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EDITORIAL
CAFE Time!
More about electric flight
Right about this same time last year, I was writing my editorial just
before heading out to attend the CAFE Foundation's Electric Aircraft
Symposium, just as I am this year. A lot has happened in the past 12
months to sway me over the fence I was sitting on last year - not
really sure if electric flight would be viable in the foreseeable
future - but I'm still not completely void of a healthy amount of
skepticism. I haven't drunk the Kool-Aid yet, but the glass is on the
table. Read
more
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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.
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PAUL'S PICK
Your Actions Matter
"Will the actions of a very few bring about legislation to
prohibit the construction of aircraft by the average citizen either for
personal education and pleasure, or for the development of new ideas and
design?" Paul wrote of this concern in February 1960 as he
challenged amateur builders to conduct themselves responsibly so as to
not invite onerous legislation spurred by "unfavorable publicity
and public sentiment to be cast our way in much the same manner many of
us look upon others' activities that we don't have a personal interest
in." Read
Paul's Pick
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TALES FROM THE DAR SIDE
Operating Limitations - Wrapping It Up
Editor’s note: This is the last column from Joe Norris who
retired from EAA this month
Over the course of the past several issues we've talked about many
of the details of amateur-built aircraft operating limitations. This
month in the final chapter of the miniseries we'll discuss the
inspection requirements for your aircraft. Technically, this isn't an
"annual" inspection, even though it's required to be performed
annually. There are just a few more details to talk about, so let's get
right to it. Read
more
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Flying in the B-17
Aluminum Overcast
Earlier this month, Editor Pat Panzera was allowed to take his grandson
Alex on an exciting adventure, a flight in the EAA's B-17, Aluminum
Overcast. Alex has written for Experimenter in the past, and
as excited as he was about his recent experience, he couldn't wait to
share it with our readers. Read
more
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Zenith STOL CH 750
X-Plane Simulator Files Available for Free Download
Aircraft designers and savvy homebuilders have known for a long time
that X-Plane provides a very useful and realistic flight simulation.
From simply flying preloaded aircraft to designing your own from
scratch, X-Plane offers realistic feedback on a professional level - at
an amateur-level price. Now the popular CH 750 experimental aircraft has
been expertly molded and is ready for you to load into your version of
X-Plane for free. Read
more
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HOW TO
Project
Paralysis
Most of us at one time or another have been stricken with a case of
project paralysis. No one is immune; there is no vaccine. But there are
some steps that can be taken to guard against the affliction. Earl
Downs, a regular contributor to EAA publications, offers these tips to
help you stay the course, to see your project through to completion
while avoiding project paralysis. Read
more
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WHAT
OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING
It's Not
Another Ducted Fan
Unlike the normal mode of achieving lift or thrust by moving an airfoil
quickly through the air (wings on a plane or blades on a helicopter,
propeller or fan), the Gramling VTOL aircraft creates lift and thrust by
moving air quickly over fixed airfoils. Theoretically, this proposed
method of propulsion could prove more efficient and more stable,
enabling an aircraft to launch from a driveway, backyard, or rooftop. Read
more
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MYSTERY
PLANE
Fully
aerobatic biplane, affordable to build and fly
Named "Best" in the combined Ultralight/Lightplane category
during the 1992 EAA East Coast Fly-In at Wilmington, Delaware, this
little biplane is robust enough to be competitive with the International
Aerobatic Club's intermediate level. The prototype, which took six
months and $12,000 to build, first flew in 1986. After logging 120
hours, the designer/builder sold it for $15,000. But during those 120
hours, a second one was constructed in four months. Read
more
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Homebuilder Dream Job
Available at EAA
Do you eat, sleep, and
breathe homebuilding? Is every one of your friends building an aircraft?
When Sport Aviation hits your mailbox, do you disappear for an
hour? Is your dog's name "Cleco"? Do you think it's crazy to
buy an aircraft when you can build one yourself? If you are nodding your
head in agreement then you might just be the right person for the
Homebuilders Community Manager Position at EAA. The Homebuilders
Community Manager is responsible for the planning, implementation, and
ongoing management of programs targeted at the aircraft builder and
restorer (aka the "craftsman" segment of EAA's membership) as
part of EAA's organizational goals. For more information on the
position, visit EAA's career's
page.
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Plans and Kits for
Cloudster Ultralight Available
From the April issue of EAA Light
Plane World
Jeff Erekson of Simplex Aeroplanes in Manchester, Connecticut,
announced he will distribute plans and kits for the Cloudster
ultralight, one of three planes designed by Scott Land in the late '90s.
The design uses conventional gear with three-axis controls. The pilot's
legs go up the side of the fuselage to the rudder pedals, making it a
true open cockpit flying machine. Major components of the plane are all
wood with metal struts, and the wing construction is similar to the
Mini-Max. Read
more
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EAA Input on Homebuilt
Advisory Circular Helps Prevent New Regulations
EAA's input on a new FAA advisory circular (AC) that urges
transition training for those moving to amateur-built aircraft helped
address major areas to improve safety without resorting to additional
burdensome regulations. That
AC was released by the FAA this week and is the result of a
committee co-chaired by Sean Elliott, EAA vice president of regulatory
and industry affairs. Read
more
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'Savvy
Aviator' Mike Busch Joins EAA Webinar Series
EAA webinars generously supported by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty
Co.
