED %XPANDABLE ,IMITLESSPOSSIBILITIES %&)3%-3 $YNONS NEW EXPANSION MODULE CONCEPT PROVIDES A HIGHLY EFlCIENTANDCOSTEFFECTIVEWAYOFADDINGPOWERFULFUNCTIONALITY TOOURCURRENTLINEOFAVIONICS4HISmEXIBLEEXPANSIONCONCEPT FACILITATES THOSE SEEKING HIGH END CAPABILITY AND PERFORMANCE &LIGHT$%+ $ WHILEPRESERVINGTHELOWERBASICINSTRUMENTPRICE 7HATS.EW .EW%&)33YMBOLOGY &REE (EATED!/!0ITOT 0ILOTS CAN NOW CHOOSE BETWEEN $YNONS POPULAR #LASSIC %&)3 $YNONISPLEASEDTOANNOUNCETHEMUCH ANTICIPATEDHEATEDVERSION PRESENTATION OR OUR NEW -ODERN STYLE ANYTIME THEY GO mY 4HE OFITSPOPULAR!/!0ITOTDESIGN4HISALL NEWDESIGNINTELLIGENTLY -ODERNSTYLEINCORPORATESNEWAIRSPEEDANDALTITUDETAPES TREND MANAGES POWER TO REGULATE TEMPERATURE AND OUTPUTS A WARNING INDICATORS AGRAPHICAL63) WINDS PLUSA#$)ANDGLIDESLOPE SIGNALANYTIMETHESYSTEMISNOTACTIVATEDORFUNCTIONINGPROPERLY (3(3)%XPANSION-ODULE 4HISMODULEADDSTOTHE(3)DISPLAYBYPROVIDINGDEDICATEDCOURSE ANDHEADINGKNOBS !2).# ANDANALOGNAVIGATIONINTERFACES AND ADDITIONAL SERIAL PORTS )T ALSO GIVES THE PILOT SYSTEM WIDE SYNTHESIZEDVOICEALERTS AUTOMATICSCREENDIMMING ABAROMETER ADJUSTKNOB ANDMORE

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Trice-Brannon Holdings, LLC, introduces a TracerMarker hole fi nder and duplicator that will help alleviate the problem of misplaced holes. Drilling holes in sheet metal and getting them in the right location can be time consuming and inconsistent. Th is new tool eliminates the need for paper or clear plastic templates that can sometimes be the cause of errors, the company says. Th e TracerMarker allows for duplication of the desired hole pattern quickly and accurately. Place the adhesive-backed TrackerMarkers over the hole pattern to be cop- ied, press the material onto which the pattern is to be transferred over the TracerMarkers, and the location of the holes to be drilled is apparent when the material is lift ed. Tap the TracerMarkers with a hammer to indent the hole locations, and then remove them to expose the new hole centers to be drilled. Aircraft Spruce & Specialty has added A 100-pack of TracerMarkers is $19.95, and various sizes are avail- AvMaster relays to its inventory of air- able. For more information, call 214/762-9767 or visit www.tracer craft building and maintenance sup- marker.com. A direct link can be found at www.kitplanes.com. plies. Designed to protect radio gear, the self-contained AvMaster relay provides protection from voltage spikes in the air- If you’ve ever fl own into an airport craft ’s electrical system that may occur that didn’t have ground transpor- when fl aps, landing gear or an electrical tation when you needed it because fuel pump is activated. Eliminating the of diffi culties with walking, the need for a backup avionics master, four TravelScoot may be the ticket. parallel relay-controlled circuits allow Most electric mobility scooters are for individual fusing that separates each too heavy and bulky to fi t into small item in an avionics stack. airplanes, but the TravelScoot is diff erent. Made of aircraft -grade Available for 14- or 28-volt systems, aluminum, it stores away in 2.5 cubic feet of space, opens and folds the AvMaster relays sell for $89.95. For quickly without tools, weighs 49 pounds with battery (29 without) more information, call 877-4-SPRUCE and comes in a carrying bag. or visit www.aircraft spruce.com. A direct Th e price is $1195 (includes crating, shipping and handling). For link can be found at www. more information, call 800/342-1124, or visit www.travelscoot.com. kitplanes.com. A direct link can be found at www.kitplanes.com.

Miller Electric Mfg. Co. has introduced aff ordable auto-darken- ing welding helmets with its Pro-Hobby and the Performance lines. Th e Performance series replaces the Xli and Xlix helmet lines and is designed for professional and production welders who work extended periods every day. Th e Pro-Hobby is an entry-level line that caters to the quality- and budget-conscious welding enthusiast. In the Performance helmet, three arc sensors darken the lens between shade number 8 and 1 number 13 in /20,000 of a second. It also has an automatic auto on/auto off feature that activates the lens shade without having to manually turn the helmet on. In grind mode, the lens is prevented from darken- ing. Th e Pro-Hobby series off ers many of the same features, but at a more aff ordable price. Both lines introduce a magnifying lens holder and a fi xed number 3 shade lens for better visibility between welds. Th e Performance series prices range from $219-$239; the Pro-Hobby series runs from $149-$169 (with movable shade). For more information, call 800/4-A-MILLER or visit www.millerwelds.com/products/welding helmets. 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.

8 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS MEETS PERFORMANCE

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© 2007 Lycoming. Lycoming Engines is an operating division of AVCO Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. Here’s an inside look at the next big turboprop thing from Redmond. BY MARC COOK

irplane development is never a straight, narrow path. From the initial design concept—hopefully imbued with savvy market research and a fi rm understanding of the category—through early development, prototyping, Atesting, building the fi rst article, fl ight testing, production development and delivery there are many, many ways to go wrong, get distracted, fi nd insurmountable gotchas and even dilute the product suffi ciently that it no longer meets the original intent nor is viable in the chosen marketplace. Th at in mind, it’s no wonder we have comparatively few all-new designs year on year. Evolution, not revolution, is normally the name of the game. In an attempt to link it to Lancair’s other successes, it will be called the Evolution. If you squint hard enough, you can expand the V in the title to see it as a Lancair V. But, as we will see, it shares virtually nothing with the current kit aircraft besides a family name.

10 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com This CAD rendering of the cabin area The Evolution’s initial standard panel will Each wing carries just six main ribs shows the split mainspars overlapping use Garmin G900X integrated displays between massive carbon-fi ber spars. beneath the front and rear seats (not and an automated electrical-system The wing box is largely open from shown). The large purple panel is the manager (the small display between the maingear inward. aft pressure bulkhead. the two Garmins).

Looking Backward to See Forward ated relatively high stall speeds, which in to 90 gallons (110 optional) on the pis- It might not seem too obvious a turn forced high landing and maneuver- ton airplane. In order to salvage pay- question to ask: If Lancair currently ing speeds. In truth, the speeds weren’t load, max-gross increased to the current makes a pressurized, four-seat, turbo- completely out of line. Th e early IVs 3550. A well-equipped IV-P is barely a prop kit aircraft , why design and build had a maximum gross weight of 2900 four-place airplane. an entirely new one? What’s wrong pounds and carried a claimed 61-knot Move up to the turbine version, which with the Lancair PropJet, as the IV-P landing-confi guration stall speed. With currently uses a Walter 601E capable derivative is offi cially known? a Continental TSIO-550 rated at 350 of 700 shaft horsepower, and the fuel As ever, a bit of history helps. Th e horsepower, the IV could, according to requirement moves upward with it. A PropJet is indeed derived from the IV- Lancair, cruise at 24,000 feet doing just belly tank added to the wing and wing- P, which came from the original IV under 300 knots true. let tanks help boost the PropJet’s capac- of 1990. Th at airplane was designed Lancair continued to develop the air- ity to 145 gallons, which seems like a by Lancair before current owner Joe plane, adding features that boosted the lot until you consider that the Walter is Bartels took over, and was intended empty weight. From an early number gulping between 33 and 40 gallons per originally as a non-pressurized speed- of around 1800 pounds, the empty IVs hour in cruise, variable by altitude. Even ster; as such it had what at the time was soon ballooned to over 2000 pounds though the PropJet’s max-gross grew to considered scandalously little wing— empty with pressurization, air condi- 3800 pounds, it remains a four-place just 98 square feet of wing in a 30-foot tioning and more equipment. More fuel airplane largely in name only—very span. Even though the IV had decently came aboard, too. Th e fi rst airplane car- short hops excluded. PropJet owners large, eff ective fl aps, this small wing cre- ried 78 gallons total but eventually grew seem to have satisfi ed themselves with

Because it was designed for a turbine, the Evolution’s proportions are pleasing, and only a little bit long in the nose.

Illustrations: Courtesy the Manufacturer; Photos: Marc Cook KITPLANES September 2007 11 Lancair Evolution continued a two-place-and-baggage conveyance that’s notably though not massively faster than the piston-motivated IV-P; perhaps the 4000-fpm initial climb rate helps seal the deal. Clearly, and as Lancair principal Bar- tels and General Manager Tim Ong forthrightly point out, the Lancair IV platform has been taken much further than it was ever meant to and has the stretch marks to prove it. Moreover, because it was designed in the late 1980s Close-tolerance jigs are used for wing subassemblies and to locate a few critical index (and debuted in 1990), it fails to capital- points for the wing/fuselage mating to come later. ize on the many advances in composite design, construction and assembly that It is staggeringly detailed and, from the ing is a considerably more reasonable at have been developed since. If you were in outside, dead boring. Bartels showed me 29 pounds/square foot, less even than the big chair in Redmond it would seem an artist’s rendering of the Evolution at the original, lightweight Lancair IV. plainly evident that the time had come Sun ’n Fun 2006, and hoped at the time (Put in context: Epic claims an empty for a clean sheet, something to address to debut the airplane within a year. Th e weight for its LT about the same as the all the inherent shortcomings in having development cycle was pushed back to Evolution’s max-gross. An EADS/Soca- taken a 2900-pound, non-pressurized where the company hoped to have the ta TBM700 is about that size as well. A airplane and built it into a veritable fi re prototype at Oshkosh 2007, but then Piper Meridian is 834 pounds heavier breather with twice the horsepower and realized that too much was left to do at max-gross, and weighs around 3400 nearly half a ton more gross weight. and that further development of the air- pounds empty.) plane would be more valuable than sim- According to Bartels, “We’ve looked So Here It Is… ply making an appearance. Hopes were, at the market carefully and think there Bartels’ desire made metal—er, make in June, that the airplane would fl y not is a gap right where the Evolution fi ts. that carbon fi ber—is the airplane you see too long aft er AirVenture. When I bought the company four and a here in renderings, pieces and mockup, But there’s plenty to anticipate in the half years ago, we went to Lance Neibau- to be called the Evolution. As we went Evolution. Let’s start with the basics. er’s house and saw what he envisioned a to press in mid June, the fi rst airframe It is a large four-place design that’s a six-place plane.” It was a large turbo- had yet to be assembled, though many of substantial step up in size from the IV-P/ prop, about the same size as the Epic LT the parts were in place to do so, includ- PropJet. Th e fuselage is 4 feet longer, and and even had some visual similarities to ing the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135 the wingspan is a whopping 7 feet great- it. “But,” Bartels continues, “we had dis- turboprop powerplant. Representative er. Th ere’s some 148 square feet of wing cussed prior to the purchase that what parts had been put through structural now, so that even at the planned 4300- Lancair really needed was a larger four- testing, and the focus of the engineering pound max-gross weight, the wing load- place. Insurance companies and the process had shift ed from initial design to production readiness, working a team of four full-time engineers (housed at the Redmond HQ but separate from the rest of the kit-building contingent in an open-fl oor-plan loft enlivened by an actual mace hung on the wall) long, hard hours to get the details right. Th at there was no actual airplane to sit in or fl y on my visit would be startling only to those who have not seen the development process at close range.

The Evolution mockup shown here is just a few weeks before being painted and fi tted for a trip to Oshkosh.

12 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com FAA were, we thought, going to frown on a big airplane. We wanted to stay under the radar and make our own product.” Read that as a careful tightrope walk between what is deemed acceptable as an Experimental/Amateur-Built and the reality of Regular Joes building a 300-plus-knot pressurized turboprop. Bartels was part of a working group to help refi ne and/or defend—depending upon your point of view—the current “51% rule” and, we think, could clearly see the impossibility of bringing an airplane to market that couldn’t reasonably be constructed by amateurs. As with the IV-P/PropJet, the Evolu- tion is built mainly of carbon-fi ber composites but the molds are all new, and subassemblies will be built on close-tolerance jigs that help determine critical dimensions before the builder ever gets near the kit. In general, the Evolution kit—aff ectionately known as Elvis by the engineers—has been designed to be dramatically easier to build and to better integrate into the company’s planned builder-assist program. Th at assist program will start in Red- mond, but it’s envisioned that a group of regional centers will help expand it. Bartels is candid in his expectation that many Evolutions will start with factory support and be completed in outside assistance centers. But it’s also expected that the kit will be made available in the traditional sense: Buy it, ship it home and start work. Incidentally, Lancair has taken the smart step in not releasing build-time estimates until the fi rst airplane is done, but Ong predicts that it will be substantially less than a PropJet. For the fi rst airplane, the avionics suite will be Garmin’s G900X integrated system. Bartels says it is the company’s goal to have all avionics installations done through its subsidiary, Lancair Avionics. A two-screen Chelton system is being considered and might be off ered as the program matures. Power from Canada, Eh? One of the big surprises on the Evolu- tion is the presence of a Pratt & Whit- ney PT6A engine on the nose. “We worked extremely hard to convince

KITPLANES September 2007 13 Lancair Evolution continued

Pratt to sell us engines,” Bartels said. “Nothing moves fast for them, but it was worth the eff ort.” By having a line to new engines and some factory support in the form of know-how, Lancair can off er a brand new powerplant as an option. Th e variant is the PT6A-135A, an engine also used on the Beech King Air C90, rated at 750 shaft horsepower; it will be limited to 550 for takeoff in the Evolution, which will increase altitude horsepower over versions rated only for 550. (Turbines are normally aspirated powerplants with two primary limitations, torque and temperature. Either one might be the limiting factor, depending upon altitude. Gener- ally torque is the main limit at or near sea level, and while power falls off at altitude, the temperature range of the engine become the limit-setter.) Not much else needs to be said of the PT6A beyond pointing out that it’s one of the most popular and highly regarded turboshaft engines made and has a large, experienced service network supporting it. Oh, but the rub is cost. A new 135A is expected to cost around $400,000, to which you might want to add the cost of the Evolution kit ($250,000) as well as avionics (fi gure a low of $80,000), paint and interior. Fortunately, there are used options out there. According This carbon-fi ber partial fuselage was used to check wing structural loads. An early to GM Tim Ong, “A builder could opt failure below the design point necessitated a change in one spar’s detailing and an for a PT6A-21 or -34. Th ese engines are increase in spar-cap thickness. This is why you test... out there for a lot less money than the -135A.” Still, you’re looking at $200,000- of the forces in a gear drop test. “We’re Th at option will include buried cables in plus for an overhauled -21 (550 hp max) designing this airplane to [FAR] Part the skin leading back to a module behind or -34 (750 max, like the 135A). 23 standards,” says Ong. “We aren’t the baggage bay that holds the ’chute and planning to certify it, but we will do all its deployment package. As we spoke Airframe Details the work necessary to see that it could with Bartels and Ong, working through Generally speaking, the airframe is con- be. Th at means a 61-knot stall, proper the details of the ’chute were clearly sec- ventional, with the main lift ing and handling qualities, the whole thing. ondary to getting the fi rst article fl ying, stabilizing surfaces considerably larger In fact, we reworked the landing gear so expect to hear more about that part of than the IV-P’s. Th e landing gear no slightly to give us a good margin on the the program in a later report. longer retracts into the belly. “Th is was a drop test,” Ong told me at a meeting Back to the systems. Th e gear will nightmare to install,” says Bartels, who early this year. be electro-hydraulic, as it is in the IV- should know as he owns a IV-P him- Bartels continues the discussion. “Th e P, with the maingear swinging inward; self. By moving the gear to the wings, it Evolution will have certifi able handling there are no inner gear doors, just panels opened the belly and allowed the use of qualities. We’re going to do the full load on the gear struts to seal the cavity with a trailing-link gear, which has the ben- of tests, including spin tests. We’ll have the gear retracted. Th e nosegear will be efi ts of making most decent landings an optional parachute, but I want this steered by an independent, unpowered seem excellent and by cushioning some airplane to pass the spin tests anyway.” hydraulic system.

14 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Wing tanks can be much larger than The display mockup is built from standard in the IV because of the larger wing, fi berglass from production molds to save which is a custom airfoil for Lancair; costs; the real item is carbon fi ber. planned standard fuel is 140 gallons, with 170 available as an option. Th ose fi ed. But the potential is clearly there. tanks, which are sealed bays inside the Lancair is aiming for 335 knots TAS at wing, are separated by just six ribs per 25,000 feet on 39 gph. Economy cruise wing, spanning to massive carbon-fi ber is expected to yield 306 KTAS on 30 gph spars. Control methodology would be for an 1100-n.m. range with a 45-minute generally familiar to a IV-P builder, reserve. Maximum operating altitude is with side sticks operating pushrods and listed as 35,000 feet, but Reduced Vertical torque tubes for pitch and roll. One Separation Minima (RVSM) certifi ca- big diff erence is that the pitch control tion is required to fl y above 28,000 feet Look at the CAD drawings, talk to descends down the side of the fuselage (FL280) and it’s not currently in the the engineers, touch some of the early to minimize its impingement on the budget to seek that approval. Initial rate components, and it’s clear that Lancair cabin, and runs under the fl oor of the of climb is listed as 4000 fpm, which is has, in some perverse way, benefi ted from baggage bay. To reduce control-force the same as the PropJet, with the extra having to live with an airplane taken way buildup when pressurized, the controls weight of the Evolution largely off set beyond its original mission. Th e Evolu- all penetrate the pressure vessel through by the greater wing area. Th e cabin will tion uses the PropJet as a mere starting bell cranks that are sealed at the pivot; carry a 6-psi diff erential, giving an 8000- point, its performance targets loft ier, its there is no need to wrap a boot around foot cabin at 28,000 feet; the current IV- engineers tremendously more informed, a tube to seal the bulkhead. Th e rudder P’s diff erential is 5 psi. Initial versions every new technology like CAD-to-buck remains cable activated. of the door and the baggage door dis- moldmaking in use. Lancair’s Joe Bar- close large, robust structures that were tels and Tim Ong—like many on staff — Performance and Comfort Are the Goals designed from the outset for this greater have the look of men working too many Obviously, until the Evolution is fl ying, diff erential and will, in fact, be tested hours for too long. Th ey, like the rest of claimed performance has to go unveri- along with the fuselage to 12 psi. us, can’t wait to see it fl ying.

