Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 04:57 AM - Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" (Dave)
2. 05:43 AM - Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" (Pete)
3. 05:49 AM - Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" (n1bzrich@AOL.COM)
4. 06:34 AM - Re: Build Manual (nick otterback)
5. 01:08 PM - Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" (Rick Bowen)
6. 04:07 PM - Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" (Charles Dewey)
7. 04:28 PM - Re: Build Manual (Colin J. Kennedy)
8. 08:15 PM - Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" (Dave)
9. 08:34 PM - Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" (Dave)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" |
Buz
I believe the flywheel bolt applies to all engines under serial 856. If
I read it right your flywheel bolts would not have the new torque of 24
lbs. I will be replacing mine on serial 751 with 219 hrs. Please let me
know if I am incorrect.
More stuff-- don't know if you were lucky enough to install a
Becker com, if not and have a Micro 760, I had to send mine in because
of a factory circuit board problem and internal ground strapping
problems. I had to call Australia to figure this one out. You can
receive, but sends garbled.
Auto pilot is almost done, excited to give it a try.
Dave McC
----- Original Message -----
From: N1BZRich@aol.com
To: lightning-list@matronics.com
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2007 9:28 PM
Subject: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Hello to all Lightning pilots, builders, and fans,
Hopefully this "rather long" trip report will generate some more
message traffic about the Lightning. I hope so. Feel free to inject
your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or questions. Someone on the list
will probably have the answers. Here goes:
I just spent another ten days with the Lightning guys in Tennessee
and thought I would post a few thoughts and observations. The purpose
of my trip from Virginia to Shelbyville was twofold. First, my Jabiru
3300 powered Esqual LS (Lightning Stuff) now has 250 hours on it (in the
last 14 months) and I needed to do some time phased preventative engine
maintenance. More on that later. The second reason for the trip was to
help Joe and Linda Mathias (good friends from Virginia) with the initial
test flights on their Lightning and also help them with some of the
detail things like gear leg fairings and wheel pants.
The trip out here Friday a week ago was one of the roughest rides
I have had in a light airplane. I bumped all the way across Virginia
and the eastern half of Tennessee and at times saw winds as high as 80
mph (about 30 degrees off the nose) and an effective head wind of almost
50 mph. Luckily, the winds changed to mostly cross winds as I got
further into Tennessee, so I was able make up some time and get my
average speed up some. As I usually do, I made the trip non stop, but
it took 4.2 hours due to the head winds. I still managed to average 130
mph block to block, but I normally can make the trip in 3.3 hours with a
block to block speed close to 170. Fuel burn for this trip was about 6
gph - slightly higher that I normally burn, but I kept trying different
altitudes with hopes of finding less head winds and smoother air. No
luck.
Saturday morning (24 Feb) the Lightning and Jabiru aircraft guys
attended an EAA fly-in here at Shelbyville. Yes, we took off from here
and then "flew-in". Nick in the prototype Lightning, Pete in a new
Special Light Sport Jabiru, and me in 31BZ, flew some formation before
landing for another great EAA breakfast. The ramp was full and the food
was great, so it was a good fly-in.
Saturday afternoon Pete helped me do yet another head torque and
valve adjustment (not a requirement for those of you that have the new
hydraulic lifter engines). We also replaced the distributor caps and
rotors, put on new plug wires, and set the gap between the flywheel
magnets and ignition coils. Note: the distributor caps and rotors are
time replacement items which I should have done at 200 hours. One other
thing we did was to check my engine serial number against the Jabiru
Service Bulletin having to do with the flywheel bolts. Luckily my
engine serial number (843) did not require the procedures called out in
the SB.
Sunday was spent doing a few other maintenance and clean up items
on 31BZ while Pete flew some more time off another SLA Jabiru. Believe
it or not, Pete and Ben (with family members) went to a Circus here in
Shelbyville Sunday afternoon. You would think they would have had their
fill of dealing with us "Clowns" on a daily basis.
Monday was a big event as Nick made a first flight in Rick Bowen's
Lightning which flew beautifully with no airframe corrections required.
I happened to be airborne flying some demo flights at the time and was
able to get a close up view of Rick's "jet" in flight. Unfortunately, I
did not have a camera with me, but it is another beautiful Lightning.
Tuesday's big event was Linda and Joe's airworthiness inspection
by the local FAA DAR. The inspection went well - as do all of the
inspections in Shelbyville because the Lightning and Jabiru guys know
their stuff and have a great reputation with the FAA. I am always
impressed as to how "on top of things" the Tennessee gang is. If you
have any kind of "tool skills" and will listen to their guidance, you
will end up with a fantastic airplane.
Wednesday was probably a first for the Arion Aircraft group as two
Lightnings made their first flights on the same day. Linda and Joe
trusted me enough to give me the honor of making the first flight in
their "Lightning Bug" (N59JL) and it flew beautifully. Linda will take
over the test flying duties soon. Shortly after that flight Nick made
the first flight in Joe Cooper's Lightning and Joe was on hand to
witness the event. I had flown earlier that day with Joe in the left
seat of 31BZ and he is anxious to climb in his own cockpit to see how
much better the Lightning really is. Another neat thing about Wednesday
was that two Lightnings that had previously "flown the coop" returned to
"home plate". Earl Ferguson and John Davis both flew back to SYI for a
visit. Earl flew some demo flights in his soon to be "record setter"
(ask Earl what that means). And John's "red, white, and blue patriotic
Lightning" is absolutely beautiful, but I have to ask John where he got
that short "dorky looking" prop; in a box of Cracker Jacks maybe?
Saturday (3 March) was another EAA fly-in breakfast, this time at
Winchester, Tennessee. Three aircraft made the hop to BGF from SYI.
Pete flew the Jabiru 170 with Joe Mathias flying as co-pilot, Ben was in
the Jab 250 with Linda Mathias, and I took Joe and Linda's (N59JL) on
it's first cross country. The winds were forecast to be high all day in
this part of Tennessee, and the weather guessers were right. When we
got back to SYI we had a direct cross wind of 17 knots with gusts close
to 30. I must admit I was concerned, being in a new airplane, but the
Lightning handled the cross wind with no problem. The afternoon was
spent fitting gear leg fairings and wheel pants to N59JL since the winds
prevented effective test flying.
Sunday morning I put another 1.2 hours on Linda and Joe's
Lightning in order to reach a total of 5 hours so that we could do the
initial head torque. After that Linda and I flew one last flight in my
Esqual with her in the left seat and doing all the flying. She handled
the cross wind well and felt ready to fly her Lightning so she did just
that, flying for an hour. While Linda was airborne, Mark and I took
31BZ up for more transition training for him. Mark flew some loose
formation with Linda for a while in order to check her airspeed
indications. Overall a full, fun day. Linda's landing was superb, so
congratulations are in order for her initial solo in an airplane she
built. And it is a beautiful example of the Lightning.
