Shawn's plane projects

[ShawnR]

You might’ve told me already but small planes seem to have a myriad of rules attached to them, probably with good reason

I think my last post (while you were typing) might address this. Yes, there are a lot of rules (as in all aviation). As an example, my plane, Van's RV4 is built to do aerobatics. But, even after building it, getting the inspections, and flying off the requisite 25 (I think) hours necessary before you can venture away from home with it, you still cannot do aerobatics in it. It now has to be proven with all of the limits being tested! So, you are being a test pilot to determine if the +6 G rating of the kit, is still valid after the build. I just learned this. Lucky for me, this plane has been tested and is approved for aerobatics. (after a flight in another one last week, not so sure my stomach is approved for aerobatics but that is another story)

For those still with me, here is a link to an RV14 having its restrictions flown off. Luke Penner is from Winnipeg (Harvs Air) and very accomplished Aerobatics competitor and instructor. Steve (host of the Flightchops youtube (sorry @Susquatch ) channel and through sponsorships, and the success of his channel, has acquired an RV14. It was essentially built by members of the airplane museum in Windsor I think. I have only visited the one in Hamilton) Check out some of the video. I found it interesting that he had to force the plane into a 6G situation and it was hard to even get the plane to hit 6. I did less than 3 G's last week and wow! I had no idea. Glad someone else flew the limitations off for me! I would never do it! It is nice to see a Canadian success in both Flightchops and Luke Penner. Both seem like great guys.

Not sure my long winded blab answered your question. Home built simply means exactly that. But what it really means is that the builder has a lot of latitude to do what he wants. There are some basic inspections but basically, I can do what I want. A good inspection of a homebuilt is very important before buying. Most homebuilders use aircraft hardware and work to aircraft standards, but not all. Some build flyers, some build show planes, and some build junk. That is my take on it. But I have also seen that range in certified aircraft.

 

[Chicken lights]

I think my last post (while you were typing) might address this. Yes, there are a lot of rules (as in all aviation). As an example, my plane, Van's RV4 is built to do aerobatics. But, even after building it, getting the inspections, and flying off the requisite 25 (I think) hours necessary before you can venture away from home with it, you still cannot do aerobatics in it. It now has to be proven with all of the limits being tested! So, you are being a test pilot to determine if the +6 G rating of the kit, is still valid after the build. I just learned this. Lucky for me, this plane has been tested and is approved for aerobatics. (after a flight in another one last week, not so sure my stomach is approved for aerobatics but that is another story)

For those still with me, here is a link to an RV14 having its restrictions flown off. Luke Penner is from Winnipeg (Harvs Air) and very accomplished Aerobatics competitor and instructor. Steve (host of the Flightchops youtube (sorry @Susquatch ) channel and through sponsorships, and the success of his channel, has acquired an RV14. It was essentially built by members of the airplane museum in Windsor I think. I have only visited the one in Hamilton) Check out some of the video. I found it interesting that he had to force the plane into a 6G situation and it was hard to even get the plane to hit 6. I did less than 3 G's last week and wow! I had no idea. Glad someone else flew the limitations off for me! I would never do it! It is nice to see a Canadian success in both Flightchops and Luke Penner. Both seem like great guys.

I was more inquiring on the legalities of being allowed to wrench on it yourself

The inspections you need to meet make sense

I own a class 8 truck, capable of hauling up to 150,000 pounds on a public highway, and there’s no restrictions on who is allowed to wrench on it, myself or anyone else. Quite the difference in rules

6 G’s???!!! Holy moly!!!

 

[DPittman]

I own a class 8 truck, capable of hauling up to 150,000 pounds on a public highway, and there’s no restrictions on who is allowed to wrench on it, myself or anyone else. Quite the difference in rules

6 G’s???!!! Holy moly!!!

Yes the only reasonable explanation for that is the governmental bodies value pilots more than they do truck drivers.
From a public safety standpoint un-maintained/poorly maintained big rigs (or small) are more likely to cause more injury/death than aircraft.

 

[Tecnico]

These photos are from this summer. Plans are to replace the entire panel, add lights, redo the engine, and just general cleanup. Make it purty, ...

Is the plan to go all glass panel? What (brand) are you leaning toward? It's a decision that's in my future.

I was more inquiring on the legalities of being allowed to wrench on it yourself

In Canada, basically there are two classes of small, private aircraft: Certified like factory Cessnas Etc. and Homebuilt like @ShawnR 's RV.

