Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 06:53 AM - Re: Oshkosh - ride to dinner on thurs (bryanmmartin@comcast.net)
2. 12:11 PM - OT-Gotta Love the NTSB (Gig Giacona)
3. 02:22 PM - Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for those not at Oshkosh (Gary Ray)
4. 02:40 PM - Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for those not (Gig Giacona)
5. 02:56 PM - Re: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for those not at Oshkosh (Clyde Barcus)
6. 03:45 PM - Re: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for those not (Gary Ray)
7. 04:15 PM - Re: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for those not at Oshkosh (Ken Arnold)
8. 05:49 PM - Re: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for those not at Oshkosh (Gary Ray)
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| Subject: | Re: Oshkosh - ride to dinner on thurs |
I drove in this year instaid of flying, I can haulfour or five people in my truck.
Check at the Zenith booth, they might have info on rides.
----- Original Message -----
From: John Davis
Sent: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:31 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Zenith-List: Oshkosh - ride to dinner on thurs
Hi guys,
Is there anyone at oshkosh that i could hitch a ride with to the builders dinner
on thurs ?
My cell is 828-284-0459.
Thanks,
John davis
n601jd
16 hrs and counting..
--
Bryan Martin
do not archive
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| Subject: | OT-Gotta Love the NTSB |
OK the NTSB figures out that there are more birds now than when regulations that
set the max weight a airframe must withstand were set in the 70's. Not that
birds are bigger now just that there are more of them.
So what do they tell the FAA to do? Increase the max weight an airframe must withstand
from 4 to 8 pounds.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gP9TU4NOeKMni_YDrLaxj0-WXRZQD99NPT780
--------
W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=255131#255131
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| Subject: | Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for those |
not at Oshkosh
I just finished reading William's new publication, called "Flight
Operations Manual".
This is an indispensable collection of articles for all builders.
As I was reading it I just kept saying 'EXACTLY' in my mind over and
over.
When I started my project, I was not aware of any of these ideas. I
learned most of these lessons
as I went along. That was not the fastest or the least expensive way to
learn it.
This book will help keep your mind set right, increase safety, reduce
cost,
and affect the way you build, maintain, and fly your aircraft.
Other than always having dreams of flying since I can remember, my
background is not aviation related.
I was 16 years old before I flew in an aircraft. (a Cessna 210). I
built model aircraft on a meager budget when
I was a kid. I worked my way through college doing a variety of jobs
covering the spectrum from burying
people, maintaining a freezer warehouse at 20 degrees below zero,
building homes and driving dump trucks for
the City of Grand Rapids. I consider these jobs as character builders.
I started my flight lessons the first year out of college but put it on
hold when I learned a contract is only
as good as the word of the parties that sign it. Not wanting to repeat
this event in the
future I built and opened my own business. After 7 years it started to
make economic sense on paper so I
built another one with the same results. Anyway I was 47 before I got
back to flying.
I purchased a 1991 Grumman Tiger. It was perfect. A sports car feel
instead of the Cessna 172 stationwagon performance
that I trained in. As Rick Linstrom remarked in his article, it is a
two finger aircraft. It prepared me well for the
601XL that I would build and fly later. What the Tiger does in knots
the 601XL does in mph except at the top end
the Tiger is a little faster. But the view, light controls and
nimbleness are remarkably familiar.
I sold the Tiger because I always wanted to build an aircraft and two
aircraft at the same time might strain my marriage.
I wanted the legal freedom to do all of my own work. I realized I was
deficient in knowledge on the subject but I am trainable and eager
to learn.
I knew from the start that in my family, I am an aberration, the only
one that possessed the flight gene. I was not going to get
any help during the construction. I knew this from previous testing on
my two children. I offered flight lessons in the Tiger if
they wanted to learn to fly and got a clear 'negative' response from
both of them. I expected the same response for the building process
and was not surprised. This meant that I would have to choose an
aircraft project that I could complete by myself.
I had plans for the Sonex and went to the builders workshop. They are a
very professional family run organization as is Zenith. When looking
for suitable engines I came across a link to William's FlyCorvair Web
site. After I read the information on his website and the Corvair
Construction Manual I knew which engine I was going to use. The manual
was packed with practical information and the rational for why it should
be done a certain way. It was refreshing and a major step in the right
direction. The Sonex had a limitation of 200 lbs for the FWF
installation where the Zenith 601XL would accept a 300 lb installation.
