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Fly-O-Meter: 212 hours as of 1/31/09
1/31/09: Along with a bunch of other RV's and
pilots Nora, Turner, and myself loaded up the RV-9 and flew out to 5NC3
for lunch. The air was VERY bumpy and even though the destination
was only 30 minutes away, Nora was not feeling
 very
good by the end of each leg. Thinking about how uncomfortable the
flight was I downloaded the flight data from the Dynon EFIS and plotted
the G's and compared that graph to one of the same data acquired from a
flight I took a week earlier. Looking at the two plots really helped
me understand her discomfort. For those non-pilots out there; yes,
we do tend to get desensitized to turbulence but that doesn't mean it
doesn't bother us or that we don't recognize the discomfort of our
passengers. Check out the new trip report.
1/22/08: How to make a transition for a 4" round
SCAT tube to a rectangular firewall mounted oil cooler. See the "Things
to Consider" page.
1/16/08: I haven't been doing much flying as of
late, the new addition to the family has been keeping me away from the
airport. However, I did manage to make up an inexpensive engine
pre-heater. Check out the last entry in the "Things
to Consider" page.
11/12/08: Added two entries to the bottom of the
4th fuselage page. One for a fuel sampler cup holder and the other
for the tie downs I'm installing in my baggage compartment.
11/4/08: Updated the trips page by adding
pictures from the trip to OSH and added one more item to the bottom of the
instrument panel page.
10/29/08: It has been a long summer with lots of
flying. Dynon was gracious enough to select me to Beta test their
Autopilot, which meant a good bit of flying. I defined a good
bit of flying as 50+ hours. As is typical with any new system, there
were bugs to be worked out, improved functionality defined, implemented,
and tested. It was a great experience and one for which I am very
grateful for the opportunity to participate in.
Details on my autopilot installation can be
found here.
I just had to add
this audio clip as I found it too funny. Probably because
somewhere in my distant past I actually picked up an engineering degree.
7/1/08: Since April I've been slowly working to
balance my CHT"s. Although they were not out of line, I would like
to get them balanced and provide for more cooling air. Read about my
trials and tribulations on Engine Page 3.
6/28/08: A bunch of us flew North of Roanoke, VA
to Hop-Along field to visit Stormy and his lovely wife! Check out
the pictures on the Trips page
5/28/08: More work on the lower intersection
fairings. I've been working on other things but need to get these
done before my next flight.
Added a diagram detailing the P-mag preflight
check sequence to the electrical page.
5/15/08: The lower intersections fairings are under
construction and are looking good. Pictures are on the
4th Fuselage page.
The other challenge I have is getting the
cylinder cooling under control. A little bit of fiberglass AKA
micro-balloons work is under way in an effort to give the airseal fabric a
smooth surface to seal against.
Not much is going with the -9. I still need
to make the gear leg intersection fairings. That may happen next
week, we will see.
I did add two new pictures to the engine page
depicting the size of the holes required for the MA-3 Carburator.
A friend and RV-7 builder took my paint scheme
and using
http://www.airplanecolor.com/
painted up this 3D model for me:
Check out the latest trip report, flying through
cold and snow.
Every new builder goes through the frustration
phase. This is when you do something to a part and realize it no
longer meets your exacting quality standards. In the building of
N941WR a lot of former beer cans gave up their lives
 only
to find themselves in my dead parts pile, waiting to be recycled back into
beer cans. Tonight while cleaning out the 'ol
Basement Aircraft Factory I finally piled up all
the dead parts and took a picture. Just remember when you damage
something, it is not the end of the world. Order a new part from
Van's and move on. Besides, as you can see from this picture, you
can use those parts to make other things, such as doors to cover your ELT
and strobe power pack, if you mount them under your baggage compartment
floor.
Every once in a while you run across a really
great deal on an airplane and even though you can't take it home you want
to help the owners find a new home for their prized possession. Such
is the case with N5745E. This pretty little C-150 is owned by some
good friends and it has been lovingly cared for by them for over 10 years.
Click on the picture below to read more about it.
If you like what you see, contact Andy or Mike, I
have nothing to do with the sale or plane other than getting the word out
for them.
Not much flying going on but lots of work.
My first attempt at modifying RV-7 intersection fairings didn't work out
so well. Bummer as it now looks like I will do it the way Van's
calls for in the plans. Jack the plane up, align the gear leg
fairings and then get some molding clay and fiberglass out to make the
intersection fairings. Not a big deal, it is just finding the time
to do it with the holidays coming up fast.
Today I finally installed the center tunnel cover
and carpeting. I didn't have the camera, so no pictures.
Completing that task sure makes the plane look like a production aircraft.
A friend up in Alaska who is building a big
footed RV-9 asked if I couldn't take some pictures of my engine
installation. Thus the new FWF page. Mike, I sure hope that
helps.
Check out the
TRIPS page for pictures.
Build-O-Meter: 2832 hours as of 10/17/07.
(Updated page 2 of the engine page - How I fitted the spinner.)
It flies, and it flies great!
Click here to
go to the 1st. Flight Page. This page has been updated with the
first installment of my speed testing.
New Trips Page Page.
Now that N941WR is finished and flying, I will document some of the
adventures she takes us on.
Blog section moved to below these pictures. |
