Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 05:34 AM - Re: Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge (catz631@AOL.COM)
2. 09:23 AM - Re: Kitfox-List Digest: 14 Msgs - 01/18/10 (Ed Gray)
3. 02:45 PM - Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge (dave)
4. 03:22 PM - Re: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? (Noel Loveys)
5. 05:08 PM - Re: Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge (Noel Loveys)
6. 06:25 PM - Drain Holes in Wings (cjswa)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge |
I removed the transducer and looked at the internal rotor in bright
sunlight. With a magnifying glass you could see that the rotor had jammed itself
against the side of the tube. Apparently it had started to wobble in it's
mounts I guess and that was that. This is the same thing that happened to my
prior transducer. At least this was a good test of fuel flow with a jammed
rotor. There was definite resistance as I blew through the transducer but not
enough to block fuel flow to the engine as it was running fine. I looked at my
logbook and it has been right at a year since I installed this instrument
and cycled thru two tansducers.This was less than 75 hrs of flying!
Lynn, you and Leonard have had good luck with this unit. Maybe a different
mfg. made the transducers as your units are older than mine. In any case,
that's enough for me! I will find something else to fill that hole in my panel
Dick Maddux
Fox 4
Milton,Fl
Message 2
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| Subject: | RE: Kitfox-List Digest: 14 Msgs - 01/18/10 |
I read James Trizzino's post and gave it a try. I could not get my garage
doors to take off but only got up to 60 mph. I only have a 582, probably
need more power. Ed Gray do not archive
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-kitfox-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-kitfox-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Kitfox-List
Digest Server
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 2:00 AM
Subject: Kitfox-List Digest: 14 Msgs - 01/18/10
*
=================================================
Online Versions of Today's List Digest Archive
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Total Messages Posted Mon 01/18/10: 14
----------------------------------------------------------
Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 01:27 AM - Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge (dave)
2. 02:27 AM - Re: Re: Corrosion Protection for Flaperons? (Dave G)
3. 03:29 AM - Re: Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge (Lynn Matteson)
4. 05:06 AM - Re: Skis required (dave)
5. 06:15 AM - Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge (catz631@aol.com)
6. 06:46 AM - (Glenn Horne)
7. 08:33 AM - What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? (Joe &
Jan Connell)
8. 09:37 AM - Re: Static Ports (WurlyBird)
9. 10:12 AM - Re: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
(mic thiessen)
10. 10:13 AM - Re: Re: Static Ports (Patrick Reilly)
11. 10:23 AM - Re: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? (W
Duke)
12. 11:32 AM - Re: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
(WurlyBird)
13. 11:58 AM - Re: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
(Lowell Fitt)
14. 01:52 PM - Re: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
(kirk hull)
________________________________ Message 1
_____________________________________
Time: 01:27:05 AM PST US
Subject: Kitfox-List: Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge
From: "dave" <dave@cfisher.com>
Dick, I have a navman 2100 I think it called. I think the one you have
replaced
it . Mine is over 4 years old and put through over 7000 gallon of
gas--ethanol
regular avgas marine gas whatever. I have noticed a few times it stops fora
minute or two but continues on.
Mine us mounted on front of firewall almost vertical after the gascolator.
Most
of my fuel goes through a filter funnel as well.
There are better fuel flow meters on the market for 300 $ up .
Dave
--------
Rotax Dealer, Ontario Canada
http://www.cfisher.com/
Awesome *New Forum *
http://rotaxaircraft.com/forum/
Realtime Kitfox movies to separate the internet chatter from the truth
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=kitfoxflyer
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=282036#282036
________________________________ Message 2
_____________________________________
Time: 02:27:55 AM PST US
From: "Dave G" <occom@ns.sympatico.ca>
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Re: Corrosion Protection for Flaperons?
Does anyone feel that flaperon corrosion is an issue that needs to be
resolved? I have never seen it come up as an issue.
________________________________ Message 3
_____________________________________
Time: 03:29:20 AM PST US
From: Lynn Matteson <lynnmatt@jps.net>
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge
Just to "balance the scales", so to speak, I've never had an issue
with my F210 unit, and my transducer is located inside the cabin at
an angle of not quite vertical...maybe 30 degrees from vertical, with
a Purolator glass filter just before the transducer.