KITPLANES September 2007 15 Here’s a Piper Cub-alike that you can build. BY BOB GRIMSTEAD

16 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Well, not really. But the Sport Trainer/ Super Sport looks and acts so much like a Cub that the famous bear’s presence isn’t too much of a stretch.

ecent interest in Light Sport Aircraft has, in part, shone a light on the venerable Piper Cub. Unfortunately Rfor the tailwheel purists among us, Piper discontinued the Super Cub in 1994. However, 20 years earlier, aircraft spares dealer Richard Wagner of Wisconsin had already sensed there might be a market for a homebuilt version, so he drew up plans for a Cub look-alike. Initially marketed as the Wag-Aero CUBy, this later became the Sport Trainer, using engines of up to 125 horsepower. Wag-Aero’s CUBy took advantage of elapsed time to mix the Felton always loved the Cub con- of spare-time working to build, though best of Cub features old and new with cept of great short-fi eld performance he admits trying to squeeze in a full 40 modern materials, and to increase with peerless downward visibility. Aft er hours per week on the project. Experi- both maximum weight and payload. building and operating an Evans VP-2, enced draft sman Bill Blake drew up the A semi-aerobatic, clipped-wing ver- he became disenchanted with under- plans, and Felton says they were straight- sion, the Acro Trainer, is also available, powered airplanes, so he started build- forward to follow. Indeed, he says the incorporating several modifi cations for ing a Cub-like Bakeng Deuce parasol airplane was “very easy to build,” insist- increased strength and improved lon- monoplane. For this he bought a low- ing the process was a true pleasure, gevity in its aerobatic role. hours 150-hp Lycoming O-320-E2D partly thanks to the variety of materials from a Cessna 172 that had been blown (wood, steel, aluminum, fi berglass and Felton’s Choice over in a gale and written off . Unfortu- fabric), so repeated operations in a sin- My buddy Rob Felton chose the high- nately, he found the plans hard to inter- gle medium never bored him. est-power version of all, the Super Sport, pret and lacking suffi cient detail, so he which uses engines up to 150 hp, and is quit working on it. Wood Is the Root of It All distinguished by its enclosed cowlings. Th en he saw an early advertisement Traditional plank spruce wingspars Developed from the lighter, earlier mod- for the Wag-Aero CUBy plans. Th ere carry glued together, built-up wood ribs els, this is essentially a lightweight Super would be no more compromises—now with thin alloy sheet leading edges to Cub with wood wings and no fl aps. Th e he could make a proper Cub of his own! form the traditional 12%-thick USA CUBy later spawned as further deriva- Better still, a high-powered version (this 35B airfoil. Th e whole is internally tube- tives the side-by-side Cub Vagabond Super Sport) was an option in which and-wire braced, covered with modern facsimile, the Wag-A-Bond, and a Piper he could use his Lycoming. Losing no Dacron fabric, and is supported by dual Family Cruiser copy, the 2+2 Sports- time in ordering the plans and mate- streamlined struts. (Today, pre-drilled man. Wag-Aero has sold more than rials, Felton started building in 1982. aluminum spars, stamped-out alumi- 4000 kits and sets of plans to date. Th e airplane took him just 18 months num ribs and aluminum tubing wingtip

Photos: Bob Grimstead KITPLANES September 2007 17 Wag-Aero Super Sport continued bows are options.) Unlike the original Super Cub, the Sport Trainer/Super Sport has no fl aps, but in compensation it is a whopping 300 pounds lighter, so its takeoff performance is at least as good, and its climb angle even greater. Modern, tougher 4130 chrome-moly steel tubing replaces the original Cub’s 1025 mild steel for the fuselage, fi ttings and tail surfaces, again fabric covered. A pre-welded fuselage has always been a CUBy option, but it was costly, and freight charges were prohibitive, so Fel- ton’s fuselage arrived as a bundle of steel Be Up Front left sidewall. Th e rudder pedals might tubing, which he tacked together for Like the Super Cub (and unlike the ear- seem a little close at fi rst, but adding a local approved welder Clyde Carstairs lier J-3 and L-4 liaison variant) the Super 3-inch seat-bottom cushion helped both to fi nish. Sport’s pilot sits in front, where he has forward visibility and leg reach. something of a view ahead, but believe Looking down, I noticed a pair of One major change from the original me, there is no elegant way of getting smaller fi xed pedals behind the rudders Super Cub, whose metal spars terminate into that seat. Place your right foot on on the fl oor. While they certainly help at the fuselage sides, were wood spars the step behind the bottom of the struts, achieve retardation, and are cheaper meeting overhead in the center fuselage, grasp a windshield brace with your right and easier to install than the type hav- in the style of the earlier, lower-power hand, steady yourself on the forward ing master cylinders incorporated in Cubs. From this junction, four reinforc- seatback with your left hand, bring in the rudder pedals, heel brakes are not ing tubes radiate downward to support a bent left leg, fold it tighter with your my favorite supplementary means of the Super Sport’s heavier engine. Th ese left hand, lean forward (or backward), steering. Apart from that, everything occupy the space originally for the fuel wedge that leg between seat and side- is pretty well where it is in a Super Cub, tank, so this model has dual 13-gallon wall, catch your toe in a rudder cable, with basic fl ight and engine instruments tanks in its inner wings. lose your footing, fall face forward onto (including a venturi-driven turn-and- Inside, Felton has incorporated inge- the control column... Take heart. Get- bank) arrayed across the panel, master nious stowage. Aft er undoing a single ting in is easier than getting out. and magneto switches, intercom, amme- Dzus fastener, the hinged aluminum Th anks to that cluster of overhead ter and fuses up in the left wingroot, sheet parcel shelf can be lift ed to reveal a spar and tube ends, the front-seater has trim lever, carburetor heat and simple rectangular compartment exactly suited to sit surprisingly low, giving less for- on/off fuel selector on the left side- to holding an “Esky”—that Styrofoam ward visibility than the original. Squint- wall. Th e mixture knob is at the main portable food (or, much more impor- ing through and around those vertical panel’s left extremity, with the radio on tantly, beer) carrier so beloved by Aus- tubes further reduces vision, but you the right. tralians. Above and behind this, another get used to it, and aft er awhile you just Starting is dead simple, despite the panel folds down to reveal Felton’s capa- accept things the way they are. Th e stick lack of a parking brake, and there are no cious fi shing rod stowage, occupying the is where you would expect it, though the checks to complete before moving off . entire rear fuselage! throttle is perhaps a little high on the Taxiing is a little more taxing but never diffi cult, providing you sit as high as possible. As we picked up a little speed, I enjoyed re-acquainting myself with the pleasant, jaunty, bouncing gait of a Cub with new bungees. OK, so you have to weave to ensure the way ahead is clear, but to make this easier you do have the classic Cub up-and-down-opening fuselage side, through which, with a bit of a lean to the right, you can see nearly everything ahead. Another advantage of this horizontally

18 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Under the fully enclosed cowling can live engines as robust as the Lycoming O-320 of 150 horsepower.

High wing=no view? Ha. A clear skylight creates a panorama. split door is that you can fl y all day with Once we set 2350 rpm, the airspeed it open—a great way to keep cool if, like gradually rose to 85 knots (90 knots us, you are fl ying on a sweltering, 100° TAS), at which Felton assured me fuel day. Th e lower half hangs fl at against the consumption averages 7.5 gph, giving Builder Felton’s personal modifi cation fuselage side, while the upper portion him 3 hours safe endurance for a 270- is this compartment intended to fi t an fl oats up to fl y horizontal, parallel with n.m. range. “Esky” cooler. the wing’s under-surface. A little coordinating rudder is needed for rolling into and out of turns, but a Piper option) sounded at 37 knots Let’s Go… anticipating this, I initially found myself indicated, coincident with light buff et. Th e Cub being one of the world’s sim- overdoing my rudder inputs. Th e Super With a massive pull and full aft stick it plest fl ying machines, few checks are Sport’s rudder is remarkably eff ective, was just possible to make the nose nod at required prior to lining up for takeoff . and you need only a dab for even the 34 knots in gentle sink, although there Opening the throttle produced impres- highest roll rates achievable. Th e aile- was never a proper pitch down. With sive acceleration with remarkably little rons are perhaps a trifl e heavy and not 2000 rpm, the warning horn came at 31 vibration despite that big four-banger quite as eff ective as a modern airplane’s, knots, and the airspeed got right back to out ahead, and presumably at least partly but they’re still better than on many 28 knots. Th e right wing tried hard to thanks to the wood Hoff man prop. We other aircraft , including my Aeronca drop, but still without a proper G break. were airborne at 45 knots indicated in Champ. With stall speeds this low, why would a little over a couple of hundred yards, Any high wing intrudes a little into you want fl aps, anyway? and soon soaring upward at 60 knots turns, but thanks to this Super Sport’s Giving up on the nearly impossible at a most un-Cub-like 1000 fpm in the completely transparent roof, an inward task of getting this Cub to stall, I con- extreme heat, despite being at maximum view opens up once the bank has centrated on the magnifi cent panoramic weight. Felton assured me this was not increased to more than 45°. At that angle view as we fl oated back to Felton’s base unusual, and rates of over 1500 fpm are and about 60 knots the airplane revolves in Western Australia. Nearing home, easily achievable solo at best-rate climb on a dime, making it a great observation it was time to descend into the pat- speed of 55 knots, thanks to the Super aircraft . tern’s bumpier, sun-baked air. Th e Super Sport’s big wing and super-light 690- Sport’s best glide speed is 55 knots, but pound empty weight. Slow Flight’s a Dream partly to fi t in with other traffi c, Fel- Heading for the coast and 3000 feet Docile slow fl ight was always the Cub ton suggested entering the pattern at msl for these photographs, we throttled family’s forte, and this later version is 70, decreasing power for late downwind back a little to 2450 rpm and increased no exception. Although we were at the and base leg at 60 knots, and 55 on fi nal, speed to a still enthusiastic 70-knot 1400-pound maximum weight and at which, two-up, the airplane was nicely cruise climb. Cubs are almost instinc- with an aft c.g., I just couldn’t get it in trim with the tab lever fully back. As tive to fl y, and this one was no exception to stall properly. Th e electric warning Felton says, “If it feels right, it is right.” being, like them all, stable in all axes. horn (a useful addition that was never Th is lightweight Super Sport glides

KITPLANES September 2007 19 Wag-Aero Super Sport continued incredibly well, so I found myself slip- ping on several approaches. Fortunately, any Cub has enough rudder and aileron authority to make a superb, plum- meting slip, so glideslope control is never diffi cult, despite the lack of fl aps. At 55 knots the view ahead is OK, but much slower, and with the low seating position most forward visibility disappears. I tried one three-pointer, but lacking fl aps, we fl oated so far during the holdoff , and the forward view was so poor in the touchdown attitude, that I reverted to Felton’s suggested wheel landings. Indeed, throughout the roll- out this little airplane wanted to keep fl ying, skipping and fl oating back into the air despite being at barely more than a walking pace. Wheel landings worked better. I could see where we were going, and even 1 with a trickle of power the touchdown speed was remarkably slow. Once I had established where the ground was, it was 1. A simple, straightforward panel makes the Super Sport true to the Cub legend. The J-3’s fuselage fuel tank, which hov- ers above the front occupant’s feet, is WAG A ERO replaced by twin wing tanks. 2. Aside SUPER SPORT from the prominent elevator trimtab, this could really be the back end of a Cub. 3. The Super Sport/Sport Trainer line uses Kit price...... $16,000 Plans price ...... $125 concealed bungee shock cords to cushion Estimated completed cost ...... $30,000 - $48,000 the main landing gear. 4. Chrome-moly Estimated build time...... 2000 hours tubing is used instead of the Cub’s mild- Number fl ying (at press time) ...... 200 (all Sport Trainer/SS) steel structure. 5. Cub afi cionados will Powerplant ...... Lycoming O-320, 150 hp @ 2700 rpm notice something odd here at the leading Propeller ...... Hoff man fi xed-pitch edge of the horizontal stab: In place of Powerplant options....85 - 150 hp, Lycoming and Continental the Piper’s adjustable-incidence stab is an AIRFRAME elevator trimtab in the Wag-Aero designs. Wingspan ...... 35 ft 3 in Wing loading ...... 7.84 lb/sq. ft Fuel capacity...... 27 gal Maximum gross weight ...... 1400 lb Typical empty weight ...... 690 lb Typical useful load...... 710 lb Full-fuel payload ...... 552 lb 2 Seating capacity ...... 2 Cabin width ...... 24 in PERFORMANCE 4 Cruise speed ...... 104 mph (90 kt) TAS 7000 ft @ 75% of max-continuous, 8.1 gph Maximum rate of climb ...... 1160 fpm Stall speed ...... 39 mph (34 kt) IAS Takeoff distance ...... 400 ft Landing distance ...... 450 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

20 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Felton’s Current Follies Nowadays, Rob Felton spends most of his time renovating airplanes for other people, and his workmanship has become a byword for excellence in Western Australia’s small aviation community. But he is still justifi ably proud of the second airplane he built with his own hands, and in which he is now able to introduce his own sons to the plea- sures of aviation. For those who always aspired to a Cub, but want a brand new one, or cannot aff ord the infl ated prices genuine vintage examples now fetch, a Wag- Aero Sport Trainer off ers one option. If you want to better a genuine Super Cub’s takeoff and climb performance Exposed control runs are typical Cub. Split door/window can be left open in fl ight. The next best thing to a Breezy? without fi tting a 180-hp engine, then the Super Sport may be just the airplane for you. easy to pop the control column forward Even with my unskilled handling we and pin us onto the turf runway. Easing rolled to a halt in little more than 300 For more information on the CUBy the stick further forward maintained yards, and Felton has repeatedly demon- Super Sport, call Th e Wag-Aero Group at good visibility as our speed gently sub- strated that 300-foot, full-stop landings 262/763-9586, or visit the web at www. sided, and then pulling it back as the tail are eminently feasible with practice. wagaero.com. A direct link can be found became heavy allowed a gentle braking. Who needs fl aps? at www.kitplanes.com.

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ou labored long and hard before letting another owner make ing the target of a liability lawsuit are, building your perfect plane. them a target “for some greedy ambu- we’re told, nearly nonexistent. You fl ew it, enjoyed it, and lance-chasing attorney.” Even with this history of safe fl ight Yalong the way demonstrated Of course, in most cases the pilot behind you, however, there are other the safety of your beloved doesn’t have—never had—an aircraft in steps you should take to help shield your- aircraft . Now, though, it’s time to let go of play that he’d built himself; in the one self from the possibility of such a law- the beloved, for whatever reason. Some- case where the speaker actually had built suit—steps that can aid in your defense one new will own and fl y it—maybe other an airplane, he had no thoughts of ever should even this unlikely event occur. owners and pilots will follow. None who selling it. It’d be his kids’ problem some- follow will ever feel the way you do about day, he joked. While wildly exaggerating Protection Starts in the Shop this aircraft , and none will ever match the issue, talk like this does refl ect a Builders of Experimental aircraft typi- the investment in blood, sweat and tears popular view of lawyers and lawsuits cally go to great lengths to assure the you put into the plane. But you’ve heard and courts—a view tinted by a touch of integrity of their projects with great hangar-fl ying talk about the risk of being paranoia. attention to elements that may serve to sued out of house, home and other worldly Well, step back, take a deep breath, protect themselves and any occupants possessions should some subsequent pilot exhale, and relax. According to a num- in the event of an accident. But some of crash in the plane you built. ber of attorneys, such suits against those same diligent builders may over- builders are exceedingly rare—and vir- look the need for protection when they Should You Sell It? tually never successful. Assuming you sell their beloved homebuilts. Th at lack So you’re unsure of the wisdom—the built wisely, followed directions where of protection could make the seller the safety, if you will—of selling the aircraft available, employed accepted methods target of legal action. that bears your name as the “manufac- and practices otherwise, and sold an As noted, suits fi led against builders turer.” In hangar-fl ying sessions in my airplane that demonstrated its airwor- are not common—the number ever past, some pilots went so far as to sug- thiness throughout your time of safe, fi led, one lawyer said, is “miniscule.” gest they would destroy their creations smart fl ying, the chances of you becom- Further, it appears that no successful

22 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com actions have ever been taken against a site, computer program—or even this during the period of ownership. Th at’s builder, something that’s bound to be article. A lawyer licensed in your state is one option for erecting a little protec- disappointing to potential plaintiff s. your best bet for craft ing adequate pro- tion against a lawsuit. But in winning, a defendant builder tection from a liability suit related to a can face bills totaling tens of thousands plane you built and sold. Warranties and Promises: of dollars even if the win comes without The Stuff of Lawsuits a trial through a dismissal or directed Torts 101—An Open-Door Concept Disappointed customers turned law- verdict. On the fi rst day of Torts in law school, suit plaintiff s oft en cite a “breach of So following accepted and proven my lawyer friends like to say, comes les- warranty” when suing a seller of goods building practices, documenting your son number one: Anyone can sue any- or services. Under general tort theory, care and skill, and then taking some body for anything at anytime. Th is there are three bases for lawsuits, attor- simple steps to protect yourself could be doesn’t mean the plaintiff wins any- neys explain: strict liability, warranty or worth thousands downstream. Unfor- thing—some of those “anything” suits negligence, and there can be diff erent tunately, not even these steps—in fact, never get past the preliminary hearing. shadings of those. no steps—can keep someone from Others die shortly aft er, victims of legal Under strict liability, sale of a defec- fi ling a lawsuit if a lawyer is willing to maladies ranging from a lack of assets to tive product that is unreasonably dan- take the case. Unless the plaintiff ’s recover from the defendant to insuf- gerous to the user could get you sued. lawyer strongly believes the case is a fi cient evidence or merit. In general, though, individuals are not winner, however, the plaintiff may Nonetheless, too oft en suits get fi led legal targets for claims under strict lia- spend thousands to support the law- despite the unlikelihood of prevailing, bility, because strict liability applies yer’s eff orts. If the lawyer believes in and along the way the defendant oft en to businesses making or selling goods the case’s potential, taking the case on a winds up paying just to later see the suit directly to users. contingency basis is possible. tossed. Th is situation is but one reason Under warranties, there are three dis- to take steps to insulate yourself. tinct types: implied warranty of fi tness The Legal Contingency Th e builders of Experimental aircraft , for a purpose, implied warranty of mer- You’ve undoubtedly seen the televi- one legal group noted recently, are a chantability and express warranty; the sion ads touting legal help “at no cost to potentially fertile fi eld for liability suits. seller, by off ering an item for sale, also you unless we win.” Well, that’s a con- Th at means a segment of attorneys, guarantees the suitability and safety of tingency case and they are not at all scouting for new territory in which to the product, generally in writing. uncommon in cases where a big insur- sue, believe the explosion in registered For our purposes, the implied war- ance policy or big assets combine with a Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft ranty is the one most likely to draw legal strong case to entice the lawyer to pro- will eventually lead to an increase in action. Under the theory of implied ceed without a guarantee of payment. lawsuit prospects they can pursue. warranty, the buyer depends on the Even then, the plaintiff may be on the Th ese lawyers cite as foundations seller for a judgment that the product hook for incidentals such as copying for their belief that some kit compa- will provide the service sought. Avoid- fees, fi ling fees and other costs. nies seem to have assets worth pursuing the implied warranty claim is the But it’s unusual for a pilot selling a ing. Th ey also believe some builders will reason you see contracts with wording homebuilt to be attractive to a lawyer, have assets worth pursuing, such as sav- such as “sold with no warranties, express because the pilot lacks the fi nancial ings accounts, mutual fund or stock or implied,” or “sold as-is” or “with these assets that make contingency cases holdings, or a liability insurance policy. faults accepted by the buyer,” and “buyer attractive. So following some steps can A builder with assets—say a large net assumes all risk.” help close the door on the suit’s progress worth or other assets—may be a more Th e possession of such a liability and possibly give your lawyer ammu- attractive target for a plaintiff ’s attor- waiver signed by the buyer can’t guar- nition to get the suit dismissed in your ney, but even someone with little more antee that you won’t get sued by a dis- favor. Unfortunately, even that simple than a home could theoretically be a appointed buyer or surviving family defense can cost, but the expense will be target. members of a person injured or killed. lower than a full-court defense or losing At least one aviation insurance com- But it can aid in the defense and, possi- a lawsuit. pany, Avemco, off ers a policy that bly, result in a dismissal—unless, that is, We’ll examine the basics you can extends so-called third-party liability the plaintiff can document some sort of employ to protect yourself and why you protection to the builder of an aircraft negligence on your part. need to do so. Because liability laws aft er it has been sold. Th e terms and Unlike the liability an aircraft com- vary from state to state, be sure you con- length of coverage vary according to how pany can face from a claim of negli- sult with an attorney on the use of any long the original builder kept the air- gence—that is, the company failed to generic forms you might get from a pilot plane before selling it. Th e builder also take all possible steps to protect the group, kit company, a self-help Internet has to have been insured with Avemco buyer from harm from the product—

