Professional Documents
Culture Documents
www.eaa.org
Celebrating
50-Year-Old Homebuilts
Flight Testing
1/3-Scale B-17
A homebuilt warbird
H o m e b uil d e r s C or n e r
Welcome
Chad Jensen
On the cover: Tomas Bauer fies his Dyke Delta JD-2 into the future.
(EAA photo by Jim Koepnick.)
Contents
N O. 1 / SE PT E MBE R 2 012
Features
By Mary Jones
By Budd Davisson
Departments
2 Homebuilders Corner
By Chad Jensen
4 E-Mail
Columns
28 Under the Cowl
Engine Mounts
By Tim Kern
9 Flightline
Industry News
23 Chapter News
Major Achievement Awards
at AirVenture 2012
32 Safety Wire
Transitioning to Experimental
or Unfamiliar Airplanes
By Hobie Tomlinson
E- M a il
Talk to Us!
Welcome again to this rst issue of Experimenter online magazine.
Homebuilders Community Manager Chad Jensen and I are
delighted to be working together to bring you this publication,
but like any good magazine well need to hear from you to know
what you like/dont like or wish wed do to make this magazine the
publication youd like. Cant promise well make all your dreams
come true, but well do the best we can with the resources we
have. And EAA has allocated signicant resources to make this
magazine happen.
To make it easy for you to communicate with us, all you have to
do is click here, and itll automatically open an e-mail message
that will show up in Chads inbox. Well put that same link in the
masthead on this page each month as well. Cant get much easier!
The beauty of an online magazine is that we also can make it
easier for nding interesting stuff anywhere on the Internet; all
you have to do is click on links highlighted in blue text throughout
this issue. No need to copy and paste or try to type in confusing
web addresses.
ADVERTISING
Such links can also make a Letters page like this more valuable.
If you nd an interesting discussion online, we invite you to share
that with us so we can share it with your fellow members/readers.
Well post the links with a short description of the discussion.
Or, introduce us all to an interesting website. For example, have
you heard that Burt Rutan has a new website documenting his life
and work? Visit www.BurtRutan.com to learn all you want about
all things Burt. Yup, thatll keep you busy for a while. (By the way,
did I ever tell you I got to y in Boomerang in 1996? Thanks again,
Jack [Cox] and Burt. Sorry, I cant resist mentioning that
occasionally.)
Display
Sue Anderson
Jonathan Berger
Jeff Kaufman
Larry Phillip
Mary Jones
EditEtc. LLC
Contract Editor for EAA Experimenter
PUBLICATIONS STAFF
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
Phone: 920-426-4800
Fax: 920-426-4828
E-mail: experimenter@eaa.org
Website: www.EAA.org
Im a Member because...
EAA protects my freedom to build and y.
Visit EAA.org/join to become a part of the
worlds most passionate aviation community.
SEPTEMBER 20 12
N e w s Fr o m H Q
Silver Lindy
Brent Lavallee, Kitchener, Ontario, RotorWay, C-FOME
Gold Lindy
Nathan Solesbee, Anaheim, California, RotorWay, N62NT
Ultralight/Light Plane
Ultralight Honorable Mention
Sean Sweeney, Reunion, Florida, Demoiselle
Ultralight Reserve Grand Champion
John Steere, Martinsville, Indiana, Bodacious
Flex-Wing Honorable Mention
Keith Sharon, Sturgeon, Missouri, Wasp Wing
Light Sport Honorable Mention
Joseph Maynard, Powell, Ohio, Sorrell Hiperlight, N43594
Light Sport Reserve Grand Champion
Tom and Janet Schuler, Franklin, Wisconsin, Just
Aircraft Highlander, N716TJ
Well present complete reports on many of these
award-winning aircraft in upcoming issues of
Experimenter.
Longtime EAA
Board Member
Louie Andrew Retires
After 26 years of
continuous service
on the EAA Board of
Directors, Louie
Andrew announced
his retirement on
August 3, 2012.