Lynn Matteson
Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger
Jabiru 2200, #2062, 839.2 hrs
Countdown to 1000 hrs~162 to go
Sensenich 62"x46" Wood prop
Electroair direct-fire ignition system
Rotec TBI-40 injection
Status: flying (and learning)
On Jan 17, 2010, at 11:36 PM, Paul Franz - Merlin GT wrote:
> <paul@eucleides.com>
>
> On Sun, January 17, 2010 12:13 pm, akflyer wrote:
>>
>> I wonder if you are getting it hot if it is on the front side of
>> the firewall? Or
>> gunk out of the tank getting into it? Do you have the filter just
>> before the
>> transducer?
>>
>> Just wondering cause I have several of them installed on my stuff
>> and have never had a
>> glitch, but mine is behind the seat in the plane just under the
>> header tank.
>
> Lenny - Thanks for this thoughtful contribution. You've definitely
> come up with a
> plausible explanation. After Dick Maddux said:
>
> "Well, I have had it with this unit. The transducer has failed
> again and it is less
> than 2 months old and less than 8 hrs ! My first one lasted almost
> a year. This unit
> is coming out of my panel and a plug installed in its place until I
> find something
> nice to put in that hole.
> I removed the transducer to see what the problem was. The impeller
> is stuck and I
> could not get it to move with compressed air or Kroil. I had
> thought seriously of the
> the method of getting my prior transducer to turn (a 5 LB sledge
> hammer) ...."
>
> I made a mental note that I guess I won't be using one of those
> Northstar units but
> now I think you're on to something. It can't be so bad that it has
> 100% failure rate.
> It must be failing due to some configuration or usage problem.
> Hopefully Dick will do
> a little more experimenting before pronouncing the product dead and
> useless.
> --
> Paul A. Franz
> Registration/Aircraft - N14UW/Merlin GT
> Engine/Prop - Rotax 914/NSI CAP
> Bellevue WA
> 425.241.1618 Cell
________________________________ Message 4
_____________________________________
Time: 05:06:45 AM PST US
Subject: Kitfox-List: Re: Skis required
From: "dave" <dave@cfisher.com>
Pictures posted here and videos to follow
http://rotaxaircraft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=167
Kitfox Skis
4130 tube 12 x 48 "
2 main skis with UHMW bottoms $850.00
Tail ski with UHMW $150.00
These come unpainted. Powder coated add 150$ for a set of three.
You rig the cables, if you want the cables and bungees all ready for you to
bolt
on add $75 a ski
you will get 1/8" crust cutter cable, safety cables , mil spec bungees.
Bolts and
tabs to bolt on.
The skis in pics I can ship out same day for $1100.00 plus crate and
shipping.
IN Ontario that will be about 150 $ or so.
Or you can Pick up Near London Ontario.
Down payment today and your skis will be ready within a week.
Custom made skis for most planes.
--------
Rotax Dealer, Ontario Canada
http://www.cfisher.com/
Awesome *New Forum *
http://rotaxaircraft.com/forum/
Realtime Kitfox movies to separate the internet chatter from the truth
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=kitfoxflyer
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=282046#282046
________________________________ Message 5
_____________________________________
Time: 06:15:33 AM PST US
From: catz631@aol.com
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge
Leonard,
The transducer was located about 3 inches above the firewall gascolator
inside the engine compartment against the firewall. I had it wrapped in heat
shield material and it is about 1 1/2 ft from the muffler. I sure didn't see
any caution about using it in in the engine compartment in the
instructions. That's where it would have to go in a boat.
I removed the transducer yesterday and looked unto the interior of the
thing The small rotor was "stuck tighter then a bulls ass at fly time" to
quote
an old buddy of mine! I couldn't move it with compressed air or a piece of
safety wire. There was no trash in there I could see. The unit looked fine
otherwise.
Anyway, I bought another piece of 5/16 injection hose and have removed the
transducer from the system (gauge to follow) It wasn't giving me much
useful info anyway. It was never accurate no mater how many times I tweaked
it.
Half the time the buttons would not work. I guess you get what you pay for.
You must have lucked out. The net has many failures of this unit and it sure
did not suprise the Northstar tech when I told him about it.There was a 5
month backlog just in replacing these transducers !
