---------------------------------------------------------- L29-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Sat 08/18/07: 7 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 04:26 AM - Equipment (franknlynn) 2. 11:39 AM - Re: Equipment (Bill) 3. 02:08 PM - Re: Equipment (franknlynn) 4. 02:58 PM - (Robert Schwartz) 5. 02:58 PM - (Robert Schwartz) 6. 06:44 PM - Re: Equipment (Bill) 7. 06:45 PM - Re: (No subject header) (Bill) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 04:26:37 AM PST US From: "franknlynn" Subject: L29-List: Equipment Bill, You mentioned removal of approximately 400 pounds in the form of old radios and such. What about the ejection seat mechanism? There seams to be a lot of dead weight in that gear. Has anyone looked into removing that stuff? Is there a definitive list of equipment that it is recommended should be removed? Thanks, Frank ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 11:39:46 AM PST US From: "Bill" Subject: Re: L29-List: Equipment No list. You can get as crazy as you like. (Wiring, cannon plugs etc.) You'll spend 6 hours chasing 5 oz. of wire. Not worth it. Ejection stuff has been removed by some guys. Including the barrel (pipe), the canopy jett. mechanisim. They made aluminum blocks that bolt above the seat rails to hold you in the cockpit. We removed, VHF radios, 2 invedrtors, IFF unit, ADF, 3 or 4 boxes in front of the front instrument panel against the fire wall. I actually removed the RMI which got rid of all the stuff on the lower side wall, left rear cockpit. Out an Electric DG in. Of course I put 83 pounds of lead in the nose cone. Good trade off. Don't forget the steel plates in the tail that can come out. That will help a little with W&B. Have fun. Good winter project! ----- Original Message ----- From: franknlynn To: l29-list@matronics.com Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 5:25 AM Subject: L29-List: Equipment Bill, You mentioned removal of approximately 400 pounds in the form of old radios and such. What about the ejection seat mechanism? There seams to be a lot of dead weight in that gear. Has anyone looked into removing that stuff? Is there a definitive list of equipment that it is recommended should be removed? Thanks, Frank ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 02:08:11 PM PST US From: "franknlynn" Subject: RE: L29-List: Equipment Well a saving of over 300 pounds is excellent. My next question is what steel plates in the tail would you be talking about? Frank _____ From: owner-l29-list-server@matronics.com [mailto:owner-l29-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Bill Sent: Sunday, 19 August 2007 4:40 AM Subject: Re: L29-List: Equipment No list. You can get as crazy as you like. (Wiring, cannon plugs etc.) You'll spend 6 hours chasing 5 oz. of wire. Not worth it. Ejection stuff has been removed by some guys. Including the barrel (pipe), the canopy jett. mechanisim. They made aluminum blocks that bolt above the seat rails to hold you in the cockpit. We removed, VHF radios, 2 invedrtors, IFF unit, ADF, 3 or 4 boxes in front of the front instrument panel against the fire wall. I actually removed the RMI which got rid of all the stuff on the lower side wall, left rear cockpit. Out an Electric DG in. Of course I put 83 pounds of lead in the nose cone. Good trade off. Don't forget the steel plates in the tail that can come out. That will help a little with W&B. Have fun. Good winter project! ----- Original Message ----- From: franknlynn Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 5:25 AM Subject: L29-List: Equipment Bill, You mentioned removal of approximately 400 pounds in the form of old radios and such. What about the ejection seat mechanism? There seams to be a lot of dead weight in that gear. Has anyone looked into removing that stuff? Is there a definitive list of equipment that it is recommended should be removed? Thanks, Frank href="http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?L29-List">http://www.matronics.com/ Navigator?L29-List href="http://forums.matronics.com">http://forums.matronics.com ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 02:58:10 PM PST US From: Robert Schwartz Hey Guys ! I thought I would share some observations with everyone.=0A =0AW ell its August, summer is winding down and time for my annual trek to Easte rn Europe, ending at the Czech International Air Show in Brno (CIAF). I've been going to this part of the world for about 9 years and as an aviation enthusiast, I try to find every air park, gate guard and air museum possibl e to visit between my stops at actual air bases. When I first visted former eastern block airbases they were busy, bustling with action, multiple dail y sorties and lots of people. Not uncommon to see our wonderful little L-29 jet flying young anxious cadets around Bulgaria , Romania , Czech Republi c etc. Each eager to graduate and move on to the "heavy iron". Each year I see less aircraft flying, less aircrafts stored in the old style concre te camo bunkers, and less students flying. All flying in the L-29 has stopp ed with the exception of Egypt. What a pity. =0A =0AOver these years, ou r beloved