Kolb-Archive.digest.vol-em

September 10, 2003 - September 30, 2003



      
      
      Greetings!
      
      I recently purchased a Kolb Firestar I with a 377 Rotax and BRS system.  My aviation
      background is 150 hours of Powered Parachute flying with a Basic Flight
      Instructor license, 40 hours of ground school for private pilot license, and 15
      hours in a Cessna 172.  I bought the Firestar because I wanted a safe ultralight
      that was relatively easy to fly.  All my research pointed me to the Firestar.
      
      Initially I was very confident in being able to transition to the Firestar.  I've
      spent a few hours practicing high speed taxi runs and ground maneuvering while
      waiting for an evening with little wind.  I've read everything I can about
      the Kolb, including the owners manual.  I fully understand that you fly the Firestar
      to the ground without flare at about 40 mph and maintain your airspeed
      while inflight at about 45-50 mph. As I said, I felt very confident with my ability
      and other GA instructors and pilots tell me I'd have no problem.  However,
      the previous owner talks about the Firestar as if it were a "widow maker"
      and insisting I receive several hours of dual instruction in a Kolb, (something
      I have not been able to find around SW Wisconsin).  While getting as much experience
      is always best, at some point I feel that you have to get the Firestar
      off the ground to advance the flying technique of a particular aircraft.  Any
      comments?
      
      
      
________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 10, 2003
From: tony webster <caw(at)nctc.com>
Subject: Re: New Kolb Owner
just use a little common sense be careful and go for it you can do it with the experience you have should be no problem J.L.Turner wrote: > > Greetings! > > I recently purchased a Kolb Firestar I with a 377 Rotax and BRS system. My aviation background is 150 hours of Powered Parachute flying with a Basic Flight Instructor license, 40 hours of ground school for private pilot license, and 15 hours in a Cessna 172. I bought the Firestar because I wanted a safe ultralight that was relatively easy to fly. All my research pointed me to the Firestar. > > Initially I was very confident in being able to transition to the Firestar. I've spent a few hours practicing high speed taxi runs and ground maneuvering while waiting for an evening with little wind. I've read everything I can about the Kolb, including the owners manual. I fully understand that you fly the Firestar to the ground without flare at about 40 mph and maintain your airspeed while inflight at about 45-50 mph. As I said, I felt very confident with my ability and other GA instructors and pilots tell me I'd have no problem. However, the previous owner talks about the Firestar as if it were a "widow maker" and insisting I receive several hours of dual instruction in a Kolb, (something I have not been able to find around SW Wisconsin). While getting as much experience is always best, at some point I feel that you have to get the Firestar off the ground to advance the flying technique of a particular aircraft. Any comments? > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 10, 2003
From: tony webster <caw(at)nctc.com>
Subject: Re: Fly-in!!
it doesn't say when the fly-in is info wrote: > > We'll be there doing a fabric "hands-on" this year, > > Looking forward to seeing everyone!! > > Jim & Dondi Miller > Aircraft Technical Support, Inc. > Poly-Fiber & Ceconite Distributors > (Toll Free) (877) 877-3334 > Web Site: www.poly-fiber.com > E-mail: info(at)aircrafttechsupport.com > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: DAquaNut(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 10, 2003
Subject: Re: Fly-in!!
In a message dated 9/10/03 9:16:48 AM Central Standard Time, caw(at)nctc.com writes: << it doesn't say when the fly-in is >> Sept 27 &28 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "ron wehba" <rwehba(at)wtxs.net>
Subject: Re: New Kolb Owner
Date: Sep 10, 2003
just be sure and not flare it too high I fly my ultrastar right to about 1-2 feet above ground and chop the power and pull back on the stick slow, and it just sits down and almost stops right there! ----- Original Message ----- From: "tony webster" <caw(at)nctc.com> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: New Kolb Owner > > just use a little common sense be careful and go for it you can do it with the experience you have should be no problem > > J.L.Turner wrote: > > > > > Greetings! > > > > I recently purchased a Kolb Firestar I with a 377 Rotax and BRS system. My aviation background is 150 hours of Powered Parachute flying with a Basic Flight Instructor license, 40 hours of ground school for private pilot license, and 15 hours in a Cessna 172. I bought the Firestar because I wanted a safe ultralight that was relatively easy to fly. All my research pointed me to the Firestar. > > > > Initially I was very confident in being able to transition to the Firestar. I've spent a few hours practicing high speed taxi runs and ground maneuvering while waiting for an evening with little wind. I've read everything I can about the Kolb, including the owners manual. I fully understand that you fly the Firestar to the ground without flare at about 40 mph and maintain your airspeed while inflight at about 45-50 mph. As I said, I felt very confident with my ability and other GA instructors and pilots tell me I'd have no problem. However, the previous owner talks about the Firestar as if it were a "widow maker" and insisting I receive several hours of dual instruction in a Kolb, (something I have not been able to find around SW Wisconsin). While getting as much experience is always best, at some point I feel that you have to get the Firestar off the ground to advance the flying technique of a particular aircraft. Any comments? > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 10, 2003
From: Ben Ransom <bwr000(at)yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: New Kolb Owner
The Firestar is a very nicely mannered ultralight; it has no bad habits. I would recommend (strongly) that you take a lesson in any other dual ultralight. I assume the Powered Parachute flies and handles quite differently, and the C-172 is too fast and heavy to give you the cues needed in the Firestar. Getting just one lesson in a light wing-loading airplane (any ultralight trainer) would be $50 well spent IMO. Lots of things are easy once you know how to do them. -Ben Ransom Firestar KXP --- "J.L.Turner" wrote: > > Greetings! > > I recently purchased a Kolb Firestar I with a 377 Rotax and BRS > system. My aviation background is 150 hours of Powered Parachute > flying with a Basic Flight Instructor license, 40 hours of ground > school for private pilot license, and 15 hours in a Cessna 172. I > bought the Firestar because I wanted a safe ultralight that was > relatively easy to fly. All my research pointed me to the Firestar. > > Initially I was very confident in being able to transition to the > Firestar. I've spent a few hours practicing high speed taxi runs and > ground maneuvering while waiting for an evening with little wind. > I've read everything I can about the Kolb, including the owners > manual. I fully understand that you fly the Firestar to the ground > without flare at about 40 mph and maintain your airspeed while > inflight at about 45-50 mph. As I said, I felt very confident with my > ability and other GA instructors and pilots tell me I'd have no > problem. However, the previous owner talks about the Firestar as if > it were a "widow maker" and insisting I receive several hours of dual > instruction in a Kolb, (something I have not been able to find around > SW Wisconsin). While getting as much experience is always best, at > some point I feel that you have to get the Firestar off the ground to > advance the flying technique of a particular aircraft. Any comments? > > > > > > > > ===== http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~ransom __________________________________ http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" <NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net>
Subject: Re: New Kolb Owner
Date: Sep 10, 2003
I have never flown a Firestar but the whole line of Kolb aircraft are VERY safe. They all share one small characteristic (along with most ultra lights) that can bite you. They slow down in a heart beat when you flare for landing. The people that get bit the hardest are GA folks that are used to big heavy airplanes (yes even 172s) that are used to starting there flares 50 ft up. The recommended technique is to carry a small amount of power ( 25% or what ever gives you the descent rate you are used to) all the way in for landing. When you are inches above the ground, cut the power and the airplane will automatically pitch up and flare for landing. As you get used to the airplane you will want to land with less and less power so that you will know how the plane lands if you lose your engine. Also don't use much flaps at first. The issue is with little or no power and full flaps is your angle of decent is very high close to 45 degrees in some models. When you get close to the ground your instincts for self preservation tell you to flare and (as a new Kolb pilot) you WILL flare too high and bend that new bird. With this said these Kolbs are STOL airplanes and they can safely get in and out of real short strips like no others, that's why we bought them. My $.02 worth Rick Neilsen Redrive VW powered MKIIIc ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net> Subject: Kolb-List: New Kolb Owner > > Greetings! > > I recently purchased a Kolb Firestar I with a 377 Rotax and BRS system. My aviation background is 150 hours of Powered Parachute flying with a Basic Flight Instructor license, 40 hours of ground school for private pilot license, and 15 hours in a Cessna 172. I bought the Firestar because I wanted a safe ultralight that was relatively easy to fly. All my research pointed me to the Firestar. > > Initially I was very confident in being able to transition to the Firestar. I've spent a few hours practicing high speed taxi runs and ground maneuvering while waiting for an evening with little wind. I've read everything I can about the Kolb, including the owners manual. I fully understand that you fly the Firestar to the ground without flare at about 40 mph and maintain your airspeed while inflight at about 45-50 mph. As I said, I felt very confident with my ability and other GA instructors and pilots tell me I'd have no problem. However, the previous owner talks about the Firestar as if it were a "widow maker" and insisting I receive several hours of dual instruction in a Kolb, (something I have not been able to find around SW Wisconsin). While getting as much experience is always best, at some point I feel that you have to get the Firestar off the ground to advance the flying technique of a particular aircraft. Any comments? > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: GeoR38(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 10, 2003
Subject: Re: New Kolb Owner
In a message dated 09/10/2003 1:10:54 PM Eastern Daylight Time, rwehba(at)wtxs.net writes: > > just be sure and not flare it too high I fly my ultrastar right to about 1-2 > feet above ground and chop the power and pull back on the stick slow, and it > just sits down and almost stops right there! and depending on how heavy YOU are will determine if 40 mph approach is slightly too slow...sure hate to see you bend the landing gear on the first try...try bringing it to 1-2 feet at 45 and I guarantee you'll be safe...the Kolb mushes a lot before stall and you want to make sure you are above the speed of mushness when you are more than 2 feet above the runway........geez, can't believe I said that. If the Kolb has a control secret, it is the silent mush at some 40ish speed based on your weight....almost like high blood pressure...doesn't hurt til it is too late. George Randolph KX Firestar driver from Akron...er...Fla, The Villages > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "tony webster" <caw(at)nctc.com> > To: > Subject: Re: Kolb-List: New Kolb Owner > > > > > >just use a little common sense be careful and go for it you can do it with > the experience you have should be no problem > > > >J.L.Turner wrote: > > > >> > >>Greetings! > >> > >>I recently purchased a Kolb Firestar I with a 377 Rotax and BRS system. > My aviation background is 150 hours of Powered Parachute flying with a Basic > Flight Instructor license, 40 hours of ground school for private pilot > license, and 15 hours in a Cessna 172. I bought the Firestar because I > wanted a safe ultralight that was relatively easy to fly. All my research > pointed me to the Firestar. > >> > >>Initially I was very confident in being able to transition to the > Firestar. I've spent a few hours practicing high speed taxi runs and ground > maneuvering while waiting for an evening with little wind. I've read > everything I can about the Kolb, including the owners manual. I fully > understand that you fly the Firestar to the ground without flare at about 40 > mph and maintain your airspeed while inflight at about 45-50 mph. As I said, > I felt very confident with my ability and other GA instructors and pilots > tell me I'd have no problem. However, the previous owner talks about the > Firestar as if it were a "widow maker" and insisting I receive several hours > of dual instruction in a Kolb, (something I have not been able to find > around SW Wisconsin). While getting as much experience is always best, at > some point I feel that you have to get the Firestar off the ground to > advance the flying technique of a particular aircraft. Any comments? > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" <NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net>
Subject: Photo and New Kolb flyin
Date: Sep 10, 2003
I just noticed on the back cover of Experimenter (September 2003) is a arial photo of Oshkosh. In the middle right in the camping area is my red VW powered MKIIIc and John Hauck's Miss P"fer. The photo was taken after John Williamson and Scott Trask departed. I'm considering fly my MKIIIc to the Kolb flyin. I see maybe one other from the north may be going that way. Its too early to say that I will be flying right now but? Rick Neilsen VW powered MKIIIc ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: Firestar Newbie
Date: Sep 10, 2003
I posted a question this morning and I'm overwhelmed by what a great bunch of Kolb flyers you all are! Your input and insights are very beneficial and I appreciate all your comments. From our little neck of the woods here in SW Wisconsin, our local GA pilots must think they fly F-14's or something very special, because they snub ultralights & powered parachutes any chance they can. How refreshing it is to be accepted into the "Kolb family" by you veterans. I know I made the right choice in purchasing my Firestar! ________________________________________________________________________________
From: ghaley(at)wt.net
Subject: Kolb Fly-In
Date: Sep 10, 2003
I will be flying in on Friday Sept 26th and camping with my airplane. First time. Gary Haley, Houston, TX Kolb Mark III/912 ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 10, 2003
From: Roger Peterson <roger@pmmi-inc.com>
Subject: TwinStar
Is the only difference between the twinstar and the Firestar II the cage? -- Roger Peterson 206 County Road 375 Sweeny, Texas 77480 Phone:979-647-4946 Cell: 979-487-8356 Fax: 979-647-1158 E-Mail: roger@pmmi-inc.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 10, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: New Kolb Owner
If you stall it all crossed up, it will, like every other genuine airplane, spin. If that makes it a widow maker, so be it. Aside from that, ???? Sounds like the previous owner needed a different hobby. When you land it, plan for it to slow down ten times faster than the Skyhawk when you chop the throttle, plan accordingly. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > >Greetings! > >I recently purchased a Kolb Firestar I with a 377 Rotax and BRS >system. My aviation background is 150 hours of Powered Parachute flying >with a Basic Flight Instructor license, 40 hours of ground school for >private pilot license, and 15 hours in a Cessna 172. I bought the >Firestar because I wanted a safe ultralight that was relatively easy to >fly. All my research pointed me to the Firestar. > >Initially I was very confident in being able to transition to the >Firestar. I've spent a few hours practicing high speed taxi runs and >ground maneuvering while waiting for an evening with little wind. I've >read everything I can about the Kolb, including the owners manual. I >fully understand that you fly the Firestar to the ground without flare at >about 40 mph and maintain your airspeed while inflight at about 45-50 mph. >As I said, I felt very confident with my ability and other GA instructors >and pilots tell me I'd have no problem. However, the previous owner talks >about the Firestar as if it were a "widow maker" and insisting I receive >several hours of dual instruction in a Kolb, (something I have not been >able to find around SW Wisconsin). While getting as much experience is >always best, at some point I feel that you have to get the Firestar off >the ground to advance the flying technique of a particular aircraft. Any >comments? > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "bryan green" <lgreen1(at)sc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: New Kolb Owner
Date: Sep 10, 2003
JL I had 10 hrs. of dual in a Cessna 150 many years ago then the first of this year I took flight training in a Challenger II from a BFI (USUA) 7.5 hrs. About 2 months ago I bought a Firestar I with a 377 and BRS. I spent about 2 hrs. at the airport ground handling and high speed taxi with crow hops then the next day with my instructor present I flew the plane and now have 9 hrs. logged on it and it flies great. If your a heavy pilot as am I hold back stick and apply the power smoothly to prevent scooting down the runway on your nose ( don't ask how I know this) and don't go to sleep on the rudder. I'm sure some of the more experienced pilots on the list can add to this and I hope it helps. Fly safe and have fun. Bryan Green (Elgin SC) ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net> Subject: Kolb-List: New Kolb Owner > > Greetings! > > I recently purchased a Kolb Firestar I with a 377 Rotax and BRS system. My aviation background is 150 hours of Powered Parachute flying with a Basic Flight Instructor license, 40 hours of ground school for private pilot license, and 15 hours in a Cessna 172. I bought the Firestar because I wanted a safe ultralight that was relatively easy to fly. All my research pointed me to the Firestar. > > Initially I was very confident in being able to transition to the Firestar. I've spent a few hours practicing high speed taxi runs and ground maneuvering while waiting for an evening with little wind. I've read everything I can about the Kolb, including the owners manual. I fully understand that you fly the Firestar to the ground without flare at about 40 mph and maintain your airspeed while inflight at about 45-50 mph. As I said, I felt very confident with my ability and other GA instructors and pilots tell me I'd have no problem. However, the previous owner talks about the Firestar as if it were a "widow maker" and insisting I receive several hours of dual instruction in a Kolb, (something I have not been able to find around SW Wisconsin). While getting as much experience is always best, at some point I feel that you have to get the Firestar off the ground to advance the flying technique of a particular aircraft. Any comments? > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Duncan McBride" <duncanmcbride(at)comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Kolb fly-in
Date: Sep 10, 2003
Hey, I'm going to see if I can get up there from Ft. Myers, Florida. I just converted the 637 nautical miles to statute and I think it will take two days, even with good weather. Thing is, I was already planning a trip up to meet some friends and go camping on Sunday - landing at Murphy-Andrews 100+ miles south, so if I can get away a day early, like Friday, and the weather cooperates, I'll fly in Saturday and camp at the field. This is exciting. I bought my first Atlanta sectional, and now it looks like I need Cincinatti. Oboy. I drew a straight line but it goes over some impressive (to this Florida boy) mountains. Any wisdom out there? I generally like to have a landing spot in mind as I tootle along, goes back to my hang gliding days. Should I take the long way around, or climb up and over? Also, if I break up the trip I'll need a place to overnight Friday in North Central Georgia. If anyone has any suggestions for a place to camp or a nice airport/hotel combination, I'd be grateful for the advice. Hope to see everybody at 3KY2. Duncan McBride Mark III 319DM, 912 ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Hauck" <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Kolb fly-in > > Steven/All: > > We may see you along the route somewhere. > > Keep your eyes open for a gaggle of Kolbs coming from the > west, the a gaggle of Kolbs coming from the east. That'll > probably be us. > > john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 10, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb fly-in
Duncan McBride wrote: > I drew a straight line but it goes over some impressive (to this Florida > boy) mountains. Any wisdom out there? If > anyone has any suggestions for a place to camp or a nice airport/hotel > combination, I'd be grateful for the advice. Duncan/All: The straight line method is my preferred method since flying with the 912's. After flying over the Sierra Nevada's at 14,500 feet with my 912S, I don't think you would have any problem doing the eastern mountains. As far as RON goes, I sleep on the field where ever that might be when the flying day is done. Be looking for you at the Kolb Flyin. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: Kit on order
Date: Sep 10, 2003
WElcome DL to the Kolb List....As you are building that bird..you will soon find that this list will help you with questions more than any other resource you can lay your hands on..This group represents more Kolb expierience than you can imagine...and its right at your fingertips...day or nite! Good luck and happy building! http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm Don Gherardini- FireFly 098 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: MKII Twinstar legs
Date: Sep 10, 2003
Charlie... I had this problem with the axle/leg fittings supplied on my FireFly...1st taxi test it was a real rabbit chaser...lucky I didnt pile it up. Here is how I solved the problem. I loaded the seat with 225 lbs....then rolled the aircraft back and forth a bit to settle the legs into the approxamate "squat" that would simulate the attitude with me and fuel in it. What I did then was measure the resulting angle of the wheel from vertical....which was very apparant..12 degrees if I remember right....then as I made new fittings..I simply added that amout of angle to what ever the "as supplied " fittings were...worked like champ..and now I can run at 25 to 30 mph with the wheel on the ground and tail high and it tracks true. http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm Don Gherardini- FireFly 098 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Woody" <duesouth(at)govital.net>
Subject: Re: cables in boom tube
Date: Sep 10, 2003
I crossed my cables outside the tube . It was a lot easier. > > I dont know about the extra but on the clasic it seems that the rudder cables go on top of the H and they have to cross inside the tube...the elevator cables go on the bottom of the H. if in doubt pull them tight and see. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: Rotax Part
Date: Sep 10, 2003
Anybody know where I can get a replacement recoil spring for the Rotax 377 on my Firestar. Can't seem to find anything online. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 10, 2003
Subject: Camping
I will be pitching a Tent ... what will the majority be doing ? ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 10, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Rotax Part
J.L.Turner wrote: > Anybody know where I can get a replacement recoil spring > for the Rotax 377 on my Firestar. JL/All: Ya'll correct me if I am wrong, but I think all the recoil starters are the same. A 503 should fit a 377. Cross check part numbers from one of the Rotax web sites. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 10, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Kit on order
> > >Hi all > >I intend to fit a Rotax 582 with a C gearbox 3.47 and Arplast 3 blade prop >though this might change with experience. >For now I will wish you all good flying to the Kolb flyin and dream of the >big day >Derek Lawrence I want an "Arplast 3 blade" when I wear my engine out (about 90 more hours). How much do they "really" cost? I've seen them priced at about $1,400. They really are quite on the trikes. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Airgriff2(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 11, 2003
Subject: Responses to the Fly-In
Wow, we have had 2 days of responses on the list to the question I asked about who was planning to attend the Kolb Fly-In. In that short time, about 22 people have said they will be there. It sounds like there will be a great turn out. I'm sure many others are going to be there also. My wife is waiting for her doctor to schedual surgery for her. Hopefully it isnt around that weekend so I can make the 14 hr drive and attend. To all those driving or flying, Have a safe trip. Bob Grifin ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 11, 2003
From: Bob Bean <slyck(at)frontiernet.net>
Subject: CAVU
It was a morning too good to pass up here in the nasty northeast, new tach working good, a few mods to the cooling system aaaand....no excuses, gotta take advantage of what life has to offer. Just as I attempt to round out from my parking spot, I see my brother coming down the strip - good, someone to pick up the pieces. Arrgh, tailspring wimps out, have to pull it out from the corn. Just happen to have better ones in my bag, change 'em, OK! Good take off- minimum bouncing, circle around a couple times, still has the wing drop thing in a steep turn. My neighbor has a lovely, long, smooth, wide grass strip, very unlike my own, so I make a couple passes on his and make a nice long uneventful landing there. My brother came over with the tools and I tweaked the prop a bit, never experienced LESS rpm in cruise than in static. Also shortened the flap rods a bit. Good take-off but those legs DO need to be longer. The flap adjustment helped the turns, may do a bit more. Also need to do something about that unnerving cough when advancing the throttle from idle on short final. Temp is staying just right, prop pitch is acceptable for now, ASI is definitely off, maybe I'll unplug the static line and see what the gage port gives me. I got the impression I was speeding right along, have to bring along the gps next time. -BB, Mk III , enough excitement for one day. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Harry Wingert" <Geezertwo(at)cox.net>
Subject: Wheel Pants
Date: Sep 11, 2003
Hi All, Am looking for wheel pants for my MKIII. I have 8.00 x 6 tires. I have an aircraft spruce catalog with many choices but would appreciate any input from those of you who have them. Harry Wingert ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 11, 2003
From: "Blackwell, Charlie & Meredith" <wozani(at)optonline.net>
Subject: Transition from C-172
J.L.- I had some time in C-172 and C-150 before getting into a Kolb MKII for 10 hours of lessons. Still had lots to learn. One thing is that adding power on the cessnas will bring your nose up a bit, more noticeable on the 150. Yet on the high thrust line pusher Kolbs, adding power will encourage the nose to drop a little bit, especially when going slow like during a go-around. This can be a bit unexpected even if you mentally know it will happen. So always get ready to pull back as you add power to compensate. While I thought the cessnas had only a little float compared to low-wing pipers, the Kolbs had nothing, zilch, like dropping a soda can if you come in slow (<1.2 stall speed), with power almost out, and only flare a little bit-- it just plops hard. Don't mistake the seating height. Your buns are only inches above the ground compared to the 3 or 4 feet height of a cessna. The first few landings I could have sworn I was going to hit when I was still 3 feet high. Think of skimming the taller weeds before you let out the rest of the throttle. Or wait til you feel the wheels rub. Don't go by the book numbers on stall. Practice and use whatever the ASI gives you to use on the landing. Hopefully it will be close to what you read, meaning the ASI was calibrated. Besides practicing landings at 1,000' to get the feel, I also learned from coming in and buzzing the field at 20' to get a feel for the visuals and strange turbulence off the trees at the local grass strip. Try to keep it at 1.2X mushing speed as you maintain altitude the entire length. For me this meant coming in long final at 50, over the numbers at 40 or 42 mph (30 stall, 35 mushiness) and continuing it at 42 with adding power just a bit, until adding full power at the end of the field, anticipating the nose going down, and climbing out to try it again. Low passes aren't good as a habit because of the danger, but one or two will teach you a lot. Don't forget that it is a taildragger. Your instinct from the tricycle geared planes will be to flare normally, but a normal flare might put your tail down first, not too healthy for the gear. If you have access to a taildragger of any stripe, try an hour or so of landings to get the feel. Also, two strokes take a bit of time to spool up compared to 125hp lycomings. Practice with the lag. Good luck. The Kolb is just a load of fun compared to the commuter car feel of the 4 place trainer fleet. Charlie Blackwell, NJ, MKII, 503dcdi, IVO 3blade, BRS ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Woody" <duesouth(at)govital.net>
Subject: Re: Kit on order
Date: Sep 10, 2003
> Derek > way to go is kinda like "isn't it lovely A?"hahaha! > uncle Craig > Mk III extra > Arizona Damm Yanks. It is spelled "Eh" not "A" and I think it is more a Canadian custom. I don't say "Eh:" much at the Kolb picnics do I ? ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Woody" <duesouth(at)govital.net>
Subject: Re: kid at Christmas
Date: Sep 10, 2003
I will wait until tonight to do a check in of all the parts. Man after all this waiting it seems I'm finally a Kolb owner. On the past 2 Mk 111's I have built my only building goal was to beat Lar into the air. Perhaps you can use the same time table as a goal also. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Peter Volum" <peterv(at)saftron.com>
Subject: Cracks in 912 oil reservoirmounting bracket
Date: Sep 11, 2003
Hello Kolbers. I've been off the list for a while. I hope everybody here is happy and well. I discovered THREE cracks in the brackets that support the oil reservoir (Mk. III Classic / Rotax 912) during preflight a couple of weeks ago. Checked the archives and found mention of this happening only once to somebody else on the list. Maybe I used the wrong key words. I then called Kolb and learned that about 50 brackets of the original design had been replaced in the field for the same reason. (That being the case, I was a surprised not to have received some sort of AD from Kolb). I ordered the redesigned "new and improved" beefier version that mounts to the root tube instead of the engine. It arrived a few days ago - looks to be bullet-proof. Moral: If you have the old style bracket - look at it VERY carefully and frequently. (PS - Is big LAR still building?) Peter Volum Kolb Mk III Miami, FL ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: Ted Cowan <tcowan1917(at)direcway.com>
Subject: slingsho
would someone please share with me the normal flying and landing techniques used for the slingshot opposed to how a Firestar or Firestar II would handle? I mean, the use of the flapperons, landing speed, high on wheels or three point, difference in having passenger, etc.? Would appreciate it. Will be having mine in air someday soon and would love to hear from another slingshot driver on their opinion. Will have a 582. Ted Cowan, Alabama btw, the fella looking for 8 inch wheel pants should maybe go to a challenger web site or dealer and inquire. They regularly use BIG tires. ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: slingsho
Ted Cowan wrote: > would someone please share with me the normal flying and landing techniques > used for the slingshot opposed to how a Firestar or Firestar II would > handle? I mean, the use of the flapperons, landing speed, high on wheels or > three point, difference in having passenger, etc.? Ted/Gang: Sling Shots fly like Kolbs. They are a little more short coupled, so pitch and roll are quicker. Yours will probably stall at 40 to 45. As a newbie SS pilot I would carry extra landing speed. You have plenty room at you airstrip to do that. SS lands well 3 pt or wheel landing. Flaperons change the attitude of the aircraft. During slow flight, with a lot less incidence than the other Kolb models, the SS tends to do an exaggerated squat at slow speeds. Full flaperons will help bring the nose down in a leveler attitude. Main gear are tall, so you land sooner. :-) Fun airplane to fly. They perform well with 582 and 912. I have flown passengers with 582 powered SS. To me it flies better with a passenger, although it degrades performance a little. If you would stay home more often I could have told you the above info in person. Missed you the second time two weeks ago. You probably saw my tracks in the grass. Take care, john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Subject: Photo how long ?
I posted a photo of the Engine cowl I saw a while back . How long does it take to post ??? Dave ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: FirestarII for sale
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Kolbers, Ronnie Smith from SMLA phoned and told me about a FirestarII for sale in Batesville MS. It has 75hrs a 447,strobes.intercom,gps,micro760 radio. Says it is a real dandy. $9500.00 bucks with trailer. Mans name is Shot Bright that's not a typo number is 662-578-1669 pp ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jeremy Casey" <jrcasey(at)ldl.net>
Subject: Pusher engine characteristics...
Date: Sep 12, 2003
When I was flying the old Challenger 2 (God rest her soul) I remember someone told me you work the throttle and the stick opposite to each other...if you push the throttle forward, you have to pull the stick back and vice-versa... Experienced hands do it automatically, guys trying to get experienced without bending their new Kolb's landing gear would do well to remember it... Jeremy Casey jrcasey(at)ldl.net ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Warp 72" Prop
Morning Gang: Been wanting to go back to my 72" Warp Drive, three blade, fast taper, nickel steel leading edge prop, but hesitated to do so because of the start up problem. I've already gone to the 4" prop extension to take care of clearance and noise (best that can be done) and waiting on a new upgrade from Rotax for heavy duty starter and a slip clutch. Just talked to Darrel at Warp. He will send me the new stuff ASAP. Ronnie Smith has the invoice on the new starter and still waiting on the slip clutch. This upgrade is $200 for starter and $400 for the slip clutch. I understand all new 912S's come with the heavy starter and slip clutch, instead of the old standby dogs and cup washers. I liked flying with the 72" prop. Doesn't make the MK III any faster, but will take some load off the engine and give me about 88 mph cruise speed. Where the bigger prop shines is in the take off and climb department. It does good! Getting the MK III ready to fly to Kitty Hawk and London 24 Sep. Not much to do but clean it up, change oil and filter, new spark plugs, and a "cigarette lighter" type 12VDC power receptacle to plug in my new Garmin GPSMAP 196. My other prior GPS's were hard wired directly to the battery. The wires in the new cigar lighter power cable are so fine, I figured rather than modify and wire direct, to put the receptacle in and leave the plug on the end of the wire. Take care, john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: Matt Dralle <dralle(at)matronics.com>
Subject: Re: Photo how long ?
