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EDITORIAL
Las Vegas Hardware Show
Tool Hunt, Part Two
Part one of my report on the 2011 National Hardware Show at the Las
Vegas Convention Center that took place earlier this year has already
been published in EAA's weekly e-newsletter e-Hotline. In it I wrote
about some of the interesting items I discovered during the show that
might be of interest to the homebuilder. If you haven't read it yet, I
would suggest that you do so before reading this article. If you have
read it, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I hope you'll enjoy part
two. Read
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PAUL'S PICK
The View From the Outside
This pick fits right in with the old saying, "the more things
change, the more they stay the same." As I wrote nearly 40 years
ago, back in January of 1972, we had members and non-members alike
coming to us in attack mode by saying we forgot the little guy. Take a
few minutes to read what I said then, and I think you'll be intrigued
and might just agree that "the more things change, the more they
stay the same." Read
Paul's Pick
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We Need Your
Help!
Experimenter is about you, the homebuilder. Whether you are
building or flying an experimental aircraft, we need your story! If
you don't think you have a story worth sharing, this
short video may help. While not every plane or project can be
highlighted in the pages of Sport Aviation, your fellow readers
still want to see your accomplishments, including any tips you may
have to share, or tools you may have created along the way. All we
need is 500-1500 words, 5-10 photos and a brief description or caption
for each one. If you would like to write more, it is encouraged, and
don't be surprised if we contact you to ask more about your project.
The best stories come from you. And please remember to take
our survey when you are done with this issue of Experimenter.
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Germany’s
Take Off GmbH
Boxer engine conversion experts
During an extended tour of European general aviation airports in the
spring of 2010, one engine gaining popularity among homebuilders caught
my eye. Whether used as a pusher in the Merlin weight-shift trike or
mounted under the cowl of a Breezer or BX-2 Cherry, the two-cylinder,
four-stroke, air-cooled boxer motors from the German company Take Off
Ultraleichtflug GmbH represent a very interesting alternative powerplant
in the 90- to 115-hp range. Read more
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Tennessee
Valley Air Race
Last month the Tennessee Valley Air Race was held in Alabama as part of
the Sport Air Racing League. Midget Mustang owner Greg Bordelon (Green
Machine - SARL #117) along with fellow Mustang owners Les Burrill and
John Keich brought their aircraft to compete in the event which included
a time trial and pumpkin drop. The 125.2 nautical mile course is
probably the only circuit race that includes a Saturn V rocket as a
pylon. Read more
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Tip
Tanks: Design and Fabrication
For Designers and Homebuilders, Revisited
In the November issue of EAA's Experimenter e-newsletter, we published a
short description of a new book, Tip
Tanks: Design - Fabrication. Several readers e-mailed to say
they were upset that the lead-in to the article seemed misleading. They
anticipated finding an article and what we presented was an announcement
of the availability of a new book. So we contacted the author and asked
him if he wouldn't mind writing an article on the subject. He agreed. Read more
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Letter
to the Editor
Please don't hurt anymore gliders
In the November 2011 issue of Experimenter, we published an
article on converting
a vintage glider to an experimental single engine land aircraft.
While the concept is as innovative as the method and the automobile
engine used to complete the task, the idea of (essentially) destroying a
two-place glider to make a single-place airplane didn't sit well with
one particular Experimenter reader who wrote a letter to make the
case that perhaps we should respect vintage aircraft of all types and
search out wrecks for modification. Read more
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WHAT
OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING
Sonny Furman's Spacewalker II
Working just from plans, Sonny Furman has been building his
Spacewalker II for less than 1.5 years as of this issue. He's not
certain if there are any other Spacewalkers powered with the Corvair
engine, but since most have utilized the 65-hp Continental, on up to the
O-200, it would seem logical that the Corvair should power his aircraft
nicely with an expected cruise of 95 to 110 mph. Read more
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HOW
TO
Creating a Photo
Book
It's easier than you think…
There's nothing like the feel of a good quality book that shows off some
of your proudest moments or handiwork. I guarantee that if you have a
photo book lying around, everyone will automatically pick it up and
start thumbing through the pages. Your aircraft project could be one of
these books, too. The key is to have a good system for taking and
collecting build photos and whatever off-the-shelf programs can help you
get published. Read more
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The Ultimate
Homebuilder - Frank Robinson
People build their own aircraft for all sorts of reasons, but high
on the list is a desire for a machine you just can't buy from a
factory. And that's exactly why Frank Robinson built his own
helicopter. And that was 10,000 Robinson helicopters ago. As
helicopter technology matured the major makers focused on building
ever larger, more powerful machines. The other large market segment
was for utility use such as servicing offshore oil rigs, or lifting
stuff on slings. The potential market for a personal helicopter was
simply ignored by everybody except Frank. Read
more
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New Diesel Aircraft
Engine Makes First Run
A mid-range diesel engine designed specifically for medium single-
and some twin-engine GA aircraft ran for the first time last week.
