|
|
EDITORIAL
The Impossible Turn Revisited - Again
An update to last month's column
In last month's editorial
I wrote of my personal experience with "the impossible
turn." As one might expect, I received a lot of commentary from
the readers, most through Facebook (now that our articles are linked
to it), but I also received several directly through e-mail. Overall
the comments were complimentary, and I truly appreciate it. But some
made a few good points that I missed which I'd like to share with you
now. Read
more
|
|
|
Experimenter Improves with
Your Help
The best stories come from you, and we implore you to share your
building experiences with your fellow readers. We need your help in
providing content for each issue of Experimenter. Please
consider submitting an article, especially the next time you feel
compelled to write a report to your e-mail group, type newsletter, or
EAA chapter newsletter. Help us build up a stockpile so we can do a
better job bringing you Experimenter each month. And please
remember to take our survey
when you are done with this issue of Experimenter.
|
|
|
PAUL'S PICK
EAA and FAA Working Together
This month representatives with the FAA traveled to Oshkosh for an
annual summit to confer with EAA representatives on a range of issues
and initiatives. The collaboration has been going on for almost a decade
and has been useful in shaping future regulations. In 1981, Paul
Poberezny wrote about informal meetings he had with FAA officials about
very similar issues that still exist today, like whether a third-class
medical is necessary for those who hold a private pilot certificate. Read
Paul's Pick
|
|
|
|
TALES FROM THE DAR SIDE
Operating Limitations - Major or Minor Change?
Continuing our discussion of experimental, amateur-built operating
limitations, I want to talk about something that is a constant source of
conversation and questions - the "major change." One of the
benefits of owning or operating an experimental aircraft is that you are
free to, well, experiment! The aircraft isn't tied to any sort of FAA
type design or specification, so there are few restrictions on the
changes a person might wish to make or who may make them. As with all
things, however, one must make sure to check and see what the operating
limitations allow and require. One thing you'll find in all operating
limitations will be requirements for incorporating a "major
change." What's a major change, you ask? Well, that's where the
conversation and questions start. Read
more |
 |
 |
|
|
Thatcher CX4
Expecting a Big Brother
As a result of the single-place Thatcher CX4’s success and due to
overwhelming builder demand, Dave Thatcher and his Thatcher Aircraft
company will offer a two-place version of the CX4 later this year. As is
his normal style, Dave has been quietly working away, building the new
prototype, drawing the plans for the past year, and keeping things under
wraps. Read
more
|
|
|
Two
First-Time Builders Let Others Observe, Critique with Live Video Blog
Most days, Brady Lane and Caleb Ihrig are just two normal guys in
their 20s: They like sports, video games, music, and, of course, their
families. They also have embarked upon an ambitious project to build a
four-place Bearhawk from scratch. Caleb is an engineer and likes
mechanical things; Brady is a multimedia journalist for EAA. With just
basic skills and tools, the two friends are inviting the world to watch
them build an airplane through their Dream Build Fly blog, featuring
weekly build sessions streamed live from Caleb's basement. Read
more
|
|
|
|
HOW TO
Understanding
Horsepower and Torque
They aren't mutually exclusive
One of the most hotly contested but least understood controversy
concerning engines in aircraft is that of horsepower versus torque. How
often have we heard the phrase, "It's torque that turns a
prop"? It's one of those statements that have been repeated so
often that most people now accept it as fact. While there's some truth
to it, it's a very misleading concept. Read
more
|
|
|
WHAT
OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING
...or
in this case, rebuilding
In the spring of 2006, Charlie Johnson was preparing to depart in
his VW-powered Dragonfly Mk.II to attend a canard aircraft gathering in
the foothills of California. He got as far as the run-up area when he
noticed a problem: the propeller was not responding to throttle control-
and this was a fixed-pitch prop! By the following week he had his plane
disassembled and prepared to haul it back home to Utah. As things often
go, he decided that this was a great opportunity to swap-out the VW for
the more powerful engine. This of course necessitated several changes,
many related to the higher power and the fit of the new Corvair engine,
but some changes were just overdue. Read
more
|
|
|
MYSTERY
PLANE
Moldless
Composite Construction, Plans-Built
This
month's unique Mystery Plane is a two-place, side-by-side, plans-built
experimental aircraft that may be configured to qualify and be flown by
a sport pilot. The prototype was originally (successfully) flown using a
converted 100-hp Subaru EA-81 that has since been replaced by a Lycoming
O-320. This plane brings the go-fast looks and performance to the
pocketbook of the average plans-builder.