On certified A/C Transport dictates a short list of "Elementary Work" you as a private pilot/owner allowed to do like check the tires, repair non-structural fairings & panels, change the oil & plugs etc. but they keep you away from other things that could cause a safety risk. Elementary Work according to TC

In the homebuilt world they figure if you built it you can maintain it. I think in Canada that extends to subsequent owners, I'm building so I haven't looked at that. In the US it's more restrictive, if you didn't build it you have to take it to a licensed A/C tech. Period.

D

 

[jcdammeyer]

I always wanted to build one of these. Got my license, night rating on several different planes at the flying club. Never did built the larger shop to make something like this.

My brother scored the unfinished version of my Dad's project well over 25 years ago and AFAIK it's still sitting in a barn west of Edmonton. Never finished. My Dad had reached the point where health wise he'd never be able to fly it so he abandoned the project.
He had pilot training time back when he was 18 and in the Dutch air force. Then the Japanese took Indonesia and his family ended up in the camps. His mom and dad never came out. He still wanted to fly.

Saw the original in California on a holiday one time. Wasn't able to get a flight in it. Or maybe I didn't offer enough money...

So no 32' Lyle Hess Cutter. No Homebuilt. Only a bunch of tools in the shop.

 

[ShawnR]

Is the plan to go all glass panel? What (brand) are you leaning toward? It's a decision that's in my future.

Yes, glass, but not one panel. A couple of uAvionics AV-30's (similar to Garmin G5) and electronic engine monitor. I did up the layout in FreeCAD and then inserted bitmap images so I could get a visual. Kind of crude but was fun one day. The only thing I might add is the analog Air speed indicator and altimeter back in. I was talked out of it due to redundancy already built into the panel, but because I have the room, I think I might. An ipad mini or similar tablet will be on most longer flights and I had alotted a part of the panel as blank so that the tablet does not obscure instruments. But I could put unnecessary instruments there, knowing that should I get a catastrophic electrical failure, I still have air speed and altitude. This is not the final version, but close to what I plan. You can see how things got moved between V2 and V4. I have not dragged the colourful images into Version 4 yet. Still playing with layout.

What are you building?

 

[ShawnR]

I always wanted to build one of these. Got my license, night rating on several different planes at the flying club. Never did built the larger shop to make something like this.

My brother scored the unfinished version of my Dad's project well over 25 years ago and AFAIK it's still sitting in a barn west of Edmonton. Never finished. My Dad had reached the point where health wise he'd never be able to fly it so he abandoned the project.
He had pilot training time back when he was 18 and in the Dutch air force. Then the Japanese took Indonesia and his family ended up in the camps. His mom and dad never came out. He still wanted to fly.

Saw the original in California on a holiday one time. Wasn't able to get a flight in it. Or maybe I didn't offer enough money...

So no 32' Lyle Hess Cutter. No Homebuilt. Only a bunch of tools in the shop.

What biplane is that?

We had a local guy building an Osprey here years ago but it was destroyed in a house fire. The Wooden airplane was in his carport.

A couple of local guys designed, built, and won the designs competition at Oshkosh one year. Aircraft Spruce now sells their plans. I watched the plane getting built. YBR is here at my field, but due to a divide in friendships, has, sadly, not flown for years. Great little airplane.

Acrolite | Aircraft Spruce Canada

Acrolite We are the exclusive supplier of plans and materials packages for Ron Wilson's aerobatic aircraft design, the single seat Acrolite. Complete construction material packages for...

www.aircraftspruce.ca

 

[LenVW]

What biplane is that?

We had a local guy building an Osprey here years ago but it was destroyed in a house fire. The Wooden airplane was in his carport.

A couple of local guys designed, built, and won the designs competition at Oshkosh one year. Aircraft Spruce now sells their plans. I watched the plane getting built. YBR is here at my field, but due to a divide in friendships, has, sadly, not flown for years. Great little airplane.

Acrolite | Aircraft Spruce Canada

Acrolite We are the exclusive supplier of plans and materials packages for Ron Wilson's aerobatic aircraft design, the single seat Acrolite. Complete construction material packages for...

www.aircraftspruce.ca

Aviation is an interesting but highly regulated hobby.
We have a well known club (KWRAA) that meets at the Kitchener Airport (YKF) every 2nd Thursday of the month. Lots of old birds building or have built there own planes.

It has been 30 years since I piloted a Cessna over the Great Barrier Reef, but the thrill of flight still stirs my interest.
A car accident in 1995 ended that for me.

