Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 07:44 AM - Re: Elevator Trim (jeynon)
2. 02:14 PM - FW: Ready for Inspection (Pete)
3. 02:50 PM - Re: FW: Ready for Inspection (Jim Langley)
4. 03:38 PM - Re: Re: Elevator Trim (N1BZRich@aol.com)
5. 04:20 PM - July Newsletter and other ramblings (N1BZRich@aol.com)
6. 04:21 PM - Re: Elevator Trim (jeynon)
7. 04:33 PM - Re: Re: Elevator Trim (N1BZRich@aol.com)
8. 04:41 PM - Another signed off and ready to fly (Mark Stauffer)
9. 06:51 PM - Re: Another signed off and ready to fly (Jim Langley)
10. 07:07 PM - Re: Another signed off and ready to fly (flylightning)
Message 1
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | Re: Elevator Trim |
I expect that the weight of the unbalanced elevator would be equivalent to nose
down trim requiring a certain amount of nose up trim to compensate. The weight
of the elevator pushing down is always the same while the aerodynamic forces
acting on the elevator and its trim tab increase with speed, so at higher speeds
less compensation is needed. In either case I would think the additional
trim requirements would add to drag.
I like Earl's approach of keeping enough "up bungee" to balance the elevator, but
worry that that might retain some of the issues addressed with the new system.
When it comes to flight test time, I am fortunate to have a quiet 8000' by 150'
runway available.
[quote="EAFerguson(at)aol.com"]In a message dated 6/25/2008 12:43:14 P.M. Eastern
Daylight Time, jeynon2@verizon.net writes:
> I have recently received the new trim system for my Lightning to replace the
bungee trim, but I am confused about how to balance the elevator. Is the
balance bungee still used?
>
I recently added the new trim tab system and it's a tremendous improvement, but
pitch control forces were a little heavy.
So - I just added a single 1/2" bungee loop using the old connection on the elevator
pushrod. Flew for the first time today for ~ 1.0 with some touch & goes.
I need less up trim on TO and landing. About 2 spaces down on the indicator
for TO.
Before I added the bungee, full up trim left me with noticeable up stick force
on final. Now that is gone. I don't even feed in full up on the trim tab.
One flight, 3 landings; not a significant data base, but tentative results are
favorable. Your experience may be different. I have no way of measuring the
applied bungee force.
Do be careful and make your first trials on a long, wide runway. Don't ask me
to define long and wide, but if you're flying out of 1000' unpaved, I suggest
you go somewhere else before connecting the bungee for the first time. My home
field is 5700' by 100'
Has anybody else tried this?
Earl Ferguson
N17EF
Atlanta
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=189919#189919
Message 2
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | FW: Ready for Inspection |
-----Original Message-----
From: Pete [mailto:pete@flylightning.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 4:01 PM
Subject: Ready for Inspection
Wayne Lenox's new Lightning getting ready to fill gas tanks and start engine
before inspection tonight.
Pete
Message 3
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | Re: FW: Ready for Inspection |
Very nice! Wingtips look great. Do you have a head on view showing the
painted wingtips?
On 6/26/08, Pete <pete@flylightning.net> wrote:
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pete [mailto:pete@flylightning.net]
> Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 4:01 PM
> To: 'lightning-list@matronics.com'
> Subject: Ready for Inspection
>
> Wayne Lenox's new Lightning getting ready to fill gas tanks and start
> engine
> before inspection tonight.
>
> Pete
>
>
Message 4
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | Re: Elevator Trim |
The new trim system is designed to completely replace all bungees. Also,
the new trim tab was sized (after many test flights) so as to completely trim
off all pressures during all phases of "cruise" flight. However, when you
lower the flaps, you are now flying a different wing - a different airplane.
The trim tab size will trim off most of the nose down pressures when using up
to 30 degrees of flaps and when at 65 to 70 mph on final and when close to
gross weight. If the aircraft is lighter (more forward CG), or if you are
slower, or if you have more than 30 degrees of flaps you will not have quite
enough up trim. But again, this was done intentionally and designed that way.
It
is no problem to fly it as set up at any allowable weight and CG. The
reason it is set up that was is if you trimmed off all pressures and have to make
a last minute go around, you are going to have to really push forward on the
stick to keep the airplane from really wanting to climb away from you and
possibly stall. It can be a hand full on a last minute go around with all
pressures trimmed off. With the relatively slow trim motor it is going to take
some time to trim off these pressures during the go around and you could have
your hands full. Adding a bungee back into the system will acerbate the
problem with a last minute go around (making the airplane want to climb even more
at slow speeds) in addition to causing the aircraft to feel as if it is
neutrally or slightly unstable in pitch during normal cruise operations. That
is
exactly why the bungee system was done away with. The new system makes the
airplane easier to fly, especially on long flights and it is certainly easier
to maintain. The slightly heavy elevator feel on final with flaps down is
only a slight out of trim condition, certainly well within the design limits of
the airplane.
So bottom line, now you know why the system is designed like it is. With
the many test hours that Nick and I have flown it on both the prototype and the
new 2008 demonstrator, we have tested about all the conditions and found
that the current set up is the best for all possible in-flight situations. If
you don't believe me, just read the upcoming September issue of KitPlanes
magazine and see what a PHD in aeronautical engineering that used to teach at
the
Navy test pilot school at PAX River had to say about the new trim system.
But forget what he says in the article about "killing snakes" - heck, he was a
Navy pilot that flew heavies. :-)
Blue Skies,
Buz
PS: I am writing this because I know just how busy Nick is at the moment.
When you read the July newsletter due out in a day or so, you will kind of get
a feeling just why and how busy he is.
