March - April 2006 Recreational Aircraft Association Canada www.raa.ca The Voice of Canadian Amateur Aircraft Builders $6.95 Buzz Steeves’ Jezabelle Gary Wolf TRANSPORT MEETINGS AND through their delegation to MD-RA. recently bought one and then flew it REGULATIONS These planes may currently be flown with minimal inspection and no weight The past two months have been VFR or IFR with up to four seats and and balance. His airspeed indicator busy at RAA. Director Ernst Schneider 5000 pounds gross. The limits of Builder was non-functioning too. In aviation and I have attended a series of meetings Assist are always being reassessed, but you should learn from the mistakes in Ottawa that are meant to provide if you are building your own plane of others, because you won’t live long industry input into a possible revision the traditional way you are on good enough to make them all yourself. of our non-certified regulations. I am ground. still skeptical that all of this will result -Owner maintenance is a dead end JAIME ALEXANDRE’S ENGINE in anything more than rearranging the for anyone who puts his plane into this SEMINAR furniture, but is necessary to attend to category. At one time it seemed like a Jaime Alexandre is an RAA member maintain the privileges that we already reasonable alternative for the owner of who wears many hats, among them have. This is not to say that the intent is an aging certified plane, but now the US Chief Inspector of MD-RA. For many to limit current privileges, but at previ- will not allow them into their airspace. years he has been designing and build- ous meetings it has become evident that An O-M plane has very little market ing his own aircraft, and for the past ten some of those who have the power to value and the parts still cost the same. years he has been developing the Geo make sweeping changes do not have a Plus, Transport is now interpreting the automobile engines for aircraft use. At very good understanding of the catego- regs in a more narrow fashion, so that present he has over 1400 air hours in ries that they oversee. even amphib floats are not allowed. planes powered with his conversions. Here is a synopsis of RAA’s posi- Not a good category anymore. This month Jaime held a tell-all two day tion on the categories: -Light Sport is on the horizon of our seminar to show members how to con- -Basic UL. Do not expect to see regs but we do not seem to be approach- vert these engines properly, even to the any changes to this category. Some ing it at any great rate of speed. extent of explaining how to cut gears members are confusing the PP-UL -Owner built Light Sports may be for a belt redrive. He had two engines passenger-carrying endorsement with registered in the amateur-built category on display, a Subaru with the SPG the privileges of the airframe. There is if they meet the 51% requirement, or gearbox, and a Geo 1300 with his own nothing that would indicate that a Basic in the AULA category if they meet the belt redrive. The Geo was unusual in UL will ever be legal for the carriage of 1232 pound gross limit and the manu- that it was laid down horizontally and unlicensed passengers. facturer sends in a DS10141 statement. had been dry-sumped. Jaime ran this AULA is still a dog’s breakfast Fully-manufactured Light Sports may smooth and quiet engine for the forty because the update of the Eligible List be registered in the Limited category members who attended, and demon- is stalled. Transport will not verify on a one-off basis. strated the adjustability of its Tracy the accuracy of any manufacturer’s The Light Sport category in the Crook computer. DS10141 statement, so you are still on US is now flushing out all of the over- The costs for this seminar were your own to determine if your plane weight Part 103 planes, and a lot of borne by Jaime himself, and during the is legal for the carriage of passengers. them are being listed on E-Bay. You meeting he passed the hat to collect vol- Read the disclaimers on the TC Eligi- may import one of these and register untary donations. These totalled over ble List page, and you will see that all it in the Basic UL category without $1000, and all funds were donated to responsibility for verification is yours. any inspection or oversight. Be careful RAA Canada to assist with the costs of -Amateur-Built is in good shape though - there are no design standards, providing representation at Transport because they operate under clear regu- and a 254 pound plane has to be pretty meetings in Ottawa. lations, and Transport inspects them minimal in construction. A local fellow Continued on page 33 The Recreational Aircraft email: [email protected] tion of the magazine is to promote education Association Canada www.raa.ca and safety through its members to the gen- 13691 MCLAUGHLIN ROAD, R R 1, The Recreational Flyer