Kolb-Archive.digest.vol-cj
September 24, 2000 - October 09, 2000
As usual, Kolb did a great job on the Fly-In. Even though the weather kept
many at home, we still had a wonderful time. They are good people.
For those who had to leave early, you missed some fine food. You would not
believe the deserts. They was worth the whole trip.
John H. spoke about his trip and had us in tears. John, you still owe me the
$10 refund on the patch. HA. I had to do that.
It was a real pleasure to meet many of you on hear. It was good to put faces
to the names.
Maybe by next year I will have my new Firefly ready. Hope to see more next
year.
Bill Beams (the shuttle buss guy)
Wilmore, Ky
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Aerothane Lesson Learned Hard Way |
Hello list,
This is a long note. Go to end for summary and to skip narrative whining.
Just wanted to let some of you possibly benefit from a couple of the mistakes
that I have made in the painting of my Mark III. Most of this seems obvious
and simple common sense stuff now but.......
I spent most the the day Tuesday taping and masking off my cage and tail
feathers to apply some orange trim on top of my beautiful white aerothane
finish. I have faithfully wiped down all my surfaces with the 2210
solvent/cleaner and followed that with a tack rag. After that I started
spraying my light coat of orange (not that pretty but sure is visible) to the
masked off areas. Because you spray such a light coat on the first pass you
move pretty fast from piece to piece when you are spraying such small areas.
I got to the last piece and turned around and almost cried. My orange was
beading up like water on a fresh waxed car. Not knowing what I did wrong and
in a panic, I called Jim and Dondi at Aircraft Technical Support. It was
late in the evening in LA and a little later in OH. I really didn't expect
anyone to answer the phone but there was Dondi's sweet voice. She had Jim
call me back on his car phone. Jim asked a few questions and told me that it
was probably some 2210 solvent cleaner left on the surfaces that caused the
problem. He gave me some steps to take and told me to call back later and
let him know how things were going. I had been used to working in temps in
the 90's and the first taste of fall through this curve at me. Anyway a two
hour paint job turned into 8 hours. The orange trim has orange peel to a
significant degree. My novice neighbors are asking me what I am so upset
about. Most of you would see it a mile away.
In my fit stage, my wife came out to check on me and decided to go back in
the house due to the screaming, cussing, and asking for forgiveness. She
finally came out when she thought she could stand safely in the area. She
tried to console and calm me down with "Will it not fly right if the orange
is messed up a little?" and "Will I be able to see it when I'm standing down
here on the ground and you are up there at 1500 ft ?". This helped to take
the flare out of my nostrils and approach a normal breathing rate. I was up
to 02:00 AM when I closed the shop. Problem was I get up at 04:00 AM to work
a 12 hour shift. A tough day.
So my plane won't win any awards at any airshows. Jim did say I could sand
the orange peel out after 7 days. Sanding on these bumpy Kolbs can be a
challenge.
Hope all of you that attended the Kolb Fly-in had a good time. I had planned
on being there this year with my plane but .....
LESSONS LEARNED:
1) Let 2210 solvent sit at least 30 minutes before painting. I could not
find this particular detail in the Poly-Fiber manual but I am a true believer
now.
2) Always asked yourself if the weather and temperature have made a step
change and what effect that may have.
3) If you are a first time builder and have no experience in the covering
process then Jim and Dondi Miller at Aircraft Technical Support are your best
bet. You won't meet any nicer Yankees and the service and willingness to
help can not be beat.
4) Never mix any of the Poly-Fiber products before you test your spray gun.
You never know when you are going to have a little O-ring or gasket go out in
the gun. This stuff is like liquid gold and you don't want to waste any of
it over a 2 cent o-ring. I learned this lesson while spraying the Poly-Spray
(silver).
Hope this helps just one of you,
John Bickham
St. Francisville, LA
Mark III - 912
N308JB
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Bill Redfield <redfield(at)bitstorm.net> |
Had my EIS quit working while flying. Found the Modular Power supply
unit cooked. Have about 38 hrs. on unit, which has worked perfect up to
now. Has any one else had this type problem? Any ideas of what may have
caused this problem? Powered up the unit using 12 volt cordless drill
battery, unit appears to be reading O.K.yet.
Also, may not be related, found the kill switch wire, at engine area ,
appears to have overheated to some extent, covering soft, but still
functions O.K. Any info will be appreciated Bill Redfield DeBary,
Fl. Firefly # 058
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 10 Msgs - 09/23/00 |
In a message dated 9/24/00 2:58:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
<< We made it back in about 90 minutes, found a big sucker hole in just the
right place and got home just fine. About the time we got back, the tops of
the solid deck beneath us were starting to bubble and grow, so I think we
made a good decision. Would have liked to stay for the free food, and the
Chicken Run, but I don't push my luck when the WX starts to go bad.
Bottom Line: The Kolb FLY-In hospitality was great, the food was priced
fair, and the people were fun to meet.
Good Show Guys.
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
>>
I just got there with my wife when you were leaving Poops and saw you talking
to Norm and pushin your plane off the dust to keep from blowin on
everyone....so didn't get a chance to meet you but I agree with you on your
evaluation of the goins on.
Hope the weather is less threatnin next year...and I would still like to fly
down with someone around the Akron or east area...just drove this year.
GeoR38
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Dallas Shepherd <cen23954(at)centuryinter.net> |
Really enjoyed the flyin. Would be nice if the next time we had some
name tags, big letters for old eyes, so we could meet more people. I
especially enjoyed ole R38 who has more bent gear legs then I do. Some
how I feel better. I lived 13 years in Atchison, Kansas, the birthplace
of Ameila Earhart with a life size statue in front of my store on the
mall. Did any of you notice that Lisa Turner could have posed for that
statue? What a look alike. I loved John's talk about his flight, very
interesting, and the Kolb company is a number one outfit. I
left at 4AM sunday morning(driving) and its 550 miles to
Norfork,Arkansas and it rained all the way except for 100 miles of it,so
glad I didn't fly.
If the covering business should get bad, Jim and Dondi Miller could
do a stand up comedy routine. Very informative and not a dull moment.
And Jim, where was the guy from that makes the drilling tool that
yankees are having a hard time catching on to?
Dallas Shepherd
Norfork, Arkansas
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | cajwoods(at)mindspring.com |
Hi List,
Just thought I'd let everyone know the Woods brother's made it home to Ga.
Sunday.(whew)
Weather was not cooperative all. Enjoyed meeting all of you and finally
getting to put faces with names. Good luck to Denny Rowes wife with the
covering job on Denny's plane (imagine that Lar.) Fly-in was terrific. Hope
weather is more cooperative next year.
Bill Woods
912S Slingshot
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | cajwoods(at)mindspring.com |
| Subject: | Re: weather at London |
----- Original Message -----
From: <BILLBEAM(at)aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2000 11:00 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: weather at London
>
> Bill Beams (the shuttle buss guy)
> Wilmore, Ky
>
> Hi Bill,
Thanks for the hospitality and the rides into London.
Bill Woods
912S Slingshot from Georgia
>
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | WingManBill2(at)aol.com |
Just wanted to say thanks to all the folks at Kolb for letting all of us roam
the facilities and see where these kits come from! Also thanks to Scott for
the ride in his 800 hr plus Mark III, good thing too with the company not
having a factory demo anymore, might be nice for them to have one of each
model flying there in London! Also to Jim and Dondi who are even nicer in
person than on the phone if that is possible! The weather could have been
better yes, but still Saturday morning was super nice out and lots of flying
took place, the sound of those Kolbs sure was a nice way to wake up at base
camp! Also thanks to all the camping buddies for their hospitality and
refreshments, didn't realize the dryness of the area and those that came
prepared sure saved the day!! Well hope to return next year with super nice
weather and flying my own Mark III down there! Also for those of you that
reported a rainy trip home, imagine it riding a Harley!! Made the trip in
one piece after over 12 hrs on the road! Well take care all.........
Bill Johnston
80% finished Mark III
One of the Harley riders this past wkend, the one with the short hair!
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Jeremy Casey" <jrcasey(at)mindspring.com> |
Also thanks to Scott for
the ride in his 800 hr plus Mark III, good thing too with the company not
having a factory demo anymore, might be nice for them to have one of each
model flying there in London!
What??? Was the Extra there and your just referring to there not being a M3
classic? I think the M3 classic demo plane was Bruce's personal plane...
Wish I'd come...just couldn't stomach the thought of a 10 hour drive to
watch thunderstorms...went to the basement , had a big , cold glass of MEK
and a good pity party. Always next year...
Jeremy Casey
jrcasey(at)mindspring.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | ed mills <edgmills(at)yahoo.com> |
| Subject: | Hirth 2706 engine |
I need help and input from the List
I am building a Mk-3 and am considering a Hirth 2706.
I have checked the archives already and did not find
much on this engine (good,bad or other)
I did find one posting of someone that is no longer on
the list. I tried to correspond off line to his
address but mail was returned.
I would appreciate input from Anyone with first hand
experience or other reliable info.
I realize that there is a lot of brand loyalty to one
engine or the other and don't want to start an "Engine
War" on-line.
I am concerned that if I go with the Hirth that I
won't be able to get assistance from others in things
like prop selection, mounting suggestions and hardware
etc....etc...
Thanks in advance to all that reply.
Ed
Dallas
Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | WingManBill2(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
I too would like to hear bout some of you on the list that may be using this
engine on a Mark III, the cost is almost too good to be true with the 1000hr
TBO! The Hirth folks do show a Mark III with the 2706, 65hp would be enough
for sure! The price is much easier for those of us on a budget!
Bill J
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
Hi everyone,
We got back home by 2:00 am sunday morning, rain pretty much all the way.
The trip was hectic but oh so worth it.
I agree with needing name tags, there was so much to look at at that I
didn't get to attend any activities eccept the Millers. Linda really
enjoyed Jim and Dondis class, and since I was trying to free her up, by
watching the kids, I didn't get to see all I would have liked.
We met Lisa Turner and her friend Gerry, Richard Pike, John and Lynn
Richmond, Bill Beams, Randy from Kolb, Sue, Linda and a couple other Kolb
employees, Brian from Light Speed, Brian with the awesome RV-8, THE WOODS
BROTHERS(ARE THEIR PLANES FOR REAL?),Luray Wecter, Mr Chestnut, Mr Kolb,
John Hauk, and many others whos names escape me. Everyone, to a person were
as friendly and accomidating as humanly possible.
Thanks to everyone who brought their aircraft, the ideas and info that was
gathered by looking them over and talking with the owners was priceless.
We blew the dust off our credit card this morning and called Jim and Dondi,
can't wait for the supplies to arrive.
The Kolb line is in better hands than I could have immagined, all the
employees and owners that we met are the finest sort you'll ever meet. A
first class operation from end to end.
Thanks to everyone for making our trip so worthwhile, and we will be back
next year trying to take it all in, hopefully with our completed Mark 3.
You all are the Greatest,
Denny Rowe
PS: My biggest regret is that I never crossed paths with Beuford, Oh well,
its probobly better that way, he surly would have swept Linda off her feet
with his smooth talking, and I would be left to cover my plane by myself.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | BERNDSENCO(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 9 Msgs - 09/24/00 |
In a message dated 9/25/00 7:01:03 AM !!!First Boot!!!,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
>
> No kidding ?? Did he really say it was dry ?? That's Un-American, That's
> uh......uh........uh..........words fail me. Beauford, you have my deepest
> sympathy. Lar.
Yes, we were shocked to discover that the nearest watering hole was 45 miles
away! Although, there was this one cute blonde who works for Kolb (no names
mentioned!) who had no problem finding a source and had way too much fun Sat.
night. Those who left early missed the show!
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Fly-In Weather |
Yah, haven't had much luck finding one like that. Guess I'll have to dig in
and look a little harder. Uncovered Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: <cajwoods(at)mindspring.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2000 7:49 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Fly-In Weather
>
> Hi List,
> Just thought I'd let everyone know the Woods brother's made it home to Ga.
> Sunday.(whew)
> Weather was not cooperative all. Enjoyed meeting all of you and finally
> getting to put faces with names. Good luck to Denny Rowes wife with the
> covering job on Denny's plane (imagine that Lar.) Fly-in was terrific.
Hope
> weather is more cooperative next year.
>
> Bill Woods
> 912S Slingshot
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Bill Redfield <redfield(at)bitstorm.net> |
In a earlier post I told about my E I S failing in flight. I called the
mfgr. today [Grand Rapids Technologies] and stated my problem.. They
[Greg] advised there had been a few failures in the past, and they will
ship me a new power supply unit free of charge. This new unit is a
improved unit that is much better. Can supply power to GPS etc. I
think this is very nice of them, as I had 35 hrs. on old unit which I
purchased about 3yrs. ago. Good PR. William Redfield Firefly # 058
________________________________________________________________________________
User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.02.2022
| From: | Pam & Scott Trask <PTrask(at)diisd.org> |
Hello,
I have not received anything from the Kolb list lately and I just want to
make sure that I haven't accidentally unsubscribed. If so, please put my
e-mail address back on your list. Thanks Scott Trask
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | WingManBill2(at)aol.com |
In a message dated 9/25/00 5:40:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time, PTrask(at)diisd.org
writes:
<< http://www.matronics.com/subscribe >>
Just go to this url and re-subscribe, that's all there is to it!
Bill J
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Lindy" <lindy(at)snowhill.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
Only one comment on the engine----company---
All the German Flight Students told me wait a year and only buy the
2706----the 2703 was popular-then .Got a real good buy on a 2703-problems
with-2703-not 2706 before you buy-- I am not knocking their products but I
highly recommend you reconsider your decision.I could not give 2703's
away-new-500 below my cost!
My personal opinion.talk to someone that has sold,serviced,maintained and
rebuilt them for an independent professional opinion-outside the Hirth
organization. I will send him a copy of this message
Highly recommend you E-Mail Danny Day in Tubac AZ---One of the best in the
country Danny's E-Mail Cuadannyday(at)hotmail.com
His shop phone number is520-398-8311. Do not know your location but he is on
MST.If you can stand the truth give him a call-he will give it to you
straight!
Lindy
LA-Lower Alabama
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Ron Mason <CaptainKugel(at)excite.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
WingManBill2(at)aol.com wrote:
>
> I too would like to hear bout some of you on the list that may be using
this
> engine on a Mark III, the cost is almost too good to be true with the
1000hr
> TBO! The Hirth folks do show a Mark III with the 2706, 65hp would be
enough
> for sure! The price is much easier for those of us on a budget!
>
> Bill J
>
>
>
Yes indeed I also am considering a Hirth. For the Kolbra that I intend on
building. A fellow I know has a Rtax 582 and he hates its constant OH
schedule.
>
>
>
Say Bye to Slow Internet!
http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Possum <possums(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
I wouldn't, but you be the judge.
<http://www.ultralightnews.com/buz1/rtxhirt.html>
<http://www.recpower.com/2706.htm>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | aquila33(at)webtv.net (dann mann) |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
One thing to consider about the Hirth motors. The Ignition system feeds
two plugs per cylinder from a single black box. If that box fails there
is no back up. This happened to a Challenger owner here in San Diego
being tested by the local instructor so he was a very experienced
operator. The plane crashed when the box failed. The pilot was seriously
injured and the plane was all but destroyed. That is all I know about
Hirth. He will not be using it again even though it survived the crash.
Dan Peterman
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
>
>I need help and input from the List
>
>I am building a Mk-3 and am considering a Hirth 2706.
>I have checked the archives already and did not find
>much on this engine (good,bad or other)
Andy has the 2706 on his Mk111 and I have a 2703 on my Twinstar. So far I
like both. No serious problem except we can't figure why his 2706 boggs
down if you push the throttle too fast from idle. If you let the idle rev
up to around 2000 or 2500 before you go full it is usually okay. They are
built to run hotter than a Rotax so don't go by recommendations from the
Rotax flyers. There is no problem mounting it on the Mk111 but you may have
to open up the prop holes half a c hair as the Bolt circle is slightly
different. It is simpler mounting as there is no rad or oil system. The
boys at Recreational Flyers are quite helpfull if you have a problem. I
went on the Challenger list to find out more about these engines but other
than rumours and innuendos I was unable to get any real bad personal
experiences. Challenger guys do seem to feel Hirths do not like to run
inverted. Most problems I have had on the 2703 were self induced or part of
the learning curve.
Any more problems just ask.
Woody
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
Well the fly in is over and a good time was had by all. It did seem that
there were a couple conspicuous absences. The guy that said bring a case of
Canadian beer and I will buy it from you and the guy that said he would
bring some good Florida beer to try. Don't want to mention names but their
initials were Lindy and Beauford. I just had to go out and find some one to
help me get rid of it. Luckily for you guys Sue was ever so accommodating
as to help me out. She is just as kind in person as over the phone. She was
surprisingly chipper the next morning considering the circumstances.
Name tags sure would have been nice. It's to late now but I was the
guy wearing the t shirt praising duct tape. Every body loves that shirt.
The Mk111 extra is the most beatifull Kolb built so far and easily the
prettiest aircraft marketed today. The Kolbra is still damm ugly to me and
I feel the same about the Slingshot but Bill woods Slingshot is awfull
pretty. I would say it was the best looking customer plane there.
Perhaps name tags next year and they have the perfect location for a
London to Paris air race if some one wants to organize it.
Woody
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | great job on the Fly-In |
My wife and I certainly enjoyed our self's at the fly-in. We want to thank
all the people who made it possible.
It was so nice to meet those I have read on the web. I think we just have a
great group of people in this Kolb family.
Thanks again and hope to see you again next year
Merle & Pilar Hargis
Orlando, FL.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | NealMcCann(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Chgo. Meigs Fld. pics from a Kolb |
Hi,
I'm a fellow kolb driver (FS 2) from Illinois. I teamed up with a few local
flying clubs and journeyed over to Meigs Field Open House to support friends
of Meigs ( a local event to keep the place open). I took some neat shots in
the air from the Kolb and some at the event. If you care to see them go to
the site and click photo album once there. There's a few good Kolbs that
attended. I even captured one landing on 36.
Hope you enjoy!
http://communities.msn.com/FoxValleyFlyingClubPhotos
Neal McCann
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Jon Croke" <jon(at)joncroke.com> |
| Subject: | Firestar for sale |
For anyone interested, my Firestar is now for sale:
KOLB FIRESTAR II 503 DCDI 80 hours TT, factory quick
build, electric start, hydraulic brakes, full enclosure, open trailer,
3 blade Ivo, 4 point harness, full instruments, always hangared.
$11,000 firm. 920-825-7731
My next project will be a 2 seater!
Jon (near Greenbay)
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Dual batteries |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
> I have experiance with marine electrical systems. Their are some very
>light, vapor sealed rotary battery switches. They would need to be modified
>for aviation use. But they are very reliable and are capable of high current
>loads. For two battery systems, the rotary switch is labeled left, right,
>both.
It's very easy and in fact recommended that multiple batteries
each have their own contactor for connection to the system. Furhter,
there are connections to each battery that do not go through the
contactor for running components of an electrically dependent
engine. I.e., your electrically dependent engine should operate
whether or not the DC master switch(es) are ON or OFF . . .
>> It's not an issue of electrical demand its the reliability and redundancy
>> that concerns me. I have the Stratus Subaru engine and I'm getting the
>> dual ignition but obviously don't have mags. So the second battery
would be
>> primarily backup power for the ignition, but potentially you could use two
>> batteries of the same size and provide complete redundancy. Of course on
>> the other hand adding that reduncy could also increase the complexity and
>> reduce the reliability of the system. I'm just interested if there is some
>> experience out there with some real simple redundant electrical systems.
This topic has been discussed at length on the lists, in our book,
in articles downloadable from our website and illustrated in numerous
wiring diagrams downloadable from the website. Two-battery installations
are no big deal . . .
>The concern you have for flying with your soob electrical system is
>legitimate. If auto systems are going to be used in aircraft, then you must
>build in redundant systems to match typical aircraft systems.
I'll suggest the LAST thing we want to do is match "typical" aircraft
systems . . . the architecture, components and pilot's understanding
of those systems have not changed in 50 years.
>If a battery fails in most aircraft, the engine will continue to run,
>In your auto set up if the battery fails so does your engine. A
>two battery system duplicates the two magneto system pretty close
>as far as redundantcy is concerned. Batteries can and do fail with
>out warning.
Batteries do NOT fail without warning. It's just that most of us
don't pay any attention to what the battery is trying to tell us.
We replace tires when the tread is gone, overhaul cylinders when
the compression gets low, file nicks out of propellers when noticed,
etc . . . . but we beat a battery until it fails to crank the engine
. . . and replace it after we've propped the airplane for the third
time.
Very rudimentary preventative maintenance techiques will insure
that nobody reading these words will EVER experience battery failure.
>To reduce the weight penalty two smaller bateries can be used,
>but they must be sized with absolute precision.
Don't know about "precision" but some consideration must be given
to what a battery's task is. Batteries have three duties: (1) crank
the engine, (2) stabilize alternator(s) and (3) provide power for
essential goodies should alternator output be lost. The BEST
hedge against alternator failure is two alternators . . . dump
the sucky vacuum pump and install a second alternator. THEN the
batteries on board no longer have to be sized for standby power.
Total system weight can be much reduced.
>This topic is outside my area of knowledge, so educate me. I have an HDS
>with Stratus Soob. I have a small motorcycle battery (14AH) which has
>cranked me up without hesitation for 18 months and 98 hours of flight
>time. If my alternator light comes on and my instruments haven't indicated a
>problem, I think I can turn off my master and fly a long time on battery.
I'd encourage this builder to replace THINKING with KNOWING how long
his airplane will stay aloft battery only. Your battery should be
no smaller than your fuel tank. If you do not KNOW that the battery
capacity on board will allow you to use up fuel on board, then I'll
suggest further investigation, personal education and perhaps
some changes to your system are indicated . .
> something is wrong with the battery, shouldn't there be early indications.
> For thirty-one bucks I can get a new one. I have dual ignition but never
> thought I needed dual batteries. What are the odds of loosing all
> electrical if you are maintaining your airplane and monitoring your
> instruments? My empty weight is 602 and I like that.
There's no pat answer to this . . . a number of options exist for
insuring your flight system reliability. My personal goal for
system reliability is, "From the time I break ground to the time
I land, I don't want to break a sweat." This doesn't have to mean
nothing ever fails. It means that I have to architecture a system
for failure tolerance and educate myself in its operation and
maintenance to sustain that level of reliability. Dual batteries
and indeed dual alternators can often make for a LIGHTER airplane.
>1. Flight over hostile territory (I fly in the Pacific Northwest w/o a lot
>of "emergency landing fields").
>2. Alternator craps out.
This happens a LOT on certified aircraft . . . just check the
service difficulty reports at faa.gov . . . the REASON alternators
crap a lot is because the overwhelming majority of the TC
fleet are fitted with crappy alternators . . . holy-watered and
configuration managed right into antiquity. TC alternators fail
routinely in obscene ways every month . . . through bolts broke,
cases cracked, bearings seized, windings burned . . . you name
it . . . it happens. By LAW, that alternator will be returned to
ORIGINAL configuration and bolted back on some poor pilot's airplane.
B&C and similar alternators (Nipon-Dienso) have DEMONSTRATED
operational reliability suggesting that most will run the lifetime
of engine with nothing more than a belt change. B&C's return rate
in thousands of sales over the past 10 years has been under 1% for
the total fleet!
>3. The above fact is discovered by the voltage dropping alarmingly low on
>the voltmeter.
Why not some form of ACTIVE notification of alternator failure?
Most pilots don't look at the voltmeter until the panel starts to
go black or the radios begin to mis-behave . . . with no ACTIVE
notification, one tootles along with everything operating and
lights blazing thus squandering a limited energy resource. By the
time you know anything is wrong, your options are all gone.
>4. Shedding the electrical load still leaves too little juice to power
>things like radio, fuel pump, and CD player.
See articles on website and chapter in book on system reliability.
>Hence, I installed a second 17 ah battery with a switch on the panel that
>kicks in the second battery and provides extra time to make a safe landing
>with needed equipment.
Dual 17 a.h. batteries is 34 pounds total. Add to this about 8-10 pounds
of vacuum system for 44 pounds. Now consider taking out two batteries,
one vacuum system and putting one 4 to 7 pound alternator and one
10 pound battery for a weight REDUCTION of 27 pounds and a net
increase in flight system reliability unequaled in ANY certified
aircraft.
>5 years ago I was on a 300 mile cross country in a Cessna 150. 30 miles from
>my destination the voltage regulator apparently failed wide open. Sparks
and
>smoke started spewing our of the instrument panel as my first indication.
In
>the short time I took to turn everything off, it was too late, basically
>everthing that was "on" failed including the electric clock. I was also
>amazed that in that short time, the battery was completely discharged. Once
>the smoke cleared and I calmed down. I continued to my destination with a
>completely inoperative electrical system and made a normal no flap landing.
>With one battery and an electronic ignition system, I would have had a dead
>engine as well.
Forgive me, I am in no way trying to demean this writer's experience
but this is typical of the "dark and stormy night" stories that
drive our design, maintenance and operating decisions on homebuilts.
I'll suggest that TC aircraft can be used only as examples of
how NOT to architecture, maintain and operate an electrical system. I've
often written that my personal mind-set climbing into a rental TC
ship is that I don't care if ANY of that stuff is working 5 minutes
after take-off. I intend to get where I need to go without breaking
a sweat. That means UNDERSTANDING the limitations of a machine designed
mechanics and procedures . . . and outfitting myself to deal with the
worst. $30 worth of parts and a weekend's effort could elevate the
average TC aircraft into 21st century . . . but it ain't gonna happen.
This is why we need to look past our experience with TC ships to
design and operate our airplanes.
Virtually EVERY concern voiced above can be addressed with simple
choices in architecture and knowledge of how the system and its
components operate. Education and decisions based on understanding
will make it so . . .
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
Just remember - for every Yank-ee, there's gotta be a Yank-er.
Big Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Dallas Shepherd <cen23954(at)centuryinter.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2000 6:32 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: TNK flyin
>
> .
> And Jim, where was the guy from that makes the drilling tool that
> yankees are having a hard time catching on to?
> Dallas Shepherd
> Norfork, Arkansas
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>I use the Garmin GPS III pilot on the dash of a Kitfox lite and it works
>great. My antenna is left on the GPS. The altitude feature is very helpful
>as I can watch rate of climb/decent. Do the cheap GPS's have altitude? I
>think this is a feature of the number of satellites they pick up.
I wrote an article for Sport Aviation about three years
ago that you can download at
http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/nailgun.pdf
The radios have changed but the basic facts have not. I've
not turned on a VOR receiver in 3 years. I fly dual GPS with
a total investment of about $200. I give these things away
at my weekend seminars. Given the signup rate for the Santa
Rosa program next weekend, I'll probably give away two of them.
There's no better return on investment than a low-end
Magellan hand held GPS receiver. The AOPA airport directly
makes entry of a new airport location about a 2 minute
trivial task. Since selective access was turned off, my
GPS300 gives altitude in 1 foot increments.
WARNING! Altitud displays can lag considerably behind
true altitude . . . it's harder to calculate and can be
off by several hundred feed after a rapid/large change.
Give it a few minutes to settle down and/or make altitude
changes more sedately and you'll find the readings track
your altimeter very closely.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | HANGERMAN1(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Chgo. Meigs Fld. pics from a Kolb |
In a message dated 09/25/2000 07:43:29 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
NealMcCann(at)aol.com writes:
<< I teamed up with a few local
flying clubs and journeyed over to Meigs Field Open House to support friends
of Meigs ( a local event to keep the place open). I took some neat shots in
the air from the Kolb and some at the event. If you care to see them go to
the site and click photo album once there. There's a few good Kolbs that
attended. I even captured one landing on 36.
Hope you enjoy!
http://communities.msn.com/FoxValleyFlyingClubPhotos
Neal McCann >>
Then click on "Photo Album" ;-)
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
>
>
>I wouldn't, but you be the judge.
>
><http://www.ultralightnews.com/buz1/rtxhirt.html>
You have to know Dave Loveman to know if you should believe his stories.
Read his story at Ultralight news anyway.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
Hi Lindy
I would like to hear more specifics about the Hirth problems you had or
heard about. I think I have a carb problem now but maybe you may know
something I don't (It aint that hard to know more than me) It seems to put
out more Kick than Warrens Twinstar with a 503. Could be my imagination.
I would honestly like to know more about the problems I may encounter.
What is the giveaway price for that engine?
AS for the guy who crashed his Challenger after his Hirth gave up I
think there is more to the story. A simple engine failure does not usually
cause much problem unless you screw up either during your transition to
glider pilot or in flying at an unsafe altitude for the terrain. Takeoffs
can be a big problem though. A while back a guy was bad mouthing a Hirth
because a guy had one on his plane and it failed and he crashed. Turned out
it was water in the gas but Hirth kept the bad rep.
A guy had a 2706 on his MK111 when the gearbox failed. Probably would
have gone longer if he had oil in it. Again the lack of maintenance or
inspection is blamed on Hirth. There are similar stories I am sure for Rotaxes.
>
>Only one comment on the engine----company---
>All the German Flight Students told me wait a year and only buy the
>2706----the 2703 was popular-then .Got a real good buy on a 2703-problems
>with-2703-not 2706 before you buy-- I am not knocking their products but I
>highly recommend you reconsider your decision.I could not give 2703's
>away-new-500 below my cost!
>
>My personal opinion.talk to someone that has sold,serviced,maintained and
>rebuilt them for an independent professional opinion-outside the Hirth
>organization. I will send him a copy of this message
>
>
>Highly recommend you E-Mail Danny Day in Tubac AZ---One of the best in the
>country Danny's E-Mail Cuadannyday(at)hotmail.com
>
>His shop phone number is520-398-8311. Do not know your location but he is on
>MST.If you can stand the truth give him a call-he will give it to you
>straight!
>
>Lindy
>LA-Lower Alabama
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Bruce Harrison <bharrison(at)juno.com> |
> If any of you 503 owners are interested in installing an oil injection
> system, I have one complete system currently for sale on ebay.
> Paste the URL in the subject line into your browser to see the item and
> details. There are 3 photos available if you use the URL in the ad.
________________________________________________________________________________
Just wanted to thank everyone at Kolb for hosting such a wonderful party. A
really first class event. I'm already looking forward to next year.
Bill Griffin
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Todd Thompson" <toddthom(at)wtco.net> |
I've taken a bit of time to respond to the death of your Dad. It's always
hard to let go but knowing that he really enjoyed flying and the
commonality with you is every Dad's wish come true. There is nothing more
fulfilling than having an enjoyable relationship with your son. I hope
this memory of your relationship is like the warm morning sun on your face.
His legacy is within you and the memories your family and friends have
of him.
The next time you think of him, read the poem Highflight to him. I know
you'll feel him smile. Everytime you fly he'll be flying with you. Enjoy
the rest of your life. No doubt he enjoyed his having a son like you.
If you don't have a copy:
High Flight
by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of...wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
Hello kolbers,
I'm looking for a GPS, used or like new. Any advice as to what to look
for or what to avoid? Is a moving map worth the extra money? Is an
aviation data base of practical value? What's the minimun number I should
settle for re: the no. of sattellites it can track?
I found a Trimble Flightmate for $100, has external ant. & aux. power
cord. Called Trimbles 800 number & they said they don't support it any
more, its not y2k compliant & it not compliant with that GPS-turn-over-week
that happened awhile back. Does that have any effect on how it will work
now? Since I couldn't send it in for service is that reason enough to
forget it? Or are they like those alkaline bunnies that go on & on?
Any advice appreciated. ...Richard Swiderski
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2000 12:35 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Re: GPS
>
>
> >I use the Garmin GPS III pilot on the dash of a Kitfox lite and it works
> >great. My antenna is left on the GPS. The altitude feature is very
helpful
> >as I can watch rate of climb/decent. Do the cheap GPS's have altitude?
I
> >think this is a feature of the number of satellites they pick up.
