FunPlacesToFly.com Blog

Video: Aviation Safety's Slip/Skid Lesson

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 CST

If you're a pilot, do you know what the rudder is for? In this short video, Aviation Safety magazine's Jeb Burnside shows the most basic of flying skills: How to keep a turn coordinated.

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Video: Duxford: Flying Legends Air Show

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 CST

Simply put, there is no place more significant to fly a Mustang than at the Flying Legends Air Show in Duxford, England. The Legends show is a living memorial to all those who gave their all. The Horsemen are humbled by the honor of flying Mustangs off Duxford's hallowed and historic grounds. We dedicate this video to the real Mustang pilots who left the grass of DUX and never came back home.

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Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:00:00 CST

Jessica Cox, the first sport pilot without arms, shares how she overcame the odds to earn her pilot certificate. Professional production of Jessica Cox interview at AOPA Aviation Summit - taken from AOPA website.

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Video: Flight without boundaries - Jessica Cox interview from AOPA Aviation Summit Part 1

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:00:00 CST

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Video: Jessica Cox Speaking at AOPA Aviation Summit - Part 2 of 2

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:00:00 CST

The first woman without arms to earn a Sport Pilot certificate speaks about flight without boundaries and "thinking ouside the shoe." Professional production of Jessica Cox Speaking at AOPA Aviation Summit - taken from AOPA website.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CST

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CST

Belite Aircraft shears axle while taxiing in Flint Hills pasture

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:00:00 CST

James Wiebe made a precautionary landing in his Belite ultralight aircraft in a pasture in the Flint Hills on Wednesday. But it's not going to stop him trucking his aircraft to EAA�s annual AirVenture fly-in where the Wiebes will have the plane on display. Go James!

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:00:00 CST

Create your own AirVenture itinerary with EAA's new online presentations schedule, now available at www.AirVenture.org/Schedule. This preliminary online events schedule - which is being added to virtually every day leading up to the convention - includes not only forums and workshops, but everything that's happening throughout the week, July 27 - August 2 at Oshkosh. Check off all the events you wish to attend, then create and print your own custom itinerary to use during your visit to the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration.

Search events by title, type, presenter, location, or keyword. You can create, modify, continue, and add, or delete your own personal schedule. Those with web-enabled mobile phones (or a smartphones), also have access to the complete AirVenture schedule of events wherever there's Internet access.

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Mon, 18 May 2009 08:00:00 CST

Robin Coss Aviation builds custom airplanes for their customers, the majority of which are Van's RV Aircraft. This is a very interesting video for anyone who may be considering buying or building their own airplane.

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Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:00:00 CST

This was really a neat experience! I told the instructor that the last time soldered anything was when I put a new eight track tape player in my car! Go ahead, guess my age. After the class, I had a good idea of what is required to wire my RV.

It was a 2 day course. The class instructor really knew his stuff and obviously had considerable experience in aircraft electrical systems and avionics. We learned stuff like antenna mounting, coax cable installation, radio system wiring, how to solder and crimp components, what the requirements are for alternator and electrical systems and basic electrical system installation.

Here are some of the things that we put together (an got to take home with us!):

This is a basic instrument panel. It has an on/off switch, a breaker, a dimmer switch, buss terminal and a light bulb.

We learned how to put on Coax connector.

We also learned how to do a wide variety of hookups that are common on aircraft.

On these guys, we had to install the pin connectors and the solder the headphone connections, and it had to work! We had to plug it into a intercom provided by the instructor to test it.

Here the tools we were taught to use. After the class I went home and ordered my own set of tools from Stein Air.

SAT-006 5 Flush Cut Cutter. Perfect for cutting wires flush in tight places, and cutting zip ties (leaves no edge).

Automatic Wire Stripper. Made in the USA! Strips AWG16-22.

Ratcheting Crimper. I bought the tool frame and the individual dies, which are sold separately. The dies are interchangeable.

MOLEX / Open Barreled Pin Crimper and Pin Insertion/Removal Tool. Crimps Molex, King/Narco Radio Pins and other open barreled pins in multiple sizes. The red and white insertion/removal tool is used for D-Sub pins, Mil Spec.

Last and certainly not least, the bible of electical systems
AeroElectric Connection by: Bob Nuckolls.

My list of stuff that I bought. If you're lazy like me, here's a list of items that I purchased, with all the part numbers.

If you would like to attend an EAA Workshop, click here. Don't have a homebuilt airplane? Get one!

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Aviation Enthusiasts Are Everywhere

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:00:00 CST

Here lately I have playing with the idea writing web applications for mobile devices. Facebook has a really cool mobile device web application that automatically detects your mobile device and redirects you to a web page that is "phone" friendly.

So I put together an Aviation related web page that was mobile phone friendly and headed out to my local cell phone sales store. When I got there, I was greeted by a really nice young man who was eager to help me out. When I told him what I was doing, his eyes lit up and he told me "My dad is an aviation nut and I'm raising money right now to pay for some flying lessons for him!".