So my decision suddenly became much easier.
William chose the 601XL as a test bed about the same time. I don't
recall which came first but it was welcome news to me.
My kit arrived in mid-March 2004 within a couple days of my birthday.
What a present! I rented a trailer large enough to pick it up at the
freight depot, unpacked and inventoried everything for the next two days
and safely stored it in the basement of my Veterinary Clinic which I
designed 17 years earlier
to provide an access to the basement that would be able to handle this
future event. In the next 9 weeks, I completed both wings and the
tail section in my personal business office, a 10 x 18 foot space. I
did this between client appointments and before and after work.
It's amazing how much wasted time is in an ordinary business day. I
averaged about 2.5 - 3 hours/day.
The airframe was completed in 10 months. I had never built anything
with metal prior to this. It took a little over 1-1/2 years to complete
the electrical, and Firewall Forward items. Much of this time I waited
for William to complete the production and testing of the recommended
systems and parts. When it came to the engine and FWF package, I wanted
it to be strictly setup as designed by William Wynne.
In spite of this criteria, I still unknowingly took a few expensive
missteps which William corrected before I wrecked my project.
What local shops said they could do was not good enough for a flight
engine. Their work became money down the drain. On the other hand
everything I ever purchased from William has worked as he said it would.
The electrical and avionics took more time than I expected and helped
keep me busy.
During the construction time, I read more than I did in the first four
years of college. I studied the plans before I moved on to the next
section. I read and planned the electrical system with the help of Bob
Nuckoll's Book @ aeroelectric.com and I looked for avionics solutions
and parts.
For those of you that are new builders, it is much easier now. The
systems are worked out, and the parts are beautiful CNC pieces off the
shelf with proven track records and many flight hours of success. You
have access to professionally built engines and FWF parts from William
Wynne @ www.flycorvair.com , Falcon Heads, and 5th bearings, not to
mention the advances in light weight avionics at very reasonable prices
and CNC pre-punched parts as standard items in the kits offered by
Zenith.
Just a few years ago, this was not the case.
Your project can be built better and quicker because of these advances.
Still, a project of this size is composed of solving thousands of
smaller problems, each one brings you a sense of satisfaction when you
know you have it right and it gets you that much closer to flying your
creation. With this transition to flight, you begin on a entirely new
adventure, new problems, and a new sense of accomplishment.
Looking back, this has completed a life ambition, it has been and still
is a work of art, it is an intellectual mind saver, and a wonderful
escape from the day-to-day hum-drum where 95 percent of daily events are
repetitious. Part of the reason I do this is because it is hard to do
it right. I have to work at it, but that is also why I feel such a
sense of accomplishment. It might be that I just like to see the world
from a higher perspective that only pilots ever get to experience. The
best part for me is the second that my wheels leave the ground followed
shortly by a climbing turn onto my selected course as I watch the earth
drop away.
As the Stock Trading Baby commercial says, Burrrrrrrp.....if I can do
it, anybody can.
Gary Ray, 601XL, WW Corvair Engine, 0.060 over, Falcon Heads, Roy
Szarafinski's 5th bearing, 105 hours TT
davgray@sbcglobal.net
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| Subject: | Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for those |
not
Where is this ""Flight Operations Manual" of which you speak? I can't find anything
about it at flycorvair.com.
--------
W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=255152#255152
Message 5
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| Subject: | Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for |
those not at Oshkosh
Hi Gary
I learned to fly in a Grumman Tiger, frankly, it was a challenge but it
did teach me the importance of speed control and a light touch, I
believe that experience will be an asset when I finish my 601. I really
loved the Grumman which was the primary reason for building a low wing
aircraft, I just could not afford to keep it but I think my 601 will
serve me well.
I built a Corvair engine after attending two Corvair Colleges, actually,
William stopped by my place on the way to other visits up north. My only
reason for selling my Corvair was family, they made it clear they would
not fly with me unless it was powered by an aircraft engine. Anyhow, I
can't wait to finish and fly a very responsive plane, flying within it's
design limitations, of course.
Regards
Clyde
Do Not Archive
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Ray
To: zenith-list@matronics.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 2:18 PM
Subject: Zenith-List: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long
post for those not at Oshkosh
I just finished reading William's new publication, called "Flight
Operations Manual".