>
> I wrote an article for Sport Aviation about three years
> ago that you can download at
>
> http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/nailgun.pdf
>
> The radios have changed but the basic facts have not. I've
> not turned on a VOR receiver in 3 years. I fly dual GPS with
> a total investment of about $200. I give these things away
> at my weekend seminars. Given the signup rate for the Santa
> Rosa program next weekend, I'll probably give away two of them.
> There's no better return on investment than a low-end
> Magellan hand held GPS receiver. The AOPA airport directly
> makes entry of a new airport location about a 2 minute
> trivial task. Since selective access was turned off, my
> GPS300 gives altitude in 1 foot increments.
>
> WARNING! Altitud displays can lag considerably behind
> true altitude . . . it's harder to calculate and can be
> off by several hundred feed after a rapid/large change.
> Give it a few minutes to settle down and/or make altitude
> changes more sedately and you'll find the readings track
> your altimeter very closely.
>
>
> Bob . . .
> --------------------------------------------
> ( Knowing about a thing is different than )
> ( understanding it. One can know a lot )
> ( and still understand nothing. )
> ( C.F. Kettering )
> --------------------------------------------
> http://www.aeroelectric.com
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Eugene H Zimmerman <tehz(at)redrose.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
Woody wrote:
>
>
> Hi Lindy
> I would like to hear more specifics about the Hirth problems you had or
> heard about.
Did you see these pictures?
http://content.communities.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?action=show_photo&ID_Community=FoxValleyFlyingClubPhotos&ID_Topic=2&ID_Message=1
http://content.communities.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?action=show_photo&ID_Community=FoxValleyFlyingClubPhotos&ID_Topic=2&ID_Message=8
I'd be concerned because of their reputation.
I haven't heard of a person having a Hirth that that it gave them
trouble free service
for even 300 hrs.
|
_____|_____
*============================R============================*
\ /
\ /
(/---\)
\___/
/ \
() ()
Eugene Zimmerman
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
List
I still have a new Hirth 2706 fuel injected for sale. It's advertised in
UL Flying for $4,700 but I am willing to negotiate to a point. Please contact
off list if serious about this engine. Located in Richmond, VA
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Lisa Turner" <LISATURNER(at)prodigy.net> |
Fellow Kolbers,
It was great meeting many of you at the Fly-in! I'm sure the weather kept
many away, but you are all right - it was a very friendly and fun event,
with the factory folks bending over backwards to make all of us feel at
home. Too bad Isaac had to stop giving rides in the Mark IIIExtra in the
afternoon - I was next! Sorry I couldn't stick around for the barbeque.
As for the dry county - I was very surprised and will have to remember to
bring the vodka flask next time (easier to pack in the suitcase than a case
of beer).
Lisa Turner
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: GPS INFORMATION |
Well, opinions are like a few other things..........everyone has one. A lot
of what you're asking will depend on what kind of flying you do, with one
exception. A friend in Port Angeles had an early Trimble, and it worked
fine............if you're happy with a lat/long readout. That's all it
had - 2 lines, and I really believe that almost anyone out there wants more.
For myself, the moving map is great, and since Southern California has a LOT
of MOA's, class C's, etc., the aviation database, coupled with the moving
map is worth it's weight in GOLD ! ! ! My Magellan SkyBlazer XL has the old
style moving map, and it's OK, but sometime soon, I'm going to be looking
real hard at the newer ones with the terrain overlay that shows lakes,
rivers, highways, etc., since I do a lot of XC flying. Economy is fine, but
sometimes it's worth paying more for features you may need. If most of
your flying is around the patch, or very local, one of the low end
hiker/camper units would probably be fine, and I know from past posts, that
many on the List are very happy with them. Navigator Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Swiderski <swidersk(at)digital.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2000 3:22 PM
Subject: .Kolb-List: GPS INFORMATION
>
> Hello kolbers,
>
> I'm looking for a GPS, used or like new. Any advice as to what to
look
> for or what to avoid? Is a moving map worth the extra money? Is an
> aviation data base of practical value? What's the minimun number I should
> settle for re: the no. of sattellites it can track?
> I found a Trimble Flightmate for $100, has external ant. & aux. power
> cord. Called Trimbles 800 number & they said they don't support it any
> more, its not y2k compliant & it not compliant with that
GPS-turn-over-week
> that happened awhile back. Does that have any effect on how it will work
> now? Since I couldn't send it in for service is that reason enough to
> forget it? Or are they like those alkaline bunnies that go on & on?
> Any advice appreciated. ...Richard Swiderski
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com>
> To:
> Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2000 12:35 PM
> Subject: Kolb-List: Re: GPS
>
>
>
> >
> >
> > >I use the Garmin GPS III pilot on the dash of a Kitfox lite and it
works
> > >great. My antenna is left on the GPS. The altitude feature is very
> helpful
> > >as I can watch rate of climb/decent. Do the cheap GPS's have altitude?
> I
> > >think this is a feature of the number of satellites they pick up.
> >
> > I wrote an article for Sport Aviation about three years
> > ago that you can download at
> >
> > http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/nailgun.pdf
> >
> > The radios have changed but the basic facts have not. I've
> > not turned on a VOR receiver in 3 years. I fly dual GPS with
> > a total investment of about $200. I give these things away
> > at my weekend seminars. Given the signup rate for the Santa
> > Rosa program next weekend, I'll probably give away two of them.
> > There's no better return on investment than a low-end
> > Magellan hand held GPS receiver. The AOPA airport directly
> > makes entry of a new airport location about a 2 minute
> > trivial task. Since selective access was turned off, my
> > GPS300 gives altitude in 1 foot increments.
> >
> > WARNING! Altitud displays can lag considerably behind
> > true altitude . . . it's harder to calculate and can be
> > off by several hundred feed after a rapid/large change.
> > Give it a few minutes to settle down and/or make altitude
> > changes more sedately and you'll find the readings track
> > your altimeter very closely.
> >
> >
> > Bob . . .
> > --------------------------------------------
> > ( Knowing about a thing is different than )
> > ( understanding it. One can know a lot )
> > ( and still understand nothing. )
> > ( C.F. Kettering )
> > --------------------------------------------
> > http://www.aeroelectric.com
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: GPS INFORMATION |
Richard and Kolbers:
Well, I have flown with a Garmin 55AVD (Jep Data Base) since
1993 (it is a 1993 model). No moving map. Don't need it.
Only 8 channel. Needs an outside antenna. No sweat. Flew
with this GPS around border of CONUS and up to Dead Horse,
Alaska. Never lost coverage once. Gives me all the info I
need to get from point a to point b. Had it updated,
completely overhauled and Jeppesen Data Base in 1997. The
one thing that wears out in GPS receivers is the memory
battery, buried deep down inside its little body. When it
goes, all your memory goes, everything. It suddenly becomes
brain dead. Costs $100.00 for complete rebuild to include
new face, surface mount (I use this to strap GPS to my
thigh). These memory bats last from 4 to 5 yrs.
This Spring found a Garmin 95XL on AVWEB Auction. It is of
1994 technology. Like brand new. Hardly used. Dentist
that sold it to me was buying the new super duper Garmin,
full color, et al. Gives a little more info that is very
useful, like, runway headings, freqs, field elevation,
service available. Has a moving map capability which I used
a little since I started flying with it. Still has 8
channel capability which means it will not acquire satelites
in the men's restroom of a 747. I need an outside antenna.
I found an active antenna for it that retails for aprx
$95.00, Wolfe Electronics, one of my sponsors. Garmin
charged me $150.00 to overhaul it and update Jep Data Base.
BTW: Both GPSs hook right into my 12v acft power system.
So there are no batteries to hassle with.
Both of these old dinsours made it thru the screwy week
prior to opening up the GPS system for us civilians also.
Both get me there and back. I have flown with these two
GPSs so much that I do not really want any of the
highpowered (high priced stuff). Both are configured
identically, however, the font size of the 95XL is smaller
than that of the 55AVD, so this old guy has to squint a
little harder to see the messages.
Talk to me nicely and maybe we can make a deal on the
55AVD. It is for sale. If it doesn't sell, maybe we can
put it in the Kolb Museum or EAA Museum sometime. It has a
lot of miles and history on it.
Take care,
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | bweber2 <bweber2(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Another Kolb in the Air |
After several years of on again-off again building, my
Firestar finally took to the skies! I had been driving a
Quicksilver Sprint since I started flying about 4 years ago.
I decided to build a Kolb because I wanted something
portable that did not need a hangar. After starting the
Kolb, I had a chance to build a hangar which took most of a
summer. With a hangar for the Quick, the Kolb seemed less
urgent. Plus a couple of job changes got in the way. But
finally this summer I more or less finished it. Plan came
out at 345 lb with the Rotax 447, a full load of fuel and
the BRS mounted... That figures to just under 300 lb dry. If
I didn't have to put on brakes I could take off another 20
lbs. I concentrated on building light. Still have a few
things to do, but nothing that will keep me out of the air.
When I first took it out to taxi, I wondered what I had
gotten myself into. I couldn't go straight for 50 feet even
at low speed! Thats also when I decided I needed brakes. No
FBS (Flintstone Braking System) available like on the Quick.
Well, other people handle this so I guess I could. After
about 8 hours of ground work, I finally got the hang of it.
A friend at the field told me "Just get the tail up and
you'll do fine!" It wasn't quite that easy, of course, since
I hadn't learned the throttle control needed for a high
speed taxi yet. But soon I got confident with the high speed
taxi and the rest of the ground handling. Then I went
through about 3 hours of crow hops to adjust the aelerons
and make sure there were no bad habits. I know crow hops get
a lot of bad press, but I think they are just fine as long
as your an experienced pilot. I would not recommend them to
begineers.
Finally, the big day and I just forgot to throttle back and
went around the pattern a few times. I need to hold forward
pressure on the stick to go level, so it looks like I'll
need to build a trim tab.
The plane is based at Camarillo airport in Southern
California. I belong to the the Ventura County Ultralight
Aircraft Society and we have a UL runway and hangar area
separate from the main field.
I have posted some pictures at
http://home.earthlink.net/~bweber2/
I threw in a couple of shots I took at the Labor day airshow
at the airport.
This list has been a great help in getting the bird up and I
want to thank all the contributors who helped directly or
indirectly.
--
****************************************************
* Bill Weber * Thunder's just the noise *
* Simi Valley, CA * Lightning does the work *
****************************************************
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Another Kolb in the Air |
Good on you, Bill. How does she fly, aside from needing that trim tab ??
Good pics, too. Looks like you had better luck than me, with that Earthlink
Click-n-build. Big Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: bweber2 <bweber2(at)earthlink.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2000 10:36 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the Air
>
> After several years of on again-off again building, my
> Firestar finally took to the skies! I had been driving a
> Quicksilver Sprint since I started flying about 4 years ago.
> I decided to build a Kolb because I wanted something
> portable that did not need a hangar. After starting the
> Kolb, I had a chance to build a hangar which took most of a
> summer. With a hangar for the Quick, the Kolb seemed less
> urgent. Plus a couple of job changes got in the way. But
> finally this summer I more or less finished it. Plan came
> out at 345 lb with the Rotax 447, a full load of fuel and
> the BRS mounted... That figures to just under 300 lb dry. If
> I didn't have to put on brakes I could take off another 20
> lbs. I concentrated on building light. Still have a few
> things to do, but nothing that will keep me out of the air.
>
> When I first took it out to taxi, I wondered what I had
> gotten myself into. I couldn't go straight for 50 feet even
> at low speed! Thats also when I decided I needed brakes. No
> FBS (Flintstone Braking System) available like on the Quick.
> Well, other people handle this so I guess I could. After
> about 8 hours of ground work, I finally got the hang of it.
> A friend at the field told me "Just get the tail up and
> you'll do fine!" It wasn't quite that easy, of course, since
> I hadn't learned the throttle control needed for a high
> speed taxi yet. But soon I got confident with the high speed
> taxi and the rest of the ground handling. Then I went
> through about 3 hours of crow hops to adjust the aelerons
> and make sure there were no bad habits. I know crow hops get
> a lot of bad press, but I think they are just fine as long
> as your an experienced pilot. I would not recommend them to
> begineers.
>
> Finally, the big day and I just forgot to throttle back and
> went around the pattern a few times. I need to hold forward
> pressure on the stick to go level, so it looks like I'll
> need to build a trim tab.
>
> The plane is based at Camarillo airport in Southern
> California. I belong to the the Ventura County Ultralight
> Aircraft Society and we have a UL runway and hangar area
> separate from the main field.
>
> I have posted some pictures at
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~bweber2/
>
> I threw in a couple of shots I took at the Labor day airshow
> at the airport.
>
> This list has been a great help in getting the bird up and I
> want to thank all the contributors who helped directly or
> indirectly.
> --
> ****************************************************
> * Bill Weber * Thunder's just the noise *
> * Simi Valley, CA * Lightning does the work *
> ****************************************************
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Epbonsell(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Another Kolb in the Air |
Before adding the trim tab i would try adjusting the ailerons a bit. Just one
turn on one of the rod end bearings will make a difference. I flew my
firestar for 5 years before someone told me this. Worked great for me.
Ed Bonsell
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Darren Smalec" <smald(at)shianet.org> |
"Kolb-List Digest Server"
Group:
Well I finally am getting some answers on my 460-F40 failure. Seems that
some crank pins from a vendor were not heat treated properly, causing lower
rod bearing failure. One source told me there has probably been about 24
reports of this. So it looks like I will get the parts to repair it N/C
after they verify the crank problem by rockwell testing.
On another note, Eugene, what is the suspected cause of the "Exploding"
cylinder on the Hirth??
That was not a 2706 was it ? Looked like a horizontal opposed engine.
And a question for Woody, or other Hirth operators. Is the recoil cable
long enough to get a good pull after it is snaked through the cage?
Darren Smalec,
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Darren Smalec" <smald(at)shianet.org> |
"Kolb-List Digest Server"
Group:
Well I finally am getting some answers on my 460-F40 failure. Seems that
some crank pins from a vendor were not heat treated properly, causing lower
rod bearing failure. One source told me there has probably been about 24
reports of this. So it looks like I will get the parts to repair it N/C
after they verify the crank problem by rockwell testing.
On another note, Eugene, what is the suspected cause of the "Exploding"
cylinder on the Hirth??
That was not a 2706 was it ? Looked like a horizontal opposed engine.
And a question for Woody, or other Hirth operators. Is the recoil cable
long enough to get a good pull after it is snaked through the cage?
Darren Smalec,
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
> And a question for Woody, or other Hirth operators. Is the recoil cable
>long enough to get a good pull after it is snaked through the cage?
>Darren Smalec,
Yes it does reach. But unless your battery is dead the standard lectric
start is more than adequate. You will have to stand outside to yank it as
it is in a bad ergonomic position for in cabin starts. The horizontally
opposed engine could still be a Hirth. They have 2 different sizes. I have
one of their F30 models that will put out 110 HP. It is a 4 cylinder 2
cycle horizontally opposed engine made from components of 2- 2703's Thought
of putting it on my MK111 but decided against it for now.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Phil Hopkins" <hopkinsp(at)southwestern.edu> |
"Kolb-List Digest Server"
Hello All,
Anyone have a copy of Dan Johnson's review of the Firestar II in the December '93
issue of Ultralight Flying!? I tried to get a copy, but they are sold out.
I'd be happy to pay for copying and shipping, etc.
Thanks,
Phil Hopkins
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Ian Heritch <heritch(at)connecti.com> |
| Subject: | Brass fuel system components |
When screwing together threaded brass fuel system components, should I
use Teflon tape or some sort of goop to seal the threads?
Ian Heritch
Slingshot
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Another Kolb in the Air |
In a message dated 9/27/00 1:38:04 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
bweber2(at)earthlink.net writes:
<< I need to hold forward
pressure on the stick to go level, so it looks like I'll
need to build a trim tab. >>
Try reflexing your ailerons down a little at the time; you probably won't
have to add a trim tab. Worked for me.
Howard Shackleford
FS I
SC
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Beauford Tuton" <beauford(at)tampabay.rr.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Another Kolb in the Air |
Congrats, Bill! Super pics, too....
I wish you many happy hours... tailwheel ain't hard, just different...
Beauford
----- Original Message -----
From: "bweber2" <bweber2(at)earthlink.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 1:36 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the Air
>
> After several years of on again-off again building, my
> Firestar finally took to the skies! I had been driving >
> I have posted some pictures at
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~bweber2/
> --
> ****************************************************
> * Bill Weber * Thunder's just the noise *
> * Simi Valley, CA * Lightning does the work *
> ****************************************************
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Brass fuel system components |
Ian
I've read somewhere not to use the teflon tape, but can't remember why,
now that I think of it, I believe that was only for plastic fittings. the
liquid teflon is good every where, and so is that non-hardening black goop
by Permatex (its messy, but its there forever, seals the best & is 100%
gasoline proof.) ...Richard Swiderski
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian Heritch" <heritch(at)connecti.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 8:18 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Brass fuel system components
>
> When screwing together threaded brass fuel system components, should I
> use Teflon tape or some sort of goop to seal the threads?
>
> Ian Heritch
> Slingshot
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Brass fuel system components |
Fine threads will be cut off the teflon tape as you screw the fittings
together. They can be carried into metering orifices and cause problems.
As a related point, very few, if any commercial gas appliance manufacturers
will honor their warranties if teflon tape is used, for just that reason.
Use Permatex Aviation, or Gasgacinch, or similar. Big Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Ian Heritch <heritch(at)connecti.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 5:18 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Brass fuel system components
>
> When screwing together threaded brass fuel system components, should I
> use Teflon tape or some sort of goop to seal the threads?
>
> Ian Heritch
> Slingshot
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Audrey Lewis <audreylewis(at)planters.net> |
Kolb-List Digest Server
The Kolb Flyin was just great. Name tags should be required for the next Flyin.
The Mark III Extra is the best looking UL I have seen anywhere!!!! If you like
Kolbs then don't miss next years Flyin.
On this email page it would be really nice if everyone would enter their home town
and state at the bottom of each email. You may have Kolb owner just up the
road and if he is forty or fifty miles away you would
never know it.
I enjoyed meeting several Kolbers at the Flyin but sorry I didn't know who many
others were. (no name tags)
Audrey Lewis
Sylvania, Ga.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Jim Minewiser" <flykolb(at)carolina.rr.com> |
Great idea on putting the city and state where each kolber lives!
Jim
Mark III
Charlotte, NC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Audrey Lewis" <audreylewis(at)planters.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2000 12:43 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Kolb Flyin
>
> The Kolb Flyin was just great. Name tags should be required for the next
Flyin.
> The Mark III Extra is the best looking UL I have seen anywhere!!!! If you
like Kolbs then don't miss next years Flyin.
> On this email page it would be really nice if everyone would enter their
home town and state at the bottom of each email. You may have Kolb owner
just up the road and if he is forty or fifty miles away you would
> never know it.
> I enjoyed meeting several Kolbers at the Flyin but sorry I didn't know who
many others were. (no name tags)
>
> Audrey Lewis
> Sylvania, Ga.
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Vacuum System |
<39.aa2aaa7.270392b5(at)aol.com>
<022701c028db$1a6bdfc0$18210a18@bllvu1.wa.home.com>
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
Just a passing thought....will check my sources of replacement 12 volt vacuum
motors used in motorhome central vacs, I know the until is about 80% more
inches of vacuum then needed, but the motor does draw a fair amount of
current at 14
volts dc.. Perhaps using an IC regulator to reduce the voltage to around 8
volts would bring the current to an acceptable level and enough vacuum.
"TBO" for the brushes is rated 300-500 hours.
I used to build electrically driven standby vacuum systems . . . they
are NOT as dependable as an engine driven vacuum system . . . this is
why they were popularized as a standby. It sat in the airplane unused
until needed. The most dependable is a venturi . . . no moving parts.
Harder to de-ice tho. Given that one's #1 mission upon encountering
ice is to get out of ice, then perhaps de-ice isn't that important.
See latest issue AOPA pilot where a pilot writes about an instrument
course he took. The goal was to get him rated in 10 days. The first thing
the instructor did was cover up the attitude gyro saying, "we won't
need this."
I used to fly shotgun for a co-worker's instrument proficiency
work . . . he would cover up BOTH gyros and we'd go out to shoot
approaches to minimums in the typcial KS bumpy crosswinds. And by
the way, this was NOT a "no gyro" approach using timed turns from
the ground. We went out at lunch time to fly Mid Continent Airport
mixed in with all the big guys and totally on his own. He'd
nail those two needles together and track them right down to the
runway every time. Flying IFR with gyros is not difficult . . .
it's just a different way of doing it. Doing it well gives you
more options about equipment expectations and puts the odds of
living to fly another day decidedly in your favor.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Bil Ragsdale <bilrags(at)earthlink.net> |
My 2706 has 2 black boxes. Cant find anything common to the two except the
mag switch.
Bil
dann mann wrote:
>
> One thing to consider about the Hirth motors. The Ignition system feeds
> two plugs per cylinder from a single black box. If that box fails there
> is no back up. This happened to a Challenger owner here in San Diego
> being tested by the local instructor so he was a very experienced
> operator. The plane crashed when the box failed. The pilot was seriously
> injured and the plane was all but destroyed. That is all I know about
> Hirth. He will not be using it again even though it survived the crash.
> Dan Peterman
>
name="bilrags.vcf"
filename="bilrags.vcf"
begin:vcard
n:Ragsdale;Bil
adr:;;;;;;
version:2.1
email;internet:bilrags(at)earthlink.net
fn:Bil Ragsdale
end:vcard
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Jon Croke" <jon(at)joncroke.com> |
> On this email page it would be really nice if everyone would enter their
home town and state at the bottom of each email. You may have Kolb owner
just up the road and if he is forty or fifty miles away you would
>
I have discovered the whereabouts of quite a few Kolbers on
www.UltralightPilot.com including a pretty neat feature that displays the
distance from each pilot based on your GPS coordinates!
Jon
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "youngblood" <barry(at)hcis.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Brass fuel system components |
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2000 9:17 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Brass fuel system components
> Speaking of fuel, I noticed my fuel tanks on my Firestar II looked a
different color toward the bottom yesterday. On closer inspection I found
the bottom few inches were very soft compared to the top. Ordered new tanks
today. Thought someone else might find the same. Plane is 6 years old.
BARRY
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Gone to Santa Rosa . . . |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
Dee and I are packed up and pulling the plugs on the
office computers. We'll be headed for Santa Rosa in the
morning to do a weekend seminar.
Will be taking care of e-mail duties via the dial-up
account and a traveling laptop but the hammer-n-tongs
stuff from the shop is on hold until Monday. Looking
forward to meeting with lots of our readers this weekend.
You don't need a reservation to make this program . . .
just show up and we'll find a seat for you.
http://www.aeroelectric.com/SantaRosa.html
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | b young <byoung(at)brigham.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 21 Msgs - 09/27/00 |
When screwing together threaded brass fuel system
components, should I
use Teflon tape or some sort of goop to seal the threads?
Ian Heritch
Slingshot
both the goop and the teflon tape will work but i prefer
the goop. the reason is that if you ever have to take it
apart you have a rats nest of little strings of teflon tape
to clean out so it dont plug things up.
boyd
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Dale Seitzer <dale(at)gmada.com> |
"'Robert L. Nuckolls, III'"
Wha?... huh?....vacuum cleaners?....Dale Seitzer
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert L. Nuckolls, III
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2000 6:32 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Re: Vacuum System <39.aa2aaa7.270392b5(at)aol.com> <022701c028db$1a6bdfc0$18210a18@bllvu1.wa.home.com>
Just a passing thought....will check my sources of replacement 12 volt vacuum
motors used in motorhome central vacs, I know the until is about 80% more
inches of vacuum then needed, but the motor does draw a fair amount of
current at 14
volts dc.. Perhaps using an IC regulator to reduce the voltage to around 8
volts would bring the current to an acceptable level and enough vacuum.
"TBO" for the brushes is rated 300-500 hours.
I used to build electrically driven standby vacuum systems . . . they
are NOT as dependable as an engine driven vacuum system . . . this is
why they were popularized as a standby. It sat in the airplane unused
until needed. The most dependable is a venturi . . . no moving parts.
Harder to de-ice tho. Given that one's #1 mission upon encountering
ice is to get out of ice, then perhaps de-ice isn't that important.
See latest issue AOPA pilot where a pilot writes about an instrument
course he took. The goal was to get him rated in 10 days. The first thing
the instructor did was cover up the attitude gyro saying, "we won't
need this."
I used to fly shotgun for a co-worker's instrument proficiency
work . . . he would cover up BOTH gyros and we'd go out to shoot
approaches to minimums in the typcial KS bumpy crosswinds. And by
the way, this was NOT a "no gyro" approach using timed turns from
the ground. We went out at lunch time to fly Mid Continent Airport
mixed in with all the big guys and totally on his own. He'd
nail those two needles together and track them right down to the
runway every time. Flying IFR with gyros is not difficult . . .
it's just a different way of doing it. Doing it well gives you
more options about equipment expectations and puts the odds of
living to fly another day decidedly in your favor.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Chgo. Meigs Fld. pics from a Kolb |
Finally got time to take a look at these, and really enjoyed them. Haven't
seen any comments, but you guys oughta take time and look. Thanks Neal.
Big Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: <NealMcCann(at)aol.com>
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2000 7:40 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Chgo. Meigs Fld. pics from a Kolb
>
> Hi,
> I'm a fellow kolb driver (FS 2) from Illinois. I teamed up with a few
local
> flying clubs and journeyed over to Meigs Field Open House to support
friends
> of Meigs ( a local event to keep the place open). I took some neat shots
in
> the air from the Kolb and some at the event. If you care to see them go
to
> the site and click photo album once there. There's a few good Kolbs that
> attended. I even captured one landing on 36.
> Hope you enjoy!
> http://communities.msn.com/FoxValleyFlyingClubPhotos
> Neal McCann
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | ed mills <edgmills(at)yahoo.com> |
Chris and other Kolbers
I truly appreciate all the input on engines.
What I have determined is that for any engine brand
there are good stories and hoary stories.
Kind of like Ford Vs. Chevy Vs Dodge...
--You may want to hit delete at this point to avoid
the following non related Kolb stuff.--
I was definitely going with Hirth until yesterday .
It is not due to any of the feedback but because of
firsthand experience with AIRSTAR and their customer
service manager "Dave".
I don't want to turn this into a Bitch mail but my
experience with these folks SUCKS!!!!
I want consider ever doing business with these guys
again and it is in your best interest to read on and
heed my warning.
I also learned that even though Matt, at rec. power is
a great hirth man and resource, he does not support
hirth(s) from AIRSTAR because they are NOT an
authorized Hirth dealer.
Matt told me that he has tried unsuccessfully for over
a year to get them to pull their ads with Hirth.
I heard the last lie/bull from Dave at airstar
yesterday and if I ever receive my order I plan to
reject it and let it go right back!!
I have never been so rudely treated by
anyone,anywhere.
( I -would- like to Meet "Dave" someday !)
My fit of anger will cost me at least $500 if I
reorder a hirth from Aircraft Spruce or $2K if I go
with Rotax but it is worth it to me because I ain't
putting up with Dave's CRAP!!!
Contact me off line and I cane share each and every
lie,missed ship date and promised delivery dating back
6 weeks. It is truly unbelievable.
Please take my warning. There are lots of good
dealers and parts stores out there would like to have
our business and will supply GOOD customer service.
These deserve our patronage.
I realize that this mail likely violates several rules
of this list and I apologize to you readers for that
but this may save you the serious heart burn and
frustration that I now have. (Now, where did I put the
Prozac)
I have lived through total crap from these people and
deserve to feel about them just the way I do !!!
If you disagree, that is your right, so go ahead and
deal with them and I hope that you never have a
problem that would require your involvement with their
so called customer service or "A.H. Dave"
GO ROTAX!!
Ed
MK-3 Xtra
Dallas Tx.
--- Curbut(at)aol.com wrote:
> Ed
>
> Saw your message to the Kolb list re these engines.
> You and I corresponded
> back in Aug re a 2706 F/I I have for sale. As to
> support, I have had several
> contacts with Matt Dander at Rec. Power Eng. over
> the past few months and I
> can say that those contacts have all been very
> positive. He is most helpful
> and probably the most knowledgable individual
> regarding Hirths that I have
> met. Doubt that there is any question he cannot
> answer for you. Good luck
> with your search and ultimate choice of engines.
>
> Chris
Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free!
http://photos.yahoo.com/
________________________________________________________________________________
Hi my name is wayne and I'am looking to build a open trailer for a kolb mark
3 .
does any one have plans are pictures, I would be very geatfull.
PS. I live in ROSEBURG, OR are there any kolbs flying in this neck of the
woods?
THANK YOU
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
Who is AIRSTAR? Is that by any chance "Airstar Discount Sales?"
Or another AIRSTAR?
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, Tn
>
>Chris and other Kolbers
>I truly appreciate all the input on engines.
>What I have determined is that for any engine brand
>there are good stories and hoary stories.
>Kind of like Ford Vs. Chevy Vs Dodge...
>
>--You may want to hit delete at this point to avoid
>the following non related Kolb stuff.--
>
>I was definitely going with Hirth until yesterday .
>It is not due to any of the feedback but because of
>firsthand experience with AIRSTAR and their customer
>service manager "Dave".
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | gordona(at)us.ibm.com |
| Subject: | The right to talk about Kolbs |
The Kolb list a group whose purpose is to discuss Kolb aircraft. There are
an unlimited number of other groups who discuss politics, etc. It's okay
that you feel strongly about this topic and, because this is America, you
have a right to discuss it. Please take that discussion to a more
appropriate forum.
Gordon Arbeitman
gordona(at)us.ibm.com
(512) 838-9714 (voice)
(512) 838-9716 (fax)
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Peter Volum" <ibimiami(at)msn.com> |
Wayne, I modified a boat trailer for my Mk III and I'm quite proud at the
end result. I don't have any photos right now, but in the next couple of
weeks I'll be posting pictures of Fat Albert for the list (now 90% restored)
that will include trailer photos.
If you can't wait that long, send me your address off-list and I'll snail
mail something to you.
Peter Volum
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com
[mailto:owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com]On Behalf Of WAYNE BOYTER
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 11:00 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: trailers
Hi my name is wayne and I'am looking to build a open trailer for a kolb mark
3 .
does any one have plans are pictures, I would be very geatfull.
PS. I live in ROSEBURG, OR are there any kolbs flying in this neck of the
woods?
THANK YOU
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "malone" <malone(at)povn.com> |
Hello,
is there anyone out there who could possibly share some flight
characteristics and information regarding an Ultrastar?
Thanks!
Brett Malone
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Dale Seitzer <dale(at)gmada.com> |
"'Dennis Watson'"@matronics.com
I got great results with 360 degrees turn. Dale Seitzer
How much did you reflex? I have been slowly working a right roll out of
my Original Firestar. I also have to hold back stick.
Dennis,
Southern Maryland
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
Bret,
Give me a call evenings or weekends & I'd be happy to share my
experiences of the best flying plane that Kolb ever made! ...Richard
Swiderski, Ocala FL 352-622-4064
----- Original Message -----
From: "malone" <malone(at)povn.com>
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 3:34 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Ultrastar
>
> Hello,
> is there anyone out there who could possibly share some flight
> characteristics and information regarding an Ultrastar?
> Thanks!
>
> Brett Malone
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | edchmiel(at)mindspring.com |
| Subject: | Re: The right to talk about Kolbs |
Well said, Gordo.
Ed C. in JXN
MkII/503
----- Original Message -----
From: <gordona(at)us.ibm.com>
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 11:32 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: The right to talk about Kolbs
>
>
> The Kolb list a group whose purpose is to discuss Kolb aircraft. There
are
> an unlimited number of other groups who discuss politics, etc.
>
>
> Gordon Arbeitman
> gordona(at)us.ibm.com
> (512) 838-9714 (voice)
> (512) 838-9716 (fax)
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
the best flying plane that Kolb ever made!