Maintenance expert and EAA Sport Aviation columnist Mike Busch
(A&P/IA, CFI) is bringing his expertise to the popular EAA webinars
series, where he will host monthly webinars that will engage and inform
aircraft owners on a variety of topics. Busch, EAA 740170 and
founder/CEO of Savvy Aircraft Maintenance Management, is a renowned
aviation writer, teacher, aviation type club tech rep, aircraft owner
advocate, and entrepreneur. Read
more
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Judgment Announced
Against Hart Aero
A consent judgment against Douglas Hart of Springfield, Missouri,
owner of Hart Aero, was announced on March 17 for alleged violations of
Missouri's Merchandising Practices Act, Missouri Attorney General Chris
Koster said. According to Koster, Hart sold airplanes and light aircraft
to consumers nationwide through his website and told consumers he would
buy the necessary materials, build the aircraft, and deliver finished
aircraft. However, he failed to deliver the completed aircraft, nor did
he refund his customers' money upon their requests. Read
more
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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
planning to build an aircraft that could be licensed with a gross weight
of 1,550 pounds or 1,320 pounds. If I originally certificate the plane
with a gross weight of 1,550, could the plane be recertificated at 1,320
to meet the light-sport aircraft (LSA) definition at some point in the
future?
A. Unfortunately
the answer to your question is no. The definition of an LSA, as found in
FAR 1.1, specifically requires that the airplane be originally
certificated and continuously operated within the LSA definition
in order to be eligible for operation by sport pilots. If you want the
airplane to be sport pilot eligible at any point in the future, you need
to certificate it within the LSA definition right from the start, and it
must be operated within the LSA definition throughout its entire
lifetime.
Read more Q&As
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AVIATION GLOSSARY
Confused
by a strange aeronautical term? EAA's online
Aviation Glossary can help.
COANDA EFFECT or
WALL-ATTACHMENT EFFECT is the tendency of a moving fluid, either
liquid or gas, to attach itself to a surface and flow along it. As a
fluid moves across a surface, a certain amount of friction (called skin
friction) occurs between the fluid and the surface, which tends to slow
the moving fluid. This resistance to the flow of the fluid pulls the
fluid toward the surface, causing it to stick to the surface. Thus, a
fluid emerging from a nozzle tends to follow a nearby curved surface -
even to the point of bending around corners - if the curvature of the
surface or the angle the surface makes with the stream isn't too sharp.
Discovered in 1930 by Henri Coanda, a Romanian aircraft engineer, the
phenomenon has many practical applications in fluidics and aerodynamics.
More
glossary terms
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
Sport
Aviation, September 1984
Pong Dragon
By Jack Cox
Designer Alex Pong
describes his new, small (15 inches in diameter and only 44 pounds),
six-cylinder, four-cycle, air-cooled radial aircraft engine, rated at 35
hp at 2450 rpm, but is rather guarded in the process, as he had concerns
for the patent. This 1984 article begs the question, whatever happened
to the Pong Dragon? Read
the article
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Building a Volksplane
A video montage showing the progressive steps of completing a
Volksplane, from initial doodle to first flight, numbered for your
convenience. Watch
the video
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See How It Flies
By John S. Denker
A unique spin on the perceptions, procedures, and principles of flight. Read
more
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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 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
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HOMEBUILDER GALLERY OF
THE MONTH
Burt Rutan: The Scaled
Composites Years
For a man who is about to retire, Burt Rutan has been pretty active as
testing continues on SpaceShipTwo and other projects in the works. As he
prepares to retreat to northern Idaho, the May issue of EAA Sport
Aviation took a look at Burt's career during the Scaled Composites
years. There were plenty of photos left over and we saved a few that
highlight Rutan's design legacy. It's a legacy that attempts to provide
solutions to a diverse range of aviation and space applications. View
the gallery
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WEBINARS
Columnist
Mike Busch to Present Monthly Webinar on Maintenance
Mike Busch, maintenance expert
and EAA Sport Aviation columnist, will be presenting monthly webinars on
GA maintenance. Be sure to reserve some time for Mike Busch's
presentation the first Wednesday of each month unless something like a
holiday or AirVenture gets in the way. This great addition to the EAA
webinar series and begins with "Troubleshooting Basics" on May
4.
All webinars begin at 7
p.m. CDT unless otherwise noted. 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.
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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.
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Can
You Help?
Interesting
Discussions
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POLL
Q. How
soon do you expect that electric GA flight will be a viable alternative
to the current petroleum-fueled powerplants, assuming fuel prices remain
stable?
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SURVEY
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review and rate
this issue of Experimenter and its articles.
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