TheDeltaFox

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Everything posted by TheDeltaFox



  1. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Leaky quick drain   

    Friend here with a Pacer had a surprise on takeoff thanks to Teflon tape. He didn't know the previous owner had used tape on the wing tank fittings. He loaded up his son and two other small children and when he went full throttle on takeoff..... it bogged down after a few seconds and he was able to abort takeoff with plenty of runway ahead of him. For those of you that don't know, our runway 28 drops off into a river ravine about 200 ft past the edge of the pavement. Could have been a mess and am very glad he did a full backtrack that day. He opened up the gasocolator and it was full of gunk left from the Teflon tape. He spent a long time removing, cleaning and resealing the tanks and fittings. Then went through the entire system to make sure none of that garbage was used anywhere's else.
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  2. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Weight and Balance   


    Sweet, thanks!
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  3. TheDeltaFox added a topic in Technical tasks   

    Weight and Balance
    Hi guys,

    I've been working off the old weight and balance done by the previous owner and i'd like to know how everyone here does the weight and balance on their Avids.

    Can a few of you elaborate on your procedure. Everything from leveling to reference points and arms and well the whole process. Would be nice to know i'm doing it right or at least close to right.

    What your CofG's and ranges for the MKIV? A picture or diagram would also be priceless.

    Thanks,

    Darcy
    • 9 replies
    • 4,764 views


  4. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic EA-82 Power   

    Thanks for the info Ed. I have another question that this engine talk raises. A friend let me know yesterday that hes got a C85 for my J3. So that leaves my A75 free to sell or use. Looking from a numbers perspective the dry weight is 170 lbs and it produces more thrust than a VW for its dispacement. Gets me wondering if anyone has ever put a Continental on the nose of an Avid. I"m sure its been done but i'm too new to the Avid world to know how it worked out. I'm just thinking that if i have a perfectly good engine that I just put new bearings and rings into, i'd like to use it. I guess that still brings up the question of engine mount, cowling work and prop.



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  5. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Cable swagging tool   

    Off to Home Depot I go

    Thx
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  6. TheDeltaFox added a topic in Rotax and other engines   

    EA-82 Power
    So after deciding against the VW and looking in to the Subaru's I have a few questions for those of you more knowledgeable than myself.

    First, whats the big differences between the EA-81 and the EA-82? I found an EA-82 locally for sale and wouldn't mind picking it up for possible future Avid use.

    Second, whats needed for a conversion. (other than a redrive) I've found a few links and it looks rather simple.

    Also, I assume i'd need to make a custom motor mount unless someone makes them. It also seems best to do the 16 inch stretch on the fuselage to minimize the amount of weight needed near the tail.

    Its a little ways off but would be fun. The fuselage could use a shiny new fabric and paint job. hmm... Any info or advice would be appreciated. If I find a 4 stroke that I'm happy with and doesn't break the bank then i might just decide not to sell it and start putting some more time on it.

    Darcy
    • 14 replies
    • 3,297 views


  7. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic VW Engines   




    Yup, i'm up poop creek for using a vw and a redrive. After looking into it more you're right. It would be at least 200# and probably more. That's Subaru territory at that point and a lot of weight on the nose.

    As much as I wish for a 4 stroke, there looks like nothing is going to come close to the old 582 for HP/thrust for anywhere near the same weight.

    I guess i'll keep on truckin with the 582 and saving till the right engine comes up for sale. Thanks for saving me a pile of work, cash and a headache.
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  8. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic VW Engines   

    Ok i'm back on the VW topic. I thought i'd find a cheap 912 by now but that's not the case.


    Has anyone or does anyone know of someone running the vw with a reduction drive. From my research (web browsing) it seems like the vw won't give a great amount of thrust unless a reduction drive is used.
    I'm sure this will increase the weight to the 170-180 installed weight. Making it 80 lbs heavier up front than the 582 thats on it now.

    I've decided to hold on to the Avid for a while and fly the heck out of it cause working on the other plane project has me ever looking skywards. I fly almost exclusively by myself and am kicking my butt for not putting in a second wing tank when i recovered the one wing. I live in the Alberta prairies so no worries about needing to out climb a mountain...yet. Less fuel burn and more range along with a 4 stroke so i can go touring around more than 40 miles away from home would be nice.

    So i know i'm probably headed down the path others have taken then switched but i'm most likely going to try it. I'm thinking a roughly 70 hp vw with redrive and the battery in the far back for W&B.

    I know some of you swear by the 582 but alas i'm not a 2 stroke person and most likely never will be. To those of you who are, i tip my hat.