...Richard
> Swiderski
Richard and Gang:
Who you kiddin?
Have you flown the Kolbra???
Course, it has been a while since I have been in an
Ultrastar. It was a fun airplane. My first!!!
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
I have been slowly working a right roll out of
> my Original Firestar. I also have to hold back stick.
>
> Dennis
Dennis and Gang:
If you are atempting to adjust aileron push/pull tubes to
correct for a roll problem, well............, that won't
work. The ailerons center themselves and the stick is
pushed off center. Adjusting the push/pull tubes
individually is how to center the stick laterally.
Only way I know to take the adverse roll out is with aileron
trim tab or some sort of forced trim. I used a piece of
bungee cord to stop adverse roll to the right in my MK III.
Adverse pitch can be adjusted with aileron push/pull tube
adjustment. Just don't go overboard on that project.
Reflexed ailerons reduce lift and increase stall speed.
Take care, fly safe,
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Ron or Mary Payne" <ronormar(at)apex.net> |
I spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out the best way to get
the cage ready for painting. I checked with local paint shops and they
would sand blast the thing and then paint it. Their blasters would cut a
tank in half. I didn't think I would trust them. I wound up buying a
Cambell and Hausfield sand blaster from the local TSC store for $100.00 and
then got a bag of blasting soda from a local supplier. I guess this is
baking soda. I has the name ARM and HAMMER on it. It did a great job.
Removed all the surface rust and any other unwanted surface crud but did not
cut into the metal. I don't think you could rent a unit for this price or
hire anyone to do it for you.
Ron Payne
Gilbertsville, Ky.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
John,
I too miss my old UltraStar. She's in miami now making another pilot
happy. Met him & my old plane at Sun & Fun. Now,I guess I must kinda know
what its like to see an old mistress with someone else.
The center of thrust was perfect, she climbed like crazy & floated like
an eagle. She had a 250fpm rate of decent. She was a joy to dead stick & I
regularly gained altitude with no engine, sniffing out thermals.
My MKII was nowhere near as nimble & my present SlingShot though even
more nimble than the UltraStar, is nowhere near as fun for dead sticking &
it sure won't catch thermals.
I haven't had a chance to fly a Kobra & with its extra wing area it
probably recaptures some of the slow flight as compared to the SlingShot,
but I doubt it is as zippy as an UltraStar.
For all around, fun flying qualities, the UltraStar will be very hard to
beat. ...Very-Opiniated Richard Swiderski
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Hauck" <hawk36(at)mindspring.com>
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 5:58 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Ultrastar
>
>
> the best flying plane that Kolb ever made!
> ...Richard
> > Swiderski
>
>
> Richard and Gang:
>
> Who you kiddin?
>
> Have you flown the Kolbra???
>
> Course, it has been a while since I have been in an
> Ultrastar. It was a fun airplane. My first!!!
>
> john h
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
I also stopped in Roseburg for gas. Have you met Julian Warren in Eugene
?? I think he's starting a Mk III Xtra. Big Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: WAYNE BOYTER <boyter@pioneer-net.com>
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 7:59 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: trailers
>
> Hi my name is wayne and I'am looking to build a open trailer for a kolb
mark
> 3 .
> does any one have plans are pictures, I would be very geatfull.
>
> PS. I live in ROSEBURG, OR are there any kolbs flying in this neck of
the
> woods?
>
> THANK YOU
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Terry" <tswartz(at)hydrosoft.net> |
Hi all.
I agree with John regarding aileron and roll correction. There is one more
thing you can try to correct roll. It worked for my MK III. Adverse roll
can be cause by a difference in angle of attack of right wing vs. left wing.
My MK III was a quick build kit which was factory rigged. From day one it
wanted to roll left. I used the bungee cord for a while, but I didn't like
it. I did some measuring and found that by turning the universal type
attachment joint (the part the attaches the rear of the wing to the frame)
one half turn, I could change the angle of attack of left wing vs. right
wing. It was less the 1/4 inch difference, but it was enough to fix the
roll. Don't know if this will help with a Firestar.
Terry
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com
[mailto:owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com]On Behalf Of John Hauck
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 6:07 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Location
I have been slowly working a right roll out of
> my Original Firestar. I also have to hold back stick.
>
> Dennis
Dennis and Gang:
If you are atempting to adjust aileron push/pull tubes to
correct for a roll problem, well............, that won't
work. The ailerons center themselves and the stick is
pushed off center. Adjusting the push/pull tubes
individually is how to center the stick laterally.
Only way I know to take the adverse roll out is with aileron
trim tab or some sort of forced trim. I used a piece of
bungee cord to stop adverse roll to the right in my MK III.
Adverse pitch can be adjusted with aileron push/pull tube
adjustment. Just don't go overboard on that project.
Reflexed ailerons reduce lift and increase stall speed.
Take care, fly safe,
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Richmond <twoschmoops(at)yahoo.com> |
| Subject: | what's the diff ? |
OK you smart guys.
What's the difference between an Ultrastar and a Firestar?
p.s. great meeting some of you in London-hope to fly there next year
:-)
=====
John & Lynn Richmond :-)
Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free!
http://photos.yahoo.com/
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
I had a terrible experience with those people a few years back.
The parts I ordered did not look the same as genuine Rotax parts,
and they certainly did not last very long.
Buyer Beware.
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, Tn
>Yes
>It is those *&#$%, AIRSTAR DISCOUNT SALES they are
>part of ULTRA-FUN SPORTS INC.
>I HAVE TRIED AGAIN TO SPEAK WITH THE MANAGER OR OWNER
>BUT "DAVE the a.h." INTERCEPTS ALL the CALLS.
>Ed
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
>
>I was definitely going with Hirth until yesterday .
>It is not due to any of the feedback but because of
>firsthand experience with AIRSTAR and their customer
>service manager "Dave".
I think we have discussed airstar before on this list and poor customer
service they provide. There are good companies out there but Airstar is not
one. I have had great assistance and customer support from Skysports. Why
did you not just go to Recreational Power to buy the engine. They may have
a good deal on rebuilt ones also.
As for this not being Kolb related I disagree. We should all know if
there is a bad company out there. Now when people put their political or
religious beliefs on the list I get my shorts in a knot. That is truly not
Kolb related.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | Re: what's the diff ? |
The US has the tailboom on the top where the engine is on the FS. This
causes the engine to be mounted directly behind the pilot under the
tailboom. The thing that limits the US performance is that you don't have
the ground clearance to mount a large diameter prop, unless you lengthen the
landing gear, if you do this, the tail boom will become the limiting factor.
Even with these limitations, the US still flies circles around any other
ultralight from its era.
Tell Lynn that Linda and I say Hellow.
Denny Rowe
-----Original Message-----
From: John Richmond <twoschmoops(at)yahoo.com>
Date: Friday, September 29, 2000 10:14 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: what's the diff ?
>
>OK you smart guys.
>
>What's the difference between an Ultrastar and a Firestar?
>
>p.s. great meeting some of you in London-hope to fly there next year
>
>:-)
>
>
>=====
>John & Lynn Richmond :-)
>
>Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free!
>http://photos.yahoo.com/
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | Re: what's the diff ? |
The US has the tailboom on the top where the engine is on the FS. This
causes the engine to be mounted directly behind the pilot under the
tailboom. The thing that limits the US performance is that you don't have
the ground clearance to mount a large diameter prop, unless you lengthen the
landing gear, if you do this, the tail boom will become the limiting factor.
Even with these limitations, the US still flies circles around any other
ultralight from its era.
Tell Lynn that Linda and I say Hellow.
Denny Rowe
-----Original Message-----
From: John Richmond <twoschmoops(at)yahoo.com>
Date: Friday, September 29, 2000 10:14 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: what's the diff ?
>
>OK you smart guys.
>
>What's the difference between an Ultrastar and a Firestar?
>
>p.s. great meeting some of you in London-hope to fly there next year
>
>:-)
>
>
>=====
>John & Lynn Richmond :-)
>
>Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free!
>http://photos.yahoo.com/
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
GOOD MORNING
YES I HAVE MEET JULIAN WARREN FROM EUGENE.
NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU,
I WAS AT THE ALVORD FLY IN IN 1999, BUT IT WAS TO WINDY TO
FLY . I WENT WITH TWO PLANE FROM PORTLAND, ONE FROM COOS BAY
FOUR FROM ROSEBURG.
IF YOU GET UP THIS WAY STOP IN.
WAYNE BOYTER
MARK III
RSBG, OR
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
Sorry, if I irritated you. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: WAYNE BOYTER <boyter@pioneer-net.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 6:45 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Location
>
> GOOD MORNING
>
> YES I HAVE MEET JULIAN WARREN FROM EUGENE.
> NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU,
> I WAS AT THE ALVORD FLY IN IN 1999, BUT IT WAS TO WINDY TO
> FLY . I WENT WITH TWO PLANE FROM PORTLAND, ONE FROM COOS BAY
> FOUR FROM ROSEBURG.
> IF YOU GET UP THIS WAY STOP IN.
>
> WAYNE BOYTER
> MARK III
> RSBG, OR
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Audrey Lewis <audreylewis(at)planters.net> |
| Subject: | aileron roll 09/29/00 |
Kolb-List Digest Server
> Hi Kolbers,
My Fire Fly would turn to the right every time I took my hands off the stick.
I replaced the tang joining the rear strut to the
wing with a 1/16 inch shorter tang. You can turn the stick loose now and it sits
level.
On the hundred hour inspection I found the 3/16 inch brace back of the fuel tank
had eat a hole about half way through the tank.
I slit a piece of 3/16 inch auto fuel hose and placed it on the brace.
Sure would like to have the over all measurements on a enclosed trailer to haul
a Mark III Extra.
My Fire Fly is for sale and I am dreaming of a Mark III Extra!!!
Audrey Lewis
Fire Fly
Sylvania, GA
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
I'm going to have to start paying attention. Thought this one was going
direct, too. Sorry, Group. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Larry Bourne <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2000 7:42 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Location
>
> Sorry, if I irritated you. Lar.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: WAYNE BOYTER <boyter@pioneer-net.com>
> To: ; Larry & Karen Cottrel
> Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 6:45 AM
> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Location
>
>
> >
> > GOOD MORNING
> >
> > YES I HAVE MEET JULIAN WARREN FROM EUGENE.
> > NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU,
> > I WAS AT THE ALVORD FLY IN IN 1999, BUT IT WAS TO WINDY TO
> > FLY . I WENT WITH TWO PLANE FROM PORTLAND, ONE FROM COOS BAY
> > FOUR FROM ROSEBURG.
> > IF YOU GET UP THIS WAY STOP IN.
> >
> > WAYNE BOYTER
> > MARK III
> > RSBG, OR
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | Thanks Lar, how about sending me your snail mail address? |
Lar,
Thanks for the new photo, If you give me your mailing address, I'l try to
snap of some photos to send you. My builders log needs some updated photos
anyhow.
Thanks,
Denny
rowedl(at)alltel.net
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | wood prop repair, |
List,
Can anyone refresh my memory on how you repair dings in wood props?
I remember using baking soda and super glue, but all the details escape me.
If you know of a better way, I would appreciate your input.
Thanks,
Denny the prop killing yankee from western PA.
PS: Never do an instrument scan "aka", run up, while taxiing! There are
good reasons the FAA teaches us to stop, and hold the breaks for all the
preflight checks, one of the reasons are called runway lights.
PS PS: Eating Humble pie in PA.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | Re: wood prop repair, |
Brakes, not "breaks. Yankees can't spell either.
-----Original Message-----
From: Denny Rowe <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
Date: Saturday, September 30, 2000 1:38 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: wood prop repair,
>
>List,
>Can anyone refresh my memory on how you repair dings in wood props?
>I remember using baking soda and super glue, but all the details escape me.
> If you know of a better way, I would appreciate your input.
>Thanks,
>Denny the prop killing yankee from western PA.
>PS: Never do an instrument scan "aka", run up, while taxiing! There are
>good reasons the FAA teaches us to stop, and hold the breaks for all the
>preflight checks, one of the reasons are called runway lights.
>PS PS: Eating Humble pie in PA.
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Robert Noyer <ronoy(at)shentel.net> |
Been thinking(?) of ckg around for types and prices of name badges to
wear at Fly-Ins and other get-togethers. If there is any interest, I'll
see what types can be had, and for what price. Cost might depend upon
nos. And maybe a Listee already does this kind of thing?
I'm not in this, or any other business, so any badges would be strictly
at cost plus mailing.
bn
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Skip Staub <skipnann(at)earthlink.net> |
> the best flying plane that Kolb ever made!
>...Richard
> > Swiderski
>
>Richard and Gang:
>Who you kiddin?
>Have you flown the Kolbra???
No, I have never flown a Kobra, (nor am I likely to) but I have flown the
UltraStar. That said, can you show me another Kolb model other than the
UltraStar, or maybe the Flyer, that doesn't exhibit pitch changes with
power changes. Homer told me, on one occasion, that he thought that the
UltraStar was the best flyer. Notice that I said best flyer and not the
highest performing Kolb aircraft.
Skip
Ellenton, FL
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
Fearless Leader of our ( nearly defunct ) U/L club printed ours up on the
computer, ( his skills are far greater than mine ) and bought plastic
sleeves with attached safety pins at a stationery store. Just cut the names
out and slipped them into the sleeves. Cheap and easy. ( If you know how
to use the programs right ) Humble Lar. ( That's 2
"humbles" on the List today, but only 1 humble pie. Nerk nerk )
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Noyer <ronoy(at)shentel.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 1:07 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Name badges
>
> Been thinking(?) of ckg around for types and prices of name badges to
> wear at Fly-Ins and other get-togethers. If there is any interest, I'll
> see what types can be had, and for what price. Cost might depend upon
> nos. And maybe a Listee already does this kind of thing?
>
> I'm not in this, or any other business, so any badges would be strictly
> at cost plus mailing.
>
> bn
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Possum <possums(at)mindspring.com> |
>
>Fearless Leader of our ( nearly defunct ) U/L club printed ours up on the
>computer, ( his skills are far greater than mine ) and bought plastic
>sleeves with attached safety pins at a stationery store. Just cut the names
>out and slipped them into the sleeves. Cheap and easy. ( If you know how
>to use the programs right ) Humble Lar. ( That's 2
>"humbles" on the List today, but only 1 humble pie. Nerk nerk )
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Robert Noyer <ronoy(at)shentel.net>
>To:
>Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 1:07 PM
>Subject: Kolb-List: Name badges
>
>
>>
>> Been thinking(?) of ckg around for types and prices of name badges to
>> wear at Fly-Ins and other get-togethers. If there is any interest, I'll
>> see what types can be had, and for what price. Cost might depend upon
>> nos. And maybe a Listee already does this kind of thing?
>>
>> I'm not in this, or any other business, so any badges would be strictly
>> at cost plus mailing.
>>
>> bn
>>
>>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
| Subject: | Re: wood prop repair, |
If it's just a small ding, no structural problem, fill the ding with baking
soda or microballoons, and drip the super glue on it. Keep the fumes out of
your eyes, and when it gets done cooking, sand it smooth, shoot a coat of
clear whatever over the top of it, check the balance, go fly. Don't hit the
runway lights; it "breaks" them.
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, Tn.
>
>List,
>Can anyone refresh my memory on how you repair dings in wood props?
>I remember using baking soda and super glue, but all the details escape me.
> If you know of a better way, I would appreciate your input.
>Thanks,
>Denny the prop killing yankee from western PA.
>PS: Never do an instrument scan "aka", run up, while taxiing! There are
>good reasons the FAA teaches us to stop, and hold the breaks for all the
>preflight checks, one of the reasons are called runway lights.
>PS PS: Eating Humble pie in PA.
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 17 Msgs - 09/28/00 |
In a message dated 9/29/00 3:01:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
From: Mhqqqqq(at)aol.com
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Kolb Flyin
good idea about the names and towns at the bottom of the message.
Mark Hansen
flying from Wanamingo MN
>>
Mark, I met you at the Kolb flyin as I recognized the handle with all those
q's!! I shouldn't forget your real name either, cause I keep my Firestar at
a friends house whose name is Harris Hanser. ...well...kinda close to
yours.....
GeoR38
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
Think ya fergot somethin', Poss.
----- Original Message -----
From: Possum <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 9:25 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Name badges
>
> >
> >Fearless Leader of our ( nearly defunct ) U/L club printed ours up on the
> >computer, ( his skills are far greater than mine ) and bought plastic
> >sleeves with attached safety pins at a stationery store. Just cut the
names
> >out and slipped them into the sleeves. Cheap and easy. ( If you know
how
> >to use the programs right ) Humble Lar. ( That's 2
> >"humbles" on the List today, but only 1 humble pie. Nerk nerk )
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Robert Noyer <ronoy(at)shentel.net>
> >To:
> >Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 1:07 PM
> >Subject: Kolb-List: Name badges
> >
> >
> >>
> >> Been thinking(?) of ckg around for types and prices of name badges to
> >> wear at Fly-Ins and other get-togethers. If there is any interest, I'll
> >> see what types can be had, and for what price. Cost might depend upon
> >> nos. And maybe a Listee already does this kind of thing?
> >>
> >> I'm not in this, or any other business, so any badges would be strictly
> >> at cost plus mailing.
> >>
> >> bn
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: what's the diff ? |
Denny & All,
The UltraStar had 2 serious limitations, both of which can be overcome.
The rigid landing gear was an achilles heal to say the least. The samll 50"
prop was the other.
I converted my rigid gear to a bungie setup a la Cub or Taylorcraft
(actually used Tcraft bungie donuts). While at it, I lengthened them by
1ft. As Denny stated, you still have the prop next to the fuselage, so I
put a Rotax gearbox on my trusty twin carbCuyuna & rotated it down, which
gave me 6" of clearance between tip of the 50" prop & bottom of fuselage
tube. Then I put a 60" 3 blade Precision propellor. A 50" prop is 63%
efficient. A 60" prop is 68% efficient, which is a 5% increase but still 3%
less effecient than a 66" prop which I believe is what a FireStar uses.
After 60", the % of increase becomes smaller very quickly, eg., after 60", 6
more inches only yields another 3%, and after 66", another 6" only yields
another 2%. Anyway, I inlayed p-tips into the 60" prop & increased its
static thrust 10% (from 250lbs to 275lbs cruise setting or 300lbs climb
setting) My buddy got 275lbs off his 503 single carb 2-blade TwinStar on
the same day with the same scale. I had the trust of a 503 with the weight
of a Cuyuna.
With the engine below the wing, not only was the thrust line centered,
but the wing had full span barndoor aerlerons. This can not be done with
the FireStar because of the prop. After rigging the aerlerons into
flaperons, I could now change the coeffecient of lift over the entire wing
for maximum climb, and since the UltraStars aerlerons are so deep, it made a
dramatic effect. I got another 3mph cruise when I reflexed them up about 3
degrees & this position also came in handy whenever I was forced to land in
very gusty conditions as it would effectively increase my wing loading. The
flapperons came down about 45 degrees & could only be used like that on
finale as any turns would fight extreme adverse yaw, but she would come down
like a slow elevator. They also served as pitch adjustment in flight. It
took me 4 tries to come up with a system that worked, but they were worth
every bit of the effort, as they expanded my speed envelope on top & bottom,
increased climb rate (900fpm hottest 100% humidity Florida day to 1200+fpm
on a cool day), gave me pitch control & even wing loading control.
Later I raised the front cage 10" & faired in the front with a full
windshield like the FireStar. That plane was one ugly duckling (John H
called it a stork & if I remember correctly he had a grimmace when he said
it.) but she was the flyingest piece of junk around. With a 9 gallon Ken
Brock seat tank, & sipping 2.8 gal/hr at 60mph, she was also a great cross
county machine.
I only sold her because I wanted to build a 2 place to teach my kids to
fly. Now I have 2 place but my kids don't want to fly! I only have 8 hours
in my SlingShot, she's definitely thrilled & surprised me but we haven't
bonded yet. I've got some dreams for her & some ideas to try out. Who
knows, I might even fall in love with her someday & forget about my old
UltraStar.
>
> The US has the tailboom on the top where the engine is on the FS. This
> causes the engine to be mounted directly behind the pilot under the
> tailboom. The thing that limits the US performance is that you don't have
> the ground clearance to mount a large diameter prop, unless you lengthen
the
> landing gear, if you do this, the tail boom will become the limiting
factor.
> Even with these limitations, the US still flies circles around any other
> ultralight from its era.
> Tell Lynn that Linda and I say Hellow.
> Denny Rowe
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Richmond <twoschmoops(at)yahoo.com>
> To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com
> Date: Friday, September 29, 2000 10:14 PM
> Subject: Kolb-List: what's the diff ?
>
>
> >
> >OK you smart guys.
> >
> >What's the difference between an Ultrastar and a Firestar?
> >
> >p.s. great meeting some of you in London-hope to fly there next year
> >
> >:-)
> >
> >
> >=====
> >John & Lynn Richmond :-)
> >
> >Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free!
> >http://photos.yahoo.com/
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "ballenger" <ballenger(at)gateway.net> |
| Subject: | Re: wood prop repair, |
Denny,
Use the thin super glue. I just repaired my IVO prop using this procedure.
Dress the nick up then apply the glue and sprinkle the baking soda on it.
Repeat this step as much as necessary to build up for sanding.
Jim Ballenger
FS KXP 447
Virginia Beach,Va
----- Original Message -----
From: "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 1:51 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: wood prop repair,
>
> List,
> Can anyone refresh my memory on how you repair dings in wood props?
> I remember using baking soda and super glue, but all the details escape
me.
> If you know of a better way, I would appreciate your input.
> Thanks,
> Denny the prop killing yankee from western PA.
> PS: Never do an instrument scan "aka", run up, while taxiing! There are
> good reasons the FAA teaches us to stop, and hold the breaks for all the
> preflight checks, one of the reasons are called runway lights.
> PS PS: Eating Humble pie in PA.
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Ron or Mary Payne" <ronormar(at)apex.net> |
I am ready to start building my control surfaces. There are three different
methods shown in the plans. One is the factory recommended method where you
flaten the ribs a little and use one rivet to attach to the leading and
trailing edge. The next shows using a gusset and four rivets. This does
away with the bump but adds a little weight and uses more rivets. The third
method, bending the ribs, I am not considering. I would like to hear some
of your opinions on the first two methods. Again this is in regards to the
control surfaces, not the wing.
Ron Payne
Gilbertsville, Ky
FireStar II
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Jung <jrjung(at)execpc.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Needing advice |
Ron,
Why not the third method? It was easy and it looks so much better that I don't
understand why it isn't standard. If it is not having a form block to do the
bending, I'll give you the one that I made.
John Jung
Se Wisconsin
Ron or Mary Payne wrote:
snip...
> The third
> method, bending the ribs, I am not considering. I would like to hear some
> of your opinions on the first two methods. Again this is in regards to the
> control surfaces, not the wing.
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
| Subject: | Re: Needing advice |
Since I built mine by bending the ribs, you would not want my opinion. :-)
But I'll give it to you anyway: when it come time to attach trim tabs,
the bent area parallel to the trailing edge gives you a good place to attach
them where the extra rivet holes will not weaken the trailing edge.
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, Tn
>
>I am ready to start building my control surfaces. There are three different
>methods shown in the plans. One is the factory recommended method where you
>flaten the ribs a little and use one rivet to attach to the leading and
>trailing edge. The next shows using a gusset and four rivets. This does
>away with the bump but adds a little weight and uses more rivets. The third
>method, bending the ribs, I am not considering. I would like to hear some
>of your opinions on the first two methods. Again this is in regards to the
>control surfaces, not the wing.
>
>
>Ron Payne
>
>Gilbertsville, Ky
>
>FireStar II
________________________________________________________________________________
Kolb-List Digest Server
| From: | Tim Garmon <tgarmon(at)teleport.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00 |
I am building a mark III with a Rotax 912. What is the best prop to use??
Should I purchase the engine from Kolb or other dealers??
tim garmon
aloha, oregon
________________________________________________________________________________
Kolb-List Digest Server
| From: | Tim Garmon <tgarmon(at)teleport.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00 |
I am building a mark III with a Rotax 912. What is the best prop to use??
Should I purchase the engine from Kolb or other dealers??
tim garmon
aloha, oregon
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00 |
Tim ,
I built a mk3 with a 912 . I am using a wrap drive prop , have had no
problems.... Works really well.
R Harris N912RH
Lewisville Ar.
>Also I purchased my engine from KOLB , because of all the mounting stuff
(engine installation kit) sure makes things go easier, or it did for me ..
> I am building a mark III with a Rotax 912. What is the best prop to use??
> Should I purchase the engine from Kolb or other dealers??
>
>
> tim garmon
> aloha, oregon
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "J.D. Stewart" <jstewart(at)ncfcomm.com> |
Chick Torbett ( ctorbet(at)mindspring.com ) makes nice leather name tags. His
Website is kolb-list(at)matronics.com . He made up a design for the
Challengers, and can certainly do the Kolbs also, if he has enough orders to
cover the tooling necessary.
J.D. Stewart
NCF Communications, Inc.
http://www.ncfcomm.com
UltraFun AirSports
http://www.users.ncfcomm.com/ultrafunairsports
Challenger Owners E-mail List Administrator
http://www.users.ncfcomm.com/challenger
Northeast Nebraska Flying Club
http://www.users.ncfcomm.com/nnfc
GET PAID TO SURF THE NET
https://www.alladvantage.com/home.asp?refid=HOZ585
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-fly-ul(at)majordomo.hughes.net
> [mailto:owner-fly-ul(at)majordomo.hughes.net]On Behalf Of Robert Noyer
> Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 3:07 PM
> To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com
> Cc: fly-ul(at)majordomo.hughes.net
> Subject: UL: Name badges
>
>
> Been thinking(?) of ckg around for types and prices of name badges to
> wear at Fly-Ins and other get-togethers. If there is any interest, I'll
> see what types can be had, and for what price. Cost might depend upon
> nos. And maybe a Listee already does this kind of thing?
>
> I'm not in this, or any other business, so any badges would be strictly
> at cost plus mailing.
>
> bn
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "J.D. Stewart" <jstewart(at)ncfcomm.com> |
Whoops, wrong paste for the URL... Website is http://www.arographics.com/
J.D.
>
>
> Chick Torbett ( ctorbet(at)mindspring.com ) makes nice leather name
> tags. His
> Website is kolb-list(at)matronics.com . He made up a design for the
> Challengers, and can certainly do the Kolbs also, if he has
> enough orders to
> cover the tooling necessary.
>
> J.D. Stewart
> NCF Communications, Inc.
> http://www.ncfcomm.com
> UltraFun AirSports
> http://www.users.ncfcomm.com/ultrafunairsports
> Challenger Owners E-mail List Administrator
> http://www.users.ncfcomm.com/challenger
> Northeast Nebraska Flying Club
> http://www.users.ncfcomm.com/nnfc
> GET PAID TO SURF THE NET
> https://www.alladvantage.com/home.asp?refid=HOZ585
>
> >
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Robert Noyer <ronoy(at)shentel.net> |
| Subject: | Re: RE: Name badges |
Jim,
I'm the guy who started the name tag thing, and was given erroneously
the same www you just gave! It's www.aerographics.com----and I'm in
contact w/ Chick at present. many thanks.
bn
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00 |
Sure are a lot of Oregonians cropping up all of a sudden. Good to see the
Best (er....West) Coast better represented here. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Tim Garmon <tgarmon(at)teleport.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2000 5:47 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00
>
> I am building a mark III with a Rotax 912. What is the best prop to use??
> Should I purchase the engine from Kolb or other dealers??
>
>
> tim garmon
> aloha, oregon
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00 |
In a message dated 10/1/00 2:59:59 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
<< From: "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
Subject: Kolb-List: wood prop repair,
List,
Can anyone refresh my memory on how you repair dings in wood props?
I remember using baking soda and super glue, but all the details escape me.
If you know of a better way, I would appreciate your input.
Thanks,
Denny the prop killing yankee from western PA.
PS: Never do an instrument scan "aka", run up, while taxiing! There are
good reasons the FAA teaches us to stop, and hold the breaks for all the
preflight checks, one of the reasons are called runway lights.
PS PS: Eating Humble pie in PA. >>
Denny ..what part of Pa are you from....that sounds like something I would do
and I'm originally from Sharon Pa.. Does that make sense?
GeoR38(at)aol.com from Akron O now.
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00 |
In a message dated 10/1/00 2:59:59 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
From: Robert Noyer <ronoy(at)shentel.net>
Subject: Kolb-List: Name badges
Been thinking(?) of ckg around for types and prices of name badges to
wear at Fly-Ins and other get-togethers. If there is any interest, I'll
see what types can be had, and for what price. Cost might depend upon
nos. And maybe a Listee already does this kind of thing?
I'm not in this, or any other business, so any badges would be strictly
at cost plus mailing.
bn >>
Count me in Roberto....GeoR38
ps...I like your books
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00 |
In a message dated 10/1/00 2:59:59 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
<< That plane was one ugly duckling (John H
called it a stork & if I remember correctly he had a grimmace when he said
it.) but she was the flyingest piece of junk around. With a 9 gallon Ken
Brock seat tank, & sipping 2.8 gal/hr at 60mph, she was also a great cross
county machine.
I only sold her because I wanted to build a 2 place to teach my kids to
fly. Now I have 2 place but my kids don't want to fly! I only have 8 hours
in my SlingShot, she's definitely thrilled & surprised me but we haven't
bonded yet. I've got some dreams for her & some ideas to try out. Who
knows, I might even fall in love with her someday & forget about my old
UltraStar. >>
Richard....the best laid plans of mice and men...or sumpin like that....Good
thread...made ME laugh anyway.....GeoR38
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Dave Rains" <rr(at)htg.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00 |
At least your not suffering from Kolb Foot, or maybe it's just an El Paso
phenomena.
Dave.
-----Original Message-----
From: GeoR38(at)aol.com <GeoR38(at)aol.com>
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com
Date: Sunday, October 01, 2000 4:00 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Re: Kolb-List Digest: 18 Msgs - 09/30/00
>
>In a message dated 10/1/00 2:59:59 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
>
><< From: "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
> Subject: Kolb-List: wood prop repair,
>
>
> List,
> Can anyone refresh my memory on how you repair dings in wood props?
> I remember using baking soda and super glue, but all the details escape
me.
> If you know of a better way, I would appreciate your input.
> Thanks,
> Denny the prop killing yankee from western PA.
> PS: Never do an instrument scan "aka", run up, while taxiing! There are
> good reasons the FAA teaches us to stop, and hold the breaks for all the
> preflight checks, one of the reasons are called runway lights.
> PS PS: Eating Humble pie in PA. >>
>
>Denny ..what part of Pa are you from....that sounds like something I would
do
>and I'm originally from Sharon Pa.. Does that make sense?
>GeoR38(at)aol.com from Akron O now.
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: what's the diff ? |
> The UltraStar had 2 serious limitations, both of which can be overcome.
> The rigid landing gear was an achilles heal to say the least. The samll 50"
> prop was the other.
"That plane was one ugly duckling
(John H
called it a stork & if I remember correctly he had a
grimmace
when he said
it.)"
Richard
Richard and Gang:
No, no, no! I get accused of grimacing all the time. :-)
I said Richard's Ultrastar should be called the "Ultrastork"
because that is what it looked like with excessively long
gear legs. And I didn't say it with a grimace, but with
affection, for the Ultrastar was near and dear to my heart.
My first airplane to build and the very first fixed wing
airplane to fly as PIC. Now you are wondering where the IP
sat when I was learning to fly this baby. On my shoulder?
Nope. I taught myself to fly it (big mistake, do not
recommend trying this at home). Well, the flying part came
natural, after flying helicopters. But the landing part was
very unnatural and cost me a two week wait to build new
rigid gear and get a new Culver prop. My second landing was
OK.
The Ultrastar had a lot of limitations. Most were corrected
by the new Firestar design, but mounting the engine on the
wing took away from many of the natural, favorable Ultrastar
flight characteristics.