They'll come out tomorrow. I've been tied up with some other things this week. Matt Dralle At 07:59 AM 9/12/2003 Friday, you wrote: > >I posted a photo of the Engine cowl I saw a while back . How long does it >take to post ??? Dave > > Matt G Dralle | Matronics | PO Box 347 | Livermore | CA | 94551 925-606-1001 V | 925-606-6281 F | dralle(at)matronics.com Email http://www.matronics.com/ WWW | Featuring Products For Aircraft ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Warp 72" Prop
Gang: A little more 72" prop stuff. Another reason I decided to go back to the 72" prop was the 3/8" aluminum angle engine mounts were designed for the 72". I have about 1 3/4" clearance between prop tip and tail boom with the 70". Going to the 72" will bring it back to 3/4" clearance which is plenty for me and my airplane. If I stayed with the 70" prop, I would make new alum angle mts to bring the thrust line back down. I am also going to experiment with engine angle of attack. Right now I have the front of the engine raised 5/8". Going to take the 5/8" spacers out and bring it back to the regular setting on the mounts. Previously when I experimented with raising and lowering the engine front end, I could not determine any change in performance or change in flight characteristics. Maybe I will be able to do it this time. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: observations
Bob/All: Don't know if I fully understand the "adverse differential in steeper bank" problem you are having. All I can think of in banking a Kolb, and I have banked them up to what seems 90 deg, but I know it isn't that steep, is the tendency for the nose to drop a little. A little aft stick in the turns is all that is necessary to correct that. In a lot of ways, the Kolb reacts to turns a lot like rotary wing aircraft. A lot of nose down pitch under power can be corrected by raising flaps and ailerons. I have mine flying about level, but on the ground they may appear to be reflexed. It is natural for the air coming over the top of the wing on the Kolbs I have flown to tend to push down on flaps and ailerons. There is enough give in the system to push mine back to about level with the bottom of the wing and bottom of the aileron/flap. Carb problem with 912s and forward mounting carbs are peculiar to the constant velocity/vaccum pot style carbs. These Bings on the 4 stroke Rotax's are designed on the same basis as the old SU carbs that were on the Brit sports cars and my old PV544 Volvo. They read static pressure at two points, 1) lip of carb and 2) float chamber vent. Ram air into the mouth of the carb will tend to disrupt normal static port readings and fool the Bing into thinking it should lean out somewhat at a little lower than my normal cruise of 5,000 rpm. The hoods that came with the hot water carb heat kits I got from Pegasus Trikes seemed to have solved my ram air problem. I also ran the float chamber vent tube into the hood on each carb. Never had any problems with the 912S and ram air, even before the addition of the hoods and hot water carb heat. The 912 was very sensitive to ram air and gave me a fit on the first flight to the Arctic. At that time I did not know what it was causing me and my 912 so much grief during our first flight into cold weather. Take care, john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: GeoR38(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Subject: Re: Transition from C-172
In a message dated 9/11/03 5:10:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time, wozani(at)optonline.net writes: > While I thought the cessnas had only a little float compared to low-wing > pipers, the Kolbs had nothing, zilch, like dropping a soda can if you come in > slow (<1.2 stall speed), with power almost out, and only flare a little > bit-- it just plops hard. > Don't mistake the seating height. Your buns are only inches above the > ground compared to the 3 or 4 feet height of a cessna. The first few landings > I could have sworn I was going to hit when I was still 3 feet high. Think > of skimming the taller weeds before you let out the rest of the throttle. Or > wait til you feel the wheels rub. > Don't go by the book numbers on stall > > This is exactly the major difference between landing a Kolb and GA. The 1.2 > ratio business is GA...not ultralight...ultralight is more like flying > gliders where you are told to land hot...to punch through any ground turbulence > with whatever little momentum you have to carry you through the noncontrollable > times when Mother nature competes with your airplanes stability. Momentum is > mV...or mass times velocity...if you don't have the mass, then you must make > up for it by increasing the velocity. GA is heavy therefore has more > mass...which enables the utilization of the 1.2 formula (1.2 times stall speed... = > approach speed......) that is total garbage for a plane that doesn't weigh > much and should be thrown out of your mind when landing an ultralight!! It is > so clear to me that I actually get fired up when it goes unnoticed by GA folk. > > I apologize for my passion. > Please fly safe > George Randolph > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: GeoR38(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Subject: Re: Kit on order
In a message dated 9/11/03 5:44:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, duesouth(at)govital.net writes: > > > Derek > > way to go is kinda like "isn't it lovely A?"hahaha! > > uncle Craig > > Mk III extra > > Arizona > > Damm Yanks. It is spelled "Eh" not "A" and I think it is more a Canadian > custom. I don't say "Eh:" much at the Kolb picnics do I ? > > I always thought "way to go" was just short for "that is the way to go"...or > ..."good on you" > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "boyd young" <by0ung(at)brigham.net>
Subject: 912 oil tank suppoet
Date: Sep 12, 2003
I discovered THREE cracks in the brackets that support the oil reservoir (Mk. III Classic / Rotax 912) during preflight a couple of weeks ago. Checked the archives and found mention of this happening only once to somebody else on the list. Maybe I used the wrong key words. when i found the crack in mine i welded it and mounted it with rubber isolation mounts... so far it seems ok.... boyd ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: wating.....
Paul Petty wrote: > Thanks Richard. Good idea >>I have a paper cutter that is about 16" X 16" and it will shear .024 >>aluminum sheet very nicely, >>Richard Pike Paul/Richard/Gang: .024" is what Kolb is using for gussets these days. IIRC we used .032". Maybe I am dreaming again. But I haven't been drooling nearly as much. :-) john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: wating.....
John Hauck wrote: > .024" is what Kolb is using for gussets these days. (?) Hey Ya'll: That should have been a question mark behind the sentence above. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: banking
Bob/Gang: Now I know what you are talking about. Kolbs are not stable. That's the way Homer designed them to squeeze every ounce of performance out of them. When you roll into a turn it will keep on rolling unless you do something about it. You'll get used to that. Helicopters do the same thing. You roll into it, then come back to hold the turn and bank where you want it. Kolbs are not rudder airplanes. Just enough to keep them trimmed up a little. You can fly around a full ball out of trim and the Kolb could care less. Many times flew factory Kolbs at S&F and OSH with no slip/skid or yaw string. Just fly and enjoy it. Line it up before you touch down. john h PS: Me either. Don't have anything to put into a bank. :-) ________________________________________________________________________________
From: HShack(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Subject: Re: Responses to the Fly-In
In a message dated 9/11/03 8:18:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Airgriff2(at)aol.com writes: > . In that short time, about 22 > people have said they will be there. It sounds like there will be a great > turn > out. I'm sure many others are going to be there also. > Just wait 'till next year; a strong SC contingent. A long trip for us is 50 miles. Shack FS II SC ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: wating.....
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Paul...I bought a metal-master from grizzly.com, It is a 30 inch shear..Brake and a slip roll. all for 298.00 does a great job, and well worth the money. If you get one a these you will be makin all kinds of neat boxes and panels , dustpans, funnels, ashtrays...not to mention gussets and such from Alum...does just fine on .050 and will shear of brake .063 if you dont try to do 30 inches of it..maybe a 10" or so bite is all it will handle. I can make a funnel out of .020 faster than I can find where I laid my old one down at! Check out Grizzly.com some time when ay get a chance.. http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm Don Gherardini- FireFly 098 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: ps
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Paul....no..they wont make freight damage good....as John says..it is the freight companys responsibility...and that is what Ray will say too! Anytime you recieve a shipment where the container is damaged...before you sign the bill of lading..make SURE you note on it that there is damage to the box..or container..or whatever and do it in front of the driver..so when the frieght companies insurance adjuster come around and tries to beat you out of the claim..you (and he) will have that record of damage at the time of delivery. It might go ok for you...but it can go really bad sometimes too my friend. Just depends on the carrier. http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm Don Gherardini- FireFly 098 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "bryan green" <lgreen1(at)sc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: wating.....
Date: Sep 12, 2003
I bought the same setup from Harbor Freight on sale for $269.00 to make parts for a Lazair I'm rebuilding and it works fine. Haven't tried a funnel yet. Bryan Green Elgin SC Firestar I 377 BRS ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: wating..... > > Paul...I bought a metal-master from grizzly.com, It is a 30 inch > shear..Brake and a slip roll. all for 298.00 does a great job, and well > worth the money. If you get one a these you will be makin all kinds of neat > boxes and panels , dustpans, funnels, ashtrays...not to mention gussets and > such from Alum...does just fine on .050 and will shear of brake .063 if you > dont try to do 30 inches of it..maybe a 10" or so bite is all it will > handle. > I can make a funnel out of .020 faster than I can find where I laid my old > one down at! > > Check out Grizzly.com some time when ay get a chance.. > > > http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm > Don Gherardini- > FireFly 098 > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: Paint Question
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Fellow Kolbers: Since we'll have rain tomorrow, I thought it would be a great time to touch up the hanger rash marks in the red paint on my Firestar. I believe the original paint to be from "Stits Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings". I do have the swatch book and was wondering if this paint is specifically formulated for stits coverings or can I use another oil base or latex paint that matches? Comments? ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: Paint Question
Date: Sep 12, 2003
Turner.... If you have Stits poly-tone on it...then I would say dont try an put anything else on top of it..it is Vinyl paint, and noy much will stick to it well but more vinyl paint....and it touchs up real easy..just get tome MEK thinner...and wipe it till it softens up and gets blurry...then hit it with a brush...or a spray gun...air brush works well...with the Stits polytone of that color. If you dont wipe it with MEK first..then you run the risk of fisheye due to wax..soap...bug poop...or what ever else might have got on there that you cant see. http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm Don Gherardini- FireFly 098 ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 12, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: Paint Question
If it's got Stits on it now, I would stay with Stits. Stits is Stits, and it is not generally compatible with other brands of aircraft dope or anything else. But if you insist, take good notes, drawings N' stuff, and if you ever need to repair it, clean off the bogus stuff real good first, because you don't want to be patching over latex or oil base paint. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > >Fellow Kolbers: > >Since we'll have rain tomorrow, I thought it would be a great time to >touch up the hanger rash marks in the red paint on my Firestar. I believe >the original paint to be from "Stits Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings". I do >have the swatch book and was wondering if this paint is specifically >formulated for stits coverings or can I use another oil base or latex >paint that matches? Comments? > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BICUM(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 13, 2003
Subject: Re: 912 oil tank support CRACKS
Hello List, I was gonna post a message on this. I have a Mark III with a 912. My Mark III was purchased from the Old Kolb. The engine kit came with the oil tank support that mounted on the engine, right in front of the flywheel. Over a two and half year period, experience three cracks in different locations. Repaired first two. Cracks were usually adjacent to welds. Found the third crack during inspection, while getting ready for flight to Kitty Hawk and TNK fly-in. Short on time, called TNK. They are using a bracket that mounts directly to the main tube. Ordered it ($126.00). Had to modify gap seal to allow for new mount. It appears that TNK doesn't use the same gap seal hold down hook as the Old Kolb. The new bracket mounts have to be installed a good ways forward to have clearance on the 1/2" X brace tubing. I got around this by modifying the mount system with 1 x 1 x 1/8" alum angle runners. This allowed me to move the rear clamp back and avoid the cross brace tubing. Worked fine. Took a while to think of it though. I would have make the bracket myself but was running short on time getting ready for the big trip. If you have the old style reservoir bracket that mounts directly to the engine. Inspect it carefully. A good tug back and forth may surprise you. Headed to airport for finishing touches for trip. Hope the Isabel is a non-factor. Thanks, John Bickham St. Francisville, LA Mark III - 912 190 hrs. ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 13, 2003
Subject: Re: Transition from C-172
From: William George <wgeorge(at)mountainmeadowranch.com>
Right on John. Good post. The bad news is that very light/high drag airplanes lose speed quickly. The good news is very light/high drag airplanes lose speed quickly. Where being "hot" in a heavier machine would result in a long float to touchdown, using up valuable runway in the process, the Kolbs will bleed the excess airspeed and have minimal float. That said, the standard 1.3 XC Vso plus half the wind and all of the gust will result in a pretty good cushion. Example: airplane Vso 38 mph, wind 10 mph wind gusting to 15 results in a 59 mph approach. Using the high drag X1.5 Vso results in a speed of 67 mph. Theses indicated speeds are close to cruise in some airplanes. Coming from an airline environment I am fanatical about airspeed control. Though the Kolbs are forgiving in most ways, they can bite if airspeed is not given proper attention, particularly during deceleration. Bill George Kolb Mk-3/Verner1400SVS/Powerfin 68" "F" > From: Kolb-List Digest Server <kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com> > Reply-To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com > Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2003 23:56:25 -0700 > To: Kolb-List Digest List > Subject: Kolb-List Digest: 44 Msgs - 09/12/03 > > > > From: "John Williamson" <kolbrapilot(at)comcast.net> > Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Transition from C-172 > > > Charlie, George R and all, > > To set the record straight, approach speed is calculated at 1.3 times the > stall speed in whatever configuration the aircraft is in. The mass or weight > only determines how fast the stall speed will be or weather you are an > ultralight or a GA pilot. > > Here are a few excerpts from the FAA: > 1. On final approach, the aircraft speed should be no less than 1.3 but no > more than 1.4 times the pre-stall speed. Homebuilt biplanes (high drag) > should use an approach speed of 1.5 times stall speed on landings. > > 2. Ultralights by their very nature are highly susceptible to winds above 15 > mph. All ultralight aircraft test flights should be conducted in light or > no-wind conditions. > > 3. Even more so than America's top fighter pilots, ultralight pilots must > manage airspeed. Due to its small speed range between stall and full power; > high drag and low weight, airspeed should become the single most important > concern of the ultralight pilot. > > Besides approach speed being 1.3 times the stall speed, don't forget to add > half the wind speed and the gust spread if any. These additives stop at > stall plus 20 mph if they exceed that speed. > > Stall plus 20 can be relatively fast and yes I have landed the Kolbra at 70 > mph. Remember we fly indicated airspeed so the ground speed was back at 50 > mph when I touched down. > > Do go by the Book. The book is the one you write after you determine what > the performance numbers are for your Kolb. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "boyd young" <by0ung(at)brigham.net>
Subject: cut gussets
Date: Sep 13, 2003
And on that note, what's the best way for cutting the sheet AL for the rest of the gusset's? I used the big old style of tin snips..... the ones with about 2 1/2 to 3 inch cutting surface and 10 inch handels... very easy to keep a smooth edge and strait cut. boyd ________________________________________________________________________________
From: GeoR38(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 13, 2003
Subject: Re: Transition from C-172
In a message dated 09/12/2003 3:37:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time, kolbrapilot(at)comcast.net writes: > Charlie, George R and all, > > To set the record straight, approach speed is calculated at 1.3 times the > stall speed in whatever configuration the aircraft is in. The mass or weight > only determines how fast the stall speed will be or weather you are an > ultralight or a GA pilot. > > Here are a few excerpts from the FAA: > 1. On final approach, the aircraft speed should be no less than 1.3 but no > more than 1.4 times the pre-stall speed. Homebuilt biplanes (high drag) > should use an approach speed of 1.5 times stall speed on landings. > > 2. Ultralights by their very nature are highly susceptible to winds above 15 > mph. All ultralight aircraft test flights should be conducted in light or > no-wind conditions. > > 3. Even more so than America's top fighter pilots, ultralight pilots must > manage airspeed. Due to its small speed range between stall and full power; > high drag and low weight, airspeed should become the single most important > concern of the ultralight pilot. > > Besides approach speed being 1.3 times the stall speed, don't forget to add > half the wind speed and the gust spread if any. These additives stop at > stall plus 20 mph if they exceed that speed. > > Stall plus 20 can be relatively fast and yes I have landed the Kolbra at 70 > mph. Remember we fly indicated airspeed so the ground speed was back at 50 > mph when I touched down. > > Do go by the Book. The book is the one you write after you determine what > the performance numbers are for your Kolb. > > > John Williamson > Arlington, TX > > Kolb Kolbra, SN: 008, Jabiru 2200, 444 hours > http://home.comcast.net/~kolbrapilot/ > > John and all, I appreciate your solicitation to "go by the book"....shall we do a little book math? I have tested out my plane to stall at 26 IAS....this is not MUSH speed ...but the actual stall break speed when I'm up high, practicing. You know , when a wing usually drops and the nose goes over. 1.3 times 26 = 33.8 or 34 mph appoach speed. Whenever I land my Kolb at 34 or thereabouts, I risk bending a gear Now it is true that I weigh 215 now, so that is no doubt a factor on my skinny little aluminum original legs. As a precaution, I never land less than 40 and sometimes 45 if there is a little gustiness which cranks out to be: 40/ 26 = 1.54....which becomes my minimun ratio for landing...which exceeds your "book" 1.4 maximum So I have concluded that Kolb landings should either be hotter than the book or I am looking at something wrong. please flame away folks George Randolph KX Firestar driver with 7 bent landing gear, since '93...(but none since 99 or landing at 1.54) ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 13, 2003
Subject: [ Dave Comer ] : New Email List Photo Share Available!
From: Email List Photo Shares <pictures(at)matronics.com>
A new Email List Photo Share is available: Poster: Dave Comer Subject: Kolb Engine Cowling http://www.matronics.com/photoshare/BMWBikeCrz@aol.com.09.13.2003/index.html o Main Photo Share Index http://www.matronics.com/photoshare o Submitting a Photo Share If you wish to submit a Photo Share of your own, please include the following information along with your email message and files: 1) Email List or Lists that they are related to: 2) Your Full Name: 3) Your Email Address: 4) One line Subject description: 5) Multi-line, multi-paragraph description of topic: 6) One-line Description of each photo or file: Email the information above and your files and photos to: pictures(at)matronics.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 13, 2003
Subject: [ Paul Petty ] : New Email List Photo Share Available!
From: Email List Photo Shares <pictures(at)matronics.com>
A new Email List Photo Share is available: Poster: Paul Petty <ppetty@c-gate.net> Subject: Reveiving Kit http://www.matronics.com/photoshare/ppetty@c-gate.net.09.13.2003/index.html o Main Photo Share Index http://www.matronics.com/photoshare o Submitting a Photo Share If you wish to submit a Photo Share of your own, please include the following information along with your email message and files: 1) Email List or Lists that they are related to: 2) Your Full Name: 3) Your Email Address: 4) One line Subject description: 5) Multi-line, multi-paragraph description of topic: 6) One-line Description of each photo or file: Email the information above and your files and photos to: pictures(at)matronics.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 13, 2003
From: "Blackwell, Charlie & Meredith" <wozani(at)optonline.net>
Subject: Speed #s
Thanks guys for describing it more clearly than I had it. Having so many opinions on this list is very helpful to fully clarify things. I was just using the 1.2X speed as a personal reference. My ASI does not quite match the GPS numbers I get, seems to vary with speed, but is within 5% most of the time. Good enough to work with for me. I did not remember the FAA had actual recommendations on the flight numbers for final and such, but am glad someone mentioned them. It seems like I came close from practice and my instructor's recommendations. Long final at 50 mph is actually close to 1.6X my stall speed of 30mph indicated. Which is like the homebuilt bi-plane number. Over the numbers at 40/42 is close to 1.3/1.4X stalling speed. This means that I am still roughly 10 feet high over the end of the runway. And then I continue the descent til the wheels rub and cut the throttle back to zero as it touches, which is usually passing 35mph on its way to the 30mph stalling. But by then I am bouncing down the grassy places anyway. My above #s are for single occupancy. Some of you have much tighter runways apparently and the short landing distance is very important to you. Does your technique vary much? I don't think I would get the: over the wires/down the gully/over the lip and uphill landing strip without a lot of practice. The MK II does not have flaps or flaperons, just lots of drag to help things. How does you short strip change the above technique? Charlie MKII, 503 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Duncan McBride" <duncanmcbride(at)comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [ Paul Petty ] : New Email List Photo Share Available!
Date: Sep 13, 2003
I used a piece of the big fiberboard shipping tube for a scrap bin for a year, then I screw it to a base and made a cat tree out of it for my girlfriend's cats. Covered it with brown and green carpet, and cut some branches out of plywood for the little hairballs to sleep on. They like it, they've torn it to shreds. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Email List Photo Shares" <pictures(at)matronics.com> Subject: Kolb-List: [ Paul Petty ] : New Email List Photo Share Available! > > > A new Email List Photo Share is available: > > Poster: Paul Petty <ppetty@c-gate.net> > > > Subject: Reveiving Kit > > http://www.matronics.com/photoshare/ppetty@c-gate.net.09.13.2003/index.html > > > o Main Photo Share Index > > http://www.matronics.com/photoshare > > o Submitting a Photo Share > > If you wish to submit a Photo Share of your own, please include the > following information along with your email message and files: > > 1) Email List or Lists that they are related to: > 2) Your Full Name: > 3) Your Email Address: > 4) One line Subject description: > 5) Multi-line, multi-paragraph description of topic: > 6) One-line Description of each photo or file: > > Email the information above and your files and photos to: > > pictures(at)matronics.com > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 14, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Airport access
> I would think being registered with USUA would meet the requirements of > being FAA registered. > > Richard Pike I haven't looked at Part 103 in a while, but I don't think it mentions a requirement for ultralight vehicle registration. Isn't that a USUA suggestion? Here's what the Part 103 says: 103.7 Certification and registration. (a) Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to certification of aircraft or their parts or equipment, ultralight vehicles and their component parts and equipment are not required to meet the airworthiness certification standards specified for aircraft or to have certificates of airworthiness. (b) Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to airman certification, operators of ultralight vehicles are not required to meet any aeronautical knowledge, age, or experience requirements to operate those vehicles or to have airman or medical certificates. (c) Notwithstanding any other section pertaining to registration and marking of aircraft, ultralight vehicles are not required to be registered or to bear markings of any type. I think it may be para (b) that gets to most GA type folks: UL pilots don't have any requirement for any kind of aviation knowledge or any aviation training of any kind. Unfortunately, most UL pilots do show a lot of aviation skills and knowledge, but there are always the few that do not. Those few are usually the ones that make themselves best known to the "real" aviators. This lack of aviation knowledge and skills is sometimes a carry over from the BFIs and AFIs that have the responsibility to teach. With no system of check rides and standardization, the ultralight training program becomes a closed loop. Therefore, knowledge/skills and lack there of, remain in the closed loop. I watched this cycle for several years at Wetumpka Airport, Alabama. One man, a BFI, then a AFI, did all he possibly could to disrupt normal aviation at this little airport by his oversized ego, lack of aviation expertise (even basic "student pilot" type), refusal to listen to suggestions from many ultralight friendly experienced aviators, and "know it all" attitude. Fortunately, after a couple years he slipped away like a thief in the night, never to show his face in our area again. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 14, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: FARs
Folks: Here's part 103: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfrhtml_00/Title_14/14cfr103_00.html And here are all the FARs: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfrhtml_00/Title_14/14cfrv2_00.html john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: GeoR38(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 14, 2003
Subject: Re: LandingSpeed #s
In a message dated 9/13/03 5:55:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time, rwpike(at)charter.net writes: > > No, I try not to vary my technique any. No matter if I have 500' or 5,000' > or runway, I try to shoot every approach the same - steep, 60 mph and full > flaps at idle power aimed at a point just prior to the runway, (or where I > imagine the runway threshold to be) then start to round out the steep > descent at the threshold, 8 feet up with airspeed approx 50 crossing the > threshold, and plan to touch down at approx 35 after 100-150' of float down > the runway. > Since I only have one technique, I don't have to try and remember any > variations. I have one technique and I practice it consistently. > > Richard Pike > MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > to this I merely say....Hear, hear!!! Change the 60 to 55 and add 45 degree drop after the power and telephone lines which are immediately before the strip....... Sounds almost exactly the way I land my KX...and I don't have an uphill touchdown....but I do take up a lot of runway...about 750Ft George Randolph 'Firestar driver experiencing 7 bent gears, 3 of which have been restraightened to no particular detriment!...but none since using the approach identified above ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Airgriff2(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 14, 2003
Subject: Re: ps receiving kits
Paul, Be careful when receiveing shipments from trucking companies. I think the usuaual procedure is to visually inspect the shipment when it arrives in front of the driver. At least make a note on the shipping papers that it was received in poor condition & possible conceiled damage. They did'nt pick the tubes up from TNK like that most likely? Bob Griffin ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jim Baker" <jlbaker(at)telepath.com>
Date: Sep 14, 2003
Subject: Re: Airport access
> In > fact, we all try to be the shining example of how to handle both > in-flight and ground protocol. My one experience with a bone-headed aviator was a gyrocopter type that, while flying at a public airport, decided it was cool to fly between hangers. Stupidity caught up with him as he caught a blade on one of the sliding door support posts next to the hanger. A foot too low and deader than hell. That's generally what it takes for "God's gift to aviation" types....... J.Baker ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 14, 2003
Subject: I Found Engine Cowl Photos :-)
Hi all I found the photos of the magnificent Fiberglass engine Cowl ...And put them up on photo share ...( did not make it ) just found the photo somewhere ...and put it up ... If any has clues to its origin , let me know ... Dave ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Subject: Re: I Found Engine Cowl Photos :-)
Thank You ! You could sell those u know ... Dave ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 15, 2003
From: Ben Ransom <bwr000(at)yahoo.com>
Subject: back in the saddle
Hi folks, Happy to report that my Firestar KXP is back in the air. :)) 4 years, 4 months since the blow-over accident. Briefly, this ruined one wing and aileron, 20% of 2nd wing and aileron, 20% of each elevator, and bent the cage and lift struts in a few places. After rebuilding structurally, all of the plane was recovered except for the horiz stabs, vert stab and rudder. Modification in this rebuild included shortening the wings by 4.5" each, changing the wing tip shape (top is airfoil, bottom is cupped instead of flat), changed to spring steel tube gear legs, added a little reinforcement to the rear cage longerons, added a little reinforcement to wing ribs, and improved the interior mounting of my BRS -- it no longer is a pregnant bulge out the right side of the aft "cabin". I'm sure all the things I was tempted to change, but decided not to, are at least as important. My first flight this time had a similarity to the first flight of the plane in March 1994: the brakes are worthless. I am using a flaky self-design that somehow my memory preserved as better than they really are. Worse, I had the left side jam (on) this time, so I proceeded thru the rest of the flight testing without using them at all. (First flight in 1994 I disconnected the factory drum brakes.) But anyway, the rest of the flying was uneventful, except to say that my technique is rusty as hell! I banged this thing down pretty good, several times -- just plain embarrassing! I did 15-20 min of static ground running of the engine, then taxi testing, then came back in the evening for 4 runs at barely flying speed down the runway (crow-hops -- always good for fevered debate here, but I'm a believer), then a quick preflight to see if I broke anything from all my bounces before taking off for 2k feet agl. Flying presented no problems. Power off stall at 35 indicated with a little rt wing drop -- no biggy. Flew hands off with maybe a very slight left wing low. Roll stability neutral (i had forgotten about that). Climb performance -- other worldly -- i had not forgotten about that! :) Rebuilding was much more challenging technically and motivationally than the first build, but it feels just as good getting it done this time as the first. More info to come as I hopefully regain some flying skills and iron out the minor details. Many thanks to those of you who helped with advice and inspiration during my rebuild. -Ben ===== http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~ransom __________________________________ http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________________
From: dralle(at)matronics.com (Matt Dralle)
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Subject: New SPAM and Virus Filtering Appliance At Matronics...
