---------------------------------------------------------- Kolb-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 12/27/05: 17 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 04:01 AM - disc brakes (Ted Cowan) 2. 07:11 AM - Re: disc brakes (Larry Bourne) 3. 08:18 AM - Re: Tie downs, gust locks (Dave & Eve Pelletier) 4. 09:11 AM - Re: oil thermo (Richard & Martha Neilsen) 5. 09:42 AM - Re: oil thermo (robert bean) 6. 12:02 PM - Re: disc brakes (Jeremy Casey) 7. 02:43 PM - Re: disc brakes (John Hauck) 8. 03:04 PM - Re: Firestar 2 windscreen (ElleryWeld@aol.com) 9. 03:13 PM - Re: disc brakes (ElleryWeld@aol.com) 10. 06:43 PM - Re: disc brakes (Steve Garvelink) 11. 07:42 PM - Re: Tie downs, gust locks (David L. Bigelow) 12. 07:56 PM - Re: Re: Tie downs, gust locks (Richard Pike) 13. 08:07 PM - Re: Re: Tie downs, gust locks (John Hauck) 14. 08:11 PM - Gust Locks and Safety (John Hauck) 15. 08:37 PM - Re: Re: Tie downs, gust locks (Richard Pike) 16. 08:48 PM - Re: Re: Tie downs, gust locks (John Hauck) 17. 10:38 PM - Tie downs, gust locks (Domenic Perez) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 04:01:22 AM PST US From: Ted Cowan Subject: Kolb-List: disc brakes --> Kolb-List message posted by: Ted Cowan Am investigating the installation of hydraulic brakes on my Sling Shot and taking those 'slow downs' off. On pavement, that 582 pushes this little baby no matter how hard I pull on the handle. Was wondering if anyone has had any dealings with the people in Mn, FBI, Free Bird Innovations. It took over a week to make contact with an actual person being as they deal through an answering service (first run instinct). After contact, everything seemed okay but now over a week later, no contact again, no parts, no explanation. (second run instinct). Finally got a persons cell phone number to contact through someone else in the office who didnt know anything about it and left message but no return on that phone call either. (third run instinct really kicking in). Now, the brake system sounds and looks real good and I hate to pass up a good price (caveat emptor) but I dont like getting the run around and am getting really shaky about this company. anyone heard or dealt with them? Thanks. Ted Cowan, Alabama. ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 07:11:39 AM PST US From: "Larry Bourne" Subject: Re: Kolb-List: disc brakes --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Larry Bourne" Ted, I've been going thru the same thing with an outfit in Quebec, Canada, called Marcotte Engineering with reference to their excellent reduction drive, and apparently very shaky management. It's a tough call. Experience and wariness tells me to run and don't look back. Need (or at least Possible need) keeps me looking at the product. Have you been able to pull up any other info on them on the internet ?? Several times I've seen messages on this List about adapting mountain bicycle disc brakes to a Kolb. On the Texas page of my Vacation 2003 webpage, I show a picture of the brake on Ron Wehba's UltraStar. Looks good and apparently works good. Good Luck. Lar. Do not Archive. Larry Bourne Palm Springs, CA Building Kolb Mk III N78LB Vamoose www.gogittum.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ted Cowan" Subject: Kolb-List: disc brakes > --> Kolb-List message posted by: Ted Cowan > > Am investigating the installation of hydraulic brakes on my Sling Shot and > taking those 'slow downs' off. On pavement, that 582 pushes this little > baby no matter how hard I pull on the handle. Was wondering if anyone has > had any dealings with the people in Mn, FBI, Free Bird Innovations. It > took > over a week to make contact with an actual person being as they deal > through > an answering service (first run instinct). After contact, everything > seemed > okay but now over a week later, no contact again, no parts, no > explanation. > (second run instinct). Finally got a persons cell phone number to contact > through someone else in the office who didnt know anything about it and > left > message but no return on that phone call either. (third run instinct > really > kicking in). Now, the brake system sounds and looks real good and I hate > to > pass up a good price (caveat emptor) but I dont like getting the run > around > and am getting really shaky about this company. anyone heard or dealt > with > them? Thanks. Ted Cowan, Alabama. > > > ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 08:18:20 AM PST US From: "Dave & Eve Pelletier" Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Tie downs, gust locks --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Dave & Eve Pelletier" Yo Domenic & All, I'm heading out right now but will post a couple of pics of "The Spider" on photoshare when I get back in a couple of days. AzDave Do Not Archive ----- Original Message ----- From: "Domenic Perez" Dave Pelletier of AZ has fabricated a joystick lock with a ring (to go on the stick) and wratchet straps that is about as good as that method can get. Dave, pics? > > > > ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 09:11:29 AM PST US From: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" Subject: Re: Kolb-List: oil thermo --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" Bob/All I have a unit I have been running on my VW for a few years. I appears to be fail safe