Illustration: Steve Karp KITPLANES September 2007 23 Liability continued ing the needs of several other owners ics, electrical components, instruments, before it got into the hands of the cur- gauges, engine and prop. Th e 18-year individual builders are required only rent owner. limit essentially relieves the original to show they used reasonable care when One bit of investigative material you manufacturer of liability aft er the time building the airplane. Documentation cannot count on, however, is the fi nd- has passed. for the FAA and logs showing that you ing of an investigation by the National Replace or rebuild any item, and the followed the kit maker’s instructions Transportation Safety Board. By law, clock resets to zero for that component. can help you fi ght a negligence claim— the NTSB’s deliberations and reports So the manufacturer of a 40-year-old if not a suit itself. cannot be used as evidence by plain- airplane would be immune from lia- tiff s or defendants in a lawsuit. Th e rea- bility, but not the company that over- Dealing with Implied Warranty son for this exclusion is that Congress hauled the engine last year—nor the If you’ve ever taken a demo ride in a fac- wanted to ensure as much as possible engine company that provided a replace- tory or show plane during some special the accuracy of information used in the ment engine installed within the past 18 fl ying event or demo day at your home NTSB investigation. If witnesses, pilots, years. fi eld, you likely signed a waiver, or liabil- and engine and airframe makers had to Unfortunately for the Experimental- ity release, that essentially says you won’t worry that their information could be aircraft crowd, the language of the law blame the pilot or the aircraft owner if used against them in court, they would starts the 18-year clock running upon something goes wrong, and that you well be less willing to participate in delivery to a customer by the original know and accept the risks you face dur- crash inquiries. manufacturer. Because builders, not kit ing the fl ight. You may have signed a sim- Another area of possible defense is, makers, are the manufacturers, the the- ilar document when buying your kit or a as yet, untested for homebuilt aircraft : ory goes, the clock doesn’t start running factory-built airplane, one that waives the so-called statute of repose created until the original builder sells the plane any liability on the part of the seller. In for aircraft by federal law, the General to another party. some states, this liability release may say Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994. Th at theory could change as a result of you agree not to sue or that you’ll accept Under the theory of the clause, the safe an original builder successfully using the binding arbitration in the event of a dis- use of an airplane for 18 years is consid- 18-year statute of repose as a defense in puted accident. ered irrefutable documentation that a a liability lawsuit. So, the attorneys say, a Despite the generally plain language, design and its installed equipment are properly craft ed liability release remains these waivers and liability releases are safe. Items included under the statute a builder’s best protection against a lia- not necessarily a guarantee you won’t of repose include the airframe, avion- bility suit. get sued, but they can be used in your defense, showing that the plaintiff both knew the risks and accepted them. Th e best thing you can do to protect yourself as the “manufacturer” of the airplane is Liability Release Samples to follow the building instructions, document your reasonable care and require To help get you started on the path to self-protection, we’ve included a couple of generic the buyer to sign a sales contract that sales contracts that include a generic liability waiver. The resources links that fol- includes such a release of liability. low include sample sales agreements for an Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft with a liability release included; the fi rst comes courtesy of the folks here at KITPLANES® Other Evidence for the Defense magazine. Th e fact that an airplane you built has We’ve also included a link to a similar document from our friends at the Experimental fl own successfully and safely for years Aircraft Association. In both cases, these documents should be considered only starting before you sold it can be evidence of the points from which your own lawyer can fi ne-tune the language to fi t the laws of your aircraft ’s suitability for its purpose long state. In no case should these or any other sample forms be used as-is without consult- aft er the sale. Ditto for subsequent years ing an attorney licensed to practice in your state. of condition inspections conducted aft er Further, using any information or sample documents in this article implies no war- the sale for subsequent owners. Aft er all, ranty or guarantee on our part, either by the author or the publisher of this magazine. the longer the plane worked without an We just had to say that; hope you understand. incident, the more it points toward the Find a sample sales contract at the KITPLANES® web site: aircraft ’s fi tness for fl ight. www.kitplanes.com/magazine/pdfs/sellingacdocs.pdf If the aircraft changes hands several A similar document is available to EAA members through the association’s web site: times before a pilot prangs it and sues, http://members.eaa.org/home/homebuilders/selling/waiver.html? you have further evidence that the air- —D.H. plane you built was suitable for fulfi ll-

24 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Off in all directions at the same time. BY RICK LINDSTROM

ulti-tasking is a fairly we’ve succumbed to the belief that peo- Almost an airplane. All that’s left is to new concept to the ple should be multi-tasking as well, troubleshoot and correct all the systems world, most likely born just like our computers. When applied that aren’t working properly. Good thing we have the indications from the test- when the fi rst com- to an aircraft construction project (such M stand run to use as a baseline. puter geeks fi gured as the subject of this series), the eff ects out how to have more than one task win- of personal multi-tasking have both dow open and running at the same time. positive and negative implications, all the hangar. Or maybe I just needed a Until then, we mostly expected to under- liberally seasoned with a full range of bit more sleep between build sessions to take one chore to completion, and then joy and angst. keep all those plates successfully spin- move on to the next item. Indeed, life Even with a capable team on hand ning on their poles. was simpler before the fi rst computer providing the lion’s share of the exper- Graphical User Interface (GUI) window, tise, a staggering number of details and Go, Team! oft en pronounced “gooey.” minor tasks remained for the multi- Th e upside of working in a team envi- Somewhere along the way, I think tasking builder to perform, all need- ronment is the concurrent and rapid ing timely resolution to prevent any progress of the project on several diff er- single item from stopping the project ent levels, and the ability to easily “dry cold. At certain times, I could swear I fi t” various systems before sections are heard the voice of Mr. Spock from the closed. Th e downside, for me anyway, original Star Trek series muttering the was having a brain stuff ed to overfl ow- single word “fascinating” while observ- ing with diff erent tracking considering my occasionally gooey progress in ations and action items, some crucial.

All new pistons, rings, connecting rods, bearings and even fasteners ensure that these remanufactured Corvair aviation motors are as close to new as possible.

Photos: Rick Lindstrom KITPLANES September 2007 25 Zodiac, Part 4 continued

All reworked heads are not only stress- relieved and trued, they receive an all new valve train and stainless-steel valve seats to handle the rigors of 100-octane fuel and continual high-power output.

Th row in the goal of having the air- This is one of the special tools developed by William Wynne and crew to ensure that plane completed and test-fl own before the case halves, along with the rest of the motor’s components, will start aviation life in the attendees to last November’s Cor- proper alignment. vair College showed up, and life around the hangar became very interesting in airplane to some, but as it turned out, “Taking a plumb bob up to the top the fall of 2006. I wouldn’t have missed there really is no substitute for the accu- of the rudder, you could see it was out a single minute of it. mulated experience of others when the quite a bit,” Warren said. “Aft er taking As a plane-building novice, I quickly unexpected rears its ugly head to a fi rst- measurements at diff erent points along became aware of my dependence upon time builder. the length of the fuselage and seeing to the expertise of the rest of the team. As make sure they were all plumb and level, you may recall, I fi rst chose to fl y behind Does This Look Right to You? I found that the end of the fuselage had one of William Wynne’s (Th e Corvair Another consideration was that we were a slight twist to it.” A-ha! Eureka! Authority) highly modifi ed Corvair working with the fi rst quickbuild fuse- Th at twist was enough to displace automotive conversions, and then pur- lage to be produced by Zenith Aircraft , the top of the rudder by almost a full chased a well-proven Zodiac 601 XL so there was a bit more scrutiny of work inch, and aft er contacting Zenith, War- quickbuild kit to put behind the engine. that had been done by the factory. Sure ren found out what the probable cause Th e engine itself would be assembled by enough, Warren found that the verti- might be. It was likely that the fuse- FlyCorvair.Com’s Kevin Fahy, and the cal stabilizer/rudder had a decided tilt lage had been jostled during the factory airframe construction and initial test- to one side when it was fi rst bolted into construction process, and had shift ed fl ying would be led by A&P John “Gus” place. Armed with a measuring tape, a slightly during the installation of a cou- Warren. Th is might seem like taking laser level and a plumb bob, he set out to ple of rudder mounting components. the easy way out of building your own fi nd the cause. Aft er taking some digital photos of the problem and emailing them to Zenith, replacement parts quickly showed up, along with an apology for the trouble. Th ere were some other minor dis- crepancies with the pre-constructed fuselage, but nothing really signifi cant. Th ere were a couple of quarter-size dents around blind rivets, caused by too much space between the outer skin and the underlying support structure. One of the top skins wasn’t cut quite straight, giv- The Corvair motor destined for N42KP takes shape. Before they can be used as reliable ing the forward edge a noticeably wavy aviation powerplants, these engines are completely rebuilt from the cases out with all appearance. One of the bottom skins new parts and a few aviation-specifi c modifi cations. was a couple of millimeters oversize,

26 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Kevin Fahy is the “go-to” guy when it comes to properly building up an aviation Corvair. Although it’s a simple engine and easy to work on, buying a prebuilt unit from FlyCorvair.com automatically includes Fahy’s invaluable expertise. preventing the gear legs from dropping into the channel until some trimming was done. But these things aren’t show- stoppers unless you have your heart set on building a grand champion. And if that’s where you’re headed, I’d suggest building much of the airframe your- Think of it as your self to ensure that it’s as immaculate as very own first officer. Monitor your engine and simplify your flight operations with five buttons. Yes, five!

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KITPLANES September 2007 27 Zodiac, Part 4 continued humanly possible. (Assuming, of course, you possess the skills to achieve immaculate construction.) Th e silver lining around the occa- sional black cloud that fl oats by any aircraft project is how the kit manufacturer measures up in terms of post-sale support. Any company can provide acceptable customer service when there are no issues to be resolved, but the real test is what happens when something isn’t right. Th e few times we had an issue with the kit, both real and imagined, Zenith responded quickly and with genuine concern. I only wish that other companies that have sold big-ticket items to me Without the top skin between the instrument panel and the fi rewall, access to this area in the past had a similar customer ser- will never be this easy again. Now is the time to consider soundproofi ng options. vice philosophy. I’d probably have lower blood pressure. an IFR aircraft but in as small a space Aft er spending many hours on the Besides seeing fi rsthand how Zenith as possible. I would put the permanent phone, on the Internet and tromp- responds under fi re, I also learned a basic items in the center of the panel, leaving ing around in the vendor hangars at truth that would stay in the back of my “real estate” open on the sides for future AirVenture 2006, I had a plan. Th e com- mind during the rest of the construc- experimentation. munication duties would fall to a used tion process: When building an air- I also wanted comprehensive engine Bendix/King KY197 radio found on plane, absolutely nothing can be taken data, so a capable engine monitor sys- eBay and a King KT76A transponder;

Rudder and elevator cables are simple Heat-shrink tubing really dresses up the and straightforward, using time-tested job, and keeps the rough ends of the cable Nicopress fi ttings to transfer control in- from snagging on surrounding structures puts to the empennage. A single elevator A closer look at this cable end shows how and stabbing fi ngers. trimtab is servo driven. the thimble keeps the turnbuckle’s eye from wearing and abrading the cable for granted. When I thought I could get itself, which could result in failure. an ACK A-30 encoder would let ATC away with ignoring this particular les- know where and how high. An Ameri- son, the kit’s forward progress would tem would be required. Given the Cor- King AK-450 ELT would get into the soon come to a full stop. vair engine installation, the engine act, and tip off search and rescue as to monitor would most likely require a bit where to fi nd the wreckage, and maybe Investing in “Real Estate” of tweaking to display exactly what was even the survivors. One of the more enjoyable tasks at hand needed beyond what was typical with a Th e 2-inch VDO fuel gauges that was to decide on an appropriate com- “normal” aircraft engine. And because come with the Zodiac kit were bigger plement of avionics and instrumenta- the Corvair uses dual, electrically driven than I wanted, so I decided to use the 1- tion with which to decorate the cockpit, fuel pumps, I wanted a stone-simple, inch, air-core analog gauges from UMA. and then to fi gure out exactly where proven and reliable way to keep track of Th ese were small enough to mount in the each item would reside. Given the sim- how many and which way the electrons center console right above the included ple nature of the airplane, I wanted a were fl owing between the battery and fuel tank selector valve (from Andair panel that had most of the comforts of alternator. in the U.K., very nice stuff ). As I had

28 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com just set a precedent with the UMA fuel gauges, I also ordered a matching UMA analog voltmeter and ammeter. Not So Sacred Six Frankly, there’s not a whole lot of space on the 601’s panel, but it’s typical of what’s available in most sport aircraft of a similar size. So I decided to purchase a Blue Mountain G4 EFIS to serve in place of the typical six-pack combination of altimeter, directional gyro, turn and bank, vertical speed indicator, arti- fi cial horizon, and airspeed indicator. Originally designed as a comprehensive backup instrument, it also features a virtual horizontal situation indicator (HSI) and a moving-map GPS with terrain indications. Best of all (for me, anyway), it occupies only a 4x4-inch square of panel space. Because the G4 would be used as my primary fl ight instrument, it meant that switching to the other HSI or moving- map functions would require fl ying by outside visual references only. In cruise fl ight, this really isn’t an issue, as long as you return to the primary EFIS screen in a timely fashion to confi rm that your altitude and heading are still correct. To avoid continuous button-pushing to get both attitude and GPS navigation data, I used a big hunk of the available panel space, smack dab in front of the left seat, to install an AirGizmo dock to house my beloved AvMap EKP-IV portable GPS unit. Having two separate and independent GPS systems in an otherwise simple aircraft may seem like overkill to most. But in reality, the combination of the two is a joy to fl y, and provides a level of navigation redundancy that says I’ll really have to work hard to get lost in this airplane. Round Peg, Square Hole Given the roughly 4-inch-square foot- print of the Blue Mountain system, and the dimensions of the King communications radio and transponder, installing these items with the most effi cient use of panel space meant fi nding an engine monitor system that was about the same size as the Blue Moun- tain. Th e solution turned out to be the

KITPLANES September 2007 29 Zodiac, Part 4 continued

I-K Technologies AIM Lite, which fi t the requirement almost perfectly. However, the I-K engine monitor requires that a square hole be cut in the 1 panel, adjacent to the standard 3/8- inch round instrument hole for the Blue Mountain unit. Initially, this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but cutting square panel holes does involve signifi cantly more time and eff ort than simply using a standard size hole punch for everywhere a round instrument will go. Warren ended up cutting a lot of square holes in my cockpit, with only the Blue Moun- tain G4 and the four small UMA gauges Warren trims a rear fuselage skin to accommodate the leading edge of the horizontal mounted in the traditional round-hole stabilizer. As easy to build as the Zodiac fast-build kit is, you do have to cut some metal. fashion. (When I showed up with a square Hobbs meter toward the end of the project, you could hear his groan clear across the ramp.) Another benefi t of using the I-K system was the willingness of the company to modify the monitor to match the Cor- vair installation. Th is required reducing the number of EGT and CHT channels to two each. Because the exhaust headers Patience pays off eventually, after the and cylinder heads on this engine don’t skin and leading edge of the stab are encourage an individual EGT and CHT A simple airplane, the Zodiac 601 XL uses compared, marked, trimmed, and control cables through Tefl on blocks, probe for each cylinder, one per side is compared again. Repeat as necessary. instead of pulleys, to route the cables suffi cient. Th is frees up enough other where they need to go. data channels to monitor and display oil when powered by a 100-horsepower pressure, oil temperature, fuel pressure engine, I suspected that any long fl ights and tachometer indications through of over several hundred miles might ius or XM satellite radio system in what color-coded LED segments and a bright trend toward tedious at times. An inter- was to be a simple airplane. Once again, yellow digital display. Th e advantage of com with a stereo music input would be the solution started with an AirGizmo this dual indicator system became clear just the ticket. docking system, the one designed to aft er the fi rst few fl ights. A quick glance However, there really aren’t many accept an iPod. And, again, it required at the instrument face will confi rm that aff ordable, two-place intercom units a non-round hole. Sorry, Gus. all engine parameters are nominal once that also feature a stereo music input. you get used to seeing the green bars in One exception to this is the recently Fire Up and Go? Uh, No a certain position, and more detailed introduced Sigtronics Sport 200S, While the various airframe components information can be pulled up by switch- which has been designed specifi cally were uniting themselves into something ing the digital display to monitor what- for the non-certifi ed Experimental and that resembled a slick little airplane, the ever engine parameter you wish. ultralight categories. Weighing only 6 avionics and instrumentation were on ounces with all of the jacks and hard- a parallel course as the supporting cast. No Frills? Not Exactly ware, which are included, the Sport Th e engine had been fi nished early and As someone who indulges in a 3200+ measures a mere 1x2.5 inches. Given the successfully run for an initial break-in nautical mile annual excursion to small size and light weight, putting one on the test stand, so we were all eager Oshkosh in a light airplane, I can attest in my Zodiac was a no-brainer. to see the sum of the individual parts to the boredom that can factor into any Because I now had a stereo-capa- coalesce into a proper airplane. long cross-country fl ight. Considering ble intercom, a good music source was In hindsight, the quickbuild airframe that the cruise speed of the Zodiac 601 next. Unlike some pilots I know, I just off ered the fewest challenges—beyond XL is in the 100-knot neighborhood couldn’t justify the installation of a Sir- the rudder/fuselage twist issue. One of

30 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com KK BB

Initially, the panel was planned with a A good deal of extra material is provided Dynon D10 system in mind. The Blue forward of the fi rewall to accommodate a Mountain G4 was ultimately selected wide variety of engine cowl choices. for AHRS duties, and having full-scale templates made panel planning a snap. another time-consuming task. However, a quickbuild kit does absolutely nothing to streamline the bal- ance of the project, such as installing the engine and its systems, or the avionics and instrumentation. It was in these areas that we ended up scratching our 27 Years heads a few times, chasing down a variety of issues that seemed intent on preventing us from meeting fi rst-fl ight goals. of the RVator Persistence does pay off , however, and Installation of the top skin between 27 years of technical articles from the fi rewall and the instrument panel is we’d come too far to be easily dissuaded straightforward. Better still, it also comes from having the airplane fl ying by the Van’s aircraft accurately reproduced off (if needed) with a small bit of eff ort by fi rst week of November. So we rolled up and organized in sequence as you drilling out a handful of A4 blind rivets. our sleeves, and tackled each issue with build, test, fly, & maintain your RV. a variety of solutions and work-arounds. What else could we do? It is everything written on building these was the construction of the canopy, Next month: some surprises while the tail, wings, fuselage, finishing, which seemed a bit complex when com- achieving true airworthiness. engine and electrical installations, pared to the fi nished control surfaces all those neat tools, prop selection, and the ease of airframe assembly. Since performance, basic & sport flying Admittedly, it’s not the prettiest Zodiac at this fi rst fast-build kit was delivered to this stage. But the inspection is complete techniques, maintenance concerns us, Zenith is now shipping the canopy and signed off , a temporary propeller is and much more. assembly already built, which eliminates mounted, and she’s ready for fl ight. No more searching through stacks of torn up newsletters. Its all here, at your fingertips. Get Your’s today!