is published bi-monthly eral public. Opinions expressed in articles CHELTENHAM, ON L0P 1C0 by the Recreational Aircraft Association Pub- and letters do not necessarily reflect those of Telephone: 905-838-1357 lishing Company, Brampton Airport, Chelten- the Recreational Aircraft Association Canada. Fax: 905-838-1359 ham, ON L0P 1C0. The Recreational Flyer is Accuracy of the material presented is solely Member's Toll Free line: 1-800-387-1028 devoted to the aerospace sciences. The inten- the responsibility of the author or contributor. Features 4 Resurrection of a Comet by Bill Tee .....................................................................................4 It's Always Been About Power First in a series / by Thomas Hinderks ........................................8 What's a Homade 183? by Norbert Glatt ..........................................................................9 9 Les Fauchers De Marguerites by/par Serge Ballard ...................................................................10 Introducing The Transition MIT grads tackle roadable aircraft / by George Gregory ...........12 Over The Horizon, Part 2 More cross country tips from Curt Reimer ...............................16 ReBorn 12 Team effort brings Buzz Steeves’ beautiful C-140 back to life by Gary Wolf ..............................................................................22 Tiger Boys Michel Tondreau at the RAA fabric seminar .............................30 From the President's Desk 22 by Gary Wolf ........................................................................2 Across Canada: Chapters in Action by Don Dutton ...................................................................19 Tech Stuff Scratch-Built Seats / by Ernie Riddle ................................33 Tape Measure Setup / by Gary Wolf ..................................34 Classifi ed ...............................................................................38 30 New In Canadian Skies ........................................................41 George Gregory ofo f a CometC o m e t By Bill Tee IN MARCH 1933 a gentleman DeHavilland found it incom- fi rst British aircraft to combine prehensible that a non British fl aps, variable pitch propellers, named Sir MacPherson Robertson Resurrectioncraft and crew be the winners retractable landing gear and proposed an air race from of such a competition. With no monocoque construction all in suitable British aircraft avail- one bundle. Mildenhall, Suffolk, England to able the directors of deHavilland The fi rst variable pitch pro- Melbourne Australia to celebrate the decided that the company should pellers were novel in that they th go ahead and design, build and were secured into fi ne pitch by 100 anniversary of the founding certifi cate a suitable aircraft for ground infl ation of an internal air of the Australian state of Victoria. this mission despite it’s meaning bladder [using a bicycle pump I a fi nancial loss to the company (I believe] . Upon reaching a pre- Melbourne was named after a small guess that was before bean coun- determined speed after take-off Derbyshire town of the same name, ters ran everything). All this was a round disc mounted on the done in a mere 9 months. Either front of each spinner would be not far from where this restoration things were simpler in those forced back by the air pressure is taking place. The event was days or there was more will to and release the air in each blad- get things done! der permitting each prop to go organized by the Royal Aero Club The 5500 lb gross weight air- into course pitch for cruise (not and the fi rst prize of 10,000 pounds craft was to cruise with its 220 always at exactly the same time HP Gipsy 6 engines at more than – interesting) where they stayed (About 1,000,000 today) was 200 MPH with a top speed of 225 until the bladders were infl ated put up by Robertson. MPH at sea level. Ceiling was again on the ground before 21,000 feet [4,000 on one engine] the next take-off. Just try a go and stall speed ranged between around with these suckers! 63 and 78 MPH depending on Three such twin engine load. They would be sold for a tandem two seat low wing nominal charge of 5000 pounds aircraft designated the DH88 each. This aircraft would be the Comet were built for the event. 4 Recreational Flyer March - April 2006 This Comet's remains were complete enough that the British CAA considers it a restoration rather than a replica and has allocated its original registration marks, G-ACSP These three were G-ACSP, G-ACSR and G-ACSS. The fi rst aircraft ‘CSP fl ew for the fi rst time at Hatfi eld on 8 Septem- ber 1934 with Hubert Broad at the controls. It was later was christened ‘Black Magic’ because of its black and gold paint job installed by its owners Jim and Amy (Johnson) Mollison who would enter and fl y it in the race.