**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)
Message 5
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | July Newsletter and other ramblings |
All,
If you have been reading the Lightning email list recently you probably
figured out that I was back home in Virginia from my most recent trip to
Tennessee. The purpose of the trip was to fly the prototype with the new wing
tips
and that report will be in the next newsletter. Also, the newsletter has a
write up on my recent flight eval in the new 2008 demo. Hope everyone will
give me some feedback on the newsletter.
I flew home yesterday morning, fully expecting to have at least a 20 knot
tailwind since that is the amount of headwind that I dealt with on the trip
out there. Well, not so fast Buzman, even though the forecast winds showed I
would have at least 10 to 12 knots of tailwind, it really didn't work out that
way. During my initial climb to 7,500 feet I was seeing about 10 on the
tail, but when I leveled off at 7,500, that tail wind changed to mostly a cross
wind from the left. After waiting for a few minutes, I decided that going
higher was the thing to do to find the tail wind, so up to 9,500 I went, only
to find 5 to 8 knots of head wind. Bummer. Back down to continue the flight
at 7.5K with now tailwind help. Actually about two hours into the 3+20 trip
the cross wind finally started to change to a tail wind and the last hour of
so gave me initially 8 then later 12 knots of tailwind.
Here are the actual numbers from this trip. Speed measured from taking the
runway to turning off the runway at home was 168 mph. I ran the engine at
6.0 gph and the actual fuel flow from engine start to engine shut down worked
out to 6.05 gph. I would have expected it to be a little closer to 5.8 which
is what I normally see, but the extra climb to 9.5 probably took some of that
fuel. Also, my more normal cruise altitude when I see the 5.8 would be up
closer to 10,000. Any way, your mileage may vary, and probably does.
At the end of this trip N31BZ now has 462.5 hours total time and again I can
report that I have had no engine issues other than normal maintenance - oil
and filter changes, new plugs every 100 hours, head torques and valve
adjustments as specified by the engine manual, and I also changed out the plug
wires, rotors and caps at about 250 hours. The current engine manual just calls
for them to be changed on condition and looking back at how mine looked then,
they are probably good for at least 500 hours or so, especially if you
change plugs at 100 hours as I do.
Airframe wise, 31BZ has had no real issues. I still have some gear leg
shimmy at around 25 to 27 mph. I currently have aluminum V angles clamped to
the
gear legs and that has helped some but not solved the problem. Before the V
angles the shimmy was worse and occurred at 22 to 23 mph on most landings
(except on grass). I am still running the original relatively cheap 500X5
tires that i bought to use on the airplane (yes they do have 462.5 hours on them
and still have some tread) but will likely change to Goodyear Flight Custom
llls with a 6 ply rating at my next annual in December. Some of you (Jim
Goad and Linda Mathias) have had good results switching to the heavier and
higher quality tires.
The July newsletter is in draft format and is currently being proofed by
Linda. It is another long one (28 pages I think) and thus I will send it to
Pete and Jim Langley for them to each post it on their web sites. As soon as
I
get the list of typos and changes that Linda finds, I will make the
corrections and send out a message that you can go to the respective web sites
to
read or down load. That is what I did for the last issue and no one complained.
Also this one is obviously too long to send it through matronics.
Blue Skies,
Buz
PS: You had better be planning your Oshkosh trip. Be there, aloha.
**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)
Message 6
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | Re: Elevator Trim |
Thanks for your response Earl, and your explanation Buz. I'll strip her bare and
go from there. It's all theory until she flies.
John Eynon
Lightning kit #53
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=189988#189988
Message 7
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | Re: Elevator Trim |
In a message dated 6/26/2008 7:22:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
jeynon2@verizon.net writes:
It's all theory until she flies.
Hey John, I like your analogy. And you are exactly right. That is the neat
thing about EAB aircraft - you are the builder and you can build them the
way you want. All of them are different in some way, so as you said, its all
theory until yours flies. When you get a chance, send me some updates and
photos on your build and I will get it in a future newsletter. You never know,
something you write might just be the spark that ignites someone's fuse and
gets them started building their Lightning. Then "kaboom", someone else has
set their hair on fire and is now building their own airplane. That's what
happened to my hair - several airplanes ago.
Blue skies,
buz
**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)
Message 8
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | Another signed off and ready to fly |
This evening at 1830 central time, Wayne Lenox was given his Special
Airworthiness Certificate by our local DAR. If the weather cooperates
tomorrow we should have another Lightning in the sky.
Congratulations to Wayne and Nel.
Mark
Message 9
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | Another signed off and ready to fly |
Send lots of pictures. I would love to see one or two in flight pics with
those new wingtips!
Jim!
From: owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Mark
Stauffer
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 7:39 PM
Subject: Lightning-List: Another signed off and ready to fly
This evening at 1830 central time, Wayne Lenox was given his Special
Airworthiness Certificate by our local DAR. If the weather cooperates
tomorrow we should have another Lightning in the sky.
Congratulations to Wayne and Nel.
Mark
Message 10
INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Subject: | Another signed off and ready to fly |
Just taxied her in from the photo shoot at 900 ( N123WL waynes new plane)
and the landing/taxi light works great..the wing tips are a lot longer and
I have to think when I taxi at night!!!
Nick
_____
From: owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Mark
Stauffer
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 6:39 PM
Subject: Lightning-List: Another signed off and ready to fly
This evening at 1830 central time, Wayne Lenox was given his Special
Airworthiness Certificate by our local DAR. If the weather cooperates
tomorrow we should have another Lightning in the sky.
Congratulations to Wayne and Nel.
Mark
Other Matronics Email List Services
These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.
-- Please support this service by making your Contribution today! --
|