Dear Listers, I will be installing a new SPAM and virus blocking appliance this evening or tomorrow. The installation will involve some changes in the Matronics DNS MX records, and will impact how incoming email is handled. While I expect these changes to be transparent to all of the List subscribers, things might go differently... ;-) The Lists get bombarded with tons of SPAM messages and viruses each day and fortunately my custom filters have been extremely effective at filtering most of this from redistribution. Its time to move to the next level of technology, however, and this SPAM and Virus filtering appliance seems like an excellent solution. I will post a follow up message later in the week when things have stabilized and I have some filter statistics to share. Best regards, Matt Dralle Matronics Email List Admin. -- Matt G. Dralle | Matronics | P.O. Box 347 | Livermore | CA | 94551 925-606-1001 Voice | 925-606-6281 FAX | dralle(at)matronics.com Email http://www.matronics.com/ W.W.W. | Featuring Products For Aircraft ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 15, 2003
From: Charles & Meredith Blackwell <wozani(at)optonline.net>
Subject: diabetes question
Ken, I am not familiar with the diabetes rules and how strict they get or how much you need to do to get a waiver. But if you want to do some phone inquiring you can start with the AOPA. They have a good website with some common questions and if you are a member can access their doctors for some direction on rules and waiver requirements. Try AOPA.org. By the way, everyone should atleast consider joining AOPA to help save our right to fly in the face of new regulations and TFRs.... This is from their website: Pilots with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus controlled by diet alone are considered to meet the medical standards and are eligible for medical certification under the revised Part 67 medical standards. Medical documentation as described below is required at the time of the FAA medical examination. The aviation medical examiner may issue a certificate to applicants with this history, if the necessary documentation is provided, and the applicant is found otherwise qualified. Use of oral diabetes medication (or insulin) is disqualifying for medical certification under the regulations. Therefore, applicants using oral medications may not be issued a certificate by the aviation medical examiner. After initial clearance, however, the FAA may authorize the examiner to reissue future certificates at the time of the next scheduled FAA medical examination, if there are no significant adverse changes noted on the follow-up reports. a.. Applicants who are controlling diabetes with oral medications should demonstrate adequate control, stabilization, and no evidence of adverse side effects or complications from medication for at least 60 days. b.. Request in writing to the FAA for Special Issuance under FAR 67.401 (a simple request will be adequate). c.. After the 60 day control period is completed, and within the next 30 days, a glycosolated hemoglobin (HgbA1C) should be done. Normal laboratory values for A1C hemoglobin will range from about 4.0%-7.5%. The FAA allows up to 9%. d.. There should be no evidence of significant medical or surgical complications, including cardiac, peripherovascular, renal, neurological, or ophthalmologic disease. e.. No beta-adrenergic blocking (beta-blockers) antihypertensive agents should be used. These medications can mask the symptoms of hypoglycemia and prevent the pilot from being aware of a low blood sugar (hypoglycemic) condition. However, certain newer oral medications do not pose this risk and may be used with beta-blockers. These medications include: acarbose (Precose) rosiglitazone (Avandia) miglitol (Glyset) pioglitazone (Actos) metformin (Glucophage) nateglinide (Starlix) Minimum requirements for follow up evaluation will vary with the class of medical certificate held. 1st and 2nd Class certificate holders will usually be required to submit follow-up evaluations annually. For 3rd Class, reevaluation will normally be required at the time of the regular FAA medical renewal. Individual cases may require more frequent follow-up evaluations based on history. NOTE: Express mail will usually expedite the delivery The FAA may consider certification, under the Special Issuance provisions of the Federal Aviation Regulations, of individuals with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM). The following restrictions apply: ITDM individuals: a.. may be issued only a third-class medical certificate; b.. may exercise only the privileges of a student, recreational, or private pilot certificate; c.. are prohibited from operating an aircraft as a required crew member on any flight outside the airspace of the United States of America; d.. are required to be in compliance with the monitoring requirements of the protocol outlined below while exercising the privileges of a third-class medical certificate. In order to be considered for aeromedical certification, an individual with ITDM should have been receiving appropriate insulin treatment for at least 6 months prior to submitting a request for medical certification. Consideration will be given to individuals using insulin alone or a combination insulin/oral medication regimen. However, two oral medications, pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) may not be used in combination with insulin therapy. If an insulin pump replaces injections, the FAA then requires an additional 90 days of stability with the pump followed by a current status report and Hgb. A1C. For initial certification: 1.. Applicants must have no otherwise disqualifying conditions, especially significant diabetes-related complications such as arteriosclerotic coronary or cerebral disease, retinal disease, or chronic renal failure, and must have had no recurrent (two or more) hypoglycemic reactions within the past 5 years that: resulted in a loss of consciousness or seizure; required intervention by another party; resulted in impaired cognitive function without warning symptoms. A period of 1 year of demonstrated stability is required following the first episode of hypoglycemia. 2.. In order to provide an adequate basis for an individual medical determination, the applicant seeking special issuance of a medical certificate must submit the following: 1.. Copies of all medical records concerning the individual's diabetes diagnosis and disease history and copies of all hospital records, if admitted for any diabetes-related cause, including accidents and injuries; 2.. Copies of complete records of any incidents or accidents, particularly involving moving vehicles, whether or not the event resulted in injury or property damage, if due in part or totally to diabetes complications; 3.. Results of a complete medical evaluation by an endocrinologist or other diabetes specialist. This report should detail the individual's complete medical history and current medical condition. The report must include a general physical examination and the following: 1.. Two measurements of glycated hemoglobin (total A1 or A1C concentration and the laboratory reference normal range), the first at least 90 days prior to the second measurement; 2.. A detailed report of the individual's insulin dosages (including types) and diet utilized for glucose control; 3.. Appropriate examinations and tests to detect any peripheral neuropathy or circulatory compromise of the extremities and any other tests deemed necessary by the treating specialist or that are clinically indicated; and 4.. Confirmation by an ophthalmologist of the absence of clinically significant eye disease. The eye examination should assess visual acuity, ocular hypertension, and presence of lenticular opacities, if any, and include an examination of the retina for evidence of any diabetic retinopathy or macular edema. Individuals with active retinopathy or vitreous hemorrhages will not be considered until the condition has been confirmed as stabilized by an ophthalmologist. 3.. If the applicant is age 40 or older, a report of a maximal graded exercise stress test, including complete tracings. 4.. The applicant shall submit a statement from his/her treating physician, aviation medical examiner, or other knowledgeable person attesting to the applicant's dexterity and ability to determine blood glucose levels using a recording glucometer. 5.. Verification that the individual has been educated in diabetes and its control and has been thoroughly informed of and understands the monitoring and management procedures for the condition and the actions that should be followed if complications of diabetes, including hypoglycemia, should arise. The examining physician should also verify that the applicant has the ability and willingness to properly monitor and manage his or her diabetes. 6.. The individual must agree to immediately report any adverse medical changes to the FAA. 7.. Applicants shall maintain appropriate medical supplies for glucose management while preparing for flight and while exercising piloting privileges. Such supplies shall include: 1.. a whole blood digital glucose monitor with memory; 2.. supplies needed to obtain blood samples and to measure whole blood glucose; and 3.. an amount of rapidly absorbable glucose, in 10 gram (gm) portions, appropriate for the planned duration of the flight. 8.. All disposable supplies listed above must be within their expiration dates. Preflight: Not more than 1/2 hour before takeoff, the pilot shall establish and document a blood glucose concentration equal to or greater than 100 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dl) but not greater than 300 mg/dl. If the concentration is within 100-300 mg/dl, flight operations may commence. If less than 100 mg/dl, an appropriate glucose snack (at least 10 gm.) must be ingested and a recheck done. If over 300 mg/dl, the flight must be postponed. In flight: One hour into the flight, at subsequent hourly intervals, and within one half hour of landing, the pilot shall monitor the blood glucose concentration. If the concentration is less than 100 mg/dl, a 20 gm snack shall be ingested. If the concentration is between 100-300 mg/dl, no action is required. If the concentration is greater than 300 mg/dl, the pilot must land at the nearest suitable airport and may not resume flight until the glucose concentration can be maintained in the 100-300 mg/dl range. With respect to determining blood glucose determinations in flight, the airman must use good judgment in deciding whether measuring concentrations or operational demands of the flight environment, such as adverse weather, air traffic control concerns, or engine trouble should take priority. In cases where operational considerations take priority, the airman should ingest a 10 gm glucose snack, fly the airplane, and measure blood glucose concentrations one hour later. If measurement is not practicable at that time, the airman must ingest a 20 gm glucose snack and land at the nearest suitable airport until a determination of the blood glucose concentration can be made. For subsequent recertification: Individuals who are granted special issuance of third-class airman medical certificates must: 1.. Submit to a medical evaluation by a specialist every 3 months. This evaluation must include a general physical examination, a review of the interval medical history, and a report of glycated hemoglobin (total A1 or A1C) concentrations and any other tests deemed necessary by the treating specialist or that are clinically indicated. Also, the examining physician must review the record of the airman's daily blood glucose measurements and comment on the results. The evaluation shall also contain an assessment of the individual's continued ability and willingness to monitor and properly manage his or her diabetes and whether the diabetes or its complications could reasonably be expected to adversely affect the airman's ability to safely control an aircraft. 2.. Provide to the FAA, immediately upon request, a report by a specialist or other physician, of any evidence of loss of diabetes control, significant complications, or inability to manage the diabetes. In such a case, the individual shall cease exercising the privileges of his or her airman certificate until again medically cleared by the FAA. Aerospace Medical Certification Division (AAM-300) FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute 6700 South MacArthur Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73169 Phone 800/350-5286 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Larry Bourne" <biglar(at)gogittum.com>
Subject: Re: back in the saddle
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Doesn't seem possible that it's been over 4 years, or anything even close to that. Good for you, Ben. It's good to have ya back. Watch those tie-downs, now.................... :-) Lar. Do not Archive. Larry Bourne Palm Springs, CA Kolb Mk III - Vamoose N78LB www.gogittum.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ben Ransom" <bwr000(at)yahoo.com> Subject: Kolb-List: back in the saddle > > Hi folks, > Happy to report that my Firestar KXP is back in the air. :)) > > 4 years, 4 months since the blow-over accident. Briefly, this ruined > one wing and aileron, 20% of 2nd wing and aileron, 20% of each > elevator, and bent the cage and lift struts in a few places. After > rebuilding structurally, all of the plane was recovered except for the > horiz stabs, vert stab and rudder. Modification in this rebuild > included shortening the wings by 4.5" each, changing the wing tip shape > (top is airfoil, bottom is cupped instead of flat), changed to spring > steel tube gear legs, added a little reinforcement to the rear cage > longerons, added a little reinforcement to wing ribs, and improved the > interior mounting of my BRS -- it no longer is a pregnant bulge out the > right side of the aft "cabin". I'm sure all the things I was tempted > to change, but decided not to, are at least as important. > > My first flight this time had a similarity to the first flight of the > plane in March 1994: the brakes are worthless. I am using a flaky > self-design that somehow my memory preserved as better than they really > are. Worse, I had the left side jam (on) this time, so I proceeded > thru the rest of the flight testing without using them at all. (First > flight in 1994 I disconnected the factory drum brakes.) But anyway, > the rest of the flying was uneventful, except to say that my technique > is rusty as hell! I banged this thing down pretty good, several times > -- just plain embarrassing! I did 15-20 min of static ground running > of the engine, then taxi testing, then came back in the evening for 4 > runs at barely flying speed down the runway (crow-hops -- always good > for fevered debate here, but I'm a believer), then a quick preflight to > see if I broke anything from all my bounces before taking off for 2k > feet agl. Flying presented no problems. Power off stall at 35 > indicated with a little rt wing drop -- no biggy. Flew hands off with > maybe a very slight left wing low. Roll stability neutral (i had > forgotten about that). Climb performance -- other worldly -- i had not > forgotten about that! :) > > Rebuilding was much more challenging technically and motivationally > than the first build, but it feels just as good getting it done this > time as the first. More info to come as I hopefully regain some flying > skills and iron out the minor details. > > Many thanks to those of you who helped with advice and inspiration > during my rebuild. > -Ben > > ===== > http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~ransom > > __________________________________ > http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Gherkins Tim-rp3420 <rp3420(at)motorola.com>
Subject: back in the saddle
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Ben, Way to go!!!!! Good to hear your back! Keep us posted on future flights. Tim -----Original Message----- From: Ben Ransom [mailto:bwr000(at)yahoo.com] Subject: Kolb-List: back in the saddle Hi folks, Happy to report that my Firestar KXP is back in the air. :)) 4 years, 4 months since the blow-over accident. Briefly, this ruined one wing and aileron, 20% of 2nd wing and aileron, 20% of each elevator, and bent the cage and lift struts in a few places. After rebuilding structurally, all of the plane was recovered except for the horiz stabs, vert stab and rudder. Modification in this rebuild included shortening the wings by 4.5" each, changing the wing tip shape (top is airfoil, bottom is cupped instead of flat), changed to spring steel tube gear legs, added a little reinforcement to the rear cage longerons, added a little reinforcement to wing ribs, and improved the interior mounting of my BRS -- it no longer is a pregnant bulge out the right side of the aft "cabin". I'm sure all the things I was tempted to change, but decided not to, are at least as important. My first flight this time had a similarity to the first flight of the plane in March 1994: the brakes are worthless. I am using a flaky self-design that somehow my memory preserved as better than they really are. Worse, I had the left side jam (on) this time, so I proceeded thru the rest of the flight testing without using them at all. (First flight in 1994 I disconnected the factory drum brakes.) But anyway, the rest of the flying was uneventful, except to say that my technique is rusty as hell! I banged this thing down pretty good, several times -- just plain embarrassing! I did 15-20 min of static ground running of the engine, then taxi testing, then came back in the evening for 4 runs at barely flying speed down the runway (crow-hops -- always good for fevered debate here, but I'm a believer), then a quick preflight to see if I broke anything from all my bounces before taking off for 2k feet agl. Flying presented no problems. Power off stall at 35 indicated with a little rt wing drop -- no biggy. Flew hands off with maybe a very slight left wing low. Roll stability neutral (i had forgotten about that). Climb performance -- other worldly -- i had not forgotten about that! :) Rebuilding was much more challenging technically and motivationally than the first build, but it feels just as good getting it done this time as the first. More info to come as I hopefully regain some flying skills and iron out the minor details. Many thanks to those of you who helped with advice and inspiration during my rebuild. -Ben ===== http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~ransom __________________________________ http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 15, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Kitty Hawk/TNK Fly-In
> John, we anxiously await your arrival. > Howard Shackleford Shack/All: And we anxiously await our departure. I think all of us are getting a little antsy for time to fly. I worked on my airplane all day today. Primarily routine maintenance: plugs, points (no......we don't have those anymore), fuel fil, oil and fil, hard wired 12VDC outlet for new Garmin GPSMAP 196 (too sophisticated for a fella that has been using a 55AVD and a 95XL for the last 10 years), and dropped the nose of the engine 5/8" by removing the shims I have been flying with for years. Looking forward to landing at Trenton and meeting up with your fine group of aviators. Take care, john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "bryan green" <lgreen1(at)sc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: back in the saddle
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Congratulations Ben looking forward to hearing more about your modifications and maybe some pics. Bryan Green (Elgin SC) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gherkins Tim-rp3420" <rp3420(at)motorola.com> Subject: RE: Kolb-List: back in the saddle > > Ben, > Way to go!!!!! Good to hear your back! Keep us posted on future flights. > > Tim > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ben Ransom [mailto:bwr000(at)yahoo.com] > To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com > Subject: Kolb-List: back in the saddle > > > Hi folks, > Happy to report that my Firestar KXP is back in the air. :)) > > 4 years, 4 months since the blow-over accident. Briefly, this ruined > one wing and aileron, 20% of 2nd wing and aileron, 20% of each > elevator, and bent the cage and lift struts in a few places. After > rebuilding structurally, all of the plane was recovered except for the > horiz stabs, vert stab and rudder. Modification in this rebuild > included shortening the wings by 4.5" each, changing the wing tip shape > (top is airfoil, bottom is cupped instead of flat), changed to spring > steel tube gear legs, added a little reinforcement to the rear cage > longerons, added a little reinforcement to wing ribs, and improved the > interior mounting of my BRS -- it no longer is a pregnant bulge out the > right side of the aft "cabin". I'm sure all the things I was tempted > to change, but decided not to, are at least as important. > > My first flight this time had a similarity to the first flight of the > plane in March 1994: the brakes are worthless. I am using a flaky > self-design that somehow my memory preserved as better than they really > are. Worse, I had the left side jam (on) this time, so I proceeded > thru the rest of the flight testing without using them at all. (First > flight in 1994 I disconnected the factory drum brakes.) But anyway, > the rest of the flying was uneventful, except to say that my technique > is rusty as hell! I banged this thing down pretty good, several times > -- just plain embarrassing! I did 15-20 min of static ground running > of the engine, then taxi testing, then came back in the evening for 4 > runs at barely flying speed down the runway (crow-hops -- always good > for fevered debate here, but I'm a believer), then a quick preflight to > see if I broke anything from all my bounces before taking off for 2k > feet agl. Flying presented no problems. Power off stall at 35 > indicated with a little rt wing drop -- no biggy. Flew hands off with > maybe a very slight left wing low. Roll stability neutral (i had > forgotten about that). Climb performance -- other worldly -- i had not > forgotten about that! :) > > Rebuilding was much more challenging technically and motivationally > than the first build, but it feels just as good getting it done this > time as the first. More info to come as I hopefully regain some flying > skills and iron out the minor details. > > Many thanks to those of you who helped with advice and inspiration > during my rebuild. > -Ben > > ===== > http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~ransom > > __________________________________ > http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 15, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Kitty Hawk/TNK Fly-In
> You are invited to visit our website at www.trenflyers.com . Click on > "Bulletin Board". > > Howard Shackleford Shack/All: I think your web site url needs a "ton" between tren and flyers. HTTP://www.trentonflyers.com See if this one works better. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: MEMATUZAK(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Subject: UL's and Airport and the FAA
Our county tried to get rid of ULs. We were about to get Jet A fuel. The GAs said that the interface of such fast and slow airplanes would not mix. An airport is about REAL ACs. To top it off we had an UL driver cross the active a few times. Once giving a ride. After a few aborted TOs we the UL drivers really looked bad!!!! This was for about 1 year on and off. Now the elders of our local gov't met to make it so. No ULs on the AP............ RE: 1. Liability issues. 2. Real AC jets were coming to our non controlled AP. They were fast, we were too slow. IE they had $$$$$$, we ,ULs, were a problem. The public meeting started. All talked and it sounded sealed. NO ULs!!! When my time came to speak I deferred to guests I brought to the meeting, 3 retired FFA gentleman and one of their x trainees, now head of funding for public GA APs. It was short and sweet. I read his credits, he introduced himself and music filled the room. " The FAA recognized ULs in P-103 and because this was a public AP, and since public funds were given to maintain it. ULs had a LEGAL right to be there :) And if the fathers of our county decided any different, not only would they forego any future funding, but also would have to REPAY any and all funding recieved in the last 20 years!!!! " YESSSSSSS.!!!! The leaders looked to the county attny. He reviewed the document forwarded to him and said it must be true. That was 12 years ago. Never once since challenged. Hope this helps. Mike (MEMatuzak) in FL. FSII ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 15, 2003
From: tony webster <caw(at)nctc.com>
Subject: Re: UL's and Airport and the FAA
you know you said something about the one idiot that did stupid things well what everyone needs to do is get together and police yourselves GET RIDID of the idiots yourselves and you should have less problems with the city fathers and airport G A jockeys MEMATUZAK(at)aol.com wrote: > > Our county tried to get rid of ULs. We were about to get Jet A fuel. The GAs > said that the interface of such fast and slow airplanes would not mix. An > airport is about REAL ACs. To top it off we had an UL driver cross the active a > few times. Once giving a ride. After a few aborted TOs we the UL drivers really > looked bad!!!! This was for about 1 year on and off. > > Now the elders of our local gov't met to make it so. No ULs on the > AP............ > RE: 1. Liability issues. > 2. Real AC jets were coming to our non controlled AP. They were fast, > we were too slow. IE they had $$$$$$, we ,ULs, were a problem. > > The public meeting started. All talked and it sounded sealed. NO ULs!!! When > my time came to speak I deferred to guests I brought to the meeting, 3 > retired FFA gentleman and one of their x trainees, now head of funding for public > GA APs. > > It was short and sweet. I read his credits, he introduced himself and music > filled the room. > " The FAA recognized ULs in P-103 and because this was a public AP, and since > public funds were given to maintain it. ULs had a LEGAL right to be there :) > And if the fathers of our county decided any different, not only would they > forego any future funding, but also would have to REPAY any and all funding > recieved in the last 20 years!!!! " > > YESSSSSSS.!!!! > > The leaders looked to the county attny. He reviewed the document forwarded to > him and said it must be true. > > That was 12 years ago. Never once since challenged. > > Hope this helps. > Mike (MEMatuzak) in FL. > FSII > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: check in
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Kolbers, Completed the check in of shipment 2 of kit one. Everything is there including three parts not on the list. Was confusing at first because they shipped almost every size tubing from two different vendors. Kaiser al has small hard to read wondering... what are the 1.50" x.250"x 80" pieces used for? Lift struts perhaps? Anyway Very pleased at this point, the freight company said no prob on the claim for 198.00 bucks on the fuselage tube. And the factory will be able to salvage the tube for a shorter application.Getting ready to start building tomorrow if the manual arrives.. pp building King Kolbra #12 "The Screaming Eagle" ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: First Firestar Flight
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Fellow Kolbers: Last week I posted an inquiry regarding whether I needed additional flight training to fly my Firestar 1. Although I had completed my private pilot 40 hours of classroom, 15 hours in a Cessna 172, 150+ hours in a powered parachute, and had my Basic Flight Instructor rating in Powered Parachutes, the previous owner insisted that the Kolb was difficult to fly and that I'd better take additional lessons. This evening I went back to the airport, rolled the Firestar out, and was prepared to once again just practice high speed taxi runs. This got old pretty quick! The 3 mph wind was coming right down runway two niner. So I completed a tax run back to the threshold of two niner, turned the nose around and pointed the nose into the breeze. One more check of my instruments, a scan around me for other aircraft and it was time to roll. Reading about frequent nose overs in Kolbs made me very hesitant, but I built speed up slowly, feeling the tail getting lighter and lighter. A quick glance to the airspeed indicator showed 25 mph and climbing. The Firestar was pointed perfectly straight and I poured the coals to the 377. Once I was certain I was past stall speed, I eased the stick back. WOW! Do these Kolbs climb like a rocket!!! The first inclination is to cut the throttle back. But I knew better and dropped the nose a tad and kept my airspeed at 55 mph. Once I'd gotten to 1000' AGL, I leveled out and eased back on the throttle until I was maintaining 50 mph in level flight. For an hour straight I practiced turns and just got used to the responsive handling of the Kolb. You guys were right.....the Kolb scrubs off speed very fast and I consciously lowered the nose a little while in turns. Finally it was time to test my skills by seeing if I could set the traildragger down for the first time. Landing procedures I'd read on the list flooded through my head. I knew I was supposed to fly it to the ground and keep the speed up. I turned on my final for two niner, lowered the nose, and cut back a little on the power. I passed the runway threshold at about 75' AGL, but I knew I had about 3200' to eat up, if I had to. I kept the airspeed at about 40 mph, flew it to about 3' AGL, slowly cutting back the power, and then did a gentle flare, bringing the Kolb down for a perfect landing. So it was rewarding evening. Everything I'd heard about the Kolb was true....that it's a great little plane. The only thing I found was that I had to keep just a little left rudder into it at all times. Anybody else have this experience? Did you install a trim tab on the rudder? Thanks to all on the list who offered words of encouragement to me. I've enjoyed reading on the posts and hope to join the Kolb Caravan next year! Regards, Jim Turner Viroqua, WI ________________________________________________________________________________
From: GeoR38(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Subject: Re: back in the saddle
In a message dated 09/15/2003 3:44:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, bwr000(at)yahoo.com writes: > I did 15-20 min of static ground running > of the engine, then taxi testing, then came back in the evening for 4 > runs at barely flying speed down the runway (crow-hops -- always good > for fevered debate here, but I'm a believer), then a quick preflight to > see if I broke anything from all my bounces before taking off for 2k > feet agl. Flying presented no problems. Power off stall at 35 > indicated with a little rt wing drop -- no biggy Good for you Ben...Man must fly....geeeez, and I have only flown twice this year because of the "move" to Florida. I personally think that taxiing and crow hops for an experienced pilot like yourself will raise no eyebrows at all, therefore there will be no fever nor debate ..and anyway...I'm a believer in them too. Besides you had to check out your new gear anyway. I was surprised that your stall was so high, though...seems that mine is more like 26...but that is power "on". But I have plans tips too...and length on my 447 KX...Oh but you probably built 7 ribs didn't you...I still have 5. Now you can do a bunch more reef landings on sand bars n stuff. That is something I never forgot as it seemed so great! George Randolph Firestar driver from Akron....er... The Villages, Fla ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 15, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: First Firestar Flight
> Last week I posted an inquiry regarding whether I needed > additional flight training to fly my Firestar 1. > Although I had completed my private pilot 40 hours of > classroom, 15 hours in a Cessna 172, 150+ hours in a > powered parachute, and had my Basic Flight Instructor > rating in Powered Parachutes, the previous owner insisted > that the Kolb was difficult to fly and that I'd better > take additional lessons. > Jim Turner Viroqua, WI Jim/All: Congratulations! Not being rated in powered parachutes, I am not able to see what the relationship is between PP BFI with 150 hrs in one, and flying the Kolb Firestar. Perhaps you can enlighten us rigid wing Kolb fellers. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "boyd young" <by0ung(at)brigham.net>
Subject: UL's and Airport s
Date: Sep 15, 2003
beauford(at)tampabay.rr.com wrote Losing the UL war can come about in several ways... getting thrown off airports because the local airport management/GA community doesn't like UL's is only one way we can lose... supose you and others that are knowledgeable and following the local airport rules go first to the airport management and tell them you can see a problem in the makeing... get their ideas on how to address the problem... and if the idots dont improve there act.... see if there is a way to have only the idots kicked off.... or some type of an exception for those of you that are following the rules.... it seems that by being proactive you may be able to plead your case to those who will listen if you do it before they offer the ultimatium. my .06 worth.... boyd ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: Re: First Firestar Flight
Date: Sep 15, 2003
John: I guess what I was trying to convey is that many aspects of flying powered parachutes crosses over to flying a fixed wing aircraft. Understanding Rotax engines, weather conditions, radio communications, airport patterns, principals of flight, landing & take-off procedures, ground procedures, FAA Part 103, emergency procedures, flying etiquette and much more are all part of flying a PPC properly. Because I followed proper procedures at our airport while flying a PPC, I never had any problems with the GA guys. And by the way, this isn't the backpack type that many people confuse. Just as flying a blimp is different than flying a fixed wing aircraft, I'm certain many parts of the training and experience would carry over. What I was trying to convey to the list is that I had at the very least some prior exposure to aviation. I've seen people jump into a PPC AND ultralights without even an understanding of WHY it flies and how. This wasn't the case with me. I'll be the first to admit that I've got a lot to learn, and I'll continue to do so. But I still insist that I had at least a solid foundation to start with. This included ground school, fixed wing flying, AND powered parachute testing, flying, and certification. Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Hauck" <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: First Firestar Flight > > > > Last week I posted an inquiry regarding whether I needed > > additional flight training to fly my Firestar 1. > > Although I had completed my private pilot 40 hours of > > classroom, 15 hours in a Cessna 172, 150+ hours in a > > powered parachute, and had my Basic Flight Instructor > > rating in Powered Parachutes, the previous owner insisted > > that the Kolb was difficult to fly and that I'd better > > take additional lessons. > > > Jim Turner Viroqua, WI > > Jim/All: > > Congratulations! > > Not being rated in powered parachutes, I am not able to see > what the relationship is between PP BFI with 150 hrs in one, > and flying the Kolb Firestar. > > Perhaps you can enlighten us rigid wing Kolb fellers. > > john h > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 15, 2003
From: Ben Ransom <bwr000(at)yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb technique
Hi George, I guess I'm not quite positive how close the indicated 35mph is to TAS, but, I expect to have raised the speed a tad with the 4.5" cut off each wing. I plan to get the stall speed back down adding vortex generators. Funny thing, the top speed was not as fast as I expected either, and I'm attributing that to being a little flat pitched and using the Powerfin instead of the Warp Drive. I didn't really push too much to find the top WOT level speed yet either tho. Another thing that surprised me Sunday was how easy it was to still hit the tail wheel first on landing. I had thought that with my longer gear legs, that would be tough to do, but no, the rear hit first more than once. I'm thinking now that perhaps this was poor technique, e.g. that I would get close to touching and try to pull it back up by pulling back on the stick instead of adding power. Will experiment in this regard next flight. These Kolbs are so light in pitch control compared to GA that it is easy to pop that tail up or down. (My last flying was in a Grumman Cheetah -- fun excuse for sloppy Kolb driving, eh? :) ) -Ben --- GeoR38(at)aol.com wrote: > > In a message dated 09/15/2003 3:44:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > bwr000(at)yahoo.com writes: > > > I did 15-20 min of static ground running > > of the engine, then taxi testing, then came back in the evening for > 4 > > runs at barely flying speed down the runway (crow-hops -- always > good > > for fevered debate here, but I'm a believer), then a quick > preflight to > > see if I broke anything from all my bounces before taking off for > 2k > > feet agl. Flying presented no problems. Power off stall at 35 > > indicated with a little rt wing drop -- no biggy > > Good for you Ben...Man must fly....geeeez, and I have only flown > twice this > year because of the "move" to Florida. I personally think that > taxiing and crow > hops for an experienced pilot like yourself will raise no eyebrows at > all, > therefore there will be no fever nor debate ..and anyway...I'm a > believer in > them too. Besides you had to check out your new gear anyway. > I was surprised that your stall was so high, though...seems that mine > is more > like 26...but that is power "on". But I have plans tips too...and > length on > my 447 KX...Oh but you probably built 7 ribs didn't you...I still > have 5. > > > Now you can do a bunch more reef landings on sand bars n stuff. That > is > something I never forgot as it seemed so great! > > George Randolph > Firestar driver from Akron....er... The Villages, Fla > > > > > > > > ===== http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~ransom __________________________________ http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: New SPAM and Virus Filtering Appliance At Matronics...