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KITPLANES September 2007 31 Paul Lipps displays his fi rst propeller. It’s not like your dad’s.

fl aps and the ailerons and then marked them in degrees. Testing revealed that he gained about 5 knots when they were positioned at 6° above the normal fully retracted position. Letting your eye wander a bit closer to the fuselage you spot a 24-inch-long pitot tube. While it may be obvious that the pitot inlet has to be in undisturbed air to get a good reading, the purpose of the side holes, and the tape aft of them, is not quite so apparent. Paul’s experimentation showed that the typical static port didn’t yield a pressure that matched the pressure normally accessed by the altimeter and VSI. Add- ing a bit of tape behind the fl ow caused that match to occur. A minor improvement, yes, but he’s an experimenter. Paul went on to point out that the position of the tape matters. “Some systems achieve a match with the tape in front, and some are corrected with the tape to the rear,” he said. “You have to experiment.” Other Curious Details Keeping the eye wandering around the Paul Lipps is an experimenter down to the nth detail. aircraft we see a sunshade. Or do we? BY BOB FRITZ No, it’s a solar panel. Th at little aluminum fi n just behind the cockpit is a counterbalanced vent that exhausts the uilders, even fi rst-timers, want tems for the fi rst ICBMs. Aft er retiring hot air pushed out by the muffi n fan to do something to make with that background in electrical engi- inside the cockpit. It has a circuit of their airplanes really theirs. neering, he changed course and went his own design that draws just enough BFor most of us that means aft er propeller design. Now, you might power from the battery to start the fan, a diff erent panel or a paint be asking yourself, “With all the tech- and then switches over 100% to the scheme unlike anyone else’s on the fi eld. nology, computers and Ph.D.s at the big solar panel. Paul Lipps of Santa Maria, California, has prop manufacturers, how could an ama- Going around to the front of the can- done just the opposite with his plane. “I teur come up with something so diff er- opy we see an odd round hole. Th at’s a might never paint it,” he said, “too many ent and expect it to work?” Paul’s answer high-pressure zone in fl ight, so a small experiments to do.” to that is “insight.” hole is all that’s needed to supply copious At fi rst look, though, most people amounts of cool air to the cockpit. It’s don’t notice the fi nish on his Lancair No Brag, Just Fact also suffi cient for the muffi n fan when on 320. Some fi rst spot the Piper Cub logo Before we get to the prop, let’s take a the ground. As to being a potential rain on the tail, but everyone, sooner or later, look around at some of his plane’s other inlet, Paul says he keeps the airplane in zeroes in on the prop. While the logo is features. Paul describes himself as an the hangar when it rains. It would, how- simply anachronistic, the prop leading inveterate experimenter. One of his ever, be a simple task to install a valve, so the way is decidedly futuristic. fi rst projects was to install refl ex fl aps. this seems quite plausible. Paul is a lot like his airplane in that Th ey’ve been used on sailplanes for Now, unintentional bias is the he’s a bit of an anachronism with an eye some time because they lower drag by sort of thing that can cause a great toward the future. He’s a non-degreed eff ectively fl attening the angle of attack. deal of embarrassment when making engineer who helped design radar sys- Paul set up a pair of fences between the claims of signifi cant improvement. To

32 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com No, it’s not a fence like the MiG 17’s; it’s a gauge to show fl ap refl ex.

The position of the tape on the pitot tube can be adjusted to correct the static air system.

cars, buses, trucks and vans to see what happened to the wind speed. We see this at the NASCAR races when the pack stays all bunched together with everyone but the leader getting a hole punched in the air. How close you have to tailgate is a direct function of how much drag is being created by the shape of the car in front. If the car in front is a good shape, you have to be in really close. His testing revealed some surprises. The shape of the inlet is controlled by A bubble level is mounted on the inside A bus with rounded corners is a pretty the pressure in the area around the inlet of the canopy to guarantee level fl ight good shape, while a truck of the same position. The snorkel instead of a NACA during fl ight testing. duct works better, Paul says. size, but with square edges, is not. You have to love it when a guy takes nothing for granted and demands proof. counter the tendency to push forward on the stick when checking for speed First Among Equals improvements Paul mounted a bubble Th at attitude has led Paul to work on level on the canopy edge. some areas that are counterintuitive and defi nitely not current thinking. For Aerodynamics Are His Thing instance, the scoop on top of the cowl, You’ve probably fi gured out by now that while a great air intake for magneto Paul is passionate about aerodynamics. If cooling is a rather disconcerting sight. not, consider this: He once put a model But the question of, “Why not a NACA airplane prop on a small electric motor, duct?” brought a scornful retort: “Th ey wired it to a voltmeter and mounted it work great for one airspeed only and on the hood of his car. Aft er driving have to be in exactly the right posi- around awhile in still air to achieve a tion and of the right shape to work as calibration between airspeed and volt- effi ciently as they are touted. If those age, he started pulling in behind other parameters are not met, then a scoop works better.” This is the longest pitot tube you’re likely Th en there’s the issue of horsepower. to ever see. Again, the experimenter comes out. Paul

Photos: Bob Fritz KITPLANES September 2007 33 Paul Lipps continued placed his airplane on two scales, lev- eled it, tied the tail to the building and started the engine. With a friend to take a reading of the scales, he ran the engine up to several speeds to fi nd where the load on one wheel was the greatest. Mul- tiply the distance from the axis of the prop to the centerline of the tire times the load on the scale and you get torque. Plug that into a simple formula: Horse- power = (torque x rpm)/5252, and you get the horsepower of the engine. If you care to learn more about the relation between torque and horsepower, there’s a very readable disser- tation on the web at http://vettenet. org/torquehp.html. Now that we’ve involved the front, you notice that the gap between the spinner and the prop is tiny. Paul asks, “Why pressurize the cowl and then let that air blow forward out around the spinner?” Keeping the air all going the At full throttle, the prop tip goes forward in the same way that a 747’s wings rise when right direction also allows smaller inlets doing their job (top). Here’s the relaxed position of the prop tip (above). on the front of the cowl, hence allowing lower drag as well. To get the air across the cylinders you have to create a pressure diff erential above and below the engine. To keep that ΔP at its peak means not only seal- ing the upper half, but the lower half as well. Paul pointed out that a large clearance between the lower cowl and the exhaust pipe or around a landing light means that air is fl owing into the cowl through that gap. Result? Th e lower cowl is not at the lowest possible pressure. Th at bumped transition No round cross-section on the prop and from the spinner to the upper cowl? minimum clearances keep the airfl ow under control. Paul describes it as something known as the “Coanda eff ect.” Th is eff ect is what causes air to attach to, and then accel- uses all the prop for propulsion, right erate around a discontinuity. It’s been down to the root.” employed on state-of-the-art aircraft such as the exhaust nozzles of the F-117. Last But Not Least But something else looks odd…the Now that we can avoid it no longer, let’s upper cowl inlets are very close to the take a close look at the prop. Th e fi rst centerline of the spinner. Most other thing you notice is the unconventional aircraft have the inlets positioned at the shape. In fact, it’s been hard not to fi x- outer edge of the cowl. Th is is, per Paul’s ate on it to the exclusion of all else. In There’s one red blade, one white and one experimentation, due to the poor shape addition to the shape you notice that blue. What color do you get when the prop is spinning? of the inner 25% of the prop. “Th e root the clearance between the prop and the area of most props is, in eff ect, a fl at disk spinner ranges from negligible to zero. in front of the engine. My prop design “It prevents unneeded turbulence at the

34 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com The solar panel drives a cooling fan on hot days in the hangar. The pole in the middle is a shop broom.

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KITPLANES September 2007 35 To create space for the epoxy-fl ox Harold Bunyi of AirCrafters created a tool to compress the paper honeycomb.

Part 5: working with carbon fi ber. BY BOB FRITZ

ast month, we learned how to construct fl at and curved parts from molds. Th is time, let’s see what it takes to build a gas tank out of carbon fi ber. In this Lcase, it’s a 325-gallon tank. Six pounds per gallon (OK, 5.85) multiplied by 325 gallons…that’s heavier than the 1320 pounds allowed for an entire Light Sport Aircraft ! While this seems like a real “out there” project, consider that the construction techniques are the same as for a 32-gallon tank. Once you know the basics, it’s frequently just a matter of scaling up or down the projects that look intimidating. First off , the materials here were about $3500 for several 3 sheets of two-ply/side carbon fi ber with a /8-inch honeycomb core—sometimes called a two-core-two, meaning two plies of material then the core and then two more plies. Now aren’t you glad I said it could be scaled down? It sort of reminds me of the guy who said, “I’ve an unlimited budget and I’ve already exceeded it.” Th e advantage to us is that it’s a lot easier Take a good look at the green fl ange. It’s to see what’s going on with a project of this size. the secret to putting a glass fi llet on all Th e fi rst step is, of course, to have a set of drawings that interior corners of a closed box.

36 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com can be transferred onto the CF using a compass, straight edge, ordinary pencils and a lot of blue painter’s tape. Don’t use a grease pencil; it’ll contaminate the surface for later gluing. If it’s a large (spelled “expensive”) project, a mock-up in cheaper, easier-to-manage materials is a good idea. The Value of Carbon Fiber You’ll remember in an earlier issue that we spoke of taking a stack of four 1-inch-thick boards and standing on them. Th ey bent fairly easily until we drove a couple of nails through them, and then they didn’t sag so much. Th ose nails forced the bottom board to take a much larger radius turn and, hence, placed almost the entire tension load on Newtonian gravitational enhancement modules (bricks) are used to hold the top down. that board. Inversely, the top board was being compressed. the layers; fl ex the CF in the other direc- just paper, so anything that cuts the CF Th inking through this stack, you’ll tion and it works the same way. From is going to slice through the core like it realize that the second board was getting just this example you can see why all was, well...paper. A toothed blade will compressed less than the top board, and modern composite structures are built do it, but a grit-edge blade does it better, the third board was getting less tension like this, using some form of a core to especially if the part is too big to go on than the bottom board. Now imagine separate the load-bearing fi berglass the bandsaw. pulling those two middle boards out of or carbon-fi ber layers. Not only is it a Sanding the edges is also a bit diff er- the stack while keeping the gap between strong way to build, it can be made sur- ent. Orbital or reciprocating sanders the top and bottom boards. You’d still prisingly light. tend to lift the CF away from the paper have the top board being compressed and fuzz the edges. A hand-size belt and the bottom board taking the entire Making the Cut sander is the ticket, but position it so tension load. We now have the pattern laid out, but that it doesn’t lift the CF. Th is is exactly what CF honeycomb is how do you cut this stuff ? Th e core is When it comes to needing a tight fi t, doing. Th e paper in between keeps the top and bottom separated so that the bottom takes the entire tension load. Th is is completely reversible, of course. Top and bottom are just identifi ers of

Jesus “Chuy” Gomez is using two sticks to aid in packing the epoxy-fl ox completely into the gap. You can see that he has periodically scraped the excess off the outer surfaces. It’s OK to pack those scrapings back into the gap. Basketball on a ping-pong table? No, laying out the pieces with painter’s tape.

Photos: Bob Fritz KITPLANES September 2007 37 Composites, Part 5 continued Get in the Groove Once the material is wetted out, we consider a plastic bag; it can be hard to can pack the groove with epoxy-fl ox. It tear until you create a tiny notch. Th at should be a thick consistency, as we’ll notch is known as a stress riser and be installing the part on-edge and don’t serves to direct all the force into a small want the epoxy-fl ox to drip and run. It’s area, making the tearing pretty easy. important to fi ll the groove completely, Th at’s why your teeth, though they don’t creating a mound that protrudes above cut the material, are more eff ective than the edge of the CF about half the dis- your soft , round fi ngers at tearing open tance between the CF layers. Th at is, if 3 a bag of potato chips. the gap between the layers of CF is /8 3 It seems pretty obvious that to elimi- inch, the epoxy-fl ox should be about /16 nate stress risers we have to spread out inch above the edge. Th is general rule the load. In this case, that means getting will tell you how much epoxy-fl ox to the adhesive epoxy-fl ox to both sides of mix. Th e excess will squeeze out and be Miss your line? Not to worry, just re-cut as many surfaces as possible. To do this, removed, so don’t go overboard. it. If the variation is less than about double simply crush the paper core down about You’ll notice that glass, not CF, is used the width of the blade you’ll fi nd it diffi cult to keep the blade cutting on the line. Go 3 /8 inch, exposing the interior sides of to radius-out the joints between the fl at for a belt sander instead. the two CF sheets. Th is operation is surfaces. Th is is because the advantage surprising the fi rst time you see it simply because going at the CF with a hammer seems anti-tech. As I said, don’t be intimidated by the technology; part of it may be rocket science, but not the part we’re dealing with. Once the interior sides of the CF are exposed, we have to add the epoxy-fl ox, but to ensure adhesion it’s best to paint the surfaces with straight epoxy. Th e procedure is referred to as wetting out, and is a simple job of slopping the epoxy into the groove. Again, this is to prevent stress risers in the form of gaps between the CF and the epoxy-fl ox. As a quick review, recall that fl ox is short cotton fi ber and is quite strong when mixed with epoxy. Micro, on the other hand, is microscopic glass balloons that are not nearly as strong. Th ey’re great when a lightweight material is Dual interactive self-referential layout modules with eco-friendly digital baseline (two needed as a fi ller in a corner or gap. guys with a stick). Lesson: Don’t be intimidated by techno-speak.

Doing the layout with an ordinary pencil works fi ne, but the carbon in the pencil lead all but disappears on the carbon fi ber The cut is ready for sanding. When the carbon fi ber costs $3500, material. Follow up with blue painter’s a mockup of the fuel tank is a wise tape, and then mark the tape to indicate precaution. the cutting edge.

38 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Note the orientation of the 1-inch-wide belt-sander Gomez is using. This is to avoid creating fuzz at the edge. The 2x2-inch boards over the top are to hold the walls in place while the epoxy dries. It’s important that the surfaces are clean when placing the walls.

Cutting a straight line is aided by having This vertical wall (the one with the hole) Isn’t that a clean, tidy junction? Hard to a guide fence. Just remember to cut to is an internal reinforcement as well as believe it’s so strong. the correct side of the tape an anti-slosh barrier. Note how well the contour fi ts. of CF is negated by not being able to vacuum-bag the junction. Once the wall is in place and the epoxy-fl ox has had time to harden, we only have to add a tape of fi berglass to the juncture. We covered that operation in a previous issue, and the procedure is the same here: Radius the corner with epoxy-micro, wet the surface, lay out the tape, smooth out any bubbles, and let it dry. Th is is getting easy, isn’t it? Th e top is the tricky part. Once you’ve laid out the pattern of the walls onto the bottom side of the top and placed a few triangles, you can paint on some epoxy and hope all the parts drop into place. The Inside Story “So how could the killer have done it?” asked Dr. Watson. “All the doors and A bandsaw will cut CF honeycomb, but it also tends to tear the fi bers, creating a fuzzy windows are locked from the inside.” edge that has to be sanded.

KITPLANES September 2007 39 Composites, Part 5 continued

Use of the tool is simple: Hit it with a hammer. The paper honeycomb is simply compressed out of the way.

The construction of the tool is equally simple: a piece of aluminum of a thickness to match the spacing of the CF and a pair of plates riveted to it to limit the depth to a distance equal to the distance between the layers of the CF.

It’s messy, but completely fi lling the Just as was done prior to packing the groove is essential. groove full of epoxy-fl ox, it’s necessary to wet out the surface. That small, light- Wetting out the groove ensures that the colored triangle is held down with hot epoxy-fl ox comes in contact with glue and is for positioning the bottom all surfaces. edge of the wall.

Scrape off the excess as best as you can.

Adding a layer of glass to radius-out the The wall (left) is in place and checked corner makes it even stronger. with roofi ng squares. When the epoxy- fl ox has hardened, the triangles can be scraped off .

40 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Free 400+ Page Catalog #1 In Customer Service: Whatever you’re looking for, we have We’re done with the interior walls. Putting the qualified and it all together takes experienced stafff to some planning but not a Ph.D. make your visit the most enjoyable ever.

Th e same incredulity applies here: How If you want to build with me I’ll be do you reinforce all of the interior junc- using the materials available in the tions without being inside a closed box? Composite Materials Practice Kit from You start by putting release tape on the Aircraft Spruce, part number 01-15000. last surface to be installed. Th en build (Th ere is also a p/n 01-15100 that’s the the walls into it, glassing all of the junc- same kit without the book. I recommend tions. Th en remove that taped last sur- you get the book because your educa- face, and you fi nd you’ve created glass tion should never stop and, besides, fl anges. Put the opposite wall in place, it’s worth the extra money just to see glass the corners, and let it harden. photos of a very much younger Burt Finally, apply a coat of epoxy to the Rutan.) For this project, you’ll also need fl ange and that so-called last surface, a circular razor, a couple of feet of rope, and put it together. Elementary, my and a plastic or disposable surface about dear Watson. 24x36 inches. Th e fi rst set I built got By now you’re wondering what a appropriated by my wife for her Cessna, 325-gallon tank fi ts into. Well, here’s a so I’m making another. Come by and Wicks Aircraft Supply: non-clue: It’s one of four, and they’re all watch them come together. Highland, IL diff erent shapes. But it’s a secret project. & For more information about AirCraft ers We’ll tell you all about it later when the Arlington, WA owner gives the go-ahead. builder assistance, call 831/722-9141, or Next month we’ll tackle a smaller visit www.aircraft ersllc.com. A direct link www.wicksaircraft.com project, a set of fi berglass wheel chocks. can be found at www.kitplanes.com. Call us for a free catalog 800-221-9425 KITPLANES September 2007 41 For fair-weather fl iers on a budget, a VFR panel-mount or portable GPS might be just the ticket. BY STEIN BRUCH

n today’s modern Experimental air- screens. Sizes of the units have grown to with here at the shop, discounting for craft , the question isn’t whether to the point where a number of them are the moment the ever-changing world of have GPS (global positioning sys- actually tablet PCs with large screens. soft ware products to turn laptops and Item) navigation but, instead, which Th e upside to these units is the amazing PDA (personal digital assistant) devices particular box (or boxes) to buy. It’s amount of detail and information that into moving maps. become practically as important as the can be displayed on a screen. Function- engine and wings. With incredible accu- ality such as satellite weather, IFR and/ Buon Giorno, Piloti racy and, so far, excellent reliability, GPS or VFR charts, fl ight planning and more EKP-IV. Th e Italian AvMap currently navigators have outstripped all the famil- are now becoming much more common off ers the largest screen purpose-built iar navigation technologies. on some portable GPS units. While portable GPS on the market. With a 7- While there are myriad ways to divide still in the category of being portable, inch diagonal screen, the EKP-IV pro- up the GPS universe, one always works: some of these units require external bat- vides a ton of information including capability. And here it comes down to a tery power and a leg strap or alternative terrain awareness, obstacle database, simple dichotomy: Can the GPS be cer- mounting method. full city/street road data, aeronauti- tifi ed for IFR use or not? Th is month we Another popular use for traditional cal information and the capability to look at those GPSes that cannot, the so- handhelds is to mount them “semi-per- interface with either TruTrak or Trio called VFR boxes that, while fully fea- manently” into the aircraft panel. Made autopilots. Th e AvMap is unique in tured and capable, are just not destined popular by a company called AirGiz- that the user can display the informa- for a life of (legally) leading you through mos (created by RV builder Mike Schip- tion (also in split screens) either verti- the clouds. Next month, we’ll get into per), these nift y docks allow a builder cally or horizontally, which off ers some the details of IFR-approved navigators to mount many of the popular porta- fl exibility when mounting with an Air- and help you determine what makes a ble GPSes into the instrument panel or Gizmo panel dock. Currently, the EKP- safe and legal installation. radio stack, and still remove them for IV is not available with weather, but we Recently, there is a trend in the hand- convenience. expect that in the future AvMap will held and portable GPS market to go With the freedom aff orded by the most likely provide this functionality. with bigger, brighter and more detailed AirGizmos mounts—and, for that Price: $1499. matter, by custom attachment schemes Geopilot. AvMap recently introduced that we see every year on the fl ight lines this GPS as a lower cost and somewhat in Lakeland and Oshkosh—literally more compact option. It’s not quite as building a portable GPS into the air- large as the EKP, but with a 5.6-inch plane has become popular and useful. screen is still much larger than some of With that in mind, let’s look at the por- the competitors’ units. Th is model is rel- table options that we’ve had experience atively new, so we don’t have much expe- With a large screen that can be used in landscape or portrait orientation, the AvMap EKP- IV is unusually fl exible.