A few other observations:
-The new Lightning Demonstrator is back from the paint shop and it
is going to be a super aircraft. It will have a great panel layout with
an impressive dual screen Grand Rapids EFIS set up. It should fly in a
few weeks. Look for this new Demonstrator Lightning at Sun-N-Fun where
it will be doing triple duty - in the display booth, in the fly-by
pattern, and flying demo rides for potential customers. Speaking of
SNF, so far it looks like at least five Lightnings will be there (plus
31BZ). I am sure we will have some sort of get together while there, so
make your plans now to attend. Lets make it a real "Lightning Storm".
-The Prototype Lightning will be testing a new prop to try in the
near future. Nick has been running it with a ground adjustable carbon
fiber Sensenich set to a pitch of 56 inches and the engine will still
turn up at least 3400 RPM. Nick mounted a new Sensenich wooden 64ZK58
on Saturday and will be trying it out this Monday if winds and weather
allow. Stand by for a "sonic boom" as Nick starts testing the Lightning
with this prop. Nick will provide actual test results when available.
-The Jabiru hangar (next to Lightning) is full of Jabiru aircraft
in various stages of completion. If you want a "turn key" Special Light
Sport Aircraft that will run circles around a Cessna 172, a Piper
Cherokee, or certainly any LSA, take a look at the Jabiru 250. I am
lucky enough to have flown the Jabiru 170, 250 and 400, and all are
impressive. Talk to Ben about a test flight in one of these unique
airplanes, but do it soon - they build one a week and they are sold out
until sometime in June.
-Final thoughts: It never ceases to amaze me at the overall value
and capability that the Lightning represents. If you want a truly
beautiful kit built aircraft that is relatively inexpensive (compared to
other aircraft with similar performance), quick to build, and has
amazing performance while being extremely economical to operate, you
absolutely have to seriously consider the Lightning. You will not be
disappointed. And remember, it can also be built to meet the Light
Sport requirements. Also, if you are in a real hurry to get in the air,
sign up for their builder's assist program. With their expert help and
guidance, you will soon be flying an aircraft of your own creation.
That is certainly a rewarding experience. Another observation is that
the quality of the finished product when using the builders assist
program, is absolutely superb. All of the Lightnings built here that I
have seen (and I think I have seen them all) could easily be called
"show quality". They will get lots of attention at any EAA fly-in. If
you don't win a trophy it may be because the Judges asked you "How long
did it take you to build your airplane?" They may not believe you.
-Heck, I want a Lightning. Anyone want to buy a fast Esqual?
Blue Skies,
Buz Rich
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Message 2
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| Subject: | A trip to "Lightning Operations" |
Dave,
>From the service bulletin itself:
4.7 2200 Engines S/No. 2058 and Above. 3300 Engines S/No. 837 and Above.
a) Maintain the engine as detailed in Modified Maintenance Schedule B in
Section 6.2
below.
As you can see engines serial number 33A837 and above only need to comply
with the revised maintenance schedule.
Pete Krotje
Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft, LLC
_____
From: owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Dave
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 6:56 AM
Subject: Re: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Buz
I believe the flywheel bolt applies to all engines under serial 856. If I
read it right your flywheel bolts would not have the new torque of 24 lbs. I
will be replacing mine on serial 751 with 219 hrs. Please let me know if I
am incorrect.
More stuff-- don't know if you were lucky enough to install a Becker
com, if not and have a Micro 760, I had to send mine in because of a factory
circuit board problem and internal ground strapping problems. I had to call
Australia to figure this one out. You can receive, but sends garbled.
Auto pilot is almost done, excited to give it a try.
Dave McC
----- Original Message -----
From: N1BZRich@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2007 9:28 PM
Subject: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Hello to all Lightning pilots, builders, and fans,
Hopefully this "rather long" trip report will generate some more message
traffic about the Lightning. I hope so. Feel free to inject your thoughts,
ideas, suggestions, or questions. Someone on the list will probably have
the answers. Here goes:
I just spent another ten days with the Lightning guys in Tennessee and
thought I would post a few thoughts and observations. The purpose of my
trip from Virginia to Shelbyville was twofold. First, my Jabiru 3300
powered Esqual LS (Lightning Stuff) now has 250 hours on it (in the last 14
months) and I needed to do some time phased preventative engine maintenance.
More on that later. The second reason for the trip was to help Joe and
Linda Mathias (good friends from Virginia) with the initial test flights on
their Lightning and also help them with some of the detail things like gear
leg fairings and wheel pants.
The trip out here Friday a week ago was one of the roughest rides I have
had in a light airplane. I bumped all the way across Virginia and the
eastern half of Tennessee and at times saw winds as high as 80 mph (about 30
degrees off the nose) and an effective head wind of almost 50 mph. Luckily,
the winds changed to mostly cross winds as I got further into Tennessee, so
I was able make up some time and get my average speed up some. As I usually
do, I made the trip non stop, but it took 4.2 hours due to the head winds.
I still managed to average 130 mph block to block, but I normally can make
the trip in 3.3 hours with a block to block speed close to 170. Fuel burn
for this trip was about 6 gph - slightly higher that I normally burn, but I
kept trying different altitudes with hopes of finding less head winds and
smoother air. No luck.
Saturday morning (24 Feb) the Lightning and Jabiru aircraft guys
attended an EAA fly-in here at Shelbyville. Yes, we took off from here and
then "flew-in". Nick in the prototype Lightning, Pete in a new Special
Light Sport Jabiru, and me in 31BZ, flew some formation before landing for
another great EAA breakfast. The ramp was full and the food was great, so
it was a good fly-in.
Saturday afternoon Pete helped me do yet another head torque and valve
adjustment (not a requirement for those of you that have the new hydraulic
lifter engines). We also replaced the distributor caps and rotors, put on
new plug wires, and set the gap between the flywheel magnets and ignition
coils. Note: the distributor caps and rotors are time replacement items
which I should have done at 200 hours. One other thing we did was to check
my engine serial number against the Jabiru Service Bulletin having to do
with the flywheel bolts. Luckily my engine serial number (843) did not
require the procedures called out in the SB.
Sunday was spent doing a few other maintenance and clean up items on
31BZ while Pete flew some more time off another SLA Jabiru. Believe it or
not, Pete and Ben (with family members) went to a Circus here in Shelbyville
Sunday afternoon. You would think they would have had their fill of dealing
with us "Clowns" on a daily basis.