Date: Sep 15, 2003
Matt, My isp uses a spam/virus filter service, Its Postini, (postini.com) and I think is the best thing for computers and internet next to electricity. I have never had a problem with it >I dont know who you are talking to, but if you have problems, you might contact them also. I cant imagine you trying to manage this matronics monster without one! Good luck. http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm Don Gherardini- FireFly 098 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "bryan green" <lgreen1(at)sc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: First Firestar Flight
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Sounds like a great flight Jim the amount of rudder that I have to hold on mine is so little that I do not have a trim tab. I don't have anywhere else to put my big feet anyway, fly safe and have fun. Bryan Green Elgin SC Firestar I 377 BRS ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net> Subject: Kolb-List: First Firestar Flight > > Fellow Kolbers: > > Last week I posted an inquiry regarding whether I needed additional flight training to fly my Firestar 1. Although I had completed my private pilot 40 hours of classroom, 15 hours in a Cessna 172, 150+ hours in a powered parachute, and had my Basic Flight Instructor rating in Powered Parachutes, the previous owner insisted that the Kolb was difficult to fly and that I'd better take additional lessons. > > This evening I went back to the airport, rolled the Firestar out, and was prepared to once again just practice high speed taxi runs. This got old pretty quick! The 3 mph wind was coming right down runway two niner. So I completed a tax run back to the threshold of two niner, turned the nose around and pointed the nose into the breeze. One more check of my instruments, a scan around me for other aircraft and it was time to roll. Reading about frequent nose overs in Kolbs made me very hesitant, but I built speed up slowly, feeling the tail getting lighter and lighter. A quick glance to the airspeed indicator showed 25 mph and climbing. The Firestar was pointed perfectly straight and I poured the coals to the 377. Once I was certain I was past stall speed, I eased the stick back. WOW! Do these Kolbs climb like a rocket!!! The first inclination is to cut the throttle back. But I knew better and dropped the nose a tad and kept my airspeed at 55 mph. Once I'd gotten ! > to 1000' AGL, I leveled out and eased back on the throttle until I was maintaining 50 mph in level flight. For an hour straight I practiced turns and just got used to the responsive handling of the Kolb. You guys were right.....the Kolb scrubs off speed very fast and I consciously lowered the nose a little while in turns. > > Finally it was time to test my skills by seeing if I could set the traildragger down for the first time. Landing procedures I'd read on the list flooded through my head. I knew I was supposed to fly it to the ground and keep the speed up. I turned on my final for two niner, lowered the nose, and cut back a little on the power. I passed the runway threshold at about 75' AGL, but I knew I had about 3200' to eat up, if I had to. I kept the airspeed at about 40 mph, flew it to about 3' AGL, slowly cutting back the power, and then did a gentle flare, bringing the Kolb down for a perfect landing. > > So it was rewarding evening. Everything I'd heard about the Kolb was true....that it's a great little plane. The only thing I found was that I had to keep just a little left rudder into it at all times. Anybody else have this experience? Did you install a trim tab on the rudder? > > Thanks to all on the list who offered words of encouragement to me. I've enjoyed reading on the posts and hope to join the Kolb Caravan next year! > > Regards, > > Jim Turner > Viroqua, WI > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "James, Ken" <KDJames(at)berkscareer.com>
Subject: Possible used Kolb purchase
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Ok guy's gear up the e-mails, while I'm building a MKIII, I have been wanting to still fly. Anyway I found a Used 1983 Factory building Kolb Ultrastar for sale in my back yard. It has 150 hr Cuyuna 430 35Hp two blade wooden prop. Trailer and chute basic EGT and Alt, new rubber and a 5 Gals tank. $4500 _ I going to have the local API who fly's a UL Drift look it over for airworthiness First Question.Does anyone out there have comments of how this ship fly's? Second. How about the engine anycomment there? Third. My weight is 215 wet ( I'll get commment on that from my wife :-) ) Any thoughts Thanks Ken James Kjamesdesign(at)yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "ron wehba" <rwehba(at)wtxs.net>
Subject: Re: Possible used Kolb purchase
Date: Sep 16, 2003
I got one, it flys just great I weigh 175, and mine has flown several times with a 250 pounder in it.same engine, it is o.k. I just don't like two strokes,, my other plane is a ison minimax with a surplus ao-84 in it a 35-40 horse 4 cyl. 4 stroke it can be seen here. http://photos.yahoo.com/rwehba ps do you have a picture of it and the trailer as i need to build a trailer for long trips. ----- Original Message ----- From: "James, Ken" <KDJames(at)berkscareer.com> Subject: {Spam?} Kolb-List: Possible used Kolb purchase > > > Ok guy's gear up the e-mails, while I'm building a MKIII, I have been > wanting to still fly. Anyway I found a Used 1983 Factory building Kolb > Ultrastar for sale in my back yard. It has 150 hr Cuyuna 430 35Hp two blade > wooden prop. Trailer and chute basic EGT and Alt, new rubber and a 5 Gals > tank. $4500 _ I going to have the local API who fly's a UL Drift look it > over for airworthiness > > First Question.Does anyone out there have comments of how this ship fly's? > > Second. How about the engine anycomment there? > > Third. My weight is 215 wet ( I'll get commment on that from my wife > :-) ) > > > Any thoughts > > Thanks > > Ken James > Kjamesdesign(at)yahoo.com > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Subject: Re: Possible used Kolb purchase
Great price ! Get a 503 Rotax with a 258 gear box If you have less than a 3500 Foot strip ... Get some UL Dual ... I did not ... But now I am ! .... Dave In a message dated 9/16/03 8:24:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time, KDJames(at)berkscareer.com writes: << Subj: Kolb-List: Possible used Kolb purchase Date: 9/16/03 8:24:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: KDJames(at)berkscareer.com (James, Ken) Sender: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com Reply-to: kolb-list(at)matronics.com To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com ('kolb-list(at)matronics.com') Ok guy's gear up the e-mails, while I'm building a MKIII, I have been wanting to still fly. Anyway I found a Used 1983 Factory building Kolb Ultrastar for sale in my back yard. It has 150 hr Cuyuna 430 35Hp two blade wooden prop. Trailer and chute basic EGT and Alt, new rubber and a 5 Gals tank. $4500 _ I going to have the local API who fly's a UL Drift look it over for airworthiness First Question.Does anyone out there have comments of how this ship fly's? Second. How about the engine anycomment there? Third. My weight is 215 wet ( I'll get commment on that from my wife :-) ) Any thoughts Thanks Ken James Kjamesdesign(at)yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Engine Position
Morning Gang: Just a quick note before I go work on and fly my MK III a little bit on a beautiful 65F morning in central Alabama. During my maintenance session yesterday, I pulled the 5/8" spacers from on top of the Lord Mounts on the front of my 912S. I have flown in this configuration for most of the life of my MK III, 1,899.0 hours. I flew about a half hour yesterday afternoon late. Noticed the following changes: 1) Reduced nose down pitch. Doesn't require quite as much nose up trim. 2) May (?) have increased cruise a little. I am going to fly again this morning and see if I can get some more numbers. Yesterday the air was lumpy and my old mind and body were trying to get accustomed to the changes made with the engine mounts. 3) May (?) have reduced prop noise a tad by moving the bottom of the arc away from the rear of the fuselage. I don't know about this one, but it may have helped a little. The reason I decided to remove the spacers and put the engine back into the stock position was from a profile picture that John Williamson took of my airplane between Iron Mountain, MI, and OSH. From that pic I determined that what I thought was happening, was not. Of course, I was also under less cruise power than normal. At the time of the pic I was flying about 70 to 75 mph, instead of 80 to 85 mph. Anyhow, the prop was perpendicular to the bottom of the wing. I did not want this. I wanted it to be perpendicular to the line of flight. I don't know if it is me or the airplane, but the change has me feeling like the airplane is squatting a little more at power off and low power settings. Maybe I can confirm that this morning, along with the little bit of increased cruise speed. I changed oil and filter. I use the Fram TG3614 filter from Wal*Mart for less than $5.00. It has a anti-siphon valve, 98% first pass filtration capability. A TG3600 will also fit and has about 1/4 more capacity than the TG3614, but comes pretty close to the number 3 exhaust outlet. I have run both sizes. The TG 3614 is about the same size as the $25.00 filter Rotax insists we use. After 553.8 hours using Mobil I 15W50 full synthetic (since day one on the 912S)(nope, did not run organic oil the first 25 hours to break in the new engine), I have switched to Shell Rotella T 5W40 full synthetic. Again, Wal*Mart stores, for the most part, stock this oil in gallons for less than $13.00. Comparing the numbers between Mobil I and Rotella Syn, the Rotella came out slightly ahead, especially in the Flash Point measurement. I have been running Rotella Syn in my DRZ400E thumper for the last 64 hours with good results. It gets run hard, especially in real technical stuff where airflow through the radiators (2) is negligible and the engine is working hard. Produces high temps, but don't have the slightest of what they are. Not nary an instrument on this bike. Sinful, ain't it? :-) Got to go. Times a wasting. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Kirby Dennis Contr ASC/TM <Dennis.Kirby(at)kirtland.af.mil>
Subject: Re: back in the saddle
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Will Uribe wrote: << I remember when I was building my FireStar I would look at your web page and dream of the time when I would have the same adventure you had in your FireStar. Your webpage was a big motivator during the long building period. >> Ben - Ditto on what Will says. Seeing your pictures on your website in the late 90's also motivated me toward finishing & flying my Kolb. Glad to hear you are back in the air! Dennis Kirby Mark-3 New Mexico ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jon Croke" <jon(at)joncroke.com>
Subject: Re: Engine Position
Date: Sep 16, 2003
> I changed oil and filter. I use the Fram TG3614 filter from > Wal*Mart for less than $5.00. > run both sizes. The TG 3614 is about the same size as the > $25.00 filter Rotax insists we use. > Hi John, The official oil filter (825-701) for the 912 is just $9.00 from Lockwood and CPS ($10.00) The factory Rotax service rep makes a point in his seminars that the 'other' filters that fit have a higher pressure bypass relief valve that wont let the oil bypass the filter when it is clogged or the oil is too thick (cold). He says it may be false economy to save literally a couple dollars and not use this filter that was designed for the 912. Just passing along his message..... Jon near Green Bay FSII CH701/912 waiting for inspection ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: Ben Ransom <bwr000(at)yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Engine Position
John, Wonder if you might also notice some yaw difference with the difference in prop thrust. (Because top and bottom halves of the prop wash are yaw forces in opposite directions.) -Ben --- John Hauck wrote: > > Morning Gang: > > Just a quick note before I go work on and fly my MK III a > little bit on a beautiful 65F morning in central Alabama. > > During my maintenance session yesterday, I pulled the 5/8" > spacers from on top of the Lord Mounts on the front of my > 912S. I have flown in this configuration for most of the > life of my MK III, 1,899.0 hours. I flew about a half hour > yesterday afternoon late. Noticed the following changes: ===== http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~ransom __________________________________ http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Anybody have specific brand recommendations for 2-cycle engine oils? A friend uses synthetic Blue Max 100:1 in his Hirth and claims that is what the distributor recommends. From my point of view, that's just too little oil in the pre-mix. How about it Kolbers, any brand recommendations out there? ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Engine Position
> The official oil filter (825-701) for the 912 is just > $9.00 from Lockwood and CPS ($10.00) > The factory Rotax service rep makes a point in his > seminars that the 'other' filters that fit have a higher > pressure bypass relief valve that wont let the oil bypass > the filter when it is clogged or the oil is too thick > (cold). He says it may be false economy to save literally > a couple dollars and not use this filter that was > designed for the 912. > Jon near Green Bay FSII CH701/912 waiting for inspection Hi Jon/All: Good to hear from you. Missed you at OSH this year. If I had had more time and not in a flight of five coming into OSH I would have dropped in on your airstrip. I haven't been there yet, but I know from the location that it has to be beautiful up there. When 912s came on the scene the ROTAX oil filter was listed at $25.00. I have only run two in my two engines, 912 and 912S. Those were the one that came on them from the factory. Back then, to run anything but the Rotax oil filter would ruin your engine because the Rotax filter was designed for airplane engines. Now Lockwood is preaching it is because of the bypass valve pressure release point. I have run nothing but Fram on the two 912s. Used the run the old $2.97 filter before the Tuff Guard came out. If my oil filter won't bypass at 40 to 70 psi, then I guess I'll ruin my engine, but don't think so. Oil changes are done at 50 hour intervals and less most of the time. On long cross countries where I will get 100 hours in a couple weeks, I'll go to the normal maintenance interval. Don't foresee having oil that contaminated that it would block the oil filter. If it happens, I have done a lot more wrong than run the incorrect oil filter. Thanks for the information though. I will keep it in mind. BTW: The old 912 ended up with 935 hours when I swapped it for the 912S. The new owner tore it down and found it was still like brand new inside. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Engine Position
> Wonder if you might also notice some yaw difference with the difference > in prop thrust. (Because top and bottom halves of the prop wash are > yaw forces in opposite directions.) > -Ben Hi Ben/All: Good to hear from you. I just got home from flying. Air got rough by the time I got up. Short flights are difficult to pin down what the airplane is really doing. I find the best time to get to know what the airplane is doing is on long cross country flights. I'll get a shot at some hours next week. It seems to be a tad higher in cruise, needs less nose up trim, and I didn't really pay much attention to yaw except keep the ball centered. I am looking forward to the new 72" Warp, slip clutch, and heavy duty starter. Hope to see some good numbers and reduced vibes and noise come from this combo. However, in 2000 when I was flying the 72" Warp with a 2" prop extension, the 72" was much louder than the already loud 70". Hopefully, moving the big prop an additional 2" back will help cure some of the prop noise problem. I also have two 5" diameter holes in the bottom of the center section, right over the pilot and copilot's heads. That is a direct conduit from the prop to the passengers. I think I will try plugging up those holes and see if I get a reduction in prop noise inside the cockpit. Without significant insulation on the bulkhead fabric, it is acting like a drum, probably magnifying the prop noise inside. Take care, john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Engine Position
> BTW: The old 912 ended up with 935 hours when I swapped it > for the 912S. The new owner tore it down and found it was > still like brand new inside. Ya'll: The above should have read 1,135 hours instead of 935 hours. Makes a difference. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
Penzoil air cooled in ammoco super 50:1 In a message dated 9/16/03 1:33:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jimturner(at)mwt.net writes: << Subj: Kolb-List: 2 Cycle Engine Oils Date: 9/16/03 1:33:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: jimturner(at)mwt.net (J.L.Turner) Sender: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com Reply-to: kolb-list(at)matronics.com To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com Anybody have specific brand recommendations for 2-cycle engine oils? A friend uses synthetic Blue Max 100:1 in his Hirth and claims that is what the distributor recommends. From my point of view, that's just too little oil in the pre-mix. How about it Kolbers, any brand recommendations out there? >> ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: "johnjung(at)compusenior.com" <johnjung(at)compusenior.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb technique
Ben and Group, First, it is good to hear that you are flying again. You have been missed on the list. About the tail first landing technique: I have 7 years experience flying Firestars and in my opinion, the tail will touch first in a "good" landing. If I slow down enough for the tail to touch, the main will be on the ground immediately after and the plane will stay down and be easy to control. John Jung ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: Jack & Louise Hart <jbhart(at)ldd.net>
Subject: Re: Engine Position
> >John, >Wonder if you might also notice some yaw difference with the difference >in prop thrust. (Because top and bottom halves of the prop wash are >yaw forces in opposite directions.) >-Ben > Ben, I believe you will find that propeller yaw forces are caused by the propeller not being perpendicular to the direction the plane is flying. It is the difference in thrust generated by the propeller blade on the down swing as to the up swing (P-Factor) that generates the yaw force or moment. Additional info can be found at: http://www.thirdshift.com/jack/firefly/firefly56.html Jack B. Hart FF004 Jackson, MO Jack & Louise Hart jbhart(at)ldd.net ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com wrote: > Penzoil air cooled in ammoco super 50:1 Ya'll: Min octane requirement for all Rotax two strokes and the 912 is 87. Anything over that is a waste of money. I wasted a lot of money on all those hours, right through the 912. No increase in performance is recognized by burning a higher than required octane fuel, as far as this central Alabama flyer is aware of. The 912S requires 91 min. I tended to use the oil/fuel recommendation of the manufacturer. Not a "witch doctor" oil salesman trying to turn a buck. To each his own. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: <rowedl(at)highstream.net>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
Date: Sep 16, 2003
> Anybody have specific brand recommendations for 2-cycle engine oils? A friend uses synthetic Blue Max 100:1 in his Hirth and claims that is what the distributor recommends. From my point of view, that's just too little oil in the pre-mix. > > How about it Kolbers, any brand recommendations out there?> Rotax and Pennzoil recomend Pennzoil Air Cooled two cycle oil at 50 to 1. I bought two cases last week, 48 pints for $50 from the local 10 minute oil change shop. You have to use Wal Mart oil to beat that deal. Denny Rowe Mark -3 N616DR , 2SI 690L-70, 22.4 hrs, Loehle Sport Parasol, Rotax 503 Leechburg PA ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Harry Wingert" <Geezertwo(at)cox.net>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Hello Jim, I have been using AmsOil for over 15 years. First in a Kowsaki on my Phantom Ultralight. I mixed an 8 oz. bottle to 6 gal. of gas. That is a little less than the 100/1 mixture recommended. I never had a problem and flew it for about 200 hours before selling it. I now have a MKIII 582 and am using the AmsOil 2000 racing oil. With the oil injected, I don't have to mix it anymore. I recommend AmsOil to all my flying friends in the Omaha area. A couple of PPG flyers are also using it and have had no problems at all. Hope this helps. Regards, Harry Wingert ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net> Subject: Kolb-List: 2 Cycle Engine Oils > > Anybody have specific brand recommendations for 2-cycle engine oils? A friend uses synthetic Blue Max 100:1 in his Hirth and claims that is what the distributor recommends. From my point of view, that's just too little oil in the pre-mix. > > How about it Kolbers, any brand recommendations out there? > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Harry Wingert" <Geezertwo(at)cox.net>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Hello Jim, I have been using AmsOil for over 15 years. First in a Kowsaki on my Phantom Ultralight. I mixed an 8 oz. bottle to 6 gal. of gas. That is a little less than the 100/1 mixture recommended. I never had a problem and flew it for about 200 hours before selling it. I now have a MKIII 582 and am using the AmsOil 2000 racing oil. With the oil injected, I don't have to mix it anymore. I recommend AmsOil to all my flying friends in the Omaha area. A couple of PPG flyers are also using it and have had no problems at all. It's not cheap but when it comes to oil and other maintenance that isn't my main concern. Hope this helps. Regards, Harry Wingert ----- Original Message ----- From: <rowedl(at)highstream.net> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: 2 Cycle Engine Oils > > > Anybody have specific brand recommendations for 2-cycle engine oils? A > friend uses synthetic Blue Max 100:1 in his Hirth and claims that is what > the distributor recommends. From my point of view, that's just too little > oil in the pre-mix. > > > > How about it Kolbers, any brand recommendations out there?> > > > Rotax and Pennzoil recomend Pennzoil Air Cooled two cycle oil at 50 to 1. > I bought two cases last week, 48 pints for $50 from the local 10 minute oil > change shop. > You have to use Wal Mart oil to beat that deal. > Denny Rowe > Mark -3 N616DR , 2SI 690L-70, 22.4 hrs, Loehle Sport Parasol, Rotax 503 > Leechburg PA > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
Correction: not all Rotax two strokes tolerate 87 octane. The 532 requires 91.5 octane minimum. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > > >BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com wrote: > > > Penzoil air cooled in ammoco super 50:1 > >Ya'll: > >Min octane requirement for all Rotax two strokes and the 912 >is 87. Anything over that is a waste of money. I wasted a >lot of money on all those hours, right through the 912. > >No increase in performance is recognized by burning a higher >than required octane fuel, as far as this central Alabama >flyer is aware of. > >The 912S requires 91 min. > >I tended to use the oil/fuel recommendation of the >manufacturer. Not a "witch doctor" oil salesman trying to >turn a buck. > >To each his own. > >john h > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
I tried Amsoil 100:1 premix in my Rotax 277 and got to hear the bearings rattle. It survived. IMHO 100:1 in an engine where the manufacturer wants 50:1 is asking for trouble. I like Phillips Injex at 50:1 in premix. Used it premixed for 20 years with no problems, now using oil injection. Tried Pennzoil, but it was dirtier. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > >Anybody have specific brand recommendations for 2-cycle engine oils? A >friend uses synthetic Blue Max 100:1 in his Hirth and claims that is what >the distributor recommends. From my point of view, that's just too little >oil in the pre-mix. > >How about it Kolbers, any brand recommendations out there? > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jim" <flykolb(at)carolina.rr.com>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Richard, I have been using 87 octane in my 532 with no problems. Jim Mark III Charlotte, NC ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Pike" <rwpike(at)charter.net> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: 2 Cycle Engine Oils > > Correction: not all Rotax two strokes tolerate 87 octane. > The 532 requires 91.5 octane minimum. > > Richard Pike > MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > > > > > > > > >BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com wrote: > > > > > Penzoil air cooled in ammoco super 50:1 > > > >Ya'll: > > > >Min octane requirement for all Rotax two strokes and the 912 > >is 87. Anything over that is a waste of money. I wasted a > >lot of money on all those hours, right through the 912. > > > >No increase in performance is recognized by burning a higher > >than required octane fuel, as far as this central Alabama > >flyer is aware of. > > > >The 912S requires 91 min. > > > >I tended to use the oil/fuel recommendation of the > >manufacturer. Not a "witch doctor" oil salesman trying to > >turn a buck. > > > >To each his own. > > > >john h > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: First part
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Ok guy's, Have read the fist section on making the horz. stabs. Plan to lay out the first parts this evening. Already have a question. I'm pretty sure where the tubes meet at the two corners of the leading edge of the stab. should be cut at a angle to make a point, but how much the plans are not clear on how the tubes should look prior to riveting the gusset. wondering if they should be rounded out so they fit perfect or close. Have looked through builders sites but have not seen any photos of how that looks. thanks pp ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: Eugene Zimmerman <eugenezimmerman(at)dejazzd.com>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
snip > You have to use Wal Mart oil to beat that deal. > Denny Rowe > Mark -3 N616DR , 2SI 690L-70, 22.4 hrs, Loehle Sport Parasol, Rotax 503 > Leechburg PA > Yep, cheapest Wal Mart is just as good. Over 300 hr on my 377 and never had it opened. Still going strong too. Probably should do a ring carbon clean up this winter though. E.Z. fully snake oil resistant, ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
I am trying to go 600 hours hours without a decarbon - got 510 so far. I check every 50 hours or so when I repaint my muffler with a dental mirrow and the intake/ehaust manifolds off. I imagine the crank shaft will eventually break if I don't have it rebuilt. I have a 503 dual-carb with an E-gearbox. This plane and engine is just a little over 4 years old. The engine is set up like it came out of the box minus the fuel injection. I used the Wallmart oil (dot 3) for all but 50 hours. The only carbon I see is a little on the piston domes and some around the exhaust port where the gasket sits because the gasket openings are smaller than the port opening. I fixed that problem by cutting the gasket holes a little larger to match the exhaust port hole. Get a compression tester - $25. If your rings are stuck your compression should be down from factory specs 120 lbs - like new. >Yep, cheapest Wal Mart is just as good. Over 300 hr on my 377 and never >had it opened. Still going strong too. Probably should do a ring carbon >clean up this winter though. > >E.Z. fully snake oil resistant, ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
> Hello Jim, I have been using AmsOil for over 15 years. > First in a Kowsaki on my Phantom Ultralight. I mixed an > 8 oz. bottle to 6 gal. of gas. That is a little less > than the 100/1 mixture recommended. Harry Wingert Harry/All: What ratio are you running the AmsOil in your 582? john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
> Correction: not all Rotax two strokes tolerate 87 octane. > The 532 requires 91.5 octane minimum. > > Richard Pike Richard/All: My sincere apologies. I should have indicated Rotax two strokes that are listed in current publications. I forgot about the 532. You have mentioned this fuel requirement previously. For vintage class Rotax two strokes I will defer all questions to my friend Richard. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: First part
> Ok guy's, Have read the fist section on making the horz. > stabs. Plan to lay out the first parts this evening. > Already have a question. I'm pretty sure where the tubes > meet at the two corners of the leading edge of the stab. > should be cut at a angle to make a point, but how much > the plans are not clear on how the tubes should look > prior to riveting the gusset. wondering if they should be > rounded out so they fit perfect or close. Have looked > through builders sites but have not seen any photos of > how that looks. > > thanks > > pp Hey Gang: We are gonna have fun with this new builder. He hasn't cut the first tube of popped the first rivet and already on the List begging for help. hehehe Paul, you can answer than one yourself. What do you want when you have finished your airplane? Do the best you can, the best you are satisfied with, have others look at it, and have fun building it. If it were my horizontal stabilizer, I would cut that sucker so that the angles fit. I want the best fit so it will be the strongest joint. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jim Baker" <jlbaker(at)telepath.com>
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
> Min octane requirement for all Rotax two strokes and the 912 > is 87. Anything over that is a waste of money. I wasted a > lot of money on all those hours, right through the 912. John's right....do the research and become a believer. J.Baker ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
> Yep, cheapest Wal Mart is just as good. Over 300 hr on my > 377 and never had it opened. Still going strong too. > Probably should do a ring carbon clean up this winter > though. > > E.Z. fully snake oil resistant, EZ/All: I still have 5 gal of Wal*Mart two stroke oil I bought for my 582. 582 was replaced with the 912 10 years ago. It takes a long time to burn up a gal of two stroke oil in a 25cc weed eater. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
> John's right....do the research and become a believer. > > J.Baker Jim/All: I wonder why they (Rotax) let us burn all that high octane fuel before they informed us we could run 87 octane? I think a lot had to do with the way it was written in the operators manuals, MON and RON. I learned about fuel requirements January 2000, when I went through Eric Tucker's 912 School. He explained how to get US type octane numbers from the European numbers. Add MON and RON, then divide by two. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: New Thread: "Lessons Learned"
Hi Ya'll: Let's start a new thread, subject: Lessons Learned. If you have something to add to the Lessons Learned list, simply use "Lessons Learned for the subject to your post to the Kolb List. Then all we have to do is a search for lessons learned and check'em out. Now that is pretty elementary, but I am an elementary type guy when it comes to the computer. If someone knows the correct way, or better way to set this up, step forward and have at it. Spent the last couple days getting my bird ready to fly with John Williamson and John Bickham to Kitty Hawk. Learned a few things that I will add to the "Lessons Learned" list: 1. Spark plug end caps on 912 series engines use the threaded spark plug post for attachment. Inside the cap is a socket with a hardened spring loaded wire that seats in one of the slots of the threaded post on the plug. During my plug change at 550 hours, discovered two of the locking wires unserviceable. The only thing holding them on the plug was the suction and friction of the rubber boot. Not good. 2. Check float bowls often, two and four stroke. When everything is working good it is easy to overlook the float bowls. Water collects in them readily. If left for a long period of time the water attacks the pot metal float bowl. Also, if enough water gets in the bowl it can flow over the lip around the main jet sump. When this happens it can either cause power loss/reduction, or total power loss. 3. Use the correct size black neoprene fuel line for the fitting. I have been using 1/4" ID Gates fuel line. The fitting on the engine driven fuel pump is metric, but probably 5/16" there abouts. In a matter of months, just inside the SS hose clamp, the outside rubber layer splits all the way around the hose. I have the same Gates fuel line on 1/4" fittings that have been up there on top the 912S for the last 3 years and are still serviceable, no splits. 4. Oil Filters for 912 series engines. hehehe Forget it. I have said enough about them. :-) Take care, john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jim Baker" <jlbaker(at)telepath.com>
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: 2 Cycle Engine Oils Send reply to: kolb-list(at)matronics.com > > > > John's right....do the research and become a believer. > > > > J.Baker > I wonder why they (Rotax) let us burn all that high octane > fuel before they informed us we could run 87 octane? > > I think a lot had to do with the way it was written in the > operators manuals, MON and RON. > > I learned about fuel requirements January 2000, when I went > through Eric Tucker's 912 School. I would recommend that anyone requiring proof should consult the GASOLINE FAQ on any of several list sites....just plug those two words into your favorite search engine and you'll find it. I did the research back in 1977 when we were running Japanese Suzuki two- stroke, three cylinder, water cooled, ghymkahna cars.....even then gas was pretty expensive (relative) in Japan. J.Baker ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Fackler, Ken" <kfackler(at)ameritech.net>
Subject: Fly-in campout: Oct. 20, 2003
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Fellow Kolbers: Again for those of you in or near the SE Michigan area, please consider the event below. If you plan to attend, it would be greatly appreciated if you'd email me (kfackler(at)ameritech.net) or Steve Adamczak (czkree(at)netzero.net) with an RSVP so we can properly organize the lunch. -Ken Fackler Mark II / Rotax 503 (for now) Rochester MI 8<--------------------------- cut here -------------------------------------------- You are all invited to GTUF's Fall Event at Colombiaville (Kirk Smiths place). See Below Greater Thumb Ultralight Flyers (GTUF) / Michigan Ultralight Association (MULA) Colombiaville Fly-In September 20-21, 2003 Location: Kirk Smiths Home - Mini Max 5191 Lonsberry Road, Colombiaville 1 mile south of Rt 90 near Barnes Lake/Miller Lake GPS - N43 10.800 W083 21.010 Elevation 844 Runway = E/W - 2,500 ft. Sock at mid field Caution: check for deer and turkeys before landing Look for circular running track on next door neighbors land. Time: 11:00 AM till you must leave. Activities: Bring overnight gear, food for dinner & breakfast and drink if you intend to camp out. Kirk will build a campfire. He says the bugs are down now. Fly-in BS sessions. We will attempt to practice games such as: a bean bag drop and spot landings for those who want to participate. Bring a fishing rod if you want to try and catch some bass in Kirk's lake. Catch and release only. Kirk says he has a really nice nature trail about 3 miles long for those who want to try it. Fuel: We will have a fuel truck available, bring your own oil and mix can. Food: Steve Adamczak will bring food for lunch courtesy of GTUF. Hot dogs, buns, condiments, chips, pop and water. If you want Beer bring your own. Weather: Pray for flyable weather BUT, if not, drive up with a buddy and enjoy the day anyway! 8<--------------------------- cut here -------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 16, 2003
From: Jack & Louise Hart <jbhart(at)ldd.net>
Subject: Cleaning up the FireFly Continues
FireFlyers, I have mounted fairings on the aileron push/pull tubes and the aileron torque tubes and the tapered vertical area from the aileron trailing edge to the torque tube. Both of these together reduce the hp required to fly at 55 mph by .81 hp. Info on the aileron fairings starts at: http://www.thirdshift.com/jack/firefly/firefly95.html I have been asked by several off list to explain how to make vortex generators. I made a holding/bending fixture for the making of vortex generators. I made a bunch of them and I placed some on the sides and the bottom of the fuselage to help smooth the air around the back part of the fuselage. The new addition to VG's starts at: http://www.thirdshift.com/jack/firefly/firefly19a.html The radiator for the Victor 1+ is placed back and quite low on the wing. At high angles of attack, it appears that the air is burbling early as the gap seal bulges upward. This keeps the air flow rate through the bottom of the radiator very low. So on hot days, I have to make cruise climbs to keep the angle of attack low to get good cooling. Once I get to altitude and cooler air, I can advance the throttle and not over run the radiator cooling capacity. I thought of several ways to improve air flow through the radiator, but all involved additional structure. Then I thought about vortex generators. They are simple and weigh very little. So, I made some more that can be used on the wing soft gap seal. With all of these mounted, I was able to test fly for about an hour this past Monday. I got the best performance so far. With the engine turning 5,000 rpm, gps average speed of up and down wind was 55 mph, and fuel consumption rate was 1.85 gph. The FireFly seems to be quieter too. This is fun! In still air this would be 29.7 mpg. A little more work, and may be I can get it to 30+ mpg. This weekend, I will get to fly twice to my EAA chapter field. Saturday for a breakfast, and Sunday for the EAA Chapter 453 meeting. I can make the 108 mile round trip on one tank of gas. Jack B. Hart FF004 Jackson, MO Jack & Louise Hart jbhart(at)ldd.net ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Woody" <duesouth(at)govital.net>
Subject: 3 mods
Date: Sep 16, 2003
To the new builders and some of the old ones. There are 3 modifications I think should be included on each new Kolb built and the old ones retrofitted. These are no cost or low cost mods that greatly improve our planes Padre Pikes idea about moving the aileron rods inward by drilling new holes in the torque tube bracket. Rick Neilson has a great way of attaching his gap seal. He uses a slightly longer bolt on the universal joint on the wing fold pivot. These bolts protude up through the rear of the gap seal and a wing nut and safety pin hold it all together. I hold my tail wires to the bottom post with clevises. The tangs are bolted permanently to the rudder post. It is a lot easier than trying to screw that wing nut on while it tightens the tail cables. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Woody" <duesouth(at)govital.net>
Subject: Re: First part
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Just remember what I tell my apprentises, "You ain't building a watch". You can spend years building a perfect plane making sure every tube is exactly the right length or that every rivit is exactly .5000 " from the last one. There is a time to be exact and a time where it is not critical. You will have to learn for yourself what you consider critical. To me it is wing alignment. Other than that I am pretty lax. you can still maintain strength and integrity by having parts a bit off but to fly right you need every things aligned. Perfectionists build airplanes. Builders build and fly airplanes > Thanks Steven, That helps. I guess the main thing is to obtain the outside > dimensions. > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: FIXERJONES(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 16, 2003
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
i also have running amsoil for years in 2 strokes& found it to burn cleaner,,less carbon buildup mixing at 80 to1,,& had no lube/wear problems ever, my cuyuna&503 run great on it,,,steve jones ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Christopher J Armstrong" <tophera(at)centurytel.net>
Subject: First part
Date: Sep 16, 2003
> Ok guy's, Have read the fist section on making the horz. > stabs. Plan to lay out the first parts this evening. > Already have a question. I'm pretty sure where the tubes > meet at the two corners of the leading edge of the stab. > should be cut at a angle to make a point, but how much > the plans are not clear on how the tubes should look > prior to riveting the gusset. wondering if they should be > rounded out so they fit perfect or close. Have looked > through builders sites but have not seen any photos of > how that looks. > > thanks > I took the time to fishmouth the ends of the tubes, to make a nice fit. But I dont think that it is called for in the plans and is probably overkill. I figured it would only take a bit longer and would be ever so slightly stronger, and I think it looks better, though no one will see it under the fabric. Topher --- ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: insufficient octane
The biggest problem would be spark knock, which can damage your engine. Also, 87 octane gas burns hotter than 93 octane gas. If your ignition timing was retarded by a couple degrees, then the 532 would probably tolerate the lower octane without knocking, but that causes a loss of power. For an in depth look at the subject, try http://www.dynopower.freeserve.co.uk/nitrous_oxide/fuels_detonation_preignit ion.htm Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > >Richard/others > >What problems can occur by using 87 instead of 91 octane with a 532? > >Jim ________________________________________________________________________________
Subject: 2 cycle oil
From: Jim Gerken <gerken(at)us.ibm.com>
Date: Sep 17, 2003
09/17/2003 07:55:18 AM >From: "Harry Wingert" <Geezertwo(at)cox.net> >Subject: Re: Kolb-List: 2 Cycle Engine Oils >Hello Jim, >I have been using AmsOil for over 15 years. First in a Kowsaki on my >Phantom Ultralight. I mixed an 8 oz. bottle to 6 gal. of gas. That is a >little less than the 100/1 mixture recommended. I never had a problem and >flew it for about 200 hours before selling it. I now have a MKIII 582 and >am using the AmsOil 2000 racing oil. With the oil injected, I don't have to >mix it anymore. I recommend AmsOil to all my flying friends in the Omaha >area. A couple of PPG flyers are also using it and have had no problems at >all. It's not cheap but when it comes to oil and other maintenance that >isn't my main concern. >Hope this helps. >Regards, >Harry Wingert Harry, how many hours do you have on your 582 using Amsoil? Just curious 'cause I coudn't get past about 100 hours using Amsoil in a 1997 582 on a Mkiii, due to buildup sticking the lower rings tight. At 118 hours, a tear down revealed two stuck rings that no available solvent could soften, so they were pryed out and replaced. That was with injection system operational. Next 70 hours was using premix (injex removed), and using their 100:1 product. Same results, new lower rings were again needed. Amsoil technical personell were contacted and could not help nor suggest a solvent. Solvents tried included carb cleaner, dip-can engine cleaner (from Napa, label suggested dipping for an hour, I progressively soaked for up to a week with no softening), straight MEK, Lacquer thinner, and of course Seafoam soak. BTW, contrary to popular mis-belief, the lower rings could not be inspected by looking through the exhaust port. They were always stuck first and worst on the intake side. Other carbon in the chamber and on the piston did not exceed 0.020" thickness. Rotax recommends inspection at 50 hours, I would take this recommendation seriously if I was still running a 2 stroke. AND, compression still measured 135 lbs per cylinder when rings were stuck their worst. I was very tempted to pull out the lower rings and not replace them. The top ring was doing all the work anyway. Details: Rotax dual radiator, run 160 degrees with thermostat. Jetting was always done to attempt to keep temps as high as possible without exceeding 1200 EGT. Fuel was always 89 octane Amoco, octane chosen to compensate for octane loss during storage after mixing with oil (storage in sealed steel drum, for as much as three weeks from purchase and mix date, then was run through my pickup and fresh obtained, records were kept to ensure no fuel older than three weeks was run) . No performance issues were ever experienced, no lack of power even when lower rings were completely stuck and leaking, no misses, no pre-ignition, no engine outs. I don't have any answers, only this experience. In the past, full sythetics have served me well, even in two strokes. I think that in the smaller engines that get run real hard all the time, they stay clean. But the bigger engines probably get throttled back enough to build up. Again, only theories, and everybody has an opinion. Good luck. Jim Gerken ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Joe Allman" <fisherallman(at)earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: insufficient octane
Date: Sep 17, 2003
It's been my experience 2 strokes run hotter on higher octanes. My old Kaw 440 ran hot on 93 and ran significantly cooler on 87. It was explained to me that the industry raises the octane levels with alcohol. Hence the hotter temps. I can recall looking at one website that proposed there was enough alcohol in 93 octane pump gas to suspend a teaspoon of water. Maybe that's why you never hear of water in autos anymore???? Some folks believe that the octane level in gas stored in plastic decreases during storage. (as little as 2 weeks). I'm not sure if this is true but it makes me wonder about starting out at the minimums. I flow both-just my opinions, Joe -----Original Message----- From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com]On Behalf Of Richard Pike Subject: Kolb-List: Re: insufficient octane The biggest problem would be spark knock, which can damage your engine. Also, 87 octane gas burns hotter than 93 octane gas. If your ignition timing was retarded by a couple degrees, then the 532 would probably tolerate the lower octane without knocking, but that causes a loss of power. For an in depth look at the subject, try http://www.dynopower.freeserve.co.uk/nitrous_oxide/fuels_detonation_preignit ion.htm Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > >Richard/others > >What problems can occur by using 87 instead of 91 octane with a 532? > >Jim ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "bryan green" <lgreen1(at)sc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: 3 mods
Date: Sep 17, 2003
Thanks for the info Woody I believe all of these will help me out since I store mine in a trailer. Bryan Green (Elgin SC) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Woody" <duesouth(at)govital.net> Subject: Kolb-List: 3 mods > > > To the new builders and some of the old ones. There are 3 modifications I > think should be included on each new Kolb built and the old ones > retrofitted. These are no cost or low cost mods that greatly improve our > planes > Padre Pikes idea about moving the aileron rods inward by drilling new > holes in the torque tube bracket. > Rick Neilson has a great way of attaching his gap seal. He uses a slightly > longer bolt on the universal joint on the wing fold pivot. These bolts > protude up through the rear of the gap seal and a wing nut and safety pin > hold it all together. > I hold my tail wires to the bottom post with clevises. The tangs are > bolted permanently to the rudder post. It is a lot easier than trying to > screw that wing nut on while it tightens the tail cables. > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Daryl Hegyi" <dhegyi(at)telus.net>
Subject: Re: insufficient octane- alcohol
Date: Sep 17, 2003
Some manufacturers do use alcohol to raise octane levels. I use Esso or Shell exclusively (here in Canada) . To check for alcohol, use this technique: Take a small glass bottle (jar or juice bottle) and make a mark about 1/3 from the bottom. Fill to the line with water. Then fill the bottle (not quite to the top) with suspect gasoline, close the lid, and shake vigorously. Allow to settle, and examine the water level. If there was alcohol in the gas, the water level will now be above the mark, because the alcohol is now disolved in the water instead of the gas. regards, Daryl Hegyi (Kolb Twinstar Mk II.) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Allman" <fisherallman(at)earthlink.net> Subject: RE: Kolb-List: Re: insufficient octane > > It's been my experience 2 strokes run hotter on higher octanes. > > My old Kaw 440 ran hot on 93 and ran significantly cooler on 87. > > It was explained to me that the industry raises the octane levels with > alcohol. Hence the hotter temps. I can recall looking at one website that > proposed there was enough alcohol in 93 octane pump gas to suspend a > teaspoon of water. Maybe that's why you never hear of water in autos > anymore???? > > Some folks believe that the octane level in gas stored in plastic decreases > during storage. (as little as 2 weeks). I'm not sure if this is true but > it makes me wonder about starting out at the minimums. > > I flow both-just my opinions, > > Joe > > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com > [mailto:owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com]On Behalf Of Richard Pike > To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com > Subject: Kolb-List: Re: insufficient octane > > > The biggest problem would be spark knock, which can damage your engine. > Also, 87 octane gas burns hotter than 93 octane gas. > If your ignition timing was retarded by a couple degrees, then the 532 > would probably tolerate the lower octane without knocking, but that causes > a loss of power. > For an in depth look at the subject, try > http://www.dynopower.freeserve.co.uk/nitrous_oxide/fuels_detonation_preignit > ion.htm > > Richard Pike > MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > > > > > >Richard/others > > > >What problems can occur by using 87 instead of 91 octane with a 532? > > > >Jim > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Subject: 912 oil
From: Erich_Weaver(at)URSCorp.com
Date: Sep 17, 2003
09/17/2003 12:33:23 PM John H. and others: Im sure you knew this already, but it was not mentioned in your post so......... According to Rotax, use of full synthetic oil in combination with 100LL fuel can result in buildup of lead over time. Given your long cross-country flights, I assume you use a fair amount of 100LL, so you may want to consider a synthetic/petroleum blend. Lead buildup is apparently not an issue when using a petroleum based oil. Im also curious about your recent switch to the larger starter. Were you experiencing the hard starting problems that some have with the 912S, or just being proactive? regards, Erich Weaver ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: insufficient octane
Back in the late 70's Dirt Bike magazine ran an article on different gas brands and octanes, and Amoco Premium ran the coolest, don't remember what was hottest, but regular typically ran hotter than premium. I do know that my Rotax 277 would foul the plugs with lead balls on 87 octane leaded but run smooth and behave itself on Amoco premium or 100LL. Not sure why. It is very likely that if the octane in a gasoline was raised with alcohol that your EGT's would go up. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > >It's been my experience 2 strokes run hotter on higher octanes. > >My old Kaw 440 ran hot on 93 and ran significantly cooler on 87. > >It was explained to me that the industry raises the octane levels with >alcohol. Hence the hotter temps. I can recall looking at one website that >proposed there was enough alcohol in 93 octane pump gas to suspend a >teaspoon of water. Maybe that's why you never hear of water in autos >anymore???? > >Some folks believe that the octane level in gas stored in plastic decreases >during storage. (as little as 2 weeks). I'm not sure if this is true but >it makes me wonder about starting out at the minimums. > >I flow both-just my opinions, > >Joe ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: 912 oil
Erich/All: I was aware of the Rotax recommendation to run semi-synthetic oil when operating on 100LL. I chose to run full synthetic based on operating temps. Also on using Alcore TCP additive to scavenge the lead out of the engine. I also change the oil more often than required by the book. Yes, on long cross country flight I use 100LL fuel exclusively, unless someone happens along with a can of auto fuel. The last several cross country flights I took advantage of MOGAS available at some fields, 87 octane. If I have 10 gal of 100LL in the tank, I do a little math, and add the 87 octane mogas until I get close to my minimum of 91 octane. I haven't had any problems doing this and it saves a little money in the long run. The upgrade to a heavy duty starter will assist the 912S get up to speed sooner and through the rpm range that experiences gear box chatter on start up. It is something Rotax is doing for us guys that got earlier 912S model engines. All new 912S engines come with the heavy duty starter and the slip clutch in place of the spring loaded dogs for torsion vibration dampening. I am waiting on the parts to come in to upgrade my 912S to current specs. The starter is $200.00 plus my old starter, and the slip clutch is $400.00. If the upgrades were not available at the reduced prices, I would probably live without them. I am not having that much problem, only occasionally. However, it should increase the longevity of the 912S and pay for the upgrades in the long run. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.D. Stewart" <jstewart(at)inebraska.com>
Subject: 912 oil
Date: Sep 17, 2003
You will love the new starter/clutch combo. I got one of the first engines with them on, and the difference is like night and day when compared to other planes with the older 912S. Mine fires instantly, with no chatter. J.D. Stewart UltraFun AirSports http://www.ultrafunairsports.com FlyChallenger E-mail list and Website Administrator http://challenger.inebraska.com TitanAircraft e-mail list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Titanaircraft/ > > The upgrade to a heavy duty starter will assist the 912S get > up to speed sooner and through the rpm range that > experiences gear box chatter on start up. It is something > Rotax is doing for us guys that got earlier 912S model > engines. All new 912S engines come with the heavy duty > starter and the slip clutch in place of the spring loaded > dogs for torsion vibration dampening. I am waiting on the > parts to come in to upgrade my 912S to current specs. The > starter is $200.00 plus my old starter, and the slip clutch > is $400.00. If the upgrades were not available at the > reduced prices, I would probably live without them. I am > not having that much problem, only occasionally. However, > it should increase the longevity of the 912S and pay for the > upgrades in the long run. > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: DSmald(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 17, 2003
Subject: Harley Davidson engine
group: Someone may have allready mentioned this, I do not read the list as religiously as I should, but I found this interesting, a wright flyer replica with a harley engine. I thought it was interesting, as someone onlist was considering a harley engine. http://wrightflyer.usurf.usu.edu/ Darren Smalec, FS1, 2- strokin' ,central MI. ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: "John Cooley" <johnc(at)datasync.com>
Subject: Re: insufficient octane
"Snip" -------Original Message------- From: kolb-list(at)matronics.com Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 09:31:11 AM Subject: RE: Kolb-List: Re: insufficient octane It was explained to me that the industry raises the octane levels with alcohol. Hence the hotter temps. I can recall looking at one website that proposed there was enough alcohol in 93 octane pump gas to suspend a teaspoon of water. Maybe that's why you never hear of water in autos anymore???? "End snip" Hi Joe/Gang, I work in the Blending and Shipping section of a 325,000 barrel per day Chevron oil refinery in south Mississippi. One of the main things we do is blend gasoline. I can't speak for all brands but can tell you positively that we do not use any alcohol in any of our gasoline. We blend 93 supreme and 87 octane and use the two mixed at the proper ratio to make 89 octane midgrade. We also blend 100/130 avgas and a grade of gas known as ULCQ that has to meet certain government specifications and is used by Detroit for mileage ratings. We load thousands of barrels per day on barges, ships and trucks. Just because you buy Exxon, Shell or whatever it doesn't mean that it was blended in said refinery. We sell gas to many different brands including some of the ones mentioned above, who then sells it as their brand The main difference is that it has that companies particular brand of detergent in the gas and meets said companies specs and all companies have to meet certain specs at dictated by ASTM and API. We have two other brands of detergent other than our own that we inject into the gas as it's being loaded onto the tank trucks. I think alcohol is used more in the west than anywhere else but don't know the statistics. There was a big discussion over this a while back. I searched the archives and am copying a reply I made to a similar question awhile back. Here it is........... All gasoline has to meet a recognized set of standards. These are regulated by API (American Petroleum Institute) see this link
http://api-ec.api.org/aboutapi/index.cfm?bitmask=001010001000000000 and ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) Most of the current testing methods in use have been developed by ASTM. Check this link for more info http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/ABOUT/aboutASTM.html?L+mystore+elby 7771+1042674481 The recipes are not mandated. Each company can use whatever recipe they choose as long as the finished product meets the industry standard specs. These "recipes" will vary depending on the type of crude oils being distilled and the type of "reforming" processes used to make higher quality/octane components. We sample our component rundown tanks on a regular basis and the info is feed into a computer program. When we get ready to blend for example a blend of 93 octane supreme then the required info is fed into the computer system and based on the components available a recipe is developed. Some of the criteria that the computer program uses to determine the recipe is also determined by the time of year and the RVP requirements (Reid Vapor Pressure) for the season. We make gasoline with 5 different RVP values depending on the time of season and the place that the fuel is going. We make a special low vapor pressure gasoline for the Atlanta area in the summer and the other grades are known as summer grade, intermediate grade, transition grade and winter grade RVP. The major difference in these fuels are the vapor pressure only. We have cutoff dates that we must meet when selling these various grades of gasoline. In other words after a certain date we can no longer sell winter grade gas. It has to be transition grade and so on. Of course summer grade has the lowest RVP value because of the season and so forth. Most of our fuel either goes to the Florida panhandle, Tampa, Port Everglades area via barges and ships and up the east coast via pipeline. Our average barrels per day of gasoline blended is 129,000 BPD. The additive packages are formulated by the major players making gas. They are primary a cleaner for fuel injectors etc. I don't know the particulars of getting it approved for use but am sure that it has to be approved by a governing body. The Chevron additive is know as "Techron". I don't know what Exxon, Shell etc call theirs. Techron is injected into the gas as it's loaded at our truck rack for the local market. We also have Exxon's additive for trucks picking up gas to go to the Exxon stations and a generic additive for the other brands. This is handled by the Marketing folks, which is a separate organization within the Chevron/Texaco refining company. No additive is put into the fuel going on ships and barges or up the pipeline system. This is done later on at the final destination. Again I will repeat what I said in my first post about gasoline. I don't want people getting mad because they are buying Exxon gas that may have actually been blended in a Chevron refinery. All gasoline has to meet minimum industry requirements. The requirement is the same for Exxon as it is for Chevron, Shell etc. If you are buying Exxon you are still getting their additive package. I will add this bit of info to chew on. Some companies blend gasoline to meet the minimum requirement. If it is supposed to be 93 octane supreme, then the gas is blended to meet the 93 octane minimum requirement. If the octane is 93.9 then that is known as "give-away" or blending "fat" because you have to use higher quality/octane components which of course are more valuable. If you want the most profit possible and you have the equipment to control with then it makes sense to try to hit the 93 minimum as close as possible. Some companies will blend gasoline straight onto a ship and therefore are willing to have some "give-away" to make sure it is on-test. I think this is the reason some people say a particular brand of gas runs better than another. The reformulated gas referred to in Don's post just has to meet more stringent guidelines as I understand it. I believe this is currently for the California market. We don't make reformulated gas at this time or any gas with alcohol in it. Ok guys, as Paul Petty asked me in an earlier post, I'm out of gas. Take Care, John Cooley ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 17, 2003
Subject: kolb list X-Planes Anyone have a Kolb ???