This is an indispensable collection of articles for all builders.
As I was reading it I just kept saying 'EXACTLY' in my mind over and
over.
When I started my project, I was not aware of any of these ideas. I
learned most of these lessons
as I went along. That was not the fastest or the least expensive way
to learn it.
This book will help keep your mind set right, increase safety, reduce
cost,
and affect the way you build, maintain, and fly your aircraft.
Other than always having dreams of flying since I can remember, my
background is not aviation related.
I was 16 years old before I flew in an aircraft. (a Cessna 210). I
built model aircraft on a meager budget when
I was a kid. I worked my way through college doing a variety of jobs
covering the spectrum from burying
people, maintaining a freezer warehouse at 20 degrees below zero,
building homes and driving dump trucks for
the City of Grand Rapids. I consider these jobs as character
builders.
I started my flight lessons the first year out of college but put it
on hold when I learned a contract is only
as good as the word of the parties that sign it. Not wanting to
repeat this event in the
future I built and opened my own business. After 7 years it started
to make economic sense on paper so I
built another one with the same results. Anyway I was 47 before I got
back to flying.
I purchased a 1991 Grumman Tiger. It was perfect. A sports car feel
instead of the Cessna 172 stationwagon performance
that I trained in. As Rick Linstrom remarked in his article, it is a
two finger aircraft. It prepared me well for the
601XL that I would build and fly later. What the Tiger does in knots
the 601XL does in mph except at the top end
the Tiger is a little faster. But the view, light controls and
nimbleness are remarkably familiar.
I sold the Tiger because I always wanted to build an aircraft and two
aircraft at the same time might strain my marriage.
I wanted the legal freedom to do all of my own work. I realized I was
deficient in knowledge on the subject but I am trainable and eager
to learn.
I knew from the start that in my family, I am an aberration, the only
one that possessed the flight gene. I was not going to get
any help during the construction. I knew this from previous testing
on my two children. I offered flight lessons in the Tiger if
they wanted to learn to fly and got a clear 'negative' response from
both of them. I expected the same response for the building process
and was not surprised. This meant that I would have to choose an
aircraft project that I could complete by myself.
I had plans for the Sonex and went to the builders workshop. They are
a very professional family run organization as is Zenith. When looking
for suitable engines I came across a link to William's FlyCorvair Web
site. After I read the information on his website and the Corvair
Construction Manual I knew which engine I was going to use. The manual
was packed with practical information and the rational for why it should
be done a certain way. It was refreshing and a major step in the right
direction. The Sonex had a limitation of 200 lbs for the FWF
installation where the Zenith 601XL would accept a 300 lb
installation. So my decision suddenly became much easier.
William chose the 601XL as a test bed about the same time. I don't
recall which came first but it was welcome news to me.
My kit arrived in mid-March 2004 within a couple days of my birthday.
What a present! I rented a trailer large enough to pick it up at the
freight depot, unpacked and inventoried everything for the next two days
and safely stored it in the basement of my Veterinary Clinic which I
designed 17 years earlier
to provide an access to the basement that would be able to handle this
future event. In the next 9 weeks, I completed both wings and the
tail section in my personal business office, a 10 x 18 foot space. I
did this between client appointments and before and after work.
It's amazing how much wasted time is in an ordinary business day. I
averaged about 2.5 - 3 hours/day.
The airframe was completed in 10 months. I had never built anything
with metal prior to this. It took a little over 1-1/2 years to complete
the electrical, and Firewall Forward items. Much of this time I
waited for William to complete the production and testing of the
recommended
systems and parts. When it came to the engine and FWF package, I
wanted it to be strictly setup as designed by William Wynne.
In spite of this criteria, I still unknowingly took a few expensive
missteps which William corrected before I wrecked my project.
What local shops said they could do was not good enough for a flight
engine. Their work became money down the drain. On the other hand
everything I ever purchased from William has worked as he said it
would.
The electrical and avionics took more time than I expected and helped
keep me busy.
During the construction time, I read more than I did in the first four
years of college. I studied the plans before I moved on to the next
section. I read and planned the electrical system with the help of Bob
Nuckoll's Book @ aeroelectric.com and I looked for avionics solutions
and parts.