Monday was a big event as Nick made a first flight in Rick Bowen's
Lightning which flew beautifully with no airframe corrections required. I
happened to be airborne flying some demo flights at the time and was able to
get a close up view of Rick's "jet" in flight. Unfortunately, I did not
have a camera with me, but it is another beautiful Lightning.
Tuesday's big event was Linda and Joe's airworthiness inspection by the
local FAA DAR. The inspection went well - as do all of the inspections in
Shelbyville because the Lightning and Jabiru guys know their stuff and have
a great reputation with the FAA. I am always impressed as to how "on top of
things" the Tennessee gang is. If you have any kind of "tool skills" and
will listen to their guidance, you will end up with a fantastic airplane.
Wednesday was probably a first for the Arion Aircraft group as two
Lightnings made their first flights on the same day. Linda and Joe trusted
me enough to give me the honor of making the first flight in their
"Lightning Bug" (N59JL) and it flew beautifully. Linda will take over the
test flying duties soon. Shortly after that flight Nick made the first
flight in Joe Cooper's Lightning and Joe was on hand to witness the event.
I had flown earlier that day with Joe in the left seat of 31BZ and he is
anxious to climb in his own cockpit to see how much better the Lightning
really is. Another neat thing about Wednesday was that two Lightnings that
had previously "flown the coop" returned to "home plate". Earl Ferguson and
John Davis both flew back to SYI for a visit. Earl flew some demo flights
in his soon to be "record setter" (ask Earl what that means). And John's
"red, white, and blue patriotic Lightning" is absolutely beautiful, but I
have to ask John where he got that short "dorky looking" prop; in a box of
Cracker Jacks maybe?
Saturday (3 March) was another EAA fly-in breakfast, this time at
Winchester, Tennessee. Three aircraft made the hop to BGF from SYI. Pete
flew the Jabiru 170 with Joe Mathias flying as co-pilot, Ben was in the Jab
250 with Linda Mathias, and I took Joe and Linda's (N59JL) on it's first
cross country. The winds were forecast to be high all day in this part of
Tennessee, and the weather guessers were right. When we got back to SYI we
had a direct cross wind of 17 knots with gusts close to 30. I must admit I
was concerned, being in a new airplane, but the Lightning handled the cross
wind with no problem. The afternoon was spent fitting gear leg fairings and
wheel pants to N59JL since the winds prevented effective test flying.
Sunday morning I put another 1.2 hours on Linda and Joe's Lightning in
order to reach a total of 5 hours so that we could do the initial head
torque. After that Linda and I flew one last flight in my Esqual with her
in the left seat and doing all the flying. She handled the cross wind well
and felt ready to fly her Lightning so she did just that, flying for an
hour. While Linda was airborne, Mark and I took 31BZ up for more transition
training for him. Mark flew some loose formation with Linda for a while in
order to check her airspeed indications. Overall a full, fun day. Linda's
landing was superb, so congratulations are in order for her initial solo in
an airplane she built. And it is a beautiful example of the Lightning.
A few other observations:
-The new Lightning Demonstrator is back from the paint shop and it is
going to be a super aircraft. It will have a great panel layout with an
impressive dual screen Grand Rapids EFIS set up. It should fly in a few
weeks. Look for this new Demonstrator Lightning at Sun-N-Fun where it will
be doing triple duty - in the display booth, in the fly-by pattern, and
flying demo rides for potential customers. Speaking of SNF, so far it looks
like at least five Lightnings will be there (plus 31BZ). I am sure we will
have some sort of get together while there, so make your plans now to
attend. Lets make it a real "Lightning Storm".
-The Prototype Lightning will be testing a new prop to try in the near
future. Nick has been running it with a ground adjustable carbon fiber
Sensenich set to a pitch of 56 inches and the engine will still turn up at
least 3400 RPM. Nick mounted a new Sensenich wooden 64ZK58 on Saturday and
will be trying it out this Monday if winds and weather allow. Stand by for
a "sonic boom" as Nick starts testing the Lightning with this prop. Nick
will provide actual test results when available.
-The Jabiru hangar (next to Lightning) is full of Jabiru aircraft in
various stages of completion. If you want a "turn key" Special Light Sport
Aircraft that will run circles around a Cessna 172, a Piper Cherokee, or
certainly any LSA, take a look at the Jabiru 250. I am lucky enough to
have flown the Jabiru 170, 250 and 400, and all are impressive. Talk to Ben
about a test flight in one of these unique airplanes, but do it soon - they
build one a week and they are sold out until sometime in June.
-Final thoughts: It never ceases to amaze me at the overall value and
capability that the Lightning represents. If you want a truly beautiful kit
built aircraft that is relatively inexpensive (compared to other aircraft
with similar performance), quick to build, and has amazing performance while
being extremely economical to operate, you absolutely have to seriously
consider the Lightning. You will not be disappointed. And remember, it can
also be built to meet the Light Sport requirements. Also, if you are in a
real hurry to get in the air, sign up for their builder's assist program.
With their expert help and guidance, you will soon be flying an aircraft of
your own creation. That is certainly a rewarding experience. Another
observation is that the quality of the finished product when using the
builders assist program, is absolutely superb. All of the Lightnings built
here that I have seen (and I think I have seen them all) could easily be
called "show quality". They will get lots of attention at any EAA fly-in.
If you don't win a trophy it may be because the Judges asked you "How long
did it take you to build your airplane?" They may not believe you.
-Heck, I want a Lightning. Anyone want to buy a fast Esqual?
Blue Skies,
Buz Rich
_____
AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out
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l?redir=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom" target="_blank">AOL.com.
href="http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List">http://www.matronic
s.com/Navigator?Lightning-List
href="http://forums.matronics.com">http://forums.matronics.com
Message 3
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| Subject: | Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" |
Hi Dave,
Pete and Ben looked up the SB for me and said my engine serial number was higher
than the ones specified, so I took that as the final word, but I will ask again.
Yes, at Pete's recommendation I used Becker equipment - small, light, and
dependable. I have been pleased with how the com and xponder work. Good luck
with the auto pilot. There is some adjusting to be done while in the air depending
on the airplane and how aggressively you want the auto pilot to react,
but the results are great.
You going to make SNF and/or OSH?
Blue Skies,
Buz
-----Original Message-----
From: corky@hbci.com
Sent: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 7:56 AM
Subject: Re: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Buz
I believe the flywheel bolt applies to all engines under serial 856. If I read
it right your flywheel bolts would not have the new torque of 24 lbs. I will be
replacing mine on serial 751 with 219 hrs. Please let me know if I am incorrect.