I have X-Plane 7 Has anyone built a kolb for this sim ? Dave ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 17, 2003
Subject: Air map 100
Anyone using a airmap100 ? ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: 2 Cycle Engine Oils
Date: Sep 17, 2003
Jim/Gang, Jeez..leave on biz fer a few days and it takes all day to catch up in here! You guys have struck a nerve that goes right to my heart, as earlier in my early carrer, I was a young engineer on an engine design team in sweden for a couple of years developing 2 stroke engines, (hope you guys wont hold that against me) and I would like to share some thoughts here on this subject. When an engine manufacturer makes a recommendation as to an oil mix ratio for a 2 cycle engine, here are the criteria we use. Volume of oil per revolution needed to lubricate all the parts...or one might say..the part that needs the most lubrication, which is almost always the cylinder wall/piston skirt. Todays bearings. both roller and ball need much less oil to keep the lubricated at the rpm levels we run than the skirt/wall film we need to keep the piston and cylinder wall from touching. Volume of oil in fuel mix at average air/fuel ratio of 27 to one (for a 2 stroke) this usually is an industry standard for most power with acceptable heat, according to the engine/cooling systems heat dissapating ability. Add a safety factor to compensate for adverse conditions..et.al.---lean condition...water...etc... now its pretty simple men...we have a VOLUME requirement....and we can figure out the volume of oil in the volume of fuel mixture that is going thru our engines PEtroleum based 2 stroke lube oil has lots of stuff in it...but generally only one for lubrication...this is called "bright stock"...the other stuff does other jobs....(STP is almost pure bright stock) now...SAE , ISO, JASO, and other standards outfits give the oil companies and engine manufacturers some common ground to work from, and these really are the glue that makes the whole market work. You see if you make mix oil and put in more nright stock than the other guy then you might be able to say that you can run this oil in an engine that is designed for 50 to one..but you can run it at 100 to one with our oil. BEcause we have "better oil". Manufacturers do NOT design engines or even test them based on standards for these "other" oils. HOwever...an Aircooled 2 stroke is really only about 30 % air cooled....and 70% fuel cooled....HUH?....yes...the piston dissapates heat by 2 means in any engine...one way is by passing the heat to the cylinder wall, and the other is by being sprayed by the cold fuel mixture...which takes out MUCH more heat on a 2 stroke because it hits both sides..the bottom first..then the top. To make matters more complicated, gasoline has a better cooling effect than oil...so PURE gas cools better than mixed gas, and the MORE oil in the mixture the less heat is dissapated by the mixture. I used to give service meetings in the USA after coming back and I always did a demonstration using a chainsaw and 3 cans of fuel...one at 32:1, one at 40:1, and one at 50: 1 fuel mixtures in each can. With a thermocouple under the plug , i would start and run the saw ( which was designed for 50:1) and get it up to max temps....then shut it down, drain the gas, and fill it up, with the next ratio...always using the 50 :1 first. I never did tire of watching the eyes of all those "expert " mechanics as the temps always were higher on the heavier oil mixtures........2 factors were at work here...but that is for another discussion...suffice it to say....Thats just how it is! I am NOT recommending 100 to one...75:1 or any other ratio than what the design team who created the engine designated. OH boy...now i'm really mixed up right?.... lets get back to the engine manufacturers designated ratio, and how we pick that ratio. A manufacturer that must sell in a world market faces the biggest problem ...different standards in different countries being the biggest, but since the USA is the biggest market for just about anything...we look at what the generally accepted standards of available oil is in the USA and design and test our engines with oil that meets these standards and reccomend a ratio that will insure the volume of lubricating oil is sufficient. Have you ever seen an owners manual that recommends an oil by brand?....only if that company buys and bottles oil under their name...and most dont. So we manufacturers recommend a STANDARD.....usually by an SAE number...or an ISO number...or JASO if you are in japan or the east..Due to lawsuits in the USA, manufacturers have found that you CANNOT be absolved of warranty responsibility in the USA if a engine owner uses an oil that meets the same standard as the brand you recommended in your published material....so we all quit recommending oil by brand. I wont even begin to attempt to say here what oil a fella ought to use by brand....but I will say that your engine was designed to run a specific oil ratio by the design team that developed the engine...and that VOLUME requirement is what you should follow. I dont want to get into any discussion about 100 to one ratios and such....only to mention that remember this also...a carb is a vacumm operated piece of machinery, andthe engine "sucks" the fuel thru the jets. A higher volume of oil in the mix gives us a higher viscosity, and it does not "suck " as much of this mix as it does a lesser ratio, so if you dont re-adjust your carb jet when changing ratios, you could be in for trouble...either from a lean condition....or from a rich condition.....they both will shorten the life of your engine....one quickly....and one a little more slowly. Jim, use a big name, high quality oil and be sure it fullfills the ISO minimums that the engine manufacturer says to use. dont mix it any higher ...or lesser of a ratio than they say either.... Don Gherardini Sales / Engineering dept. American Honda Engines Power Equipment Company 800-626-7326 ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: "Gary robert voigt" <johndeereantique(at)qwest.net>
Subject: Re: First Firestar Flight
Jim, congrats on the first flight and i'm glad everything went well..... btw my mother was born in Viroqua and i'm very familar with that area. thanks, Gary r. voigt Excelsior, mn. "J.L.Turner" wrote: > > Fellow Kolbers: > > Last week I posted an inquiry regarding whether I needed additional flight training to fly my Firestar 1. Although I had completed my private pilot 40 hours of classroom, 15 hours in a Cessna 172, 150+ hours in a powered parachute, and had my Basic Flight Instructor rating in Powered Parachutes, the previous owner insisted that the Kolb was difficult to fly and that I'd better take additional lessons. > > This evening I went back to the airport, rolled the Firestar out, and was prepared to once again just practice high speed taxi runs. This got old pretty quick! The 3 mph wind was coming right down runway two niner. So I completed a tax run back to the threshold of two niner, turned the nose around and pointed the nose into the breeze. One more check of my instruments, a scan around me for other aircraft and it was time to roll. Reading about frequent nose overs in Kolbs made me very hesitant, but I built speed up slowly, feeling the tail getting lighter and lighter. A quick glance to the airspeed indicator showed 25 mph and climbing. The Firestar was pointed perfectly straight and I poured the coals to the 377. Once I was certain I was past stall speed, I eased the stick back. WOW! Do these Kolbs climb like a rocket!!! The first inclination is to cut the throttle back. But I knew better and dropped the nose a tad and kept my airspeed at 55 mph. Once I'd gotten ! > to 1000' AGL, I leveled out and eased back on the throttle until I was maintaining 50 mph in level flight. For an hour straight I practiced turns and just got used to the responsive handling of the Kolb. You guys were right.....the Kolb scrubs off speed very fast and I consciously lowered the nose a little while in turns. > > Finally it was time to test my skills by seeing if I could set the traildragger down for the first time. Landing procedures I'd read on the list flooded through my head. I knew I was supposed to fly it to the ground and keep the speed up. I turned on my final for two niner, lowered the nose, and cut back a little on the power. I passed the runway threshold at about 75' AGL, but I knew I had about 3200' to eat up, if I had to. I kept the airspeed at about 40 mph, flew it to about 3' AGL, slowly cutting back the power, and then did a gentle flare, bringing the Kolb down for a perfect landing. > > So it was rewarding evening. Everything I'd heard about the Kolb was true....that it's a great little plane. The only thing I found was that I had to keep just a little left rudder into it at all times. Anybody else have this experience? Did you install a trim tab on the rudder? > > Thanks to all on the list who offered words of encouragement to me. I've enjoyed reading on the posts and hope to join the Kolb Caravan next year! > > Regards, > > Jim Turner > Viroqua, WI > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: Robert Laird <rlaird(at)cavediver.com>
Subject: Re: Air map 100
At 08:22 PM 9/17/2003, you wrote: > >Anyone using a airmap100 ? Yup, been using it for a couple of years. -- Robert ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: george murphy <geomurphy(at)direcway.com>
Subject: [QT]Fabric Rivet Size
(3.5 points) I am trying to find a local source for Fabric Rivets and I think they are 1/8 in dia. with a 3/8 head but am not sure of the exact size. Does anyone know if this is the correct size? George Murphy / Old Firestar reconstruction / Alpine Al ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Daryl Hegyi" <dhegyi(at)telus.net>
Subject: Re: insufficient octane- alcohol
Date: Sep 17, 2003
oops, this should read: > If there was alcohol in the gas, the water level will now be BELOW the mark, > because the water is now dissolved in the alcohol which is dissolved in the gas. regards, Daryl ----- Original Message ----- From: "Daryl Hegyi" <dhegyi(at)telus.net> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Re: insufficient octane- alcohol > > Some manufacturers do use alcohol to raise octane levels. I use Esso or > Shell exclusively (here in Canada) . > > To check for alcohol, use this technique: > > Take a small glass bottle (jar or juice bottle) and make a mark about 1/3 > from the bottom. Fill to the line with water. Then fill the bottle (not > quite to the top) with suspect gasoline, close the lid, and shake > vigorously. Allow to settle, and examine the water level. > > If there was alcohol in the gas, the water level will now be above the mark, > because the alcohol is now disolved in the water instead of the gas. > > regards, > Daryl Hegyi (Kolb Twinstar Mk II.) > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Joe Allman" <fisherallman(at)earthlink.net> > To: > Subject: RE: Kolb-List: Re: insufficient octane > > > > > > It's been my experience 2 strokes run hotter on higher octanes. > > > > My old Kaw 440 ran hot on 93 and ran significantly cooler on 87. > > > > It was explained to me that the industry raises the octane levels with > > alcohol. Hence the hotter temps. I can recall looking at one website > that > > proposed there was enough alcohol in 93 octane pump gas to suspend a > > teaspoon of water. Maybe that's why you never hear of water in autos > > anymore???? > > > > Some folks believe that the octane level in gas stored in plastic > decreases > > during storage. (as little as 2 weeks). I'm not sure if this is true but > > it makes me wonder about starting out at the minimums. > > > > I flow both-just my opinions, > > > > Joe > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com > > [mailto:owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com]On Behalf Of Richard Pike > > To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com > > Subject: Kolb-List: Re: insufficient octane > > > > > > > > The biggest problem would be spark knock, which can damage your engine. > > Also, 87 octane gas burns hotter than 93 octane gas. > > If your ignition timing was retarded by a couple degrees, then the 532 > > would probably tolerate the lower octane without knocking, but that causes > > a loss of power. > > For an in depth look at the subject, try > > > http://www.dynopower.freeserve.co.uk/nitrous_oxide/fuels_detonation_preignit > > ion.htm > > > > Richard Pike > > MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > > > > > > > > > >Richard/others > > > > > >What problems can occur by using 87 instead of 91 octane with a 532? > > > > > >Jim > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: [QT]Fabric Rivet Size
> I am trying to find a local source for Fabric Rivets > George Murphy / Old Firestar reconstruction / Alpine Al George/All: Recommend you stick with fabric rivets supplied through the Poly Fiber Dealers supply lines: Jim and Dondi Miller CALL TOLL FREE 1-877-877-3334 These folks will fix you up with the correct rivets and get them to you in a hurry. Looking forward to seeing them again at the Kolb Flyin in London, KY, next week. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: <rowedl(at)highstream.net>
Subject: Re: Air map 100
Date: Sep 17, 2003
> Anyone using a airmap100 ? Just bought one from Flight Essentials a couple weeks ago, seems like a good unit but I have not played with it much yet. They are really discounted right now. Denny Rowe ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 17, 2003
From: Robert Laird <rlaird(at)cavediver.com>
Subject: Re: Air map 100
At 09:17 PM 9/17/2003, you wrote: > > > > Anyone using a airmap100 ? > >Just bought one from Flight Essentials a couple weeks ago, seems like a good >unit but I have not played with it much yet. >They are really discounted right now. They are discounted because the versions with the larger screens have just come out/are coming out. Still a terrific little GPS, even with the small screen. -- R ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Christopher J Armstrong" <tophera(at)centurytel.net>
Subject: kolb list X-Planes Anyone have a Kolb ???
Date: Sep 17, 2003
http://www.x-plane.org/ this place has 2000 planes for x-planes 6 and a growing number for 7 I am not sure if there is a kolb yet. I run 7.1 now and will probably make a firestar II for it some time. Only takes an hour to get a rough plane flying. Could spend hours making it look real nice. Topher -----Original Message----- From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com Subject: Kolb-List: kolb list X-Planes Anyone have a Kolb ??? I have X-Plane 7 Has anyone built a kolb for this sim ? Dave --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. --- ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 18, 2003
From: Bob Bean <slyck(at)frontiernet.net>
Subject: Re: [QT]Fabric Rivet Size
George, I used Marson ABL4-3A , 1/8 dia large flange, grip range 1/8 - 3/16 Grainger cat no. 4Y036 (available for me with a 15 min drive) -BB george murphy wrote: > >I am trying to find a local source for Fabric Rivets and I think they are >1/8 in dia. with a 3/8 head but am not sure of the exact size. Does anyone >know if this is the correct size? > >George Murphy / Old Firestar reconstruction / Alpine Al > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Airgriff2(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 18, 2003
Subject: Kolb Fly-In list
My wifes gall bladder comes out Monday, so she has said she will be fine for me to head west to London KY on Friday. What a gal! Here is the list of responses for ones planning to make the Fly-In. Sorry in advance for leaving someone out and misspellings. Dave-- tampa Bay---drive Richard Pike James Tripp---Alabama---drive Jim Ballenger & wife---Virgina---drive Ed Diebel Paul petty, Charley Harris, Johnny Dees---central MS--drive John Hauck---Alabama---fly (what else?) John Williamson---Texas---fly (what else) Vince Nicely---TN---fly John Bickham---fly Duane Gene Ledbetter---Ohio---fly Steve Green---fly Bob Griffin, Robert Rayow---NY---drive Jim & Dondi Gary Haley Houston TX---fly Duncon McBride---Ft. Myers FL---fly Last year , the people at TNK company and their familes went way beyond what was expected from them to assure that everyone had a wonderful time! For those coming,have a safe trip and plan on having a GREAT weekend !!! PS anyone lurking on the list even thinking of sometime becoming a "Kolb flyer" and owner, should try to make it. Sept 27th & 28th London KY Bob Griffin ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 18, 2003
From: "Wayne F.Wilson" <wfwilson1(at)yahoo.ca>
Subject: EIS
Wanted to purchase EIS for 2 stroke 582 with ALT & VIS Option. Contact Wayne at wfwilson1(at)yahoo.ca or call 519-736-0577 evenings. Thanks Wayne Soon to be Slingshot Pilot Amherstburg Ontario ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 18, 2003
From: Eugene Zimmerman <eugenezimmerman(at)dejazzd.com>
Subject: Re: back in the saddle
Ben Ransom wrote: > > > Hi folks, > Happy to report that my Firestar KXP is back in the air. :)) > > 4 years, 4 months since the blow-over accident. Briefly, this ruined > one wing and aileron, 20% of 2nd wing and aileron, 20% of each > elevator, and bent the cage and lift struts in a few places. After > rebuilding structurally, all of the plane was recovered except for the > horiz stabs, vert stab and rudder. Modification in this rebuild > included shortening the wings by 4.5" each, changing the wing tip shape > (top is airfoil, bottom is cupped instead of flat), Snip-- Ben, Would you have a pict of your covered wing tips? I'd like to see how they look. I was thinking of doing something similar on a Firestar II I'm working on. I'd like to make mine similar to the old Piper wing tip. Thanks, EZ ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: Polish
Date: Sep 18, 2003
Kolbers, My 30" metal brake/sheer/slip roll came today and I have cut the three tubes for the right horz. stab. and are going to begin the rivet process tonight. Last night I was fooling around after finishing and grabbed one of the pieces and took it over to the bench polisher. Wow that stuff polished out quick! I was wondering, since it only takes a few seconds to polish can any of you see any reason I should not do this? It would make any scratches show up real good. pp ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 18, 2003
From: Eugene Zimmerman <eugenezimmerman(at)dejazzd.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb Fly-In list
Richard & Martha Neilsen wrote: > > > No there is nothing short of a cage modification but I was looking at a mod > that was done for a GEO at Oshkosh that didn't require a change to the spar > carry thru. This mod adapted for the VW should get the thrust line down very > close to that of a Rotax. I talked to Kolb briefly about doing a custom cage > for me and they seemed agreeable. It would seem that even if they charged > 300-400 dollars extra for the cage they could make money and save people > better than $5000 dollars over the cost of a 912. I have a rough drawing of > an idea for the cage mod for a lowered VW mount. I can send it to anyone > that wants a copy. I figured I would talk to the factory people more at the > flyin > > Yes, I would like to see your drawing when you have time to send it. Thanks, EZ ________________________________________________________________________________
From: ULDAD(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 18, 2003
Subject: Soob
In a message dated 9/18/03 8:18:11 PM Central Daylight Time, rharris@magnolia-net.com writes: << the Subaru was untested as far as mount on the MK3 ( although a guy named Griffin from AL. was trying it....still is ) I traded the MKIII project for another plane. I've still got my FireStar. I don't think he's going to use the Soob (bad decision, Dave!) so it's for sale. Rebuilt EA-81 w/Amax prsu: $2500. The Amax alone was $1900. If any of you are interested drop me a line. Bill ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Larry Bourne" <biglar(at)gogittum.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb Fly-In list
Date: Sep 18, 2003
I should add...............I'm surprised to hear that Homer had that opinion of the 0-200. I've put in quite a few hours behind them in Cessna 150's a few years ago, and didn't notice any special amounts of vibration. I certainly won't argue, tho', I just don't know, and Homer's proven to be pretty sharp. By now, the Subaru's are well proven on many other designs, and personally, if I were going to start again, (shudder) I'd go with the Subie over the VW...........in an instant. Now, let the flames begin.............. Lar. Larry Bourne Palm Springs, CA Kolb Mk III - Vamoose N78LB www.gogittum.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Harris" <rharris@magnolia-net.com> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Kolb Fly-In list <rharris@magnolia-net.com> > > Rick, > When I was building my MK3 back in 95-96, I had the very privileged > opportunity to talk to Homer Kolb ( anybody remember him ) at sun and fun. > My stance at that time was that Rotax was ripping us off for the price of > the 912, and I would like to put something else on my MK3. We talked about > Subaru,VW, and continental 200. At that time the man that started all this > told me that.... The 200 would shake the MK3 apart, the Subaru was untested > as far as mount on the MK3 ( although a guy named Griffin from AL. was > trying it....still is ) and they could not find a VW engine that was > reliable, or produced enough HP to fly the MK3 with two folks in it. ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 18, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Octoberlite fly-in
John W/All: Here's the info on the Fly In at South Mississippi Light Aircraft, Lucedale, Mississippi: http://www.flysmla.com/smlaevt.htm It is a good down home flyin. Good food and good folks. john h John Williamson wrote: ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Ron Behie" <behie(at)gtn.on.ca>
Subject: Twinstar MK II rear windows
Date: Sep 19, 2003
I am hoping someone can help me out with pictures and/or instructions on making rear windows for the MK II. Any help would be appreciated. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 19, 2003
Subject: Kolb Fly-In Wether Report :-)
Saturday: Sunny skies. High 74F. Winds light and variable. This is lookin Good ! ........ Dave ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 19, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: Twinstar MK II rear windows
Don't know about the MKII, but I have a set of Old Kolb plans for the MKIII's rear Lexan enclosure on my web page. http://www.bcchapel.org/pages/0003/kolb.htm Maybe that will be some help. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > >I am hoping someone can help me out with pictures and/or instructions on >making rear windows for the MK II. Any help would be appreciated. > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 19, 2003
Subject: Re: Kolb Fly-In Wether Report :-)
jeeez I jumped the gun ...loll ... ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 19, 2003
From: Ted Cowan <tcowan1917(at)direcway.com>
Subject: Re: kolb fly in
well, you can put Beverly and I on the list. We are RVing it. Not sure whether I will bring the firestar or not. Havent decided. This is more of a lookie lu flyin for me. Gonna get some imput for possible use on my new slingshot. almost finished building the instrument panel today. only took about fifteen hours! real nice and functional. still needs some work but what the heck - more fun, right? Just wish I would quit waking up at three in the morning wide awake although I get a lot of work done in the cool of the morning. makes a long day though. glad I dont have to work for a living. will see ya all there. Ted and Beverly Cowan, Alabama ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Bruce Harrison" <firestarii(at)hotmail.com>
Subject: Rotax 503 Intake Manifold for single carb wanted
Date: Sep 19, 2003
Hello listers: I've tried trolling for an intake manifold for Rotax 503 Single Carb on various sites on the Internet and have come up mostly empty. Just thought I'd try a shot at our list of "experimenters." I have a late model 503 DCDCDI and after comparing experiences with flying a single-carb 377 and then this engine for the last 50 hours, I have decided I prefer the single carb. My feeling is that I don't need the extra 4 horsepower as much as I'd like to have the lighter feel on the throttle, a single throttle and choke cable instead of all the splitters, the slightly improved fuel economy, and the ability to switch jets in half the time. Anybody go the other way on this experiment (single carb to dual) and have the single manifold available? Email me description and price off list please. Thanks. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jon Croke" <jon(at)joncroke.com>
Subject: Lithium vs dielectric grease
Date: Sep 19, 2003
I checked the archives and couldn't find any info on the following : The Rotax 912 service manual talks about making good electrical connections on its electronic module and to avoid leakage currents by using LITHIUM grease on all wire connections. I can find DIELECTRIC grease at the automotive store described to be used for about the same purpose..but not LITHIUM grease. Are these two greases the same thing or related? Scanning at the internet I see that lithium grease comes in a lot of flavors and uses beyond electrical connections... Are both of these greases good conductors, esp at very low voltages?? (CHT/EGT pin connections) Thanks for any info on this confusion. Jon near Green Bay CH 701 ready for inspection Firestar II www.joncroke.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 19, 2003
From: "John Cooley" <johnc(at)datasync.com>
Subject: Fiberglass work
Hi Gang, Would like some advice from some of the list members who have experience in working with fiberglass. The nose cone of my MK III has a slight dished in area in the most obvious place, right on top and in the center of the nose pod. The depression is about 12 inches long and maybe 4 inches or so wide. What would be the best way to build this area up and get a good round contour to match the rest of the nose pod? Thanks, John Cooley ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: Re: Lithium vs dielectric grease
Date: Sep 19, 2003
Jon, There is a lithium grease that auto mfg. uses in the lamp socket to seal out moisture. I will look into my inventory to see what's available. The dielectric silicone compound is used to "insulate" electronic modules from current sources. pp ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jon Croke" <jon(at)joncroke.com> Subject: Kolb-List: Lithium vs dielectric grease > > I checked the archives and couldn't find any info on the following : > > The Rotax 912 service manual talks about making good electrical connections > on its electronic module and to avoid leakage currents by using LITHIUM > grease on all wire connections. > > I can find DIELECTRIC grease at the automotive store described to be used > for about the same purpose..but not LITHIUM grease. > > Are these two greases the same thing or related? Scanning at the internet I > see that lithium grease comes in a lot of flavors and uses beyond electrical > connections... > > Are both of these greases good conductors, esp at very low voltages?? > (CHT/EGT pin connections) > > Thanks for any info on this confusion. > > Jon > near Green Bay > CH 701 ready for inspection > Firestar II > > www.joncroke.com > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: Re: Fiberglass work
Date: Sep 19, 2003
John, NAPA Fibre Hair body filler works good part #QT6369 for quarts GAL6369 for gallons. pp - Original Message ----- From: "John Cooley" <johnc(at)datasync.com> Subject: Kolb-List: Fiberglass work > > Hi Gang, > Would like some advice from some of the list members who have experience in > working with fiberglass. The nose cone of my MK III has a slight dished in > area in the most obvious place, right on top and in the center of the nose > pod. The depression is about 12 inches long and maybe 4 inches or so wide. > What would be the best way to build this area up and get a good round > contour to match the rest of the nose pod? > > Thanks, > John Cooley > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Duncan McBride" <duncanmcbride(at)comcast.net>
Subject: TCP
Date: Sep 19, 2003
John H has mentioned using Alcor TCP in 100LL to reduce lead fouling. I'm faced with having to buy 100LL on the way up to the fly-in and was just wondering, am I going to find that in any autoparts store? I can't remember seeing it anywhere, but then I haven't been looking either. Looking forward to seeing everybody - Duncan McBride Mark III, 319DM ________________________________________________________________________________
From: RFG842(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 19, 2003
Subject: Re: Fiberglass work
John Any depression more than 1/8" deep should be filled with glas cloth & resin to bring it up to the desired contour. Sand the area with 60 or 80 grit down to clean structure and build the area with cloth & Aeropoxy resin. After cure I sand & finish with an automotive 3M finishing putty and their high fill primer. Sanding with 180, 220 & 350 wet and it's ready for the finish paint. PS If there is any structural integrity involved, be sure to overlap to good structure by two inches in all directions. Small depressions can be filled with a mixture of resin and micro beads (glas beads). No strength to this mixture. Remember even epoxy will peel of a smooth surface. Roughen it up so the epoxy has a chance to grab the surface it's attached to. Good luck Bob, Wichita ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 19, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: TCP
> John H has mentioned using Alcor TCP in 100LL to reduce lead fouling. I'm faced with having to buy 100LL on the way up to the fly-in and was just wondering, am I going to find that in any auto parts store? I can't remember seeing it anywhere, but then I haven't been looking either. > Duncan McBride Dencan/All: Try Aircraft Spruce. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: RiteAngle3(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 19, 2003
Subject: % RiteAngle AOA owners
Hello Kolb aircraft builders. I know I have a few customers out there in your ranks. If you are building an aircraft or flying your aircraft with the RiteAngle AOA system I would appreciate personal photos of installation and comments, positive or negative sent to me off list. Please state model of aircraft, hours flown with RiteAngle AOA system and any suggestions. Those who have questions re AOA please also contact me off list. I don't want to use the list unless questions are asked that would apply to all. address for contact: riteangle3(at)aol.com There are several hundred RiteAngle systems out there and many owners have changed e-mail addresses. Thanks, Elbie Outstanding Customer Service is our Motto If you like it let others know If not let me know! EM aviation, LLC Elbie Mendenhall President 13411 NE Prairie Rd Brush Prairie, WA 98606 Phone & Fax 360-260-0772 www.RiteAngle.com ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Tommy & Carolyn" <TommyandCarolyn(at)centurytel.net>
Subject: 5th Annual Allen Parish Fly-In
Date: Sep 19, 2003
Just a reminder, the 5th annual Allen Parish Fly-In Oakdale, LA is the last weekend of this month, that's the 26, 27 & 28. It's grown every year to over 200 aircraft, a mixed bag, something for everyone. Camping, food & Cajun music rounds it out, your sure to have a good time. Contact Joel Johnson 318-215-0090 or 337-639-4328. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Daniel Walter" <worrybear(at)paonline.com>
Subject: Re: Fiberglass work
Date: Sep 20, 2003
John, If you can easily push the area out with your hand, I would recommend strengthening it from the inside with a layer of fiberglass cloth and a coat of fiberglass resin. You would need to make a form which could be used to hold the area in shape while the resin cured, but this could easily be done with some scrap wood, put a couple layers of wax paper over the form so the resin won't stick. Good Luck. Dan Walter Kolb UltraStar, 10 DEW ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Cooley" <johnc(at)datasync.com> Subject: Kolb-List: Fiberglass work > > Hi Gang, > Would like some advice from some of the list members who have experience in > working with fiberglass. The nose cone of my MK III has a slight dished in > area in the most obvious place, right on top and in the center of the nose > pod. The depression is about 12 inches long and maybe 4 inches or so wide. > What would be the best way to build this area up and get a good round > contour to match the rest of the nose pod? > > Thanks, > John Cooley > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" <NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net>
Subject: Reduction drive VW engines
Date: Sep 20, 2003
If I were doing as much flying as John Hauck does over the area he flies I would spend the big bucks for a Rotax 912. There is no question in my mind that 912 is a VERY reliable engine. The VW engine just isn't at that level. It is I think a much better choice than any of the 2 stroke options and some of the 4 stroke alternatives with a much lower cost. With a rebuild cost of $300 - 400 and a new long block replacement in the $3200 range there are no cheaper long term options. The maintenance on my engine is minimal.There are no valve adjustments as my engine has hydraulic lifters. There are no timing adjustments and the spark plugs look new after 60 hours with no noticeable lead lead build up from 100LL use. Great Plains recommends oil changes at 25 hours but after 20 hour of flight to Oshkosh and back it looks as clean as the day I changed it. I would think a 50 hour oil change on trips would be a good time. With less frequent use I find it gets dirty and needs to be changed around the 25 hour mark. The reduction drive belts (there are three and any one is reported to drive the prop) need adjustment during the first 5 hours a few times but after that they seem to stay tight. The VW engine has been flying for a lot longer than Rotax and has been copied by a lot of the other manufactures like Jabaru and Subaru and even has been aircraft certified in a German variation. When I started building my airplane I tried to find a reduction drive to put on the VW engine. I even tried to get the guy that builds Larry Bourne's reduction drive to sell me the belt drive unit he was attempting to get working at that time. I ended up building a direct drive VW which was very reliable but just didn't have the thrust for a MKIII. Jean Smith (the one that made my reduction drive) has now sold close to fifty of the belt drive reduction units over the last 7 years and has a very good reliability record. This is also the reduction drive that Great Plains Aircraft and at least one other aircraft VW engine builder sells. The VW engine just can't be beat for the price. It is just slightly more heavy than a 912, app 10lbs. more. The HP is around the same a Rotax 912. It is a relatively slow turning (3200 RPM at cruise) engine and runs at app 50% power at the 75mph cruise that I have been flying. There are people that feel that you can run higher RPMs with more power but I wanted to error on the side of reliability. In dune buggies the same engine as mine with a different cam and valve springs would turn 8000 RPM and get close to 160 HP. The main down side of the engine is that reduction drive can't be inverted to get a lower thrust line. But with a cage modification it can be lowered. Also yes I remember Homer Kolb he wandered thru the ultra light camp ground every evening this year at Oshkosh and I had a very enjoyable talk with him many times. He also seemed impressed with my VW engine. Food for thought Rick Neilsen Redrive VW powered MKIIIc ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Harris" <rharris@magnolia-net.com> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Kolb Fly-In list <rharris@magnolia-net.com> > > Rick, > When I was building my MK3 back in 95-96, I had the very privileged > opportunity to talk to Homer Kolb ( anybody remember him ) at sun and fun. > My stance at that time was that Rotax was ripping us off for the price of > the 912, and I would like to put something else on my MK3. We talked about > Subaru,VW, and continental 200. At that time the man that started all this ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 20, 2003
Subject: [ Paul Petty ] : New Email List Photo Share Available!