We starting talking about the IPhone, the various Blackberrys and the those less expensive phones that have limited Internet access. Then he walked me around the store and pulled up my website on every phone in the store! We tested these phones to see the features and limitations of each. After we check them all, I had a really good idea of how to write a web app that every phone out there could access and be fully functional. Turns out that all mobile devices can handle old fashioned hyperlinks, but not Javascript, search forms or input forms. The IPhone can do everything, some Blackberry require Javascript updates and issue a warning message, and the less expensive phone can only handle hyperlinks.

This gracious salesman never tried to sell me anything, he just wanted to help me out. What a refreshing change! That's what aviation is all about. People helping people.

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Woodshop and Metalshop and Homebuilding

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:00:00 CST

My son will be starting high school next year and I was shocked to learn that the four high schools in our school district did not offer any shop classes, NONE!! Holey moley! What the #$%^ is going on with public schools?

We live in a nice area with multi-million dollar school facilities and they don't have metal or wood shops in any of the schools. I don't get it. Maybe I'm just an old fart (my son would aggree), but how can anyone learn how to use basic hand-tools skills if they don't offer them in school?

I took wood shop in the sixties (you do the math) and really enjoyed the whole experience. We even had a voluntary work night class for those who wanted to work on their projects in their spare time. Our shop teacher called the night group the "Big Time Operators" or just simply the "BTO". It was great to be a part of a group like this. I would tell everybody that I was a "Big Time Operator".

Now the kids who grew up in those schools without shop classes are having kids. Those kids aren't learning how to use hand tools from their parents because most of them have never picked up a hammer or sawed a board in half.

Now for the aircraft building part. As I encounter my "to do" list on my homebuilt aircraft, I always have flashbacks of how to to stuff from the classes I attended and my Dad who was a carpentar. The similiarities in tool usage are definitely there. We need to get those shop classes back into our schools!

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Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:00:00 CST

I have been working on my RV-9A from Van's Aircraft for over 2 years now and I have to say it's been the most enjoyable thing I taken on in my life (except for marriage, sorry sweetie!).

I have an advantage over most builders because I already own a late model Cessna 172, so I get my flying fix and get to build too. But what if you don't have an airplane and want to fly as soon as possible?

This is where people ask themselves if building is worth it, since they can buy an airplane and fly it, all in the same day or week.

There are a few things to consider, one being the biggie, money vs time. I went out on one of the aircraft sales websites and looked at used Cessna 172 prices that were anywhere from $55,000 to over $250,000, between the year model 1970 and 2008. The majority of these aircraft had over 3 to 5 thousand hours on them. I did the cost estimator on Van's Aircraft website and according to it my RV-9A should cost from $60,690 to $67,085 to complete.

So what's the big difference for me? Here are a few items:

With my experimental aircraft, I will do my own inspections every year, since I will receive a repairmans certificate along with my airworthiness certificate when finished. BIG savings there.

My old Cessnas top speed is right at 115 mph and the RV-9A cruises at over 185 mph with the same engine.

Parts are cheaper. If my alternator goes out on my Cessna, it's over $450 for a rebuilt one that has the official yellow "tag" on it, and it has to be installed by an A&P Mechanic. I can get the same alternator brand new for less than half that amount on Van's website and install it myself.

I will be doing my own repairs on my RV-9A. No $50-75 bucks an hour for an A&P mechanic.

Certified aircraft are required to have avionics that are TSO'd and experimentals don't. A savings of around 50% there.

Most experimental aircraft companies (like Van's Aircraft) offer Quickbuild kits, which really shortens the time it takes to build your aircraft.

It's just plane fun (sorry for the pun). I feel like a kid again, building a Revelle model airplane, except this time it's for real.

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 08:00:00 CST

I've decided to share what I have learned in my crack filling episodes where the fiberglass meets the metal, namely the elevators, rudder and horizontal stabilizer. I don't claim to be an expert, but an adventurer, picking the brains of those who have covererd their cracks (he-he) in the past.

Some of the pictures are mine, some are not. I've "borrowed" a few pics from other builders. Mainly because I either forget to take some during the process or I had stuff all over on my hands.

Let's get started:

I ordered my fiberglass supplies from Aircraft Spruce and got a few other items from Lowes (aircraft supply). Here's my list of goodies:

3M - Dual Respirator
1 Gallon of Acetone (for resin cleanup)
West System Pumps (for preset mixing amounts)
West System 105 Epoxy Resin
West System 206 Slow Hardener (not to be confused with Viagra)
West System 410 Microlight Fairing Filler
Stanley Disposable Vinyl Gloves (100 pc)
Small Cotton Roller (to squeeze out air bubbles under fiberglass cloth)
Several "Throw away" paint brushes
Plastic Sanding Block
One box of pop-sicle sticks (to stir things up)
Several Quart mixing cups (Lowes)

I got this Evercoat Metal Glaze filler at an auto paint outlet. It's expensive but works nicely as a filler.