Anyway,done,nada,fine,no more of this instrument !
Thanks for your input Leonard.I appreciate it.
Dick Maddux
Fox 4
Milton,Fl
________________________________ Message 6
_____________________________________
Time: 06:46:49 AM PST US
From: "Glenn Horne" <glennflys@verizon.net>
Subject: Kitfox-List:
I have a friend that just bought a Citabria and he needs a set
of wheel pants for it. Anyone in the KitFox world have a set or know of
anyone
with a set that they might sell.
Thank you
GLENN HORNE
Kitfox Model II
________________________________ Message 7
_____________________________________
Time: 08:33:52 AM PST US
From: "Joe & Jan Connell" <jconnell@fmwildblue.com>
Subject: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? Brian Shul, Retired
SR-71 Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the
question I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can
be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend.
It's an interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed,
but there really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give
you a little more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35
miles a minute. Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most
missions, and never wanted to harm the plane in any way, we never let it
run out to any limits of temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot
had his own individual "high" speed that he saw at some point on some
mission. I saw mine over Libya when Khadafy fired two missiles my way,
and max power was in order. Let's just say that the plane truly loved
speed and effortlessly took us to Mach numbers we hadn't previously
seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my
presentations, someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the
Blackbird?" This was a first. After giving it some thought, I was
reminded of a story that I had never shared before, and relayed the
following. I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England , with
my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over
Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a radio transmission from
home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three minutes, we learned
that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requested an SR-71
fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former Blackbird pilot,
and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to see
the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were happy to do
it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea , we proceeded to
find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back
seat, and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic
speeds, we found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze.
Like most former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had
a small tower and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we
were close and that I should be able to see the field, but I saw
nothing.
Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little
lower, and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we were at. With
the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we
were practically over the field-yet; there was nothing in my windscreen.
I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of
picking up anything that looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the
cadet commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in
order to get a prime view of the fly-past. It was a quiet, still day
with no wind and partial gray overcast.
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below
us but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we
continued to peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our
power back, the awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good
instructors in my flying career, as something told me I better
cross-check the gauges. As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below
160 knots, my heart stopped and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two
throttles full forward. At this point we weren't really flying, but were
falling in a slight bank. Just at the moment that both afterburners lit
with a thunderous roar of flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) the
aircraft fell into full view of the shocked observers on the tower.
Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now had 107 feet of
fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled and
accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer
than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of
ultimate knife-edge pass. Quickly reaching the field boundary, we
proceeded back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn't say a word for
those next 14 minutes.
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was
reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said
the commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had
ever seen, especially how we had surprised them with such a precise
maneuver that could only be described as breathtaking. He said that some
of the cadet's hats were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the
plane in full afterburner dropping right in front of them was
unbelievable. Walt and I both understood the concept of "breathtaking"
very well that morning, and sheepishly replied that they were just
excited to see our low approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight
suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the pass."
Finally, Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six knots.
What did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred
fifty-two." We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever
do that to me again!" And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer's
club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71
fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included
kids falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed
their eyebrows. Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch
trays in our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a
thing had occurred. Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably
just a routine low approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane."
Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that
day that it would become one of the most popular and most requested
stories. It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's
fastest jet can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a
good idea to keep that cross-check up. and keep your Mach up, too.
________________________________ Message 8
_____________________________________
Time: 09:37:53 AM PST US
Subject: Kitfox-List: Re: Static Ports
From: "WurlyBird" <james.t.trizzino@us.army.mil>
I fly primarily with my doors in the garage. I have tested with doors on
and off
and I can adjust airspeed by throwing the plane out of trim. It is more
pronounced
with the doors open but even with doors I can fluctuate speed about 10
mph. This is vented to the inside.