For those of you that are new builders, it is much easier now. The
systems are worked out, and the parts are beautiful CNC pieces off the
shelf with proven track records and many flight hours of success. You
have access to professionally built engines and FWF parts from William
Wynne @ www.flycorvair.com , Falcon Heads, and 5th bearings, not to
mention the advances in light weight avionics at very reasonable prices
and CNC pre-punched parts as standard items in the kits offered by
Zenith.
Just a few years ago, this was not the case.
Your project can be built better and quicker because of these
advances.
Still, a project of this size is composed of solving thousands of
smaller problems, each one brings you a sense of satisfaction when you
know you have it right and it gets you that much closer to flying your
creation. With this transition to flight, you begin on a entirely new
adventure, new problems, and a new sense of accomplishment.
Looking back, this has completed a life ambition, it has been and
still is a work of art, it is an intellectual mind saver, and a
wonderful escape from the day-to-day hum-drum where 95 percent of daily
events are repetitious. Part of the reason I do this is because it is
hard to do it right. I have to work at it, but that is also why I feel
such a sense of accomplishment. It might be that I just like to see the
world from a higher perspective that only pilots ever get to experience.
The best part for me is the second that my wheels leave the ground
followed shortly by a climbing turn onto my selected course as I watch
the earth drop away.
As the Stock Trading Baby commercial says, Burrrrrrrp.....if I can do
it, anybody can.
Gary Ray, 601XL, WW Corvair Engine, 0.060 over, Falcon Heads, Roy
Szarafinski's 5th bearing, 105 hours TT
davgray@sbcglobal.net
Message 6
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| Subject: | Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for |
those not
Gig
It is a new publication that is available at Oshkosh.
I would think they will have it up when they get back.
I think the ink was still hot on my copy.
Gary Ray
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gig Giacona" <wrgiacona@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 5:39 PM
Subject: Zenith-List: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for
those not
>
> Where is this ""Flight Operations Manual" of which you speak? I can't find
anything about it at flycorvair.com.
>
> --------
> W.R. "Gig" Giacona
> 601XL Under Construction
> See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR
>
>
> Read this topic online here:
>
> http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=255152#255152
>
>
Message 7
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| Subject: | Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for |
those not at Oshkosh
Hey Gary,
Great background. Did you join the XL601 test project?
Regards,
Ken
do not archive
How big is this manual?
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Ray
To: zenith-list@matronics.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 5:18 PM
Subject: Zenith-List: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long
post for those not at Oshkosh
I just finished reading William's new publication, called "Flight
Operations Manual".
This is an indispensable collection of articles for all builders.
As I was reading it I just kept saying 'EXACTLY' in my mind over and
over.
When I started my project, I was not aware of any of these ideas. I
learned most of these lessons
as I went along. That was not the fastest or the least expensive way
to learn it.
This book will help keep your mind set right, increase safety, reduce
cost,
and affect the way you build, maintain, and fly your aircraft.
Other than always having dreams of flying since I can remember, my
background is not aviation related.
I was 16 years old before I flew in an aircraft. (a Cessna 210). I
built model aircraft on a meager budget when
I was a kid. I worked my way through college doing a variety of jobs
covering the spectrum from burying
people, maintaining a freezer warehouse at 20 degrees below zero,
building homes and driving dump trucks for
the City of Grand Rapids. I consider these jobs as character
builders.
I started my flight lessons the first year out of college but put it
on hold when I learned a contract is only
as good as the word of the parties that sign it. Not wanting to
repeat this event in the
future I built and opened my own business. After 7 years it started
to make economic sense on paper so I
built another one with the same results. Anyway I was 47 before I got
back to flying.
I purchased a 1991 Grumman Tiger. It was perfect. A sports car feel
instead of the Cessna 172 stationwagon performance
that I trained in. As Rick Linstrom remarked in his article, it is a
two finger aircraft. It prepared me well for the
601XL that I would build and fly later. What the Tiger does in knots
the 601XL does in mph except at the top end
the Tiger is a little faster. But the view, light controls and
nimbleness are remarkably familiar.
I sold the Tiger because I always wanted to build an aircraft and two
aircraft at the same time might strain my marriage.
I wanted the legal freedom to do all of my own work. I realized I was
deficient in knowledge on the subject but I am trainable and eager
to learn.