42 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Here’s an idea of the size. The AvMap EKP- IV is mounted in this Flight Designs CT LSA next to a Dynon FlightDEK-D180 EFIS/ engine monitor.

Once again we see that pilots intending to fl y primarily VFR—but who still want some basic IFR equipment—are opting for a hard-mounted portable. This is an RV-8 panel. rience with it, but it appears to be a nice play data in large, easy-to-read boxes. Garmin Portables: Bread, Meet Butter unit for the price. Navigating around the screen is a breeze Garmin really has become the leader in Price: $999. with a joystick. Th e menus structure the portable aviation GPS market. With Pros: Price point and size make the and fl ight-planning functions are laid a large variety of off erings to fi t most EKP-IV and Geopilot good buys. Th e out extremely well, and are probably the budgets and cockpits, coupled with great screens are easy to read, and the but- easiest to use in the market. Th e Sky- support and functionality, it’s hard to tons and menu structure are easy to map IIIC will interface nicely with an beat its line of portables, in part because understand. autopilot, but other than mounting it in they are developed in concert with the Cons: Th e large size makes them dif- your panel (King off ers a panel-mount larger consumer, auto and marine divi- fi cult to panel-mount in some aircraft , kit for it), it’s too large to be used as a sions. We get some great boxes as the and they can be a bit clumsy in the cock- convenient portable. result of Garmin’s size and engineering pit. No satellite weather at this time, and Price: $2750. prowess. in the past communication with autopi- Pros: Probably the easiest screen to GPSMAP 96/96C. Th e entry-level lots was fi nicky. read and easiest navigation menu struc- GPSMAP 96 duo (the C is a color ver- ture we’ve seen. sion) is the latest in a long line of ver- Bendix/King Plays with Portables Cons: High price, no battery or WAAS. tical-format handhelds that truly put Skymap IIIC. With a 5-inch color dis- Garmin on the map. (Th ose of us who play, the Skymap is one of my personal The Garmin 396 and 496 share cases, XM remember the GPS 89/90/92 series will favorite GPSes. What it lacks in features Weather, accessories and an intuitive recall what a splash these svelte GPSes compared to the competition, it more operating system. made when they were introduced. No than makes up for in its simple, easy-to- one fi gured you could get so much stuff read display. It includes a full terrain and obstacle database, along with the typical aviation database and street maps. Th e resolution is a bit lower than competitors’ units, but the screen is extremely bright, and the user can choose to dis-

Bendix/King Skymap IIIC.

Photos: Stein Bruch and Courtesy the Manufacturers KITPLANES September 2007 43 All About Avionics, Part 6 continued Prices: $399 monochrome; $599 sor, more memory, newer soft ware and a color. host of additional features such as a full GPSMAP 196/296. Th e grayscale AOPA Airport Directory and Garmin’s 196 was one of the fi rst aviation GPSes SafeTaxi data, which provides detailed to off er a basic “synthetic” panel view of taxiway diagrams and positional infor- instruments on its 3-inch display. With mation for a number of mid- to larger- a panel dock, this unit can easily be size airports. mounted in your aircraft . Th e similarly Prices: 396, $2195; 496, $2795. packaged 296 adds a bright 256-color Pros: First of the larger screen porta- screen with built-in terrain data. Th e bles, the display is crisp and sharp. All bright and vivid colors of the display of the Garmin units pack a ton of usable make the terrain and obstacle informa- functionality into a small package. Th e tion extremely useful in the cockpit. color 396/496 with XM weather is truly Both of these units represent a tremen- a phenomenal addition to your panel. dous value for the price, and both will Cons: Th e grayscale 196 can some- interface nicely with TruTrak and Trio times be hard to read in bright sunlight. autopilots. Th ey are strong perform- Th e price point of the higher-end units ers if you don’t want or need the on- puts them out of reach for some pilots. board weather off ered by the next two Garmins. From the Fishfi nder Folks Prices: 196, $799; 296, $1495. Lowrance has been making aviation GPSMAP 396/496. When Garmin products for a while now, and it’s a stal- introduced the 396 GPS a few years ago, wart in the marine business. Its newest the amount of functionality packed into products are pretty slick and off er a lot this box amazed a lot of people. Expand- of bang for the buck, even if they must, Garmin GPSMAP 96C. It’s the 96 with ing on the color 296 (and packaged in a by necessity, play second fi ddle to the color. The small screen makes it suitable similar box), Garmin found a way to Garmin machines. for primary navigation mainly where shoehorn a lot of neat new features into cockpit space is at a true premium. this little package. First, the XM satellite weather brings an unparalleled amount into such a small container.) While the of data to the pilot. Now, instead of rely- 96’s screen is only 2.2 inches across, ing on hours-old information, pilots can this unit packs a full Jeppesen database have relatively current pictures of the as well as the capability to be used as a weather situation for their entire fl ight! street or marine navigator, off ering the With the satellite weather comes satel- user a lot of bang for the buck. It nom- lite music. Of course you’ll need to buy inally uses AA batteries but can be a subscription, but there are varying fea- hooked to ship’s power and will output tures at diff erent price points. Th e GPS a serial data stream for a connection to 496 yet again expands on this popular autopilots and EFISes. line of GPSes by adding a faster proces-

The Lowrance AirMap2000C is a physically large unit that, like most of the Lowrance line, packs a lot of features for a small price tag. Internal batteries are mainly for backup, though, as they last 2 to 3 hours.

Bendix/King’s KMD150. This self-contained VFR GPS uses a large(ish) color map and good contextual-menu logic.

44 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com "APDF0-

Lowrance’s AirMap 600C is a stunning good deal in a small handheld GPS. It features a unique terrain page.

AirMap 1000/2000C. Th e 5-inch- diagonal large-screen AirMap 1000 and 2000C (color) GPSes pack a lot of features into a nice size bundle. Th e Air- Map 1000 is black and white, and off ers the expected aviation database as well as obstacles and street references. Th e Air- Map 2000C is a brightly colored display that also adds terrain awareness. With both of these products, Lowrance has created unique screen layouts that give an almost EFIS look, with airspeed and altitude tapes along the sides of the screen. Both units have a cursor pad and some dedicated buttons, but the menu structure and navigation can sometimes be aggravating compared to the Garmin units—not necessarily bad, but not quite as slick and simple as the best Garmin has to off er. We’ve found that the interface and output to TruTrak and Trio PO Box 370 Oscoda, Michigan 48750 autopilots work well. Overall, the Air- AIRCRAFT TOOL Voice: 989-739-1447 Map 2000C is a strong contender in the SUPPLY COMPANY Fax: 989-739-1448 market, and though not quite as feature- packed as some competitors’ units, they What is a TimeRite? still are a decent unit at a decent price. The TimeRite story began a little assembled by hand and tested Prices: 1000, $599; 2000C, $999. over 60 years ago when in 1945 to the strictest standards at our it was adopted by the US Army plant in the USA to preserve the Pros: Nice large screen, integral bat- Air Corps to aid in setting piston original craftsmanship that has engine timing for its high-perfor- made it so famous. No detail is tery and low price. mance airplanes. This remarkable overlooked -- from its polished Cons: Screen resolution appears tool proved to be so successful Bakelite cap right down to its somewhat lower than competitors’, and that it quickly made its way to signature double-chrome ﬁnish. the general aviation market, and It’s no wonder that mechan- menu structure for inputs can require by 1948 there were over 10,000 ics today treat their 50 year units in circulation worldwide. multiple button pushes, which is some- old TimeRites like a precious What makes the TimeRite so ef- collector’s item, passing them what aggravating. fective is its simplicity. By using down from father to son. It’s a specialized arms and calibrated classic that is truly timeless… AirMap 600C. Th e new AirMap scales, the TimeRite accurately 600C is a color aviation GPS complete locates Top Dead Center (TDC) Call today for your and then enables you to set the tim- FREE catalog featuring with terrain. Th e screen isn’t huge, but ing angle with dead-on accuracy. over 3,000 tools... and at nearly 3 inches diagonally, it’s enough Aircraft Tool Supply Company ask for Diana to get is the proud manufacturer of the your bonus FREE GIFT. to see what you need. One really nift y TimeRite since acquiring all rights 1-800-248-0638 aspect of this GPS is a screen that shows www.aircraft-tool.com in 1985. Each unit is precisely

KITPLANES September 2007 45 All About Avionics, Part 6 continued compress their components but can also Pros: One of the lowest price panel- limit display size. Here’s a rundown on mount GPSes available. the aircraft and its vertical fl ight path the current VFR panel-mounts on the Cons: Outdated, not cheap. relative to terrain. Lowrance also added market, and note that it’s not a long list. KLX135A. When this GPS/com box its own version of taxiway data into this IFR approval is the hot item in this cat- was introduced more than 10 years ago, GPS. Overall, this unit packs a lot of egory, so expect this segment to shrink it was truly innovative. It was among the utility into a small unit. rather than expand. fi rst to adopt a moving-map GPS inte- Price: $499. grated with a com transceiver in a single Pros: Price points coupled with func- Bendix/King’s Crown Series box. Th e screen is bright but with low tionality make for a good value. KLN35A. Bendix/King’s VFR panel- resolution. Th e integrated GPS data- Cons: Not as many features as the mount GPS is a derivative of the base in the box will automatically load competitors have. Screen size is small KLX135A, which debuted fi rst. Th e frequencies for selection by the pilot for the amount of data displayed. basic monochrome moving map gives into the transceiver. With the current relatively little detail compared to even selection of competing avionics, this Let’s Talk Panel-Mounts a basic portable, but it has a simple, box has frankly just become outdated. Th ere are compelling reasons to opt for robust operating system and easy-to- Our opinion is your money would be a panel-mounted VFR GPS, even today, learn menu logic going for it. Other- better spent buying a good com trans- and even with the long list of features wise, there’s not a lot to recommend ceiver and one of the higher-end hand- available on portables. One is that they here, and it shows in our sales numbers. held GPSes. do save panel space, in height and width We rarely see them and haven’t installed Price: $3500. if not in depth. Most panel-mounts are one of these stand-alone GPSes in over Pros: Th e combination of both a about 2 inches tall by the normal 6.25- three years. GPS and a com transceiver in one box inch-wide radio stack width, which helps Price: $2000. is handy.

Manufacturer/Model Screen Size (Diagonal) Weight Battery/Max Listed Life Color Display Pseudo Instruments Terrain Obstacles Satellite WXTraffi c A/P Interface AvMap EKP-IV 7.0 1.8 lb. 6x rechargeable AA/NA Yes HSI/VNAV only Yes Yes No No Yes Geopilot 5.6 1.0 lb. No Yes HSI/VNAV only No No No No Unknown Bendix/King Skymap IIIC 5.0 1.88 lb. No Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes

GGarminarmin GPSMAP 96 2.2 7.6 lb. 2x AA/25 hr No HSI/VNAV only No Yes No No Yes GPSMAP 96C 2.2 7.6 lb. 2x AA/40 hr Yes HSI/VNAV only No Yes No No Yes GPSMAP 196 3.8 1.5 lb. 4x AA/16 hr No Yes No Yes No No Yes GPSMAP 296 3.8 13.6 oz. Li-ion/15 hr Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes GPSMAP 396 3.8 14.2 oz. Li-ion/15 hr Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes GPSMAP 496 3.8 14.2 oz. Li-ion/15 hr Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Lowrance AirMap 600C 2.8 8.6 oz. 4x AA/NA Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes AirMap 1000 5.0 1.45 lb. 4x AA/NA No Yes No Yes No No Yes AirMap 2000C 5.0 1.45 lb. 4x AA/NA Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes

Panel-Mount VFR Units Bendix/King KLN35A 2.1 lb. No No No No No No No Yes KLX135A 4.0 lb. No No No No No No No Yes KMD150/250 5.0 3.3 lb. No Yes No Yes Yes No Storm- Yes scope Garmin GPS 150XL 4.1 2.4 lb. Optional No No No No No No Yes GNC 250XL 4.1 3.24 lb. Optional No No No No No No Yes

46 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Cons: Doesn’t off er a lot of capability years, and the company seems ambiva- level GPS it’s a pretty nice box. compared to just buying a handheld and lent about homebuilders. Price: $3100. stand-alone com radio. GNC 250XL. Expanding on the KMD150/250. Th e 5-inch, large- VFR Boxes from Garmin functionality of the GPS 150XL’s mov- screen KMD150 is an excellent VFR What more can be said? Garmin has lit- ing map, this box adds a 760-channel, moving map and GPS. Similar to the erally jumped ahead by a long stretch 5-watt com transceiver. Th is is a decent Skymap portable, we really like this map when it comes to panel-mount GPSes, VFR GPS/com unit that mounts cleanly from a usability and viewing standpoint. particularly with regard to the IFR- in a standard radio stack. What we don’t like is the $4000+ price approved boxes, but the company has a Price: $2995. tag. Th e KMD250 is a smaller unit (3.8- couple of strong off erings in VFR panel- Pros: Easy-to-read bright screen, but- inch display) intended for integration mounts as well. tons are high quality, and menu system with other units such as weather, ter- GPS 150XL. From a general stand- is fairly intuitive. rain/TAWS, radar and GPSes like the point, this unit from Garmin is Cons: Low in functionality com- King KLN series. As a stand-alone GPS comparable to the KLN35A from Ben- pared to Garmin’s own handhelds. it’s VFR-only without much function- dix/King—with a few major benefi ts. ality compared to the competition. Not Th e menu structure is easier to use, the Internal Matters worth the price as a stand-alone GPS in knobs are large with strong detents. You don’t have to buy an external box our opinion. Th e map is somewhat larger than the to get GPS these days. Many can be Price: $4500. 35A’s and because of a higher resolu- built right into your favorite EFIS. Pros: Time-tested and well-proven tion is easier to read. It’s still expensive Grand Rapids Technologies was an reliability. Easy-to-read screen and user- for a stand-alone VFR GPS (especially early adopter with its internal WAAS friendly navigation. when compared to Garmin’s higher-end GPS priced at an amazing $450, but it’s Cons: No new updates from King in handhelds), but as a panel-mount, entry- not certifi ed for IFR (GRT announced

PC/USB Interface Panel-Mount Option AOPA Directory Taxi Diagrams Database Update Cost Price Notes

No Yes No No $79.99 one time; $599/year $1499 Largest screen available, can be vertical or horizontal. No No No No $79.99 one time; $599/year $999 Lower cost large screen aviation GPS.

No Yes No No $250 one time; $470 $2750 Excellent screen and menu, not an excellent price. quarterly Garmin Yes Yes No No $35 one time; $295/year $399 Entry-level aviation GPS…good backup! Yes Yes No No $35 one time; $295/year $599 Color version of the GPS 96, nice size for any fl ight bag. Yes Yes No No $35 one time; $295/year $799 Nice B&W screen, lots of functionality. Yes Yes No No $35 one time; $295/year $1495 Excellent color GPS with full terrain TAWS warnings. Yes Yes No No $35 one time; $295/year $2195 Color GPS with terrain, XM/WX, XM music and TIS traffi c! Yes Yes Yes Yes $35 one time; $295/year $2795 Packed with features, faster processor and taxi charts.

Yes No No Yes $35 one time; $299/year $499 Nice mid-size portable GPS with terrain and color display. Yes Yes No No $35 one time; $299/year $599 B&W basic aviation GPS with nice display. Yes Yes No No $35 one time; $299/year $999 Lowrance’s top unit off ers a color moving map at reasonable cost.

No Yes No No $130 one time; $420/year $2000 Basic panel mount VFR GPS with monochrome display. No Yes No No $130 one time; $420/year $3500 Same as KLN35A, but adds com transceiver. No Yes No No $250 one time; $690/year $4500 Easiest to navigate and easiest to read moving map on the market, but the price makes it unattractive.

No Yes No No $60 one time; $265/year $3100 Entry-level moving map (monochrome) GPS. No Yes No No $60 one time; $265/year $2995 VFR GPS moving map with added com transceiver.

KITPLANES September 2007 47 All About Avionics, Part 6 continued end, Chelton Flight Systems (which ing maps. Th e aforementioned GPSes recently announced an IFR WAAS-cer- are available in VFR or IFR units, and it will be off ering an IFR GPS within tifi ed GPS to be available late this year) the prices vary accordingly. While not the next year). Blue Mountain also has and OP Technologies currently depend exactly an EFIS, the ADI from TruTrak a similarly equipped internal WAAS on an external GPS such as a Crossbow is also available with an internal GPS GPS with its EFISes. On the higher or Freefl ight sensor to drive their mov- that displays track on the instrument. A dizzying array of GPSes is available for installation in our homebuilts— from basic handheld/portable units and VFR panel-mounts to high-end IFR units. Most of them will commu- nicate nicely with autopilots, which adds one more level of safety to your fl y- ing. Overall, at the moment, Garmin and Lowrance seem to have a clear lead in the portable market. But Oshkosh AirVenture is right around the corner— just starting as you read this—and it’s a sure bet we’ll see something there that knocks our socks off .

Garmin’s GPS 150XL (top) combines a rudimentary moving map—rudimentary compared to the current handhelds, anyway—with a VFR GPS engine and complete database. The 250XL adds a 760-channel com radio.

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, 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.

48 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Next time we’ll dive into the legali- ties of using an approved GPS for IFR fl ight—specifi cally, we’ll look at the boxes and the installation issues to keep in mind. It’s a category of navigator that’s slightly less clear than it could be, but we’ll help you get to the bottom of it.

If you have specifi c questions for author Stein Bruch, or have certain projects you’d like us to cover, email us at [email protected] with “About Avionics” in the subject line.