The Ultrastar could be a pain in the butt at times. The
reduction drive lacked the ability to adjust bearing
load/tension and keep the prop shaft parallel to the crank
shaft. This meant also that one of the two poly "V" belts
was always tighter than the other.
The mainspar attaching hardware did little to prevent the
wing from twisting when ailerons were defected. Same
problem on the tailpost attach system since it was same as
main spar attachment, two tubes inline with and inserted
into the 5 inch tail or main spar tube. The collar system
on the Firestar corrected this problem on wing and tailpost.
Personally, the aileron cord could have been cut in half and
still had more aileron authority than required to fly the
Ultrastar right thru the stall.
The prop was so close to the ground that flying off anything
but pavement or manicured airstrips did a prop in almost
immediately. If for some reason you got caught in a hay
field with tall grass, you would have to pay the price of a
prop to fly out of there only after spending the best part
of the afternoon stomping a prop track in the grass for
takeoff. I have done this before and still eaten up the
prop when it sucked the grass up off the ground slicing and
dicing it.
Rigid gear legs were a mess, but 15X6X6 tires inflated to
about 6 or 8 lbs helped extend their life. We also went to
heavier tubing which withstood my hard landings better.
XC'ing required memorizing the map recon, headings,
checkpoints, distances, etc. Had to fold up the map and sit
on it prior to take off. It was not available again until
after landing and shutting down.
All in all though, it was a kick in the butt to fly. It was
built to make beautiful symetric loops. They were
effortless primarily because of the thrust line. Firestar
was just the opposite. Make better loops with the Firestar
at half throttle. More thrust up high tended to keep the
nose from coming up and over. The amount of elevator
required bled off a lot of penetration.
I had no problem with the 50X30 Jim Culver prop. It was the
exact match up of optimum performance between the Cuyuna
ULII02 and the Ultrastar. Mine hit the redline (CRS where
it was now) WOT, Straight and Level Flight, indicating 85
mph on the little venturi operated Winter ASI. The last 10
mph had to be interpolated because the numbers on the dial
only went to 75. However, the needle would wrap right on
around past the 75 mark. My US stalled at 1/2 needle with
below 25 MPH indicated. If you could keep her right at 25
she would fly. Just a fuzz under and the nose would come
down a hair and go into a mush.
Everything that fell off the engine, airplane, or out of my
pockets, went through the prop. I remember watching the
cloud made by a full pack of Wintons after being sliced and
diced by the Culver at WOT. Hard items that went through
the prop usually went through the aileron or wing fabric.
Even with the very short time I had to fly the Kolbra (.5
hrs), I still say it is the best flying Kolb yet. Maybe I
will change my mind further down the road after I get more
time in it. I don't know yet. But for now, the control
touch is nothing but "Rolls Royce", it is gentle, requires
no trim tabs to correct roll and yaw. Flying solo from the
front seat at 80 mph it is neutral in pitch at my weight of
185 lbs. Increasing power makes her climb. I have to hold
slight forward pressure to maintain level flight at 90 mph,
6200 rpm on the 582. Another pilot that weighs 240 lbs has
to hold a little aft pressure on the stick at 80, while
increasing power, and flying straight and level at 90 mph.
A simple forced trim to control pitch induced pressures will
be no problem to fabricate. The Kolbra is light and quick
in roll for a 30 ft wing span. Extremely light rudder
inputs, as well as pitch inputs. She is gentle to fly and
hovers forever in ground effect. A few small changes and
she will fly the way I like to fly. :-)
Take care,
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | aquila33(at)webtv.net (dann mann) |
I am in the Name Badge businees. We can make them cheap,deluxe or super
deluxe with many kinds oclips an pins. Some fold over for insertion into
your pocket or with magnetic clips.
Prices usually range from $4 - $12 depending on your choices of
materials and quantities.
Let me know what you need.
Thank you
Dan Peterman
CalwestAwards.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Ron Mason <CaptainKugel(at)excite.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Hirth 2706 engine |
>
> Only one comment on the engine----company---
> All the German Flight Students told me wait a year and only buy the
> 2706----the 2703 was popular-then .Got a real good buy on a 2703-problems
> with-2703-not 2706 before you buy-- I am not knocking their products but
I
> highly recommend you reconsider your decision.I could not give 2703's
> away-new-500 below my cost!
>
> My personal opinion.talk to someone that has sold,serviced,maintained and
> rebuilt them for an independent professional opinion-outside the Hirth
> organization. I will send him a copy of this message
>
>
> Highly recommend you E-Mail Danny Day in Tubac AZ---One of the best in
the
> country Danny's E-Mail Cuadannyday(at)hotmail.com
>
> His shop phone number is520-398-8311. Do not know your location but he is
on
> straight!
>
> Lindy
> LA-Lower Alabama
>
>
> The guy sales ROTAX engines and also runs a service operation on ROTAX
engines. Does he have vested interest in ROTAX well you be the judge. So far
2Si is no good, and now the Hirth is no good. Letsee what engine remains,,
oh gee must be the ROTAX (g), I think I am going to turn a little skeptical
if you don't mind.
>
>
>
Say Bye to Slow Internet!
http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Ron Mason <CaptainKugel(at)excite.com> |
>
> Thanx for the report! I know who not to buy anything from.
>
>
Say Bye to Slow Internet!
http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Ron or Mary Payne" <ronormar(at)apex.net> |
| Subject: | Control Surfaces |
I guess I will reconsider. Everyone that responded to my request for opions
recommended bending the ribs so that is what I will do. Thanks for the
responces.
Ron Payne
Gilbertsvillle, Ky
FireStar II
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "jrodebush" <jrodebush(at)cinci.rr.com> |
| Subject: | Control surfaces |
From: "Ron or Mary Payne" <ronormar(at)apex.net>
Subject: Kolb-List: Needing advice
"I am ready to start building my control surfaces."
I bought a cheap "3 sizes in one" tube bender and used method # 3. You
might reconsider. It's not difficult and produces a nice looking, rigid
joint and you won't have to wory about the "bumps" when covering. (On one
side anyway.)
Rody (Cincinnati)
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Michael Sharp" <mlsharp_1(at)hotmail.com> |
A few years ago, or maybe last year... (CRS kicking in..) someone on the
list had a map with names and info about builders.. anyone remember>?>???
Mike,
Mark III
In Beeville Texas
Angleton Texas
Eunice La.
Hell i'm all over the place
>From: Possum <possums(at)mindspring.com>
>Reply-To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com, Possum
>To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com, "Larry Bourne"
>Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Name badges
>Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 21:25:51 -0700
>
>
>
> >
> >Fearless Leader of our ( nearly defunct ) U/L club printed ours up on the
> >computer, ( his skills are far greater than mine ) and bought plastic
> >sleeves with attached safety pins at a stationery store. Just cut the
>names
> >out and slipped them into the sleeves. Cheap and easy. ( If you know
>how
> >to use the programs right ) Humble Lar. ( That's 2
> >"humbles" on the List today, but only 1 humble pie. Nerk nerk )
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Robert Noyer <ronoy(at)shentel.net>
> >To:
> >Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 1:07 PM
> >Subject: Kolb-List: Name badges
> >
> >
> >>
> >> Been thinking(?) of ckg around for types and prices of name badges to
> >> wear at Fly-Ins and other get-togethers. If there is any interest, I'll
> >> see what types can be had, and for what price. Cost might depend upon
> >> nos. And maybe a Listee already does this kind of thing?
> >>
> >> I'm not in this, or any other business, so any badges would be strictly
> >> at cost plus mailing.
> >>
> >> bn
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Covering question ...... |
I have for sale the covering material for Kolb aircraft.
Send email to: kenmead(at)aol.com if you want to know more.
Kathy Mead
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | Aileron mass balance |
Hi Kolbers,
We noticed at the factory that pretty much every plane there had mass
balanced ailerons. Do you folks think that its worth the extra weight and
drag to add these, do they really help?
Denny
Building Mark-3 near Vandergrift, PA
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
| Subject: | Re: Aileron mass balance |
My right aileron started to buzz at 88 MPH, and I would have to back off.
They help a lot if you have a flutter problem, and are cheap
insurance if you aren't sure. If the factory had not provided them, I would
have made some from scratch. Flutter is bad news. Now the ailerons are
smooth to 100 MPH, have not been faster yet.
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, Tn
>
>Hi Kolbers,
>We noticed at the factory that pretty much every plane there had mass
>balanced ailerons. Do you folks think that its worth the extra weight and
>drag to add these, do they really help?
>Denny
>Building Mark-3 near Vandergrift, PA
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Wood, John T." <woodjt(at)spawar.navy.mil> |
"'Michael Sharp'"@matronics.com
John Jung did the map and names. Go to his web sight..
John
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Sharp [mailto:mlsharp_1(at)hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 6:37 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Name badges
A few years ago, or maybe last year... (CRS kicking in..) someone on the
list had a map with names and info about builders.. anyone remember>?>???
Mike,
Mark III
In Beeville Texas
Angleton Texas
Eunice La.
Hell i'm all over the place
>From: Possum <possums(at)mindspring.com>
>Reply-To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com, Possum
>To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com, "Larry Bourne"
>Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Name badges
>Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 21:25:51 -0700
>
>
>
> >
> >Fearless Leader of our ( nearly defunct ) U/L club printed ours up on the
> >computer, ( his skills are far greater than mine ) and bought plastic
> >sleeves with attached safety pins at a stationery store. Just cut the
>names
> >out and slipped them into the sleeves. Cheap and easy. ( If you know
>how
> >to use the programs right ) Humble Lar. ( That's 2
> >"humbles" on the List today, but only 1 humble pie. Nerk nerk )
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Robert Noyer <ronoy(at)shentel.net>
> >To:
> >Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 1:07 PM
> >Subject: Kolb-List: Name badges
> >
> >
> >>
> >> Been thinking(?) of ckg around for types and prices of name badges to
> >> wear at Fly-Ins and other get-togethers. If there is any interest, I'll
> >> see what types can be had, and for what price. Cost might depend upon
> >> nos. And maybe a Listee already does this kind of thing?
> >>
> >> I'm not in this, or any other business, so any badges would be strictly
> >> at cost plus mailing.
> >>
> >> bn
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Aileron mass balance |
You bet - go ahead and balance them. No wasted weight there.
Big Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Denny Rowe <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 7:16 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: Aileron mass balance
>
> Hi Kolbers,
> We noticed at the factory that pretty much every plane there had mass
> balanced ailerons. Do you folks think that its worth the extra weight and
> drag to add these, do they really help?
> Denny
> Building Mark-3 near Vandergrift, PA
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Control Surfaces |
It's nice to see someone who can listen to other peoples' advice, and react
positively to it. There's too many who can't, or won't. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Ron or Mary Payne <ronormar(at)apex.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2000 11:58 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Control Surfaces
>
> I guess I will reconsider. Everyone that responded to my request for
opions
> recommended bending the ribs so that is what I will do. Thanks for the
> responces.
>
> Ron Payne
>
> Gilbertsvillle, Ky
>
> FireStar II
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Aileron mass balance |
| From: | Robert L Doebler <robertdoebler(at)juno.com> |
writes:
>
> Hi Kolbers,
> We noticed at the factory that pretty much every plane there had
> mass
> balanced ailerons. Do you folks think that its worth the extra
> weight and
> drag to add these, do they really help?
> Denny
> Building Mark-3 near Vandergrift, PA
> YES! It prevents flutter.
Bob D
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | WingManBill2(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Aileron mass balance |
I'm bout 80% complete on a Mark III here in Harpers Ferry, WV. I was told to
leave the mass balance weights off, might not need em, also I'm sure The New
Kolb will have a price for em, sure they won't send them as part of the kits
at this point.
Bill Johnston
Mark III
Harpers Ferry,WV
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Eugene H Zimmerman <tehz(at)redrose.net> |
| Subject: | Re: what's the diff ? |
John Hauck wrote:
snip
>
> Even with the very short time I had to fly the Kolbra (.5
> hrs), I still say it is the best flying Kolb yet. Maybe I
> will change my mind further down the road after I get more
> time in it. I don't know yet. But for now, the control
> touch is nothing but "Rolls Royce", it is gentle, requires
> no trim tabs to correct roll and yaw. Flying solo from the
> front seat at 80 mph it is neutral in pitch at my weight of
> 185 lbs. Increasing power makes her climb. I have to hold
> slight forward pressure to maintain level flight at 90 mph,
> 6200 rpm on the 582. Another pilot that weighs 240 lbs has
> to hold a little aft pressure on the stick at 80, while
> increasing power, and flying straight and level at 90 mph.
> A simple forced trim to control pitch induced pressures will
> be no problem to fabricate. The Kolbra is light and quick
> in roll for a 30 ft wing span. Extremely light rudder
> inputs, as well as pitch inputs. She is gentle to fly and
> hovers forever in ground effect. A few small changes and
> she will fly the way I like to fly. :-)
>
> Take care,
>
> john h
>
John, seeing how you write about the Kolbra, I betya it won't be long
till you have one of your very own with a 912s.
Go for it. :)
|
_____|_____
*============================R============================*
\ /
\ /
(/---\)
\___/
/ \
() ()
Eugene Zimmerman
Elizabethtown, PA
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: what's the diff ? |
> John, seeing how you write about the Kolbra, I betya it won't be long
> till you have one of your very own with a 912s.
> Go for it. :)
> Eugene Zimmerman
Eugene and Gang:
Well, I am still in love with my old sweetie, Miss P'fer.
We still have some flying to do. Besides, I don't know any
Kolb that will do as many requirements as well as she does.
Some are faster, some are slower, but overall there are no
others that have accomplished what she has. Hopefully, we
will be able to complete our flight to Barrow, Alaska, and
home, next summer. Both of us are looking forward to the
flight.
john h
PS: There may be a Kolbra in my future someday, but not
right now. :-)
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Dennis Watson" <djwatson(at)olg.com> |
Hi all!!
A friend of mine is looking for a C-Gear box. Is there anyone on the
list that might have one for sale??
Thanks,
Dennis
Maryland
Original Firestar
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Lloyd McFarlane <lrmcf(at)ix.netcom.com> |
| Subject: | Another Kolb in the air |
Congratulations Bill! I enjoyed reading of your experience and nice to
know of another FireStar in the area. I'm probably 3 or 4 weeks from
completing mine. Your plane is beautiful. Tell me about your trailer.
Did you build or purchase locally? That's my next requirement.
Best regards,
Lloyd McFarlane
Fullerton, CA
From: bweber2 <bweber2(at)earthlink.net>
Subject: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the Air
After several years of on again-off again building, my
Firestar finally took to the skies!
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
Got a friend looking for a Firestar or Ultrastar.
He's retired, got $7500 to spend.
Reply off list.
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
richard(at)bcchapel.org
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Johann G Johannsson <johann(at)caa.is> |
| Subject: | Rotax 912 cooling system |
Hi Kolbers.
Once again I need to ask you for advise about my friends Mark III.
He is using the Rotax 912 80 Hp engine, and has been having problems
with the cooling system. Do you need to use a pressure bottle on the
water cooling system, or is it enough to use a pressure cap on the
filler bottle?
Someone on the list mentioned that air could be trapped in the system
which could stop the circulation of water through the radiator ???. I
hope I understood that right.
I do appreciate any comments.
Best regards,
Johann G.
Firestar II 50 hrs.
Iceland. ( Too far away for any fly-ins )
P.s. Today, I got my 15 minutes of fame, when one of the three TV
stations in Iceland, took an interview with me about my Firestar and
showed a few take-offs and landings on the Firestar II. I know it does
not get the same viewing as in USA, but it made my day. Just had to
brag.
J G
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Lindy's Comments |
Lindy and Gang:
I don't know whether I can stand the heat, but I am coming
into the kitchen. :-)
> Just ask Kolb who built the engine for their new Kolbra. I know-they
> know-and I believe it was Danny Day! The bottom line -they are not stupid!
> They know who stands behind their products or work.
In response to your comment above, Jabiru. Not Danny Day.
Period... Lite Speed's Kolbra may be the aircraft you are
speaking of, not The New Kolb Aircraft Company.
translated into English--for a cayuna-is
> boat anchor!
I flew with a boat anchor for 385 hours in my first
aircraft, an Ultrastar. Did my first XCs in the US, several
over 600 miles round trip. Lost the engine many times, but
nothing contributed to Cuyuna. Most problems were operator
responsibility and the learning curve, i.e., spark plug wire
falling off (learned to tie wrap to stay in place), paper
element fuel filters (lots of emergency landings, 6 in one
afternoon, until I learned what was causing the problem.
Never got outside the perimeter of my airfield that day.)
:-), pulse tubes on fuel pumps, throttle cables, and on and
on. But never a problem because of engine manufacture.
Yes, there was one. I had forgotten. On the PTO end of the
cases too much material was machined off. This left a thin
face to seal the cylinder to the cases. It started leaking
here about every 100 hours. Some of that was my fault. The
engine had to be dropped from the engine mount to torque the
case bolts on the bottom of the engine. I would get lazy,
then the 100 hours would roll around and the tale tail black
streak would start from this point.
> I have probably given more ultralight parts and accessories away to people
> nationally and internationally in the interest of safety--Theirs not mine.
Please explain the above. I do not understand.
To u
> that may not be important-but to me-it indicates pride in his work and final
> product-and that product is hauling my Body around and bringing it back to
> the ground.
Lindy, you don't need pride in his workmanship and final
product to bring you back to the ground. :-)
> Old story--If you can't stand the heat-stay out of the kitchen.
If you can't stand the heat, turn up the airconditioner in
the kitchen.
Take care, have fun, don't take life so seriously, and be
safe,
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Rotax 912 cooling system |
. Do you need to use a pressure bottle on the
> water cooling system, or is it enough to use a pressure cap on the
> filler bottle?
> Johann G.
Johann and Gang:
You need some type coolant recovery bottle after the header
tank. When the engine gets up to operating temps and there
is no air in the cooling system, the heated water has to go
somewhere once it reaches a little above the rated pressure
of the header tank. It flows out the overflow fitting thru
a tube and into your recovery tank. When the engine cools
down, vacumn pulls coolant out of the recovery tank and back
into the engine. If you have a little more coolant in the
recovery tank and your tubes are airtight, no air will enter
the system. Initially, it will take several runnings and
cool downs to bleed all the air out of the cooling system.
Be sure and use low silicate/low phospherous long life
antifreeze and distilled water. Anything else will cause
hard particles to eventually cut the seal in the waterpump.
I damaged the seal on my old 912 water pump. The 912S,
hopefully, will be ok for a long time.
Feels good to get you airplane in the news for anything
other than a crash or for buzzing the mayors house. :-)
Congratulations.
Take care,
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Rotax 912 cooling system |
> is no air in the cooling system, the heated water has to go
> somewhere once it reaches a little above the rated pressure
> of the header tank.
My last msg should have read "once it reaches a little above
the rated pressure of the header tank cap."
Made a boo boo. Sorry.
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert F. Bean" <rfbean(at)rochester.infi.net> |
"Robert F. Bean"
Dope appliers: (do not misconstrue) I found a good source for
lacquer thinner -called primer grade on the can. Auto Zone
---should be good for nitrate dope and clean-up. Comes in
one gal cans--check it out and compare. --BB
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: what's the diff ? |
John & All,
I hope I didn't offend you about that "grimmace" comment, I was just
exaggerating, you certainly have never been anything but cordial with me.
Regarding the UltraStar wing attatchment hardware, your's & mine & the
early models were that way. Kolb later but in the collar I retrofitted
mine with a steel ring around the outside (bolted 2 halves) & rivotted an X
brace to it. It made a huge difference in the roll authority. It sure is
worth the effort if anyone out there has an early version.
TRUE STORY: One day, during a FL flyin west of Orlando, I was doing a
Walter Mitty flight a couple miles north of all the action. I was hopping
fenses & circling trees in my P-51 (UltraStar) & having a blast straffing
cow pies & stumps. All of a sudden, as I was watching my shadow wip across
the field, I noticed another shadow right behind it. I said to myself, "Who
would be so crazy to be flying out here?" I looked all around me but could
not see a soul. Eventually I spotted the guy. It was one of those new Kolb
FireStars! & He was on my tail. I couldn't tell if he was shooting at me
or not, as he was too far for me to read his lips. He shortly pulled off &
left me in the dust, thinking he had an afterburner. I caught up with him
at the field after he landed. That's when I 1st met John H.
...Richard Swiderski
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Hauck" <hawk36(at)mindspring.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2000 9:45 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: what's the diff ?
>
>
> > The UltraStar had 2 serious limitations, both of which can be
overcome.
> > The rigid landing gear was an achilles heal to say the least. The samll
50"
> > prop was the other.
>
> "That plane was one ugly duckling
> (John H
> called it a stork & if I remember correctly he had a
> grimmace
> when he said
> it.)"
>
>
> Richard
>
>
> Richard and Gang:
>
>
> No, no, no! I get accused of grimacing all the time. :-)
> I said Richard's Ultrastar should be called the "Ultrastork"
> because that is what it looked like with excessively long
> gear legs. And I didn't say it with a grimace, but with
> affection, for the Ultrastar was near and dear to my heart.
> My first airplane to build and the very first fixed wing
> airplane to fly as PIC. Now you are wondering where the IP
> sat when I was learning to fly this baby. On my shoulder?
> Nope. I taught myself to fly it (big mistake, do not
> recommend trying this at home). Well, the flying part came
> natural, after flying helicopters. But the landing part was
> very unnatural and cost me a two week wait to build new
> rigid gear and get a new Culver prop. My second landing was
> OK.
>
> The Ultrastar had a lot of limitations. Most were corrected
> by the new Firestar design, but mounting the engine on the
> wing took away from many of the natural, favorable Ultrastar
> flight characteristics.
>
> The Ultrastar could be a pain in the butt at times. The
> reduction drive lacked the ability to adjust bearing
> load/tension and keep the prop shaft parallel to the crank
> shaft. This meant also that one of the two poly "V" belts
> was always tighter than the other.
>
> The mainspar attaching hardware did little to prevent the
> wing from twisting when ailerons were defected. Same
> problem on the tailpost attach system since it was same as
> main spar attachment, two tubes inline with and inserted
> into the 5 inch tail or main spar tube. The collar system
> on the Firestar corrected this problem on wing and tailpost.
>
> Personally, the aileron cord could have been cut in half and
> still had more aileron authority than required to fly the
> Ultrastar right thru the stall.
>
> The prop was so close to the ground that flying off anything
> but pavement or manicured airstrips did a prop in almost
> immediately. If for some reason you got caught in a hay
> field with tall grass, you would have to pay the price of a
> prop to fly out of there only after spending the best part
> of the afternoon stomping a prop track in the grass for
> takeoff. I have done this before and still eaten up the
> prop when it sucked the grass up off the ground slicing and
> dicing it.
>
> Rigid gear legs were a mess, but 15X6X6 tires inflated to
> about 6 or 8 lbs helped extend their life. We also went to
> heavier tubing which withstood my hard landings better.
>
> XC'ing required memorizing the map recon, headings,
> checkpoints, distances, etc. Had to fold up the map and sit
> on it prior to take off. It was not available again until
> after landing and shutting down.
>
> All in all though, it was a kick in the butt to fly. It was
> built to make beautiful symetric loops. They were
> effortless primarily because of the thrust line. Firestar
> was just the opposite. Make better loops with the Firestar
> at half throttle. More thrust up high tended to keep the
> nose from coming up and over. The amount of elevator
> required bled off a lot of penetration.
>
> I had no problem with the 50X30 Jim Culver prop. It was the
> exact match up of optimum performance between the Cuyuna
> ULII02 and the Ultrastar. Mine hit the redline (CRS where
> it was now) WOT, Straight and Level Flight, indicating 85
> mph on the little venturi operated Winter ASI. The last 10
> mph had to be interpolated because the numbers on the dial
> only went to 75. However, the needle would wrap right on
> around past the 75 mark. My US stalled at 1/2 needle with
> below 25 MPH indicated. If you could keep her right at 25
> she would fly. Just a fuzz under and the nose would come
> down a hair and go into a mush.
>
> Everything that fell off the engine, airplane, or out of my
> pockets, went through the prop. I remember watching the
> cloud made by a full pack of Wintons after being sliced and
> diced by the Culver at WOT. Hard items that went through
> the prop usually went through the aileron or wing fabric.
>
> Even with the very short time I had to fly the Kolbra (.5
> hrs), I still say it is the best flying Kolb yet. Maybe I
> will change my mind further down the road after I get more
> time in it. I don't know yet. But for now, the control
> touch is nothing but "Rolls Royce", it is gentle, requires
> no trim tabs to correct roll and yaw. Flying solo from the
> front seat at 80 mph it is neutral in pitch at my weight of
> 185 lbs. Increasing power makes her climb. I have to hold
> slight forward pressure to maintain level flight at 90 mph,
> 6200 rpm on the 582. Another pilot that weighs 240 lbs has
> to hold a little aft pressure on the stick at 80, while
> increasing power, and flying straight and level at 90 mph.
> A simple forced trim to control pitch induced pressures will
> be no problem to fabricate. The Kolbra is light and quick
> in roll for a 30 ft wing span. Extremely light rudder
> inputs, as well as pitch inputs. She is gentle to fly and
> hovers forever in ground effect. A few small changes and
> she will fly the way I like to fly. :-)
>
> Take care,
>
> john h
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "plane" <plane(at)atomic.net> |
----- Original Message -----
From: malone <malone(at)povn.com>
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 3:34 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Ultrastar
>
> Hello,
> is there anyone out there who could possibly share some flight
> characteristics and information regarding an Ultrastar?
> Thanks!
>
> Brett Malone
>
Hi Brett
The ultrastar is a nice flying lettle bird. I put a subaru EA71
on mine,I m very happy with the new motor. made my second cross country,
about 40 miles today.
Randy soobydoo in NC
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Timandjan(at)aol.com |
Has anybody found a good place to buy replacement battery packs for the Icom
A22 radios, I guess I mean a bit more reasonable than the pricy Icom ones??
Thanks
Tim
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | icom battery packs |
| From: | Robert L Doebler <robertdoebler(at)juno.com> |
Doesn't the Icom a-22 have an optional 12vdc power cord? Why not rig up
10 size AA nic cad batteries, and plug in via the charging plug? Just a
suggestion. Its gotta be cheaper!
Bob D
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Duncan McBride" <duncan.mcbride(at)worldnet.att.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Aileron mass balance |
"Duncan McBride"
I purchased the factory aileron balances and now I'm wondering if I'm going
to be able to extend them far enough to achieve 100% static balance because
they will foul the strobe/nav lights I installed on the wingtip. I'm
guessing (hoping) that something like 80-90% balance will effectively damp
potential flutter at less than VNE. Has anyone had any experience here?
Thanks much in advance.
Fort Myers, Florida
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Pike" <richard(at)BCChapel.org>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Aileron mass balance
>
> My right aileron started to buzz at 88 MPH, and I would have to back off.
> They help a lot if you have a flutter problem, and are cheap
> insurance if you aren't sure. If the factory had not provided them, I
would
> have made some from scratch. Flutter is bad news. Now the ailerons are
> smooth to 100 MPH, have not been faster yet.
> Richard Pike
> MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
> Kingsport, Tn
>
>
> >
> >Hi Kolbers,
> >We noticed at the factory that pretty much every plane there had mass
> >balanced ailerons. Do you folks think that its worth the extra weight
and
> >drag to add these, do they really help?
> >Denny
> >Building Mark-3 near Vandergrift, PA
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Bill Weber" <bweber2(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Another Kolb in the air |
Thanks for the interest. I bought the trailer locally at Carson Trailers (in
Carson, of course). They are also sold through dealers, but it was a lot
cheaper to go directly to the factory. They will make it according to
whatever dimensions you supply. Mine is 24' inside which gives a couple of
feet on each end for walking around. I paid $4500 about two years ago.
Another flyer here got a very similar one in Perris, I think. Might even
have been a few bucks cheaper.
I'm sure you are looking forward to getting yours in the air soon. Good
luck!
>
> Congratulations Bill! I enjoyed reading of your experience and nice to
> know of another FireStar in the area. I'm probably 3 or 4 weeks from
> completing mine. Your plane is beautiful. Tell me about your trailer.
> Did you build or purchase locally? That's my next requirement.
>
> Best regards,
> Lloyd McFarlane
> Fullerton, CA
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Aileron mass balance |
I'm
> guessing (hoping) that something like 80-90% balance will effectively damp
> potential flutter at less than VNE. Has anyone had any experience here?
Duncan
Duncan and gang:
I stuck Firestar counterbalance weights on my MK III way
back when. Was not able to balance completely because the
solid rod was not long enough. I don't know if it is 80,
90, or 95%, but it was "almost." Anyhow, they work. I was
plagued with aileron flutter before installation. Have not
had even the slightest symptom of flutter since.
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Aileron mass balance |
| From: | Robert L Doebler <robertdoebler(at)juno.com> |
writes:
>
>
> I purchased the factory aileron balances and now I'm wondering if
> I'm going
> to be able to extend them far enough to achieve 100% static balance
> because
> they will foul the strobe/nav lights I installed on the wingtip.
> I'm
> guessing (hoping) that something like 80-90% balance will
> effectively damp
> potential flutter at less than VNE. Has anyone had any experience
> here?
> Thanks much in advance.
>
> Why not forgo the solid steel bars, and go with tubing, fill the end
with lead? You get the mass you need without over extending the bar into
your lights? Just a suggestion on another way to do it.
Bob D
> Fort Myers, Florida
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Richard Pike" <richard(at)BCChapel.org>
> To: ; "Denny Rowe"
> Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 10:34 AM
> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Aileron mass balance
>
>
>
> >
> > My right aileron started to buzz at 88 MPH, and I would have to
> back off.
> > They help a lot if you have a flutter problem, and are cheap
> > insurance if you aren't sure. If the factory had not provided
> them, I
> would
> > have made some from scratch. Flutter is bad news. Now the ailerons
> are
> > smooth to 100 MPH, have not been faster yet.
> > Richard Pike
> > MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
> > Kingsport, Tn
> >
> >
> > >
> > >Hi Kolbers,
> > >We noticed at the factory that pretty much every plane there had
> mass
> > >balanced ailerons. Do you folks think that its worth the extra
> weight
> and
> > >drag to add these, do they really help?
> > >Denny
> > >Building Mark-3 near Vandergrift, PA
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Monte <n65me(at)peoplepc.com> |
Hello,
I am thinking about replacing the 8.8mm bolts that came with my Ivo prop with
standard 5/16 aircraft bolts. One reason is I don't have any lock nuts to
fit the metric bolts. Does anyone see any reason for not doing it? Thanks for
any help.
Monte
Mark3
Dallas, GA
PeoplePC: It's for people. And it's just smart.
http://www.peoplepc.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: icom battery packs |
Wal, slap ma haid ! ! ! Thanks for reminding me, Bob. Remember a while
back when I bragged about my battery pack ?? It's a 4 a.h. motorcycle
battery in a fanny pack, that also has room for my intercom, and various
connectors. I use it primarily for the GPS, but also for the intercom in
planes that don't have their own. Have the connector for the old Narco as
well, but haven't used it. That little battery will last several days,
recharges easily, doesn't take a "set," and only cost about $18.00. Long
run is a WAY cheaper than ni-cads, or whatever. Cheapskate Lar.
P.S. All that saved money is flowing out big-time on the engine, these
days. More about that later. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert L Doebler <robertdoebler(at)juno.com>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 8:12 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: icom battery packs
>
> Doesn't the Icom a-22 have an optional 12vdc power cord? Why not rig up
> 10 size AA nic cad batteries, and plug in via the charging plug? Just a
> suggestion. Its gotta be cheaper!
>
> Bob D
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Icom batteries |
I hope I'm not out of line here, cause I don't know the configuration of the
Icom batteries. BUT...............the radio control car batteries that
Radio Shack sells are a perfect fit, voltage, etc. for my Narco handheld.