as it allows oil to flow back to the engine and to the oil cooler till 175 degrees then it closes off the bypass back to the engine. http://www.mooreparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=AC117110&Category_Code=OOILRS Rick Neilsen Redrive VW powered MKIIIc ----- Original Message ----- From: "robert bean" Subject: Kolb-List: oil thermo > --> Kolb-List message posted by: robert bean > > There are several manf. of similar devices. Looks like a > simple installation: > > http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/mocal.htm > > -BB, not aviatin' lately > do not archive > > > ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 09:42:53 AM PST US From: robert bean Subject: Re: Kolb-List: oil thermo --> Kolb-List message posted by: robert bean Rick/hotheads, looks to be the same idea. I would have gotten one but I have a screw-on filter base which allowed me to use a sandwich adapter which also incorporates a built in bypass thermostat. This year (2006) I should have all my temps in the right place. It will be nice to be able to wander off the reservation with less worries. -BB MkIIIc suzuki 3 cyl do not archive On 27, Dec 2005, at 12:09 PM, Richard & Martha Neilsen wrote: > --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" > > > Bob/All > > I have a unit I have been running on my VW for a few years. I appears > to be > fail safe as it allows oil to flow back to the engine and to the oil > cooler > till 175 degrees then it closes off the bypass back to the engine. > > http://www.mooreparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc? > Screen=PROD&Product_Code=AC117110&Category_Code=OOILRS > > Rick Neilsen > Redrive VW powered MKIIIc > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "robert bean" > To: > Subject: Kolb-List: oil thermo > > >> --> Kolb-List message posted by: robert bean >> >> There are several manf. of similar devices. Looks like a >> simple installation: >> >> http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/mocal.htm >> >> -BB, not aviatin' lately >> do not archive >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > ________________________________ Message 6 _____________________________________ Time: 12:02:31 PM PST US From: "Jeremy Casey" Subject: RE: Kolb-List: disc brakes --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Jeremy Casey" anyone heard or dealt with them? Thanks. Ted Cowan, Alabama. No help with the Freebird folks...but have had excellent service (both customer and in the plane) of the MATCO products...always try to give a good report when its appropriate cause like most folks I tend to report the bad experiences readily...so turnabout is fair play ;-) ________________________________ Message 7 _____________________________________ Time: 02:43:24 PM PST US From: "John Hauck" Subject: Re: Kolb-List: disc brakes --> Kolb-List message posted by: "John Hauck" (both | customer and in the plane) of the MATCO products... | Hi Jeremy/All: I agree with you. Thanks for bringing this note to our attention. My experience with MATCO has been the best. They have always supported me and my endeavors with our little airplanes. Over the years we have flown without brakes, had brakes that only worked until we went on cross country flights, brakes that were marginally adequate, and finally got some brakes, wheels, and axles that really get the job done. I have bicycle brakes on my Trek mountain bike. They work good. Think I'll leave them on the bike and use my MATCO's instead for the airplane. Thanks again, john h MKIII, 912ULS hauck's holler, alabama ________________________________ Message 8 _____________________________________ Time: 03:04:20 PM PST US From: ElleryWeld@aol.com Subject: Re: Kolb-List: Firestar 2 windscreen --> Kolb-List message posted by: ElleryWeld@aol.com Call Wicks Aircraft 1-800-221-9425 they have the lexan in 4x8 sheets clear or smoked thats where i purchased mine Ellery in Maine Original firestar Plus do not archive ________________________________ Message 9 _____________________________________ Time: 03:13:54 PM PST US From: ElleryWeld@aol.com Subject: Re: Kolb-List: disc brakes --> Kolb-List message posted by: ElleryWeld@aol.com I have modified a set of Hydrolic brakes from a ATV to fit on a MK3 X but by the time you purchase them and have custom work done to make em fit they cost as much as a bolt on set from TNK do not archive Ellery ________________________________ Message 10 ____________________________________ Time: 06:43:29 PM PST US From: "Steve Garvelink" Subject: RE: Kolb-List: disc brakes --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Steve Garvelink" Thanks lar, I have seen these brakes recently and have thought they would be perfect for this application. Ron, If you have close ups of this please email them to me or let me know where to go to see them. Where did you get your brakes from. Steve Garvelink -----Original Message----- From: owner-kolb-list-server@matronics.com [mailto:owner-kolb-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Larry Bourne Subject: Re: Kolb-List: disc brakes --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Larry Bourne" Ted, I've been going thru the same thing with an outfit in Quebec, Canada, called Marcotte Engineering with reference to their excellent reduction drive, and apparently very shaky management. It's a tough call. Experience and wariness tells me to run and don't look back. Need (or at least Possible need) keeps me looking at the product. Have you been able to pull up any other info on them on the internet ?? Several times I've seen messages on this List about adapting mountain bicycle disc brakes to a Kolb. On the Texas page of my Vacation 2003 webpage, I show a picture of the brake on Ron Wehba's UltraStar. Looks good and apparently works good. Good Luck. Lar. Do not Archive. Larry Bourne Palm Springs, CA Building Kolb Mk III N78LB Vamoose www.gogittum.