---------------------------------------------------------- Pietenpol-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Mon 12/19/05: 9 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 08:00 AM - Christmas book idea (Oscar Zuniga) 2. 10:43 AM - brass tarnish (Oscar Zuniga) 3. 11:10 AM - Re: brass tarnish (harvey rule) 4. 04:19 PM - Re: brass tarnish (Michael McCarty) 5. 06:34 PM - building video (Oscar Zuniga) 6. 07:24 PM - Re: building video (Rick Holland) 7. 09:00 PM - Re: building video () 8. 10:29 PM - Re: building video (Rcaprd@aol.com) 9. 10:54 PM - Re: pesky elevator cable (Philip Miller) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 08:00:09 AM PST US From: "Oscar Zuniga" Subject: Pietenpol-List: Christmas book idea --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Oscar Zuniga" For those who might be looking for a stocking stuffer book idea, try Russell Hitt's book "Jungle Pilot" (available from Amazon.com, among others). Corvair/KR builder-pilot Bill Clapp would certainly know what this book is about; the life of missionary pilot Nate Saint, a pilot with Missionary Aviation Fellowship who died in Ecuador. If you've looked at Glenda McElwee's website, she mentions a trip that she and Bill are planning to fly, down to Ecuador. Bill is familiar with that part of the world! Nate Saint developed an ingenious backup fuel system for use in small, single-engine aircraft that are flown over inhospitable terrain. Missionary Aviation Fellowship used this system on aircraft that they operated, and for all I know they may still be using it. Nate felt that there were enough incidents and accidents caused by fuel system problems that a backup system was justified, so he developed a scheme that uses a small auxiliary fuel tank piped directly to the engine intake, bypassing the fuel selector valve, gascolator, and everything else that can get crudded up along the way. It's controlled by a manual valve, similar to mixture control. He also developed an ingenious way to lower things from a circling airplane to the ground below, using a line and bucket, but that would be giving away the details in the book... ;o) Oscar Zuniga San Antonio, TX mailto: taildrags@hotmail.com website at http://www.flysquirrel.net ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 10:43:12 AM PST US From: "Oscar Zuniga" Subject: Pietenpol-List: brass tarnish --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Oscar Zuniga" For those of you who may have brass radiator parts or brass near the engine, I understand that brass will tarnish quicker if it's subjected to higher temperatures (such as on the radiator). Is this the case? Is there any way to keep it shiny other than frequent polishing with Brasso or equivalent? Thanks. Oscar Zuniga San Antonio, TX mailto: taildrags@hotmail.com website at http://www.flysquirrel.net ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 11:10:31 AM PST US From: harvey rule Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: brass tarnish --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: harvey rule I have urathaned(not sure of spelling) brass in order to keep it shiny.I have no idea how that would react to the heat though.Did a fine job on my post box.Brass gets tarnished from oxidization.Keep that away and you got something.Oxygen buggers everything up sooner or later. Oscar Zuniga wrote: > > --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Oscar Zuniga" > > For those of you who may have brass radiator parts or brass near the engine, > I understand that brass will tarnish quicker if it's subjected to higher > temperatures (such as on the radiator). Is this the case? Is there any way > to keep it shiny other than frequent polishing with Brasso or equivalent? > > Thanks. > > Oscar Zuniga > San Antonio, TX > mailto: taildrags@hotmail.com > website at http://www.flysquirrel.net > > > > > ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 04:19:40 PM PST US From: "Michael McCarty" Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: brass tarnish --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Michael McCarty" > For those of you who may have brass radiator parts or brass near the engine, > I understand that brass will tarnish quicker if it's subjected to higher > temperatures (such as on the radiator). Is this the case? Is there any way > to keep it shiny other than frequent polishing with Brasso or equivalent? I doubt that the usual lacquer or urethane clear coats would stand up to the radiator heat. My wife would say to polish it with olive oil, but I'm sure that would attract dust. You might want to try a good automotive paste wax. -Mac ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 06:34:38 PM PST US From: "Oscar Zuniga" Subject: Pietenpol-List: building video --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Oscar Zuniga" I realize I've about worn out my welcome here, but I note one more item that could be mentioned. To locate the mounting position of the elevator bellcrank behind the pilot's seat, on Dwg. #1 (dated 1-19-33 in my plans set), the centerline of the pivot shaft is dimensioned as 7" up from the lower edge of the lower longeron. On Dwg. #4 (dated 2-26-34) the detail of the same bellcrank shows that dimension as 9". Is there a 2" discrepancy, or am I missing something? If you use pulleys under the pilot's seat to direct the elevator cables to the bellcrank (rather than holes drilled in the seat framing), go for the higher mounting location for the bellcrank shaft if you're looking to avoid having the aileron cables rub on the LE of the horiz. stabilizer. As a matter of fact, if anyone is interested in what it takes to change the geometry to eliminate the "pesky elevator cable" problem, I've drawn it up in AutoCAD to illustrate