Just have to solder on a connector. Cost around $7.00. Worth looking into,
eh ?? Frugal Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: <Timandjan(at)aol.com>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 6:31 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Icom batteries
>
> Has anybody found a good place to buy replacement battery packs for the
Icom
> A22 radios, I guess I mean a bit more reasonable than the pricy Icom
ones??
>
> Thanks
>
> Tim
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Another Kolb in the air |
Hi Lloyd and Bill: Are you guys going to Copperstate ??
Congratulations Bill, good luck Lloyd. Lar.
Palm Springs, CA.
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Weber <bweber2(at)earthlink.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:23 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the air
>
> Thanks for the interest. I bought the trailer locally at Carson Trailers
(in
> Carson, of course). They are also sold through dealers, but it was a lot
> cheaper to go directly to the factory. They will make it according to
> whatever dimensions you supply. Mine is 24' inside which gives a couple of
> feet on each end for walking around. I paid $4500 about two years ago.
>
> Another flyer here got a very similar one in Perris, I think. Might even
> have been a few bucks cheaper.
>
> I'm sure you are looking forward to getting yours in the air soon. Good
> luck!
>
> >
> > Congratulations Bill! I enjoyed reading of your experience and nice to
> > know of another FireStar in the area. I'm probably 3 or 4 weeks from
> > completing mine. Your plane is beautiful. Tell me about your trailer.
> > Did you build or purchase locally? That's my next requirement.
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Lloyd McFarlane
> > Fullerton, CA
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Ron or Mary Payne" <ronormar(at)apex.net> |
Some time back there were some posts regarding these HAC compensating carbs
on this board. When at the Kolb fly-in, I asked the Kolb people about them
and was told the 503 comes standard with altitude compensating carbs. Is
the standard 503 carb this HAC unit or some other unit? If it is different
then which is the preferred?
Ron Payne
Gilbertsville, Ky.
Building FireStar II
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Dave Rains" <rr(at)htg.net> |
Monte, if your having trouble getting the lock nuts for metric bolts I'll
send you some. I was going to do the same thing and go to 5/16 but found
they really didn't fit quite right. Decided to stay with the manufactures
8.8 and found a good supply of bolts and lock nuts locally. Let me know if
I can help.
Dave Rains
El Paso
-----Original Message-----
From: Monte <n65me(at)peoplepc.com>
Date: Monday, October 02, 2000 10:56 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Prop bolts
>
>Hello,
>
> I am thinking about replacing the 8.8mm bolts that came with my Ivo
prop with standard 5/16 aircraft bolts. One reason is I don't have any lock
nuts to fit the metric bolts. Does anyone see any reason for not doing it?
Thanks for any help.
>
>Monte
>Mark3
>Dallas, GA
>
>
>PeoplePC: It's for people. And it's just smart.
>http://www.peoplepc.com
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Wood, John T." <woodjt(at)spawar.navy.mil> |
"'Larry Bourne'"@matronics.com
| Subject: | Another Kolb in the air |
Hi Larry;
Looks like we might have a few kolb folks at copperstate this year. I was
planning on trying to fly. I am still going even if the weather does not
permit me to. I know you are wearing your kolb gear. I will wear mine. We
should pick a time and location. We are actually getting enough kolbs in the
southwest we should have a little flyin somewhere. Would be a lot of fun.
Looking forward to seeing all the kolbers at Copperstate,
John
San Diego, CA
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Bourne [mailto:larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net]
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 12:00 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the air
Hi Lloyd and Bill: Are you guys going to Copperstate ??
Congratulations Bill, good luck Lloyd. Lar.
Palm Springs, CA.
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Weber <bweber2(at)earthlink.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:23 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the air
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Icom batteries |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>
>Has anybody found a good place to buy replacement battery packs for the Icom
>A22 radios, I guess I mean a bit more reasonable than the pricy Icom ones??
>
>Thanks
>
>Tim
Consider getting the CM-167 alkaline battery case for about $33.
There are lots of generic alkaline cells out there with as much
snort as bunny-batteries for $0.25 to $0.30 per cell and they
hold more energy than the standard 600 mAh ni-cad.
We don't stock the CM-167 but can get it for you.
Icom also has two DC power cords . . . the CP-17L has the
fat/ugly cigar lighter plug on the end, the OPC-515L has
bare wires for installation of connector of your choice.
They are $24 and $20 respectively. We can also optain these
items for you if you don't have ready access otherwise.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
If you want lock nuts, go to a motorcycle shop, they should be able to help
you. But it is not that hard to drill out the bolt heads for safety wire,
which I think is probably a better solution.
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, Tn
>
>Hello,
>
> I am thinking about replacing the 8.8mm bolts that came with my Ivo prop
>with standard 5/16 aircraft bolts. One reason is I don't have any lock nuts
>to fit the metric bolts. Does anyone see any reason for not doing it?
>Thanks for any help.
>
>Monte
>Mark3
>Dallas, GA
>
>
>PeoplePC: It's for people. And it's just smart.
>http://www.peoplepc.com
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | ALLENB007(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Icom batteries |
Tim,
I found a place that had a sale on the extended 1200 milliamp batteries for
appx. $59.00 recently. That company is:
Batteries America
800-308-4805
WWW.batteriesamerica.com
address is 2211-D Parivew Road
Middleton, WI 53562
Good luck,
Allen Bellamy
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Ian Heritch <heritch(at)connecti.com> |
| Subject: | Fuel tank vent lines |
Do the fuel tank vent lines need to be run overboard, or just down the
side of the tank a bit?
Ian Heritch, Slingshot
San Antonio, Texas
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
Hi Folks,
Here is the latest goings on at the Rowe aircraft factory. Mark 3 with gull
doors.
The door frames are riveted in place on the hinges, minus the door bottom
tube, currently cutting the gussets to mount the already made door bottom
tube. The rear enclosure bows are mounted in place, and only need their
bottom side gusset at the center tube made and installed.
We picked up a 4' by 8' sheet of 1/16" lexan for the rear enclosure and
hope to be cutting the peices early next week.
Lar was right, when you sit in the cockpit with the gulls framed up, the
view is fantastic!
I called Dick Kuntzleman this morning and ordered the dual streamlined
strobes, Linda said " If you want to get them wings covered next week, you
had better get those strobes installed!" :-) :-) :-). and
:-) )))))))))))) KNOWWHATIMEAN, Vern?
Well, I hate to do it, but I have to take the weekend of from building to
take Linda to NC to see the NASCAR race. She gets to meet her hero Ward
Burton (#22) friday night. If I can keep her from running of with old Waud,
we might get some tapes on next week. :-)
How bout it Lar and Bill, she even likes racing.
Got to take a nap now, I'm working midnight shift.
Later,
Denny
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Christopher John Armstrong" <Tophera(at)centurytel.net> |
"Christopher John Armstrong"
-----Original Message-----
From: Ron or Mary Payne <ronormar(at)apex.net>
Date: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 5:19 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: HAC carbs
>
>Some time back there were some posts regarding these HAC compensating carbs
>on this board. When at the Kolb fly-in, I asked the Kolb people about them
>and was told the 503 comes standard with altitude compensating carbs. Is
>the standard 503 carb this HAC unit or some other unit? If it is different
>then which is the preferred?
Anybody know if the standard bing carbs that come with the best do some
altitude compensation? I have never heard that before.
Topher
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Kenneth Glen Aubrey" <kgaubrey(at)hotmail.com> |
"Kenneth Glen Aubrey"
| From: | "Ron or Mary Payne" <ronormar(at)apex.net> |
Subject: Kolb-List: Needing advice
I am ready to start building my control surfaces....
Ron
I built mine using the first method. It looks fine and it was pretty easy.
The one thing I would recommend is that you build a spot to put a trim tab
on all the control surfaces. Chances are you will need one some where. Thats
the only thing I wish I could change on my control surfaces. I did make the
tip of my alerons round to, it looks nice and it gives you something smooth
to run in to when walking around the wing.
Glen
FS II
________________________________________________________________________________
"Christopher John Armstrong"
| From: | Jack & Louise Hart <jbhart(at)ldd.net> |
The Bing is an air percolating gasoline carburetor. So if one decreases
the pressure over the float bowl, less gasoline will be percolated, and the
air fuel mixture becomes more lean. This is why your EGT will increase as
you cruise at higher altitudes. So in that sense the Bing does self
compensate for altitude or falling pressure.
I have tested this principle by replacing the carburetor vent tube with two
equal length pieces of tubing that are "Tee"d together, and another long
tube connected to the bottom of the "Tee". I ran the open end up to the
cockpit. I tied the tail down, chocked the wheels, and started the engine.
After warm up, I advanced the throttle to 5000 rpm. After the EGT
temperature stabilized, I put my finger over the end of the tube and as the
air was percolated out of the tube, the pressure slowly fell over the float
bowl, and the EGT temperature slowly climbed. When I took my finger off
the tube opening the EGT temperature fell.
Presently, I am working on rotating venturi (taken from a small carburetor)
that has been placed on the engine that I can adjust the angle from the
cockpit. When the venturi is cross wise to the airflow, static pressure
will be placed on the float bowl. As the venturi is rotated more and more
into the air stream, the pressure over the float bowl will be lowered more
and more, and leaning out the engine. Everything is done except for
getting the connecting control cable mounted and fitted.
The reason I am doing this is I am trying to turn a Firefly into a cross
country plane and the continual changing of jets to get the most out of
five gallons is a pain. I hope that the above scheme will let me run
winter jets all year around, and let me run a constant cruise EGT of 1150
degree F. With this concept comes a risk. One must always richen the
mixture upon backing off the throttle. Hopefully, next week I will know if
it is going to work as I hope.
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ron or Mary Payne <ronormar(at)apex.net>
>To: Kolb
>Date: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 5:19 AM
>Subject: Kolb-List: HAC carbs
>
>
>>
>>Some time back there were some posts regarding these HAC compensating carbs
>>on this board. When at the Kolb fly-in, I asked the Kolb people about them
>>and was told the 503 comes standard with altitude compensating carbs. Is
>>the standard 503 carb this HAC unit or some other unit? If it is different
>>then which is the preferred?
>
>
>Anybody know if the standard bing carbs that come with the best do some
>altitude compensation? I have never heard that before.
>
>Topher
>
>
Jack & Louise Hart
jbhart(at)ldd.net
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
>Hey how is that engine set up doing anyhow. Sounds like you are getting a
>bit of time on it.
> Hi Brett
> The ultrastar is a nice flying lettle bird. I put a subaru EA71
>on mine,I m very happy with the new motor. made my second cross country,
>about 40 miles today.
>
> Randy soobydoo in NC
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
Cuyuna Pilots,
The following mods are what my buddy & I have found to improve the
reliability & performance of the Cuyuna (I don't know if 2si engines apply
here.)
1) Use the "new" flow thru head on the mag cylinder. Or, buy a round
carbide coated wire type hacksaw "blade" & remove every other fin. Only do
this if the mag & pto heads have the same number of fins. This will help
even out the temperature differential between the cylinders.
2) Remove about 1/2 of the static fins in the mag housing. The
limiting factor here is that these also support the fan bearing. As I
recall, I left one pointing straight up & 3 angled down to support the belt
tension. This will open up the amount of air that cools the engine. With
these 2 changes, CHT will be about 275 cruise & 290 climb.
3) Convert to dual carb setup. You'll need to swap out the ULII-02 cyl
jugs for the older 430 jugs if you want to use the commonly available intake
adapter from the hi performance 430. Physically check for proper float
level. Jet for 1000 degree EGT @ full throttle & 1125 cruise, then put in
next larger size main jet in pto cyl. This will increase your hp and add
additional cooling to rear cylinder. If your do this, both front & rear EHT
& CHT will be the same.
4) If you have a ULII-02, change to older 430 crank, it is heavier, but
also alot stronger. I ran a ULII-02 crank in mine for 200 hours before I
switched over & it was never a problem.
5) Get rid of paper base gasket. Cut out another using soft aluminum
sheet. I used 0.007" stock that newspaper printers used to throw away. You
will never have a gasket leak again. Like John, I didn't drop the engine
from the UltraStar to do the 100 hr. retorque & never had a problem.
6) Use NGK EV series platinum plugs & go one heat range up to B9EV.
With the inverted engine & oil accumilation, The EV's fired in the oil,
never had to remove & clean 1st.
7) After intial installation of engine, before you crank it up, get a
6 qt. sauce pan, & a wooden spoon. Then beat the two together as you hop
around the plane. This will scare away most of Murphy's gremlins!
8) Never take off before CHT reaches 200, never do a long descent with
a low throttle setting. Use Pensoil AirCooled or Klotz oil. Add 1 oz.
SeaFoam to every 5 gal. premium fuel. (We used additive to keep carbon
buildup in combustion chamber, Cuyuna's keystone rings are almost
impervious to carbon builduup/sticking.)
These changes gave us years of fun flying. I had engine outs but every
one was due to my experimenting or stupidity. If you stick to the above,
you will have a faithful friend, relative to 2-stroke engines that is!
Richard Swiderski, Ocala FL
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
This is why your EGT will increase as
> you cruise at higher altitudes. So in that sense the Bing does self
> compensate for altitude or falling pressure.
Jack
Jack and Gang:
My Bing and Mikuni carbs did not do that when I was flying 2
strokes. As altitude increased, oxygen decreased and the
mixture became richer. The higher I climbed the lower the
EGT decreased.
Maybe I did not understand what you wrote. I don't know.
:-)
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Timandjan(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Icom battery thanks |
I had not thought about using the alkaline pack with nicads inside, good
idea. I have 12 volts mounted in the airplane so I have power to the radio
and GPS, but I just like to use the handheld on the porch to hear the local
traffic, so a good working pack is needed.
Thanks
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Fuel tank vent lines |
> Do the fuel tank vent lines need to be run overboard, or just down the
> side of the tank a bit?
>
> Ian Heritch, Slingshot
Ian:
I am a firm believer in sealed fuel tank caps and vent lines
that are run down and out the bottom of the aircraft. The
reason is: Should I find myself and my aircraft upside
down, I do not want fuel running down the back of my neck.
If I have a sealed filler cap and vent line running out the
bottom of the fuselage, I should not have to worry about
fuel leaking inside the aircraft.
john h
Titus, Alabama (can not get here from there) :-)
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Herb Gearheart <herbgh(at)nctc.com> |
| Subject: | Re: build update |
Hi Denny and all,
Thought it a good time to mention that I bought a bent MkIII a couple of
years ago and one of the "improvements" that I made was to add Gullwing doors.
I
now have about 10 hours on it this last month or so and find that the .060 lexan
with a perimeter frame works very well. The visability is excellent as you
mention. Little or no oil canning or vibration.
Question for all of you mkIII drivers---What is a good cruise rpm and air
speed for this baby?? I pull back to 5200 and find that I am going about 50 mph.
Using a Hegy 64X44 prop. Rotax 532. The climb out is really good at about 6400
rpms.Empty weight is 460 LBS. Herb in Ky
Denny Rowe wrote:
>
> Hi Folks,
> Here is the latest goings on at the Rowe aircraft factory. Mark 3 with gull
> doors.
> The door frames are riveted in place on the hinges, minus the door bottom
> tube, currently cutting the gussets to mount the already made door bottom
> tube. The rear enclosure bows are mounted in place, and only need their
> bottom side gusset at the center tube made and installed.
> We picked up a 4' by 8' sheet of 1/16" lexan for the rear enclosure and
> hope to be cutting the peices early next week.
> Lar was right, when you sit in the cockpit with the gulls framed up, the
> view is fantastic!
> I called Dick Kuntzleman this morning and ordered the dual streamlined
> strobes, Linda said " If you want to get them wings covered next week, you
> had better get those strobes installed!" :-) :-) :-). and
> :-) )))))))))))) KNOWWHATIMEAN, Vern?
> Well, I hate to do it, but I have to take the weekend of from building to
> take Linda to NC to see the NASCAR race. She gets to meet her hero Ward
> Burton (#22) friday night. If I can keep her from running of with old Waud,
> we might get some tapes on next week. :-)
> How bout it Lar and Bill, she even likes racing.
> Got to take a nap now, I'm working midnight shift.
> Later,
> Denny
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: build update |
Told ya before, I'm envious, and ya just keep rubbing it in.
Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Denny Rowe <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 9:03 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: build update
>
> Hi Folks,
> Here is the latest goings on at the Rowe aircraft factory. Mark 3 with
gull
> doors.
> The door frames are riveted in place on the hinges, minus the door bottom
> tube, currently cutting the gussets to mount the already made door bottom
> tube. The rear enclosure bows are mounted in place, and only need their
> bottom side gusset at the center tube made and installed.
> We picked up a 4' by 8' sheet of 1/16" lexan for the rear enclosure and
> hope to be cutting the peices early next week.
> Lar was right, when you sit in the cockpit with the gulls framed up, the
> view is fantastic!
> I called Dick Kuntzleman this morning and ordered the dual streamlined
> strobes, Linda said " If you want to get them wings covered next week, you
> had better get those strobes installed!" :-) :-) :-). and
> :-) )))))))))))) KNOWWHATIMEAN, Vern?
> Well, I hate to do it, but I have to take the weekend of from building to
> take Linda to NC to see the NASCAR race. She gets to meet her hero Ward
> Burton (#22) friday night. If I can keep her from running of with old
Waud,
> we might get some tapes on next week. :-)
> How bout it Lar and Bill, she even likes racing.
> Got to take a nap now, I'm working midnight shift.
> Later,
> Denny
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
What about that kit that Arctic Sparrow sells for in-flight adjustment of
the carb ??
----- Original Message -----
From: Jack & Louise Hart <jbhart(at)ldd.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: HAC carbs
>
> The Bing is an air percolating gasoline carburetor. So if one decreases
> the pressure over the float bowl, less gasoline will be percolated, and
the
> air fuel mixture becomes more lean. This is why your EGT will increase as
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Ken Broste" <spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Copperstate Fly-in! |
Is anyone flying in with a Firestar? I'm building one now and looking
forward to talking and seeing your aircraft.
http://www.copperstate.org/index.htm
Ken Broste
Tucson, AZ
spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net
building a Firestar
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
I started to answer and then I realized that I have fooled around with my
airplane so much I no longer know what the numbers actually are. Now I
guess I'll have to take notes next time I go fly!
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, Tn
Question for all of you mkIII drivers---What is a good cruise rpm and air
>speed for this baby?? I pull back to 5200 and find that I am going about 50
>mph.
>Using a Hegy 64X44 prop. Rotax 532. The climb out is really good at about 6400
>rpms.Empty weight is 460 LBS. Herb in Ky
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
Big Lar B.S. session coming up. Delete now, or forever hold your
peace ! ! !
A few days ago, I made the statement ( brag ?? ) that I'd try to get the
covering done on the tail last weekend. Shoulda known better - you all
know Murphy's Law. Temps went right back up to 100 deg., and that killed
the covering. Tried a bit, but things dry out so fast, it just wasn't
practical. Thinning it down sorta worked, but I had no confidence in the
final strength, and quit. No way do I want the fabric peeling off in
flight. So...................since I have all that fancy new Fuel
Inj. and Ignition equipment, I started mounting oil filter, oil thermostat,
oil cooler, planning on placement of the dry sump tank, etc. An unexpected
problem came with the shiny new fuel injectors. They don't fit the old type
3 F.I. manifold holes. A little experimenting with a nylon block and a
Uni-bit step drill showed a way out, and led to a couple other things.
Turns out the uni-bit has a step that's just the right size for the o-ring
to squeeze down into. The local NAPA store has a back room machinist,
who's also a VW fanatic, and an airplane fanatic, ( tho' he doesn't fly -
yet - we're working on it. ) He spent an amazing amount of time getting a
sort of milling machine - I think it's for valve guides, or somesuch - set
up just right, chucking my shiny new large uni-bit, that I bought 'specially
for this job, and reaming out the injector mounts. Turns out they're not
quite straight in, so building the fuel rails will be a little more fun.
The rails also hold the injectors in place. Charged me a whole $20.00 - and
a promise to take him flying in Vamoose. My arm was easily twisted. Got
talking to him about the merits of SS braid covered oil and fuel lines, and
the tremendous cost of the fancy anodized fittings for same. ( $10.00 -
$30.00 EACH ! ! ! ) It would be real easy to drop $500.00 or more, just on
those awful fittings. Mercy ! ! ! The actual hose is expensive, but not
that much more than high quality black hose, and nowhere near the fittings
price. He suggested bringing in the hoses and barbs, and he'll check sleeve
sizes, and see about swaging the hoses in the power steering hose machine.
Sounds like a VERY good idea to me. I think I can live without blue, or red
fittings - Real Easy ! ! ! For the matter of that, it would be easy to slip
a colored heat shrink tube over each fitting when done, and tighten them up.
Would that look good, or what ?? Doesn't sound like much, but does that
kind of custom work ever eat up time. The weekend went very fast.
See you at Copperstate ! ! ! Back in Gear Lar.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Another Kolb in the air |
How about noon Saturday, in the U/L section ?? Anyone else have a
preference ?? Hope the weather holds up for you. That will be quite a
flight. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Wood, John T. <woodjt(at)spawar.navy.mil>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 5:46 AM
Subject: RE: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the air
>
> Hi Larry;
>
> Looks like we might have a few kolb folks at copperstate this year. I was
> planning on trying to fly. I am still going even if the weather does not
> permit me to. I know you are wearing your kolb gear. I will wear mine. We
> should pick a time and location. We are actually getting enough kolbs in
the
> southwest we should have a little flyin somewhere. Would be a lot of fun.
>
> Looking forward to seeing all the kolbers at Copperstate,
>
> John
> San Diego, CA
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larry Bourne [mailto:larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 12:00 AM
> To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com; Bill Weber
> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the air
>
>
>
> Hi Lloyd and Bill: Are you guys going to Copperstate ??
> Congratulations Bill, good luck Lloyd. Lar.
> Palm Springs, CA.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Bill Weber <bweber2(at)earthlink.net>
> To: ; Lloyd McFarlane
> Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:23 AM
> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the air
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 29 Msgs - 10/03/00 |
In a message dated 10/4/00 3:01:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
<< 7) After intial installation of engine, before you crank it up, get a
6 qt. sauce pan, & a wooden spoon. Then beat the two together as you hop
around the plane. This will scare away most of Murphy's gremlins!
8) Never take off before CHT reaches 200, never do a long descent with
a low throttle setting. Use Pensoil AirCooled or Klotz oil. Add 1 oz.
SeaFoam to every 5 gal. premium fuel. (We used additive to keep carbon
buildup in combustion chamber, Cuyuna's keystone rings are almost
impervious to carbon builduup/sticking.)
These changes gave us years of fun flying. I had engine outs but every
one was due to my experimenting or stupidity. If you stick to the above,
you will have a faithful friend, relative to 2-stroke engines that is!
Richard Swiderski, Ocala FL >>
This my friend is a classic!!!....GeoR38
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | gerken(at)us.ibm.com |
>
>Cuyuna Pilots,
> The following mods are what my buddy & I have found to improve the
>reliability & performance of the Cuyuna (I don't know if 2si engines apply
>here.)
> 1) Use the "new" flow thru head on the mag cylinder. Or, buy a round
>carbide coated wire type hacksaw "blade" & remove every other fin. Only
do
>this if the mag & pto heads have the same number of fins. This will help
>even out the temperature differential between the cylinders.
> 2) Remove about 1/2 of the static fins in the mag housing. The
>limiting factor here is that these also support the fan bearing. As I
>recall, I left one pointing straight up & 3 angled down to support the
belt
>tension. This will open up the amount of air that cools the engine. With
>these 2 changes, CHT will be about 275 cruise & 290 climb.
> 3) Convert to dual carb setup. You'll need to swap out the ULII-02
cyl
>jugs for the older 430 jugs if you want to use the commonly available
intake
>adapter from the hi performance 430. Physically check for proper float
>level. Jet for 1000 degree EGT @ full throttle & 1125 cruise, then put in
>next larger size main jet in pto cyl. This will increase your hp and add
>additional cooling to rear cylinder. If your do this, both front & rear
EHT
>& CHT will be the same.
> 4) If you have a ULII-02, change to older 430 crank, it is heavier,
but
>also alot stronger. I ran a ULII-02 crank in mine for 200 hours before I
>switched over & it was never a problem.
> 5) Get rid of paper base gasket. Cut out another using soft aluminum
>sheet. I used 0.007" stock that newspaper printers used to throw away.
You
>will never have a gasket leak again. Like John, I didn't drop the engine
>from the UltraStar to do the 100 hr. retorque & never had a problem.
> 6) Use NGK EV series platinum plugs & go one heat range up to B9EV.
>With the inverted engine & oil accumilation, The EV's fired in the oil,
>never had to remove & clean 1st.
> 7) After intial installation of engine, before you crank it up, get
a
>6 qt. sauce pan, & a wooden spoon. Then beat the two together as you hop
>around the plane. This will scare away most of Murphy's gremlins!
> 8) Never take off before CHT reaches 200, never do a long descent
with
>a low throttle setting. Use Pensoil AirCooled or Klotz oil. Add 1 oz.
>SeaFoam to every 5 gal. premium fuel. (We used additive to keep carbon
>buildup in combustion chamber, Cuyuna's keystone rings are almost
>impervious to carbon builduup/sticking.)
> These changes gave us years of fun flying. I had engine outs but
every
>one was due to my experimenting or stupidity. If you stick to the above,
>you will have a faithful friend, relative to 2-stroke engines that is!
> Richard Swiderski, Ocala FL>
So, if I got it all, it seems like an easy process to get a Cuyuna motor to
run well--you simply replace the cylinders, one head, the carbs, manifold
and the crank along with the gaskets and you're done! Instant
dependability!
May I suggest you also replace the pistons and the crankcase? I mean,
since that's all that's left anyway...
Just kidding ya, Thanks for the report Richard.
Jim G
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Wood, John T." <woodjt(at)spawar.navy.mil> |
"'Ken Broste'"@matronics.com
| Subject: | Copperstate Fly-in! |
Ken, there appears that there may be several of us kolb builders/flyers
attending the copperstate flyin this year. Would be great if you could make
it. I have a firestar II that I have been flying for about a year and will
make the effort to fly it over, weather permitting for the weekend. Hope to
see you there. We are going to try and meet noon, Saturday at the ultralight
area..
John
San Diego, CA
-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Broste [mailto:spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:01 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
Is anyone flying in with a Firestar? I'm building one now and looking
forward to talking and seeing your aircraft.
http://www.copperstate.org/index.htm
Ken Broste
Tucson, AZ
spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net
building a Firestar
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Icom battery thanks |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>
>I had not thought about using the alkaline pack with nicads inside, good
>idea. I have 12 volts mounted in the airplane so I have power to the radio
>and GPS, but I just like to use the handheld on the porch to hear the local
>traffic, so a good working pack is needed.
>
>Thanks
Tim, you need to check on how many cells are in a "ni-cad" pack
and how many cells are in the alkaline pack. Ni-cads are rated
at 1.2 volts per cell . . . alkalines at 1.5 volts per cell. Often
a portable device will have 10 cells in the ni-cad pack and only
8 cells in the alkaline pack. This makes for a 9.8 volt battery
when subsitituting ni-cads for alkalines.
The radio MAY perform okay at the lower voltage level. I have
several hand held FM transceivers that work well receiver-wise
at 7.5 to 15 volts. The transmitter power output changes but
if you plug into an external antenna, lower power output doesn't
affect your range much.
My suggestion about using the alkaline pack versus ni-cad was
based on my personal preference for the generic alkaline cells
I purchase at a local Dollar General store for .25 each.
They have the same snort as a bunny cell and run the radio longer
than a ni-cad. Given that the cost of flying an airplane anywhere
is seldom less than serveral hundred dollars for me, the cost
of alkalines for my radios is a trivial concern and their
performance is quite good.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Bob Cording" <BobCording(at)naxs.com> (by way of Richard Pike <richard(at)bcchapel.org>) |
"Bob Cording" (by way of Richard Pike )
I have no experience with the Cuyuna, but one of our locals has a Hawk that
has run flawlessly since 1983, except for one time the CDI box went out. I
remembered him doing something to even out the cylinder temperatures, asked
him last night, here is his reply.
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Yeah, early on we noticed quite a difference between the EGT's (not CHT's)
on the Cuyuna on the Hawk. I felt the air flow past the air filter at
flying speed, being at 90 degrees to the opening, might be causing this. I
put an aluminum baffle inside the air filter to prevent this. The baffle is
shaped like half an oval and the straight part goes under the filter and is
clamped by the filter hose clamp. I found you could adjust by rotating the
baffle. It is quite sensitive to position. Once we found the best one, we
marked it and always put it back the same way. The best we could get was
one EGT would be a little higher than the other at full power and then this
would reverse at cruise. They are always within 50 degrees of each other.
As you can guess, we love the Cuyuna. It has been very reliable over many
years and hours of service.
Bob
> There is a dust-up going on with the Kolb list about Cuyuna engines, some
> of the guys love them, others wouldn't have them for boat anchors-
> Didn't you do something to your intake manifold to balance out the CHT's?
> rp
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Lloyd McFarlane <lrmcf(at)ix.netcom.com> |
Hi there Big Lar. I had originally planned to attend, but a family
wedding has canceled those plans! John, I'm really envious of your
adventurous spirit-good luck on the weather. I will miss you all.
Best regards, Lloyd
From: "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the air
Hi Lloyd and Bill: Are you guys going to Copperstate ??
Congratulations Bill, good luck Lloyd. Lar.
Palm Springs, CA.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | fuel pick ups and venting |
Hi guys,
My Mk-3 tanks already have the fuel pick ups drilled in the bottom of the
tanks. Has anyone had a problem with this setup leaking? Also if I replace
the tanks to install the top tapped tanks, what is the accepted type of hose
to reach down through to the bottom of the tank, I don't want this line
trying to float in the gas, or decaying.
Finally, Johns thoughts on venting out the belly make a lot of sense, that
is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks John.
Denny Rowe
Building Mk 3 Vandergrift PA
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | BILLBEAM(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Fuel tank vent lines |
John H, et al.
Couldn't agree more on the fuel vent line being below the tank. From
experience ! !
Fuel is very cold when it soaks your clothing.
Also think of some way to filter the end of that vent hose. Mud dobbers,
dirt, and
other critters could get into the tank, or block the line. A vacuum in the
fuel tank
is not a good thing.
Bill Beams, Kobless
Looking for a Firefly
Wilmore, Ky
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Ron Mason <CaptainKugel(at)excite.com> |
| Subject: | Copperstate Fly-in! |
T. wrote:
>
> Ken, there appears that there may be several of us kolb builders/flyers
> attending the copperstate flyin this year. Would be great if you could
make
> it. I have a firestar II that I have been flying for about a year and
will
> make the effort to fly it over, weather permitting for the weekend. Hope
to
> see you there. We are going to try and meet noon, Saturday at the
ultralight
> area..
>
> John
> San Diego, CA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Broste [mailto:spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:01 PM
> To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com
> Subject: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
>
>
>
> Is anyone flying in with a Firestar? I'm building one now and looking
> forward to talking and seeing your aircraft.
> http://www.copperstate.org/index.htm
>
> Ken Broste
> Tucson, AZ
> spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net
> building a Firestar
>
>
> What are the dates for CopperState. I hear all the talk, and yet no one
is posting the dates.? (g)
>
>
>
Say Bye to Slow Internet!
http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Ron Mason <CaptainKugel(at)excite.com> |
| Subject: | Copperstate Fly-in! |
T. wrote:
>
> Ken, there appears that there may be several of us kolb builders/flyers
> attending the copperstate flyin this year. Would be great if you could
make
> it. I have a firestar II that I have been flying for about a year and
will
> make the effort to fly it over, weather permitting for the weekend. Hope
to
> see you there. We are going to try and meet noon, Saturday at the
ultralight
> area..
>
> John
> San Diego, CA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Broste [mailto:spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:01 PM
> To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com
> Subject: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
>
>
>
> Is anyone flying in with a Firestar? I'm building one now and looking
> forward to talking and seeing your aircraft.