I had planned to retire
this year, Andrew said.
Its now time for me to
allow the many other talented directors we have on
the board to take their turns.
It has been a great honor for me to serve as a
director of EAA, he added. Without the vision of Paul
Poberezny and Tom Poberezny and the hard work of
everyone at EAA, we may not have private ying in the
future. I am condent that EAA is now in the right place
to ensure the future of all of private aviation.
During his last 10 years on the board, Andrew was
the chair of the Executive Committee of EAA and
vice president of EAA, and over the past year he was
chairman of the EAA Board of Directors. He has also
served as treasurer of the International Aerobatic Club
(IAC), a division of EAA, and had been a member of
the IAC Board.
Louies long experience on the EAA Board was
essential during the leadership transition, said Dan
Schwinn, chair of the EAA Governance Committee of
the Board. Louie spent countless hours on the search
for a new president and then devoted even more time
helping to make the leadership change as smooth
as possible.
N e w s Fr o m H Q
President
Signs Pilots
Bill of Rights
The nations aviators received
expanded due process protection
in early August when President
Barack Obama signed the Pilots
Bill of Rights (PBOR) text, after it
had passed Congress.
We are very pleased for all
aviators now that the Pilots Bill of
Rights has been signed into law,
EAA President/CEO Rod Hightower
said. The legislation safeguards
the rights of those who y and
improves information availability in
a number of areas. We appreciate
all the efforts by those in Congress
and elsewhere to make this
a reality.
The measure was sponsored
by Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK).
EAA and AOPA helped craft the
issues that became key provisions
of the bill and also gathered
bipartisan support on Capitol Hill
for the measure.
One portion of the PBOR makes
signicant changes to the
enforcement procedures used
against pilots by the FAA. Another
portion addresses the medical
certication process, while the bill
also involves improving how the
FAA disseminates the information
in notices to airmen, or NOTAMs.
F li g h t lin e
Sonex Aircraft
Adds New
Quick-Build Parts
RV-14 Debuts
AirVenture attendees got a big surprise on opening day when the muchrumored Vans RV-14 led a parade of RVs to open showcase ights prior to
the air show.
Ken Scott of Vans described the airplane as a cross between a big
persons RV-7 and a two-place RV-10. Its powered by a Lycoming IO-390
and has 50-gallon fuel capacity. First ight was in April, and the company
is very happy with the results of the full ight test program, Scott said.
See the September issue of EAA Sport Aviation for a ight review of
the aircraft.
F li g h t lin e
10
to 250 hp); and TD450 (300 to 350 hp), with the TD300
rst in line for certication and production. The
TD300 is scheduled to commence production in Q1
2015, followed by the TD220 in late 2016 or early 2017.
Lycoming also will begin certication on a 200-hp and
below engine that will operate on unleaded fuels,
including 91 octane.
Continentals development of the diesel and unleaded
fuel-burning engines is driven by the pressure to move
away from 100LL, and the absence of this avgas in
many parts of the world.
11
C e l e b r a t in g O l d e r H o m e b uil t s
Celebrating
Older Homebuilts
12
By Mary Jones
13
C e l e b r a t in g O l d e r H o m e b uil t s
14
Dyke Delta
But not every homebuilder of the time was focusing
on the design competition. Other airplanes under
development in that same time frame include the Dyke
Delta, the Pazmany PL-1, the Thorp T-18, and Volmer
Jensens Sportsman amphibian. Technically, some
of these aircraft hadnt yet own by 1962, but they
certainly count among some of the more well-known
homebuilts of that era.