CONTACT INFORMATION

AvMap 800/363-2627 www.avmapnavigation.com

Bendix/King (Honeywell) 877/712-2386 www3.bendixking.com • Complete Kit Prices starting at $13,995 More of the Play • Total Completion Costs as low as $25,000 Less of the Pay Blue Mountain Avionics • Easy to Build and Inexpensive to Maintain 423/496-3510 • The Best Performance per Dollar available www.bluemountainavionics.com Get Yours at: www.SonexAircraft.com/25grand or call: 920.231.8297 Chelton Flight Systems 208/850-0181 www.cheltonfl ightsystems.com (Gary Schmidt, Western Sales Manager, Experimental Aircraft Manager)

Garmin International 800/800-1020 www.garmin.com/aviation

Grand Rapids Technologies 616/245-7700 www.grtavionics.com

Lowrance 800/324-1356 www.lowrance.com ® OP Technologies KITPLANES DIGITALIGITAL EDITION 866/4-OPEFIS www.optechnologies.com isis PerfectPerfect forfor Readers

★ InstantInstant onlineonline accessaccess 2424International hourshours aa day,day, FREE unlimited use of KITPLANES® searchable Trio Avionics ★ 7 days a week online Product and Supplier Directory 619/448-4619 ★ Email announcement of each new issue ★ FREE unlimited use of online article archives, www.trioavionics.com ★ 12 monthly magazines in convenient regularly $7.50/article PDF format to view on your computer ★ Annual Aircraft and Engine TruTrak Flight Systems ★ FREE unlimited use of KITPLANES® Buyer's Guides included searchable online Aircraft Directory, ® searchable online Aircraft Directory, ★ Subscribe to KITPLANES® Digital Edition 479/751-0250 a $239 annual value! www.trutrakfl ightsystems.com www.kitplanes.com Subscribe now to receive a full year of electronic access for just $49.95 (US $).

KITPLANES September 2007 49 200

A new experience in power management. BY MARC COOK

arlier this year, we had a fi rst look at the Vertical Power elec- these are the conductors run fi rst and trical management system and were impressed by its high- given most thought. But then, typically, tech potential. (See “Around the Patch: Volts and amps, you get to pile on the niggling ancillar- Eones and zeroes,” March 2007, Page 2.) But it was, then, an ies such as pitch and roll trim, interior early concept and had yet to fl y. A few months later, I had lights, landing-light “wig wag” modula- a chance to sample this technology fi rsthand in the Van’s RV-7 of Ver- tors, secondary bus management (in case tical Power’s founder Marc Ausman. Crummy weather kept us from you have two batteries, two alternators actually fl ying, but we worked through each phase of fl ight to see how or all four), and silly things like your the system works and responds. combined GPS/nav/com requiring more In the brave new world of Vertical Power, long runs of snakelike than one power wire, keepalive circuits wire bundles crisscrossing the airframe are an antiquity. Th e VP sys- in engine monitors and EFISes, auxiliary Vertical Power VP- Power Vertical tem, of which there are currently three main types, consolidates all the power for your XM receiver or iPod. major electric functions into a single box (or two parallel boxes, if you wish) that controls everything by microprocessor. All current limiting Here’s the Magic is done by modern solid-state devices that can be fi nely tuned to their Th e real genius of the VP system is the duties, whether that’s controlling an electric motor, a servo, a boost operating logic, in which each phase of pump or a nav light. fl ight is broken down and those tasks Ausman’s own airplane uses the VP-200 setup, which is really three you would normally perform manu- units: the display, the controller module and a small switch panel hous- ally are taken care of more or less auto- ing the main on/off switch, the mag controller (the mags are never run matically. It’s clear that Ausman and his through the system but a third layer on the L/R/Both switch informs the VP-200 of mag status), and three switches that can be programmed to handle any function under control of the VP-200 as a sort of do- this-right-now override to the main processor’s integrated logic. High-current items are switched by contactors controlled by the VP- 200. Alternators with internal regulation can be accommodated, but those requiring external regulation are managed by the VP-200. All the obvious stuff you can image is bundled into the setup—radios, instruments, lights. And in the course of wiring your own airplane,

The VP-200 display in the runup mode. The strip to the right of the screen indicates which devices are turned on. Green means on. Red means there is Product Review: a fault in the system. Note the contextual checklist that appears when needed.

50 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Authorized Kodiak Service Center For: team have given considerable thought to and mag drop. Ausman and I tested the the operating logic and have provided modes in real time right up to the take- multiple ways of either redirecting or off /climb phase, and the system appears overriding the preordained logic. to work logically and faithfully. In each phase of fl ight—before start, Th e system’s integration is compel- AIRCRAFT ENGINES start, taxi, runup, takeoff and climb, ling. If your electric trim system goes cruise (and maneuvering), landing, through it, the VP-200 can tell it when Engines, Parts, taxi and post fl ight—certain systems to slow its action in cruise and go to & Related Accessories. need to be functioning and checked, normal speed during approach. It can Serving the industry which is normally just left up to the inhibit fl ap action above a threshold for over 10 years pilot. For example, in the before-start speed, and keep you from raising the 250+ page catalog mode, you can engage the system with gear on the ground. It can automate the front-panel switch on the secondary boost-pump functions. It also provides 1-800-LA-ROTAX controller. Th e VP-200 will come alive, annunciation for all those functions. (1-800-527-6829) Orders switching on only those items you need Combining the electrical system into Phone: (863)655-5100 Fax: (863)655-6225 for the pre-start sequence. Alternately, a centralized controller does a few things e-mail: [email protected] you can use one of the buttons on the for the installation, including a reduc- www.lockwood-aviation.com optional key-fob remote control. tion in the back-and-forth eff ect of the Lockwood Aviation Supply, Inc. You get electrical-system status. wiring. Big current comes in one end, You’re asked if you’d like to reset your and everything to be controlled comes Master Service Center 1998/99 fuel totalizer, and the system reconfi g- out of the same box. Lockwood Aviation Repair, Inc. ures the engine-parameters display to Th e danger, of course, is that every- Specializing in the repair show the items that are important for thing is in one box. Old-schoolers in and overhaul of the start. Five buttons along the bot- the crowd, if not put off by the prede- ROTAX Aircraft Engines tom edge of the display are contextual termined logic of what turns on and off FAA Repair Station #L2DR339H but typically are used to answer queries (and when), will scoff at putting all the (863)655-6229 from the system or move from one mode electrical eggs in the same basket. Aus- to the next; however, once underway, man recognizes this and off ers standard the VP-200, by design, moves from one overnight shipping of replacement com- mode to the next on its own. ponents and a lengthy discussion of fault In the before-start mode, the sys- tolerance and high manufacturing stan- tem asks for your engine start code— dards. I might be more skeptical if the remember, there’s no conventional mag sophisticated electronics in my own air- key switch, and the VP-200 controls the plane had not been the most reliable. starter contactor—then enables the start Th e fi nal issue is cost. At $6495 for the switch. At that time, contextual buttons single-controller VP-200, this system for boost pump and primer appear; the is an order of magnitude costlier than primer can be set to run the boost pump traditional options. (But be sure you a predetermined amount of time. Once count every electrical device you need. the engine is started, as noted by a rise in Circuit breakers aren’t cheap anymore.) engine speed and oil pressure, the system Add $795 for a fully prepped harness. A switches to an aft er-start mode, turning VP-100, similar in architecture but with on the avionics and performing other a simpler display screen, is $3495. Th is duties as predetermined by the builder. is cutting-edge technology to be sure (Virtually all of the subsystems can be and represents a complex but elegant confi gured to go on and off during any solution to traditional wiring issues. mode cycle.) Had this been available when I was Because the VP series has a connec- building my Glastar Sportsman, I would tion to your GPS, it knows when you’ve have been seriously tempted to use it. begun moving, and will switch next to the taxi mode. When you’re ready for For more information, contact Vertical the engine runup, you can push that Power at 505/715-6172 or visit www. mode button; a checklist appears on verticalpower.com. A direct link to the screen, and the engine display changes company’s web site can be found at www. to highlight manifold pressure, rpm, kitplanes.com.

Photos: Courtesy the Manufacturer KITPLANES September 2007 51 200

A new experience in power management. BY MARC COOK

Photos: Courtesy the Manufacturer KITPLANES September 2007 51 THETHE RIGHTRIGHT STUFFSTUFF ★ ★ ★ THETHE RIGHTRIGHT PRICEPRICE ★ ★ ★ Everything you need to build and fly your homebuilt aircraft.

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It’s easy being green…and clean. BY BOB FRITZ

can cause corrosion on aluminum. What diff erentiates this new product—Extreme Simple Green-Aircraft —from the original is that this new product is advertised as “Non-corrosive. Safe on Metals, Finishes, Plastic & Rubber.” And while we were unable to determine how corrosive or unsafe the original product might be, the new version is the outcome of a request from Boeing. Th at SG-A fi ts the bill is borne out by Boeing’s acceptance of it for aircraft exterior and general cleaning. This weapon was found at the scene. As you can see from the pictures, Simple Green-Aircraft is eff ective in taking off the sort of oil and crud that collects on the belly of an airplane. In this case, it’s been at least seven years since this ou don’t need to read this… area was cleaned. (We’re very dedicated to real-world testing here at your airplane is spotless, KITPLANES®. Th at’s a polite way of saying, “Don’t ask.”) What was Green Simple right? Th en cut this article most surprising was the ease with which those streaks on the green Yout and save it for when you paint on the side of the cowl came off . Th e airplane was fi rst washed come across someone with with a brush and water, no soap. One shot of SG-A was sprayed on, fol- a dirty airplane. You know it’ll happen lowed by a single wipe of a paper towel. No more streaks. Nice. sooner or later. It’s not likely to be on the shelf at the auto parts store, but it may OK, so maybe your airplane is dirty. be on the shelf at your local FBO, or it can be purchased from the Here’s something that works. A note major mail-order fi rms including Aircraft Spruce & Specialty. While before we continue, though. Hangar lore it’s about twice the price of other cleaners, doing a good job seemed to has it that the original Simple Green is require a lot less of it and a lot less eff ort. Highly recommended…for inappropriate for aircraft use because it those of you with dirty planes.

Note the streaks on the white area, pre SG-A. After a swipe, they have disappeared.

The dirty underbelly before, during and after application of the product.

Photos: Bob Fritz KITPLANES September 2007 53 Tuning up the equipment. BY BOB FRITZ

ood tools aren’t you’re frustrated by your results, make cheap, and cheap sure that the most easily fi xed cause has tools aren’t good.”— been identifi ed and corrected. “G Ron Neumueller. Th ere’s an old Clear the Vicinity adage that it’s the poor craft sman With that in mind, let’s look around the who blames the tools. While cor- machine and see if we can tune it up a rect to a point, if you’ve started to cut bit. First of all, before you do anything metal, you’ve discovered the truth of else, make sure you can get to all sides KITPLANES® reader Neumueller’s of the machine. When I fi rst bought mantra. Th e mill/lathe system is only mine I was working in a one-car garage, as good as the weakest link, just as put- so I put it tight up to the wall. It looked A gooseneck lamp is essential to seeing ting cheap tires on an Aston Martin is great, but aft er a few days I found that what you’re doing. Don’t skimp here. guaranteed to lose points on the “cool” the starter-circuit points in both electric meter—and may even put you off the road for your parsimony. I point this out because you’ve undoubtedly thought, “Phew, this is a bundle to spend, a lot of the tooling is included, and I want to get started.” As you got into it, though, you may have found yourself thinking, “Darn (or something more colorful), I wish I got better results.” While I agree that one problem may be that there’s a nut loose on the controls, there’s really no point in making the job harder by having to overcome tooling defi ciencies. I say this not to repeat a previous column on the subject so much as to remind you that if

Use the screws on the ends at the bottom of the machine to get level in one axis.

54 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com motors had welded and would not open a rubber mat or two, and place them XY direction, then across the ways. If it’s as the motor spun up. It made a horrible in front of the machine and in front of not spot-on, you need to get it there by noise and, if left that way, the motor(s) the workbench. You’ll be surprised how using the adjusters down on the fl oor. would have self destructed. I had to much it improves your frame of mind. Next, take a look at the various hand- remove the motors and tear them down. Th e type of mat with interlocks is good if wheels and levers. Are they tight on You can guess which side of the machine you want a bigger area, but when you’ve their shaft s? Set-screws can come loose I needed to get to. decided how big you want it to be, cut in shipping, or maybe they weren’t even Once in position, take a look at the off the interlocks around the perimeter; installed when you opened the box. Get surroundings—I mean really look. Can they trap chips, making cleanup a nui- a wrench or screwdriver on every bolt, you see what you’re doing? Is the light- sance. Yes, I know, you want to get to the nut and screw you can to make sure ing adequate or just barely so? You don’t interesting stuff . Trust me, though. Th is they are secure. My machine was a mess need to rewire the shop; in fact, that process is like adjusting the seat prop- when it arrived, and I had to spend a lot might not help. Th e milling head is posi- erly before you fl y; if you don’t, nothing of time tuning it up. It’s annoying but tioned above the work, so you need light- seems to go right. necessary. ing that comes from the 10 and 2 o’clock Take a look at the oil level. Most positions. Th e easiest way to do that is to The Lathe, Levers and Levels machines have a sight glass somewhere. buy a clamp-on gooseneck lamp. With the working environment taken Th e upper level of lubricant should be Are you standing on concrete? While care of, let’s look at the lathe. Start by visible. If it’s not, drain it and refi ll it easy to sweep, it can lead to fatigue. Buy placing a level on the ways, fi rst in the with the recommended material. In fact, even if it’s full, drain it and refi ll to the mark—if it’s a new machine, you’ll want to know what kind of lube is in there. If it’s a used machine, you may not know the last time it was changed. Take a look at what comes out, too. The Brakes I’ll bet it hadn’t occurred to you that these machines have brakes. Th ey do, and they are easily adjusted. Let’s say you have the lathe head spinning at a couple of thousand rpm, and you hit the stop button. Imagine how long it would The spiral that drives the three jaws may Clean the oil, and keep it at the optimum take to come to a halt if there were no have a lot of manufacturing trash. Clean- level. brakes. Your machine is likely diff erent ing it out makes spiral-made pieces nicer. from mine, but I would suppose they are similar in that something stationary is pushed against a spinning wheel. How hard it pushes is controlled by a set- screw. You’ll fi gure it out. Lubricating the Gears My machine has an elaborate set of gears that are not submerged in the oil bath. As such, they make a racket. Go to the local motorcycle shop and buy a small can of chain lube. Th is stuff is great because it goes on as a low-viscosity foam that soaks into every crevice via capil- lary action. Turn on the machine to the lowest possible speed, and spray it into the point where the gear teeth engage.

Then turn the level 90° and adjust for level in the other direction.

Photos: Bob Fritz KITPLANES September 2007 55 Home Machinist, Part 6 continued

Be careful not to get the nozzle stuck in the gears. It won’t hurt anything, at least it didn’t when I got too close, but if that had been my fi nger! In just a few minutes the lube becomes an extremely sticky grease that won’t fl ing off . LPS, ACF-50 and other spray lubes, while fi ne in many applications, just aren’t designed for centrifugal force. Chain lube is waterproof, too, and it works wonders on squeaky garage door mechanisms. Just don’t use it someplace where you’ll have to get it off later— and if you do, kerosene works wonders to remove it, or so says our motorcycle- fanatic Editor in Chief. Carefully using chain lube is espe- Use motorcycle chain lube only. Anything else will fl ip off , coating belts and making a cially important if your machine is like mess. Just make sure to give the lube 10 to 15 minutes to congeal. mine and has belts in proximity to the gears. You don’t want to have lubricant on the belts. Speaking of which, take a look at the belts and pulleys. Th ey should be aligned; if they are not, you’ll have to get them that way. I leave it to you to fi gure out how simply because this is not something that is typically adjustable. Over-tension, and sometimes lousy design, can trash a belt. If a belt doesn’t track correctly, fi x it or resign yourself to When the lever is moved, the ramp hits And in this photo, the brakes are “on.” regularly replacing it. the set-screw and pushes the brake-plate Properly adjusted, the system comes to against the rotating wheel. In this photo, a halt quickly and smoothly. It also cuts Handy Gibs the brakes are “off .” down on the motor’s start/stop cycles. In the fi rst column in this series I wrote about keeping things that should move, tolerance. Th e tolerances added up until changes, not simply tighter tolerances moving smoothly. So far we’ve looked your part, the last to be installed, would and throwing away parts that don’t at the generic issues. Now let’s go aft er not fi t on the gadget. You could take it meet them. Th at’s what we’re trying those items that are unique to lathes. apart, throw all the parts back in the to do here. I must also point out that Th e gibs (pronounced as in glib, bins, mix them around and not see the extreme use will cause wear, and the minus the l) are there to accommodate problem again. gibs will compensate for that wear to manufacturing variance and tolerance A lot of energy was expended on some degree. However, we’re not in that stack-up during manufacture. What’s calculating stack-up and adjusting toler- category of use. tolerance stack-up? Imagine that you ances to looser or tighter values. About work on an assembly line, and you put 30 years ago one of the European car Moving Along the last part on the widget. You fi nd that manufacturers bragged that its inspec- Now that you know what the gibs do it won’t fi t. You call QC, they come out tors outnumbered its assemblers. Th at and why they are there, let’s adjust them. with the print and measure your parts, not only didn’t say much to the good Th e fi rst step is to make sure the mat- fi nding that they are within tolerance. for the assemblers, it didn’t catch all the ing parts are clean with no burrs or So they take the whatzit apart and start goofs and only increased manufacturing rough spots. Start by loosening the lock measuring all the other parts, only to costs. nuts and backing out the screws. Th ese fi nd that they are all within tolerance. Th e proper solution is to simply make screws are of the set-screw species, that What’s going on here? Th e answer is every part exactly the same. I won’t go is, they are pointed on the end and can simply that this device was assembled into this at length, but greater preci- only push. Th at means you don’t have to with parts all at the extreme end of their sion is the result of a series of process remove them, just get them retracted to

56 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com The gibs are backed off enough to retract their points. Don’t forget to also retract the locking lever. The cross slide is moved to contact the point of the dial indicator. Note that the mount of the dial indicator is magnetic—handy. allow the long bar to be pushed out. Tape a sheet of 320 wet-or-dry sand- paper onto a fl at surface and add a few drops of oil. Any oil is fi ne, even 30 weight from the car or WD-40. Now just stroke the long bar around on the paper until you get a pattern for the whole length of the bar. Wipe it clean and slide it back into place. Turn the set- screws in until they stop, and then back 1 off about /16 of a turn. Hold that position with an allen wrench or screwdriver and snug down the lock nut. If the component won’t move smoothly, you might have the set-screw too tight. Keep at it until it’s nice and clean in its motion. Don’t fool yourself by loosening them too much; you’re trying to adjust these to eliminate all movement except in the intended direction. Use a magnetic base There are three sets of gibs here, one for each locking lever. and a dial indicator to check for movement in the wrong directions. Just touch the indicator probe to the component, set the dial to zero, and then grab and push-pull in the direction it should not move. You’ll fi nd a place where the dial moves very little, perhaps only a couple of thousandths of an inch, but the entire assembly will move smoothly. Th is is a narrow window and might take quite a few tries, but it’s necessary if you’re going to eliminate the variables. If this doesn’t result in smooth motion of the compo-

Adjusting the gibs is fairly easy, and it has to be done to reduce the variables.