Built by Engineered Propulsion Systems of New Richmond, Wisconsin, the
prototype engine is a 4.4 liter liquid-cooled flat eight or “flat
vee” featuring a 180 degree “v” with a target output of 350 to
400 horsepower that will run on both diesel and Jet A. Read
more
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Looking for more coverage of light-sport aircraft, trikes, and
ultralights? Check out the pages of EAA's Light
Plane World. The following articles are features found in the
recent issue and are typical of what you can expect from every issue.
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One-Off
Homebuilt Sportstar N47CC
We get a first look at Sportstar N47CC, a one-of-a-kind experimental
amateur-built aircraft that meets LSA requirements, designed and built
by Charles Hooper of Lakeview, Arkansas. The fuselage is "S"
glass and carbon fiber. The cantilevered wing, rudder, and stabilator
are all metal. A single stick in the center controls the aircraft. The
firewall forward is from a Zenith 601, and the engine is a Jabiru 3300. 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've
finished my annual condition inspection, and the airplane is all put
back together and ready to fly. Have I met my obligation to fly the
airplane legally?
A. No. The
airplane isn't considered airworthy until the logbook entry has been
signed and dated, and installed in the logbook if a sticker is used by
you (the repairman certificate holder or original builder that holds the
certificate) or an A&P mechanic certificating that it has been found
to meet the annual condition inspection criteria and is airworthy.
Read more Q&As
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AVIATION GLOSSARY
Confused
by a strange aeronautical term? EAA's online
Aviation Glossary can help.
BOXER OR BOXER
ENGINE - Any horizontally opposed engine in which the corresponding
pistons reach top dead center simultaneously, such as those found in
most light GA aircraft. Examples include Lycoming, Continental,
Franklin, Jabiru, and Rotax engines. Examples of automobile engines that
fall into the category and are commonly converted for aircraft use
include the air-cooled Volkswagen engines, Porsche, Subaru, and
Chevrolet's Corvair. Lesser-known boxer engines include the Citroën 2CV
for automobiles and BMW and Honda (Gold Wing) for motorcycles. Boxer
engines shouldn't be confused with the less popular opposed piston
engine designs (sometimes referred to as "180-degree V
engines" and almost never found in engines with less than eight
cylinders) in which corresponding pistons share a crank pin, and thus
each will reach top dead center half a crankshaft revolution after the
other. More
glossary terms
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
Sport Aviation, July
1963
Cockpit Design Simplified
By Michael C. Myal, EAA 7978
Mick
Myal, who contributes an article in this month's issue on tip tank
design and fabrication, once obtained a patent for a vehicle occupant
packaging tool, the principal part of a design system used today by all
road-vehicle manufacturers. With his eye for ergonomics, Mick wrote in
the July 1963 issue of Sport Aviation about a simple solution to
the problem of cockpit layout design. But considering the continued
girth expansion of the "average" American adult, perhaps the
human dimensions table should be revisited. Read
the article
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Soaring
Society of America Annual Convention
It's that time of the year to begin making your travel plans to
attend the SSA Convention, February 2 to 4, 2012, in Reno, Nevada. The
convention will be held at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center with hotel
accommodations at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. Special SSA rates are
available. SSA Convention 2012 Reservations. Registration for the
convention opened November 1 online, and registration forms are in the
November issue of Soaring. Read more
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Darren
Barnfield's VP-2
Darren Barnfield of Hastings, Victoria (Australia), had his
Volksplane VP-2 project featured
in Experimenter almost a year ago. Not long ago Darren had
his plane signed off; he's now ready for his initial flights. In these
two videos we see Darren's engine runs, one of which was powerful enough
to lift the tail while still parked. "First flight will happen when
it happens," Darren told us. Video
1 | Video 2
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First
Glance at the SPA Panther
The Panther is designed to be a versatile, mid-sized, single-seat,
low-wing experimental aerobatic airplane with quick-fold wings that can
be built to be flown by a sport pilot, or a private pilot. Why do we