and faithful L-29''s are resting on the ramp waiting for a new l ife and a new home. Today, those L-29's are in America, South Africa and ar ound the world in the hands of civilians hoping to again fly them. Others h ave suffered the fate of junk yards, aluminum crushers, and abandonment. So sad for the trusty little Delfin. What do I see now? Empty aircraft bu nkers, abandoned or re-rented to civilian industry. Control towers abandone d with only graffiti and an occasional remnant of its previous occupant nea rby. Bustling pilot housing, empty, water leaking in and only occupied by birds and mice. Again, what a pity. As I drive across the former airbase, I feel the souls of the cold war pilots hurrying to the aircraft for a pra ctice alert. Their families living nearby and their lives revolving around those base activities. Now, for the most part, gone are the little L-29's , gone are the hundreds of young men learning to fly, and gone are the airbases hidden in the fields near towns and vil lages bearing their names. =0A =0AFor today there is no real enemy for mo st of these small countries. Yes there are a couple of squadrons of modern ized Migs or imported F16 A and B, or some British trainer. But gone are t he big cold war bases, the 6 or 8 squadrons of L29's and L-39s and hundreds of Mig 21 ready at a moments notice. Gone too are their pilots, their mec hanics and technicians and with them died the knowledge, experience, and th e memories. Maybe in a small pub in Hredec Kralove or Pardubice a story o r two still gets told over a Starobrno beer about those great days flying t hat trusty little Delfin=0A =0ASafe Flying- Best to All=0A =0ABob Schwartz =0AA Delfin Driver=0A=0A=0A =0A______________________________________ Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 02:58:15 PM PST US From: Robert Schwartz Hey Guys ! I thought I would share some observations with everyone.=0A =0AW ell its August, summer is winding down and time for my annual trek to Easte rn Europe, ending at the Czech International Air Show in Brno (CIAF). I've been going to this part of the world for about 9 years and as an aviation enthusiast, I try to find every air park, gate guard and air museum possibl e to visit between my stops at actual air bases. When I first visted former eastern block airbases they were busy, bustling with action, multiple dail y sorties and lots of people. Not uncommon to see our wonderful little L-29 jet flying young anxious cadets around Bulgaria , Romania , Czech Republi c etc. Each eager to graduate and move on to the "heavy iron". Each year I see less aircraft flying, less aircrafts stored in the old style concre te camo bunkers, and less students flying. All flying in the L-29 has stopp ed with the exception of Egypt. What a pity. =0A =0AOver these years, ou r beloved and faithful L-29''s are resting on the ramp waiting for a new l ife and a new home. Today, those L-29's are in America, South Africa and ar ound the world in the hands of civilians hoping to again fly them. Others h ave suffered the fate of junk yards, aluminum crushers, and abandonment. So sad for the trusty little Delfin. What do I see now? Empty aircraft bu nkers, abandoned or re-rented to civilian industry. Control towers abandone d with only graffiti and an occasional remnant of its previous occupant nea rby. Bustling pilot housing, empty, water leaking in and only occupied by birds and mice. Again, what a pity. As I drive across the former airbase, I feel the souls of the cold war pilots hurrying to the aircraft for a pra ctice alert. Their families living nearby and their lives revolving around those base activities. Now, for the most part, gone are the little L-29's , gone are the hundreds of young men learning to fly, and gone are the airbases hidden in the fields near towns and vil lages bearing their names. =0A =0AFor today there is no real enemy for mo st of these small countries. Yes there are a couple of squadrons of modern ized Migs or imported F16 A and B, or some British trainer. But gone are t he big cold war bases, the 6 or 8 squadrons of L29's and L-39s and hundreds of Mig 21 ready at a moments notice. Gone too are their pilots, their mec hanics and technicians and with them died the knowledge, experience, and th e memories. Maybe in a small pub in Hredec Kralove or Pardubice a story o r two still gets told over a Starobrno beer about those great days flying t hat trusty little Delfin=0A =0ASafe Flying- Best to All=0A =0ABob Schwartz =0AA Delfin Driver=0A=0A=0A =0A______________________________________ Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it ________________________________ Message 6 _____________________________________ Time: 06:44:17 PM PST US From: "Bill" Subject: Re: L29-List: Equipment Aircraft left. The very last "round" inspection door at the tail. Look inside, you will see them bolted to the aft bulk head. About 14 pounds. It helps because its the only thing you can remove aft of the CG. ----- Original Message ----- From: franknlynn To: l29-list@matronics.com Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 3:06 PM Subject: RE: L29-List: Equipment Well a saving of