---------------------------------------------------------- Pietenpol-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Sun 10/05/03: 7 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 04:58 PM - tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice (Douwe Blumberg) 2. 05:56 PM - Re: tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice (Kip & Beth Gardner) 3. 06:33 PM - Corvair engine assembly! - pics (DJ Vegh) 4. 07:46 PM - Re: tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice (John Dilatush) 5. 08:07 PM - Re: headset ideas ? (TomTravis@aol.com) 6. 08:24 PM - Re: tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice (Rcaprd@aol.com) 7. 09:28 PM - Fuel Tank Requirements (Rcaprd@aol.com) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 04:58:55 PM PST US From: "Douwe Blumberg" Subject: Pietenpol-List: tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Douwe Blumberg" Anyone with brakelss, tailskid experience out there? am compiling tips and advice from guys who know how. What are some good runup tricks and steering and general handling techniques that have worked. Please only offer advice if it is first-hand experience, I've heard enough second hand horror stories to last me for a while. thanks, Douwe douweblumberg@earthlink.net
Anyone with brakelss, tailskid experience out there?  am compiling tips and advice from guys who know how.  What are some good runup tricks and steering and general handling techniques that have worked.  Please only offer advice if it is first-hand experience, I've heard enough second hand horror stories to last me for a while.
 
thanks,
Douwe
douweblumberg@earthlink.net
________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 05:56:14 PM PST US From: Kip & Beth Gardner Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: Kip & Beth Gardner At 8:01 PM -0400 10/05/03, Douwe Blumberg wrote: >--> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Douwe Blumberg" > > > >Anyone with brakelss, tailskid experience out there? am compiling tips >and advice from guys who know how. What are some good runup tricks and >steering and general handling techniques that have worked. Please only >offer advice if it is first-hand experience, I've heard enough second >hand horror stories to last me for a while. > >thanks, >Douwe >douweblumberg@earthlink.net Douwe, Frank Pavliga, builder & owner of 'Sky Gypsy' is probably the guy you want to talk to. Tail skid, no brakes & been flying it for years & years off of grass. I've watched him fly it any number of times, but have never been up in it myself. He's a local, but well known in Piet World. I don't think he is fond of e-mail, you'd probably have to get hold of him by phone. He lives in Rootstown, OH. Kip Gardner North Canton, OH ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 06:33:09 PM PST US From: "DJ Vegh" Subject: Pietenpol-List: Corvair engine assembly! - pics --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "DJ Vegh" Well....... after over a year of gathering up parts and having machining/welding work done, today was a big day for me. I began assembly! I spent nearly 3 hours last night cleaning and prepping the cases one last time. This morning I gathered up the recommended supplies, STP, motor oil, oil squirt can, rubber mallet, moly lube, anti-seize compound, form-a-gasket, white linen cotton shop towels and started assembly after breakfast. It was a very enjoyable experience! I had fun. I took quite a few shots as I went along. They are on today's entry of my construction log: here: http://www.imagedv.com/aircamper/log/image-pages/10-05-03.htm This week I'll be putting in the pistons/cylinders/heads. DJ Vegh N74DV Mesa, AZ www.imagedv.com/aircamper ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 07:46:46 PM PST US From: "John Dilatush" Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "John Dilatush" ----- Original Message ----- From: "Douwe Blumberg" Subject: Pietenpol-List: tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice > --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Douwe Blumberg" ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Douwe, How close to finishing your plane are you? John ++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > > Anyone with brakelss, tailskid experience out there? am compiling tips > and advice from guys who know how. What are some good runup tricks and > steering and general handling techniques that have worked. Please only > offer advice if it is first-hand experience, I've heard enough second > hand horror stories to last me for a while. > > thanks, > Douwe > douweblumberg@earthlink.net > > > > > > >
Anyone with brakelss, tailskid > experience out > there?  am compiling tips and advice from guys who know how.  > What are > some good runup tricks and steering and general handling techniques that > have > worked.  Please only offer advice if it is first-hand experience, > I've > heard enough second hand horror stories to last me for a > while.
>
 
>
thanks,
>
Douwe
>
href"mailto:douweblumberg@earthlink.net">douweblumberg@earthlink.net A> >
> > ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 08:07:30 PM PST US From: TomTravis@aol.com Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: headset ideas ? --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: TomTravis@aol.com Mike, I've tried the Telex ANR's as well as the Lightspeeds and Bose. The Telex is a might heavier but seems to work as well or better than the others. The Bose is lighter, a lot more expensive and, in my opinion, are overrated. There is a company in Amarillo, Texas that will take your David Clarks and turn them into ANR's. I've found that the earpieces make a lot of difference. Oregon Aero makes good earpieces to fit most any headset. My wife has hearing troubles and insists on ANR's. After all these years my ears are pretty much shot anyway. Tom Travis Mike,

I've tried the Telex ANR's as well as the Lightspeeds and Bose. The Telex is= a might heavier but seems to work as well or better than the others. The Bo= se is lighter, a lot more expensive and, in my opinion, are overrated. There= is a company in Amarillo, Texas that will take your David Clarks and turn t= hem into ANR's. I've found that the earpieces make a lot of difference. Oreg= on Aero makes good earpieces to fit most any headset.
 
My wife has hearing troubles and insists on ANR's. After all these years my=20= ears are pretty much shot anyway.