> http://www.copperstate.org/index.htm
>
> Ken Broste
> Tucson, AZ
> spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net
> building a Firestar
>
>
> What are the dates for CopperState. I hear all the talk, and yet no one
is posting the dates.? (g)
>
>
>
Say Bye to Slow Internet!
http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | DAquaNut(at)aol.com |
Cuyuna or No Cuyuna
All the Talk of cuyuna modifications just to get it to run without
overheating & siezing up. Sounds like a lot of work just to have an engine
you can live with. Im not being rude & ugly, but why not get an engine that
will run cool on both cylinders out of the box? I still dont have an engine
for my Firefly but plan on the Rotax . If I have to replace the crank ,
modify the heads, fabricate special aluminum baffles Ect. Ect. then I dont
want a rotax either. Anybody have an engine With a better track record
than Rotax please let me know before I buy one.
Ed Diebel
Hou Tex
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Ken Broste" <spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Copperstate Fly-in! |
See you there, 12 noon at the ultralight area. I'll be wearing a straw
fedora! At 12 noon BRS is talking on their chutes that I'd like to listen
in.
----- Original Message -----
From: Wood, John T. <woodjt(at)spawar.navy.mil>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 5:10 AM
Subject: RE: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
>
> Ken, there appears that there may be several of us kolb builders/flyers
> attending the copperstate flyin this year. Would be great if you could
make
> it. I have a firestar II that I have been flying for about a year and will
> make the effort to fly it over, weather permitting for the weekend. Hope
to
> see you there. We are going to try and meet noon, Saturday at the
ultralight
> area..
>
> John
> San Diego, CA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Broste [mailto:spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:01 PM
> To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com
> Subject: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
>
>
> Is anyone flying in with a Firestar? I'm building one now and looking
> forward to talking and seeing your aircraft.
> http://www.copperstate.org/index.htm
>
> Ken Broste
> Tucson, AZ
> spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net
> building a Firestar
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Ken Broste" <spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net> |
"Wood, John T."
| Subject: | Re: Copperstate Fly-in! |
Check out their website. Lists everything going on, exhibitors.
http://www.copperstate.org/index.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Mason <CaptainKugel(at)excite.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 8:43 AM
Subject: RE: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
>
>
> T. wrote:
>
> >
> > Ken, there appears that there may be several of us kolb builders/flyers
> > attending the copperstate flyin this year. Would be great if you could
> make
> > it. I have a firestar II that I have been flying for about a year and
> will
> > make the effort to fly it over, weather permitting for the weekend.
Hope
> to
> > see you there. We are going to try and meet noon, Saturday at the
> ultralight
> > area..
> >
> > John
> > San Diego, CA
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ken Broste [mailto:spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net]
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:01 PM
> > To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com
> > Subject: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
> >
> >
> >
> > Is anyone flying in with a Firestar? I'm building one now and looking
> > forward to talking and seeing your aircraft.
> > http://www.copperstate.org/index.htm
> >
> > Ken Broste
> > Tucson, AZ
> > spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net
> > building a Firestar
> >
> >
> > What are the dates for CopperState. I hear all the talk, and yet no one
> is posting the dates.? (g)
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> Say Bye to Slow Internet!
> http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: build update |
>
>Told ya before, I'm envious, and ya just keep rubbing it in.
>Lar.
>
>-
Hey Lar I thought last weekend was your weekend for covering the tail
feathers? Ya wanna see the photos of my Mk111 I started last March
(snicker snicker)
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | Re: build update |
Herb,
I noticed you mentioned that you used .060 lexan on your Gull doors, from
laying the .060 sheet I am using for the rear enclosure across the gull
doors, I get the impression that the air stream would easily oilcan these
huge surfaces. Are you sure that it was 1/16" lexan that you used?
I would love to use 1/16, to save weight, but it just seems too flexable to
me. I am left to use 1/8" and this doubles the weight of the doors.
Now if I could find some 3/32" lexan, that would seem to be the best
combination.
What I need to know from everyone who has installed gull doors on a Mk-3, is
what gauge lexan did you use on the doors.
Denny
-----Original Message-----
From: Herb Gearheart <herbgh(at)nctc.com>
Date: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 10:17 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: build update
>
>Hi Denny and all,
> Thought it a good time to mention that I bought a bent MkIII a couple
of
>years ago and one of the "improvements" that I made was to add Gullwing
doors. I
>now have about 10 hours on it this last month or so and find that the .060
lexan
>with a perimeter frame works very well. The visability is excellent as you
>mention. Little or no oil canning or vibration.
> Question for all of you mkIII drivers---What is a good cruise rpm and
air
>speed for this baby?? I pull back to 5200 and find that I am going about 50
mph.
>Using a Hegy 64X44 prop. Rotax 532. The climb out is really good at about
6400
>rpms.Empty weight is 460 LBS. Herb in Ky
>
>Denny Rowe wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi Folks,
>> Here is the latest goings on at the Rowe aircraft factory. Mark 3 with
gull
>> doors.
>> The door frames are riveted in place on the hinges, minus the door bottom
>> tube, currently cutting the gussets to mount the already made door bottom
>> tube. The rear enclosure bows are mounted in place, and only need their
>> bottom side gusset at the center tube made and installed.
>> We picked up a 4' by 8' sheet of 1/16" lexan for the rear enclosure and
>> hope to be cutting the peices early next week.
>> Lar was right, when you sit in the cockpit with the gulls framed up, the
>> view is fantastic!
>> I called Dick Kuntzleman this morning and ordered the dual streamlined
>> strobes, Linda said " If you want to get them wings covered next week,
you
>> had better get those strobes installed!" :-) :-) :-). and
>> :-) )))))))))))) KNOWWHATIMEAN, Vern?
>> Well, I hate to do it, but I have to take the weekend of from building to
>> take Linda to NC to see the NASCAR race. She gets to meet her hero Ward
>> Burton (#22) friday night. If I can keep her from running of with old
Waud,
>> we might get some tapes on next week. :-)
>> How bout it Lar and Bill, she even likes racing.
>> Got to take a nap now, I'm working midnight shift.
>> Later,
>> Denny
>>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org> |
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
If you can find one of the nylon finger strainers that come in those red
plastic 6 gallon boat tanks, those are ideal for putting on the end of your
pickup line in the tank.
If you have to make your own, here is a cheap way to do it. ( I am good at
cheap)
Call around and find a local paint store or hobby shop that sells the
little fine mesh copper screens that go in the DeVilbis air brushes, they
sell two for a buck. Buy a generic piece of steel brake line at the auto
parts store, it is 1/4" OD, cheap, semi-rigid, and useful for lots of
things (pitot tube and static air probes for example).
Solder the fine wire screen to the end of a curved 6" length of tubing,
solder/braze the tubing to a big flat washer, and it will hold your
flexible fuel line on the bottom of the tank.
If you make the curve like a letter J, put the washer on the bottom, the
pickup on the short leg, and the fuel line on the long leg.
That way the pickup is about 3/4" above the bottom of the tank, and will
probably not suck up any water that might get in.
Concerning fuel vents: an old aircraft mechanic told me you never have to
worry about wasps or bugs crawling in your fuel vent line because the fuel
fumes repel them as long as there is gas in the tank. Interesting theory;
whaddya think?
Richard Pike
MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, Tn
>
>Hi guys,
>My Mk-3 tanks already have the fuel pick ups drilled in the bottom of the
>tanks. Has anyone had a problem with this setup leaking? Also if I replace
>the tanks to install the top tapped tanks, what is the accepted type of hose
>to reach down through to the bottom of the tank, I don't want this line
>trying to float in the gas, or decaying.
>Finally, Johns thoughts on venting out the belly make a lot of sense, that
>is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks John.
>Denny Rowe
>Building Mk 3 Vandergrift PA
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Tim Gherkins" <rp3420(at)email.sps.mot.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Copperstate Fly-in! |
Kolbers,
The Copperstate fly-in is a great event. The event is held at Williams
Gateway Airport in Mesa. Williams use to be a large Air Force base with
very long runways and acres of mmmm made of concrete. They have a huge
hanger open for retail sales and demos. Lots of beautiful homebuilts,
civilian, military, and vintage aircraft.
Ron Mason wrote:
>
> ,
> Ron Mason To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com,
> "Wood, John T."
> Apparently-To: "Tim_Gherkins-RP3420@email"
> Message-Id: <200010041548.e94Fmux09535(at)matronics.com>
>
>
> T. wrote:
>
> >
> > Ken, there appears that there may be several of us kolb builders/flyers
> > attending the copperstate flyin this year. Would be great if you could
> make
> > it. I have a firestar II that I have been flying for about a year and
> will
> > make the effort to fly it over, weather permitting for the weekend. Hope
> to
> > see you there. We are going to try and meet noon, Saturday at the
> ultralight
> > area..
> >
> > John
> > San Diego, CA
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ken Broste [mailto:spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net]
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:01 PM
> > To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com
> > Subject: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
> >
> >
> >
> > Is anyone flying in with a Firestar? I'm building one now and looking
> > forward to talking and seeing your aircraft.
> > http://www.copperstate.org/index.htm
> >
> > Ken Broste
> > Tucson, AZ
> > spiritmoves(at)earthlink.net
> > building a Firestar
> >
> >
> > What are the dates for CopperState. I hear all the talk, and yet no one
> is posting the dates.? (g)
> >
> >
> >
>
> Say Bye to Slow Internet!
> http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | 28 vs. 14 volt airplane . . . |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>I have an 0-320D2G engine with 28V Alternator & Starter. Many of the
>electrical items I already have purchased use 12V (nose lift, mac servo's).
>I have the option of trading for a 12V Alternator & Starter at no additional
>cost.
Please consider taking advantage of this option . . .
I understand that 2X the voltage = 1/2 the current, meaning the wire
>size going from the battery to the engine is much small for the 28V system
>(less weight).
The 28v option made sense when we were building B-29's and B-52's with
as much as several hundred miles of wire in them . . . the weight savings
was significant. Further, the builders of these machines had pretty deep
pockets to reach into (yours and mine) to finance the miliatary aviation
specialty hardware items unique to their task.
Later on, folks who built DC-6's and 707's knew that the return on
investment for a revenue generating machine was a function of how
many pounds of pax/bags could carried. The airplanes were still pretty
complex and again, the cash to pay for them would continue to come
from the same pockets . . .
Now, your airplane isn't going to make you a dime. In fact, it's
going to COST you a lot of dollars. Further, money isn't going
to come from any pockets but your own to finance the task. While
one might successfully argue a small weight savings it will be quite
small. In a simple single it's not over a couple of pounds.
However, locking yourself down to aviation specific, 28V hardware
shuts you out of all the opportunities to exploit automotive and
consumer products that are widely available, high volume, and
competitively priced.
One exception to consider in this reasoning is unique to canard-pushers.
Cabin heat. If you're going to insist on flying in cold weather and/or
high altitudes, electric toe warmers might help you survive the
experience with a minimum of discomfort. I've had several builders
go for 28V, 60A systems. While the weight of the altenrator
and battery needed are about the same as for 14V, 60A . . . the energy
you can get out of the 28V alternator is twice that of the 14V . . .
all of which you will need and wish for more if you're considering
electric cabin heat.
> . . . . Also, If you mix your loads, what is the best solution? A
>converter or two batteries or something else? Or does someone make a 28V
>battery with the cell poles exposed with 12V tapping capability? Any
>suggestions greatly appreciated.
Mixed voltages in a small airplane are almost never practical.
The size, weight, and cost of voltage conversion equipment clobbers
an otherwise elegant design. Further, you're often forced
to run multiple accessories from the voltage converter meaning
that it becomes a single point of failure for all the goodies
it powers.
Tapping down on half of a 28v battery to get 14v is about the
best way I know of to kill off an otherwise perfectly good
battery.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | MitchMnD(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Flight to Rinck International AP |
Hit the road to the Quincey (FL) airport while it was still dark, got coffee
at the 76 station and opened the hangar doors at first light. The forecast
was for clear sky and 5 to 10 mph east winds all morning. It was 7:30 Am on a
Tuesday when I lifted off and the airport was all mine.
My GPS had already found itself so I set the "go to" for Glenn's strip. He
was not home on my two previous trips but I knew he would be there this time
because I called him the previous night. I climbed to 2,000' as I followed
the little blip on the display and found my first checkpoint. It's a chicken
farm which has two long rows of white sheds that are unmistakable. From there
I can see the Jim Woodruff dam and Lake Seminole. This part of Florida is
heavily forested and I always go to 3,000' so that if my faithful little 447
quits I can glide to a fairly hospitable landing site for repairs and a
change of underwear.
As I got closer to the dam I started my slow descent to Glenn's strip still
following the GPS's directions. I noticed that the EGT creeping up to 1200
degree redline, so I reduced my rate of descent in order to increase the load
on my prop and bring the EGT down. My airspeed went to about 80 but the
engine stayed below redline and I was over the field in no time.
I checked the wind direction by observing smoke from a woods fire and made
one low pass over the field. It looked like no one was home but I knew better
so I went around one time and landed. It was a good landing but not a great
landing. Glenn's field is about 1,200' but it falls off on the West end and
if approaching from the West it is essential that you touch down about 1/4th
of the way down the field.
After the engine was shut down I looked around his new hangar. There was a
Titian and a Challenger parked there but no Kolbs. His workshop-hangar was
closed so I climbed back in my FireFly for a snooze. He drove up a short time
later and we had a good visit, looked at some other off-brands in his shop
and gave my FireFly a close inspection. He disagreed with my observation that
rather than reflex my flaperons maybe I should have lowered the leading edge
of my horizontal stabilizers. He liked my static port connections and joined
me in condemning Matco mechanical brakes.
He stood holding his little dashound as I went through my departure
checklist. When I added "hand me the dog" he didn't fall for it. If he had
fallen for it I would have had the whole Rinck clan on my case for ever.
The trip home was uneventful except that it took an extra 15 minutes going
against the wind. I tried flying with one notch of flaperons to simulate no
reflex on the flaperons to see if speed was effected. There was no
significant difference. Next time I will check my glide distances to see if
the reflexing makes a difference in that mode of flight.
The wind at Quincey was at about 45 degrees so I landed in the open grass,
dead into the wind. I always use this option when I am the only one on the
airport.
Duane the plane in Tallahassee, FL, FireFly, 447, Ivo
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: build update |
Idiot..............I wasn't talking about your Mk III when I said I was
envious. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: build update
>
> >
> >Told ya before, I'm envious, and ya just keep rubbing it in.
> >Lar.
> >
> >-
>
> Hey Lar I thought last weekend was your weekend for covering the tail
> feathers? Ya wanna see the photos of my Mk111 I started last March
> (snicker snicker)
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
Sorry to hear you guys won't make it. Would've been great to get together.
Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Lloyd McFarlane <lrmcf(at)ix.netcom.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 6:51 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: Copperstate
>
> Hi there Big Lar. I had originally planned to attend, but a family
> wedding has canceled those plans! John, I'm really envious of your
> adventurous spirit-good luck on the weather. I will miss you all.
>
> Best regards, Lloyd
>
>
> From: "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net>
> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Another Kolb in the air
>
>
>
> Hi Lloyd and Bill: Are you guys going to Copperstate ??
> Congratulations Bill, good luck Lloyd. Lar.
> Palm Springs, CA.
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
Ed,
The point of going thru all the trouble is that some people already have
a Cuyuna & also you can often buy them dirt cheap & theirs tons of parts
laying around.
Going thru trouble of changing jugs: Only need to if you have ULII-02 &
want to use standard intake manifold for dual carbs.
Why Dual Carbs?: 23% horsepower gain! More importantly, this gives you
precise control of EGT temps.
Why bother with going to 430 crank? (Again, this would only apply to
ULII-2 engines) There were some ULII-02 crank failures, but I never saw one
or knew anyone who had. I changed to 430 style crank because a crank shaft
balancer ran the numbers between the 2 cranks & said the weight taken off on
the ULII-02 crank would be better left on, that it would be smoother
running.
If $ is not a problem, buy a Konig radial, or a wankle or a 912 for the
big planes. If you have a bent for tinkering & want to get the most bang
for the buck, then you resort to stuff like the above. If you are content
with the status quo, don't do anything. Rotaxes are fine engines, but they
aren't sacred. There are lots of way to power a plane. ...Richard
Swiderski
DAquaNut(at)aol.com
>
> Cuyuna or No Cuyuna
> All the Talk of cuyuna modifications just to get it to run
without
> overheating & siezing up. Sounds like a lot of work just to have an
engine
> you can live with. Im not being rude & ugly, but why not get an engine
that
> will run cool on both cylinders out of the box>
> Ed Diebel
> Hou Tex
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
You may also want to give thought to this.............................The
tank sits astride the tailboom, with a drain on each side. Many times, when
preflighting Cessnas, I've got water out of the tank samplers, so when I put
my tank in Vamoose, I came down out of each side with a short nipple, a "T",
about an 8" stub, with a Cessna style fuel drain at the bottom - just long
enuf to reach beyond the belly fabric. Came off the other leg of the T with
a short piece, then a ball valve shut off, and fittings to lead to the fuel
pumps manifold. With this set-up, I can drain a sample from each side of
the tank during pre-flight. If desired, I could leave the shut-off on one
side closed, to act as a reserve, such as my old motorcycles used to have,
many years ago. Fuel tank vent will tie to the right side sample drain, and
vent overboard, cause I too, agree with John. No gas in the plane, please.
Pics available if you want. Big Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Denny Rowe <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 7:15 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: fuel pick ups and venting
>
> Hi guys,
> My Mk-3 tanks already have the fuel pick ups drilled in the bottom of the
> tanks. Has anyone had a problem with this setup leaking? Also if I
replace
> the tanks to install the top tapped tanks, what is the accepted type of
hose
> to reach down through to the bottom of the tank, I don't want this line
> trying to float in the gas, or decaying.
> Finally, Johns thoughts on venting out the belly make a lot of sense, that
> is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks John.
> Denny Rowe
> Building Mk 3 Vandergrift PA
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
Forgot about finger strainers in my earlier post. Thanks Richard. I got
mine from A/C Spruce, the price was fair, and they screw right in. I
agree - they should be regarded as necessary. I agree with your mechanic
buddy - I can't picture any critter, or bug staying around gas fumes.
Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Pike <richard(at)BCChapel.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 11:41 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: fuel pick ups and venting
>
> If you can find one of the nylon finger strainers that come in those red
> plastic 6 gallon boat tanks, those are ideal for putting on the end of
your
> pickup line in the tank.
> If you have to make your own, here is a cheap way to do it. ( I am good at
> cheap)
> Call around and find a local paint store or hobby shop that sells the
> little fine mesh copper screens that go in the DeVilbis air brushes, they
> sell two for a buck. Buy a generic piece of steel brake line at the auto
> parts store, it is 1/4" OD, cheap, semi-rigid, and useful for lots of
> things (pitot tube and static air probes for example).
> Solder the fine wire screen to the end of a curved 6" length of tubing,
> solder/braze the tubing to a big flat washer, and it will hold your
> flexible fuel line on the bottom of the tank.
> If you make the curve like a letter J, put the washer on the bottom, the
> pickup on the short leg, and the fuel line on the long leg.
> That way the pickup is about 3/4" above the bottom of the tank, and will
> probably not suck up any water that might get in.
>
> Concerning fuel vents: an old aircraft mechanic told me you never have to
> worry about wasps or bugs crawling in your fuel vent line because the fuel
> fumes repel them as long as there is gas in the tank. Interesting theory;
> whaddya think?
> Richard Pike
> MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
> Kingsport, Tn
>
>
> >
> >Hi guys,
> >My Mk-3 tanks already have the fuel pick ups drilled in the bottom of the
> >tanks. Has anyone had a problem with this setup leaking? Also if I
replace
> >the tanks to install the top tapped tanks, what is the accepted type of
hose
> >to reach down through to the bottom of the tank, I don't want this line
> >trying to float in the gas, or decaying.
> >Finally, Johns thoughts on venting out the belly make a lot of sense,
that
> >is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks John.
> >Denny Rowe
> >Building Mk 3 Vandergrift PA
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: build update |
I used .090. Ron Christensen pioneered it and had no problems.
Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Denny Rowe <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 11:55 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: build update
>
> Herb,
> I noticed you mentioned that you used .060 lexan on your Gull doors, from
> laying the .060 sheet I am using for the rear enclosure across the gull
> doors, I get the impression that the air stream would easily oilcan these
> huge surfaces. Are you sure that it was 1/16" lexan that you used?
> I would love to use 1/16, to save weight, but it just seems too flexable
to
> me. I am left to use 1/8" and this doubles the weight of the doors.
> Now if I could find some 3/32" lexan, that would seem to be the best
> combination.
> What I need to know from everyone who has installed gull doors on a Mk-3,
is
> what gauge lexan did you use on the doors.
> Denny
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Herb Gearheart <herbgh(at)nctc.com>
> To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com ; Denny Rowe
>
> Date: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 10:17 PM
> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: build update
>
>
> >
> >Hi Denny and all,
> > Thought it a good time to mention that I bought a bent MkIII a
couple
> of
> >years ago and one of the "improvements" that I made was to add Gullwing
> doors. I
> >now have about 10 hours on it this last month or so and find that the
.060
> lexan
> >with a perimeter frame works very well. The visability is excellent as
you
> >mention. Little or no oil canning or vibration.
> > Question for all of you mkIII drivers---What is a good cruise rpm and
> air
> >speed for this baby?? I pull back to 5200 and find that I am going about
50
> mph.
> >Using a Hegy 64X44 prop. Rotax 532. The climb out is really good at about
> 6400
> >rpms.Empty weight is 460 LBS. Herb in Ky
> >
> >Denny Rowe wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Hi Folks,
> >> Here is the latest goings on at the Rowe aircraft factory. Mark 3 with
> gull
> >> doors.
> >> The door frames are riveted in place on the hinges, minus the door
bottom
> >> tube, currently cutting the gussets to mount the already made door
bottom
> >> tube. The rear enclosure bows are mounted in place, and only need
their
> >> bottom side gusset at the center tube made and installed.
> >> We picked up a 4' by 8' sheet of 1/16" lexan for the rear enclosure
and
> >> hope to be cutting the peices early next week.
> >> Lar was right, when you sit in the cockpit with the gulls framed up,
the
> >> view is fantastic!
> >> I called Dick Kuntzleman this morning and ordered the dual streamlined
> >> strobes, Linda said " If you want to get them wings covered next week,
> you
> >> had better get those strobes installed!" :-) :-) :-). and
> >> :-) )))))))))))) KNOWWHATIMEAN, Vern?
> >> Well, I hate to do it, but I have to take the weekend of from building
to
> >> take Linda to NC to see the NASCAR race. She gets to meet her hero
Ward
> >> Burton (#22) friday night. If I can keep her from running of with old
> Waud,
> >> we might get some tapes on next week. :-)
> >> How bout it Lar and Bill, she even likes racing.
> >> Got to take a nap now, I'm working midnight shift.
> >> Later,
> >> Denny
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Copperstate Fly-in! |
This is my night for blabbing on the List, isn't it ?? Would've been nice
to say hello, Tim. You're welcome anytime, just don't expect fancy. This
is a real minimal operation here. I'm also glad to hear I'm not the only
wuss that doesn't like to work in the summer desert heat. See you in 1 1/2
weeks. ( Right ?? ) I don't know about being Pres. of anything, but I'll
sure drink your pop. T'anks. How about Steve Scott ?? Are you gonna be
there ?? Still saving the message you sent long ago about flying the
Mogollon Rim country. Wanna talk about it. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Tim Gherkins <rp3420(at)email.sps.mot.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 1:57 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Copperstate Fly-in!
>
> AAAAHHHHGGG!!
> I accidentally sent the message below off before I was done. MY BAD!
> I was going to let you all know that it is a great fly-in. Though ultra
> light area is minimal in attendance(maybe 12 planes), though it is
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Herb Gearheart <herbgh(at)nctc.com> |
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
Herb Here
I also have bottom pickups and had a leak in one of them around the rubber
grommet. I did a patch with a two part plastic glue that I found at Auto Zone.
I
need to find a couple of new tanks and plumb them from the top. I do not expect
this repair to last. It was a small leak and otherwise I would have replaced the
tanks at that time. Wonder where to buy a couple of new tanks?? Guess I will
check with TNK to start.
I expect the proper way to fashion a pickup is to use a weight and flexible
tubing as is used in chain saws? Otherwise a rigid tube going to near the bottom
would probably work as long as one did not get too low on petrol.
My vents are holes in the caps. By the way--how is fuel useage balanced when
the pickups are in the top?? Herb
Denny Rowe wrote:
>
> Hi guys,
> My Mk-3 tanks already have the fuel pick ups drilled in the bottom of the
> tanks. Has anyone had a problem with this setup leaking? Also if I replace
> the tanks to install the top tapped tanks, what is the accepted type of hose
> to reach down through to the bottom of the tank, I don't want this line
> trying to float in the gas, or decaying.
> Finally, Johns thoughts on venting out the belly make a lot of sense, that
> is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks John.
> Denny Rowe
> Building Mk 3 Vandergrift PA
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
Just a quick add-on to explain a bit of my reasoning on this. Seems to me
that fuel coming out of the tank will flow on thru the system as desired.
Any water that happens to get in the tank would ( hopefully ) tend to sink
past the T, and go to the bottom of the down tube, ready to be vented out on
the next pre-flight. Should keep it out of the pumps, and injectors, etc.,
unless there's a LOT of water, which would raise hell with things anyway.
Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Larry Bourne <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 6:04 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: fuel pick ups and venting
>
> You may also want to give thought to this.............................The
> tank sits astride the tailboom, with a drain on each side. Many times,
when
> preflighting Cessnas, I've got water out of the tank samplers, so when I
put
> my tank in Vamoose, I came down out of each side with a short nipple, a
"T",
> about an 8" stub, with a Cessna style fuel drain at the bottom - just long
> enuf to reach beyond the belly fabric. Came off the other leg of the T
with
> a short piece, then a ball valve shut off, and fittings to lead to the
fuel
> pumps manifold. With this set-up, I can drain a sample from each side of
> the tank during pre-flight. If desired, I could leave the shut-off on one
> side closed, to act as a reserve, such as my old motorcycles used to have,
> many years ago. Fuel tank vent will tie to the right side sample drain,
and
> vent overboard, cause I too, agree with John. No gas in the plane,
please.
> Pics available if you want. Big Lar.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Denny Rowe <rowedl(at)alltel.net>
> To: kolb-list
> Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 7:15 AM
> Subject: Kolb-List: fuel pick ups and venting
>
>
> >
> > Hi guys,
> > My Mk-3 tanks already have the fuel pick ups drilled in the bottom of
the
> > tanks. Has anyone had a problem with this setup leaking? Also if I
> replace
> > the tanks to install the top tapped tanks, what is the accepted type of
> hose
> > to reach down through to the bottom of the tank, I don't want this line
> > trying to float in the gas, or decaying.
> > Finally, Johns thoughts on venting out the belly make a lot of sense,
that
> > is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks John.
> > Denny Rowe
> > Building Mk 3 Vandergrift PA
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
Herb,
Please let me know Kolbs price on tanks.
My old Pterodactyl used a top tapped set up with vented caps, the fuel level
stays the same in both tanks through natural laws of physics, as long as
both tanks remain vented. Thats as good as an explanation as my brain can
afford tonight.
Denny
-----Original Message-----
From: Herb Gearheart <herbgh(at)nctc.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 10:17 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: fuel pick ups and venting
>
>Herb Here
> I also have bottom pickups and had a leak in one of them around the
rubber
>grommet. I did a patch with a two part plastic glue that I found at Auto
Zone. I
>need to find a couple of new tanks and plumb them from the top. I do not
expect
>this repair to last. It was a small leak and otherwise I would have
replaced the
>tanks at that time. Wonder where to buy a couple of new tanks?? Guess I
will
>check with TNK to start.
> I expect the proper way to fashion a pickup is to use a weight and
flexible
>tubing as is used in chain saws? Otherwise a rigid tube going to near the
bottom
>would probably work as long as one did not get too low on petrol.
> My vents are holes in the caps. By the way--how is fuel useage balanced
when
>the pickups are in the top?? Herb
>
>Denny Rowe wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi guys,
>> My Mk-3 tanks already have the fuel pick ups drilled in the bottom of the
>> tanks. Has anyone had a problem with this setup leaking? Also if I
replace
>> the tanks to install the top tapped tanks, what is the accepted type of
hose
>> to reach down through to the bottom of the tank, I don't want this line
>> trying to float in the gas, or decaying.
>> Finally, Johns thoughts on venting out the belly make a lot of sense,
that
>> is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks John.
>> Denny Rowe
>> Building Mk 3 Vandergrift PA
>>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
I'm looking into buying a Ultrastar that will require some rebuilding. I've
been searching online for info on the plane. So far about all I have found is
a few pictures of it. Does anyone know of any sites on the internet where I
can find more info, perhaps I've just been looking at the wrong places. I'm
in the process of researching the archives also. Looking for any detailed
info I can find.
Thanks guys
Jerry in SD
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Herb Gearheart <herbgh(at)nctc.com> |
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
Herb here
All right --you gave me a graceful out--it is late!! Herb
Denny Rowe wrote:
> Herb,
> Please let me know Kolbs price on tanks.
> My old Pterodactyl used a top tapped set up with vented caps, the fuel level
> stays the same in both tanks through natural laws of physics, as long as
> both tanks remain vented. Thats as good as an explanation as my brain can
> afford tonight.
> Denny
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Herb Gearheart <herbgh(at)nctc.com>
> To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com ; Denny Rowe
>
> Date: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 10:17 PM
> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: fuel pick ups and venting
>
> >
> >Herb Here
> > I also have bottom pickups and had a leak in one of them around the
> rubber
> >grommet. I did a patch with a two part plastic glue that I found at Auto
> Zone. I
> >need to find a couple of new tanks and plumb them from the top. I do not
> expect
> >this repair to last. It was a small leak and otherwise I would have
> replaced the
> >tanks at that time. Wonder where to buy a couple of new tanks?? Guess I
> will
> >check with TNK to start.
> > I expect the proper way to fashion a pickup is to use a weight and
> flexible
> >tubing as is used in chain saws? Otherwise a rigid tube going to near the
> bottom
> >would probably work as long as one did not get too low on petrol.
> > My vents are holes in the caps. By the way--how is fuel useage balanced
> when
> >the pickups are in the top?? Herb
> >
> >Denny Rowe wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Hi guys,
> >> My Mk-3 tanks already have the fuel pick ups drilled in the bottom of the
> >> tanks. Has anyone had a problem with this setup leaking? Also if I
> replace
> >> the tanks to install the top tapped tanks, what is the accepted type of
> hose
> >> to reach down through to the bottom of the tank, I don't want this line
> >> trying to float in the gas, or decaying.
> >> Finally, Johns thoughts on venting out the belly make a lot of sense,
> that
> >> is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks John.
> >> Denny Rowe
> >> Building Mk 3 Vandergrift PA
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | b young <byoung(at)brigham.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 38 Msgs - 10/02/00 |
Has anybody found a good place to buy replacement battery
packs for the Icom
A22 radios, I guess I mean a bit more reasonable than the
pricy Icom ones??
Thanks
Tim
i have some handheld ham radios and when the batery packs
(nicad) went bad i spent some time to take them apart and
went and bought some aa nicads and soldered some tabs on
them and made my own. the other option is to buy the
drycell batery pack and put ni cads or nimh in it.
boyd
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | b young <byoung(at)brigham.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 38 Msgs - 10/02/00 |
I purchased the factory aileron balances and now I'm
wondering if I'm going
to be able to extend them far enough to achieve 100% static
balance because
they will foul the strobe/nav lights I installed on the
wingtip. I'm
guessing (hoping) that something like 80-90% balance will
effectively damp
potential flutter at less than VNE. Has anyone had any
experience here?