More stuff-- don't know if you were lucky enough to install a Becker com,
if not and have a Micro 760, I had to send mine in because of a factory circuit
board problem and internal ground strapping problems. I had to call Australia
to figure this one out. You can receive, but sends garbled.
Auto pilot is almost done, excited to give it a try.
Dave McC
----- Original Message -----
From: N1BZRich@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2007 9:28 PM
Subject: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Hello to all Lightning pilots, builders, and fans,
Hopefully this "rather long" trip report will generate some more message traffic
about the Lightning. I hope so. Feel free to inject your thoughts, ideas,
suggestions, or questions. Someone on the list will probably have the answers.
Here goes:
I just spent another ten days with the Lightning guys in Tennessee and thought
I would post a few thoughts and observations. The purpose of my trip from
Virginia to Shelbyville was twofold. First, my Jabiru 3300 powered Esqual LS
(Lightning Stuff) now has 250 hours on it (in the last 14 months) and I needed
to do some time phased preventative engine maintenance. More on that later.
The second reason for the trip was to help Joe and Linda Mathias (good friends
from Virginia) with the initial test flights on their Lightning and also help
them with some of the detail things like gear leg fairings and wheel pants.
The trip out here Friday a week ago was one of the roughest rides I have had
in a light airplane. I bumped all the way across Virginia and the eastern half
of Tennessee and at times saw winds as high as 80 mph (about 30 degrees off
the nose) and an effective head wind of almost 50 mph. Luckily, the winds changed
to mostly cross winds as I got further into Tennessee, so I was able make
up some time and get my average speed up some. As I usually do, I made the
trip non stop, but it took 4.2 hours due to the head winds. I still managed
to average 130 mph block to block, but I normally can make the trip in 3.3 hours
with a block to block speed close to 170. Fuel burn for this trip was about
6 gph - slightly higher that I normally burn, but I kept trying different altitudes
with hopes of finding less head winds and smoother air. No luck.
Saturday morning (24 Feb) the Lightning and Jabiru aircraft guys attended an
EAA fly-in here at Shelbyville. Yes, we took off from here and then "flew-in".
Nick in the prototype Lightning, Pete in a new Special Light Sport Jabiru,
and me in 31BZ, flew some formation before landing for another great EAA breakfast.
The ramp was full and the food was great, so it was a good fly-in.
Saturday afternoon Pete helped me do yet another head torque and valve adjustment
(not a requirement for those of you that have the new hydraulic lifter
engines). We also replaced the distributor caps and rotors, put on new plug wires,
and set the gap between the flywheel magnets and ignition coils. Note:
the distributor caps and rotors are time replacement items which I should have
done at 200 hours. One other thing we did was to check my engine serial number
against the Jabiru Service Bulletin having to do with the flywheel bolts.
Luckily my engine serial number (843) did not require the procedures called out
in the SB.
Sunday was spent doing a few other maintenance and clean up items on 31BZ while
Pete flew some more time off another SLA Jabiru. Believe it or not, Pete
and Ben (with family members) went to a Circus here in Shelbyville Sunday afternoon.
You would think they would have had their fill of dealing with us "Clowns"
on a daily basis.
Monday was a big event as Nick made a first flight in Rick Bowen's Lightning
which flew beautifully with no airframe corrections required. I happened to
be airborne flying some demo flights at the time and was able to get a close
up view of Rick's "jet" in flight. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with
me, but it is another beautiful Lightning.
Tuesday's big event was Linda and Joe's airworthiness inspection by the local
FAA DAR. The inspection went well - as do all of the inspections in Shelbyville
because the Lightning and Jabiru guys know their stuff and have a great
reputation with the FAA. I am always impressed as to how "on top of things" the
Tennessee gang is. If you have any kind of "tool skills" and will listen to
their guidance, you will end up with a fantastic airplane.
Wednesday was probably a first for the Arion Aircraft group as two Lightnings
made their first flights on the same day. Linda and Joe trusted me enough
to give me the honor of making the first flight in their "Lightning Bug" (N59JL)
and it flew beautifully. Linda will take over the test flying duties soon.
Shortly after that flight Nick made the first flight in Joe Cooper's Lightning
and Joe was on hand to witness the event. I had flown earlier that day with
Joe in the left seat of 31BZ and he is anxious to climb in his own cockpit to
see how much better the Lightning really is. Another neat thing about Wednesday
was that two Lightnings that had previously "flown the coop" returned to
"home plate". Earl Ferguson and John Davis both flew back to SYI for a visit.
Earl flew some demo flights in his soon to be "record setter" (ask Earl what
that means). And John's "red, white, and blue patriotic Lightning" is absolutely
beautiful, but I have to ask John where he got t
hat short "dorky looking" prop; in a box of Cracker Jacks maybe?
Saturday (3 March) was another EAA fly-in breakfast, this time at Winchester,
Tennessee. Three aircraft made the hop to BGF from SYI. Pete flew the Jabiru
170 with Joe Mathias flying as co-pilot, Ben was in the Jab 250 with Linda
Mathias, and I took Joe and Linda's (N59JL) on it's first cross country. The
winds were forecast to be high all day in this part of Tennessee, and the weather
guessers were right. When we got back to SYI we had a direct cross wind
of 17 knots with gusts close to 30. I must admit I was concerned, being in a
new airplane, but the Lightning handled the cross wind with no problem. The afternoon
was spent fitting gear leg fairings and wheel pants to N59JL since the
winds prevented effective test flying.
Sunday morning I put another 1.2 hours on Linda and Joe's Lightning in order
to reach a total of 5 hours so that we could do the initial head torque. After
that Linda and I flew one last flight in my Esqual with her in the left seat
and doing all the flying. She handled the cross wind well and felt ready to
fly her Lightning so she did just that, flying for an hour. While Linda was
airborne, Mark and I took 31BZ up for more transition training for him. Mark
flew some loose formation with Linda for a while in order to check her airspeed
indications. Overall a full, fun day. Linda's landing was superb, so congratulations
are in order for her initial solo in an airplane she built. And it
is a beautiful example of the Lightning.
A few other observations:
-The new Lightning Demonstrator is back from the paint shop and it is going
to be a super aircraft. It will have a great panel layout with an impressive
dual screen Grand Rapids EFIS set up. It should fly in a few weeks. Look for
this new Demonstrator Lightning at Sun-N-Fun where it will be doing triple
duty - in the display booth, in the fly-by pattern, and flying demo rides for
potential customers. Speaking of SNF, so far it looks like at least five Lightnings
will be there (plus 31BZ). I am sure we will have some sort of get together
while there, so make your plans now to attend. Lets make it a real "Lightning
Storm".