Read
more
|
|
|
|
|
Seven
Entries for EAA's Electric Flight Prize
There is a buzz in the air surrounding the $60,000 Electric Flight
Prize at EAA AirVenture 2011. Initial applications are filtering in from
innovators ready to showcase their advancements in electric flight at
"The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration." AirVenture 2011
attendees will have an opportunity to witness the future of electric
flight on display and in action through this contest, which will
highlight an amazing array of new powerplant and airframe designs. Read
more
|
|
|
EAA
Lists Concerns on Pilot Certificate Photo Proposal
In response to a 2004 congressional mandate, the FAA has proposed a new
form of pilot certificate that would include a photo. The requirements
from Congress include security measures like resistance to tampering and
a unique identifier such as a digital photo or biometric ID. EAA and
other industry groups argue that the new requirements increase costs to
certificate holders and are unnecessary since the current rules require
pilots to carry a photo ID. Also, that new ID may still not conform to
Department of Homeland Security standards, which means in the future
certificate holders would have to replace their IDs a second time. Read
more
|
|
|
Co-Founder
of Monogram Models Dies
It started with balsa wood, some music wire, tissue, and a rubber loop:
It was his first model airplane. At 13 years old, Robert Reder had
created a flying toy that would change his life and inspire many others.
He became a draftsman for a model company in Chicago during World War
II, eventually helping him launch his own model company, Monogram
Models, which later became Revell Inc., a leader in hobby model kits. Read
more
|
|
|
Work
Begins on Plan to Lower A-B Fatal Accident Rate
EAA participates in ongoing work on GA safety and LSA standards
EAA Government & Advocacy Specialist David Oord was in
Sebring, Florida, last week meeting with several task forces and
committees regarding light-sport aircraft certification and GA safety
initiatives. In these ongoing collaborations with government and
industry entities, EAA plays a key role, evolving standards for
light-sport aircraft and working with the FAA to lower the experimental
amateur-built aircraft accident rate. Read
more
|
|
|
Rutan's
Pyramid on the Market
Aviation legend Burt Rutan, who last year announced he
would retire in April 2011, is moving within weeks to Coeur d'Alene,
Idaho, and now he and his wife, Tonya, have their home, "The Rutan
Pyramid," up for sale in Mojave, California. What better home for
an EAAer? The Rutan Pyramid is only five minutes away (by car or
helicopter - it has a heliport) from the Mojave Air & Space Port.
The unique home, in which myriad innovative flying machines and other
inventions were inspired, is on the market with the asking price of $1
million. Read
more
|
|
|
|
|
Q&A
Got a
question? Send it to us at Experimenter@eaa.org.
Whether you're building, restoring, or just an
enthusiast. we want to know what has you
stumped.
Q. I'm
looking at two already-flying homebuilts that are for sale, and I want
to make sure that if I purchase one it will meet the light-sport
aircraft (LSA) requirements. One has a gross weight of 1,500 pounds, so
as it stands it doesn't meet the LSA definition. But I thought I read
that the gross weight of a homebuilt could be changed, despite it being
a major modification. So could I change the gross weight of this
aircraft to 1,320 pounds and make it meet the LSA definition?
A. It's easy to
be misled by the question of changing the gross weight of an
experimental aircraft. That question on its face has no relation to the
requirements for a sport pilot and a light-sport aircraft. The answer to
the question of whether the gross weight on an experimental aircraft can
be changed is yes. However, in your case you're actually asking a second
question, which is, can such a change qualify the aircraft for operation
by sport pilots? The answer to that question is, unfortunately, no. Read
more
Read more Q&As
|
|
AVIATION GLOSSARY
Confused
by a strange aeronautical term? EAA's online
Aviation Glossary can help.