Thanks much in advance.
when i got my aileron balances i asked the proper way to
install them. what i was told was to balance the aileron
to 100% without the flaps
so far i have not had even the slighest problems.
boyd
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Neilsen" <neilsenr(at)state.mi.us> |
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
I installed a aircraft gas collator(sp?) which is a sediment bulb with a quick
drain in it. My system has a bottom drain from the tanks that goes to a tee then
on to the gas collator at the low point of my fuel system. Before each flight
I sample the fuel from the quick drain. Note I located the quick drain so that
it sticks out the side of the fuselage just behind the passenger seat.
I have a fully enclosed fuselage and needed a remote filler for the fuel tanks.
I found a boat fuel cap & neck setup that has a tank vent built in to it.
I vented the top of each tank thru a tee to the vent in the filler neck. The cap
has a one way vent so that the tanks can feed fuel. I also located the cap
in a high pressure area so that the cap vent would let air into the fuel system
as fuel is used. This system keeps the fuel in the fuel system in any position.
>>> larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net 10/04/00 09:32PM >>>
Just a quick add-on to explain a bit of my reasoning on this. Seems to me
that fuel coming out of the tank will flow on thru the system as desired.
Any water that happens to get in the tank would ( hopefully ) tend to sink
past the T, and go to the bottom of the down tube, ready to be vented out on
the next pre-flight. Should keep it out of the pumps, and injectors, etc.,
unless there's a LOT of water, which would raise hell with things anyway.
Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: Larry Bourne <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 6:04 PM
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
Help!!!! How do I unsubscribe???????
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: fuel pick ups and venting |
N4829T , Just look at the bottom , Follow inst.
----- Original Message -----
From: <N4829T(at)aol.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2000 7:57 AM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: fuel pick ups and venting
>
> Help!!!! How do I unsubscribe???????
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Darren Smalec" <smald(at)shianet.org> |
"Kolb-List Digest Server"
> Cuyuna or No Cuyuna
> All the Talk of cuyuna modifications just to get it to run
without
> overheating & siezing up.
Group:
If there's one thing I can say about 2SI, they will stand behind their
engines if it's a manufacturing defect.
My 460-F-40 went about 30 hrs. before wrist pin bearing failure, and engine
was past the one yr. warranty period. The factory rebuilt the top end of
both cylinders, new jugs, N/C. The problem was a vendor for the needle
bearings.
64 hrs. and about 2 and one half YEARS later, the front lower rod bearing
failed, wich was another vendor problem (bad heat treat on the crank pins).
They said if that is the problem,(crank is en route to them for rockwell
testing) wich they said probably is the case, they will replace all the
damaged parts. Other than "vendor" problems, it hasn't been a bad engine.
Has anyone else made a sucessful warranty claim 2 & one half years after
their warranty expired??
Darren, FS1, Central MI.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Darren Smalec" <smald(at)shianet.org> |
"Kolb-List Digest Server"
> Cuyuna or No Cuyuna
> All the Talk of cuyuna modifications just to get it to run
without
> overheating & siezing up.
Group:
If there's one thing I can say about 2SI, they will stand behind their
engines if it's a manufacturing defect.
My 460-F-40 went about 30 hrs. before wrist pin bearing failure, and engine
was past the one yr. warranty period. The factory rebuilt the top end of
both cylinders, new jugs, N/C. The problem was a vendor for the needle
bearings.
64 hrs. and about 2 and one half YEARS later, the front lower rod bearing
failed, wich was another vendor problem (bad heat treat on the crank pins).
They said if that is the problem,(crank is en route to them for rockwell
testing) wich they said probably is the case, they will replace all the
damaged parts. Other than "vendor" problems, it hasn't been a bad engine.
Has anyone else made a sucessful warranty claim 2 & one half years after
their warranty expired??
Darren, FS1, Central MI.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Lloyd McFarlane <lrmcf(at)ix.netcom.com> |
My wife and I will be visiting my son and family in the North Dallas
area between 10/19 and 10/23. Would like to see some Kolb's flying?
Any near by activity? I'm in the finishing stages of building a
FireStar II.
Lloyd
Fullerton, CA
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Dennis & Diane Kirby <kirbyd(at)flash.net> |
| Subject: | More on Hirth Engines |
Group -
Allow me to add my two cents worth on the subject of Hirth engines.
Although I do not fly one, I know several folks who do, with good
success. In doing the research for
chosing an engine for my Mark-III, I was seriously considering the
fuel-injected 2706, so I did lots of
homework. I'll share with you what I learned:
Hirth company in Germany has been making engines since the 1920s.
They've made engines for
motorcycles, watercraft, aircraft, APUs, and a few other applications,
both 2-stroke and 4-stroke.
Presently, the company's 2 chief engineers came originally from BMW.
About 5 years ago, a batch of engines left the factory with bad cranks -
several incidents of broken crankshafts
began surfacing. At that time, there was only one North American
distributor (in Canada) for Hirth, and his
customer service was dismal. Wouldn't honor warranties, and wouldn't
return people's deposit money
they'd put down on a Hirth engine. Hirth began suffering a lot of bad
publicity. About that time, the
Canadian distributor closed shop, a new distributor for Hirth came on
board in Ohio, called Seneca. All
they heard from was irate customers.
About 3 years ago, a fellow named Matt Dandar took over and called the
outfit Recreational Power
Engineering. He's done wonders to turn the tide of bad publicity for
Hirth, by simply improving customer
service. He's even recommended a few engine feature improvements to
Hirth, which they have actually
done! Hirth has addressed the crank problem, improved their quality
control, they're turning out good engines again and the problems of past
bad rap are (supposedly) over.
As for the engine itself - for a two-stroke engine, it has a very flat
torque curve, meaning it puts out optimum
power over a broader range of RPMs. Unlike typical 2-strokes, whose
optimum power is produced
generally at the top of the RPM range. This means the Hirth can run at
lower RPMs while still developing
sufficient torque for level flight. It was designed with simplicity in
mind, and has half the number of parts as
a Rotax-582, and is air-cooled (no radiator system, hoses, etc.). Plus,
fuel-injection is an option (which I
would pay for).
My experience with the Hirth engine comes from folks who fly them at the
Arlington Ultralight Airpark, in
Washington state (home of the EAA Northwest Fly-In). There is a Hirth
dealer up there (forgot the company
name) run by Scott Englemohr, who also operates of fleet of Beaver
ultralight trainers (2-seaters), all
powered by the 2706. He reports excellent performance and reliability
with his Beavers. And being
trainers, they work hard for a living! One has over 800 hours on it (I
flew this one) and still going stong
without a major overhaul. Hirths have a throatier sound that Rotax, and
this 600-lb airplane (empty wt) had
plenty of power with two full-size guys aboard.
There is no doubt that Rotax enjoys the largest share of the small
aircraft engine market, but that doesn't
mean all the others are inferior engines .
Chuck Slucarzak (sp?) offers Hirth engines as OEM equipment for his GCS
Hawk kits. He can probably
give you much more specific historical performance data on this engine.
So my advice to Ed Mills and Bill J. (whose questions to this List
about Hirth engines started this topic thread earlier) is to talk with
the actual folks who've flown this engine, and get thier input. Don't
go by old news or rumors. Hope this helps.
Dennis Kirby
4-stroke-powered MArk-III, s/n 300, about 85% done in
Cedar Crest, New Mexico
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Denny Rowe" <rowedl(at)alltel.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Cuyuna / 2SI |
This does say a lot about 2SI, hopefully they will stay on the scene and
develope some new innovations. I sure like the looks of their 690cc engine.
Denny Rowe
-----Original Message-----
From: Darren Smalec <smald(at)shianet.org>
Server
Date: Thursday, October 05, 2000 2:05 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Cuyuna / 2SI
>
>> Cuyuna or No Cuyuna
>> All the Talk of cuyuna modifications just to get it to run
>without
>> overheating & siezing up.
>
>Group:
> If there's one thing I can say about 2SI, they will stand behind their
>engines if it's a manufacturing defect.
>My 460-F-40 went about 30 hrs. before wrist pin bearing failure, and engine
>was past the one yr. warranty period. The factory rebuilt the top end of
>both cylinders, new jugs, N/C. The problem was a vendor for the needle
>bearings.
> 64 hrs. and about 2 and one half YEARS later, the front lower rod bearing
>failed, wich was another vendor problem (bad heat treat on the crank pins).
>They said if that is the problem,(crank is en route to them for rockwell
>testing) wich they said probably is the case, they will replace all the
>damaged parts. Other than "vendor" problems, it hasn't been a bad engine.
> Has anyone else made a sucessful warranty claim 2 & one half years after
>their warranty expired??
>Darren, FS1, Central MI.
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Sam Cox" <lightflyer(at)email.msn.com> |
Nov.18th D/FW Lite Flyers Fall Festival & Toys for Tot's Fly-In
Propwash Airport Justin, TX (16XS)
From Texas Motor Speedway go north on FM 156 into Justin
(5miles). In Justin turn West on FM 407 (between the two boot outlet
stores) and go 4 miles until you see the field with old cars (on the left)
and turn left on Bill Cook Rd. and follow it for a mile and you will see the
hangars and runway on the right. 3,000' hardsurface runway w/grass runway
on the side. All patterns are to the West.
Sam Cox
(717)232-3379
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lloyd McFarlane" <lrmcf(at)ix.netcom.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2000 11:26 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: Dallas
>
> My wife and I will be visiting my son and family in the North Dallas
> area between 10/19 and 10/23. Would like to see some Kolb's flying?
> Any near by activity? I'm in the finishing stages of building a
> FireStar II.
>
> Lloyd
> Fullerton, CA
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "malone" <malone(at)povn.com> |
| Subject: | Ultrastar @ Cuyuna |
Hello all.
I would like to thank all the individuals who have sent me information on
the ultrastar. I found a basket case, and with the help of my father-in-law,
completely rebuilt it. It is a beautiful plane. Be happy to send an e-pic to
anyone interested.
I have about 350 hours flying everything from Quicks to phantoms, lazairs
and GT's. This plane is a little different than I am used to! The
information that has been supplied to me, and that has been posted has been
invaluable. I especially appreciate the information on the cuyuna engine. If
I had an extra $2000, I would run right out and get that rotax, but that is
not an option right now. We have looked into the one we have, and so far it
looks very clean, low time.
Once again, thanks for all the inf., and any other items, characteristic,
safety alert, story regarding the U/S and the cuyuna will be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks!!!
Brett Malone
Newport, WA
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "jrodebush" <jrodebush(at)cinci.rr.com> |
> Concerning fuel vents: an old aircraft mechanic told me you never have to
> worry about wasps or bugs crawling in your fuel vent line
I don't know. A couple of years ago in the late spring I was firing up the
lawn mower and noticed a white spider's nest about a quarter inch down the
gas can spout. The can still had gas in it.
Rody
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Richard Swiderski" <swidersk(at)digital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Ultrastar @ Cuyuna |
Bret,
Re: safety alerts on UltraStar: The front pivot arm that operates the
belcrank has a notice to be reinforced. There has been cases of it
cracking. this is the vertical arm that has a pushrod attatched to it that
drives the bellcrank. A triangular tab was to be welded to it at its base.
The engine mount frame that the engine is bolted to also has a history
of cracking. No reinforcement was suggested, just that you keep an eye on
it. Mine is one of the 2 that cracked, but it went thru 3 prop
strikes/failures!
The tailpost area were it connects to the fuselage has a history of
cracking on several models, no change was recommended, just advised to watch
it.
The bottom of the tailpost is a high rust area because water seeps down
there & has no way out (this is below the hole that the pin goes thru that
holds the 2 bottom cable tangs the secure the stabilizer. I drilled a 1/8"
weep hole there & sealed the above entry points with silicone sealant.
The pulleys that change the direction of the rudder cables are too small
of a diameter. After as little as 100 hrs, the cable can start to fray at
the pulleys & its very hard to see if the fry is on the pulley side of the
cable. Mine frayed around 100hrs. I replaced the cable & replaced all the
pulleys with larger diamerter ones (about 2 1/4" I think). Don't use
stainless steel cable as it frays quicker than steel.
Very hard landings will bend the bottom cross over tube & the side
longerons. I put a vee support to the center of the cross over tube & some
thin gussets on the side longerons of the fuselage. I also added a few
light tube-braces to keep the fuselage tubes in column during a hard impact.
Can't remember exactly where off hand. But later, I had a forced landing &
hit a 3 foot deep ditch @ 45 degrees about 1 second after touch down & came
out unscathed with nothing bent. A previous forced landing, not nearly as
hard, bent the entire cage.
In case you haven't noticed I put my poor UltraStar thru a bunch of abus
e. I was younger & dumber & flew on the edge a lot. Now I am older &
dumber but and I keep some distance from those edges. Enjoy your
wonderful ship. ...Richard Swiderski
----- Original Message -----
From: "malone" <malone(at)povn.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2000 8:18 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Ultrastar @ Cuyuna
>
> Hello all.
> I would like to thank all the individuals who have sent me information on
> the ultrastar. I found a basket case, and with the help of my
father-in-law,
> completely rebuilt it. It is a beautiful plane. Be happy to send an e-pic
to
> anyone interested.
> I have about 350 hours flying everything from Quicks to phantoms, lazairs
> and GT's. This plane is a little different than I am used to! The
> information that has been supplied to me, and that has been posted has
been
> invaluable. I especially appreciate the information on the cuyuna engine.
If
> I had an extra $2000, I would run right out and get that rotax, but that
is
> not an option right now. We have looked into the one we have, and so far
it
> looks very clean, low time.
> Once again, thanks for all the inf., and any other items,
characteristic,
> safety alert, story regarding the U/S and the cuyuna will be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks!!!
> Brett Malone
> Newport, WA
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "plane" <plane(at)atomic.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Ultrastar Soobydoo up date |
----- Original Message -----
From: Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 9:35 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Ultrastar
Hi Woody
The soobydoo has 5.6 hours of flite time on it now. Rear crank seal
was seeping When I was Running engine on the ground.I thought it would fix
it self with a little running. WRONG It is getting worse 1 qt per 1.5 hours
I ordered seal and will try to get it instaled saterday. plane is grounded
till then. I have made two 40 mile trips with it so far. the ultrastar is
flying good with the new engine BUT it is using 3 gal per hour. at 55 mph @
2500 rpm. must fly more to be shure. I will work on jetting latter. my
dynamo is giving me 16 volts. i am going to change regulater sat. I'm not
sorry for changing to the soob yet. will keep you posted if any body is
intrested.
Randy soobydoo in NC
>
>
> >Hey how is that engine set up doing anyhow. Sounds like you are getting a
> >bit of time on it.
>
>
> > Hi Brett
> > The ultrastar is a nice flying lettle bird. I put a subaru
EA71
> >on mine,I m very happy with the new motor. made my second cross country,
> >about 40 miles today.
> >
> > Randy soobydoo in NC
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: More on Hirth Engines |
>
> At that time, there was only one North American
>distributor (in Canada) for Hirth, and his
>customer service was dismal. About 3 years ago, a fellow named Matt Dandar
>took over and called the outfit Recreational Power
>Engineering. He's done wonders to turn the tide of bad publicity for
>Hirth, by simply improving customer
>service.
Poor Matt. I was trying to deal with the Canadian company and they also
had a guy named Matt doing customer service. I honestly didn't know that
when I met Matt at Osh the first time. Shook his hand and kinda accidently
squashed it when I thought he was the other Matt. ooops! Since then he has
helped out whenever he could when I ran into problems or needed parts.
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Ultrastar wings/ Firefly fuselage??? |
I'm trying to get into the air as low budget as I can. I posted yesterday
about info on the Ultrastar, thanks to everyone that replyed. I've got a
chance to pick up a crashed Ultrastar, the fuselage and boom tube are toast.
What I'm wondering since the Ultrastar's wings and tailfeathers are in good
shape, will they fit on the Firefly's fuselage. The Kolb company has no idea
if they would fit as they have no info on it.
thanks for any input.
Jerry in SD
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | RE: Fuel low level warning. |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>My header tank is painted black. in the hangar I have no problem with the
>low level warning light coming on with the tank full. when I pulled the fox
>out into the sun today, the low level warning light came on. I suspect that
>light is being introduced into the header tank by the clear (but slightly
>yellow) vent line to the right tank that had the sun on it.
>
>Has anyone experienced this? How did you solve it.
When using the opto-reflective liquid level sensors, stray
light will always be an issue. Most of the applications I
designed for in the past were metalic or bladder tanks
and external lights were not a problem. In cases where we
did have to address the issue, a baffle or other shade
over the sensor tip was useful. One sensor I built had the
cone tip of the sensor surrounded by a black anodized cup
drilled with small holes. Liquid could get in to trip the
sensor but light was restricted.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Electronic ignition - |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
> I have Klaus's system on the bottom plugs on my 0-320 EZ and during a
recent
>jug off inspection We were pleased to find that side of the piston and rings
>were much cleaner than the top, almost polished. I have fine wire plugs on
>the top.I had much better luck w/ the plasma system then the mag. IE no
>maintenance to the plasma and 2 overhauls to the mag. Next mag o/h will not
>happen,I'll go to another plasma.
I think this is a good move. Some builders I've spoken with
are eager to jerk off both mags and put on electronics. 90%+
of your performance gains are with the first electronic
ignition. Since you PAID for two mags and/or the discount
for not getting mags is not equal to their replacment cost,
consider putting on one electronic igntion. Run one mag util
it barfs. Put the other mag back on and run it to belly-up
time . . . THEN put on the second electronic.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>This comes up often, usually by someone who has gotten some great "deals"
>on avionics and who tries to make it all work harmoniously. Every attempt
>I know of to mix and match avionics of different voltages has, sooner or
>later, been abandoned by those who tried.
>
>Were you living in Montana or some other cold spot, I'd suggest 28 volts
>to compensate for the effects of low temps on batteries. As an added
>aside, you could then use that voltage to advantage and reduce the weight
>of your plane by a few pounds by running lighter gauge wire.
A common misconception about batteries . . . the goal when
cranking an engine is to maximize the energy transfer from
the battery's chemistry to the starter motor. The biggest
impediment to this transfer is a combination of resistances
in battery, wire, contactors and terminals.
When GA (most notibly Cessna) went all 28 v it was mostly for
reasons of economy . . . one size alternator/battery fits all
from C-150 to C-210 . . . yes, there was some notible improvement
in cranking at cold weather with 28v . . .
In retrospect, this was mostly due to poor attention paid to
reducing system impedances. A little clean up work with choice
of wire sizes and hardware location and upgrading the starter
which had roots in the 1938 6v Jeep, there would have been
no detectable difference in cranking performance of the two
systems.
Today, the modern RG battery is head and shoulders above
the flooded batteries upon which many of us base our perceptions
of battery and system performance.
When I was helping B&C test batteries to gain STC on their
RG products for TC aircraft, we put two brand new batteries
in the freezer overnight. One was a Concord flooded product,
the other was a B&C RG. In the morning, we loaded each battery
in turn with 300 amps . . . about half again more current than
it takes to crank an engine.
The flooded battery started out at 8 volts and slid downhill
from there. At the end of 30 seconds of loading, the RG batttery
had not yet fallen to 8 volts!
This can be attributed to one and only one attribute of the
RG technology . . . very low internal resistance compared
to flooded batteries at ALL temperatures.
>But you don't. You live in Florida. Go with the 12 volt system.
>Everything else being equal, 12 volt equipment is more plentiful and
>often cheaper.
. . . not often, ALWAYS. You need to consider beyond the
cost of acquisition. Cost of ownership for a 28 v system are
real cash and time suckers compared to 14 v.
>Second suggestion. Wait until a few months before the airframe is
>finished, painted and the engine in place BEFORE buying avionics. I've
>brand new Loran and ADF units that are virtually boat anchors. Good
>deals when I bought them, probably just like you, expecting I'd have the
>thing built and flying "in no time"
Excellent advice. Electronics advances faster than any other
commodity . . . I wouldn't buy a battery or a radio until just
before you're ready to install them. Use jumper cables to a
car/boat/tractor battery or an alternator simulator to test
the airplane's systems. Buy a fresh new battery to install
before first light under the wheels.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>Want to jump or charge your 24 volt battery - consider a
>charger that is 6, 12 & 24 or a 24 volt only. If you need to jump
>start it it takes two, care and really long cables or you need to
>have the proper high $$$ adapter to plug into a power unit.
Ground power is a strong driving issue . . . you can jump
start your 14 v airplane from a vehicle.
>I don't find the worry about using converters powering gauges
>such as fuel pressure since a 24volt battery is still using less
>amperage, it should last longer.
24 v batteries are two 12 v batteries in series with smaller
cells. For the same ENERGY storage, you need the same number
of pounds of lead and acid . . . but a 24 volt battery has
more plastic in it and is probably heavier/larger by some
small amount than the equivalent 12 v battery. Given the
smaller plate area/chemistry per cell, I've noted that the
24 v battery is less tolerant to deep discharge cycles
than the 12 v with fatter cells . . . all other things being equal,
I think the 12 v battery will outlast the 24 in similar service.
>Light bulbs will cost more (24 V) unless there is more of a
>quantity built for 24 volt than 12 volt.
12 v lamps are made in tens of millions . . . further, you
have more options for some REALLY nice exterior lighting.
Taked for example the lamp you can see at
http://www.aeroelectric.com/4352.JPG
is about 2" tall, 5" wide, puts out lots of light on 55
watts (about 4.5 amps drain on system) and fits very
nicely in the leading edge of a wing. Further, it's
a modern, automotive halogen that will probably last
for the lifetime of your airplane.
>I do like the more watts offered by 24 volt comm's example;
>KX-155 or 165 7.5 watts (12 volt) broadcast verses 10 watts (24 volt).
>KX-196 or 197 - the 12 volt is 10 watts vs 16 watts for 24 volt.
>The advantage is - usually - range and clarity.
. . . take a peek at:
http://www.decibelproducts.com/mrktng-eng/scripts/freespace.cfm
This is a free space path loss calculator that can tell you
what the theroetical talk distance is between your radio
and somebody elses.
Assume you have 1 watt of effective radiated power (this is
30 dbmw in engineer-speak). Assume the guy you want to talk
to has a receiver capable of hearing a 5 MICROVOLT signal
(not difficult to do) . . . this signal would have an energy
level of -123 dbmw for a total allowable path loss of
153 dbmw
Go to that calculator and enter distances using 120 Mhz as
the frequency of interest and you'll find a freespace
talking distance of 6000 miles.
Now, there ARE other factors that ADD to your losses including
coax and antenna efficiency. Also local noise at the other
end competes with your arriving signal. Sooo . . . lets assume
that you're at 15,000 feet and talking with somebody who is
50 miles away (not over the horizon for you) . . . and he can
just read your signal when you use your 1 watt transmitter.
Going back to the calculator we find that the path loss over
50 miles is 112 db. Let us say you switch over to a 2 watt
transmitter . . .this means your signal at the other end gets
a 3 db boost. Now you can tolerate a 115 db loss between you
an the other guy and still be heard with the same clarity.
Back at the calculator we find that 70 miles is the range
for doubling your power output. Further, 50-70 miles is SO
small compared to the free-space range that one must conclude
that other factors have a strong effect on range of communciations.
Curvature of the earth, noise at receiving end and poor
selection of antennas and/or feedlines all stack up to
attenuate your signal.
It's much easier to talk further with system efficiency
cleanup than to boost transmitter power output.
>
>Two 5 amp 14.7 volt converters weigh less then 3 lbs. so,
>if a back-up is needed it's no big deal.
This is true . . . with reservations. There are electronic
components out there that let you build very light down-converters
that are also very efficient. However, they are strong
oscillators (read transmitters) that can interfere
with other systems on board . . . most notably receivers.
Unless the converter has been tested for aircraft applications,
approach with caution . . . I'm not saying don't try it
but do enough testing of your finished installation to make
sure there are no adverse effects from a relatively
unknown product.
>With all the newer call for 12/14 volt stuff, it's a trade.
>I did it because my engine came so equipped and knew
>of some of the advantages of 24/28 systems.
>One of them is how long you can crank the engine.
>However, I have always felt that if the engine doesn't
>start up in 1 to 4 blades you might have a problem that's
>being overlooked. But I want that power if I ever need a restart
>in the air.
Excellent point. I used to be able to push-start
my 6-cyl Chevy out in the street by myself. I could
just get it rolling, jump in and pop the critter into
low and it would fire off on the first cylinder that
rolled over. Keeping an engine finely tuned and understanding
a particular engine's idiosyncrasies can make a BIG
difference in starter wear, battery life, etc.
>All in all it's a personal choice but the 24volt system might
>cost as much as $500 if done correctly (that includes a 24 volt
>battery charger.) And weight savings on a Long is 16.5
>pounds by my old calculations (1983).
I'm really interested in this weight savings number. Starters
in the ol' Prestolite pig don't get any lighter at 28V, batteries
with the same ENGERY (12V/32 a.h. versus 24V/16 a.h.) are within
a few percent of each other for weight. The alternators share the
same frames so in spite of the fact that they put out 2x energy,
they weigh within ounces of each other. All things being
equal except voltage, only drops in wire size contribute greatly
to weight reduction.
Now, if you make a swap to B&C equipment from certified junk,
AND go to 28 v, the weight savings can be spectacular . . .
but it didn't happed because of system voltage change . . .
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Dale Seitzer <dale(at)gmada.com> |
"'Robert L. Nuckolls, III'"
Dont let your car and plane touch when jump starting and don't let 2 planes
touch when jump starting. Robert--can I hook up my electric heated socks
to the lighting coil on my Rotax 447? Dale Seitzer
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert L. Nuckolls, III
Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 10:55 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: 28 vs. 14 . . .
>Want to jump or charge your 24 volt battery - consider a
>charger that is 6, 12 & 24 or a 24 volt only. If you need to jump
>start it it takes two, care and really long cables or you need to
>have the proper high $$$ adapter to plug into a power unit.
Ground power is a strong driving issue . . . you can jump
start your 14 v airplane from a vehicle.
>I don't find the worry about using converters powering gauges
>such as fuel pressure since a 24volt battery is still using less
>amperage, it should last longer.
24 v batteries are two 12 v batteries in series with smaller
cells. For the same ENERGY storage, you need the same number
of pounds of lead and acid . . . but a 24 volt battery has
more plastic in it and is probably heavier/larger by some
small amount than the equivalent 12 v battery. Given the
smaller plate area/chemistry per cell, I've noted that the
24 v battery is less tolerant to deep discharge cycles
than the 12 v with fatter cells . . . all other things being equal,
I think the 12 v battery will outlast the 24 in similar service.
>Light bulbs will cost more (24 V) unless there is more of a
>quantity built for 24 volt than 12 volt.
12 v lamps are made in tens of millions . . . further, you
have more options for some REALLY nice exterior lighting.
Taked for example the lamp you can see at
http://www.aeroelectric.com/4352.JPG
is about 2" tall, 5" wide, puts out lots of light on 55
watts (about 4.5 amps drain on system) and fits very
nicely in the leading edge of a wing. Further, it's
a modern, automotive halogen that will probably last
for the lifetime of your airplane.
>I do like the more watts offered by 24 volt comm's example;
>KX-155 or 165 7.5 watts (12 volt) broadcast verses 10 watts (24 volt).
>KX-196 or 197 - the 12 volt is 10 watts vs 16 watts for 24 volt.
>The advantage is - usually - range and clarity.
. . . take a peek at:
http://www.decibelproducts.com/mrktng-eng/scripts/freespace.cfm
This is a free space path loss calculator that can tell you
what the theroetical talk distance is between your radio
and somebody elses.
Assume you have 1 watt of effective radiated power (this is
30 dbmw in engineer-speak). Assume the guy you want to talk
to has a receiver capable of hearing a 5 MICROVOLT signal
(not difficult to do) . . . this signal would have an energy
level of -123 dbmw for a total allowable path loss of
153 dbmw
Go to that calculator and enter distances using 120 Mhz as
the frequency of interest and you'll find a freespace
talking distance of 6000 miles.
Now, there ARE other factors that ADD to your losses including
coax and antenna efficiency. Also local noise at the other
end competes with your arriving signal. Sooo . . . lets assume
that you're at 15,000 feet and talking with somebody who is
50 miles away (not over the horizon for you) . . . and he can
just read your signal when you use your 1 watt transmitter.
Going back to the calculator we find that the path loss over
50 miles is 112 db. Let us say you switch over to a 2 watt
transmitter . . .this means your signal at the other end gets
a 3 db boost. Now you can tolerate a 115 db loss between you
an the other guy and still be heard with the same clarity.
Back at the calculator we find that 70 miles is the range
for doubling your power output. Further, 50-70 miles is SO
small compared to the free-space range that one must conclude
that other factors have a strong effect on range of communciations.
Curvature of the earth, noise at receiving end and poor
selection of antennas and/or feedlines all stack up to
attenuate your signal.
It's much easier to talk further with system efficiency
cleanup than to boost transmitter power output.
>
>Two 5 amp 14.7 volt converters weigh less then 3 lbs. so,
>if a back-up is needed it's no big deal.
This is true . . . with reservations. There are electronic
components out there that let you build very light down-converters
that are also very efficient. However, they are strong
oscillators (read transmitters) that can interfere
with other systems on board . . . most notably receivers.
Unless the converter has been tested for aircraft applications,
approach with caution . . . I'm not saying don't try it
but do enough testing of your finished installation to make
sure there are no adverse effects from a relatively
unknown product.
>With all the newer call for 12/14 volt stuff, it's a trade.
>I did it because my engine came so equipped and knew
>of some of the advantages of 24/28 systems.
>One of them is how long you can crank the engine.
>However, I have always felt that if the engine doesn't
>start up in 1 to 4 blades you might have a problem that's
>being overlooked. But I want that power if I ever need a restart
>in the air.
Excellent point. I used to be able to push-start
my 6-cyl Chevy out in the street by myself. I could
just get it rolling, jump in and pop the critter into
low and it would fire off on the first cylinder that
rolled over. Keeping an engine finely tuned and understanding
a particular engine's idiosyncrasies can make a BIG
difference in starter wear, battery life, etc.
>All in all it's a personal choice but the 24volt system might
>cost as much as $500 if done correctly (that includes a 24 volt
>battery charger.) And weight savings on a Long is 16.5
>pounds by my old calculations (1983).
I'm really interested in this weight savings number. Starters
in the ol' Prestolite pig don't get any lighter at 28V, batteries
with the same ENGERY (12V/32 a.h. versus 24V/16 a.h.) are within
a few percent of each other for weight. The alternators share the
same frames so in spite of the fact that they put out 2x energy,
they weigh within ounces of each other. All things being
equal except voltage, only drops in wire size contribute greatly
to weight reduction.
Now, if you make a swap to B&C equipment from certified junk,
AND go to 28 v, the weight savings can be spectacular . . .
but it didn't happed because of system voltage change . . .
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>
>Dont let your car and plane touch when jump starting and don't let 2 planes
>touch when jump starting. Robert--can I hook up my electric heated socks
>to the lighting coil on my Rotax 447? Dale Seitzer
>
How much current do they draw and how much of the Rotax's output
is already dedicated to other tasks?
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Ultrastar Soobydoo up date |
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Woody <duesouth(at)govital.net>
>To: ; plane
>Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 9:35 PM
>Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Ultrastar
> Hi Woody
>
> The soobydoo has 5.6 hours of flite time on it now. will keep you
> posted if any body is
>intrested.
>
> Randy soobydoo in NC
I for one would like to be kept posted. Do you have any other numbers to
share- rate of climb, top speed, stall speed, take off roll etc. ?
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: 28 vs. 14 . . . |
Hmmmmmm................Bought a new computer today, and now I'm sweating out
the transition. Seems to answer mail OK, but 2 test runs with new messages
brought back messages saying they contained MIME files, and were rejected.