Last week the KWRAA had a guest speaker from U of Waterloo doing a presentation about the state of Electric Aviation.
I still have inspirations of building an electric ultralite and the local aviators may prove that possible.

 

[DPittman]

In Canada, basically there are two classes of small, private aircraft: Certified like factory Cessnas Etc. and Homebuilt like @ShawnR 's RV.

There is also the ultralight catergory which is similar to the homebuilt or the experimental class in the USA.

The ultralight catergory has restrictions on plane weight and size and is also divided into two other classes: basic and advanced ultralight (which is similar to the USA light sport class) .

 

[Tecnico]

Yes, glass, but not one panel. A couple of uAvionics AV-30's (similar to Garmin G5) and electronic engine monitor. I did up the layout in FreeCAD and then inserted bitmap images so I could get a visual. Kind of crude but was fun one day. The only thing I might add is the analog Air speed indicator and altimeter back in. I was talked out of it due to redundancy already built into the panel, but because I have the room, I think I might. An ipad mini or similar tablet will be on most longer flights and I had alotted a part of the panel as blank so that the tablet does not obscure instruments. But I could put unnecessary instruments there, knowing that should I get a catastrophic electrical failure, I still have air speed and altitude. This is not the final version, but close to what I plan. You can see how things got moved between V2 and V4. I have not dragged the colourful images into Version 4 yet. Still playing with layout.

What are you building?

Your layout gives a good impression of the limited space you have available, you really don't appreciate that until you do a scale layout.

I'm working on a Murphy Elite, the fuselage is sitting on a table in the basement, the flying surfaces are tucked away awaiting inspection. Right now it has paper cutouts of a couple of sizes of Dynon displays taped to the panel. We'll see what's hot when we eventually get to spending cash.

D

 

[Tecnico]

There is also the ultralight catergory which is similar to the homebuilt or the experimental class in the USA.

The ultralight catergory has restrictions on plane weight and size and is also divided into two other classes: basic and advanced ultralight (which is similar to the USA light sport class) .

True but I didn't want to confuse the discussion with Owner Maintenance, AULA (Advanced Ultralight Aircraft) , ULA (UltraLight Aircraft), Exhibition etc.

D

 

[phaxtris]

I'm working on a Murphy Elite, the fuselage is sitting on a table in the basement

how the heck did you get that in your basement ? do you have an oversized walkout ? or is it smaller than pictures on the internet lead someone to believe ?

 

[Tecnico]

how the heck did you get that in your basement ? do you have an oversized walkout ? or is it smaller than pictures on the internet lead someone to believe ?

LOL! I didn't get it into the basement I'm building it there! You've heard about people that built boats in their basement? I put a zipper up the middle to separate it to get it out.

OK, not really. The house was built with the hard opening sized to get the fuselage out including the 54" basement stairwell concrete. The builder couldn't wrap his head around the concept of a bolt-in/removable, wide door frame assembly so they framed the wide opening then framed a normal door into it but left seams in the drywall so I could still take the door frame out without doing more drywall so I left it at that and called it a win.

You can't always get what you want but if you try sometime you'll find you get what you need.

D

 

[phaxtris]

LOL! I didn't get it into the basement I'm building it there! You've heard about people that built boats in their basement? I put a zipper up the middle to separate it to get it out.

OK, not really. The house was built with the hard opening sized to get the fuselage out including the 54" basement stairwell concrete. The builder couldn't wrap his head around the concept of a bolt-in/removable, wide door frame assembly so they framed the wide opening then framed a normal door into it but left seams in the drywall so I could still take the door frame out without doing more drywall so I left it at that and called it a win.

You can't always get what you want but if you try sometime you'll find you get what you need.

D

oh, i thought you were restoring it in the basement, building one is more interesting! something ive though about doing, license first right ? maybe this year if i can collect on some outstanding contracts!

I guess i shouldn't be surprised there are a bunch of aviation types in this forum! how man sub forums can we have in here.... lol

 

[Tecnico]

oh, i thought you were restoring it in the basement, building one is more interesting! something ive though about doing, license first right ? maybe this year if i can collect on some outstanding contracts!

I guess i shouldn't be surprised there are a bunch of aviation types in this forum! how man sub forums can we have in here.... lol

Yeah, I'd recommend getting your license first and getting experience on a range of aircraft to really understand what's right for you before you commit to something as big as a build, it's a serious commitment! We have a C-152 and looking after it and doing owner assisted annuals has given me a better understanding of things I run into on the build project too.

