---------------------------------------------------------- Lightning-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Wed 04/08/09: 7 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 11:35 AM - Lightning Sport Update. (flylightning) 2. 11:48 AM - Re: Lightning Sport Update. (Jim Langley) 3. 04:39 PM - Re: Lightning Sport Update. (n5pb@AOL.COM) 4. 04:47 PM - Re: Lightning Sport Update. (Colin J. Kennedy) 5. 05:28 PM - Re: Lightning Sport Update. (Hollis Babb) 6. 06:11 PM - Re: Lightning Sport Update. (EAFerguson@AOL.COM) 7. 10:03 PM - Fw: Ground Safety (Johnny Thompson) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 11:35:29 AM PST US From: "flylightning" Subject: Lightning-List: Lightning Sport Update. The Lightning Sport LS-1 has received an Experimental R&D certificate this morning. This is allows the production prototype to be flown thru the acceptance flight tests and prove the design to the ASTM standards. Final SLSA inspection should take place next week and than off to Sun N Fun. Will start Flight testing this afternoon. Nick Otterback ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 11:48:10 AM PST US Subject: Re: Lightning-List: Lightning Sport Update. From: Jim Langley Congrats Nick. This is very exciting news! You guys should be proud. Go ahead; stick your chest out a little... You deserve it! On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 2:33 PM, flylightning wrote: > The Lightning Sport LS-1 has received an Experimental R&D certificate > this morning. This is allows the production prototype to be flown thru the > acceptance flight tests and prove the design to the ASTM standards. Final > SLSA inspection should take place next week and than off to Sun N Fun. > > Will start Flight testing this afternoon. > > > Nick Otterback > > * > > * > > ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 04:39:43 PM PST US Subject: Re: Lightning-List: Lightning Sport Update. From: n5pb@AOL.COM Congrats Nick and the Team! Looking forward to seeing everyone at SNF.? Bear -----Original Message----- From: Jim Langley Sent: Wed, 8 Apr 2009 2:45 pm Subject: Re: Lightning-List: Lightning Sport Update. Congrats Nick.? This is very exciting news! ? You guys should be proud.? ? Go ahead; stick your chest out a little...? You deserve it! On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 2:33 PM, flylightning wrote: The Lightning Sport LS-1 has received an Experimental R&D certificate this morning. This is allows the production prototype to be flown thru the acceptance flight tests and prove the design to the ASTM standards. Final SLSA inspection should take place next week and than off to Sun N Fun. Will start Flight testing this afternoon. ? Nick Otterback " target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List ttp://forums.matronics.com _blank">http://www.matronics.com/contribution ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 04:47:37 PM PST US From: "Colin J. Kennedy" Subject: RE: Lightning-List: Lightning Sport Update. Nick, The certification will be a fantastic achievement for the Arion team. Way to go! Colin K. OK Lightning # 52 under construction. http://www.mykitlog.com/cojaken -----Original Message----- From: owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com [mailto:owner-lightning-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of flylightning Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 1:34 PM Subject: Lightning-List: Lightning Sport Update. The Lightning Sport LS-1 has received an Experimental R&D certificate this morning. This is allows the production prototype to be flown thru the acceptance flight tests and prove the design to the ASTM standards. Final SLSA inspection should take place next week and than off to Sun N Fun. Will start Flight testing this afternoon. Nick Otterback ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 05:28:33 PM PST US From: Hollis Babb Subject: Re: Lightning-List: Lightning Sport Update. Congrats! Sent from my iPhone Hollis Babb 256-506-2834 On Apr 8, 2009, at 1:33 PM, "flylightning" wrote: > The Lightning Sport LS-1 has received an Experimental R&D > certificate this morning. This is allows the production prototype to > be flown thru the acceptance flight tests and prove the design to > the ASTM standards. Final SLSA inspection should take place next > week and than off to Sun N Fun. > > Will start Flight testing this afternoon. > > > Nick Otterback > > ________________________________ Message 6 _____________________________________ Time: 06:11:04 PM PST US From: EAFerguson@AOL.COM Subject: Re: Lightning-List: Lightning Sport Update. In a message dated 4/8/2009 2:36:07 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, info@flylightning.net writes: The Lightning Sport LS-1 has received an Experimental R&D certificate this morning. This is allows the production prototype to be flown thru the acceptance flight tests and prove the