    Darcy
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  9. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Pop rivets-Stainless steel or Cherrymax   

    Along those lines, where can you get the bid headed pop rivets that hold the windshield lexan in place? The regular Avex rivets have a small head, same with store bought aluminum pop rivets.
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  10. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic California Power Systems (CPS) sold to Aircraft Spruce & Specialty   

    That link is pure gold!!!
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  11. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Selling my Avid   

    My Cub is a 1946 J3 with a A-75 engine. I have all the original logs and data plate for it. The airframe time has 1720 hours since new and the engine has 600+ SMOH. I was planning on putting it in the owner maintenance category here in Canada but haven't decided yet. The airplane has sat for a few years so i've been going through it and planning on doing a complete restoration on it. The engine was torn down and has been inspected and has new main bearings and new connecting rod bearings. Theres new gaskets, piston rings, and some new pushrods. The Mags are the orignial Eissemann mags and both are still strong. One does have the impusle gear on it for easier starting.The airframe has been mostly stripped of fabric at this point. It has the 12 gallon header tank and one wing tank in the right hand wing. I also have a metal Mccauley prop rated to 85 hp for it and the Federal 1500 skis to go with it.
    The wings are in ok shape and for the most part and need to be torn down, inspected, any repairs made and then new fabric and wing tip bows. The wings have the metal spars and if i read the logs right, one of the wings was replaced some 20 years ago. The newer wing is actually in very good shape. I've got new bungees on the main gear. I haven't touched the wings and they're stored in a shop on my farm. I've got the fuselage in the garage to work on. Theres a bit of cross tubing to replace in the back of the fuselage which is the majority of the repairs needed. Apparently a fence post jumped out in front of the previous owner. Now lets see if I can get some pics on here. As for price, well i'm open to offers at this point.






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  12. TheDeltaFox added a topic in For Sale and wanted, you got it, I want it   

    Selling my Avid
    Hey Guys,

    As I mentioned in a different post, i've been contemplating selling my Avid and my J3 project so I can move up to the Airdale Flyer (aka super Avid)

    I put my Mark IV on Barnstormers and have had a few good bites on it so we'll see if anything comes of it. I'm sure everyone on here has an Avid but if you know of anyone looking
    for an Avid that is flying, let me know and i'll give them more info on it. Its registered as a Mark IV but the serial number 1057 so its more of a C and IV hybrid I figure.

    Anyways, i'm off to work on the J3 project to get it ready to advertise as well. In the mean time I've been flying the Avid as much as possible and having a blast.

    Darcy
    • 3 replies
    • 2,884 views


  13. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Poly Brush   

    Biggest thing to remember is to adjust your gun before spraying the poly brush. I learned that the hard way last fall while spraying a wing i recovered. If you search its on here somewhere. The poly brush is very easy to put on too thick. Adjust your spray way down in comparison to what you'll need for the silver and tone. Like mentioned before, if you put it on too thick you'll be cracking within a year or two. I put a cross coat of poly on by brush and then sprayed a coat on to smooth it out. Then be sure sure to put on a good couple of silver cross coats to keep that pesky sun out.
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  14. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic That hits the Spot   

    At the last tower I worked at, one of the pilots had the new version of the SPOT with is online access in his flight plan details. He had it set to track every couple minutes and we could watch him do his wildlife surveys. I thought it was a great idea especially if he ever went down we'd be able to see his last position and if it was still operational they'd find him rather quick.
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  15. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Two Avids are better than one   

    Thanks for all the replies. Over the weekend and a 6 hr car trip with the wife, i came to the decision to sell the J3 project and when that's gone get the Airdale kit. I really like the idea of having a 4 stroke and 100hp up front with the extra baggage room.

    The "outlaws" moved to southern British Columbia this winter and it would be nice to go visit them for a couple weeks a year with the bigger plane and explore the hills and lakes around there.

    I'd like to hold on to the MKIV while I build but not sure if that'll happen. Sure is a fun toy to have though.

    Brett should hire you guys as his advertising team. Some of those photos of your plane sitting on a beach with the supercubs is awesome. It's like having a supercub at a fraction of the cost and you can do all the maint yourself in the bush or your front lawn. I'm sold.... Now off to find someone looking for a J3.
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  16. TheDeltaFox added a topic in Avidfoxflyers General Hangar   

    Two Avids are better than one
    I may have my wife convinced to let me buy the Airdale flyer kit.