need another one? Compromises. Every designer picks his own set whether
it be engine choice, construction, technique, or building modes (like
plans versus kits), just to name a few. The Panther will offer
unparalleled versatility as the Burger King of airplanes-"Have it
your way." You choose the engine, landing gear configuration, wing
length, safety features, open or enclosed cockpit, and kit or plan/kit
combo…you make it how you want it. Read
more
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Propeller
Bolt Belleville Washer Retention System
After losing his wood-core propeller from his O-360 Lycoming powered
Cozy MKIV due to improper torquing of prop bolts, Marc Zeitlin
rediscovered an old system for ensuring the proper hub compression for
wooden props involving Belleville washers. If you're interested in using
a relatively lightweight system on your prop bolts that will make your
wood prop installation far more robust and less likely to depart your
aircraft, read
more.
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The
Bloop1
Not too different from last month's Project Patrol where Lyle Forsgren
successfully installed an automobile engine in his vintage Schleicher
Ka-7 sailplane, the evolution of hang gliders to ultralights came about
in the same manner: adding engines to gliders. Introducing the Bloop1.
Mike Sandlin describes and demonstrates his latest creation in this 5-minute
video.
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Wood
Prop Maintenance
When was the last time you performed routine maintenance on your
wooden propeller? The seasons are changing, so if it's been more than a
few weeks ago-get on it! The Stagger-EZ's "prop self-destruction /
near prop loss" encounter was James Redmon's second personal
experience with this phenomenon, something he hopes he'll never
encounter again! Read
more
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A
Great Little Machine - Another Day at the Races
Sam Hoskins recently returned from Taylor, Texas, where he competed
in the Rocket 100, the last race of the 2011 Sport Air Racing League
season. His highly modified Quickie Q-200 was reported to have run very
well, and a great time was had by all. Read
more
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Velocity
Twin Pusher
The team at Velocity Aircraft has posted some new photos of the
Velocity Twin. If you haven't been to the website recently, it's worth
checking out. Looks like the structure is mostly built…nice job! Read
more
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A
New Way to Share Project Information
EAA member Jim Tomaszewski just finished a new website for homebuilt
aircraft. He and his team are trying to grow it to be the world's
largest single collection of homebuilt aircraft and project listings.
Feel free to visit and list your aircraft for the world to see. A huge
benefit of the site is the ability for guests to search for specific
aircraft/engine combinations. View
the website
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Phantom
Ray Makes First Two Flights
Just eight days after its first flight, Phantom Ray completed its
second flight on May 5 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Phantom
Ray took off at approximately 12:15 p.m. Pacific. Similar to its first
flight on April 27, the autonomous vehicle taxied, flew to 7,500 feet,
conducted several maneuvers, and landed safely after a 17-minute flight.
Read
more
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Courtesy: Boeing |
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HOMEBUILDER GALLERY OF
THE MONTH
George Stulgaitis'
Christavia Mk I
Our gallery this month features more pictures of George Stulgaitis’
Christavia Mk I, a true rarity due to the model and the fact that it was
actually completed. The project started when a friend gave him a VW
engine and he mounted it on an air-powered sled for running on a nearby
frozen lake. Then he thought, "If only it had wings…" View
the gallery
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WEBINARS
All About
Magnetos
Maintenance expert and EAA Sport Aviation columnist Mike Busch,
A&P/IA, presents an informational webinar about magnetos, including
how they work, functions of key components, failure modes, preventive
maintenance, preflight and in-flight mag checks, high-altitude misfire
causes and cures, troubleshooting ignition problems, and more.
All webinars begin at 7
p.m. CST 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 Experimenter
Online Community
The following discussions can be found in the EAA Forums:
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SURVEY
Please
review and rate
this issue of Experimenter and its articles.
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