            &nbs= p;            &n= bsp;            =             &nbs= p;            &n= bsp;            =      Tom Travis
            &nbs= p;            &n= bsp;            =             &nbs= p;            &n= bsp;            =          

      
________________________________ Message 6 _____________________________________ Time: 08:24:55 PM PST US From: Rcaprd@aol.com Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: tailskid, brakeless groundhandling advice --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: Rcaprd@aol.com In a message dated 10/5/03 6:59:30 PM Central Daylight Time, douweblumberg@earthlink.net writes: << Anyone with brakelss, tailskid experience out there? >> Douwe, I have about 36 hrs on my Piet, with the plans built tail skid, short fuselage, and no brakes. It works suprisingly very well...ON THE GRASS. Take off, and landing were no problem (well almost), after I got some time in the seat. I always did run - up in the chocks, climb back out to remove the chocks, then climb back in. It was much easier if someone was around to help, but that wasn't always the case. Before I moved the wing back, with the Model A still on 'er, I would get some forward motion with about half power (maybe 1 or 2 mph), holding full forward stick to lighten up the tail, add full rudder, and she would just turn around like I had brakes to pivot 'er around at the wing tip. After moving the wing back 3 1/2" it would do the turn with the pivot point about 5' outboard of the wing tip. I'm here to say, that the short fuselage, Model A engine, no brakes and tail skid, the Pietenpol Aircamper handles very well - ON THE GRASS...ya just gotta stay ahead of the airplane. On hard surface, though, it's a totally different story...ya can't stay ahead of the plane if it doesn't take you to where you wanna go !! With a tail skid the tail just has a mind of it's own, on hard surface. Chuck Gantzer logged 2.3 hr flight today - Beautiful day to do two T.P. drops, take 7 aerial photos, and a lap around Cheeney lake !! Ten sail boats on the lake. ________________________________ Message 7 _____________________________________ Time: 09:28:31 PM PST US From: Rcaprd@aol.com Subject: Pietenpol-List: Fuel Tank Requirements --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: Rcaprd@aol.com I recently sent Ed G. some ideas on how I did my fuel tank...thought I might post it to the group. First, I set out my design criteria : 1) No fittings in the cowling, so there is no chance of fuel leaks inside the cowling, or passenger compartment. 2) In the tail down attitude (static laden) all the water in the fuel must make it's way out of the tank, to the gascolator. 3) Make use of every available cubic inch, for fuel quantity. 4) Simple, effective fuel quantity indicator, while in flight. - Cork / Wire in the filler cap of the cowling tank, like on a J3 Cub. Each of my two fuel caps also has a 1/4" copper ram tube J.B. welded into the caps, and 90 bend pointing into the slipstream, to keep a positive pressure in the tank. I made my fiberglass cowl tank with the flanges on the sides of the tank, to rest on the top of the longerons. The flanges are about 10 layers thick, with the layers laid 90 bend to the exterior of the tank. I used polyester resin, and at least 4 layers of fiberglass on both tanks. I used several extra layers around any fittings and mounts. I put a lot of time and thought into the mold for the tank. I made the inlet on the top left side, (at about 10 O'clock pilot's view), and made a fiberglass blister stand outboard of the cowling, to prevent posibility of leaks entering the cowling. The outlet is also outside of the cowling shelf, and points forward, through the firewall. The bottom of the tank slopes forward, while in the tail down attitude (as it sits in the hanger), so any water in the tank makes it's way all the way out of the tank, and into the gascolator (a very important design criteria). The aft bottom also has a step in it, that also sloaps forward, to make use of the space all the way back to the cabane cables. I used the aluminum 'weldable fittings' that AS&S sells, grinded the outboard ring off, and glassed them in at the inlet and outlet. On the outlet side, I modified a finger screen, so it threads into the 'weldable fitting', by taping the o.d. threads, and then install the 90 EL, which threads into the 'weldable fitting' on top of the finger screen. To service the finger screen, the 90 EL has to be removed first. As a result, I was able to squeeze a lot of fuel in the cowling tank. It holds 10.7 gals. I didn't know how much fuel it would hold, till I did a leak test, by setting it up at the gas pump, at the angle the tank sits in the plane with the tail down, and put one gallon in at a time, then dipping a stick into the fuel, to mark off each additional gallon. That's how I made my 'Fuel Quantity Indicator Stick'. I topped it all the way off, then put the full tank in my trunk, brought it home and left it sit for 3 or 4 days to check for leaks - No Leaks !! My wing tank holds 9.8 gals. so my total fuel onboard can be 20 gal. That's a lot of fuel. I don't think I could sit there long enough to burn that much fuel at a time, but on the way back from Oshkosh, I did do one 4 hr leg, and two 3 1/2 hr legs, and still had plenty of reserve. But you know what they say - "The only time you have too much fuel onboard, is when you're on fire !!" It was quite a chore to design and build this tank, but it all works very well, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. A note about fiberglass fuel tanks: It is of utmost importance, that you NEVER use any fuel with alcohol in it. It will soften the polyester resin, and you'll have to scrap the tank. My scanner stopped working, so I can't send you any pics. I sure wish I could send pics that I took, as it would easily explain what I've just put in text. Let me know if you have any other questions. Chuck G. From trees & rags, to Stick & Rudder - "Contact" hot mags, Pietenpol's are Forever !!