-The Prototype Lightning will be testing a new prop to try in the near future.
Nick has been running it with a ground adjustable carbon fiber Sensenich
set to a pitch of 56 inches and the engine will still turn up at least 3400 RPM.
Nick mounted a new Sensenich wooden 64ZK58 on Saturday and will be trying
it out this Monday if winds and weather allow. Stand by for a "sonic boom" as
Nick starts testing the Lightning with this prop. Nick will provide actual test
results when available.
-The Jabiru hangar (next to Lightning) is full of Jabiru aircraft in various
stages of completion. If you want a "turn key" Special Light Sport Aircraft
that will run circles around a Cessna 172, a Piper Cherokee, or certainly any
LSA, take a look at the Jabiru 250. I am lucky enough to have flown the Jabiru
170, 250 and 400, and all are impressive. Talk to Ben about a test flight
in one of these unique airplanes, but do it soon - they build one a week and
they are sold out until sometime in June.
-Final thoughts: It never ceases to amaze me at the overall value and capability
that the Lightning represents. If you want a truly beautiful kit built
aircraft that is relatively inexpensive (compared to other aircraft with similar
performance), quick to build, and has amazing performance while being extremely
economical to operate, you absolutely have to seriously consider the Lightning.
You will not be disappointed. And remember, it can also be built to
meet the Light Sport requirements. Also, if you are in a real hurry to get in
the air, sign up for their builder's assist program. With their expert help
and guidance, you will soon be flying an aircraft of your own creation. That
is certainly a rewarding experience. Another observation is that the quality
of the finished product when using the builders assist program, is absolutely
superb. All of the Lightnings built here that I have seen (and I think I have
seen them all) could easily be called "show quality"
. They will get lots of attention at any EAA fly-in. If you don't win a trophy
it may be because the Judges asked you "How long did it take you to build your
airplane?" They may not believe you.
-Heck, I want a Lightning. Anyone want to buy a fast Esqual?
Blue Skies,
Buz Rich
AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out mo615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http://www.aol.com" l?redir=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom" target="_blank">AOL.com.
href="http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List
href="http://forums.matronics.com">http://forums.matronics.com
________________________________________________________________________
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at AOL.com.
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| Subject: | Re: Build Manual |
The build manual is written and with help from builders using it and calls to us
to update i think it will be very user friendly. It is good now i think ,but
after stairing at it for 6 months some things just disappear from my eyeballs.
I will see if we can get it on the web page for all to read.
Nick
"Colin J. Kennedy" <cjk129@cox.net> wrote:
It is great to see multiple Lightnings being completed and flown.
I was at Osh in 20005 and met Buzz, Tex and Dave among others. That is when several
of us went from being Esqual wannabees to Lightning wannabees.
I was very close to ordering a Lightning last summer, but realising my inexperience
with building, I decided to wait. I am interested in building at home rather
than using the builders' assist program.
What is te status of the build manual now Pete/Nick? Will it be published on
the Internet soon, as you used to publish the Esqual builders' manual?
I found this to be a great motivator!
It is also great to hear that the demonstrator is nearing completion. When it
is available, I will schedule a trip to Shelbyville.
Colin K.
OK
---------------------------------
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with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started.
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| Subject: | A trip to "Lightning Operations" |
Buz,
As usual, a excellent read from you.
Appreciate all your comments and thoughts....good job!
Look forward to more "reporting" from you.
Rick
_________________________________________________________________
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| Subject: | A trip to "Lightning Operations" |
Has anyone on the Lightning list checked out the
Maverick light jet called SoloJET? They claim a cruise
speed of Mach 0.8, which is about 540 mph. I know this
has nothing to do with the Lightning but it is kind of
like our close cousin in that the Maverick team, like
the Lightning team, has managed to create a design and
clean it up and tweak it to make it much faster than
one would expect. The price difference is 1.25 million
for a Maverick or under 75K for a Lightning. None of
the light jets like the PiperJet or the DJet by
Diamond can even come close to the speed of the
SoloJET. Who wouldn't want to do a fly-by at Mach
0.8!?!?! Just joking. Also- FYI- There is a Velocity
(canard plane) with a 600 HP turbine in it. I want to
speak to that man to see how fast he is going and just
how crazy he is. Just floating these facts out there
to the fellow Lightning crowd to get everyone focused
on SPEED. I love flying but it sure is nice to get to
your destination in a jiffy. Charles Dewey
--- Rick Bowen <rollnloop@hotmail.com> wrote:
> <rollnloop@hotmail.com>
>
> Buz,
> As usual, a excellent read from you.
> Appreciate all your comments and thoughts....good
> job!
> Look forward to more "reporting" from you.
> Rick
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
> The average US Credit Score is 675. The cost to see
> yours: $0 by Experian.
>
http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=660600&bcd=EMAILFOOTERAVERAGE
>
>
>
> browse
> Subscriptions page,
> FAQ,
> http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List
>
> Web Forums!
>
>
>
>
>
Don't pick lemons.
See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html
Message 7
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Thanks Nick. That's great.
As I said, reading the Esqual manual was a great motivator at the time
and
I'm sure the Lightning manual will be even more so!
Colin K.
OK
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of nick
otterback
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 8:34 AM
Subject: Re: Lightning-List: Build Manual
The build manual is written and with help from builders using it and
calls
to us to update i think it will be very user friendly. It is good now i
think ,but after stairing at it for 6 months some things just disappear
from
my eyeballs. I will see if we can get it on the web page for all to
read.
Nick
"Colin J. Kennedy" <cjk129@cox.net> wrote:
It is great to see multiple Lightnings being completed and flown.
I was at Osh in 20005 and met Buzz, Tex and Dave among others. That is
when
several of us went from being Esqual wannabees to Lightning wannabees.
I was very close to ordering a Lightning last summer, but realising my
inexperience with building, I decided to wait. I am interested in
building
at home rather than using the builders' assist program.
What is te status of the build manual now Pete/Nick? Will it be
published on
the Internet soon, as you used to publish the Esqual builders' manual?
I found this to be a great motivator!
_____
No need to miss a message. Get
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=43910/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/mail> email
on-the-go
with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=43910/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/mail>
started.
Message 8
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| Subject: | Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" |
Pete
I concur, my question related to paragraph 6.3, sub notes. I am sure I
was reading into it about any engine below serial 856 having a lower
flywheel bolt torque of 24 ft lbs.