Having trouble hooking up with msn as well, plus don't have address book,
pics, etc., transferred into the new toy. May be a little erratic for a day
or 2. Grumble, grumble. Also, what seems kinda strange, there's no port on
the back for my scanner. Hmmmmmmm............ Baffled Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net>
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Kolb-List Digest: |
| From: | "Lawrence M. Rice" <tailwind5(at)juno.com> |
Re: 12 'vs 24 volt systems. There is one factor very few people know
about. 24 volts is a problem for lighting that uses a tungsten filament,
either halogen or conventional inert gas filled incandescent. 24 volt
filaments must be made from much smaller diameter wire, and so, are much
less resistant to vibration and shock. This is probably more critical in
a lightplane powered by a high RPM "ringding" engine than in a trypical
store-bought Cessna or Piper. The bulbs are produced in lower volume than
common automotive bulbs, and so are more expensive. The 24 volt filament
has a higher surface area to volume ratio, increasing heat loss to the
bulb fill gas, making the filament inefficient. To get the same light
output requires a higher wattage filament, and even then the luminance
(brightness or light per unit area of the filament surface) decreases,
and performance of the lighting device is still lower. As wattage goes
up, there is a point where 24 volts is OK, but nothing used on a
lightplane is high enough wattage for this. Life is shorter, as tungsten
evaporation increases. So, if you want shorter life, more expensive,
fragile bulbs that use more power and still don't produce any more light,
go to 24 volts. In the future we will have inexpensive LED based lighting
that will eliminate a lot of these problems, but that is still some years
away. I have been a lighting engineer for over 22 years, and have been
both a bulb and lighting device designer. I hope this is helpful to some
of you.
Regards,
Larry
PS. I enjoy the Kolb List!
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Kolb-List Digest: 13 Msgs - 10/06/00 |
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Batteries - Warning to Gel battery owners |
servers.net>
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>Remember you cannot jump gel batteries. You will "short" a cell, which
>may not be the technical description but is the effective description.
>
>I paid for three gel batteries before a Roseburg, Oregon welding supply
>dealer answered my question:
> "How do I treat this gel battery?"
> "Just like any other battery," he answered.
> "So it is OK to jump it?"
> "Hell no, you can't jump a gel battery."
I'd be interested in talking to this giver of advice to see
if he understands what a "gel" battery is.
A long time ago, in a galaxy not too far away, someone
wondered if flooded batteries could be a little less sloppy
imitation of Jello.
The idea worked . . . sorta. The batteries were indeed
less sloppy but they still leaked if turned upside down
or if you poked a hole in the side. Further, their low
temperature performance wasn't as good as a flooded battery.
Some years later, another thinker in the ways of batteries
was probably watching a TV commercial for Brawny paper
towels and wondered if a lead-acid battery wouldn't perform
better if the electrolyte remained liquid. Instead of slowing
it down in jello, suppose the liquid were completely contained
in a high surface area medium like paper towel, or perhaps
fiberglas.
(As an aside, consider fabricating a cube of .001"
diameter glass beads. That means 1000 beads along
each edge. The number of beads required to build
the cube would be 1000 x 1000 x 1000 or 1 billion beads.
The surface area of a sphere is 4 x pi x radius squared.
This calculates out to 3.14 x 10 to the minus 6 square
inches/sphere. Multiply this times 1 billion spheres
and we get a total surface area of 3140 square inches of
INTERNAL surface area! This gives you some idea of the
magic that makes an RG battery work. We know that liquids
have a certain affinity for cling to a surface . . . the
above exercise shows how easy it is to get a lot of surface
area in a small volume. Try the excercise again using
1/2 mil diameter beads.)
Further, if the liquid WERE totally contained in a
partially saturated, glass mat . . . what would, or
should happen to bubbles that are driven out of the
water by charging the battery?
This thinking was the birth experience of the gas recombinant,
starved electrolyte, vented yet sealed lead acid battery.
This is NOT a gel-cell device, yet the majority of people
who sell these things don't know it. Gel cells are still
around but RARE. They are popular in some deep-discharge
configurations for wheelchairs, etc.
>I have forgotten to turn off the master switch a couple times since, but
>never had to buy another gel battery after I started disconnecting the two
>battery cables, jumped the starter directly, and after the engine was
>running, reconnected the two cables.
Now, let's consider the physics of "jumpering" any battery
to deal with a totally flat battery. A dead battery will
draw a lot of current from a constant voltage source like
a hefty alternator . . . it doesn't matter what kind of
battery it is. A gel-cell had a higher internal impedance
than this flooded cousins . . . much higher than a modern
RG battery. This means that ANY current, charge or discharge,
results in higher internal losses due to heating. It is
conceivable that a totally dead, gel-cell battery might
suffer ill consequences for having been jumpered to a
vehicle with a fully charged battery and the engine running.
The question for the moment is, what is the true nature of
the battery that started this conversation? You have to go
out of your way to FIND a true gel-cell battery manufactured
sources but they are not the Panasonics, Powersonics,
Hawker, or Yuasas of the battery marketing world. Irrespective
of what any battery seller might say about sealed
lead-acid products, it is most unlikely that the battery is
really a gel-cell. RG batteries are quite tolerant of
high recharge rates and the few seconds of connection needed
to crank an engine are not likely to heat things up even in
a relatively tired battery.
>I have not seen this advice in print, but it was a costly lesson to
>learn buying new gel batteries.
>
>As Ben Franklin said, "Learn from other's mistakes; you do not have time
>to learn them all yourself."
Ben was a critical thinker and he would want to know more
about the conditions that precipitated his unhappy
experience with batteries. I can tell you that
multi-million dollar biz-jets get their batteries (Ni-cad,
RG and flooded) jumpered to ground power carts capable of
thousands of amp output with no ill effects. We don't have
enough data to deduce the cause of our friend's battery
failures. It is insufficient and erroneous to put out a blanket
statement about "jumpering a gel-cell battery" . . . especially
when the product in question probably wasn't a gel-cell device.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.02.2022
| From: | Pam & Scott Trask <PTrask(at)diisd.org> |
Hi,
Thought this might be of interest to some. It's a nice photo of my Young
Eagle passenger last weekend.
http://www.upgroup.com/dnews/loclnews.html (October 7, 2000)
Scott Trask
Iron Mountain, MI
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Timandjan(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Icom Batteries again!! |
I found that "Batteries Plus" will build/replace any battery packs you have.
I had the Icom pack for my A22 rebuilt. It contains 10 1.25 volt 600ma
batteries that make up the pack, basically 4 dollars a piece, $40.00 for the
pack. they have the spot welder and weld the new tabs onto the battery and
rebuild the packs for you at not charge. I wa sgoing to do it myself, and
thats what I expected to pay for the batteries a piece, and they do it for
free.
They can also build anything you want.
Are there any electronic experts out there??. I want a trickle charger for
this pack, similar to the one that I use on my Futaba radio for ther Radio
Control models, does anybody have an idea where I could get one for this
unit. The output on the pack is 12 volts, 600ma.
Thanks.
TIm
________________________________________________________________________________
Is it possible to use a cb antenna with an aircraft transciever? What is the
difference? I used a cb radio to communicate with the other guys in my patch
while I was flying off the first hours in my Mk2. Now I have a Narco Nav/com
and I was curious if I might be able to still use my original antenna setup
with the nav/com. Thanks to anybody that has useful input.
Steve
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Panel power jack for hand-helds . . . |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>What size wire and fuse for cigar lighter
>type 12v outlet? to be used for portable radio or gps.
How come such a hoggy connector? Cigar lighters are
designed for 10A or better . . . and of course their
diameter is commensurate with the size of the lighter
that plugs into them. They're well suited to lighting
cigars but by-in-large, don't make a good electrical
connector in a car much less an airplane.
You can see a photo of some Radio Shack parts that
are much more suited to this task at:
http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/hh_pwr.jpg
Yes, I know it's preferable to have the powered
pins be female as opposed to the male pins . . . these
critters don't come this way. The risk of unintentional
shorting is quite small (the plug body that fits
into the jack housing is all plastic on the end) and
even if you DID get a short, this appication should be
fused at 3A or less.
Cigar lighters depend on friction to hold plug
in place, this connector set uses a metal retaining
ring threaded down on threads for the jack. It doesn't
take much corrosion or tension on a cirgar lighter plug
to make it disconnect . . . the combo I've suggeseted
is smaller and VERY positive engagement both electrically
and mechanically.
Just cut the cigar lighter plug off your hand-held's
power cord and install the new connector. Quite often
you can purchase mating connectors for the external
power jack on your handheld and fabricate a power
cord unique to your airplane . . . most of the time
they need to be shorter than the usual automotive
power cable when used in a cockpit.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
The antenna must be "tuned" to the frequency you'll be transmitting on.
That's why you need an SWR meter. Roughly, an aircraft frequency antenna
will be just under 24". Big Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: <N51SK(at)aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 07, 2000 5:27 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: cb antenna
>
> Is it possible to use a cb antenna with an aircraft transciever? What is
the
> difference? I used a cb radio to communicate with the other guys in my
patch
> while I was flying off the first hours in my Mk2. Now I have a Narco
Nav/com
> and I was curious if I might be able to still use my original antenna
setup
> with the nav/com. Thanks to anybody that has useful input.
> Steve
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | KHe1144783(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Batteries - Warning to Gel battery owners servers.net> |
Robert: Heres one. I have a Hawker, Odyssey Dry Cell battery. Not wet, not
Gel and not RG ? The dealer has had one in his pickup truck starting his V-8
for two years now with no problems. Its the same model as mine and the size
of the standard 19 Amp. Powersonic. Whats the scoop on this one. Kris
Henkel-Palm Springs. P.S. Hi Big Lar.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Annamarie <vincentam(at)bresnanlink.net> |
| Subject: | Water in the aileron |
I just put 170 hours on a used Kolb Firestar II. When I first bought
it, the plane would always turn to the right. I was going to put a trim
tab on an aileron; then I noticed the left aileron was filled with
water. I drilled some 1/16" weep holes and cured the problem.
I hope this information will be helpful to someone.
If anyone else has had this problem, how did you solve it??
Bill Vincent
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Batteries - Warning to Gel battery owners servers.net> |
Hey, big guy - let's get that thing in the air. I talked to Bob Nuckolls on
the phone yesterday, and ordered his crowbar circuit breaker module. I
strongly recommend it for anyone running an alternator. EAA
field trip this morning was to see Igor's Sea Rey project. Beautiful, but I
think I'll stick to mine. Are you going to Copperstate next
week ?? Talk to you soon. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: <KHe1144783(at)aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 07, 2000 7:17 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Re: Batteries - Warning to Gel battery owners
servers.net>
>
> Robert: Heres one. I have a Hawker, Odyssey Dry Cell battery. Not wet, not
> Gel and not RG ? The dealer has had one in his pickup truck starting his
V-8
> for two years now with no problems. Its the same model as mine and the
size
> of the standard 19 Amp. Powersonic. Whats the scoop on this one. Kris
> Henkel-Palm Springs. P.S. Hi Big Lar.
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
I had a great flight today in dead clear, smooth as glass air. The autumn
colors are beginning to peak out and I could see the salmon in the Rogue
River. I was having such a great day that I got lax and made a stupid
mistake. I landed to refuel, crawled out and dumped in the 2 gal pack tank
from behind my seat. The weather was getting a little warmer and I was in a
hurry to get the wind back in my face. I didn't even take off my helmet.
To make a long story short I left my fuel cap lying on top of the tank. I
taxied about fifty yards before it went through the prop and shot off into
the grass along the taxiway. I uttered a few expletives at my stupidity as I
shut down and surveyed the damage. The fuel cap had a chunk out of it and
will have to be replaced, but tightened down enough to get me home. Of
course the cap hit the very tip of my IVO prop, just past the stainless steel
tape. The leading edge of the last 1/4 inch of the blade was caved in a bit
and the fiberglass was frayed some. I flew it home at 4600 rpm to minimize
vibration and prop load. A little epoxy, a rebalance, and new prop tape that
goes ALL the way to the tip will fix the prop.
I learned two things today. 1. Never be in too much of a hurry. Little
things can ruin your whole day. Be methodical about everything regarding
your airplane.
2. I should have put a retainer on the fuel cap to keep it from going
through the prop. I have everything else safety wired to death, but I
overlooked the cap. The new cap will get one first thing.
Hopefully someone out there can learn from my stupidity.
Roger in Ashland, OR
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 12 Msgs - 10/07/00 |
In a message dated 10/8/00 2:59:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
<< From: RPHanks(at)aol.com
Subject: Kolb-List: OOPS!!
I had a great flight today in dead clear, smooth as glass air. The autumn
colors are beginning to peak out and I could see the salmon in the Rogue
River. I was having such a great day that I got lax and made a stupid
mistake. I landed to refuel, crawled out and dumped in the 2 gal pack tank
from behind my seat. The weather was getting a little warmer and I was in a
hurry to get the wind back in my face. I didn't even take off my helmet.
To make a long story short I left my fuel cap lying on top of the tank. I
taxied about fifty yards before it went through the prop and shot off into
the grass along the taxiway. I uttered a few expletives at my stupidity as
I
shut down and surveyed the damage. The fuel cap had a chunk out of it and
will have to be replaced, but tightened down enough to get me home. Of
course the cap hit the very tip of my IVO prop, just past the stainless
steel
tape. The leading edge of the last 1/4 inch of the blade was caved in a bit
and the fiberglass was frayed some. I flew it home at 4600 rpm to minimize
vibration and prop load. A little epoxy, a rebalance, and new prop tape
that
goes ALL the way to the tip will fix the prop.
I learned two things today. 1. Never be in too much of a hurry. Little
things can ruin your whole day. Be methodical about everything regarding
your airplane.
2. I should have put a retainer on the fuel cap to keep it from going
through the prop. I have everything else safety wired to death, but I
overlooked the cap. The new cap will get one first thing.
Hopefully someone out there can learn from my stupidity.
Roger in Ashland, OR >>
Y' know, Roger, I've been flyin since '82 and I don't remember anyone
suggesting a retaining line on a gas cap...I'm sure someone has talked about
it but I must have missed it. Of all the loose STUFF that gets "wired" you'ld
think the gas cap would qualify as the the most OBVIOUS thing that SHOULD be
retained and it never gets talked about or even suggested on the plans. (
built my Firestar in "91"). I think I will run out and put a line on
mine...thanks for bringing it up. Little price to pay for having a plane that
doesn't blow in your face and lets you use a yaw string to prove how good we
are!!
GeoR38
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | TCowan1917(at)aol.com |
In a message dated 10/08/2000 1:59:56 AM Central Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
<< Of
course the cap hit the very tip of my IVO prop, just past the stainless
steel
tape. The leading edge of the last 1/4 inch of the blade was caved in a bit
and the fiberglass was frayed some. I flew it home at 4600 rpm to minimize
vibration and prop load. A little epoxy, a rebalance, and new prop tape
that
goes ALL the way to the tip will fix the prop. >>
Dont feel too bad, you ought to see what a spark plug will do to a three
bladed wooden prop when it is left on top of an engine. Been there, done
that. An old pro told me the prop was ready to start on fire from the fibers
rubbing together anyway. He said he doubted it would last long and would
give up at the worse time. Some times things happen for the best. Ted
Cowan. p.s. got the prop hanging up on the outside of my hanger as a
reminder. Never set anything down on your wings or on top of your engine
while you work. You WILL leave it there.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "INFO" <info(at)aircrafttechsupport.com> |
Bill Vincent wrote:
"I just put 170 hours on a used Kolb Firestar II. When I first bought
it, the plane would always turn to the right. I was going to put a trim
tab on an aileron; then I noticed the left aileron was filled with
water. I drilled some 1/16" weep holes and cured the problem.
I hope this information will be helpful to someone.
If anyone else has had this problem, how did you solve it??
Bill Vincent"
We recommend drain holes in the wings and all control surfaces (including
the rudder and flaps) and in two places in the bottom of the fuselage (in
both a ground and a flight attitude) for not only "draining", but air
circulation. This will help prevent corrosion. Refer to the Poly-Fiber
manual for choosing the locations for the holes.
Jim & Dondi Miller
Aircraft Technical Support, Inc.
Poly-Fiber & Ceconite Distributors
(Toll Free) (877) 877-3334
Web Site: www.poly-fiber.com
www.aircrafttechsupport.com
E-mail: info(at)aircrafttechsupport.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | ul15rhb(at)juno.com |
Bill and others,
One good way to trim a slight roll tendency is to get a new undrilled
universal joint fitting and offset the hole that goes into the cage wing
attachment bolt. This will raise or lower the rear wing attachment on
that wing depending which way it wants to roll. Remember the joint will
rotate with the wings in the folded position, so figure its new position
with the wings unfolded and drill accordingly.
If it rolls to the left, make the left TE wing come down or make the
right TE wing come up.
A roll the right, make the right TE wing come down or make the left TE
come up.
Ralph Burlingame
Original FireStar
writes:
>
>
> Bill Vincent wrote:
> "I just put 170 hours on a used Kolb Firestar II. When I first
> bought
> it, the plane would always turn to the right. I was going to put a
> trim
> tab on an aileron; then I noticed the left aileron was filled with
> water. I drilled some 1/16" weep holes and cured the problem.
>
> I hope this information will be helpful to someone.
>
> If anyone else has had this problem, how did you solve it??
>
> Bill Vincent"
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 12 Msgs - 10/07/00 |
In a message dated 10/8/00 1:59:56 AM Central Daylight Time,
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com writes:
> Subject: Kolb-List: Water in the aileron
>
I don't have the water problem but I do have some trim probs on my
Mk2....wants to roll to the left when I take my hand off the stick. I've
been told that because the Mk2 is a very light side-by-side config, I could
expect this flying solo. Anybody else's Mk2 or Mk3 have these tendencies and
how did you cure them? Is it possible to adjust roll trim by shortening or
lengthening the aileron pushrods?
Steve
________________________________________________________________________________
User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.02.2022
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 12 Msgs - 10/07/00 |
| From: | Pam & Scott Trask <PTrask(at)diisd.org> |
on 10/8/00 1:58 AM, Kolb-List Digest Server at
kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com wrote:
>
>
> I had a great flight today in dead clear, smooth as glass air. The autumn
> colors are beginning to peak out and I could see the salmon in the Rogue
> River. I was having such a great day that I got lax and made a stupid
> mistake. I landed to refuel, crawled out and dumped in the 2 gal pack tank
> from behind my seat. The weather was getting a little warmer and I was in a
> hurry to get the wind back in my face. I didn't even take off my helmet.
>
> To make a long story short I left my fuel cap lying on top of the tank. I
> taxied about fifty yards before it went through the prop and shot off into
> the grass along the taxiway. I uttered a few expletives at my stupidity as I
> shut down and surveyed the damage. The fuel cap had a chunk out of it and
> will have to be replaced, but tightened down enough to get me home. Of
> course the cap hit the very tip of my IVO prop, just past the stainless steel
> tape. The leading edge of the last 1/4 inch of the blade was caved in a bit
> and the fiberglass was frayed some. I flew it home at 4600 rpm to minimize
> vibration and prop load. A little epoxy, a rebalance, and new prop tape that
> goes ALL the way to the tip will fix the prop.
>
> I learned two things today. 1. Never be in too much of a hurry. Little
> things can ruin your whole day. Be methodical about everything regarding
> your airplane.
>
> 2. I should have put a retainer on the fuel cap to keep it from going
> through the prop. I have everything else safety wired to death, but I
> overlooked the cap. The new cap will get one first thing.
>
> Hopefully someone out there can learn from my stupidity.
>
> Roger in Ashland, OR
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Don't feel too alone on being forgetful I left a a small wrench on the
trailing edge of my wing . I started it up to check something and the wrench
when through the prop , never did fine that wrench. Another time I left
something on the trailing edge of my wing it ended up in between aileron
and trailing edge of my wing. I taxed for take off checking the controls
like I always do, it didn't have full movement so I stopped and checked and
found it and remove it. I learned from my mistakes, it a few times . When I
work on the engine I always place a rag or towel on trailing edge of the
wing . I also have a a old serving tray on wheels that I place my tools on.
Scott Trask MK3
Iron Mountain, MI
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 12 Msgs - 10/07/00 |
Is it possible to adjust roll trim by shortening or
> lengthening the aileron pushrods?
>
> Steve
Steve:
Nope. That will only change stick position. I favor forced
trim or a trim tab to fly the aileron up on the high wing.
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Mark III Door Hinges |
| From: | Ray L Baker <rbaker2(at)juno.com> |
Fellow Listers,
I have made a pattern of Plexiglas for the windshield (Might save
screwing up the Lexan). I am trying to fit the doors using the 1 1/16th
inch hinges that came with the kit. They appear to me to be too small to
be able to rivet them correctly. The blueprints call for even smaller
3/4th inch hinges and the angle of the windshield shown is different from
any I have been able to achieve.
I took a number of pictures at SNF but unfortunately I do not have and
cannot find any close ups of these hinges. What size hinges have you
used? Are these hinges big enough? I am considering using 2 inch
hinges. Can anyone direct me to some close up pictures that will give me
the necessary detail?
L. Ray Baker
Lake Butler, Fl
Building Mark III, SN M1156--N629RB
________________________________________________________________________________
do I remember in the past someone said Kolb (the old Kolb) got
the aluminum from a place called Dilsworth aeroworks
am I close on this. help please, I have a friend who needs a boom tube
for a rans air rail.
mark
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Panel power jack for hand-helds . . . |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>Another thing about cigar lighters - if you must use them , dont mount them
>horizontally where anything can fall into them. A friend of mine (Europa
>Flyer) was on the way back from Prague (to UK) last year. One of his
>electrical circuits kept blowing (it happened to be the one with all the nav
>equipment - in his case it was the glass cockpit display). In the end he had
>to do without the equipment and fly on the basic instruments.
>
>The cause of the problem - you guessed it - a foreign metallic body in the
>cigar lighter !!!
The interesting thing about this anecdote is the fact that
one kind of failure in the system (shorted power jack for
the cockpit hand-held equipment) precipitated other
failures. In this case, too many devices sharing the
same protected circuit.
Builders in love with acres-o-breakers risk a falling out
when the available panel space and/or budget for breaker
dollars run short. The most conservative philosophy for
system architecture dictates a single protected feeder
for each device in the airplane that needs power from the
system.
Fuse-blocks give you the opportunity to have lots of
spare slots for future growth at first flight. While
it's never wrong to pile up on a single breaker from
a fire-safety perspective, it can be bad news when too
many things go dark at the same time.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Dennis Souder" <flykolb(at)epix.net> |
| Subject: | Ultrastar wings/ Firefly fuselage??? |
Jerry,
US wings and tail will not fit a FF or any other Kolb - not even close. The
wing attach points are much further apart on the US wings than the FF cage.
Wing angle of attack would be all wrong. Tail geometry is much different -
more more lower vert stab area on US than FF.
You could consider rebuilding US cage or starting another from scratch.
Good luck,
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com
[mailto:owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com]On Behalf Of
Flyul01(at)aol.com
Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 2:37 AM
Subject: Kolb-List: Ultrastar wings/ Firefly fuselage???
I'm trying to get into the air as low budget as I can. I posted yesterday
about info on the Ultrastar, thanks to everyone that replyed. I've got a
chance to pick up a crashed Ultrastar, the fuselage and boom tube are toast.
What I'm wondering since the Ultrastar's wings and tailfeathers are in good
shape, will they fit on the Firefly's fuselage. The Kolb company has no idea
if they would fit as they have no info on it.
thanks for any input.
Jerry in SD
________________________________________________________________________________
It's Dillsburg Aeroplane Works. 717 432 4589 in Dillsburg, PA.
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
> do I remember in the past someone said Kolb (the old Kolb) got
> the aluminum from a place called Dilsworth aeroworks
>
> mark
Mark:
Dillsburg. Bill Griffin, on this list just bought some
material from them. I don't have their telephone number
handy right now. If Bill doesn't get back to you or someone
else doesn't in a day or so, I will dig it out. They are
located near Harrisburg, Pa, I think, in the town of
Dillsburg.
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | ZepRep251(at)aol.com |
| Subject: | Re: Water in the aileron |
pumped water into the other one
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | Brocious Family <brocious(at)prodigy.net> |
| Subject: | Wanted: Mark III |
Folks,
Just joined your list and am enjoying the wonderful spirit of sharing
between passionate pilots. I am looking for a Mark III. I am in
Louisville, Ky. If you know of one please pass it along.
Thank you.
Bob Brocious
Tenacity Farm
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | bweber2 <bweber2(at)earthlink.net> |
Which way do you move the aelerons to adjust the pitch trim?
I forgot.
Thanks
--
****************************************************
* Bill Weber * Thunder's just the noise *
* Simi Valley, CA * Lightning does the work *
****************************************************
________________________________________________________________________________
| Subject: | Re: Aeleron trimer |
In a message dated 10/8/00 10:20:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
bweber2(at)earthlink.net writes:
<< Which way do you move the aelerons to adjust the pitch trim?
I forgot. >>
Ailerons up, nose up- ailerons down, nose down.
Howard Shackleford
SC
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | John Hauck <hawk36(at)mindspring.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Aeleron trimer |
> Which way do you move the aelerons to adjust the pitch trim?
> I forgot.
> * Bill Weber
Bill:
Droop them to push the nose down. Reflex to push it up.
john h
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Dave Rains" <rr(at)htg.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Water in the aileron |
I'll bet you can adjust your trim by pumping water from one wing to the
other....
Whatdayathink?
Dave
El Paso
-----Original Message-----
From: ZepRep251(at)aol.com <ZepRep251(at)aol.com>
vincentam(at)bresnanlink.net
Date: Sunday, October 08, 2000 7:52 PM
Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Water in the aileron
>
>pumped water into the other one
>
>
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Batteries - Warning to Gel battery owners servers.net> |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>> Robert: Here's one. I have a Hawker, Odyssey Dry Cell battery. Not wet, not
>> Gel and not RG ? The dealer has had one in his pickup truck starting his
>> V-8 for two years now with no problems. Its the same model as mine and the
>> size of the standard 19 Amp. Powersonic. Whats the scoop on this one. Kri
The Odyssey is an RG battery . . . it's assembled with Hawker's
traditional "extra care" that exemplifies their Genesis and other
RG products. Whether or not it's good value remains to be seen in
the marketplace. I've got a 24 a.h. Genesis in my GMC Saffari van
and I've run them for years in other vehicles. It's a nice product
but not magic . . .
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls(at)aeroelectric.com> |
| Subject: | Re: Icom Batteries again!! |
"Robert L. Nuckolls, III"
>Are there any electronic experts out there??. I want a trickle charger for
>this pack, similar to the one that I use on my Futaba radio for ther Radio
>Control models, does anybody have an idea where I could get one for this
>unit. The output on the pack is 12 volts, 600ma.
Go buy any 12v wall-wart from Radio Shack or other consumer electronics
supplier. Fit with plug to fit your radio. Clip one of the wires in the
connection cord and measure the current flow while plugged into your radio's
charger jack. If over 50-60 milliampers, put resistors in this gap to
lower it to that value. This will give you a duplicate capability for
the 12-14 hour recharge power supplies that have been offered with
ni-cad powered systems for decades.
BTW, you can also have the pack reubilt with Ni-Mh cells at up to
1600 mAh. See:
http://www.batteriesamerica.com/newpage3.htm
Then you need to adjust your wall-wart for 150-175 mA.
Bob . . .
--------------------------------------------
( Knowing about a thing is different than )
( understanding it. One can know a lot )
( and still understand nothing. )
( C.F. Kettering )
--------------------------------------------
http://www.aeroelectric.com
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | b young <byoung(at)brigham.net> |
Kolb-List Digest Server
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 12 Msgs - 10/07/00 |
Are there any electronic experts out there??. I want a
trickle charger for
this pack, similar to the one that I use on my Futaba radio
for their Radio
Control models, does anybody have an idea where I could get
one for this
unit. The output on the pack is 12 volts, 600ma.
Thanks.
TIm
trickle charging a battery is not as hard as it is made out
to be. nicads have a very low internal resistance, so if
you over volt them they will draw large amounts of current
and will over heat and if left too long will explode. ( i
have a friend with holes in his walls and ceiling to prove
the point. ) the easiest way to solve the problem is to put
in a resistor in series with the batteries and source
voltage. the size of the resistor is the big question and
without a lot of fancy test equipment you can still proceed
in this manner with the errors being in the side of
safety. for starters figure that the internal resistance
of the battery pack is 0 (zero) then figure the charge
rate you want to run through the batteries. (usually 1/10
of the rated capacity.) for 600 ma hour batteries use 60 ma
charge rate. using the formula volts/amps=resistance
start the math. say you have a 13.8 volt source divide
that by .06 and you get 230 ohms. now to find out what watt
rating of resistor to use the following formula helps.
watts = volt x amps 13.8volts X .06amps gives you .828
watts now anything over a 1 watt resistor should not over
heat and burn up. i would probably use at least 1.5 watt
resistor or larger for a bit more safety. now remember
that we assumed the nicads had a resistance of 0
when in fact their internal resistance is greater than
that. so the total resistance of the circuit will be
greater than the 230 ohms of the resistor. and thus the
current will be less than the .06 we figured for. thus we
have erred on the side of safety. now for the charge
time. you have to put into the batteries 1.4 times their
rated power in order to charge them so by charging at
1/10 th the amphour rating you have to charge for 14
hours. some batteries will take a charge rate of 1/5 th
the amphour rating in which case you would charge for 7
hours. at 1/5 the amphour charge rate the nicads will
over heat after the 7 hours and this will shorten their life
span. at 1/10 th the amphour charge rate, you can normaly
leave the charge on for much longer times with no damage.
after getting the battery fully charged you can further
reduce the charge rate by increasing the value of the
resistor by two times, and maintain the battery at full
charge by leaving the charger on with no time limits.
any questions boyd
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | b young <byoung(at)brigham.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 12 Msgs - 10/07/00 |
Is it possible to use a cb antenna with an aircraft
transciever? What is the
difference? I used a cb radio to communicate with the other
guys in my patch
while I was flying off the first hours in my Mk2. Now I
have a Narco Nav/com
and I was curious if I might be able to still use my
original antenna setup
with the nav/com. Thanks to anybody that has useful input.
Steve
yes it is possible to use the cb antenna with your new narco
nav/com------- if you want to buy another new nav/com in the
near future. or at least get it repaired after you burn
out the finals. a proper antenna is probably a lot
cheaper, especialy if you build your own. check the web
sight www.brigham.net/~byoung and scroll to
the bottom of the page and click on the( $5.00 antenna link
) if you dont have an antenna analizer or swr meter check
out the arrl.org web page and find a ham radio club
near you. someone will be more than happy to help you.
boyd
________________________________________________________________________________
| From: | "Larry Bourne" <larrybiglar(at)earthlink.net> |
| Subject: | Re: Kolb-List Digest: 12 Msgs - 10/07/00 |
Holy Smokes, Boyd ! ! ! I thought you were a plumber.
Astonished Lar.
P.S. The way you explained that, I think even I could follow it and make it
work. Lar.
----- Original Message -----
From: "b young" <byoung(at)brigham.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2000 8:42 PM
Subject: Kolb-List: Re: Kolb-List Digest: 12 Msgs - 10/07/00
>
>
> Are there any electronic experts out there??. I want a
> trickle charger for
> this pack, similar to the one that I use on my Futaba radio
> for their Radio
> Control models, does anybody have an idea where I could get
> one for this
> unit. The output on the pack is 12 volts, 600ma.
>
> Thanks.
>
> TIm
>
> trickle charging a battery is not as hard as it is made out
> to be. nicads have a very low internal resistance, so if
> you over volt them they will draw large amounts of current
> and will over heat and if left too long will explode. ( i
> have a friend with holes in his walls and ceiling to prove
> the point. ) the easiest way to solve the problem is to put
> in a resistor in series with the batteries and source
> voltage. the size of the resistor is the big question and
> without a lot of fancy test equipment you can still proceed
September 24, 2000 - October 09, 2000
Kolb-Archive.digest.vol-cj