--------
James
Kitfox 3 / 582 / GSC prop
The ink is still drying on my new certificate
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=282096#282096
________________________________ Message 9
_____________________________________
Time: 10:12:03 AM PST US
From: mic thiessen <wannaflyfox4@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
________________________________ Message 10
____________________________________
Time: 10:13:24 AM PST US
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Re: Static Ports
From: Patrick Reilly <patreilly43@gmail.com>
James, Thanks for the info. One of the KF guru's says he vents with filters,
directly to inside of cabin.
do not archive
Pat Reilly
Mod 3 582 Rebuild
Rockford, IL
On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 11:36 AM, WurlyBird
<james.t.trizzino@us.army.mil>wrote:
> james.t.trizzino@us.army.mil>
>
> I fly primarily with my doors in the garage. I have tested with doors on
> and off and I can adjust airspeed by throwing the plane out of trim. It
is
> more pronounced with the doors open but even with doors I can fluctuate
> speed about 10 mph. This is vented to the inside.
>
> --------
> James
> Kitfox 3 / 582 / GSC prop
> The ink is still drying on my new certificate
>
>
> Read this topic online here:
>
> http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=282096#282096
>
>
________________________________ Message 11
____________________________________
Time: 10:23:42 AM PST US
From: W Duke <n981ms@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
Cool.- I went minus 4 ground speed in a Kitfox once.
Maxwell Duke
Kitfox S6/TD/IO240
Maule M7 235C For Sale
Dublin, GA
--- On Mon, 1/18/10, Joe & Jan Connell <jconnell@fmwildblue.com> wrote:
From: Joe & Jan Connell <jconnell@fmwildblue.com>
Subject: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? Brian Shul, Retired SR-71
Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine
------
-------- ---------
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question I
'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of
hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an interes
ting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there really
isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little more sp
eed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute. Because we
flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted to harm t
he plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of temperature o
r speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual "high" speed that he
saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when Khadafy fire
d two missiles my way, and max power was in order. Let's just say that the
plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach numbers we hadn't
previously seen.
--------
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations,
someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?" This was
a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I ha
d never shared before, and relayed the following. I was flying the SR-71 ou
t of RAF Mildenhall, England , with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were re
turning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a
radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three mi
nutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requ
ested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former Blackbi
rd pilot, and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to
see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were happy to
do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea , we proceeded to
find the small airfield.
--------
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat,
and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we
found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most for
mer WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower a
nd little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that
I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing.
---------
Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower,
and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we were at. With the gear u
p, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically
over the field-yet; there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet a
nd started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that
looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the ca
dets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to get a prime view of the fly
-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray overcast.
--------
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us b
ut in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we continued to
peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the
awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flyi
ng career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges. As I notic
ed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my ad
renalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point w
e weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight bank. Just at the mom
ent that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what a
joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked ob
servers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now
had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled
and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield,
closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sor
t of ultimate knife-edge pass. Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proc
eeded back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn't say a word for those n
ext 14 minutes.
--------
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was re
aching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the com
mander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen, es
pecially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could
only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet's hats we
re blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full afterburne
r dropping right in front of them was unbelievable. Walt and I both underst
ood the concept of "breathtaking" very well that morning, and sheepishly re
plied that they were just excited to see our low approach.
--------
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight su
its, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the pass." Finally, W
alter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six knots.
------
What did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred fifty
-two." We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever do that
to me again!" And I never did.
----
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer's cl
ub, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71 fly-past
that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids fallin
g off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their eyebrows.
Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in our hands
, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had occurred. Walt
just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a routine low approach;
they're pretty impressive in that plane." Impressive indeed.
------------
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day
that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories. I
t's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's fastest jet c
an fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good idea to keep
that cross-check up. and keep your Mach up, too.
=0A=0A=0A
________________________________ Message 12
____________________________________
Time: 11:32:07 AM PST US
Subject: Kitfox-List: Re: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
From: "WurlyBird" <james.t.trizzino@us.army.mil>
I landed at 5 ground speed once in the KF. [Shocked] Winds were supposed
to
go down not UP while I was out flying.
--------
James
Kitfox 3 / 582 / GSC prop
The ink is still drying on my new certificate
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=282119#282119
________________________________ Message 13
____________________________________
Time: 11:58:56 AM PST US
From: "Lowell Fitt" <lcfitt@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
Just a tiny bit of trivia here. I borrowed a hangar for the first flight of
my original Kitfox Model IV from Burt Garrison who was then flying U-2s out
of Beal Airforce base. He flew the pilot of the final operational mission
of the SR-71 and the trivia part is that he was a member of the Kitfox
community building an Outback.