Inspired by Alexander Lippischs delta-wing designs,
John Dyke had a goal of creating a delta-wing aircraft
that would be trailerable (so it could be stored at home)
and easy to construct. He also wanted enough room
to transport his then family of four. The airplane had
a true, distinctive, double-delta design with folding
wings. It was built with 4130 tubing and covered with
berglass and fabric. The one-plus-three ight deck is
15
C e l e b r a t in g O l d e r H o m e b uil t s
Thorp T-18
In the same time frame, John Thorp was contemplating
developing an all-metal homebuilt. Being an
aeronautical engineer at Boeing no doubt increased
his familiarity with metal, and he became convinced
that an all-metal airplane could be simpler to build
than the all-wood aircraft so popular at that time.
16
SportAir
Workshops
Get hands-on.
EAA SportAir Workshops
get you the skills you
need from the experts
you trust. For workshop
dates, locations and
costs, visit SportAir.org
or call 1-800-967-5746.
EAA SportAir Workshops are made possible through the support of Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Company and Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings
Yo u C a n t Ke e p a G o o d P l a n e D o w n
18
19
Yo u C a n t Ke e p a G o o d P l a n e D o w n
20
The center section was pretty square with only minor damage, but
I installed new ap hinges and plumbed it for fuel and replaced the
anti-servo tabs on the tail. Thats critical on a Thorps stabilator. Then it
was time to tackle the fuselage.
John Thorps goal of simple construction led him away from curves and
toward straight lines, which is one of the things that contributed to the
fuselages somewhat boxy appearance. But it is also one of the things
that makes Thorps matched hole tooling process work. In this process,
when a line of holes is drilled/punched into a part (rib, frame, etc.), a strip
of aluminum is clamped/clecoed to the part and the holes drilled through
that at the same time. This strip is then used as a drill guide to ensure that
the holes drilled on the matching part are positioned identically. In theory,
no jigs are required; the builder drills all the holes in all the parts, and they
magically cleco together like Legos. Done correctly thats exactly
what happens.
Lee said, The fuselage was actually pretty good, considering it had landed
in a corneld. I had almost no repairs other than to replace the forward skin
and clean up what looked like an antenna farm, one of which was a coathanger VOR antenna on the vertical n. I removed and remounted only what
was needed. I did, however, do a lot of updating; its safe to say that every
wire, hose, nut, and bolt has been replaced on this airplane. For one thing,
the instrument panel had probably been pretty high quality for a homebuilt
in 1975, when the airplane was originally built by Bill Sattler in Nashville.
It had ADF/DME and dual navs, which not many homebuilts had at the time.
Now, they were just swap-mart material, which was okay.
21
Yo u C a n t Ke e p a G o o d P l a n e D o w n
I bought very little new stuff. Instead I was continually prowling around
eBay and Barnstormers and cruising the Sun n Fun and AirVenture parts
exchanges. I also worked with a salvage outt that gave me a really good
deal on Silver Crown equipment.
I did a bunch of work on the interior that included building a set of Thorp
aluminum tube seats to replace the heavy plywood seats that were in it.
The seat upholstery was the only thing I farmed out. I did it in tan leather
that had been salvaged out of a Pilatus that was being reupholstered. I
installed a jump seat in the baggage compartment, as designed by one of
the great Thorp trailblazers, the late John Shinn. There may have been a
little nostalgia attached to that decision because my very rst ride in an
airplane was in the jump seat of his T-18, as a child.
Budd Davisson is an
aeronautical engineer,
has own more than 300
different aircraft types, and
published four books and
more than 4,000 articles.
He is editor-in-chief of Flight
Journal magazine and a ight
instructor primarily in Pitts/
tailwheel aircraft. Visit him
at www.Airbum.com.
22
The engine was unusual in that its a 180-hp Lycoming O-360-A1G6, which
has a rear-facing induction unit. Thats really nice because that means
no scoop in the bottom of the cowling. I liked that because the cowling
was pretty special: Its one of the few that is all aluminum. It even has an
aluminum nose bowl.
The engine and airframe logs both say the total time was around 400
hours. So I pulled a cylinder before starting it to check the cam for rust
and generally inspect the inside of the engine. It looked good, so I was
ready to go. The Hartzell constant-speed propeller looked good,
but I had it overhauled anyway.