design to the ASTM standards. Final SLSA inspection should take place next week and than off to Sun N Fun. Will start Flight testing this afternoon. Nick Otterback Congrats, Earl Ferguson **************Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood00000001) ________________________________ Message 7 _____________________________________ Time: 10:03:01 PM PST US From: "Johnny Thompson" <8wn@comcast.net> Subject: Lightning-List: Fw: Ground Safety Thought I would report on an explosion in the right wing tank of my lightning while I was dusting the dirt off the wing last Wednesday Around 7:30 am I had my plane outside in the sun so I could do a final polish of the newly painted cowling and also improve the appearance of my year old paint on the remainder of the aircraft. I completed the polishing about 8:30 am and moved the plane back into Greg's hanger where I was going to reweigh it because of the new paint and new wing tips. Last year I had defueled the aircraft and removed the wings so I could install a new type on low fuel warning system that is independent of the current fuel probes.NOTE: This is not required for safety, I just do it to have something to do and being a retired military pilot (Army) I am use to triple backup systems and lost of lights and switches. I use the standard fuel probe with GRT, the fuel flow from GRT(which I recommend for those who like to fly long distance/hours), and an electronic optical system that will visually and audibly note when the fuel take is down to 2 gallons in either tank, amount is set by installer. We do have a 4th warning system for low fuel if all this fails, the prop stops. Around noon after the aircraft had set untouched for over three hours I took a polishing rag I normally use to clean the canopy, 80% Polyester - 20% Polyamide, and started to dust off dirt that had settled onto the wing from a wind storm we were having. I started outboard moving inboard, as I touched the fuel cap (cap was installed and locked) the tank exploded. The Dragon had spit fire. I felt and saw the top skin rise, a 6 foot section of the top skin on the trailing edge split at the glue joint and flames came out removing the hair on my arm and embedding fiberglass in my glasses. As seconds passed I noted the fire was out and then remembered it was defueled. After a few seconds I composed myself and noted the top surface looked fairly normal with only delimitation of a section of the top skin. Underneath the wing the tank had ruptured outboard (can't see where else) and the wing had numerous large tears and cracks around the tank area. This was an accident caused by static electricity. I have been in aviation professionally for 40 years and know the danger of static electricity and fuel vapors. I might have been able to prevent this by having the aircraft grounded, using a rag of different materials, properly removing all fumes from the tank, etc. Weather is also a major factor. Fuel tanks are more prone to have an explosion when low or empty of fuel. I got off lucky. We can reduce the possibility of this happing to any of us. I will review everything, I have found a possible static transfer between the fuel cap and housing and will install a grounding cable between the fuel cap and housing. This is a standard procedure used on military and most civil aircraft and will reduce the danger. I inspected my Velocity XL-5 and another aircraft having the same cap, neither has a grounding cable. This is a very common fuel cap used by many builders and types of aircraft for years and I have never heard of this happing before. Before Installing I will follow all established procedures and purge the tank with argon or other inert gas. If we just follow good safety procedures this most likely would have never happened. An hour later I met with Greg Hobbs at the aircraft and started checking for signs of static buildup. He could not detect any static buildup so I reached down to touch the wing an immediately noticed a static build up. Greg put his arm near the wing and no sign of build up. Once again I placed my arm near the wing, about 6 inches from Greg and we noted a static build up between my arm and the wing surface (remaining hair drawn toward the surface). ?????? A DEFUELED TANK IS A BOMB WITH THE SAFETY OFF. I would like to add that the lightning is an excellent structurally designed aircraft. I am positive that if I had this damage in flight the aircraft integrity would remain sound and make a safe landing. I want to thank Nick and Pete for helping me with replacement parts at a very reasonable cost. Once again I see Arion going the extra mile to take care of the lightning family even in these difficult financial times. I have owned many aircraft in the past and Arion is at the top in support and service. I will follow up with any information I discover. Johnny Thompson ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.