First I scuffed up the surface of the aluminum and fiberglass tips with a scotchbrite pad where the fiberglass tip and aluminum meet and then cleaned it off with lacquer thinner.

Then I cut a thin strip of 1.45 oz lightweight fiberglass cloth and layed it over junction between the aluminum and the fiberglass tip. (you can get it at: Aircraft Spruce)

After putting a coat of resin on the scuffed surface, I layed the cloth down over the gap and gently tapped it down with a brush until the cloth was totally immersed in the resin. After it dried (usually in 24 hours), I sanded down the surface to smooth down the bumps.

Then I mixed up a small portion of the Evercoat Metal Glaze (be sure and were a mask!). Then I used a plastic spreader and put an initial thin coat over the resined area. This stuff starts setting up right after you mix it. You have maybe 3 minutes before it is unworkable. Remember, the more you put on, the harder you have to work to sand it off later.

Wait 20 minutes after applying the Evercoat to sand to surface. Use 200-300 grit sandpaper wrapped around a flat piece of word. NEVER sand without the piece of wood. If you sand just using your hand, you will get dips in the finish. Use your own judgment on the grit of the sandpaper. The stronger the sandpaper, the more scratches you have to fill in later. Here's a picture of the plastic spreaders. The other picture is from another website. Be prepared to put to apply several applications of the Evercoat filler until you get the results you want. Each thin application is to fill in low spots from the previous application. If you have ever worked with taping and bedding sheetrock, it is very similar.

Use sandpaper wrapped around a flat piece of wood and it will give you a nice uniform surface. Be sure and feather the filler out to the edges into the aluminum. It should look like the picture below when you're done.

Now for the ultimate test. When you get to the point when you think it's perfect, put a coat of primer (same stuff you've been using on your aluminum) on your creation. Then stand back with your project between you and some outside source of light (like an open garage door). Then you can see what a crappy a job you did! In other words, be prepared to add more filler! Just lightly sand it down and apply more filler and sand some more. You don't have to remove the primer, just rough it up. Repeat this process until your satisfied OR you want a beer!

Happy sanding!

Smitty

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Newbies and Experimental Aircraft Building

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:00:00 CST

One of the toughest things about building your first Experimental Aircraft is all the unknowns you encounter in the construction process. You can sometimes get anxious, frustrated and even a little mad, especially when you come across something you don't understand or don't know how to do.

There are even times when you feel inadequate or a little stupid. I think the main reason for these feelings is due to the fact that first time builders are venturing out and "going where no person (typically) has gone before", building an aircraft! I have also noticed that the vast majority of builders are well past their 20's and 30's. They are usually well established in their chosen profession, and feel confident in what they do for a living. At this stage in life, it's tough on the old ego to admit that you don't know anything about a particular subject. Building a fully functional aircraft, complete with engine and avionics is a daunting task, to say the least. It's whole new enchilada with a massive learning curve.

I remember long ago, visiting Dan Checkoways website when he was still in the process of building his RV-7. I was impressed with his perseverance, tackling one hurdle after another. His tenacity was evident. If he didn't know how to do something, he found someone to show or tell him how to do it. He wasn't afraid to admit his mistakes and passed on a great legacy of knowledge through his daily entries and photos on his website. The only time I got upset with Dan was when he didn't put in a new entry every day.

I was hooked!

"That's it!" I said to myself. "I'm going to build an RV!"

I had long been eye-balling the RV-9A as my chosen air-chariot. The low stall speed, excellent glide ratio and good looks had already sold me. I downloaded the order form from Vans website and wrote out the check for my RV-9A Empennage Kit! It was a great feeling to slap that dude into the mail
slot.

Then it hit me, "Tools!" I don't Jack about aircraft tools, much less how to operate them. Thus, my first encounter with the "stupid" monster. He came up and bit me right on my ego.

"Great. Now I have to start asking stupid questions" I thought.

Somehow I had it in my head that other "experienced" builders were going to resent a "newbie" asking the same old questions that thousands of other "newbies" had already asked for years.

Running out of time (knowing that the tail kit was already on its way), I decided to just jump in and join all the various email groups and websites and started asking for help and advice.

What happened next was amazing. I was bombarded with emails and postings from other builders, all of which were more than willing to share their knowledge with me. They sent me their personal phone numbers, email addresses and some even invited me over to their homes to see their projects. WOW! This was the coolest thing ever.

By the time the tail kit arrived, I felt like I was ready. I tore into the boxes like a kid opening Christmas presents.

It's been a couple of years now and I'm having the time of life, building my very own Van's RV-9A.

Don't get me wrong, I still get anxious, frustrated and sometimes a little mad, but I'm never alone.

Thanks, RV Buddies!

Smitty

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