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ted Cowan" Subject: Kolb-List: disc brakes > --> Kolb-List message posted by: Ted Cowan > > Am investigating the installation of hydraulic brakes on my Sling Shot and > taking those 'slow downs' off. On pavement, that 582 pushes this little > baby no matter how hard I pull on the handle. Was wondering if anyone has > had any dealings with the people in Mn, FBI, Free Bird Innovations. It > took > over a week to make contact with an actual person being as they deal > through > an answering service (first run instinct). After contact, everything > seemed > okay but now over a week later, no contact again, no parts, no > explanation. > (second run instinct). Finally got a persons cell phone number to contact > through someone else in the office who didnt know anything about it and > left > message but no return on that phone call either. (third run instinct > really > kicking in). Now, the brake system sounds and looks real good and I hate > to > pass up a good price (caveat emptor) but I dont like getting the run > around > and am getting really shaky about this company. anyone heard or dealt > with > them? Thanks. Ted Cowan, Alabama. > > > ________________________________ Message 11 ____________________________________ Time: 07:42:08 PM PST US From: "David L. Bigelow" Subject: Kolb-List: RE: Tie downs, gust locks --> Kolb-List message posted by: "David L. Bigelow" The seat belt around the stick works OK if you park nose into the wind. I like to park tail into the wind so the wings don't try to fly. When I do that, the ailerons bang back and forth stop to stop, and the stick doesn't have the leverage to stop it. I made a gust lock by pinning from the aileron counter balance through to the wing tip tube on one side. Be sure and have a red streamer from the pin. It would be disastrous to forget to pull the lock before flight. Dave Bigelow Kamuela, Hawaii FS2, Rotax 503 DCDI ________________________________ Message 12 ____________________________________ Time: 07:56:15 PM PST US From: Richard Pike Subject: Re: Kolb-List: RE: Tie downs, gust locks --> Kolb-List message posted by: Richard Pike I like that bright dayglow pink surveyors tape, one end tied to the gust lock, or the pitot cover or whatever, and the other end left long enough to reach into the cockpit. If you have to move it out of the way to get in, it's tougher to overlook. Might sound stupid, but it's the stupid mistakes that get us killed. Forty years ago, I was a lineboy at Opa Locka airport, south Florida. Had to chase down an Aero Commander that was taxiing out with the rudder gust lock still in place. Got the pilot's attention, got him to stop, pulled off the gust lock and handed it to him. Guess what? He was tiffed because I had embarrassed him in front of his passengers. Takes all kinds... Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) David L. Bigelow wrote: >--> Kolb-List message posted by: "David L. Bigelow" > >The seat belt around the stick works OK if you park nose into the wind. I like to park tail into the wind so the wings don't try to fly. When I do that, the ailerons bang back and forth stop to stop, and the stick doesn't have the leverage to stop it. I made a gust lock by pinning from the aileron counter balance through to the wing tip tube on one side. Be sure and have a red streamer from the pin. It would be disastrous to forget to pull the lock before flight. > >Dave Bigelow >Kamuela, Hawaii >FS2, Rotax 503 DCDI > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ Message 13 ____________________________________ Time: 08:07:27 PM PST US From: "John Hauck" Subject: Re: Kolb-List: RE: Tie downs, gust locks --> Kolb-List message posted by: "John Hauck" I like to park tail into the wind so the wings don't try to fly. I made a gust lock by pinning from the aileron counter balance through to the wing tip tube on one side. | | Dave Bigelow Hi Dave/Gang: Seems to me my airplanes get beat up a lot more when the tail is to the wind. Much harder on rudder, elevators, flaps, ailerons, and everything attached to the airplane. With the nose in the wind, the airplane is in its natural element, or so it would seem to me. It may want to fly, but isn't that what the tie downs are for? An example of which airplane gets the most reaction and abuse from the wind. Four Kolb aircraft tied down at Moab, Utah, last May. Two MKIII's and a Kolbra, facing east, tied down side by side. In the same line, centered and tied down at our rear with nose pointing west was a little Fire Fly. The four entrepid aviators went into Moab, 18 miles south, to oogle the young and old ladies and get some chow. On our return, after dark, we discovered that some type of weather/wind phenononem (?) had occurred while we were gone. Was a