    I'll have to sell off the J3 restoration project I have in the garage but I think it might be worth it. I've been so impressed with the performance of this Avid especially in the off airport landings/ takeoffs that I would love to see what the Super Avid (Airdale Flyer) can do. Currently I don't have any sort of baggage area setup in my Avid, the STOL wings and one wing tank. I'd love to have more HP up front and some baggage space for camping/fishing supplies in the back. Right now as i'm set up, my Avid is just an around the local area machine and i'd love to upgrade it and go exploring while being able to carry enough fuel and supplies to overnight somewhere.

    I'll probably have to sell off the old Avid STOL at some point but wouldn't mind holding on to it until I get the new toy flying.

    Do any of you have any experience with the new Airdale flyer? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
    • 6 replies
    • 1,451 views


  17. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic AUTO COMPASS   

    Got to love living in Alberta. All the roads are 2 miles apart north to south and 1 mile apart east to west. Makes it really easy for navigating and checking your ground speed.

    I just did a compass swing the other day and my compass card sits there for show only. It's just a relative heading instrument for me. If the weather gets to the point that i'm relying on the compass then I'm most likely not in the air anyways.
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  18. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Video Camera!   

    Looks great. I've been thinking about getting a cam to mount on the wing to show everyone the farm strips and off airport landings around here. Keep up the videos and the flying!
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  19. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic pull starter vs electric start questions   

    I've been roping starting mine and its been going good even just below freezing. I make sure the ignition is off and turn the prop over by hand a dozen times to loosen up the gear box oil though. Turning it over by hand first seems to loosen things up and it starts reliably plus lets you hear if anything is making any weird noises under the hood. The ignition might take a good pull to light the fires but its a great and reliable ignition when running. Its taking some getting used to but so far i'm warming up to this two stroke. I still don't trust it as far as I can throw it but at least i'm confident that myself and the Avid will be fine if it ever quits.
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  20. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Landing at the farm   

    We lost the inch of snow we had and the farm is bare. I hope it either snows soon or we get tons of rain in the spring or there might be some poor crops this year. Sure is neat to fly over the lakes and see every crack and the deep blue of the ice.

    Today was just too nice of a day so i went back to the airport in the afternoon and took the plane out for a compass swing. I figured seeing as i'm on the runway I had might as well do a circuit and had my best wheel landing yet. There's nothing quite like owning your own airplane and the freedom of just jumping in and burning a circuit when ever you feel like it.


    Darcy
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  21. TheDeltaFox added a topic in Avid fox flyers pics and vids   

    Landing at the farm
    Went flying from the comfort of the paved strip to the family farm today. After a few low passes to stir up the family and get them outside, i decided to make an approach to the only level spot at our farm. Its a about 800 ft long and has fences all around it. I put on full flap and sneaked it over the first fence and then got on the brakes after touchdown. I'm so impressed at how short this little monster will land. The ground was rather rough but not as bad as all the frozen cow turds.

    Here's a couple victory shots from the landing. You can see its not the best terrain for having an airstrip and I landed just behind that hill the plane is sitting in front of. My old man couldn't believe it when I landed then taxied up to the gate. The takeoff impressed him quite a bit. When i called to tell him i was back at the airport he said it looked like i used only 50ft to takeoff. I told him it was perhaps a little more than that. My brother who is a commercial pilot and myself have always dreamed of having an airstrip at the farm and this was the first time anyone had ever landed at the farm. Victory is mine!






    • 5 replies
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  22. TheDeltaFox added a topic in Avid fox flyers pics and vids   

    First Flight of 2012
    Here are some pictures and video links from our flight today. Jan 1 2012.

    My lovely copilot fiance took the pics and vids as I was busy pretending that I knew what I was doing.

    Cheers!

    http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ToSyiRwi1Ig

    http://www.youtube.c...h?v=bQggGEv5k70





    • 4 replies
    • 1,101 views


  23. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Happy New Years   

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

    Had a great time last night so I didn't have a chance to go flying until near sunset. My fiance and I went for an extended circuit and she took some pictures and videos with the little digital camera.

    Sure feels good to get in the air on the first day of the year!


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  24. TheDeltaFox added a topic in Technical tasks   

    How to Install Wheel Skis
    After a brown Christmas we're finally getting some much needed SNOW!!! Thats one of the few four letter words I can shout in front of my wife without getting slapped.

    I've been waiting for snow so I can finally put the wheel skis on and go have some fun on the lakes and fields. Here's where I need your help. Being a noob to ski flying, the first thing is it too make sure i get them rigged on the plane properly.

    Anyone up for posting some do's and don'ts for me? A few pictures would also be awesome.

    Thanks guys!!
    • 1 reply
    • 823 views


  25. TheDeltaFox added a post in a topic Guts -vs- Balls   

    Well Done Sir ..
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