KITPLANES September 2007 57 Home Machinist, Part 6 continued Th e three-jaw chuck has a large spiral screw that can get fi lled with junk or just wasn’t really clean to begin with. It will come apart by simply rotating the T handle to loosen the jaws until they release from the main body. Use a felt- tip pen to mark which groove each jaw came from, as you’ll have to put them back in the same slots and then pick up the thread in the proper order. If you don’t, you’ll fi nd that the jaws don’t all arrive at the center of rotation at the same time. It’s not a disaster, just an easily fi xed annoyance. Tuning up the rest of the machine is pretty much a variation on these proce- After a bit of smoothing on wet-or-dry, we Routine Maintenance dures. For instance, the milling head has have a nice, even fi nish. You only need to When all of this is done, you will likely to have the tapers clean, the sliding sur- do this to the side that comes into contact with the ways. fi nd that everything seems to move pret- faces smooth and free without unneeded ty nicely. To keep it that way you have to slack, and the various belts aligned. It’s keep the ways clean, and there is no more nent, you may have a burr on the ways. destructive environment for precision Look for rough spots and loose debris; fi ts than one with scattered metal shav- some of the machines I’ve seen were not ings all over the place. Th erefore, wipe cleaned well prior to assembly. Also try the ways down and clean up the loose this in a couple of positions; it’s possible debris at the end of each work session. that the ways are not perfectly parallel. Notice that I did not say to oil the ways; Once you’ve done that for the left - that will only attract more of the really right motions, do it again on all of the fi ne bits. A spray of WD-40 followed by other gibs. Th e procedure is the same; be a thorough wiping will be suffi cient. patient and recognize that you’ll have a If you can get to the lead screw (it’s lot more fun later when what you wanted the long one that goes left -right, locat- to do is what actually happens. A digres- ed just below the ways), take a piece of sion: Buy a surface plate. It’s a slab of twine and wrap a half-turn on the lead granite that’s been ground to a very fl at screw. Turn the machine on to extreme- Maintaining your machine will not only surface. Th ey are amazingly inexpensive ly low speed and then let the twine clean make your work safer and more enjoyable, at about $15 for a 9x12 from Enco. the threads. Be extremely careful here. but it will also improve the quality of the Don’t take multiple wraps and don’t pieces you churn out. If your lead screw is not protected by wrap the string around your fi nger. If a cover, you should clean the threads frequently. But be careful that you don’t the string catches, it could wind your not hard; in fact it’s mostly a case of look- wrap the string around your fi ngers. hand into the screw. ing closely, being careful, understanding what each part does and then putting it back like you had it, but better. Enjoy, and next month we’ll make a small project with the milling head. If you have some sort of process or project you’d like to see, let us know. No guarantees, but we’ll sure try to fi nd the answer.

Editor’s note: If you have specifi c questions for author Bob Fritz, or if you have certain projects you’d like us to cover, email us at [email protected] with “Home Machinist” in the subject line.

58 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com SPORTPLANES MARKETPLACE

MARKETPLACE

This section is dedicated to aircraft and accessories for the new Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft category.

For details on this new rule, go to: http://www. kitplanes.com/sportplanes

Aircraft manufacturers state that these designs meet the required light-sport aircraft specifications and can be operated within the performance limitations of the rule:

E-LSA and S-LSA manufacturers state (208) 465-7116 that they meet the ASTM www.skyraiderllc.com MADE IN USA consensus standards. Aircraft may be available to register as Experimental/ Amateur-Built, Experimental Light-Sport (E-LSA) or Special (ready to fly) Light Sport (S-LSA) what makes the sound in a pipe organ. For complicated reasons irrelevant to Exhaust tech is both this discussion, nth-pulse designs can be made close to correct for cylinders in the 25- to 65-cubic-inch range. Much larger art and science. or smaller, and nth-pulse design pipes are either out of tune, or the tune is too here are some myths that remain strong among builders, and few are more weak to help. persistent than those involving the simple-looking tubes that get air into Rather than concentrate on tuned and out of our engines. “Tuning” exhaust systems is largely science, but length only, enlightened designers con- Talso involves some art. An expert on both sides of that equation is Allan sider nth-pulse, but use what is called H. Lockheed Jr. (yes, that Lockheed), who has built a reputation among all Helmholtz tuning, which considers the sorts of racers for the past quarter-century. He agreed to step me through the basics. size of the cylinder and the diameter of Our big, slow-turning engines produce large “slugs” of burned gas, not an exhaust the exhaust tube. (Hermann Ludwig fl ow. Th ink of exhaust pulses as golf balls on a string, rather than water in a hose. Ferdinand von Helmholtz was a Ger- Th e balls are the slugs of gas, and the length of the string between them is related to man physicist active in the mid-to-late engine speed. Higher rpm equates to shorter strings, meaning less distance between 1800s.) Unfortunately, when the overall each slug. (Intake behavior is similar; the “balls” are of lower energy and velocity, but length of the exhaust is long enough for higher pressure.) a faithful Helmholtz design (typically 6 to 8 feet in our 2400- to 3200-rpm Simple Designs engines), the amount of expended gas in Th e simplest design the pipe is so large that the engine has to does away with length work hard just to pump it out. and collector tuning altogether, uses the Exhaust and Intake Interactions shortest pipes possible, Because a good exhaust system is just and concentrates on the second half of the engine’s external getting heat away from airfl ow system, some consideration of things combustible and intake is required, but Lockheed says keeping poison gases the optimal length of the intake tubes is away from the pilot. Its usually too long to be practical. Instead, overriding parameter he sizes the intake runner entrance to get is pipe diameter, sized proper velocity at the critical area and In exhaust design for turbocharged applications, forget to optimize velocity. good velocity at the valve seat. “I design tuning and harmonics: Make the pipes as short and direct as Th ese systems are light a Helmholtz-tuned length for the sys- possible to capture exhaust energy. and compact, and they tem, cross-check it against the volume off er a good compro- in the runner and the nth-pulse length, mise when a resonant-tuned system would be impractically large or obtrusive. When and compromise to put the system into that’s all you can do—limited by weight or packaging concerns—you do it and suff er a reasonable overall range,” he said. “It’s some (possibly a little, possibly a lot) loss of performance and effi ciency. also important to ensure that the length But beyond the chop ’em school, there are designs that attempt to capture and you end up with isn’t operating against use the exhaust’s energy. One is wavelength-based “nth-pulse” matching, similar to you in your favorite rpm range.” Th e result? “You can usually optimize this over about 30-35% of the engine’s rpm Tim Kern’s start in homebuilding came early, as he helped his dad build Luscombes and a range,” he says. wood glider as a kid. Since then, he’s been involved in building three homebuilts: a Preceptor Pup, a Range Rider and a Baby Lakes. From a professional background in motorcycles and On the exhaust side, Lockheed says auto racing, Tim began his aviation career at Mosler Engines in 1990. Visit his web site at it’s extremely important that the valve www.timkern.com. lift , exhaust fl ow and pipe diameter are

60 KITPLANES September 2007 Sometimes packaging causes compromises, such as this unequal-length system in a pusher.

Do You Have the Room? that’s actually sucking on the exhaust At 2700 rpm, the perfect ports. Collecting pipes will, at each junc- length is pretty long (roughly tion, relatively diminish the primary 7 feet). Lockheed notes that frequency’s importance and increase the mass of exhaust gas that the importance of the frequencies that must be pumped out of so long are above and below it. Th at is why we a tube usually consumes more collect four into one and why Tri-Ys power than tuned-length scav- (both fronts, both rears, and then those enging adds. Th ere is hope. “A two pipes into a single collector) have collector at the end of shorter been so successful—there are four over- tubes can usually add enough lapping lumps in the resonant frequen- appropriate for the engine and rpm, and energy from the collected pulses to over- cies across the band.” Tip: You don’t that exhaust velocity be higher than come the reluctance of the high mass of want to swirl gases in the fi nal collector, intake velocity. Because most of us aren’t exhaust entrained in each tube to get so don’t use the fi ring order to arrange in a position to design our own cam- out of the way,” he says. the primaries’ order in the collector. shaft s or valves, we’ll concentrate on the Now, because there is space between pipes. Lockheed’s favorite design uses any given cylinder’s exhaust pulses, you Today’s Specials one exiting pulse’s momentum to pull can add energy to the system by “slip- Th ere are special rules for special appli- the next pulse out. Collector exhaust ping more golf balls into the spaces,” as cations. With a turbo, exhaust length systems should be designed to work you route the cylinders’ pipes together tuning is for naught. You simply want this way. in a collector. Relatively short (3 to 5 the shortest, straightest tube (of the Resonant-collector tuning can be a feet long) primary tubes tuned to the right diameter) to blast into the tur- good compromise and has real merit. engine’s ultimate greatest expected bine wheel. Lockheed sums up: “With Lockheed makes a living designing such speed can eff ectively join in a collector, a turbo, exhaust velocity and tempera- things, and says that a good proven com- where they add energy to the gas out- ture are the name of the game. Down- promise is the “Tri-Y” system, where the fl ow of the mating cylinder, increasing stream from the turbo, it’s the job of two front exhausts connect, the two the velocity as they collect the gases, and the exhaust pipe to route heat away rears connect, and these sub-collectors preventing accumulation of lingering from the rest of the airplane. Short is then connect to a larger common col- gases that the engine will have to pump sweet, provided you don’t melt some- lector. A four-into-one design can work out the end of the tube. Plus, the over- thing.” If you have two turbos, consider as well, but its geometry sometimes pre- all system has powerful resonant tuning “siamesing” the downstream tubes— cludes its use. (A six-cylinder opposed over a wide rpm range. but only if your turbos spin diff erent engine would use a six-into-three-into- Th e collector need not be much larger directions—so that you don’t swirl the one system. Th e same basics apply, but than the primary pipes, Lockheed says. exhaust streams into collision with one we’ll stay with fours for the rest of this “A pair of 1.875-inch pipes, for instance, another. column.) can feed a 2.125-inch collector. If you Attention to exhaust can be worth time the pulses by the trouble. “You want to use the using the right pipe exhaust’s energy for extraction, rather lengths, they will than noise,” Lockheed says. “Th e not collide with each benefi t of a ‘perfect’ tuned-resonance other. Th ere then system with the proper cam can give will be more [exhaust volumetric effi ciencies of 120-plus gas] mass moving in percent; a typical aircraft system today the collector, so the is probably close to 90%.” Th at’s almost kinetic energy will be another cylinder on your four-cylinder higher, in a smaller, engine, and more than an extra cylinder lighter exhaust system on your six. Could you use that?

Careful design of a four-into-one system can liberate substantial horsepower and effi ciency.

Photos: Tim Kern KITPLANES September 2007 61 Flash yourself, Part 3.

he fl asher we did over the last two months was a fun toy and can be used in a non-critical application. Th is month we are going to grow hair on the little feller. Caution: Th is sucker can kill you. It’s not like a transistor radio—450 Tvolts is nothing to play with if you don’t know what you are doing. What do we know about fl ashtubes from the last couple of months? We know that the fl ash energy is measured in joule, calculated by the equation J = ½ x C x V2 where J is the energy in joules, C is the capacitance in farads, and V is Last month’s strobe (right) and this the voltage across the capacitor in volts. We have two ways of increasing the energy month’s strobe (left). Note the relative (and thus the brightness) of our fl ashtube, and they are to increase the value of the sizes of the two fl ashtubes at the top fl ash capacitor and/or to increase the voltage across that capacitor. If we note that the of each board. Also note the heat sinks energy goes up as the voltage is squared, then increasing the voltage across the capaci- (black) on the two driver transistors. tor will get us far more brightness than simply increasing the capacitance. Or we can do a little of both. Let’s start with the modifi cations to the power supply. squared is 24 joules. Th e little 30-joule, In the original, because we wanted to limit the output voltage to 350 volts, we 10,000 fl ashes tube we used last month chose R1 (the input current limiting resistor) to be 10Ω. Now we’d like to boop (a isn’t going to last long at that rate. technical term) that voltage to 450 volts and the resistor R1 drops to 1Ω. Th e answer is a larger tube, one that Now that we are pumping nearly 40 watts (13 volts at 3 amps) into our circuit, Q1 is also 30 joules, but is rated at 300,000 and Q2 get unmercifully hot unless we heat sink them. Th e heat sinks you see in the fl ashes at that power. And, as we said picture will do for a minute, but if I were to make this unit so that it operated for last month, if we run the energy down hours on end without stopping, I would fi nd a large block of aluminum to bolt the a little, and only fl ash once every 2 sec- transistors to. Caution: Th e tab for the bolt hole in this transistor is electrically con- onds or so, that tube will last nearly 300 nected to the transistor drain (top terminal on the schematic) and you don’t want to hours of operation. We also found that ground this pin. Use a “transistor mounting kit,” which consists of a hyperthin mica letting the supply voltage dictate when washer and a shoulder washer so that the metal transistor tab is thermally connected the tube fi red could be improved so that to the chassis but electrically isolated. Use thermal grease between the tab and the no matter what the supply voltage is, the washer, and between the washer and the chassis. Th ermal grease isn’t particularly tube will fi re at a predetermined rate. poisonous, but if you get it on your hands or your clothes it is the devil to wash out. Th e oscillator formed by U1A4 and U1A5 has a period determined by the Parts Is Parts values of C5, C6, R8 and R9. I’ve chosen It would seem simple to buy a larger capacitor for C1, but it’s not. Back when “radios values so that R9 is set to midrange for a glowed in the dark” (i.e., vacuum tubes) you could fi nd several hundred microfarad fl ash rate of once every 2 seconds. Note capacitors at 500 volts from dozens of sources. What with low voltage transistors and that we are using another trick with C5 such taking center stage now, high-voltage capacitors are practically nonexistent, so and C6. Th ese are polarized capacitors we revert to tricks we used back in the days when we wanted to run kilovolt plate that expect the (+) positive end of the supplies on ham rigs: capacitors in series. Two equal value capacitors in series divide capacitor will always be more positive the capacitance by two but double the working voltage. In our case, two 470μf 250- than the (-) negative end. In an oscilla- volt capacitors (easy to come by) in series give us 235μf of capacitance at 500 volts. tor, we can’t guarantee this, but putting So what’s the fi nal joule count? One half of 235 microfarads times 450 volts them tail to tail “unpolarizes” them. What we want Q3 to do is pulse the Jim Weir began acquiring Aero’Lectrics expertise in 1959, fi xing Narco Superhomers in exchange trigger transformer for a few microsec- for fl ight hours. A commercial pilot, CFI and A&P/IA, Jim has owned and restored four single- onds, just long enough to start the fi re engine Cessnas. Th ese days, he runs RST Engineering and teaches electronics at Sierra College. in the bottle. Th e combination of C4 Ask him questions at rec.aviation.homebuilt or visit his site at www.rst-engr.com/kitplanes. and R7 sets the “on” time of Q3 to be

62 KITPLANES September 2007 Schematic 1.

Notes: 1. R1 is chosen to give a maximum of 500 volts no-load at the 450-volt output. Use a 5-watt resistor. 2. R2 is chosen to give 450 volts output in 1 second after fl ash. 470-1K ohms will do this fairly well. Use a 5-watt resistor. 3. U1 is a 6-section CMOS 4049 inverting buff er. +12 to pin 1, ground to pin 8. Pinout available online. 4. Q1 and Q2 are power n-channel mosfets, part number IRF-740. 5. C1 and C3 are 470 uf 250-volt electrolytic capacitors. 6. The waveform at the outputs of U1A2 and U1A3 should be square waves at 15 kHz, 180° out of phase with one another. 7. T1 is a 110v: 6.3v at 1 amp (center-tapped secondary) transformer. 8. D1 - D4 are 1N4007 power rectifi er diodes.

Schematic 2. Reference Designator Value Mouser Part Number R1 1Ω 280-CR5-1.0RC C1 - C3 470μf 250 wvdc 5985-380-250v471 ””*332030 Jameco* I1 30 joule 300k fl ashes 361-0218

Putting C1 and C5 in series to increase the working voltage of the capacitors. The rectifi er diodes are at the right with R2 (1k 5w) between the diodes and the capacitors.

about 5 microseconds, long enough design, and I’m certainly not ready to sign this one off for production. I’d probably to completely saturate the trigger look around to fi nd a more effi cient power transformer than one of these old fi la- transformer (T2). So the sequence is that ment transformers, I’d experiment to fi nd the exact frequency at which the trans- U1A5 burps and ticks Q3, which raps former should be driven for best effi ciency, and I’d use driver FETs that had a lower T2, which gazaps I1, which gazooms “on” resistance to cut down on the heating, I’d drive them with a D-type fl ip-fl op to C1/C3. eliminate the “both on for a few milliseconds” phenomena and a few other minor Th e table lists the changes for this enhancements. But for less than $35 in parts? Probably not. Th is is about as inex- month’s modifi cations (any non-critical pensive as it gets. parts like ¼-watt resistors and low-volt- Whither from here? I’ve been promising you that I was going to get around to age capacitors are not included; Jameco electrifying your hangar or workshop, and I probably ought to keep that promise. It capacitors are less expensive). will likely be a three-parter and probably not in three sequential months. When I’m Now no engineer in his right mind talking a few dozen amperes of 12-volt current, it will take me a good month just to (oxymoron?) is ever satisfi ed with a wring out the design, much less write about it.