over 300 pounds is excellent. My next question is what steel plates in the tail would you be talking about? Frank ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- From: owner-l29-list-server@matronics.com [mailto:owner-l29-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Bill Sent: Sunday, 19 August 2007 4:40 AM To: l29-list@matronics.com Subject: Re: L29-List: Equipment No list. You can get as crazy as you like. (Wiring, cannon plugs etc.) You'll spend 6 hours chasing 5 oz. of wire. Not worth it. Ejection stuff has been removed by some guys. Including the barrel (pipe), the canopy jett. mechanisim. They made aluminum blocks that bolt above the seat rails to hold you in the cockpit. We removed, VHF radios, 2 invedrtors, IFF unit, ADF, 3 or 4 boxes in front of the front instrument panel against the fire wall. I actually removed the RMI which got rid of all the stuff on the lower side wall, left rear cockpit. Out an Electric DG in. Of course I put 83 pounds of lead in the nose cone. Good trade off. Don't forget the steel plates in the tail that can come out. That will help a little with W&B. Have fun. Good winter project! ----- Original Message ----- From: franknlynn To: l29-list@matronics.com Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 5:25 AM Subject: L29-List: Equipment Bill, You mentioned removal of approximately 400 pounds in the form of old radios and such. What about the ejection seat mechanism? There seams to be a lot of dead weight in that gear. Has anyone looked into removing that stuff? Is there a definitive list of equipment that it is recommended should be removed? Thanks, Frank href="http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?L29-List">http://www.matronics .com/Navigator?L29-Listhref="http://forums.matronics.com">http://forums .matronics.com ________________________________ Message 7 _____________________________________ Time: 06:45:28 PM PST US From: "Bill" Subject: L29-List: Re: (No subject header) Try to get back for the Lamar fly-in. ----- Original Message ----- From: Robert Schwartz To: l29-list@matronics.com ; l29-list@matronics.com Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 3:57 PM Subject: (No subject header) Hey Guys ! I thought I would share some observations with everyone. Well its August, summer is winding down and time for my annual trek to Eastern Europe, ending at the Czech International Air Show in Brno (CIAF). I've been going to this part of the world for about 9 years and as an aviation enthusiast, I try to find every air park, gate guard and air museum possible to visit between my stops at actual air bases. When I first visted former eastern block airbases they were busy, bustling with action, multiple daily sorties and lots of people. Not uncommon to see our wonderful little L-29 jet flying young anxious cadets around Bulgaria , Romania , Czech Republic etc. Each eager to graduate and move on to the "heavy iron". Each year I see less aircraft flying, less aircrafts stored in the old style concrete camo bunkers, and less students flying. All flying in the L-29 has stopped with the exception of Egypt. What a pity. Over these years, our beloved and faithful L-29''s are resting on the ramp waiting for a new life and a new home. Today, those L-29's are in America, South Africa and around the world in the hands of civilians hoping to again fly them. Others have suffered the fate of junk yards, aluminum crushers, and abandonment. So sad for the trusty little Delfin. What do I see now? Empty aircraft bunkers, abandoned or re-rented to civilian industry. Control towers abandoned with only graffiti and an occasional remnant of its previous occupant nearby. Bustling pilot housing, empty, water leaking in and only occupied by birds and mice. Again, what a pity. As I drive across the former airbase, I feel the souls of the cold war pilots hurrying to the aircraft for a practice alert. Their families living nearby and their lives revolving around those base activities. Now, for the most part, gone are the little L-29's, gone are the hundreds of young men learning to fly, and gone are the airbases hidden in the fields near towns and villages bearing their names. For today there is no real enemy for most of these small countries. Yes there are a couple of squadrons of modernized Migs or imported F16 A and B, or some British trainer. But gone are the big cold war bases, the 6 or 8 squadrons of L29's and L-39s and hundreds of Mig 21 ready at a moments notice. Gone too are their pilots, their mechanics and technicians and with them died the knowledge, experience, and the memories. Maybe in a small pub in Hredec Kralove or Pardubice a story or two still gets told over a Starobrno beer about those great days flying that trusty little Delfin Safe Flying- Best to All Bob Schwartz A Delfin Driver ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- TV. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message l29-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/L29-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/l29-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/l29-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.