Thanks again, Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: Pete
To: lightning-list@matronics.com
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 7:43 AM
Subject: RE: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Dave,
From the service bulletin itself:
4.7 2200 Engines S/No. 2058 and Above. 3300 Engines S/No. 837 and
Above.
a) Maintain the engine as detailed in Modified Maintenance Schedule B
in Section 6.2
below.
As you can see engines serial number 33A837 and above only need to
comply with the revised maintenance schedule.
Pete Krotje
Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft, LLC
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
From: owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Dave
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 6:56 AM
To: lightning-list@matronics.com
Subject: Re: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Buz
I believe the flywheel bolt applies to all engines under serial 856.
If I read it right your flywheel bolts would not have the new torque of
24 lbs. I will be replacing mine on serial 751 with 219 hrs. Please let
me know if I am incorrect.
More stuff-- don't know if you were lucky enough to install a
Becker com, if not and have a Micro 760, I had to send mine in because
of a factory circuit board problem and internal ground strapping
problems. I had to call Australia to figure this one out. You can
receive, but sends garbled.
Auto pilot is almost done, excited to give it a try.
Dave McC
----- Original Message -----
From: N1BZRich@aol.com
To: lightning-list@matronics.com
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2007 9:28 PM
Subject: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Hello to all Lightning pilots, builders, and fans,
Hopefully this "rather long" trip report will generate some more
message traffic about the Lightning. I hope so. Feel free to inject
your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or questions. Someone on the list
will probably have the answers. Here goes:
I just spent another ten days with the Lightning guys in
Tennessee and thought I would post a few thoughts and observations. The
purpose of my trip from Virginia to Shelbyville was twofold. First, my
Jabiru 3300 powered Esqual LS (Lightning Stuff) now has 250 hours on it
(in the last 14 months) and I needed to do some time phased preventative
engine maintenance. More on that later. The second reason for the trip
was to help Joe and Linda Mathias (good friends from Virginia) with the
initial test flights on their Lightning and also help them with some of
the detail things like gear leg fairings and wheel pants.
The trip out here Friday a week ago was one of the roughest
rides I have had in a light airplane. I bumped all the way across
Virginia and the eastern half of Tennessee and at times saw winds as
high as 80 mph (about 30 degrees off the nose) and an effective head
wind of almost 50 mph. Luckily, the winds changed to mostly cross winds
as I got further into Tennessee, so I was able make up some time and get
my average speed up some. As I usually do, I made the trip non stop,
but it took 4.2 hours due to the head winds. I still managed to average
130 mph block to block, but I normally can make the trip in 3.3 hours
with a block to block speed close to 170. Fuel burn for this trip was
about 6 gph - slightly higher that I normally burn, but I kept trying
different altitudes with hopes of finding less head winds and smoother
air. No luck.
Saturday morning (24 Feb) the Lightning and Jabiru aircraft guys
attended an EAA fly-in here at Shelbyville. Yes, we took off from here
and then "flew-in". Nick in the prototype Lightning, Pete in a new
Special Light Sport Jabiru, and me in 31BZ, flew some formation before
landing for another great EAA breakfast. The ramp was full and the food
was great, so it was a good fly-in.
Saturday afternoon Pete helped me do yet another head torque and
valve adjustment (not a requirement for those of you that have the new
hydraulic lifter engines). We also replaced the distributor caps and
rotors, put on new plug wires, and set the gap between the flywheel
magnets and ignition coils. Note: the distributor caps and rotors are
time replacement items which I should have done at 200 hours. One other
thing we did was to check my engine serial number against the Jabiru
Service Bulletin having to do with the flywheel bolts. Luckily my
engine serial number (843) did not require the procedures called out in
the SB.
Sunday was spent doing a few other maintenance and clean up
items on 31BZ while Pete flew some more time off another SLA Jabiru.
Believe it or not, Pete and Ben (with family members) went to a Circus
here in Shelbyville Sunday afternoon. You would think they would have
had their fill of dealing with us "Clowns" on a daily basis.
Monday was a big event as Nick made a first flight in Rick
Bowen's Lightning which flew beautifully with no airframe corrections
required. I happened to be airborne flying some demo flights at the
time and was able to get a close up view of Rick's "jet" in flight.
Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me, but it is another
beautiful Lightning.
Tuesday's big event was Linda and Joe's airworthiness inspection
by the local FAA DAR. The inspection went well - as do all of the
inspections in Shelbyville because the Lightning and Jabiru guys know
their stuff and have a great reputation with the FAA. I am always
impressed as to how "on top of things" the Tennessee gang is. If you
have any kind of "tool skills" and will listen to their guidance, you
will end up with a fantastic airplane.
Wednesday was probably a first for the Arion Aircraft group as
two Lightnings made their first flights on the same day. Linda and Joe
trusted me enough to give me the honor of making the first flight in
their "Lightning Bug" (N59JL) and it flew beautifully. Linda will take
over the test flying duties soon. Shortly after that flight Nick made
the first flight in Joe Cooper's Lightning and Joe was on hand to
witness the event. I had flown earlier that day with Joe in the left
seat of 31BZ and he is anxious to climb in his own cockpit to see how
much better the Lightning really is. Another neat thing about Wednesday
was that two Lightnings that had previously "flown the coop" returned to
"home plate". Earl Ferguson and John Davis both flew back to SYI for a
visit. Earl flew some demo flights in his soon to be "record setter"
(ask Earl what that means). And John's "red, white, and blue patriotic
Lightning" is absolutely beautiful, but I have to ask John where he got
that short "dorky looking" prop; in a box of Cracker Jacks maybe?
Saturday (3 March) was another EAA fly-in breakfast, this time
at Winchester, Tennessee. Three aircraft made the hop to BGF from SYI.
Pete flew the Jabiru 170 with Joe Mathias flying as co-pilot, Ben was in
the Jab 250 with Linda Mathias, and I took Joe and Linda's (N59JL) on
it's first cross country. The winds were forecast to be high all day in
this part of Tennessee, and the weather guessers were right. When we
got back to SYI we had a direct cross wind of 17 knots with gusts close
to 30. I must admit I was concerned, being in a new airplane, but the
Lightning handled the cross wind with no problem. The afternoon was
spent fitting gear leg fairings and wheel pants to N59JL since the winds
prevented effective test flying.