From: Email List Photo Shares <pictures(at)matronics.com>
A new Email List Photo Share is available: Poster: Paul Petty <ppetty@c-gate.net> Subject: Damaged Tube - Storage Rack http://www.matronics.com/photoshare/ppetty@c-gate.net.09.20.2003/index.html o Main Photo Share Index http://www.matronics.com/photoshare o Submitting a Photo Share If you wish to submit a Photo Share of your own, please include the following information along with your email message and files: 1) Email List or Lists that they are related to: 2) Your Full Name: 3) Your Email Address: 4) One line Subject description: 5) Multi-line, multi-paragraph description of topic: 6) One-line Description of each photo or file: Email the information above and your files and photos to: pictures(at)matronics.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 20, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Damaged Tubes
Paul, before you haul your tubes back to Kolb, you might want to measure them and see how long they are and how much tube you need. I was looking at yourpictures on the Kolb photo share, and it appears only the very ends were damaged. On the wing spars, I ended up cutting off a couple feet from each 6" tube. Don't know your tube lengths, but it may be that after you measure, you may find out that you still have enough good tube to use. Or it may be that you need to get new ones. But it doesn't hurt to check, I have two 3' lengths of 6" tube in storage from what I had to cut off to match the plans. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Larry Bourne" <biglar(at)gogittum.com>
Subject: Grand Canyon
Date: Sep 20, 2003
After the Monument Valley fly-in last May, John Williamson flew west over Glen Canyon dam, Lake Powell, and the beginning of the Grand Canyon. (I believe it's called Marble Canyon above Lee's Ferry) A little later, he emailed me a couple of pictures he'd taken on that flight. The difference in perspective is breath taking. Me being me, it took this long to work them into the "Grand Canyon" page of "Vacation 2002" on my website. You can navigate there from "gogittum," below, or direct by clicking on: http://www.webpictures.homestead.com/travelling.html . Those pics are really something, and I hafta say, "Thanks again, John." Larry Bourne Palm Springs, CA Kolb Mk III - Vamoose N78LB www.gogittum.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 20, 2003
From: "Mike Pierzina" <planecrazzzy(at)lycos.com>
Subject: Prop Tape
Hey Guys, The SS prop tape from IVO was LIFTING at all the edges , and that's without ever starting the engine..... I'll be ready to start the engine soon . I've finished making my oil tank H) I bought some "CLEAR" prop tape. I remember some of you guys talking about using it.... Here's my question : The catologe says to " finish with spray-on varathane" Is that what you guys did ? Gotta Fly... Mike in MN --- Sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down... Gotta Fly... Diabetics: Click here for a Free Glucose Meter from Access Diabetic. http://r.hotbot.com/r/lmt_ad/http://mocda4.com/1/c/563632/102938/302214/302214 This offer applies to U.S. Residents Only ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "CRAIG M NELSON" <vitalfx0(at)msn.com>
Subject: Re: Fiberglass work
Date: Sep 20, 2003
John, It sounds like you have a small depression, if it is less than 3/8 to 1/4 in. thick I would use a material called Super fil. It is extremely light and will adhere to most clean surfaces including aluminum, steel, composites and wood. Tim gherkins and I have used it to straiten parts like you are talking about and to fill areas on wing handles and Blend the leading edge tube to the wing tip bow. first clean the affected area with 200 grit sand paper then use some M.E.K.to ensure a good bond, then mix the two part epoxy super fil and apply it with a plastic automotive squeegee (3''X4"" scraper) it cures in about 8 hrs. but will B stage in about two hours depending on temp and can then be worked with a cheese grader( a file with blades that can be replaced) When it has cured it files and sands great and is EXTREMELY light and does not get hard and brittle or shrink like polyester resins (automotive fillers) you can get it from aircraft spruce. Good luck Uncle Craig Mark III Extra 912 ULS Arizona ----- Original Message ----- From: John Cooley Subject: Kolb-List: Fiberglass work Hi Gang, Would like some advice from some of the list members who have experience in working with fiberglass. The nose cone of my MK III has a slight dished in area in the most obvious place, right on top and in the center of the nose pod. The depression is about 12 inches long and maybe 4 inches or so wide. What would be the best way to build this area up and get a good round contour to match the rest of the nose pod? Thanks, John Cooley ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 21, 2003
From: jerb <ulflyer(at)verizon.net>
Subject: Re: Rotax 503 Intake Manifold for single carb wanted
Did you try Tom Olenik at http://www.buyitsellitfixit.com/rotax.htm He would probably have one. Tom a good guy and provides excellent Rotax repair service. jerb > >Hello listers: I've tried trolling for an intake manifold for Rotax 503 >Single Carb on various sites on the Internet and have come up mostly empty. >Just thought I'd try a shot at our list of "experimenters." > >I have a late model 503 DCDCDI and after comparing experiences with flying a >single-carb 377 and then this engine for the last 50 hours, I have decided I >prefer the single carb. My feeling is that I don't need the extra 4 >horsepower as much as I'd like to have the lighter feel on the throttle, a >single throttle and choke cable instead of all the splitters, the slightly >improved fuel economy, and the ability to switch jets in half the time. > >Anybody go the other way on this experiment (single carb to dual) and have >the single manifold available? Email me description and price off list >please. Thanks. > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 21, 2003
From: Charlie & Meredith Blackwell <wozani(at)optonline.net>
Subject: MK II windows
Ron, I have the rear windows on my MKII that I bought a few months ago. I would be happy to send you a paper tracing of them, they are mirror images of each other. There are bent metal brackets every 6" or so around the edge and some rubber window trim like found on the windscreen over the curved section. Because my plane is 13 years old, I can tell you that the metal brackets that it connects with should be dip coated in some rubber material like they sell for tool handles or maybe just wrapped in electrical tape before connecting because they have eaten up the fabric where it connects. I have white duct tape covering the abrasions until I do a new fabric job sometime in the future. Not too pretty looking. Let me know if you want a tracing, I have not found any plans for them. Charlie Blackwell, MKII 503DCDI, IVO 3blade ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: oops
Date: Sep 21, 2003
Kolbers, If you drill a hole in the wrong place in the horz stab tubing should you scrap that piece and start over or will it be ok to leave the hole? pp yeah I did it.... ________________________________________________________________________________
From: DC8man2(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 21, 2003
Subject: Re: 1999 Mark lll for sale
Hi fellow Kolbers; Well it is time to sell. All good things come to an end some time. After 225 hours of great flying I now find my self with a bad back and a boy who is grown and no longer has time to fly. I I have made a little sales/spec. sheet with a picture on it and would like any suggestions on how I should try and market this grate lil plane. Is there a place to post it on this Forum? Would any one be interested? Thanks so much for any information you may be able to give Respectfully Bill ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Beauford" <beauford(at)tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: Re: oops
Date: Sep 21, 2003
Paul... Stress being what it is... and aluminum behaving the way it does, extra holes can be a problem if in the wrong place... Where, exactly, izzit? Beauford ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net> Subject: Kolb-List: oops > > Kolbers, > If you drill a hole in the wrong place in the horz stab tubing should you scrap that piece and start over or will it be ok to leave the hole? > > pp > > yeah I did it.... > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 21, 2003
From: jerb <ulflyer(at)verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [cgshawk] What tools are needed?
Harbor Freight has pneumatic rivet pullers on sale now. They normally are $52.99. In the catalog he just got there $39.99, item no. 00167-3UWH. He also got a flyer the same day in which there $32.99, item no. Lot 167. Below is the link to their web site: jerb http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=167 >Harbor Freight rivet gun saves a lot of time. Small C clamps 2 inch come in >handy. Ratchet straps to put on the leading edge 8 of them. Angle finder, >protractor, square. A good brush for putting glue on the ceconite. A >respirator >for painting, a water trap on both your spray gun and your compressor. >Plastic sheeting for a makeshift spray booth and some to staple to the top >of your >work bench for a clean surface. I purchased a roll of clear plastic at home >depot. Safety wire to hang up your wings, flaps, tail pieces for painting. A >fabric iron, a fabric thermometer. A work bench 12 foot by 4 foot will handle >everything for covering. Some 3/4" plywood to make a wing rib jig. A good >cordless >drill. 1/8" and 3/16" Clecos 25 - 3/16 and 50-1/8. A cable cutter and a cable >swager. 8 electrical bugs for rigging cable. Good wire strippers and wire >crimpers. Lastly a goodly amount of patience and determination. MGeorgal > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >ADVERTISEMENT ><http://rd.yahoo.com/M=194081.3897168.5135684.1261774/D=egroupweb/S=1705340085:HM/A=1732163/R=0/SIG=11n0nglqg/*http://www.ediets.com/start.cfm?code=30510&media=zone>17bb921.jpg >17bb97a.jpg > >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >cgshawk-unsubscribe(at)yahoogroups.com > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: <rowedl(at)highstream.net>
Subject: Rad Electronics intercom and general ramblings about N616DR
Date: Sep 21, 2003
Kolbers Just got back from two hours of Kolbing with my buddy Jay. We tried out our new Rad Electronics intercom and headsets for the first time, they worked great. Seemed to be darn near as good as the Lynx system that I have tried in another friends Buckeye Dream machine. It sure is nice to fly without all the static that you get with a Gen Av intercom and headsets. So far the 2SI is running great, wound up with two size leaner pilot jets, and one size leaner mains from stock. She pulls 6350 WOT at 80mph level flight, seems a little slower than I thought it would be on the top end. I only pull 5820 rpm at 50 mph climb so I am not going to add any pitch to the prop to lower the level flight rpm. Solo climb rate at 50 mph is 1100 fpm from 1000 ft msl field and around 800 fpm dual. 5200 rpms gives 60mph cruise speed, again a little slower than expected. Fuel burn seems to be on the low side of 4gph. I have not installed the bookbinding tape gap seals on the flaps and ailerons, do you guys think that will help the performance? I kind of thought it would make a good place for dirt and water to settle so I have left them off so far. Anyway, that's how things are going in PA. Denny Rowe Mk-3 N616DR, gull wing doors, 2SI 690L-70, 68"Powerfin F model prop, 24.5 hrs, Leechburg, PA. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: HShack(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 21, 2003
Subject: Re: Rotax shutting down 2 cycle line?
In a message dated 9/21/03 8:27:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time, emailbill(at)chartermi.net writes: > After reading the letters about 2 cycle engine oils, I would have to > agree that most of the modern oils that are rated for the air-cooled > engines ( not water cooled boat motors ) at the 50:1 mixtures are good. > > After using Pennzoil Aircooled pre-mixed in my 503 for 380 hours, I have started using Pennzoil Full Synthetic for 2 stoke outboard engines. Costs about $2 more per pint. I've only run about 2 hours so far on the synthetic, will give a report when I get about 100 hrs. on it & look at the piston tops. Shack FS II SC ________________________________________________________________________________
From: HShack(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 21, 2003
Subject: Attn: John Hauck, John Williamson Re. Kitty Hawk
In light of the damage by Isabel at Kitty Hawk, have your plans changed? Trenton, SC to London, Ky is only about 230 miles.................. Howard Shackleford FS II Trenton Flyers, SC ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Hugh" <hmhumes(at)comcast.net>
Subject: Re:What tools are needed?
Date: Sep 21, 2003
Howdy Jerb & everyone else. The link you provided has the price at $52.99. Anybody know the trick to getting it at the $32.99 price? Thanks Hugh ----- Original Message ----- From: "jerb" <ulflyer(at)verizon.net> Subject: Kolb-List: Re: [cgshawk] What tools are needed? > > Harbor Freight has pneumatic rivet pullers on sale now. They normally are > $52.99. In the catalog he just got there $39.99, item no. 00167-3UWH. He > also got a flyer the same day in which there $32.99, item no. Lot > 167. Below is the link to their web site: > jerb > http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=167 > > >Harbor Freight rivet gun saves a lot of time. Small C clamps 2 inch come in > >handy. Ratchet straps to put on the leading edge 8 of them. Angle finder, > >protractor, square. A good brush for putting glue on the ceconite. A > >respirator > >for painting, a water trap on both your spray gun and your compressor. > >Plastic sheeting for a makeshift spray booth and some to staple to the top > >of your > >work bench for a clean surface. I purchased a roll of clear plastic at home > >depot. Safety wire to hang up your wings, flaps, tail pieces for painting. A > >fabric iron, a fabric thermometer. A work bench 12 foot by 4 foot will handle > >everything for covering. Some 3/4" plywood to make a wing rib jig. A good > >cordless > >drill. 1/8" and 3/16" Clecos 25 - 3/16 and 50-1/8. A cable cutter and a cable > >swager. 8 electrical bugs for rigging cable. Good wire strippers and wire > >crimpers. Lastly a goodly amount of patience and determination. MGeorgal > > > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > >ADVERTISEMENT > ><http://rd.yahoo.com/M=194081.3897168.5135684.1261774/D=egroupweb/S=1705340 085:HM/A=1732163/R=0/SIG=11n0nglqg/*http://www.ediets.com/start.cfm?code=305 10&media=zone>17bb921.jpg > >17bb97a.jpg > > > >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > >cgshawk-unsubscribe(at)yahoogroups.com > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 21, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Rad Electronics intercom and general ramblings about
N616DR > I have not installed the bookbinding tape gap seals on > the flaps and ailerons, do you guys think that will help > the performance? I kind of thought it would make a good > place for dirt and water to settle so I have left them > off so far. Anyway, that's how things are going in PA. > Denny Rowe Mk-3 N616DR, gull wing doors, 2SI 690L-70, > 68"Powerfin F model prop, 24.5 hrs, Leechburg, PA. Denny/All: You can put the aileron/flap gap seals on or an additional 2SI to get it to 85 mph. Seriously, I would think the airplane would fly much better and drag would be greatly reduced with the addition of gap seals. Or leave them off, fly cleaner and slower. :-) john h ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 21, 2003
From: Jack & Louise Hart <jbhart(at)ldd.net>
Subject: Re: noise reduction
> > >One of the biggest aids to noise reduction was the >installation of large capacitor in the 12VDC regulated wire >coming out of the reg/rec. Another was going to metal >shield plug wire terminals. > > >I used coax for my engine kill switches. it keeps the static from the cdi inside a braided, grounded wire. > >boyd > Boyd, One way to keep engine ignition static down is to place the mag kill switches back on the engine. If you do not run grounding wires to the cockpit, they can not radiate the noise to the radio. I used such a system on the Victor 1+ and the ignition noise in the radio disappeared. I had a switch failure on the first thing I tried, but I have changed to a more rugged switch. So far it is working well. It can be seen on the bottom of: http://www.thirdshift.com/jack/firefly/firefly67b.html Jack B. Hart FF004 Jackson, MO Jack & Louise Hart jbhart(at)ldd.net ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 21, 2003
From: Matt Dralle <dralle(at)matronics.com>
Subject: [Please Read] SPAM Filter Could Be Causing Posting Problems
For Some Members...? Dear Listers, Matronics is now utilizing a SPAM filter appliance to filter out the excessive amounts of inappropriate email that bombards the Email List Forums each day. The filter is reporting that over 66% of the email messages sent to Matronics email destinations are of SPAM content and reviewing the logfiles, it would appear to be true. That is indeed great! While the Lists are enjoying the breath of fresh air afforded by the new appliance, I am suspecting that a few legitimate email List posts are being blocked as too, although I can't confirm this. It is difficult to churn through the logfiles looking though thousands of blocked email messages trying to determine if any legitimate List posts were blocked. If you suspect that your posts are accidently being blocked by the SPAM filter appliance, I have created a new Trouble Report web page that will allow you to report your problems directly to me without having to use email. If the SPAM filter is blocking your email address for some reason, then its likely that I wouldn't be able to receive your direct email regarding difficulty in posting. The web form bypasses the incoming email and directs your message directly to me. Please include as much information as possible regarding the problems you are having including any bounced email or email error messages that you may have received back in regard to your posts to the lists. The more information I have about the email you are sending and what the errors you are receiving, the better chance I'll have in hunting down the problem. The Trouble Report Website URL is: http://www.matronics.com/trouble-report/ I apologize for any inconvenience the SPAM filter may be causing you. I will work toward resolving your issues as quickly as possible. Best regards, Matt Dralle Matronics EMail List Administrator Matt G Dralle | Matronics | PO Box 347 | Livermore | CA | 94551 925-606-1001 V | 925-606-6281 F | dralle(at)matronics.com Email http://www.matronics.com/ WWW | Featuring Products For Aircraft ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 22, 2003
From: Bob Bean <slyck(at)frontiernet.net>
Subject: Re: Firestar II Questions - wheel alignment
> >Al, if you do feel inclined to change the alignment, you could do so by >welding the holes in the axle fittings closed, then align and redrill. >-Ben Ransom > Firestar KXP > A VERY small change in hole location makes a big difference. I was able to correct a used leg by welding on one side of the hole and filing the other side out to bolt size. TNK Tour Travelers, here's wishing you all a bon voyage, (mild) tailwinds both ways, and fair weather. -BB > > > > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >===== >http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~ransom > >__________________________________ >http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Airgriff2(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 22, 2003
Subject: Minimum octane gas
I told the other Rotax engine usuers at my field about the discussions on the list about how the recommended octane to use is minimum 87. The general feeling was that all that means is that you should use a "MINIMUM" 87and it was better to use higher than that. My question is , is there any benifit to running higher than 87 octane? Someone said the lower octane burns hotter. (is that what we want?) Does the higher octane burn cleaner? I guess at this point we all agree to use Minimum 87 . Is there any reason to burn mid grade or high test? Fly safe Bob Griffin ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 22, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Minimum octane gas
I guess at > this point we all agree to use Minimum 87 . Is there any > reason to burn mid grade or high test? > > Fly safe Bob Griffin Bob/All: If it feels good, use it. Here's a blurb from a google search: What if I use premium but don't really need it? Most cars give optimum performance on regular or mid-grade gasoline. If you're buying premium and your car's not running any better than it does with a lower-octane gasoline, you're probably wasting money. However, some cars may operate better on premium because of additives. Additives, which are found in all gasolines, keep engines clean and make them run more efficiently. Some brands have more effective additives and some use bigger doses in their premium grades. You can read the rest of it at: http://www.espa.net/octane.htm john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Mhqqqqq(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 22, 2003
Subject: Re: Minimum octane gas
I have not been reading all the messages on this subject. if anyone has said this before I'm sorry. I use 92 octane, the only reason is I can get it without alcohol. I have a 1985 engine (503) and don't think the rubber parts of the carb will take the alcohol. one more point is when I let it sit over winter I don't want the alcohol to attract water and start to rust things in the crank case. this may or may not be a valid point but it is what I do and it works for me. mark hansen kolb twinstar south east minnesota ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 22, 2003
Subject: Re: Firestar II Questions
From: William George <wgeorge(at)mountainmeadowranch.com>
Re: Dihedral- Dihedral has an influence on spiral stability. Another important aspect of dihedral is yaw/roll coupling. An airplane with more dihedral can be made to induce a bank (roll) with rudder only. My Mk-3 has almost zero dihedral and turns cannot be initiated or terminated with the rudder. The utility of this feature is subjective. My personal preference would be for a modicum of roll coupling. Bill George Kolb Mk-3/Verner1400SVS/Powerfin 68" "F" > From: Kolb-List Digest Server <kolb-list-digest(at)matronics.com> > Reply-To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com > Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 23:56:22 -0700 > To: Kolb-List Digest List > Subject: Kolb-List Digest: 24 Msgs - 09/21/03 > > From: "Richard Swiderski" <swiderski(at)rocketjet.net> > Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Firestar II Questions > > > Al, > > Regarding dihedral, Homer told me he put in the small amount of dihedral > just because people thought it looked better. From that, I would assume it > is not necessary. > > Richard Swiderski ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: Rotax 377 teardown
Date: Sep 22, 2003
Anybody know what a typical 300 hour teardown costs on a Rotax 377? I know that the crank and gaskets automatically get replaced, but are there any other parts that get replaced regardless of wear? ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Olenik Aviation" <olenik-aviation(at)buyitsellitfixit.com>
Subject: Rotax 377 teardown
Date: Sep 22, 2003
Crankshafts are no longer available for that engine, but I would not automatically replace a 377 crank at 300 hours. If no corrosion is present, I would run a 377 to 600 hours before replacing the crank. Maybe that's why they stopped making them. They were not selling any. One of the reasons why I think the 377 and 447 (same crank) had a loner lasting crankshaft was because they had a slit on either side of the rod for lubrication to get to the bearing. The 503 and 582 only have one on one side. However, I just did a 150 hour on a late model 447 and noticed that they closed the rod completely on the newer 447's. Maybe they are trying to reduce the life of the crankshaft so that they will sell more of them? I don't know. So really, since the crankshaft is not available, a complete overhaul on a 377 is impossible. However, you can probably count on $1000 to do new top end and all the rest of the stuff including labor at any decent shop. Tom Olenik Olenik Aviation http://www.buyitsellitfixit.com -----Original Message----- From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com]On Behalf Of J.L.Turner Subject: Kolb-List: Rotax 377 teardown Anybody know what a typical 300 hour teardown costs on a Rotax 377? I know that the crank and gaskets automatically get replaced, but are there any other parts that get replaced regardless of wear? ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "boyd young" <by0ung(at)brigham.net>
Subject: re:
Date: Sep 21, 2003
Anyway I found a Used 1983 Factory building Kolb Ultrastar in my back yard in your back yard.... how lucky is that? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ? Also, there is zero dihedral in the wing. I believe some builders prefer this. What are the advantages or disadvantages? I have been flying ultralights for almost 20 years, but they have all had a lot of dihedral built into the wings. Any imput would be helpful. Al Bumhoffer Elkton,MI on my firstset up i built as to the plans... when i put the plane in a bank, and let go of the stick it would continue to roll in the direction of the bank, when i rebuilt i doubeled the dihedrial and when put in a bank and let go of the stick it stays where i put it. the increased stability seems to reduce the work load on long trips... i could not tell that there was any negitive results. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx boyd ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Kirk Smith" <snuffy(at)usol.com>
Subject: 447 rotax air cleaner
Date: Sep 23, 2003
What do you use to clean the air filter on the 447 rotax and do you oil it afterword? Thanks! Kirk ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 23, 2003
Subject: Re: 447 rotax air cleaner
From: ul15rhb(at)juno.com
> > What do you use to clean the air filter on the 447 rotax and do you > oil it afterword? Thanks! Kirk Kirk, Soak it in a solution of dishwashing liquid and water for a day or two. Remove and let air dry for two days. Oil with K&N filter oil and install. Ralph Burlingame Original Firestar 16 years flying it The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 23, 2003
Subject: Re: Stop Over 300 mi so of london ???
I am driving up from florida Any one have tent space about 300 to 350 mile south of London KY ...Near I-75 ? Thanks ... Dave ________________________________________________________________________________
From: HShack(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 23, 2003
Subject: Re: Minimum octane gas
In a message dated 9/22/03 8:44:28 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Airgriff2(at)aol.com writes: > I guess at this point we all agree to use Minimum 87 . Is there any reason > to > burn mid grade or high test? > > Fly safe > Bob Griffin > > > Bob, about 150 hours ago I went from using 92 octane Amoco Premium to 87 octane any kind as long as it was a busy pump; I didn't have any problems except that during the real hot months from idle to 3000 rpm I noticed some "4 stroking". Don Zank recommended going to 89 octane if temps over 70 F., also to change the idle jets from 45 to 40 [leaner] during hot months. I have followed that advice & my engine [a 503 dual carb] runs much better at the lower rpm's. About November I go back to 87 octane & 45's. Shack FS II SC ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 23, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Kitty Hawk/Londond
Gang: Miss P'fer is loaded/fueled and ready to roll out of the hanger at o'dark thirty in the morning. There is a Kolbra and two MK III's at Wetumpka Airport patiently waiting for their pilots to return so they can head out to Kitty Hawk in the morning. I'll fly the 11 sm over to Wetumpka to join up with the other three. Should be on schedule. Weather looks good. Will have a head wind from the N and NE. Take care, john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Richard Swiderski" <swiderski(at)rocketjet.net>
Subject: Re: Stop Over 300 mi so of london ???