Lowell
do not archive
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe & Jan Connell" <jconnell@fmwildblue.com>
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 8:31 AM
Subject: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? Brian Shul, Retired SR-71
Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question
I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of
hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an
interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there
really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little
more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute.
Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted
to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of
temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual "high"
speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when
Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order. Let's just
say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach
numbers we hadn't previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations,
someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?" This was
a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had
never shared before, and relayed the following. I was flying the SR-71 out
of RAF Mildenhall, England , with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were
returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a
radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three
minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had
requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former
Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young
lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were
happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea , we
proceeded to find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat,
and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we
found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most
former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower
and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that
I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing.
Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower,
and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we were at. With the gear up,
anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically
over the field-yet; there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet and
started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that
looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the
cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to get a prime view of the
fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray overcast.
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us
but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we continued to
peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the
awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flying
career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges. As I noticed
the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my
adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point
we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight bank. Just at the
moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what
a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked
observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now
had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled
and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer
than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of
ultimate knife-edge pass. Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded
back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn't say a word for those next 14
minutes.
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was
reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the
commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen,
especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could
only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet's hats
were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full
afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable. Walt and I
both understood the concept of "breathtaking" very well that morning, and
sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight
suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the pass." Finally,
Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six knots.
What did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred
fifty-two." We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever do
that to me again!" And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer's
club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71
fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids
falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their
eyebrows. Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in
our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had
occurred. Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a routine
low approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane." Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day
that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories.
It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's fastest jet
can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good idea to keep
that cross-check up. and keep your Mach up, too.
________________________________ Message 14
____________________________________
Time: 01:52:08 PM PST US
From: "kirk hull" <kirkhull@kc.rr.com>
Subject: RE: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
Would it be ok to relay this out to me EAA chapter by including it in the
email news letter
_____
From: owner-kitfox-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-kitfox-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Joe & Jan
Connell
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 10:32 AM
Subject: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? Brian Shul, Retired SR-71
Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question
I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of
hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an
interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there
really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little
more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute.
Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted
to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of
temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual "high"
speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when
Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order. Let's just
say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach
numbers we hadn't previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations,
someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?" This was
a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had
never shared before, and relayed the following. I was flying the SR-71 out
of RAF Mildenhall, England , with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were
returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a
radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three
minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had
requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former
Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young
lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were
happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea , we
proceeded to find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat,
and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we
found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most
former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower
and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that
I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing.
Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower,
and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we were at. With the gear up,
anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically
over the field-yet; there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet and
started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that
looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the
cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to get a prime view of the
fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray overcast.
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us
but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we continued to
peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the
awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flying
career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges. As I noticed
the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my
adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point
we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight bank. Just at the
moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what
a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked
observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now
had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled
and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer
than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of
ultimate knife-edge pass. Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded
back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn't say a word for those next 14
minutes.
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was
reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the
commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen,
especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could
only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet's hats
were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full
afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable. Walt and I
both understood the concept of "breathtaking" very well that morning, and
sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight
suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the pass." Finally,
Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six knots.
What did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred
fifty-two." We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever do
that to me again!" And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer's
club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71
fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids
falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their
eyebrows. Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in
our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had
occurred. Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a routine
low approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane." Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day
that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories.
It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's fastest jet
can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good idea to keep
that cross-check up. and keep your Mach up, too.
Message 3
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| Subject: | Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge |
Dick I was just flying and my fuel flow was not showing any flow rate.
do you got a voodoo doll over there?
LOL
--------
Rotax Dealer, Ontario Canada
http://www.cfisher.com/
Awesome *New Forum *
http://rotaxaircraft.com/forum/
Realtime Kitfox movies to separate the internet chatter from the truth
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=kitfoxflyer
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=282321#282321
Message 4
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| Subject: | What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? |
I did a lot better than that in a C172 when I was training... I told my
instructor that I would never fly under those conditions without a good
reason.
Noel
From: owner-kitfox-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-kitfox-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of W Duke
Sent: January 18, 2010 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
Cool. I went minus 4 ground speed in a Kitfox once.
