---------------------------------------------------------- Lightning-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 06/24/08: 5 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 04:07 AM - Re: need some chatter here (Peter and Jan Disher) 2. 04:36 AM - Re: need some chatter here (IFLYSMODEL@aol.com) 3. 05:09 AM - Lynn's Lightning (EAFerguson@aol.com) 4. 05:30 AM - Re: need some chatter here (N1BZRich@aol.com) 5. 11:04 PM - UK Esqual pics (James, Clive R) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 04:07:33 AM PST US From: "Peter and Jan Disher" Subject: Re: Lightning-List: need some chatter here Yes Buz, that would be a good improvement, screwing in the eye bolts only when needed, would be easy to do. I do enjoy reading about your frequent reports on your flying trips, gives us a very good insight as to your technique and understanding this aircraft, I'm just looking forward to the day at getting airborne. Thanks and keep those reports coming, Pete D ----- Original Message ----- From: N1BZRich@aol.com To: lightning-list@matronics.com Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:04 PM Subject: Re: Lightning-List: need some chatter here In a message dated 6/20/2008 9:14:53 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, wb2ssj@earthlink.net writes: I guess everyone is still pondering the accident and there has been little to talk about. I have some questions and would like to see some talk going on as I am moving foward with my project. 1. Has anyone come up with a good tie down method for the lighting? 2. Which side did you all put your wing light and why? 3. How much drag do you think the wing light produces? 4. I hope to get the base of the air speed unit flush with the bottom of the wing. This should help reduce some drag. Every little bit helps. 5. Who all are going to Oshkosh? Tex, Pete, and all listers. Right on, it has been quite on the list. I have been very busy with other projects, but at the moment am back in SYI to try out the new wing tips on the prototype and probably do some more prop testing on the new Demo. Nick has put quite a bit of time on the new tips, but just wants me to see what I think. I certainly trust his judgement, but any invitation to fly a Lightning is a wonderful thing. Flight out here today was good with only some light showers near Knoxville. Made the entire flight at 6,500 and used a slightly different technique for the flight. Normally I set the fuel flow I want and accept the rpm and tas that gives me. In the past I have set 6 gph and that (at 8 to 10 thousand feet) usually gives me something like 170 mph tas and the rpm will be around 3050 to 3100. My engine cools well at those numbers so that kind of became my XC technique. Now with fuel being a little more costly I have started trying some new techniques. Today at 6,500 feet for the entire flight I just set 2950 rpm and the resultant indicated fuel flow was something like 5.7 gph. I have my fuel flow transducer set slightly on the conservative side, so I knew I was actually burning a little less than that. True airspeed for the flight varied from 152 mph for the first hour and then gradually went up to 158 by the end of the flight as I got lighter. After the flight the calibrated fuel flow based on start up at JGG to shut down at SYI was 5.5 gph. My ground speed (with a steady 20 knots on the nose for the entire flight) from start of TO roll to shut down was 138 mph. Factor in the 20 knots on the nose and you come up with the 158 mph that I was seeing while in flight. Now some comments on your other points: 1 - As always, Pete Disher has come up with a good idea for the tie down. However, I think one improvement would be to weld the nut onto the metal bracket and then just screw in the eye bolts when you need a tie down. That way no drag in flight. 2 - My airplane had a light on each wing. One is taxi and one is landing. The only difference is the angle that the actual lights are mounted on the wing. In the taxi position one light shines down the runway and the other shines closer to the area in front of the airplane. Of course on final with the landing attitude the closer light shines a little further down the runway. Works for me, but I don't seem to fly as much at night as I used to. I am finding out that sometimes "dark air has no lift". 3 - Probably very little - less than a mph. They will add some weight, but then everything that you add, adds weight. 4 - Good work. Send us photos for the newsletter when you can. 5 - I will be at Oshkosh, and like most years quite early for my work in vintage show plane registration and camping. In past years they wanted me there at least a week early, but my most recent request from them is 10 days early this year. I will likely try to arrive 18 July. We need to have at least one get together at the Lightning display area and also we all need to attend Nick's Lightning forum. I have that info written down, but not with me at the moment. The July newsletter will be out in about a week and will have that info. Blue Skies, Buz ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Checked by AVG. 6/23/2008 7:16 PM ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 04:36:06 AM PST US From: IFLYSMODEL@aol.com Subject: Re: Lightning-List: need some chatter here Hey Buz: I am scheduled to come to SYI to finish my Lightning on 7 July. I am hoping to pick it up on the 27 th on my way back from the Ercoupe conventi on. Hopefully, I will have more comments then. I can hardly wait to have my own. You said " My ground speed (with a steady 20 knots on the nose for the entire flight) from start of TO roll to shut down was 138 mph. Factor in the 20 knots on the nose and you come up with the 158 mph that I was seeing while in flight. " If the wind speed was 20 knots, wouldn't the actual air speed (in mph) be higher? Did you mean to say the wind was a steady 20 mph? I expect to build in the light sport category, so I will not be seeing these speeds, but it still interests me greatly. N13LN should be back from the paint shop soon. Maybe it will be there before you leave SYI. Tailwinds always. Lynn Nelsen **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 05:09:24 AM PST US From: EAFerguson@aol.com Subject: Lightning-List: Lynn's Lightning In a message dated 6/24/2008 7:38:28 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, IFLYSMODEL@aol.com writes: I expect to build in the light sport category, Lynn, I hope you are using the new wing tips so you won't have to use the VGs. While I haven't flown one with the new tips, I expect them to prove a significant improvement, Earl Ferguson **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 05:30:13 AM PST US From: N1BZRich@aol.com Subject: Re: Lightning-List: need some chatter here In a message dated 6/24/2008 7:38:28 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, IFLYSMODEL@aol.com writes: You said " My ground speed (with a steady 20 knots on the nose for the entire flight) from start of TO roll to shut down was 138 mph. Factor in the 20 knots on the nose and you come up with the 158 mph that I was seeing while in flight. " If the wind speed was 20 knots, wouldn't the actual air speed (in mph) be higher? Did you mean to say the wind was a steady 20 mph? I expect to build in the light sport category, so I will not be seeing these speeds, but it still interests me greatly. Hi Lynn, Well, I thought that was what I did say. I calculated the ground speed (138 mph) by dividing the miles I flew by the time it took to get there. 553 miles divided by 4 hours = 138.25. The wind direction and speed as well as the true airspeed I mentioned was what I was reading in flight on the Grand Rapids EFIS. Maybe I am confused as to what you are asking. As to building to meet light sport standards, you will still get some impressive numbers, particularly fuel flows when you get the airframe, engine, and prop all working together. What I mean by that is that you may need to try different carb jets to get everything working efficiently together. Good instrumentation and good data gathering will let you refine the set up to get the best results. I will only be in SYI until Wednesday, but hopefully your airplane will show up from the paint shop while I am here. Wayne and Nel are here and expect to have their inspection on Thursday evening. Their paint job and colors used, which Nel designed, looks great. It is overall silver with red and blue trim (like the new Demo) put the primary trim color is red verses the blue on the demo. Another good looking Lightning. Buz **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 11:04:09 PM PST US Subject: Lightning-List: UK Esqual pics From: "James, Clive R" Well she flies, some stability issues and the trim is taking some time to set up, I have the manual trim (no servo) and it's not simpler as I hoped, also I have to add the tabs to the elevator as the plan is unstable in pitch. Aside from that the rest is good, a small list of snags but nothing that can't be fixed. Off to the airfield with my bag of spanners. Regards, Clive ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message lightning-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/Lightning-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/lightning-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/lightning-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.