the problem and I can post some images on my website. For those who have the video of Chuck's Piet flying and having fun, watch the elevator cables as Chuck puts his airplane through its paces and he shows you the view out the back. He has some sort of anti-chafe tape on the LE of his HS where the cables contact it. Note also the differential tension (or slack) in the upper and lower cables... all of which can be eliminated by making some slight dimensional changes in the bellcrank and its mounting position. Nevertheless... there is that 2" discrepancy between the mounting locations shown on two different plan sheets. Merry Christmas to all you low 'n' slow fliers... Oscar Zuniga San Antonio, TX mailto: taildrags@hotmail.com website at http://www.flysquirrel.net ________________________________ Message 6 _____________________________________ Time: 07:24:41 PM PST US From: Rick Holland Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: building video Never noticed the 2" difference until you mentioned it Oscar. I guess I was looking at drawing #4 the day I installed my bellcrank (fortunately). How high do you place it to eliminate the cable problem? Rick H. On 12/19/05, Oscar Zuniga wrote: > > --> Pietenpol-List message posted by: "Oscar Zuniga" < > taildrags@hotmail.com> > > I realize I've about worn out my welcome here, but I note one more item > that > could be mentioned. > > To locate the mounting position of the elevator bellcrank behind the > pilot's > seat, on Dwg. #1 (dated 1-19-33 in my plans set), the centerline of the > pivot shaft is dimensioned as 7" up from the lower edge of the lower > longeron. On Dwg. #4 (dated 2-26-34) the detail of the same bellcrank > shows > that dimension as 9". Is there a 2" discrepancy, or am I missing > something? > > If you use pulleys under the pilot's seat to direct the elevator cables to > the bellcrank (rather than holes drilled in the seat framing), go for the > higher mounting location for the bellcrank shaft if you're looking to > avoid > having the aileron cables rub on the LE of the horiz. stabilizer. As a > matter of fact, if anyone is interested in what it takes to change the > geometry to eliminate the "pesky elevator cable" problem, I've drawn it up > in AutoCAD to illustrate the problem and I can post some images on my > website. For those who have the video of Chuck's Piet flying and having > fun, watch the elevator cables as Chuck puts his airplane through its > paces > and he shows you the view out the back. He has some sort of anti-chafe > tape > on the LE of his HS where the cables contact it. Note also the > differential > tension (or slack) in the upper and lower cables... all of which can be > eliminated by making some slight dimensional changes in the bellcrank and > its mounting position. Nevertheless... there is that 2" discrepancy > between > the mounting locations shown on two different plan sheets. > > Merry Christmas to all you low 'n' slow fliers... > > Oscar Zuniga > San Antonio, TX > mailto: taildrags@hotmail.com > website at http://www.flysquirrel.net > > > > -- Rick Holland ________________________________ Message 7 _____________________________________ Time: 09:00:06 PM PST US From: Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: building video From experience I can tell you that raising the bellcrank 1 inch is NOT enough to allow the cables to clear the stabilizer. Greg Cardinal ----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Holland Never noticed the 2" difference until you mentioned it Oscar. I guess I was looking at drawing #4 the day I installed my bellcrank (fortunately). How high do you place it to eliminate the cable problem? Rick H. ________________________________ Message 8 _____________________________________ Time: 10:29:04 PM PST US From: Rcaprd@aol.com Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: building video I built my bellcrank to the '34 plans location, Dwg. #4 (dated 2-26-34) with the 9" call out, and used a piece of thick leather on the L.E. of the horizontal stab as the anti-chafe. That's what Oscar saw in the video. I also used a piece of hardwood under the seat, where the stick to bellcrank cables change direction...no pulleys. I chose the plans method, because it was simple, it has worked on so many other planes over the years, and didn't want to spend all the time and effort to change the design...just "Git 'er done". It has always been my opinion, however, that if there was one place in the design of the Pietenpol that could be improved, this is it. None of the control surfaces are mass balanced, and the possibility of flutter has always concerned me, especially with so much slack in the lower cable with the flippers in the neutral position. Having said that, I've had my plane over 100 mph indicated in a shallow dive, and with the ASI error removed, it was probably more like 110 mph. Absolutely NO flutter was indicated, even with the design slack in the lower flipper cable. We (Lynn Knoll and I) were at gross weight, and chasing a confounded streamer of Toilet Paper !! Hey Lynn...did you know we were on a test flight ??? :) Chuck G. NX770CG ________________________________ Message 9 _____________________________________ Time: 10:54:31 PM PST US From: "Philip Miller" Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: pesky elevator cable Thanks Oscar! John's "Mountain Piet" was just what I was looking for, at least for the elevator system. The workmanship on that plane is awesome (and I use that word in it's dictionary sense). I've looked at the Brit page before and it is very good. I particularly like the way they often combine spoked wheels with tubed LG. That just makes a lot of sense to me. You guys are great for coming up with the answers. Phil Miller Altadena, CA