shock, because it had been a picture perfect calm evening in the desert. The Kolbra had broken loose from both its wing tie downs. One MKIII had held onto it ropes, but they were stretched like fiddle strings and the aircraft had jumped the chocks and was straining at the ropes approximately 10 feet from its original position. The flaps had been blasted down to the bottom stop with such force that it bent the flap mechanism welded to the upper bulkhead. The other MKIII had broken loose from one rope, spun 180 degrees and was dangling on the end of the remaining rope. The flaps were hanging perpendicular to the ground and the aluminum flap push/pull tubes were buckled. The 4130 push/pull tubes on the other MKIII were still in column. Sitting sedately at its tie downs exactly as we left it was the little Fire Fly. Not a feather had been blown out of place. It weathered the storm with its little nose in the wind as though it were a battle ship. Dave, think you may have weakened the bow tip by drilling a hole through there to secure your aileron lock? Had your FS been tied down right by our airplanes that night, good possibility you probably would have been looking at some serious aileron and wing repair. I welded the steel rings used for starting rope guides to the hardware on my outboard lift strut attachments for a tie down point. Both of the rings that were symetrical when we went to town are now oblong from the force of the wind on my airplane and the tie down ropes. Never thought it would happen. Take care, john h PS: That exerience that night made all four of us much more aware of the power of Mother Nature. We all are much more concerned with the way our aircraft are now tied down no matter where we are. ________________________________ Message 14 ____________________________________ Time: 08:11:11 PM PST US From: "John Hauck" Subject: Kolb-List: Gust Locks and Safety --> Kolb-List message posted by: "John Hauck" Gang: Forgot to mention previous msg. One of my pretakeoff checks is to wipe out the cockpit with the stick, lower and raise the flaps, and insure the rudder pedals are clear. Takes a lot out of the chance out of leaving a control locked prior to takeoff. "All controls free and clear." john h ________________________________ Message 15 ____________________________________ Time: 08:37:58 PM PST US From: Richard Pike Subject: Re: Kolb-List: RE: Tie downs, gust locks --> Kolb-List message posted by: Richard Pike John Hauck wrote: >--> Kolb-List message posted by: "John Hauck" > With the nose in the wind, the >airplane is in its natural element, or so it would seem to me. It may >want to fly, but isn't that what the tie downs are for? > > Years ago, my first really functional ultralight was a Maxair Hummer, and I flew it to Virginia Highlands airport along with a friend and his Hummer. We 3 point tied them down apart from all the other airplanes on the ramp, nose into the wind, because it looked like it was going to get windy, and it did. However, the ropes we used were a bit long, and it wasn't long before both the Hummers were hovering off the ground, gracefully floating up a couple feet into the air, and then settling back down as the wind slacked. Got some strange looks from the other airport tenants. It was great fun. Richard Pike MKIII N420P (420ldPoops) ________________________________ Message 16 ____________________________________ Time: 08:48:35 PM PST US From: "John Hauck" Subject: Re: Kolb-List: RE: Tie downs, gust locks --> Kolb-List message posted by: "John Hauck" | wasn't long before both the Hummers were hovering off the ground, | gracefully floating up a couple feet into the air, and then settling | back down as the wind slacked. | | Richard Pike Richard/Gang: Would have loved to have been there and observed the levitation. Got any photos of that event? In the early days when ULs were truly ultra-lightweight, we had a lot of fun experiences with them. I have lauched the ultrastar, when my two ground handlers let go of the wing tips, and executed a zero ground roll takeoff. On another day could not land the ultrastar on my airstrip because of the severe cross wind conditions. Finally, made the decision and got up enough nerve to shoot into the wind and land perpendicular between the terraces in the hay field on the side of a hill. Touched down and didn't roll two feet. Could not get out of the seat until my friend who lived on the airstrip walked out to help me hold the ultrastar on the ground and walk it back to the hanger. Those were the days. john h US/FS/MKIII DO NOT ARCHIVE ________________________________ Message 17 ____________________________________ Time: 10:38:29 PM PST US From: "Domenic Perez" Subject: Kolb-List: Tie downs, gust locks --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Domenic Perez" All, When you tie down, do you leave a little slack in the ropes (or straps), or do you take all the slack out, or do you take all the slack out and then some, to make the tie downs actually taut? I usually tweak the wings down a little with tightness, figuring that if a real wicked micro burst hits, if the plane is able to get some upward momentum before it stops at the rope's end, it would be more likely to yank the stakes/augers/whatever right out of the ground. Agree or disagree? Could I be causing some harm? M. Domenic Perez Vaughn, NM FS II