Date: Sep 23, 2003
Dave, I tried to look you up on http://www.springeraviation.net/database.html but no luck. What part of FL are you from? If you are driving past SR 484 exit, just south of Ocala on I-75, you are invited to stop by for a pit stop. I'm only 2 miles east. Coffee & Kolb tour are free. Toilet is $0.05/flush. Anyone flying by has same offer. You're welcome to land on the 4000ft east/west grass strip here at Monroe Airstrip. Richard Swiderski 352-307-9009 ----- Original Message ----- From: <BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Stop Over 300 mi so of london ??? > > I am driving up from florida Any one have tent space about 300 to 350 mile > south of London KY ...Near I-75 ? Thanks ... Dave > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 23, 2003
From: Bob Bean <slyck(at)frontiernet.net>
Subject: alcohol
fuel braumeisters, alcohol is a vague term. First off I'm not a chemist. Ethyl alcohol, derived these days mostly from corn sugar is the stuff that we consume internally, or at least some gargle. It's also the stuff, due to politics, that is stuck in a lot of gasoline. It does have some antiknock value reduced by it's ability to harbor some quantities of corrosive H2O. It's energy per volume is less than gasoline. In the olden days when I was a fan of dragracing, methyl alcohol, derived from petroleum was used as a major constituent of fuel mixes. The guys on tour, to save their engines would use nearly straight methanol for exhibition runs because it ran cool and saved those expensive engines. The real competition was at home at Lion's dragstrip or Orange county in the winter when grudge racing brought out the heavy juices, or "tip the can". It's been a while since I've followed the sport but I know things have really progressed since then. Neither form of alcohol will overheat or overstress an engine, my only concern would be with certain fuel system components and long term storage corrosion. -So I generally look for pumps that display their lack of it. -BB do not archive ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: first part
Date: Sep 23, 2003
Kolbers, Tonight I completed the first part of my Kolb. The right horz. stab.Did 2 hrs of ground school at the airport and rushed home after receiving the correct tubing from Kolb and 2.5 hrs of work finished the stab. Boy what a great feeling to finish a part. Now on to the left. We will be heading out Friday morning for the fly in. Looking forward to meeting everyone there. Charley and myself will be bringing 2 guest Johnny Dees and Steve Sullivan (Ran's Fan's) Hope to convert them to Kolb folk's over the weekend. Weather is looking good. Hope all have a safe trip. Again if any southern travelers need a place to stop over all are welcome. pp see ya there! ________________________________________________________________________________
From: SGreenpg(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 24, 2003
Subject: Kitty Hawk to Kolb
It's 5:30 and I have just finished loading those last few things into the plane. I am hoping for a quick burn off of the fog so I can be on my way to meet the Johns in Wallace, NC for the Kitty Hawk --> Kolb trip. See Ya'll in London Steven N58SG ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 24, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Kitty Hawk to Kolb
> It's 5:30 and I have just finished loading those last few things into the > plane. I am hoping for a quick burn off of the fog so I can be on my way to meet > the Johns in Wallace, NC for the Kitty Hawk --> Kolb trip. > > See Ya'll in London > > Steven Good Morning Steven/Gang: We are up, The Johns and Gary Haley, and getting ready to head for the airport. I haven't looked outside yet, but hoping it will be a repeat of yesterday morning, crystal clear and cool. Just got a report from the gang, it is clear and cool. :-) See you all in Wallace, NC, and London, Ky, john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Bruce Harrison" <firestarii(at)hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Rotax 503 Intake Manifold for single carb wanted
Date: Sep 24, 2003
Thanks for the responses listers. I believe I have found a suitable manifold for my purposes. Yesterday I had another response off list offering an intake manifold for 503 for $75 plus shipping, but somehow the message got deleted. I'd like to hear back from you in case the manifold I've agreed to buy doesn't work out. Thanks. >From: jerb <ulflyer(at)verizon.net> >Reply-To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com >To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com >Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Rotax 503 Intake Manifold for single carb wanted >Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 00:03:39 -0700 > > >Did you try Tom Olenik at http://www.buyitsellitfixit.com/rotax.htm >He would probably have one. Tom a good guy and provides excellent Rotax >repair service. >jerb > > > > > >Hello listers: I've tried trolling for an intake manifold for Rotax 503 > >Single Carb on various sites on the Internet and have come up mostly >empty. > >Just thought I'd try a shot at our list of "experimenters." > > > >I have a late model 503 DCDCDI and after comparing experiences with >flying a > >single-carb 377 and then this engine for the last 50 hours, I have >decided I > >prefer the single carb. My feeling is that I don't need the extra 4 > >horsepower as much as I'd like to have the lighter feel on the throttle, >a > >single throttle and choke cable instead of all the splitters, the >slightly > >improved fuel economy, and the ability to switch jets in half the time. > > > >Anybody go the other way on this experiment (single carb to dual) and >have > >the single manifold available? Email me description and price off list > >please. Thanks. > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 24, 2003
Subject: Last minute anyone want ride to fly-in???
I have space for one NON Smoking Rider can pick you up any where between Dade City Florida and the fly in along I-75 ... You split fuel from that point and Back ... Thanks ! Dave ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "boyd young" <by0ung(at)brigham.net>
Subject: octane levels
Date: Sep 23, 2003
better to use higher than that. My question is , is there any benifit to running higher than 87 octane? Someone said the lower octane burns hotter. (is that what we want?) Does the higher octane burn cleaner? I guess at this point we all agree to use Minimum 87 . Is there any reason to burn mid grade or high test? the lower the octane the more suseptable the fuel is to pre ignition and or detenation... as i understand it the condition is started by the heating process due to the compression ratio.... the lower the compression ratio the less heat caused by compression... and the less chance of pre ignition... the higher compression causes more heat in compression and the higher possibility of preignition... the higher octane provides the stability needed in the higher compression engines to prevent preignition - dettonation. i would think that another source of preignition would be carbon deposits that dont get a chance to cool andwork like a glow plug. boyd ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" <NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net>
Subject: Ailerons Balance Weights
Date: Sep 24, 2003
Over the past few years I have laid claim to keeping my aileron flutter from occurring with only a small weight in the balance arm. A bit ago I was flying faster than I normally do (app. 85 MPH) to get home before dark and I noticed a new low frequency vibration that I traced to aileron flutter. The flutter was occurring at about the frequency that one would wave at you and only on the aileron on the passenger side. I have flown at speeds up to 95MPH before and didn't notice any vibration but it wasn't violent so I might have missed it. The balance weight that I had was only two inches long with about one inch in the balance arm. I have since installed a four inch long balance weight with one inch in the balance arm and flown at 85MPH with no flutter. This weight still doesn't 100% balance the aileron but is closer. Please note my ailerons are built using a product listed in Aircraft Spruce as "Trailing Edge" stock. Because I used this trailing edge material my ailerons are heaver than stock. Rick Neilsen Redrive VW powered MKIIIc ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: Ailerons Balance Weights
Date: Sep 24, 2003
Richard...It makes sense to me. As time goes by and clearances in hinge pins and control linkages...and other associated parts, the possibility for Flutter oscillation increases, and if you are not 100% balanced....then a tad more will likely be needed to move the bottom of that "flutter speed envelope" up and out of our performance envelope. http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm Don Gherardini- FireFly 098 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jim Baker" <jlbaker(at)telepath.com>
Date: Sep 24, 2003
Subject: Octane......
> the lower the octane the more suseptable the fuel is to pre ignition > and or detenation... Of course it is...that's the sole function of an octane rating. Period. > as i understand it the condition is started by > the heating process due to the compression ratio.... the lower the > compression ratio the less heat caused by compression... and the less > chance of pre ignition... Precicely right. And points will be awarded to anyone who can prove that the effective, not calculated, compression ratio of any of our piston-ported UL two strokes exceed anything approaching 7:1...not exactly what one would call a high compression ratio. Large cylinders are also a culprit of detonation because of the larger radiational heat input to the incoming charge. The additional heat makes the charge more susceptible to the detonation, which is altogether different than pre- ignition caused by an undesired ignition point source such as a bit of glowing carbon. The reason for multiple spark sources in GA aircraft, and to some extent the UL two-stroke, is the control of the flame front and its propagation within the cylinder. > the higher compression causes more heat in > compression and the higher possibility of preignition... > the higher > octane provides the stability needed in the higher compression engines > to prevent preignition - dettonation. i would think that another > source of preignition would be carbon deposits that dont get a chance > to cool andwork like a glow plug. Which is the definition of pre-ignition. Octane is only there to control detonation. Gasoline (C8 H17) does have, by its nature in blending, different molecular weights (mf) that also affect the heat of combustion (Qc). Gasoline with an mf of 113 and specific gravity of .702 at 60F has a Qc of 20,460 to 19,020 BTU/Lb mass, while a gasoline with mf of 126 and specific gravity of .739 at 60F has a Qc of 20,260 to 18,900 BTU/Lb mass. ( Taylor and Taylor, The Internal Combustion Engine, Int Textbook Co. Scranton PA, ed 1949, rev 1960 ). Keep in mind that this is pure gasoline without amendments like Iso- octane, Normal Octane, Normal Heptane, etc. and all the other compounds added to meet a manufacturer's specifications. The stoichiometric fuel-air ratio between the two is also slightly less ( .0670 and .0668, respectively). The heat of combustion (Qv) is less for gasolines with the higher specific gravity because of the rate of enthalpy from liquid to gaseous state. This rate may be related to, and affected by, brand specific blends and not just to the "gasoline" itself. Bottom line is that it's hard to tell what a fuel is going to do unless there is some baseline with which to compare it and stringent controls are observed to ensure apples-to-apples comparisons. But then, what do I know about it...... J.Baker ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Bob, Kathleen, & Kory Brocious" <bbrocious(at)hotmail.com>
Subject: Mark III seatbelts
Date: Sep 25, 2003
Kolbers, I'm not crazy about my 3 point seatbelts. They don't hold me at my hips where I prefer but are closer to my belly button. The discomfort comes with any turbulance because I come up off my seat. I've got quite a few hours in sailplanes so I don't mind the turbulance as long as I can stay in my seat. My 12 year old co-pilot-son, Kory, has been spared the experience of turbulance for just the same reason. We wait till the evening when things are nice and calm. The attach points seem to be part of the problem because I currently use the large tube behind the seats. I want my son to feel secure before I introduce him to mid day flying. Any one have a suggestion or two? Bob, Kathleen, and Kory Brocious Tenacity Farm Campbellsburg, Kentucky http://msnmessenger-download.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 25, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: Mark III seatbelts
Try attaching the outboard belt to a gear leg, and the inboard belt to the small diagonal tube that ties to the boom tube, and then run them under the smaller tube that the bottom corner of the seats attaches to. That will put them in the correct place over the hips. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > > >Kolbers, >I'm not crazy about my 3 point seatbelts. They don't hold me at my hips >where I prefer but are closer to my belly button. The discomfort comes with >any turbulance because I come up off my seat. I've got quite a few hours in >sailplanes so I don't mind the turbulance as long as I can stay in my seat. >My 12 year old co-pilot-son, Kory, has been spared the experience of >turbulance for just the same reason. We wait till the evening when things >are nice and calm. The attach points seem to be part of the problem because >I currently use the large tube behind the seats. I want my son to feel >secure before I introduce him to mid day flying. > >Any one have a suggestion or two? > >Bob, Kathleen, and Kory Brocious >Tenacity Farm >Campbellsburg, Kentucky > >http://msnmessenger-download.com > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Jeremy Casey" <jrcasey(at)ldl.net>
Subject: RE: Kolb-List Digest: 15 Msgs - 09/24/03
Date: Sep 25, 2003
Which is the definition of pre-ignition. Octane is only there to control detonation. Gasoline (C8 H17) does have, by its nature in blending, different molecular weights (mf) that also affect the heat of combustion (Qc). Gasoline with an mf of 113 and specific gravity of .702 at 60F has a Qc of 20,460 to 19,020 BTU/Lb mass, while a gasoline with mf of 126 and specific gravity of .739 at 60F has a Qc of 20,260 to 18,900 BTU/Lb mass. ( Taylor and Taylor, The Internal Combustion Engine, Int Textbook Co. Scranton PA, ed 1949, rev 1960 ). Keep in mind that this is pure gasoline without amendments like Iso- octane, Normal Octane, Normal Heptane, etc. and all the other compounds added to meet a manufacturer's specifications. The stoichiometric fuel-air ratio between the two is also slightly less ( .0670 and .0668, respectively). The heat of combustion (Qv) is less for gasolines with the higher specific gravity because of the rate of enthalpy from liquid to gaseous state. This rate may be related to, and affected by, brand specific blends and not just to the "gasoline" itself. Bottom line is that it's hard to tell what a fuel is going to do unless there is some baseline with which to compare it and stringent controls are observed to ensure apples-to-apples comparisons. But then, what do I know about it...... J.Baker Sounds like you know a good bit or are a real good BS'er... Answer this stupid question... Mr. Hauck mentioned the other day that the Rotax engines would run fine on 87 octane gas as opposed to the "good stuff"..got me wondering and I looked it up. (Was one of those things that I took for granted 'cause everyone else was running the 92+ octane stuff....) Sure 'nuff the Rotax manual says 90 RON min. Now I've seen on the pumps around here that they have a sticker that says something akin to "octane rating derived from (RON + MON)/2 method...how would a smuck like me find out if that RON in any particular gas was a 90 min.??? Jeremy Casey jrcasey(at)ldl.net ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 25, 2003
From: Jack & Louise Hart <jbhart(at)ldd.net>
Subject: Re: Mark III seatbelts
> >Kolbers, >I'm not crazy about my 3 point seatbelts. They don't hold me at my hips >where I prefer but are closer to my belly button. The discomfort comes with >any turbulance because I come up off my seat. I've got quite a few hours in >sailplanes so I don't mind the turbulance as long as I can stay in my seat. >My 12 year old co-pilot-son, Kory, has been spared the experience of >turbulance for just the same reason. We wait till the evening when things >are nice and calm. The attach points seem to be part of the problem because >I currently use the large tube behind the seats. I want my son to feel >secure before I introduce him to mid day flying. > >Any one have a suggestion or two? > >Bob, Kathleen, and Kory Brocious >Tenacity Farm >Campbellsburg, Kentucky > Bob, I had the same problem. I used to fly sail planes and if my back comes off the seat in the FireFly, I get uncomfortable. I prefer a five point belt. The double shoulder straps keep my back against the seat, and the strap down between the legs keeps the lap belt were it should be. I have been criticized for my belt system being too light, but so far it has kept me in my seat with no problems. If you are interested, you can see it at: http://www.thirdshift.com/jack/firefly/firefly78.html Jack B. Hart FF004 Jackson, MO Jack & Louise Hart jbhart(at)ldd.net ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 25, 2003
From: jerb <ulflyer(at)verizon.net>
Subject: Re: Mark III seatbelts
Jack, Went to your site. Am I correct the shoulder straps are secured using a couple radiator clamps? That's not good if that's the case. Even in a moderate crash/sudden stop, there is far more force involved that most people realize. Belts just them selves will stretch inches. jerb > > > > > >Kolbers, > >I'm not crazy about my 3 point seatbelts. They don't hold me at my hips > >where I prefer but are closer to my belly button. The discomfort comes > with > >any turbulance because I come up off my seat. I've got quite a few > hours in > >sailplanes so I don't mind the turbulance as long as I can stay in my > seat. > >My 12 year old co-pilot-son, Kory, has been spared the experience of > >turbulance for just the same reason. We wait till the evening when things > >are nice and calm. The attach points seem to be part of the problem > because > >I currently use the large tube behind the seats. I want my son to feel > >secure before I introduce him to mid day flying. > > > >Any one have a suggestion or two? > > > >Bob, Kathleen, and Kory Brocious > >Tenacity Farm > >Campbellsburg, Kentucky > > > >Bob, > >I had the same problem. I used to fly sail planes and if my back comes >off the seat in the FireFly, I get uncomfortable. I prefer a five point >belt. The double shoulder straps keep my back against the seat, and the >strap down between the legs keeps the lap belt were it should be. > >I have been criticized for my belt system being too light, but so far it >has kept me in my seat with no problems. If you are interested, you can >see it at: > >http://www.thirdshift.com/jack/firefly/firefly78.html > >Jack B. Hart FF004 >Jackson, MO > > >Jack & Louise Hart >jbhart(at)ldd.net > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 25, 2003
From: Jon LaVasseur <firestar503(at)yahoo.com>
Subject: RAD intercom and ICOM A5
Hi Group, I am trying to setup a RAD intercom with an ICOM A5 radio in a FirestarII with 503,CDI ignition. I have a nearly perfectly tuned external antenna and can power the equipment with their own batteries or engine power. The system seems to work fine electronically but when the engine is running I can't get out a receivable transmission. The ambient engine sound nearly completely overpowers the mike and the receiver hears a lot of engine and a little voice. Does anyone have experience with this equipment and or have any suggestions of how do adjust it to work acceptably? Thanks for any help. __________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 25, 2003
From: "Mike Pierzina" <planecrazzzy(at)lycos.com>
Subject: Dihedral/polyhedral
Hey Guys, I got it from a RC glider that I built....The first Angle in the wing is called dihedral and the second angle toward the tips is called polyhedral......like you guys said "many" .....like Ralp says, it's added stability. Class is over...everybody back to work on those planes... Gotta Fly...Mike in MN SNIP>>>>>> From: "Edward Chmielewski" <edchmiel(at)mindspring.com> Mike/Kolbers, I think poly is 'many', and hedral is 'angle'. Who's got their Latin dictionary? Topher? Got a minute? Ed in JXN MkII/503 Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! ________________________________________________________________________________
From: owner-kolb-list-server(at)matronics.com
Date: Sep 25, 2003
Subject: Re: RAD intercom and ICOM A5
Hello Jon. Are you using the noise cancelling microphone headset from RAD? It sounds like the microphone is picking up all the surround noise from the cockpit and transmitting it with your voice. Regards, Johann G. > > Hi Group, > > I am trying to setup a RAD intercom with an ICOM A5 > radio in a FirestarII with 503,CDI ignition. I have a > nearly perfectly tuned external antenna and can power > the equipment with their own batteries or engine > power. > > The system seems to work fine electronically but when > the engine is running I can't get out a receivable > transmission. The ambient engine sound nearly > completely overpowers the mike and the receiver hears > a lot of engine and a little voice. > > Does anyone have experience with this equipment and or > have any suggestions of how do adjust it to work > acceptably? > > Thanks for any help. > > __________________________________ > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Linda's Banana Split cake
Date: Sep 25, 2003
Well men...I hope you all have a great time without me..(grrrrrrrrrrrr) down in London, Ky. With less than 20 hours on the FireFly..and a short range..I just cant bring myself to dare the trip..IT's about to Kill me tho just thinking of all you turds enjoying Lindas banana split cake without me. The hangar flyin' and the real stuff too taking off a that bald knob in the middle of the Ky Timber country . I will be doing a 4 leg crosscountry this sat tho..with the longest leg of 68 miles, and best of all..a fly-in at every destination...the WACO fly-in at Shelby cnty ap...a flea-market fly-in at Percival Springs AP..and for supper a BBQ chicken fly-in an feed at Hilvety's feild...then home to Tommys airpark...should be a gas..and Ill be thinking about all you guys down in ky . Ill be there next year! Hope to either have a trailer by then...or a bigger plane to travel in! Blue skies men! http://www.geocities.com/dagger369th/my_firefly.htm Don Gherardini- FireFly 098 ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 25, 2003
Subject: Re: RAD intercom and ICOM A5
From: herbgh(at)juno.com
Jon some radio's have to be programmed to turn off the internal mike! Might give it a check. fwiw. Herb writes: > > > Hi Group, > > I am trying to setup a RAD intercom with an ICOM A5 > radio in a FirestarII with 503,CDI ignition. I have a > nearly perfectly tuned external antenna and can power > the equipment with their own batteries or engine > power. > > The system seems to work fine electronically but when > the engine is running I can't get out a receivable > transmission. The ambient engine sound nearly > completely overpowers the mike and the receiver hears > a lot of engine and a little voice. > > Does anyone have experience with this equipment and or > have any suggestions of how do adjust it to work > acceptably? > > Thanks for any help. > > __________________________________ > > > = > = > http://www.matronics.com/trouble-report > = > = > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 25, 2003
From: Richard Pike <rwpike(at)charter.net>
Subject: Re: Mark III seatbelts
Try attaching the outboard belt to a gear leg, and the inboard belt to the small diagonal tube that ties to the boom tube, and then run them under the smaller tube that the bottom corner of the seats attaches to. That will put them in the correct place over the hips. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) > > >Kolbers, >I'm not crazy about my 3 point seatbelts. They don't hold me at my hips >where I prefer but are closer to my belly button. The discomfort comes with >any turbulance because I come up off my seat. I've got quite a few hours in >sailplanes so I don't mind the turbulance as long as I can stay in my seat. >My 12 year old co-pilot-son, Kory, has been spared the experience of >turbulance for just the same reason. We wait till the evening when things >are nice and calm. The attach points seem to be part of the problem because >I currently use the large tube behind the seats. I want my son to feel >secure before I introduce him to mid day flying. > >Any one have a suggestion or two? > >Bob, Kathleen, and Kory Brocious >Tenacity Farm >Campbellsburg, Kentucky > >http://msnmessenger-download.com > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: Kolb Firestar Wheels
Date: Sep 26, 2003
Received: ...with SMTP id h8QFYVv07620\n\t\234Fri, 26 Sep 200... Anybody know the original tire size on the Firestar 1 from the late 90's? ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 26, 2003
From: jerb <ulflyer(at)verizon.net>
Subject: Re: Dihedral/polyhedral
Kinda sounds twisted to me. Many wings have a gradual twist built in them to reduce the tenancy for a wing to drop and improve controllability during a stall condition by making the wings inboard portion stall before the tips. Makes the ailerons more effective. The twist reduces the wing tips angle of attack compared to the inboard portion. This is common on many airplanes. Some are adjusted by the struts, others like the ThunderGull which has not struts the twist is built into the wing using jigs during its construction and assembly. jerb > > Hey Guys, > I got it from a RC glider that I built....The first Angle in > the wing is called dihedral and the second angle toward the tips is > called polyhedral......like you guys said "many" .....like Ralp says, > it's added stability. > Class is over...everybody back to work on those planes... > Gotta Fly...Mike in MN > > >SNIP>>>>>> >From: "Edward Chmielewski" <edchmiel(at)mindspring.com> >Mike/Kolbers, > > I think poly is 'many', and hedral is 'angle'. Who's got their > Latin dictionary? >Topher? Got a minute? > >Ed in JXN >MkII/503 > > >Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Bruce Harrison" <firestarii(at)hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb Firestar Wheels
Date: Sep 26, 2003
I believe it is 15 x 6.00 x 6. That is for sure from a Firestar II, and my Firestar I has the same wheels. >From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net> >Reply-To: kolb-list(at)matronics.com >To: >Subject: Kolb-List: Kolb Firestar Wheels >Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 10:33:52 -0500 Received: ...with SMTP id >h8QFYVv07620\n\t\234Fri, 26 Sep 200... > > >Anybody know the original tire size on the Firestar 1 from the late 90's? > > High-speed Internet access as low as $29.95/month (depending on the local service providers in your area). Click here. https://broadband.msn.com ________________________________________________________________________________
From: GeoR38(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 26, 2003
Subject: Re: Dihedral/polyhedral
In a message dated 9/26/03 12:36:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ulflyer(at)verizon.net writes: > > Kinda sounds twisted to me. Many wings have a gradual twist built in them > to reduce the tenancy for a wing to drop and improve controllability during > a stall condition by making the wings inboard portion stall before the > tips. Makes the ailerons more effective. The twist reduces the wing tips > angle of attack compared to the inboard portion. This is common on many > airplanes. Some are adjusted by the struts, others like the ThunderGull > which has not struts the twist is built into the wing using jigs during its > construction and assembly. > jerb > > sounds like "washout" to me, no poly anything. > > george Randolph > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "bryan green" <lgreen1(at)sc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb Firestar Wheels
Date: Sep 26, 2003
Will check mine tomorrow and let ya know. Bryan Green (Elgin SC) ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net> Subject: Kolb-List: Kolb Firestar Wheels > > > Anybody know the original tire size on the Firestar 1 from the late 90's? > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 27, 2003
Subject: [ Possum ] : New Email List Photo Share Available!
From: Email List Photo Shares <pictures(at)matronics.com>
A new Email List Photo Share is available: Poster: Possum Subject: New Seat http://www.matronics.com/photoshare/possums@mindspring.com.09.27.2003/index.html o Main Photo Share Index http://www.matronics.com/photoshare o Submitting a Photo Share If you wish to submit a Photo Share of your own, please include the following information along with your email message and files: 1) Email List or Lists that they are related to: 2) Your Full Name: 3) Your Email Address: 4) One line Subject description: 5) Multi-line, multi-paragraph description of topic: 6) One-line Description of each photo or file: Email the information above and your files and photos to: pictures(at)matronics.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 27, 2003
Subject: [ Charles F. Long ] : New Email List Photo Share Available!
From: Email List Photo Shares <pictures(at)matronics.com>
A new Email List Photo Share is available: Poster: Charles F. Long Subject: GPS Color Moving Map For Less Than $500 http://www.matronics.com/photoshare/charles.long@gm.com.09.27.2003/index.html o Main Photo Share Index http://www.matronics.com/photoshare o Submitting a Photo Share If you wish to submit a Photo Share of your own, please include the following information along with your email message and files: 1) Email List or Lists that they are related to: 2) Your Full Name: 3) Your Email Address: 4) One line Subject description: 5) Multi-line, multi-paragraph description of topic: 6) One-line Description of each photo or file: Email the information above and your files and photos to: pictures(at)matronics.com ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 27, 2003
Subject: [ Paul Petty ] : New Email List Photo Share Available!
