Lightning-List Digest Archive

Thu 06/26/08


Total Messages Posted: 10



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


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    Time: 07:44:38 AM PST US
    Subject: Re: Elevator Trim
    From: "jeynon" <jeynon2@verizon.net>
    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


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    Time: 02:14:34 PM PST US
    From: "Pete" <pete@flylightning.net>
    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


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    Time: 02:50:54 PM PST US
    From: "Jim Langley" <pequeajim@gmail.com>
    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


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    Time: 03:38:07 PM PST US
    From: N1BZRich@aol.com
    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


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    Time: 04:20:09 PM PST US
    From: N1BZRich@aol.com
    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


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    Time: 04:21:54 PM PST US
    Subject: Re: Elevator Trim
    From: "jeynon" <jeynon2@verizon.net>
    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


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    Time: 04:33:33 PM PST US
    From: N1BZRich@aol.com
    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


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    Time: 04:41:45 PM PST US
    From: "Mark Stauffer" <mark@flylightning.net>
    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


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    Time: 06:51:16 PM PST US
    From: "Jim Langley" <pequeajim@gmail.com>
    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


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    Time: 07:07:34 PM PST US
    From: "flylightning" <info@flylightning.net>
    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




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