Sunday morning I put another 1.2 hours on Linda and Joe's
Lightning in order to reach a total of 5 hours so that we could do the
initial head torque. After that Linda and I flew one last flight in my
Esqual with her in the left seat and doing all the flying. She handled
the cross wind well and felt ready to fly her Lightning so she did just
that, flying for an hour. While Linda was airborne, Mark and I took
31BZ up for more transition training for him. Mark flew some loose
formation with Linda for a while in order to check her airspeed
indications. Overall a full, fun day. Linda's landing was superb, so
congratulations are in order for her initial solo in an airplane she
built. And it is a beautiful example of the Lightning.
A few other observations:
-The new Lightning Demonstrator is back from the paint shop and
it is going to be a super aircraft. It will have a great panel layout
with an impressive dual screen Grand Rapids EFIS set up. It should fly
in a few weeks. Look for this new Demonstrator Lightning at Sun-N-Fun
where it will be doing triple duty - in the display booth, in the fly-by
pattern, and flying demo rides for potential customers. Speaking of
SNF, so far it looks like at least five Lightnings will be there (plus
31BZ). I am sure we will have some sort of get together while there, so
make your plans now to attend. Lets make it a real "Lightning Storm".
-The Prototype Lightning will be testing a new prop to try in
the near future. Nick has been running it with a ground adjustable
carbon fiber Sensenich set to a pitch of 56 inches and the engine will
still turn up at least 3400 RPM. Nick mounted a new Sensenich wooden
64ZK58 on Saturday and will be trying it out this Monday if winds and
weather allow. Stand by for a "sonic boom" as Nick starts testing the
Lightning with this prop. Nick will provide actual test results when
available.
-The Jabiru hangar (next to Lightning) is full of Jabiru
aircraft in various stages of completion. If you want a "turn key"
Special Light Sport Aircraft that will run circles around a Cessna 172,
a Piper Cherokee, or certainly any LSA, take a look at the Jabiru 250.
I am lucky enough to have flown the Jabiru 170, 250 and 400, and all are
impressive. Talk to Ben about a test flight in one of these unique
airplanes, but do it soon - they build one a week and they are sold out
until sometime in June.
-Final thoughts: It never ceases to amaze me at the overall
value and capability that the Lightning represents. If you want a truly
beautiful kit built aircraft that is relatively inexpensive (compared to
other aircraft with similar performance), quick to build, and has
amazing performance while being extremely economical to operate, you
absolutely have to seriously consider the Lightning. You will not be
disappointed. And remember, it can also be built to meet the Light
Sport requirements. Also, if you are in a real hurry to get in the air,
sign up for their builder's assist program. With their expert help and
guidance, you will soon be flying an aircraft of your own creation.
That is certainly a rewarding experience. Another observation is that
the quality of the finished product when using the builders assist
program, is absolutely superb. All of the Lightnings built here that I
have seen (and I think I have seen them all) could easily be called
"show quality". They will get lots of attention at any EAA fly-in. If
you don't win a trophy it may be because the Judges asked you "How long
did it take you to build your airplane?" They may not believe you.
-Heck, I want a Lightning. Anyone want to buy a fast Esqual?
Blue Skies,
Buz Rich
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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href="http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List">http://www.mat
ronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-Listhref="http://forums.matronics.com">h
ttp://forums.matronics.com
Message 9
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| Subject: | Re: A trip to "Lightning Operations" |
Buz
I didn't get the autopilot done last weekend, we went snowmobiling all
weekend- got 40 inches of snow. Should have it done tomorrow if push
rods come in. Needed different lengths.Wiring is done.
We will be at S&F on Thurs. Last year when we went, we flew IFR to
Shelbyville where we stopped for fuel. Hopefully this year we will see
more than ice on the wings, like pretty countryside.
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: n1bzrich@aol.com
To: lightning-list@matronics.com
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 7:48 AM
Subject: Re: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Hi Dave,
Pete and Ben looked up the SB for me and said my engine serial number
was higher than the ones specified, so I took that as the final word,
but I will ask again. Yes, at Pete's recommendation I used Becker
equipment - small, light, and dependable. I have been pleased with how
the com and xponder work. Good luck with the auto pilot. There is some
adjusting to be done while in the air depending on the airplane and how
aggressively you want the auto pilot to react, but the results are
great.
You going to make SNF and/or OSH?
Blue Skies,
Buz
-----Original Message-----
From: corky@hbci.com
To: lightning-list@matronics.com
Sent: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 7:56 AM
Subject: Re: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Buz
I believe the flywheel bolt applies to all engines under serial 856.
If I read it right your flywheel bolts would not have the new torque of
24 lbs. I will be replacing mine on serial 751 with 219 hrs. Please let
me know if I am incorrect.
More stuff-- don't know if you were lucky enough to install a
Becker com, if not and have a Micro 760, I had to send mine in because
of a factory circuit board problem and internal ground strapping
problems. I had to call Australia to figure this one out. You can
receive, but sends garbled.
Auto pilot is almost done, excited to give it a try.
Dave McC
----- Original Message -----
From: N1BZRich@aol.com
To: lightning-list@matronics.com
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2007 9:28 PM
Subject: Lightning-List: A trip to "Lightning Operations"
Hello to all Lightning pilots, builders, and fans,
Hopefully this "rather long" trip report will generate some more
message traffic about the Lightning. I hope so. Feel free to inject
your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or questions. Someone on the list
will probably have the answers. Here goes:
I just spent another ten days with the Lightning guys in
Tennessee and thought I would post a few thoughts and observations. The
purpose of my trip from Virginia to Shelbyville was twofold. First, my
Jabiru 3300 powered Esqual LS (Lightning Stuff) now has 250 hours on it
(in the last 14 months) and I needed to do some time phased preventative
engine maintenance. More on that later. The second reason for the trip
was to help Joe and Linda Mathias (good friends from Virginia) with the
initial test flights on their Lightning and also help them with some of
the detail things like gear leg fairings and wheel pants.
The trip out here Friday a week ago was one of the roughest
rides I have had in a light airplane. I bumped all the way across
Virginia and the eastern half of Tennessee and at times saw winds as
high as 80 mph (about 30 degrees off the nose) and an effective head
wind of almost 50 mph. Luckily, the winds changed to mostly cross winds
as I got further into Tennessee, so I was able make up some time and get
my average speed up some. As I usually do, I made the trip non stop,
but it took 4.2 hours due to the head winds. I still managed to average
130 mph block to block, but I normally can make the trip in 3.3 hours
with a block to block speed close to 170. Fuel burn for this trip was
about 6 gph - slightly higher that I normally burn, but I kept trying
different altitudes with hopes of finding less head winds and smoother
air. No luck.