Chapter News
Chapter award winners includeback, lef to right: Martin Sutter, Philip Hazen, Beth Rehm, Gary Piper, and
Art Schwedler (representing Rod Hatcher). Front, lef to right: Tom Ridderbush (representing Avril Roy-Smith),
Rod Crum (representing Martin Sutter), Robert Baker, and Matt Gregg (representing Martin Sutter).
23
Chapter News
Editors Note
Homebuilders often nd great motivation from fellow EAA members whom they connect with
at local chapter activities. How does your chapter support homebuilders? Wed like to hear about
your chapter activities as they relate to homebuilding. Send your news to Experimenter@eaa.org.
Thanks!
24
H in t s F or H o m e b uil d e r s
Easier Communication
Do you have a problem with wind
afecting your voice-actuated intercom?
On the Light Sport Aircraft Yahoo group, Ron Hill had a solution for his
uncooperative voice-actuated intercom. His mic in the front cockpit, where
he sits behind the windshield in his tandem two-place Challenger II, works
ne, but his wifes intercom was always being actuated by wind noise
locking out Rons mic. This made conversation between Ron and his wife
nearly impossible.
He tried the Oregon Aero MicMuff Mic Cover designed for high noise
environments. It has a foam microphone cap and a little vinyl bag cover.
But that still wasnt enough to solve the problem. The dynamic wind
pressures were very different. His solution was a mini windshield for the
mic. He took the bowl of a plastic spoon, trimmed it to size, then inserted
it between the cover and the foam over the mic, acoustically covering
the front of the mic. This reected the wind pressure enough that the
wind noise was balanced, giving them both had about the same actuation
threshold. Ron says this x has restored marital bliss in his Challenger.
Safety Wiring
Brian Carpenter, of Rainbow Aviation in Corning, California, demonstrates
how to safety multiple fasteners together, watch Safety Wiring Multiple
Fasteners.
In a second related hint, Brian demonstrates safety wiring via the
Single Wire Method. Brian is an A&P/IA, DAR for LSA and experimental
amateur-builts, sport pilot instructor examiner, and CFI. Brian also serves
as an EAA technical counselor and ight advisor for Chapter 1148.
25
W h a t o ur M e m b e r s a r e B uil d in g
Jack Ballys
B-17
A 1/3-scale wonder
26
27
Un d e r t h e C o w l
Engine
Mounts
Basics and pitfalls
Tis typical horizontal mount shows a doughnut in compression. Tis mount is being used a UL Power engine powering
a Zenair aircraf. Note that compression of the mounts means the bolt is in tension.
28
29
Un d e r t h e C o w l
Some Pitfalls
While most mounts will easily handle the generally
smaller engines on our homebuilt aircraft without
problems, there are several common mistakes that can
shorten the lives of mounts precipitously.
Doughnuts may also be used vertically in compression.
Tis example is on the Corvair-powered Panther prototype
on display at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012.
30
Some Tips
As a natural rubber mounting ages, its surface will
become covered with a waxy lm. This protects against
ozone, UV, and some contaminants. Leave it on!
Old mounts may sag. Youll notice this when the
spinner doesnt line up with the cowl the way it used
to. Mounts also compress over time. When they do, the
original spring rate changes, and when the spring rate
changes, the performance of the mount changes. When
the mounts performance changes, its usually not for
the better.
When youre buying a new mount, check the date.
For Lord mounts, its molded into the mount, usually
right near the part number, and its usually difcult
31
S a f e t y W ir e
Transitioning to
32
Lets get down to business with a review of each of the FAAs airplane families with comparable type-certicated
(TCd) examples. We will then address the specics related to transitioning into each family type. This month,
well concentrate on the rst two families. Over the next two months, well cover the remaining families of aircraft.