MULTI-PORT FUEL
INJECTION (MPFI or MFI) - Multi-port fuel injection is a system that
injects fuel into the intake port just upstream of the intake valve
rather than at a central point within an intake manifold. MPFI (or just
MPI) systems can be sequential, in which injection is timed to coincide
with each cylinder's intake stroke; batched, in which fuel is injected
to the cylinders in groups, without precise synchronization to any
particular cylinder's intake stroke; or simultaneous, in which fuel is
injected at the same time to all the cylinders. Typical fuel pressure
runs between 40 to 60 pounds per square inch.
More
glossary terms
|
|
|
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Experimenter,
March 1956
The Wittman Tailwind
By Leo J. Kohn
While searching the
archives for this month's feature, looking for something to complement
the Wittman Buttercup article in next month's Experimenter, we
came across this vintage issue of the print version of Experimenter
featuring a Wittman Tailwind on the cover. So rather than just an
article this month, we're bringing you the entire vintage issue. Read
the issue
|
|
|
Rassemblement
Rutan Avions Canards Vannes
(Rutan Canards Rally in Vannes, France)
Rutan canards aren't only timeless but a global phenomena. This
video montage is just a glimpse of the far-reaching effect Rutan has had
on the homebuilt global community. Watch
the video
|
|
The
Southern Illinois Big Muddy Air Race, June 4, 2011
Sam Hoskins, featured in the August
2010 issue of Experimenter for his recent participation in
the 2010 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Cup Race, is promoting a new race this
year. Like the AirVenture Cup, the Big Muddy Air Race is open to just
about any aircraft, and it will be using the Sport Air Racing League set
of classes to keep things fair and fun. The race will feature an unusual
"pylon turn" over the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers. Read more
|
|
Elippse
Propeller to Be Used in Low-Noise Application for Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles
The February
2009 issue of Experimenter introduced readers to Paul Lipps,
the designer of the Elippse propeller, a highly efficient and quiet
propeller design. Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems recently tested the
design in their state-of-the-art facility and was impressed enough to
sign a licensing and manufacturing agreement to produce Elippse unmanned
aerial vehicle propellers. Read
more
|
|
|
|
HOMEBUILDER GALLERY OF
THE MONTH
Scale Model Aircraft Engines
Reading through the "Model for Success" article in the current
issue (February 2011) of EAA Sport Aviation, Experimenter Editor
Pat Panzera was reminded of the model aircraft engine exhibit he came across in
the Denver airport several years ago. These scaled jewels of
craftsmanship, many no larger than a softball and several of which being
actual working replicas of engines from a bygone era, include examples
of a Wright Cyclone radial, a Curtiss OX-5 V8, not to mention a
Continental C-85 and a 1937 Harley-Davidson "Knucklehead"
motorcycle engine. View
the gallery
|
|
|
WEBINARS
Spitfire, Hurricane,
BF-109: Which is Best? Watch This Webinar!
Rob
Erdos is Chief Test Pilot for the National Research
Council, Canada and has personally flown all three great
fighters of the Battle of Britain - the Supermarine
Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, and an ultra-rare
Messerschmitt Bf-109E. In this fascinating presentation,
he will analyze and compare the flying qualities of each
aircraft and attempt to answer the question that has
perplexed generations of historians, pilots and aircraft
enthusiasts - which aircraft was best?
All webinars begin at 7
p.m. CST. To find out more about upcoming EAA Webinars
and to register, visit the webinars
page.
EAA gratefully
acknowledges the support of Aircraft
Spruce and Specialty Co. for their generous
sponsorship of our webinar programs.
|
|
|
|
FROM
THE EAA HOMEBUILDING COMMUNITY
The
Homebuilders Corner message forum at Oshkosh365
is as active as ever. Have a look at the list
below and follow the links to read the actual
questions and discussion topics.
|
|
|
Can
You Help?
Interesting
Discussions
|
|
POLL
Q.
What building topic would you like to see in a future EAA webinar?
|
|
|
SURVEY
Please
review and rate
this issue of Experimenter and its articles.
|
The
members of EAA invite YOU to become part of the
EAA community.
Join :: Renew
:: Gift
Member
Benefits :: About
EAA
|
|
|
Contact!
Magazine
|
|
|