Having machine tools on hand doesn't hurt too, there's a good crossover with hobby metal workers! I have to admit I'm still surprised at the amount of pilots/builders that we have in the group, I haven't run into that in other forums.

D

 

[phaxtris]

Yeah, I'd recommend getting your license first and getting experience on a range of aircraft to really understand what's right for you before you commit to something as big as a build, it's a serious commitment! We have a C-152 and looking after it and doing owner assisted annuals has given me a better understanding of things I run into on the build project too.

Having machine tools on hand doesn't hurt too, there's a good crossover with hobby metal workers! I have to admit I'm still surprised at the amount of pilots/builders that we have in the group, I haven't run into that in other forums.

D

for sure license is first on the list! might be able to get into that this summer

 

[Tecnico]

for sure license is first on the list! might be able to get into that this summer

Just to toss it out there, if you can brave the cold the airplane works a lot better in the cold (denser air). Noticeably more power/better climb rate (typical under powered trainers) and the cold air is less affected by thermals so the plane goes where you point it rather than getting random inputs from the thermals.

There's nothing like a cold crisp day for a rock steady hands off ride! Good for the check ride too, put all your concentration into passing the test.

The winter is a good time to sign up for the ground school too even if you're not flying. You will need a few hours of instruction before writing the test though, like maybe 5.

D

 

[jcdammeyer]

What biplane is that?

We had a local guy building an Osprey here years ago but it was destroyed in a house fire. The Wooden airplane was in his carport.

A couple of local guys designed, built, and won the designs competition at Oshkosh one year. Aircraft Spruce now sells their plans. I watched the plane getting built. YBR is here at my field, but due to a divide in friendships, has, sadly, not flown for years. Great little airplane.

Acrolite | Aircraft Spruce Canada

Acrolite We are the exclusive supplier of plans and materials packages for Ron Wilson's aerobatic aircraft design, the single seat Acrolite. Complete construction material packages for...

www.aircraftspruce.ca

It's called a Sorrell HyperBipe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorrell_Hiperbipe

Still have the plans book on a shelf for the BEDE-4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede_BD-4

Alas now age (health) and funds have terminated being a pilot but at least our kids have the memory of doing a night flight over Victoria looking at Christmas lights from above. Having both Night Endorsement and Mountain Check ride made flying here in BC fun. Even took a friend to the Abbotsford Machining Trade show one year. Land at the airport. Walk across the street to the trade show. Walk back after lunch and fly home. Great fun.

We also took the kids to Tofino one summer walked along the beach dipping our toes into the water. Flew home and drove to Island view beach and dipped our toes into the water on the other side of the island. Also great fun.

 

[jcdammeyer]

I can't resist posting these photos that I ran into when looking for the Hyperbipe and the Osprey-II.
If you've ever wondered about the wing tip turbulence from large aircraft and thought about that 2 minute wait before it's safe to land a light aircraft here's a sequence of photos that show it.

The airport is the old one in Hong Kong no longer in service. Interesting airport when you're a passenger. Probably even more interesting as a pilot.

 

[ShawnR]

I completed the tail wheel conversion today. I first removed all of the old paint from the spring, then I measured the length of the chuck jaws (1.9") . I then measured the diameter of the spring at two points that distance apart to determine the taper that the chuck jaws would "see" and the difference was about 0.030. I then cut up a pop can, and folded it over a few times as a starting point. I put the spring into the chuck and inserted a piece of pop can at the back of each jaw, and my "shim stack" at the front. Having it folded over on itself made it much easier to manage than a stack of loose shims. I also realized that by moving the shim in and out of the chuck, it will impact the spring at a different point, thus making it fairly easy to dial it in. Not sure if any of that is correct but it worked well. I was able to dial it in to around 0.0015". I figured this was good enough for me and proceeded to turn it down. I started with a freshly sharpened HSS bit as I was advised to take small cuts and go slow. I was not sure how "hard" the spring steel was but it actually cut quite nice. As suggested in the instructions posted previously, I "blended" the cut into the spring so as to not have a stress point. The hardest part of the whole job was drilling the cross bolt holes. I think I used about a dozen bits. They seemed to get dull very quickly but every once in a while I would get a good cut going. What I get for buying crappy bits I suppose. I now have it installed with temporary hardware to try it. Seems like it will be a great upgrade!