From: Email List Photo Shares <pictures(at)matronics.com>
A new Email List Photo Share is available: Poster: Paul Petty <ppetty@c-gate.net> Subject: First Part http://www.matronics.com/photoshare/ppetty@c-gate.net.09.27.2003/index.html o Main Photo Share Index http://www.matronics.com/photoshare o Submitting a Photo Share If you wish to submit a Photo Share of your own, please include the following information along with your email message and files: 1) Email List or Lists that they are related to: 2) Your Full Name: 3) Your Email Address: 4) One line Subject description: 5) Multi-line, multi-paragraph description of topic: 6) One-line Description of each photo or file: Email the information above and your files and photos to: pictures(at)matronics.com ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Beauford" <beauford(at)tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb Firestar Wheels
Date: Sep 27, 2003
Jim: Re your question, the correspondence/ info I received from the Pennsylvania Kolb factory, and the set of Firestar tires/wheels I still have in my garage, both indicate the 11 x 4.00 x 5 Chinese tire on an AzuzaLite 5 inch nylon wheel was the "standard" Firestar unit as of the time I placed the order for my FireFly in 1998.. The reason wheel size came up at the time was because I wanted the larger 5 inch Firestar wheels in place of the dinky little 4 inchers they had as stock items on the original FireFly. As I recall, they told me the 6.00 x 6 was the optional "oversize" Firestar tire/wheel at the time, and would be too much wheel for the FireFly. ... (The "standard" 5 incher on the Firestar could have been changed by TNK to a larger 6.00 x 6 size later ; I defer to the Firestar drivers on the list for the truth there ...) For what it's worth, was eventually forced to the 6 inch AzuzaLite wheels for the Fly anyway, by the tall grass and ruts on the boggy strip where I operate... The 5 inchers would readily get a man up on his nose while taxiing under sloppy conditions... The swap to the 6 inch items pretty much solved the problem and just "feel" better on the grass in wheel landings.... I would not consider going back to the smaller wheel. Regards, Beauford FF #076 ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net> Subject: Kolb-List: Kolb Firestar Wheels > > > Anybody know the original tire size on the Firestar 1 from the late 90's? > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 27, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Kolb Fly-In/Drive-In
> >Got up and took one last hopeful look at the radar map... >Bummer. Hope those guys got lots of tiedowns. >Looks like a good day to drive to Chestnut Knolls, >and leave the MKIII in the hangar. > >Richard Pike Got back tooo late to look at weather.com How bad was it up there?? ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 27, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: 2 cycle oil
> > Hey Guys, > I was at Wal Mart today to check out their 2 cycle oil....This > question is for the guys using it....What is the name of the stuff....is > it that TR3 stuff ? > I might go with the Castrol air cooled oil..... > I didn't like it when I found out that "Bush" owns Pennzoil & Quaker State > > Still doing research.... > Gotta Fly... > Mike in MN What's Bush got to do with it? I think I've got some stock in "Quaker State" in my IRA. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: 2 cycle oil
Date: Sep 27, 2003
Mike...I dunno what political ilke you have...but..to try and enlighten you...Bush does NOT own Pennzoil and Quaker state oil...HE might have stock in them..but..so do I....and between me an possum..we might own more than he does! ( and I dont use their oil anyway) Funny how we all need the oil companies more than about any other industry that is in the USA..and how a certain political party has tried to make us all hate them huh! ya ever hear of the saying "divide and conquer"? ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: "Mike Pierzina" <planecrazzzy(at)lycos.com>
Subject: First Piece
Hey Paul, Don't forget to cap the ends of the tubes with aluminum tape before the fabric stage....I wouldn't do it right now because your not done with that piece yet. Gotta Fly... Mike in MN --- Sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down... Gotta Fly... Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: "Mike Pierzina" <planecrazzzy(at)lycos.com>
Subject: Typical
Hey Guys, Well, another typical reply....Nobody answers the question but I get plenty of smart ass answers.... this is one of the reasons that I'm going to atempt to make my next project a Witman -Tailwind....you guys have showed me ( by not helping) that I can do it without much help.... Fire away , assholes.... Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: Bob Bean <slyck(at)frontiernet.net>
Subject: typical-not
Alas, 'tis regretful to see chagrin or disharmony in our ranks. Perhaps those with any knowledge pertaining to the question were absent, like at TNK? If I don't know I just keep quiet. Don't paint us all with the same brush and maybe get that prozac prescription refilled. You will no doubt find rough edges anywhere else you go. -BB, MkIII gathering dust ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "ron wehba" <rwehba(at)wtxs.net>
Subject: Re: typical-not
Date: Sep 28, 2003
I miss sum tin' here,,what question was asked? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Bean" <slyck(at)frontiernet.net> Subject: Kolb-List: typical-not > > Alas, 'tis regretful to see chagrin or disharmony in our ranks. > Perhaps those with > any knowledge pertaining to the question were absent, like at TNK? If I > don't know > I just keep quiet. Don't paint us all with the same brush and maybe > get that prozac > prescription refilled. You will no doubt find rough edges anywhere else > you go. > -BB, MkIII gathering dust > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Larry Cottrell" <lcottrel(at)kfalls.net>
Subject: windshield thickness
Date: Sep 28, 2003
I am going to replace my current windshield enclosure with one with doors. Anybody tell me which thickness Lexan I should get. Want it to be pretty stiff, but not so stiff that it causes trouble making the curves. the options are 60-80-93-125. Thanks Larry ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: typical-not
> >I miss sum tin' here,,what question was asked? >----- Original Message ----- It was about Wall mart oil -I think. And I should have just answered the question. I use Wall Mart "Super Tech" TC-W3 Outboard 2 cycle Engine oil. 515 hours in a little over 4 years - 503 dual carbs - never decarboned the engine. And I'm not telling anyone not to decarbon their engines or use Outboard engine oil or buy stock in Pennzoil or which church to go to. There! - I think I've managed to hit all the hot buttons. Oil, Politics, Religion and decarboning 2 stroke engines. > > Hey Guys, > I was at Wal Mart today to check out their 2 cycle oil....This > question is for the guys using it....What is the name of the stuff....is > it that TR3 stuff ? > I might go with the Castrol air cooled oil..... > I didn't like it when I found out that "Bush" owns Pennzoil & Quaker State > > Still doing research.... > Gotta Fly... > Mike in MN ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
Subject: Re: typical-not
From: Gene Ledbetter <gdledbetter(at)earthlink.net>
Possums, We missed your smiling face at the Factory Fly-in. The clutch of 5 Kolbs flying in on Friday from Kitty Hawk was awesome. Their formation looked like they had practiced for days instead of hours. Too bad the rain on Saturday kept so many folks away but the sun came out in the afternoon and there were lots of folks flying. One good piece of news from Bruce Saturday evening was that they had sold two kits at the fly-in. Gene ________________________________________________________________________________
From: <rowedl(at)highstream.net>
Subject: Re: windshield thickness
Date: Sep 28, 2003
Larry, If its a standard Mk-3 windshield, it calls for the .125, I made gullwing doors on mine and eliminated the winshield so the deeper curves of the doors alowed the use of .090. Again, if its a Mk-3, the center windshield should be .125 lexan. Denny Rowe ----- Original Message ----- From: Larry Cottrell <lcottrel(at)kfalls.net> Subject: Kolb-List: windshield thickness > > I am going to replace my current windshield enclosure with one with doors. > Anybody tell me which thickness Lexan I should get. Want it to be pretty > stiff, but not so stiff that it causes trouble making the curves. the > options are 60-80-93-125. > Thanks > Larry > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: Matt Dralle <dralle(at)matronics.com>
Subject: Re: Typical
Mike, I generally try to say out of the discussions on the List because I believe in the free expression and I do not like the idea of a moderated List. We are all adults here and should be capable of policing ourselves. Over the years, I have found that this is generally true. Unfortunately, I have to take exception to your message below and classify it as "inappropriate" for the List. I will ask that you please refrain from this behavior in the future, or I will be forced to block your posts. Thanks, Matt Dralle List Admin. At 06:24 AM 9/28/2003 Sunday, you wrote: > >Hey Guys, > Well, another typical reply....Nobody answers the question but I > get plenty of smart ass answers.... this is one of the reasons that I'm > going to atempt to make my next project a Witman -Tailwind....you guys > have showed me ( by not helping) that I can do it without much help.... > Fire away , assholes.... Matt G Dralle | Matronics | PO Box 347 | Livermore | CA | 94551 925-606-1001 V | 925-606-6281 F | dralle(at)matronics.com Email http://www.matronics.com/ WWW | Featuring Products For Aircraft ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: Jack & Louise Hart <jbhart(at)ldd.net>
Subject: Re: Mark III seatbelts
jerb, You are correct. My original intention was to make the belts strong enough to keep me in the seat while passing through rough air. I used the radiator clamps to hold a "U" shaped stainless steel strap in place. This allowed me to slip the cable and belt arrangement back and forth to find the optimum belt angle for over the shoulders. I have never changed it. But I will because with a simple change I can make it stronger and lighter. I will mark the cable position, and then remove the radiator clamps. Then I will slip the shoulder straps out of the adjusters and reverse their positions. This will let the "U" shaped strap face the rear instead of the front. Then I will drill and place three SS pop rivets through the strap into the engine support tube. The trade off of three pop rivets for two hose clamps is very good trade for greater strength and less weight. Thanks for making me thing about it again. I will probably do it next week, and I will put up an update to the page. This list is great. Jack B. Hart FF004 Jackson, MO > >Jack, >Went to your site. Am I correct the shoulder straps are secured using a >couple radiator clamps? That's not good if that's the case. Even in a >moderate crash/sudden stop, there is far more force involved that most >people realize. Belts just them selves will stretch inches. >jerb > >> >> >> > >> >Kolbers, >> >I'm not crazy about my 3 point seatbelts. They don't hold me at my hips >> >where I prefer but are closer to my belly button. The discomfort comes >> with >> >any turbulance because I come up off my seat. I've got quite a few >> hours in >> >sailplanes so I don't mind the turbulance as long as I can stay in my >> seat. >> >My 12 year old co-pilot-son, Kory, has been spared the experience of >> >turbulance for just the same reason. We wait till the evening when things >> >are nice and calm. The attach points seem to be part of the problem >> because >> >I currently use the large tube behind the seats. I want my son to feel >> >secure before I introduce him to mid day flying. >> > >> >Any one have a suggestion or two? >> > >> >Bob, Kathleen, and Kory Brocious >> >Tenacity Farm >> >Campbellsburg, Kentucky >> > >> >>Bob, >> >>I had the same problem. I used to fly sail planes and if my back comes >>off the seat in the FireFly, I get uncomfortable. I prefer a five point >>belt. The double shoulder straps keep my back against the seat, and the >>strap down between the legs keeps the lap belt were it should be. >> >>I have been criticized for my belt system being too light, but so far it >>has kept me in my seat with no problems. If you are interested, you can >>see it at: >> >>http://www.thirdshift.com/jack/firefly/firefly78.html >> >>Jack B. Hart FF004 >>Jackson, MO >> >> >>Jack & Louise Hart >>jbhart(at)ldd.net >> >> > Jack & Louise Hart jbhart(at)ldd.net ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Ed Bonsell" <ebonsell(at)earthlink.net>
Subject: Oil
Date: Sep 28, 2003
> Funny how we all need the oil companies more than about any other industry > that is in the USA..and how a certain political party has tried to make us > all hate them huh! Yes, Lets help the oil companies and support terrorism too! Buy another gas guzzling SUV. Ed Bonsell ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: "Ron or Mary" <whyme(at)vci.net>
Subject: Understanding
I don't post much on this list anymore but I felt that I had to say something. I understand Mikes frustration in his posts. I used to post my opinion on things that I thought would be of interest to Kolb builders. After finding what I thought was a flaw in the control design of the new FireStar and FireStar and could not get any one in Kolb to discuss it with me, I posted my concerns to this list. Many of you may remember this subject. I was then threatened with legal action by Kolb as they said I was guilty of slander so I shut up. They since have changed their controls to my design. Also after expressing an honest opinion different from the resident guru of the list, and I am sure you know who this is, I was threatened with physical violence. My opinion may also not be judged as appropriate for the list but so be it. These are the things that kill what started off as a good thing for all. Ron Payne ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "ron wehba" <rwehba(at)wtxs.net>
Subject: nose bowl
Date: Sep 28, 2003
anyone know of a nosebowl that will fit a ultrastar with room for a couple of instruments ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: Re: Oil
Date: Sep 28, 2003
Received: ...with SMTP id h8SNWlv25709\n\t\234Sun, 28 Sep 200... How about we NOT talk about off topic politically charged items and just stick to Kolb related issues, huh? Don't fill my mailbox with such B.S., please. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ed Bonsell" <ebonsell(at)earthlink.net> Subject: Kolb-List: Oil > > > Funny how we all need the oil companies more than about any other industry > > that is in the USA..and how a certain political party has tried to make us > > all hate them huh! > > > Yes, Lets help the oil companies and support terrorism too! Buy another gas guzzling SUV. > > Ed Bonsell > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Mark III seatbelts
> I have been criticized for my belt system being too > light, but so far it has kept me in my seat with no > problems. > Jack B. Hart Jack/All: Was intended as "constructive criticism", rather than plain ole criticism. I have no doubt your attachment system will hold you in the seat during turbulence encountered in flight. However, I seriously doubt the restraint system will successfully do its job in the event of a serious crash. Many people are seriously injured as the result of no shoulder restraint or a system that fails. You wil probably never see more than 1 G negative during flight in your Fire Fly. So, it doesn't take much to keep your body in the seat. In event of a sudden stop, i.e., crash, you gonna need all the restraint you can have to keep you face out of the instrument panel and your ole bod in the seat. I do not think I have ever registered more than one G negative on my G meter. Today I hit 3.2 G's plus in turbulence returning from The 2003 Kolb Homecoming!!! That is the most I have ever registered in turbulence. 3.0+ was the highest until today. We care about you Jack, or we wouldn't waste our time trying to help. john h (survivor of several serious crashes) ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Possum's new seat
> >Possum's..Boy, I sure like that seat!, however I cant read the tape..how >wide is it? where did you get it? It's an Aquilla Trike "Back" seat from So. Africa. We got some trikes in our club http://www.georgiasportflyers.com/ so I got to try it out before I ordered one. It's kind of squishy so it may fit into a smaller space. If you are really interested I will take some pictures of the seat itself, front, back and with the cover zipped off the foam inside form - it comes all apart real easy. The bottom just velcros to the alum plat I riveted on the tubes. The back has a thin laminated curved wood form to hold it's shape - that it easy to build. - I would have to show you what it looks like. ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Possum's new seat
Sorry ......... supposed to go to Don. > > > > >Possum's..Boy, I sure like that seat!, however I cant read the tape..how > >wide is it? where did you get it? > >It's an Aquilla Trike "Back" seat from So. Africa. We got some trikes in >our club >http://www.georgiasportflyers.com/ >so I got to try it out before I ordered one. It's kind of squishy so it may ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: tony webster <caw(at)nctc.com>
Subject: Re: Oil
there are a lot of mean people on this list Ed Bonsell wrote: > > > Funny how we all need the oil companies more than about any other industry > > that is in the USA..and how a certain political party has tried to make us > > all hate them huh! > > Yes, Lets help the oil companies and support terrorism too! Buy another gas guzzling SUV. > > Ed Bonsell > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: typical-not
> >Possums, >We missed your smiling face at the Factory Fly-in. The clutch of 5 >Kolbs flying in on Friday from Kitty Hawk was awesome. Their formation >looked like they had practiced for days instead of hours. >Too bad the rain on Saturday kept so many folks away but the sun came >out in the afternoon and there were lots of folks flying. One good >piece of news from Bruce Saturday evening was that they had sold two >kits at the fly-in. >Gene I thought about coming - but I would have had hitch up "Ole Dollar" and fly into the sunset ,,,by myself ...again. Beside we had a club ralley/flyin at "Headquarters" Alabama on Saturday and I was going to fly to the Talladega Race again on Sunday/Today, http://www.georgiasportflyers.com/pages/newsletters/Flying%20to%20Talladega.pdf Anyway my banker didn't come though with the 4 free tickets - guess I don't have enough on deposit. So I cleaned up the hanger. It was windy anyway. Glad Bruce is making some money. I'll bet he really isn't even breaking even. But I think he likes it. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "bryan green" <lgreen1(at)sc.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Mark III seatbelts
Date: Sep 28, 2003
Glad to hear you made it back safely John I enjoyed meeting all of you in Columbia on the way up. I've been thinking of the very thing your speaking of and intend to upgrade the belt in my plane. Take care. Bryan Green Elgin SC Firestar I 377 BRS ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Hauck" <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Mark III seatbelts > > > > I have been criticized for my belt system being too > > light, but so far it has kept me in my seat with no > > problems. > > Jack B. Hart > > Jack/All: > > Was intended as "constructive criticism", rather than plain > ole criticism. > > I have no doubt your attachment system will hold you in the > seat during turbulence encountered in flight. However, I > seriously doubt the restraint system will successfully do > its job in the event of a serious crash. Many people are > seriously injured as the result of no shoulder restraint or > a system that fails. You wil probably never see more than 1 > G negative during flight in your Fire Fly. So, it doesn't > take much to keep your body in the seat. In event of a > sudden stop, i.e., crash, you gonna need all the restraint > you can have to keep you face out of the instrument panel > and your ole bod in the seat. > > I do not think I have ever registered more than one G > negative on my G meter. Today I hit 3.2 G's plus in > turbulence returning from The 2003 Kolb Homecoming!!! That > is the most I have ever registered in turbulence. 3.0+ was > the highest until today. > > We care about you Jack, or we wouldn't waste our time trying > to help. > > john h (survivor of several serious crashes) > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: Bob Bean <slyck(at)frontiernet.net>
Subject: seat belts
cordial friends, since I hadn't yet created doors, and may not for awhile, I really cinched in good for those maiden flights. My navel wouldn't have moved much more than a quarter inch in a rollover. Makes you think about all those fearless souls who used to ride in open cockpit planes with just a lap belt. -oops, where'd Wilbur go? Still not quite comfy with the view out the side but a big thrill (on a nice warm summer day). -BB ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 28, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Mark III seatbelts
> Today I hit 3.2 G's plus in >turbulence returning from The 2003 Kolb Homecoming!!! That >is the most I have ever registered in turbulence. 3.0+ was >the highest until today. Well tell us about what we missed at the show. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "boyd young" <by0ung(at)brigham.net>
Subject: RAD intercom with an ICOM A5
Date: Sep 28, 2003
> I am trying to setup a RAD intercom with an ICOM A5 > radio in a FirestarII with 503,CDI ignition. I have a > nearly perfectly tuned external antenna and can power > the equipment with their own batteries or engine > power. > > The system seems to work fine electronically but when > the engine is running I can't get out a receivable > transmission. The ambient engine sound nearly > completely overpowers the mike and the receiver hears > a lot of engine and a little voice. ---------------------------------------------------- i am not familiar with the RAD equipment..... i have a question about what you are experiencing..... is it that the input from the engine noise is keeping the intercom in an ' in use ' mode???( constant intercom noise)..... or is the static noise from the engine causing the squelch on the radio to be overcome????(constant radio noise) constant intercom noise may be a problem with the intercom. ( not capable of high noise envioment ) or the mike gains on the headsets may be set too high. constant radio noise may be reduced by shielding the kill wires, shielding the spark plugs,, adding a capasitor or suficient size to the electrical system,,,,, there may be other solutions but it should be determined what the corect symtoms are. boyd ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 29, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: typical-not
> > > > >I miss sum tin' here,,what question was asked? > >----- Original Message ----- I take it back - maybe we've forgotten what the real question is. Dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives, those brave people who gave their lives. We didn't start this. http://home.comcast.net/~sept11/ ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Paul Petty" <ppetty@c-gate.net>
Subject: Fly in
Date: Sep 28, 2003
Kolbers, Ditto to John Hauck's statements. What a great time.Hope everyone made it home safe. I'm here typing this while Charley and Steve Sullivan are stuck on the side of I-20 with a blown right front tire that happened just out of Meridian MS. The nearest service truck was 80 miles away and at 11:00 pm now they should be getting back underway. Ever have a blow out in a 40' motor home doing 80mph? Happened right before an overpass!!!! all I was watching was that bridge pilling out the front of the big picture window windshield!!!! Charley did a great job of keeping us off the railing. So why am I here? Well there was no point in all three of us waiting for a tire change that we could only watch so I jumped in the Jeep and rushed home. See, John Williams made me a CD of his building and could not wait to see it. Problem is, I left it in the motorhome errrrgggg. BTW Thanks John H. for taking Charley up. He really enjoyed the flight. Also, thanks to everyone's interest and support for the Harley Davidson engine program. I had a lot of folks that asked why not use a Rotax gear box. I have only seen the inside of one thus far and if anyone out there care's to donate one to science I'm all ears. I really learned a great deal this weekend. I finally got to ride in the plane I have purchased and have no doubt I made the right choice for the type flying that I will be doing. Also, after all the interest in the engine program, I plan to finish what I have started with the HD project. I have also decided on a color for the bird. Are ya ready? Yep, Black! Haven't seen a black one out there yet. And of course, with black ya gotta have chrome. So here is a question for the list. I want to have the tail post and any steel part's that are visible chrome plated. And any aluminum parts (except the boom tube) polished. Anyone see a problem here? Also, one thing that I have noticed about All aircraft (especially Kolb's) is that the end of the fuselage on the inner sides that you see, is very hard to paint,clean and keep looking new. I want to make a piece out of aluminum that will fit into the end and fasten using counter set screws from the outside to fit and cover the inner rivet's and the section of the tube. A piece that you can clean and keep polished or paint. Any takers? The HD project, I plan to call Harley Davidson tomorrow and see if they might be interested in helping out with this project. Who knows. They helped out that Wright flyer with 2 free engines. Perhaps they have a few GA pilots in the right spots. From biker to pilot....... Folks. Last year this weekend I spent it at a Harley rally near by that is the same weekend as the Kolb homecoming. Funny thing is, after a weekend of a Harley Davidson rally, one finds himself hearing the sounds of loud pipe's for a couple of days in total silence.... Right now I'm hearing screaming Rotax engine's with warp drive props. Perhaps one year I'll be hearing Harley engine's and Warp Drive props and feeling a lump in my wallet hehehe........ What a great time and great people.. pp building "The Screaming Eagle" Kolbra 012 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Larry Bourne" <biglar(at)gogittum.com>
Subject: Re: nose bowl
Date: Sep 28, 2003
I'm not the resident UltraStar pro, Ronnie, but I'll be amazed if you don't wind up custom fabricating something. Good Luck................. Lar. Larry Bourne Palm Springs, CA Kolb Mk III - Vamoose N78LB www.gogittum.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "ron wehba" <rwehba(at)wtxs.net> Subject: Kolb-List: nose bowl > > anyone know of a nosebowl that will fit a ultrastar with room for a couple of instruments > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Daniel Walter" <worrybear(at)paonline.com>
Subject: Re: nose bowl
Date: Sep 29, 2003
Ron, I used a FireStar nose cone Which turned out well, It did change the trim greatly and may have increased the stall speed, I'll post some pictures as soon as I get some Dan Walter Fredericksburg PA Ultrastar, 10DEW UL1102 ----- Original Message ----- From: "ron wehba" <rwehba(at)wtxs.net> Subject: Kolb-List: nose bowl > > anyone know of a nosebowl that will fit a ultrastar with room for a couple of instruments > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "James, Ken" <KDJames(at)berkscareer.com>
Subject: Horz elev Mk III xtra
Date: Sep 29, 2003
Horz elev Mk III xtra I'm back building after a long lay off, I need to do the Horz elevator, I was looking at the plans and some pic's I found on the web. The bottom stringer run front to back, the plans show the tops stringers run front to back just up to the trailing edge. I saw several pics on the web where people had shortened the tops stringer to about mid lenght? Did your plans show you that, mine don't? Also there was a web site by Milow? had some greats pic on in can't find it now anyone know who it was? If any one has digital pics of thier Horz elev ( unskinned ) Mk III xtra I would like to see them just email them to Kdjames(at)berkscareer.com Thanks Ken ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 29, 2003
From: jerb <ulflyer(at)verizon.net>
Subject: Re: Understanding
John H, What do your know about any change being in the FireStar control design by Kolb. Is this true. Has Kolb made any change since and as a result of Ron's input? jerb > >I don't post much on this list anymore but I felt that I had to say >something. I understand Mikes frustration in his posts. I used to post my >opinion on things that I thought would be of interest to Kolb builders. >After finding what I thought was a flaw in the control design of the new >FireStar and FireStar and could not get any one in Kolb to discuss it with >me, I posted my concerns to this list. Many of you may remember this >subject. I was then threatened with legal action by Kolb as they said I >was guilty of slander so I shut up. They since have changed their controls >to my design. Also after expressing an honest opinion different from the >resident guru of the list, and I am sure you know who this is, I was >threatened with physical violence. My opinion may also not be judged as >appropriate for the list but so be it. These are the things that kill what >started off as a good thing for all. > >Ron Payne > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Larry Bourne" <biglar(at)gogittum.com>
Subject: Re: Horz elev Mk III xtra
Date: Sep 29, 2003
My blueprints are up with Vamoose, so I can't look at them right now, but I built ALL structural components exactly to the plans. The only pic I have of the horizontal tail is on my website, under "Building Vamoose/Bending Metal." It's not too clear (that was one of my 1st pages) but I hope it helps. Good Luck.............I know full well what it's like to stop and get started again - repeatedly. :-) Sweaty Lar - Still Waiting for it to Cool Off. (and going on camper trips out of this hotbox) Larry Bourne Palm Springs, CA Kolb Mk III - Vamoose N78LB www.gogittum.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "James, Ken" <KDJames(at)berkscareer.com> Subject: Kolb-List: Horz elev Mk III xtra > > Horz elev Mk III xtra > > I'm back building after a long lay off, I need to do the Horz elevator, I > was looking at the plans and some pic's I found on the web. The bottom > stringer run front to back, the plans show the tops stringers run front to > back just up to the trailing edge. I saw several pics on the web where > people had shortened the tops stringer to about mid lenght? > > Did your plans show you that, mine don't? > > Also there was a web site by Milow? had some greats pic on in can't find it > now anyone know who it was? > > If any one has digital pics of thier Horz elev ( unskinned ) Mk III xtra I > would like to see them just email them to > > Kdjames(at)berkscareer.com > > Thanks > > > Ken > > ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Larry Bourne" <biglar(at)gogittum.com>
Subject: Re: Understanding
Date: Sep 29, 2003
Guess my name isn't John, but I sure do remember Ron's concerns with his controls. As I recall, it had something to do with component interference at full travel. Anyone out there with a better memory ?? Lar. Larry Bourne Palm Springs, CA Kolb Mk III - Vamoose N78LB www.gogittum.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "jerb" <ulflyer(at)verizon.net> Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Understanding > > John H, > What do your know about any change being in the FireStar control design by > Kolb. Is this true. Has Kolb made any change since and as a result of > Ron's input? > jerb > > > > > >I don't post much on this list anymore but I felt that I had to say > >something. I understand Mikes frustration in his posts. I used to post my > >opinion on things that I thought would be of interest to Kolb builders. > >After finding what I thought was a flaw in the control design of the new > >FireStar and FireStar and could not get any one in Kolb to discuss it with > >me, I posted my concerns to this list. Many of you may remember this > >subject. I was then threatened with legal action by Kolb as they said I > >was guilty of slander so I shut up. They since have changed their controls > >to my design. Also after expressing an honest opinion different from the > >resident guru of the list, and I am sure you know who this is, I was > >threatened with physical violence. My opinion may also not be judged as > >appropriate for the list but so be it. These are the things that kill what > >started off as a good thing for all. > > > >Ron Payne > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 29, 2003
From: John Hauck <jhauck(at)elmore.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Understanding
> John H, What do your know about any change being in the > FireStar control design by Kolb. Is this true. Has Kolb > made any change since and as a result of Ron's input? > jerb jerb/All: Only what I read on the Kolb List. Recommend direct contact with Ray Brown, who is now running the factory. I personally know of no Firestar control problem that has caused an accident/incident other than one induced by the operator. Perhaps someone else on the List does. I do know that Kolb improves their kits as improvements are recognized, required, and available. john h ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Gherkins Tim-rp3420 <rp3420(at)motorola.com>
Subject: Horz elev Mk III xtra
Date: Sep 29, 2003
Ken, I can relate what the "Milow" web site showed, because I am Milow. We (my uncle and myself) made our elevators out of the same leading and trailing edge tubing called for in the specs. But instead of using the same small "trailing edge" tubing for the stringer ribs, we used 2024_T3 sheet material. It makes for a cleaner and lighter installation. Though you will need access to a shear and brake to form the sheet material into ribs. I had made the original Firestar II elevators exactly to spec and built a second custom made elevators with our custom sheet material ribs and weighed both before covering. The custom elevator (one) came out 4 ounces lighter then the spec'd elevator, so that is a combined savings of a half pound in the tail, not including the saved weight of the customized rudder. And covering the control surfaces was much much easier because of the absence of the "Homer bumps". I am sure the wear and tear on the surfaces will be minimal due to the absence of these bumps as well. As for the Kolb Specified stringers (ribs) in the control surfaces question, all the plans I have seen-Firestar II, Firefly and MarkIII show that they end midway to the trailing edge. For the top stringers to go back all the way just short of the trailing edge tube is new. I (personally) would call light speed aviaton, the folks who do the quick builds and ask them how they do it. That extra tubing will make the elevator stronger? Weigh more? Weaker- due to two rivets drilled so close together? Something to think about. Tim "Milow" Gherkins PS- Our "Milows" web site is still down due to funds, time and energy going into gettting our two planes up in the air as soon as possible. -----Original Message----- From: James, Ken [mailto:KDJames(at)berkscareer.com] Subject: Kolb-List: Horz elev Mk III xtra Horz elev Mk III xtra I'm back building after a long lay off, I need to do the Horz elevator, I was looking at the plans and some pic's I found on the web. The bottom stringer run front to back, the plans show the tops stringers run front to back just up to the trailing edge. I saw several pics on the web where people had shortened the tops stringer to about mid lenght? Did your plans show you that, mine don't? Also there was a web site by Milow? had some greats pic on in can't find it now anyone know who it was? If any one has digital pics of thier Horz elev ( unskinned ) Mk III xtra I would like to see them just email them to Kdjames(at)berkscareer.com Thanks Ken ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "J.L.Turner" <jimturner(at)mwt.net>
Subject: Engine Question
Date: Sep 29, 2003
Received: ...with SMTP id h8TIpGv01184\n\t\234Mon, 29 Sep 200... Can you engine pros tell me what is meant when the refer to an engine or engine part with the word "provisional"? Jim Turner 377 BRS Firestar ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "boyd young" <by0ung(at)brigham.net>
Subject: Re: Kolb-List Digest: 34 Msgs - 09/28/03
Date: Sep 29, 2003
> I am trying to setup a RAD intercom with an ICOM A5 > radio in a FirestarII with 503,CDI ignition. I have a > nearly perfectly tuned external antenna and can power > the equipment with their own batteries or engine > power. > > The system seems to work fine electronically but when > the engine is running I can't get out a receivable > transmission. The ambient engine sound nearly > completely overpowers the mike and the receiver hears > a lot of engine and a little voice. ---------------------------------------------------- ok i have re read the message and finaly figured outwhat it was trying to tell me... i was on vacation last weekend and was tired when i was reading. if the transmissions are garbeled with engine noise ,,,, the first thing i would do is to see if the mike gains can be turned down.... if not see if there is a high noise mike that can be used inplace of the ones you now have. i had the same problem and in trying to solve the problem i tried hi density mike mufs,( it helped some but did not solve the problem ) but in the end i changed the mike elements on the pilot headsets... and on the new noise canceling headsets i had to reduce the mike gain. also some intercome do not tolerate the high noise levels well.... so choose a intercom that will handel the higher noise level you are working in. sigtronics spo22-n seems to work real well..... after reducing the mike gains to the min. i had some problems in that the intercom volume was low... with a call to sigtronics we were able to come up with a fix and i am very happy with the results. if you have further problems let me know on or off list boyd ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "James, Ken" <KDJames(at)berkscareer.com>
Subject: Horz elev Mk III xtra
Date: Sep 29, 2003
Thanks for the reply, Can you zip your pics and sen them to me? Thanks Ken ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BMWBikeCrz(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 29, 2003
Subject: Kolb list Fly-In
I must say that my experience at the fly-in was most definitely awesome ...all my questions were answered and I mean all ! All my parts were there ...The Food was great !!! The planes were Fantastic ! The KOLBRA Flies like a dream !!! The millers are without a doubt the only people I would ever consider buying covering materials from ... There are so many people behind the scenes that I do not even know them all but their hard work to pull this thing off was evident everywhere !!! And Thanks to all the members of this list that I finally got to meet ! KOLB people give me faith in all that is good .... Thanks to all for allowing my Rant ! *********** Dave ************* ________________________________________________________________________________
From: "Don Gherardini" <donghe@one-eleven.net>
Subject: Re: Engine Question
Date: Sep 29, 2003
Jim, I'm not a rotax expert, very far from it in fact. But I believe that the word "provisional" is one that someone somewhere in the Rotax chain of distribution came up with to describe an engine that has been modified for use on our little airplanes. Now what all mods per model have been done..I sure dont know..but I do know that one of them is cutting threads in holes for the rotax gear reduction units, and a "non-provisional" engine has no provision for a gearbox to attach to. Someone else would surely know more...Tom Olenick for instance...front and center!!! Don Gherardini Sales / Engineering dept. American Honda Engines Power Equipment Company 800-626-7326 ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 29, 2003
From: "Bob N." <ronoy(at)shentel.net>
Subject: Cheap instument
Costco/Priceclub has a neat little box that has LCD compass, thermometer, baraometer, altimeter. Runs off internal batts or plugs into cigar lighter ( cable furnished)--$49.95 Bob N. ________________________________________________________________________________
From: <rowedl(at)highstream.net>
Subject: Re: RAD intercom and ICOM A5
Date: Sep 30, 2003
----- Original Message ----- From: Jon LaVasseur > Hi Group, > > I am trying to setup a RAD intercom with an ICOM A5 > radio in a FirestarII with 503,CDI ignition. I have a > nearly perfectly tuned external antenna and can power > the equipment with their own batteries or engine > power. > > The system seems to work fine electronically but when > the engine is running I can't get out a receivable > transmission. The ambient engine sound nearly > completely overpowers the mike and the receiver hears > a lot of engine and a little voice. > > Does anyone have experience with this equipment and or > have any suggestions of how do adjust it to work > acceptably? > > Thanks for any help. Jon, I was just reviewing my RAD TAC-100 intercom directions, it mentions that adjusting the volume higher than needed will allow more engine and wind noise. Also check your threshhold adjustments, you should start out with both the pilot and copilot threshholds set to the detent position, to attenuate more backround noise turn them ccw from there, if they are turned full cw the noise attenuation circuitry will be turned off and the mikes will be completly live. If you are using an amplified cable to interface your intercom to your Icom, you may have to open up the face of your intercom and adjust the gain trim pot to the left to reduce gain. It is a yellow phillips screw potentiometer. I am using this intercom and dual headsets in a 2SI 690L-70 powered Mk-3 with the old Icom IA-21 Navcom. I have both threshholds set to the detent positions and the volumes set about midway. The radio volume is just a tad past the click "on" position, if I turn it any higher the receiver volume blows you out of your seat. I am using homemade patch cables to the radio and am getting Great results, this system is a real winner. If you have not talked to Tim Bruno at RAD yet give him a call at 920 787- 3572 or e-mail him at rad(at)wirural.net He will be able to help you get it right. Regards, Denny Rowe, L:eechburg, PA ________________________________________________________________________________
From: Airgriff2(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 30, 2003
Subject: Re: Kolb list Fly-In
For ones who could'nt make the fly-in, it was a great time! Even with rain starting early Sat morning , it cleared to allow alot of flying. Seminars, food, entertainment, planes, people, facilities, outstanding! The only area where I think could be improved is, after a long drive or flight to get there (most arrive Fri. nite), we have a full day Saturday and then everyone heads out around noon Sunday. It almost seems like one full day of fun. If it was set up as a 3 day deal, we could have all day Fri. and Sat. (arrive Thur nite and leave Sun.? I learned (from John H) that if your tent has a full fly cover that covers the whole tent, there is a good chance you will wake up dry in the morning. I'm sure there will be more details on the fly-in on TNK's web site. Fly Safe Bob Griffin upstate NY ________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sep 30, 2003
From: possums <possums(at)mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: old firestar
Bill's back in town now. He's been gone for about 10 days. He has a swaging tool "press" now and can make his own wires. They are using stainless now instead of galvanized wire. Neal will be back on Thursday. You should just bring your wires sometime and make new ones. Bill said give him a call if you need any other parts - I would call Neal on Thursday. Stan ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BICUM(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 30, 2003
Subject: Warning - Old 912 Titan Exhaust with Spark Arrestor!
Just in case I'm not the only one that didn't know this.................. If you have the old style titan exhaust for the 912 that has the spark arrestor on it you may want to consider replacing it. Mine let loose at around 205 hours and went through the prop. I was super lucky that the damage to the prop was minimal and there was no damage to the airframe or fabric surfaces. It was safety wired as a precaution and all that was left was the stud that holds it in place. It appears that the little shoulder in the stud and the hole it sits in had worn due to vibration just enough to just let go. It was fine prior to takeoff. It is part my pre-flight to give the exhaust system a tug and check for looseness. If this applies to you please take notice and replace. This could have been a horrible outcome. I was just lucky and had some guardian angels with me. Thanks, John Bickham St. Francisville, LA Mark III - 912 ________________________________________________________________________________
From: BICUM(at)aol.com
Date: Sep 30, 2003
Subject: 8JulietBravo - Safely home from TNK Fly-in
Just wanted to let everyone know that I made it home yesterday (Monday -13:00). Just getting around to the computer. Had to "kiss the dog and pet the wife". If I didn't mention it - I had a lot of fun! I had a blast, even during my little incident. Special thanks to (in order of appearance): Gary "Where's my T-shirt" Haley, John "turn the jabaru to the sun for morning prayers" Williamson, John "two cups of coffee, land and catch up" Hauck, and Steven "my 2-stroke can match your 4-strokes" Green. I'm sure these guys have some nicknames for me but probably shouldn't post them. I enjoyed meeting everyone and flying together. This is a great group of guys and a real pleasure to be around. It was great to get the chance to travel with the likes and experience of John Hauck and John Williamson. This was a great trip and a lot of things happened along the way that were amazing and a real learning experience. Things I learned: 1) I packed too much food. These guys have an uncanny ability to get to restaurants, even 8 -10 miles away. 2) Don't need a whole bar of soap. Take a whole bar, cut in half, and throw one half over the right shoulder and the other half over the left shoulder. No need to carry the extra weight. 3) There are still a lot of good people in the world. People like: - Bill Griffin and James (who got up real early) and helped get us to and from Hauck's Holler. - Howard Shackleford and the Trenton Flyers who took time out and off of work to gives us a wonderful reception, treat us to lunch, and T-shirts. - the Moose Lodge member in Wallace, NC that drove us into town and waited while we ate and would not accept nothing in return. -Mr. Reggie and is wife Mrs. Patty for treating us to a wonderful seafood buffet dinner in Williamston, NC and taking me to the great aviation supply store - Wal-Mart, for needed repair supplies.


September 10, 2003 - September 30, 2003

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