Maxwell Duke
Kitfox S6/TD/IO240
Maule M7 235C For Sale
Dublin, GA
--- On Mon, 1/18/10, Joe & Jan Connell <jconnell@fmwildblue.com> wrote:
From: Joe & Jan Connell <jconnell@fmwildblue.com>
Subject: Kitfox-List: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird? Brian Shul, Retired SR-71
Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question
I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of
hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an
interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there
really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little
more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute.
Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted
to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of
temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual "high"
speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when
Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order. Let's just
say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach
numbers we hadn't previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations,
someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?" This was
a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had
never shared before, and relayed the following. I was flying the SR-71 out
of RAF Mildenhall, England , with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were
returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a
radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three
minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had
requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former
Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young
lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were
happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea , we
proceeded to find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat,
and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we
found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most
former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower
and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that
I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing.
Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower,
and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we were at. With the gear up,
anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically
over the field-yet; there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet and
started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that
looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the
cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to get a prime view of the
fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray overcast.
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us
but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we continued to
peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the
awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flying
career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges. As I noticed
the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my
adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point
we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight bank. Just at the
moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what
a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked
observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now
had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled
and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer
than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of
ultimate knife-edge pass. Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded
back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn't say a word for those next 14
minutes.
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was
reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the
commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen,
especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could
only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet's hats
were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full
afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable. Walt and I
both understood the concept of "breathtaking" very well that morning, and
sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight
suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the pass." Finally,
Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six knots.
What did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred
fifty-two." We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever do
that to me again!" And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer's
club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71
fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids
falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their
eyebrows. Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in
our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had
occurred. Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a routine
low approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane." Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day
that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories.
It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's fastest jet
can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good idea to keep
that cross-check up. and keep your Mach up, too.
arget=_blank rel=nofollow>http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List
=nofollow>http://forums.matronics.com
blank rel=nofollow>http://www.matronics.com/contribution
Message 5
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| Subject: | Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge |
The bearings in the transducer may be the reason they like to see a vertical
installation.
Noel
From: owner-kitfox-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-kitfox-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of catz631@aol.com
Sent: January 19, 2010 9:58 AM
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Re: Northstar F210 Fuel flow gauge
I removed the transducer and looked at the internal rotor in bright
sunlight. With a magnifying glass you could see that the rotor had jammed
itself against the side of the tube. Apparently it had started to wobble in
it's mounts I guess and that was that. This is the same thing that happened
to my prior transducer. At least this was a good test of fuel flow with a
jammed rotor. There was definite resistance as I blew through the transducer
but not enough to block fuel flow to the engine as it was running fine. I
looked at my logbook and it has been right at a year since I installed this
instrument and cycled thru two tansducers.This was less than 75 hrs of
flying!
Lynn, you and Leonard have had good luck with this unit. Maybe a different
mfg. made the transducers as your units are older than mine. In any case,
that's enough for me! I will find something else to fill that hole in my
panel
Dick Maddux
Fox 4
Milton,Fl
Message 6
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| Subject: | Drain Holes in Wings |
Don,
I have a Model 4 and I installed drain holes. In the wing construction
section of my builder's manual, when fabricating the trailing edge it
says "Cut the notch (in the trailing edge lip) for the cap strip 1/8
inch wider on the outboard side of each rib to provide a drain opening
for the area behind the lip." You later burn the drain holes through
the fabric in this area. I'm not sure about the wing construction of
the Model 5, but maybe there is also something there in your manual. (I
did not see anything about drain holes in the covering section of the
builder's manual.) But, the PolyFiber manual also calls for drain holes
in each bay of wings.
Bill Anderson
Model IV - 1050
Brentwood, NH
----- Original Message -----
From: Don Hudgeon
To: kitfox-list@matronics.com
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 7:05 PM
Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Re: Corrosion Protection for Flaperons?
G`day All
Could anyone tell me if they have drain holes near the trailing edge
of their wings? I have a Model 5 Vixen and there are no drains. I could
not find reference to them in the builders manual. Friends with Cubs and
TC`s are telling me to put in drains. The aircraft is stored either in
garage or hanger. Any recommendations?
Thanks
Don
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