Classic IV Restoration

453 posts in this topic

Posted

Answers to your concerns:

1. The spring I am using is a custom 3-leaf, 1-1/2", "real" spring - not a half assed Avid/Kitfox excuse

2. Tail Ski

3. I don't live in Alaska

4. I've never heard of a Rans S7 or Highlander crashing the tail - This one is very similar

5. If I wreck it, I'll build another...

1. sounds cool hope it works out better than my piper spring

2. I gots one of those on too

3. true... but you do live in an area with snowmachines and they just love to put tracks on lakes and open fields there just like they do here :lol:

4. I guess I get to the be the lucky first... Kinda like Joey was on his spring gear :snack:

5. Hell yeah! That always works.. But I "hear" its a real bitch to try and use the rudder on the plane to get you home when it has a tail wheel / ski trying to keep it from moving very freely.

All that said, I do like the looks and I think it will make it a much better plane! Should be able to easily get that tail up and out of the snow with that big elevator, I am just thinking about if it will make it "twitchy" or not. I definitely need to make larger elevators for mine on floats, or make a different control horn so I can get more down throw on mine. I have plenty of up, but not enough down to push the nose over on take off.

Can't wait for flight test reports on this one!

:BC:

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Posted (edited)

Got some more done today. Lots of the $1.25 putzy little jobs that add up to a finished project...

Here is a view of the tailwheel mounted on the spring. Yes, there could be a hazard of crashing the wheel into the rudder. I believe the bottom of the rudder would absorb an impact and bend rather than jam *if* the spring were ever to break. The spring is a three-leaf model made by a local spring shop with a much better overall design than the "S" shaped oem Avid or Kitfox spring that are known to break real easy. I don't do the extreme off airport work that a lot of you guys do, so again, I'm not that worried.

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This is the "gate" that I made up for the flap handle. I have a "for-real" trim tab, so the infinitely adjustable flaps used to trim are not needed for this plane. I saw a similar setup on Paul Seehafer's plane and like the simplicity and positive action of it.

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This will give me four "notches" of flap action: 0Ëš, 8Ëš, 16Ëš and 24Ëš. My yellow plane is rigged to give some reflex at the bottom for nose up trim and up to 26Ëš of flap which I do use on occasion. This setup will be slightly less.

We also got the door strut mounts finished up and welded in place on the door frames and fuselage opening. There may still be a little "tweaking" to do on the door frames yet, but that remains to be seen.

My new wheels and brakes came in today from Grove. I got the 6x6 "tubeless" wheels and double puck brakes for this beast. I may just wind up ordering a custom (taller) spring from them yet, but we'll see...

Edited by Av8r3400

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Posted

She be looking good Larry! I like to see progress pictures! I know your putting alot of thought into this so your going to have an awesome finished product! I do like the trim tab and the over size feathers! You are really making me think about ordering up some tubing and getting it delivered to the house before I get home this time! What size tubing did you use for the elevators? I am 800 miles away from my plane right now so I cant measure the tubes. I may have to lay it out and get an idea for how much of what I need to order... or if you would be so kind, maybe you have an idea of how much you used that you may pass along :lol:

:BC:

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Posted

Ha, and I thought mine was simple. Much easier than making up the spring loaded thumb button and cutting notches in a plate radius. This flap handle idea works great, just need to be able to reach it. tongue.gif

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Posted

I agree, Doug. Nice setup there.

I have short human arms, not the long orangotan arms some guys have. I'm thinking of a 90Ëš mitered joint with a small "T" handle on the end to reach it...

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Posted

Leni - Most of the tubing I have used is 3/8" x .035" tubing. On the tail alone I think we have used near 30'. There is some 1/2" and 5/8" x .035" used, too, but not much - a couple of feet each, tops.

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Posted

Looks an awful lot like a Highlander :stirthepot: Killer stuff Larry... Glad to see there are some innovative guys out there. These things didn't get to where they are by people accepting what worked before them that's for sure!!

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Posted

Airplane Porn!!!

She's on her own gear now. Next we build a new firewall and hang the engine...

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New Grove "tubeless" wheels and double puck brakes....

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Posted

Airplane Porn!!!

She's on her own gear now. Next we build a new firewall and hang the engine...

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post-36-13632322194661_thumb.jpg

New Grove "tubeless" wheels and double puck brakes....

I'm interested in your firewall building - got to do mine when wings are finished.

ED in MO

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Posted

I love airplane porn!

Damn Larry, she is looking sexy!

:BC:

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Posted

I like it! Now all it needs is a good Subie :stirthepot:

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Posted

Hung the motor (long block) the other day.  Sorry no photo...

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Posted

Got a photo of the motor on the airframe....

 

 

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Posted

Looking good!   Pictures of progress help keep ya moving forwards and focused!  That should be a sweet machin when your done Larry.

 

 

:BC:

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Posted (edited)

I haven't been doing much over the later part of the summer.  I've just been too damn busy.  I did instal the new gear legs yesterday due to the sale of the old one.  Here's a shot of the plane sitting in the paint booth now.  

 

It's 60" from the ground to the spinner...

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Edited by Av8r3400

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Posted

Been wondering if you had worked on it any.

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Posted

Larry ,..it took me about 30 minutes to make this out of 5052 and some hard wood,I was going to use it for a flap control ,..it has a spring inside of the neck you squeeze the T bars together to adjust

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Posted

Great design.  I'm sure it will work well for that.  Quite a few notches (7) for the flaps, though?

 

IMO in order to use a "gated" flap control you need a separate trim system.  I'm adding an electric trim tab to mine.  Does your model V have the jack screw h-stab or do you have a trim tab?

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Posted (edited)

its got the actuator (jack screw)

 

when I made that I was thinking like with my model 2 depending on the load ,..I had to trim with the flaperons..

Edited by SkyPirate

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Posted

if the tension on the flap handle is right, is there really a need to make notches and a locking mechanism?  The only time I had issues with mine was when I only had a lock nut on it and it would loosen up.  Since I put a castellated nut on it I have never had it loosen up.

 

:BC:

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Posted

I'm an engineer.  Nuff said.

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Posted

could be a trim control too,..was just messing around when I built it,..thinking of different uses

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Posted

Finally warm enough to start working on the Mangy again.  Over the last couple of days we re-fit the cowling.  There's lots of holes to patch and maybe some more tweaking, but it's on and pretty close.

 

Profile:

 

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Form this angle it looks like a turbine...

 

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This is the before photo….

 

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Posted

Good stuff. I like seeing progress, even if it's not mine at times! Keep going now you got the momentum this year.

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Posted

Great thread. I like seeing people turn their ideas into reality. Looking forward to more updates.

 

Luke D.

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