Photos: Jim Weir KITPLANES September 2007 63 BACK ISSUES List of Advertisers

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KITPLANES September 2007 67 At airspeeds below the design point the situation is diff erent. Th e power The value of a constant-speed prop. required to turn the propeller at a given rpm increases as airspeed decreases. ropellers have a large eff ect on the performance of piston-engine airplanes. Accordingly, at airspeeds below the One of the important decisions for a designer or builder is whether to use a design point, the engine does not have fi xed-pitch propeller or step up to the higher weight, cost and complexity of a enough power to turn the prop at the Pconstant-speed prop in order to improve performance. Last month we started engine’s rated rpm. Th e prop will govern our discussion of propellers with a look at how the propeller absorbs power the engine down to a lower rpm. At this from the engine and converts it to useful thrust to drive the airplane through the air. We lower shaft speed, the engine will pro- saw how the power required to turn a propeller varies with airspeed and took a look at the duce less than rated power, even at full thrust horsepower available from a fi xed-pitch prop. throttle. Th e slower the airspeed is relative to the design point of the propel- Fixed Pitch ler, the more the prop holds down the What becomes clear if we look at the characteristics of a fi xed-pitch propeller being engine rpm, and the lower the power driven by a piston engine is that the situation is similar to an automobile that has only delivered to the prop and, eventually, to one gear ratio in its transmission. Th e fi xed-pitch propeller can effi ciently deliver the the airplane. rated power of the engine to the airplane at the airspeed and rpm at which it was Because of the eff ects just described, designed to operate (its design point), but the thrust horsepower it can deliver falls the choice of pitch for a fi xed-pitch pro- off relatively quickly as the airspeed varies from the design point. peller tends to be a compromise. If we At airspeeds above the design point, the propeller cannot absorb the rated power pitch the prop to get the best cruise per- of the engine at the rated rpm of the engine. Accordingly, the engine cannot be run formance, we wind up with a higher- at full throttle at these higher airspeeds without exceeding its rated operating rpm. pitch propeller that tends to lug the To avoid over-speeding the engine we must reduce throttle, which decreases the engine more at lower airspeeds, which power being delivered to the propeller, and hence decreases the thrust horsepower hurts climb performance. On the other the propeller delivers to the airplane. hand, if we choose a low-pitch prop that lets the engine deliver rated power Figure 1. Thrust Horsepower: Constant Speed vs Fixed Pitch at climb airspeeds, cruise performance 160 will be severely reduced, because the Constant Speed Fixed Pitch engine will not be able to deliver any- 140 thing close to rated power at cruise airspeed without over-speeding. For most 120 airplanes with fi xed-pitch props, the

100 pitch is somewhat less than optimum for cruise but still higher than optimum for

80 maximizing rate of climb. If the pitch is biased toward the high side to make 60 the airplane faster, we call it a “cruise” prop, and if the pitch is biased down to 40 emphasize climb performance we call it a “climb” prop. 20

0 Speed Variation 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 Airspeed (knots) A fi xed-pitch prop is sensitive to varia- tions in airspeed. Th e greater the varia- Barnaby Wainfan’s day job is in aerodynamic design for Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Design tion in airspeed over the mission, the organization where he is a principal engineer. A private pilot with single engine and glider harder it is to come up with an accept- ratings, Barnaby has been involved in the design of unconventional airplanes including canards, able compromise pitch. Early airplanes joined wings, fl ying wings and some too strange to fall into any known category. were relatively slow and had a relatively

68 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Figure 2. power it takes to turn the propeller. By

1 changing the pitch of the blades, we can adjust the propeller to absorb a given 0.9 power at a given rpm. Early variable- 0.8 pitch propellers had two pitch settings,

0.7 a low (or fi ne) pitch setting for takeoff and climb, and a high (or coarse) pitch 0.6 setting for high speed. Later, governors 0.5 were developed that varied the pitch

0.4 of the prop blades to keep the engine running at constant rpm. Th is allowed 0.3 the pilot to choose the engine rpm by 0.2 setting the governor, and then adjust

0.1 power (manifold pressure) with the throttle. Th is constant-speed system is 0 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 what is used on most airplanes today. Airspeed (Knots) What a constant-speed prop does is allow the engine to turn up to its rated small speed range in takeoff , climb and Th e engine rpm would actually drop rpm at any airspeed. Th e governor cruise. Th e same is true for modern at this point in the takeoff roll, even adjusts the pitch of the blades to keep ultralights. Since these airplanes fl y at though thrust would start to increase. the rpm constant. When the prop is set nearly constant airspeed, a fi xed-pitch Because these racers had high-power to maximum rpm, the engine turns at its propeller works well for them. engines, they would eventually get off rated rpm. If the throttle is wide open, As performance and cruise speed the ground, but their takeoff and climb this means that the engine is deliver- increase, the variation of airspeed performance was poor, and the takeoff ing its rated horsepower to the prop. It between climb and cruise gets larger. roll was long in spite of their power. is this ability to get full power out of the At some point, the variation in airspeed Modern single-engine light airplanes engine at a wide range of airspeeds that between climb and cruise gets large span the speed range where the cross- is the primary advantage of a constant- enough that a single propeller pitch can- over between fi xed-pitch propellers speed prop. not adequately address the needs of the being adequate and being inadequate To illustrate the diff erence between a airplane over the entire speed range. By occurs. A trainer or light sport airplane fi xed-pitch and constant-speed prop, let’s the early 1920s the builders of racing has a small enough speed range that a look at Figure 1, which shows the thrust airplanes began to run into this prob- fi xed-pitch prop will work ne.fi On a horsepower available from an example lem. By the mid-’20s the top speed of Cessna 150, for example, cruise speed is propeller. Th is prop was designed to the fastest racing airplanes was more only about 25% faster than best rate of absorb 160 horsepower at 160 knots. than 200 mph. To go that fast they had climb speed. Th e fi rst thing to note is that there is to have high-pitch propellers. Th ese Cleaner, high-power airplanes can no diff erence between the performance worked well at racing speeds, but they easily have cruise speeds that are more of the fi xed-pitch and constant-speed performed poorly on takeoff . than twice the best rate of climb speed. prop at the design point of 160 knots. If On some of these racers, the pitch As the variation between cruise speed the two propellers have the same blade angle of the prop blades was so high that and climb speed increases, the severity shape, they will be essentially the same, the blades stalled when the airplane was of the compromise inherent in a fi xed- because the governor of the constant- moving slowly. In this condition, the pitch prop also increases. At some point, speed prop will place the blades at the engine could turn relatively fast, but a variable-pitch prop becomes the better same pitch as the optimized fi xed-pitch the prop produced little thrust. It took option. prop would have. a long roll for the airplane to get going What is diff erent is the performance fast enough to un-stall the prop blades. Variable Pitch of the two systems at airspeeds below When this happened, the ability of the One of the parameters that determines the design point. Th e thrust horsepower propeller to produce thrust increased, how much power the propeller can available from the fi xed-pitch prop falls but the extra lift produced by the blades absorb is the pitch angle in the blades. sharply as airspeed is reduced. Th e con- opposed the engine’s rotation enough For a given blade shape and prop diam- stant-speed prop does much better at to slow the engine and reduce power. eter, the greater the pitch angle the more delivering power to the airframe at

KITPLANES September 2007 69 these lower airspeeds. By adjusting the pitch to keep the rpm at rated rpm, the governor allows the constant-speed prop to absorb the full rated power of the engine. Notice that the performance of the constant-speed prop is not absolutely constant with airspeed; while the prop is getting full power form the engine, the propeller effi ciency varies with airspeed. Th is eff ect is illustrated for our example prop in Figure 2. At lower than design airspeed, propeller effi ciency degrades for two reasons. First, the ideal effi ciency of a perfect prop decreases with decreasing airspeed. Second, the Bill Mileski’s Zenith CH 701 blades are shaped to be effi cient at the N701MW is a Zenith CH 701 from a year 2000 kit; it left the ground for a perfect design point, and while the governor fi rst fl ight on May 5, 2006. I never imagined it could take so long to complete, but I can change the pitch of the blades, it suppose getting married, having a child, doing an addition to a house, moving and can’t adjust the blade twist or planform. building a 2500-square-foot hangar were factors—in addition to the rest of normal life! Learning about all aircraft systems is great, but the exhilaration of fi rst fl ight Why Constant Speed? (especially in a STOL) is hard to describe. Even harder to describe were the feelings See Figure 1 to appreciate the primary during the few seconds before taking the active runway for the fi rst time, not know- reason to choose a constant-speed prop. ing how it would work out but being totally committed to leaving the ground—a If we lolookok at a typicaltypical climb speed of unique experience! It has a 912S engine, a BRS ’chute, and performance is better 800 knots,kno , we can see thatth t thethhe constant-constan - than expected. Paint is Imron, and vinyl graphics were conveniently designed,s speed propeller is delivering about 25% cut and installed at the hangar by a local mobile graphics fi rm. Support from my more power to the airplane than the parents and wife, and especially my brother Paul and hangar partner Gary, were impor- fi xed-pitch propeller. For a gross weight tant in getting this project completed. Th e Zenith factory and Skyshop were very typical of a two-seat, high-performance helpful, and the Zenith e-mail list is irreplaceable. homebuilt, this diff erence corresponds LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT to about 500 fpm of rate of climb. [email protected] Th is rate of climb improvement allows the operator of the airplane to Ray Doerr’s RV-10 use a propeller that delivers maximum On Friday May 26, 2006, N519RV took cruise performance while retaining to the sky for the fi rst time with Joseph acceptable takeoff and climb perfor- Shetterly (A10 pilot in the Air Force) at mance. A fi xed-pitch prop can deliver the controls. He said it fl ew great and had the same cruise performance only if amazing performance. It is powered by an the greatly reduced rate of climb is IO-540-D4A5 (rebuilt by America’s Air- still acceptable. If it is not, then the craft Engines) with a Hartzell blended operator will be forced to use a lower- airfoil prop. It is equipped with a full pitch prop that will compromise cruise Garmin IFR stack and Dynon EFIS and performance to get an acceptable climb. engine monitor. Over the long weekend, Joe and his dad, Greg Shetterly (Boeing As the top speed of the airplane increases, 757 pilot and ATP examiner), took turns at the controls and managed to fl y off 17.5 so does the magnitude of this compro- hours while I was on the ground recording data and providing support and main- mise. When the performance of the tenance—and the credit card for the fuel. I would like to thank these two guys for airplane gets high enough, a constant- off ering to fl y off the 25 hours. I would also like to thank my wife, Michele, for speed prop becomes the best approach putting up with airplane parts all over the house for the year and 10 months while to using the cruise performance inher- I was completing this slow-build project. Th anks also to my EAA Tech Counselor, ent in the design of the airframe, while Dale Rose, for all the support during the build process. still being able to take off in a reasonable GARDNER, KANSAS (K34) distance and climb well. [email protected]

70 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com Matt Hlavac’s Breezy Breezy N5150 was completed over a four-year period with just north of 3000 hours of build time. Th e airframe is all Bob Ennis’s RotorWay 162F 4130 chrome-moly steel, TIG welded, sandblasted and pow- My RotorWay Exec kit arrived as a series of crates in June der-coated. Th e powerplant is a Lycoming O-320 E20 rebuilt 2003. Factory assistance was and continues to be exemplary, from a Cessna 172, swinging a Sensenich 74x48 prop. Th e but slow progress because of a hectic work schedule cou- wings are Wag-Aero, built up from its 2+2 aluminum spar pled with my own inexperience made me soon realize that I and wingrib kit, and are covered in PolyFiber and painted needed help. I found that help in Homer Bell, the “Human with PolyTone. Th e wingstruts are modifi ed Piper Super Quickbuild Program.” With his guidance, we accomplished Cub. more in six days than I would have done on my own in years. I departed from the plans, as I wanted dual sticks and dual Preliminary hover tests began in late May 2004, and by Jan- rudder pedals. I also knew an electrical system was needed; it uary 2005, 2756E was completed and signed off for formal really helps to have a transponder and a solid radio (or two) in fl ight testing. It has been fl ying wonderfully since then. San Diego. A larger powerplant drives the electrical and helps Almost 600 hours went into construction. Th e paint carry my 200 pounds plus 36 gallons of fuel and a passenger. scheme uses two colors of Chromillusion paint for the trim, Th e landing gear and engine tower were also “beefed up.” I so these colors change depending on your viewing angle. As really enjoy fabricating, machining and welding, so building a longtime reader of KITPLANES®, I had oft en wondered N5150 was a great pleasure. Sure beats reality TV, too. why builders felt it necessary to give so many thanks to so Th e N number honors all my fans who stopped by during many others upon the completion of their projects. As my the build and said, “You must be nuts to spend that much RotorWay approaches the 40-hour mark, I now can under- time and eff ort on a plane with no fuselage that is going to fl y stand their gratitude. I would not be fl ying my aircraft today so slow.” 5150 is police code for “mental case.” without the help and support of Homer Bell, Rich Hodge, Th e Breezy fl ies great. I put 52 hours on it between Janu- Jack Sturges, my wife, Alexandra, and my son Matthew— ary and June 2006. I have given 22 rides in the last 12 hours and most of all Tom and Mark at RotorWay factory support. and everyone has loved it—or so they said. Many thanks to Each one contributed time and talent to help me build an air- my wife, Christina, daughter Bella and my constant hangar craft of which I am truly proud and which draws attention on companions Chewy and Ripley, our four-legged kids. every ramp. SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA NEVADA CITY, CALIFORNIA [email protected] [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 pub- lish 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.

KITPLANES September 2007 71 the KP-5 results in smooth, low-friction aileron and elevator inputs. Aileron dif- Kappa KP-5: conventional excellence. ferential is 2:1; they move up twice as far as they move down, considerably reduc- ike many others in the FAA’s list of 48 approved, factory-built Light Sport ing adverse yaw. Th e wing design uses the Aircraft (LSAs), this month’s featured airplane relates to the collapse of the well-known GA(W)-1 airfoil at the root Soviet Union. Th e Jihlavan KP-5 comes from the Czech Republic, where its tapering to the GA(W)-2 confi guration Lhalf-century-old manufacturer developed ways to replace Soviet bloc prod- at the tip. Th e wings are twisted slightly, ucts and stay in business. Most of these Eastern European companies turn out resulting in washout that discourages beautifully built machines based on elegant designs, and Jihlavan is no exception. tip stalls that could result in loss of aile- Th e KP-5 is imported by Kappa Aircraft in Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania, and is ron eff ectiveness at low airspeed. sold by the importer and several U.S. dealerships. I fl ew with Frank Cuba, a fl ight Power comes from a 100-horsepower instructor and pilot examiner who owns Lite Wings, a KP-5 dealership in Silver Rotax 912 ULS and goes to a three- Creek, Nebraska. blade, Woodcomp SR200 propeller. Th e wing center section accommodates The Airplane two 8.5-gallon, individually selected With two exceptions, the all-metal KP-5 is conventional for its low-wing, trigear fuel tanks, and a pair of optional 4-gal- confi guration. Its staggered seating arrangement is not unique, but it is unusual. Th e lon tanks bring total fuel to 25 gallons, right seat and the right stick are 6 inches behind the left seat and stick, allowing calculated to be enough for 630 miles or both occupants wide shoulder room in a cockpit whose recently increased 47.2-inch 5 hours without reserves (don’t do it!). width seems spacious. Call it 4 hours’ endurance to be safe. Th e cockpit is thus nar- Refl ecting a design created before rower than it could be the LSA 1320-pound maximum gross with conventional side- weight was fi nalized, KP-5’s maxi- by-side seating, at least mum is listed as 1278 pounds, and theoretically reducing empty weight is 695 pounds not includ- weight, cost and drag. ing extras. Resulting useful load is 583 Both seats are adjust- pounds. With the standard tanks full, able fore and aft , and that leaves 484 pounds for a combina- both are provided full tion of people and up to 66 pounds of dual controls including baggage in two compartments. pitch trim and push- All three gear legs are fi tted with rub- to-talk buttons on the ber donut shock absorbers. Rudder ped- sticks. Only the center- als steer the nosewheel, and each stick Pilot examiner and Kappa Aircraft dealer Frank Cuba mounted throttle is is fi tted with a bicycle-type handle for provides customer checkouts in the KP-5. shared. non-diff erential wheel braking. Th e other unusual Th e upward-hinged canopy is acrylic, feature is Fowler fl aps, which increase wing size by about the area of the fl aps as they and the frame combines fi berglass, Kev- move down and far aft to the full 35° deployed position. Found on most airliners lar and carbon fi ber. It may be secured and many fast airplanes, Fowler fl aps are mounted on machined tracks. Th ey greatly from either seat. In addition to a pair of increase lift and drag on the KP-5, as will be noted shortly. fuselage cabin air vents, the canopy pro- Pushrod controls except for rudder cables are common in LSAs, and their use in vides adjustable air for both fl iers. Can- opy vents like this—originally found Dave Martin, who served as editor of this magazine for 17 years, began aviation journalism on European sailplanes—are now com- evaluating ultralights in the early ’80s. A former CFI (airplanes, gliders, instruments), he’s mon on light airplanes. Th e large can- fl own more than 160 aircraft types plus 60 ultralights (including a single-seat, no-basket hot opy dips low on the sides and provides air balloon). Now living at a residential airpark in Oregon, he fl ies his Spacewalker II homebuilt outstanding visibility, especially from as a Sport Pilot. the left seat. Both seats are fi tted with

72 KITPLANES September 2007 Photos: Dave Martin and Duncan Cubitt (Courtesy Kappa Aircraft ) LIGHT STUFF four-point safety harnesses. Standard instruments are the regular round variety, but this KP-5 was equipped with the optional Dynon EFIS-D100 7-inch- diagonal fl at panel display. And So We Go Flying My chance to sample a KP-5 came earlier this year at the Sebring Expo in Florida. Aft er a walk-around prefl ight, I slipped into the left , slightly front seat. Cuba talked us through the cockpit prefl ight and startup. An observation about the many types of steering and braking systems found in LSAs is that all of them that I’ve tried so far are eff ective and quickly mastered, including the KP-5’s direct nosewheel steering and non-dif- ferential brakes. Takeoff and climb into gusty aft er- noon conditions revealed excellent handing in roll and pitch: Response to gusts was crisp without being twitchy or overly sensitive. Diff erential ailerons reduce necessary coordinating rudder input. Once at cruise airspeed, little rudder was needed when rolling smartly into and out of banks; the ball—once I found it—stayed close to centered with little footwork. At this point I’ll digress to recommend something I did not do: Get acquainted with the Dynon D100 before relying on it for basic fl ight information. Airspeed, altitude and heading were found on the Dynon panel immediately, but I had to glance at the EFIS several times before locating the electronic-image version of the standard ball-in-the-tube slip/skid indicator. Continued gustiness precluded the exact numbers and experiences I usually seek, but here are the basics: Roll rate was about 3 seconds from 45° to 45° of bank. A departure (partial power) stall was at 43 mph indicated (it varies with the amount of power carried) with a slight wingdrop, and recovery was perfectly comfortable. Approach (idle power) stalls were docile with or without fl aps, and recovery was immediate upon relaxing back pressure. Th e electrically powered Fowler

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INCLUDES A FREE A sturdy all-metal airframe and delightful handing are among the KP-5’s attributes. SET OF SPORT TRAINER DRAWINGS WITH THE PURCHASE OF A QUICK BUILD KIT! fl aps are selectable for 10°—the dling standpoint, and the Kappa KP-5 normal approach setting—or full down resembles it. Cuba says the KP-5 comes FREE BROCHURE! at 35°. Th e 10° position results in a com- closest to fl ying like a Van’s Aircraft fortable idle-power glide approximat- RV, and I also see the similarity. Both WAG-AERO ing the normal 3° airport glide slope. impressions indicate how well the KP- By comparison, the full-down mode is 5 fl ies. 1-800-558-6868 something to behold (preferably at alti- www.wagaero.com tude the fi rst few times). At idle power, KIT67 store.wagaero.com Buying One the pitchdown to maintain normal Top quality comes with a price, which approach airspeed appears to be 12° will be close to $138,000 with the or more, about four times the normal Dynon EFIS-D100, Dynon EMS-D120 glide angle. Th is fl ap setting would be engine monitor, Garmin GPSMAP useful getting into short runways with 496 and Garmin GTX 327 transpon- obstructions or for keeping the pattern der, autopilot with altitude hold, three- tight once you’ve mastered touchdown tone paint, leather interior, long-range in this mode. Cuba said he considers full tanks, a lighting package and a canopy fl aps to be primarily for emergencies or cover. Base price is about $113,150 and when showing off . includes standard VFR instruments Advertised full-power level airspeed is and gauges, Garmin SL40 com, Garmin 138 mph, but the most seen on our air- GTX 320 transponder and an ELT. speed indicator was 127 mph (130 TAS) Purchase of the KP-5 includes a rea- in the bumpy air. General gustiness pre- sonable-length checkout (not primary cluded relying on GPS ground speed to training). In addition to Pennsylvania confi rm airspeed. and Nebraska, California and Texas are In his review of the KP-5 several years KP-5 dealer locations. Th e airframe is ago, Dan Johnson noted its tendency warranted for two years or 200 hours, to climb when attempting straight and and the Rotax engine carries an 18- level fl ight because of the downward month or 200-hour warranty. sloping cowl. I noted the same thing, As always, long-term product support but with a bit more time, improper pilot is a concern, but the KP-5’s obvious qual- response to better-than-usual forward ity and excellent handling should pro- visibility would disappear. Overall, I vide enough sales to maintain a Kappa was delighted with how the KP-5 fl ies Aircraft presence for the long haul. and with cockpit visibility. For more information, call 570/839-6450 Kitplanes.com/aircraftdirectory Among the many lightplanes I’ve fl own, the all-wood, Italian-design F.8L or visit www.kappaaircraft .com. A direct Falco is among the best from a han- link can be found at www.kitplanes.com.

74 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com THE CLASSIFIEDBUILDER

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KITPLANES September 2007 79 KIT STUFF BY ROBRUCHA

80 KITPLANES September 2007 www.kitplanes.com