By way of review, AC 90-109 lists airplane families as follows:
I. Light control forces and/or rapid airplane response:
a. Experimental examples: RV-8, Pitts S-2SE,
Christen Eagle.
b. Type-certicated examples: Grumman AA-1,
Globe Swift, Extra 300.
II. Low inertia and/or high drag:
a. Experimental examples: RANS S-12, Fly Baby.
b. Type-certicated examples: Piper J-3 Cub,
Aeronca 7AC Champ.
III. High inertia and/or low drag:
a. Experimental examples: Glasair, Lancair.
b. Type-certicated examples: Cirrus SR-22,
Cessna Columbia, Piper Comanche, Mooney M20.
IV. Nontraditional conguration and/or controls:
a. Experimental examples: Long EZ, Air Cam, Breezy.
b. Type-certicated example: Lake Amphibian.
V. Nontraditional and/or Unfamiliar Airplane
Systems Operations:
a. Experimental examples: Wankel- or Rotax-powered
aircraft (e.g. Kitfox).
b. Type-certicated examples: Flight Design
CTSW (Rotax-powered), Soloy CE206
(turboprop conversion).
RANS S-12
3. Transition hazards:
a. Many experimental airplanes look like typecerticated (TCd) airplanes but actually have
light control forces and/or a very quick
maneuvering response. Lightweight and lightly
wing-loaded airplanes can have the same quick,
light maneuvering response as aerobatic airplanes.
The hazard with this family is that without some
level of training, the pilot may overcontrol the
33
S a f e t y W ir e
34
35
L i g h t P l a n e Wor l d
EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2012
ELECTRIFYING!
Te new ElectraFlyer ULS was on static display only as the pilot was unable to attend AirVenture 2012. Tis is the sixth
year that Randall Fishmans ElectraFlyer company has attended AirVenture, starting with the electric trike in 2006 and
the ElectraFlyer C conversion of a single-place, all-metal Moni motor glider into an efcient electric airplane in 2008.
Te ULS introduced this year qualifes as an ultralight.
36
The Aero Innovation Hangar celebrated its fourth consecutive year with
Startup Aviation Day, Wednesday, July 25. The event was associated
with the Sikorsky Entrepreneurial Challenge and featured several programs
and speakers focused on facilitating startup projects in need of funding to
bring new technology and products to the market. The hangar was home
to several nascent concepts and housed stimulating displays that helped
maintain the excitement of new technology being developed. Projects
featured included John McGinniss low-drag Synergy project, the e-volo
electric volocopter VTOL machine, Makerplane open source aircraft design
and aviation manufacturing services, Smartplane ight planning and ight
execution, Open Airplane aircraft rental options, Makani Power tethered
kite airborne wind turbine technology, Engineered Propulsion Systems
general aviation diesel engine, Swift Fuels, the Seymour Jet Vest and small
jet engines, Sonex electric ight project, the Samson Switchblade, Joe
Caravellas roadable aircraft projects, Pat Peebles unique high-lift fan-wing
powered aircraft project, and other ying platform or vertical takeoff projects.
Several activities were held down on the farm in the Ultralight/Light Plane
area to highlight the 30th anniversary of ofcial ultralight ight that began
with the adoption of FAR 103 in 1982. Prior to 1982 all ight in noncerticated
aircraft was banned by the Civil Aviation Act. The popularity of hang gliding
37
L i g h t P l a n e Wor l d
38
Even easier to store than the Aerolite 103, the Sky Cycle and
similar North Wing ATF both ofer WSC ultralight fight
on a limited budget with unlimited fun factor.
39
F li g h t Te s t in g Te c hn i q u e s
Knot
What Youre Thinking
Understanding airspeed
By: Ed Kolano
Youre contemplating building, already building, or
recently nished building an aircraft. Or maybe youre
buying someone elses homebuilt airplane. It doesnt
matter; sooner or later youll get around to testing your
aircrafts performance. Essentially, the FAA says the
40
41
F li g h t Te s t in g Te c hn i q u e s
42