Saturday morning (24 Feb) the Lightning and Jabiru aircraft guys
attended an EAA fly-in here at Shelbyville. Yes, we took off from here
and then "flew-in". Nick in the prototype Lightning, Pete in a new
Special Light Sport Jabiru, and me in 31BZ, flew some formation before
landing for another great EAA breakfast. The ramp was full and the food
was great, so it was a good fly-in.
Saturday afternoon Pete helped me do yet another head torque and
valve adjustment (not a requirement for those of you that have the new
hydraulic lifter engines). We also replaced the distributor caps and
rotors, put on new plug wires, and set the gap between the flywheel
magnets and ignition coils. Note: the distributor caps and rotors are
time replacement items which I should have done at 200 hours. One other
thing we did was to check my engine serial number against the Jabiru
Service Bulletin having to do with the flywheel bolts. Luckily my
engine serial number (843) did not require the procedures called out in
the SB.
Sunday was spent doing a few other maintenance and clean up
items on 31BZ while Pete flew some more time off another SLA Jabiru.
Believe it or not, Pete and Ben (with family members) went to a Circus
here in Shelbyville Sunday afternoon. You would think they would have
had their fill of dealing with us "Clowns" on a daily basis.
Monday was a big event as Nick made a first flight in Rick
Bowen's Lightning which flew beautifully with no airframe corrections
required. I happened to be airborne flying some demo flights at the
time and was able to get a close up view of Rick's "jet" in flight.
Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me, but it is another
beautiful Lightning.
Tuesday's big event was Linda and Joe's airworthiness inspection
by the local FAA DAR. The inspection went well - as do all of the
inspections in Shelbyville because the Lightning and Jabiru guys know
their stuff and have a great reputation with the FAA. I am always
impressed as to how "on top of things" the Tennessee gang is. If you
have any kind of "tool skills" and will listen to their guidance, you
will end up with a fantastic airplane.
Wednesday was probably a first for the Arion Aircraft group as
two Lightnings made their first flights on the same day. Linda and Joe
trusted me enough to give me the honor of making the first flight in
their "Lightning Bug" (N59JL) and it flew beautifully. Linda will take
over the test flying duties soon. Shortly after that flight Nick made
the first flight in Joe Cooper's Lightning and Joe was on hand to
witness the event. I had flown earlier that day with Joe in the left
seat of 31BZ and he is anxious to climb in his own cockpit to see how
much better the Lightning really is. Another neat thing about Wednesday
was that two Lightnings that had previously "flown the coop" returned to
"home plate". Earl Ferguson and John Davis both flew back to SYI for a
visit. Earl flew some demo flights in his soon to be "record setter"
(ask Earl what that means). And John's "red, whit e, and blue patriotic
Lightning" is absolutely beautiful, but I have to ask John where he got
that short "dorky looking" prop; in a box of Cracker Jacks maybe?
Saturday (3 March) was another EAA fly-in breakfast, this time
at Winchester, Tennessee. Three aircraft made the hop to BGF from SYI.
Pete flew the Jabiru 170 with Joe Mathias flying as co-pilot, Ben was in
the Jab 250 with Linda Mathias, and I took Joe and Linda's (N59JL) on
it's first cross country. The winds were forecast to be high all day in
this part of Tennessee, and the weather guessers were right. When we
got back to SYI we had a direct cross wind of 17 knots with gusts close
to 30. I must admit I was concerned, being in a new airplane, but the
Lightning handled the cross wind with no problem. The afternoon was
spent fitting gear leg fairings and wheel pants to N59JL since the winds
prevented effective test flying.
Sunday morning I put another 1.2 hours on Linda and Joe's
Lightning in order to reach a total of 5 hours so that we could do the
initial head torque. After that Linda and I flew one last flight in my
Esqual with her in the left seat and doing all the flying. She handled
the cross wind well and felt ready to fly her Lightning so she did just
that, flying for an hour. While Linda was airborne, Mark and I took
31BZ up for more transition training for him. Mark flew some loose
formation with Linda for a while in order to check her airspeed
indications. Overall a full, fun day. Linda's landing was superb, so
congratulations are in order for her initial solo in an airplane she
built. And it is a beautiful example of the Lightning.
A few other observations:
-The new Lightning Demonstrator is back from the paint shop and
it is going to be a super aircraft. It will have a great panel layout
with an impressive dual screen Grand Rapids EFIS set up. It should fly
in a few weeks. Look for this new Demonstrator Lightning at Sun-N-Fun
where it will be doing triple duty - in the display booth, in the fly-by
pattern, and flying demo rides for potential customers. Speaking of
SNF, so far it looks like at least five Lightnings will be there (plus
31BZ). I am sure we will have some sort of get together while there, so
make your plans now to attend. Lets make it a real "Lightning Storm".
-The Prototype Lightning will be testing a new prop to try in
the near future. Nick has been running it with a ground adjustable
carbon fiber Sensenich set to a pitch of 56 inches and the engine will
still turn up at least 3400 RPM. Nick mounted a new Sensenich wooden
64ZK58 on Saturday and will be trying it out this Monday if winds and
weather allow. Stand by for a "sonic boom" as Nick starts testing the
Lightning with this prop. Nick will provide actual test results when
available.
-The Jabiru hangar (next to Lightning) is full of Jabiru
aircraft in various stages of completion. If you want a "turn key"
Special Light Sport Aircraft that will run circles around a Cessna 172,
a Piper Cherokee, or certainly any LSA, take a look at the Jabiru 250.
I am lucky enough to have flown the Jabiru 170, 250 and 400, and all are
impressive. Talk to Ben about a test flight in one of these unique
airplanes, but do it soon - they build one a week and they are sold out
until sometime in June.
-Final thoughts: It never ceases to amaze me at the overall
value and capability that the Lightning represents. If you want a truly
beautiful kit built aircraft that is relatively inexpensive (compared to
other aircraft with similar performance), quick to build, and has
amazing performance while being extremely economical to operate, you
absolutely have to seriously consider the Lightning. You will not be
disappointed. And remember, it can also be built to meet the Light
Sport requirements. Also, if you are in a real hurry to get in the air,
sign up for their builder's assist program. With their expert help and
guidance, you will soon be flying an aircraft of your own creation.
That is certainly a rewarding experience. Another observation is that
the quality of the finished product when using the builders assist
program, is absolutely superb. All of the Lightnings built here that I
have seen (and I think I have seen them all) could easily be called
"show quality". They will get lots of attention at any EAA fly-in. If
you don't win a trophy it may be because the Judges asked you "How long
did it take you to build your airplane?" They may not believe you.
-Heck, I want a Lightning. Anyone want to buy a fast Esqual?
Blue Skies,
Buz Rich
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