I knew from the start that in my family, I am an aberration, the only
one that possessed the flight gene. I was not going to get
any help during the construction. I knew this from previous testing
on my two children. I offered flight lessons in the Tiger if
they wanted to learn to fly and got a clear 'negative' response from
both of them. I expected the same response for the building process
and was not surprised. This meant that I would have to choose an
aircraft project that I could complete by myself.
I had plans for the Sonex and went to the builders workshop. They are
a very professional family run organization as is Zenith. When looking
for suitable engines I came across a link to William's FlyCorvair Web
site. After I read the information on his website and the Corvair
Construction Manual I knew which engine I was going to use. The manual
was packed with practical information and the rational for why it should
be done a certain way. It was refreshing and a major step in the right
direction. The Sonex had a limitation of 200 lbs for the FWF
installation where the Zenith 601XL would accept a 300 lb
installation. So my decision suddenly became much easier.
William chose the 601XL as a test bed about the same time. I don't
recall which came first but it was welcome news to me.
My kit arrived in mid-March 2004 within a couple days of my birthday.
What a present! I rented a trailer large enough to pick it up at the
freight depot, unpacked and inventoried everything for the next two days
and safely stored it in the basement of my Veterinary Clinic which I
designed 17 years earlier
to provide an access to the basement that would be able to handle this
future event. In the next 9 weeks, I completed both wings and the
tail section in my personal business office, a 10 x 18 foot space. I
did this between client appointments and before and after work.
It's amazing how much wasted time is in an ordinary business day. I
averaged about 2.5 - 3 hours/day.
The airframe was completed in 10 months. I had never built anything
with metal prior to this. It took a little over 1-1/2 years to complete
the electrical, and Firewall Forward items. Much of this time I
waited for William to complete the production and testing of the
recommended
systems and parts. When it came to the engine and FWF package, I
wanted it to be strictly setup as designed by William Wynne.
In spite of this criteria, I still unknowingly took a few expensive
missteps which William corrected before I wrecked my project.
What local shops said they could do was not good enough for a flight
engine. Their work became money down the drain. On the other hand
everything I ever purchased from William has worked as he said it
would.
The electrical and avionics took more time than I expected and helped
keep me busy.
During the construction time, I read more than I did in the first four
years of college. I studied the plans before I moved on to the next
section. I read and planned the electrical system with the help of Bob
Nuckoll's Book @ aeroelectric.com and I looked for avionics solutions
and parts.
For those of you that are new builders, it is much easier now. The
systems are worked out, and the parts are beautiful CNC pieces off the
shelf with proven track records and many flight hours of success. You
have access to professionally built engines and FWF parts from William
Wynne @ www.flycorvair.com , Falcon Heads, and 5th bearings, not to
mention the advances in light weight avionics at very reasonable prices
and CNC pre-punched parts as standard items in the kits offered by
Zenith.
Just a few years ago, this was not the case.
Your project can be built better and quicker because of these
advances.
Still, a project of this size is composed of solving thousands of
smaller problems, each one brings you a sense of satisfaction when you
know you have it right and it gets you that much closer to flying your
creation. With this transition to flight, you begin on a entirely new
adventure, new problems, and a new sense of accomplishment.
Looking back, this has completed a life ambition, it has been and
still is a work of art, it is an intellectual mind saver, and a
wonderful escape from the day-to-day hum-drum where 95 percent of daily
events are repetitious. Part of the reason I do this is because it is
hard to do it right. I have to work at it, but that is also why I feel
such a sense of accomplishment. It might be that I just like to see the
world from a higher perspective that only pilots ever get to experience.
The best part for me is the second that my wheels leave the ground
followed shortly by a climbing turn onto my selected course as I watch
the earth drop away.
As the Stock Trading Baby commercial says, Burrrrrrrp.....if I can do
it, anybody can.
Gary Ray, 601XL, WW Corvair Engine, 0.060 over, Falcon Heads, Roy
Szarafinski's 5th bearing, 105 hours TT
davgray@sbcglobal.net
Message 8
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| Subject: | Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long post for |
those not at Oshkosh
The Flight Operations Manual is 85 pages and just as interesting and
useful as the engine manual.
Since I don't know what the XL601 test project is, I probably did not.
I did do my test flights including the first.
During the early flight testing I experienced things like the following:
The first surprise was that the 7.5 A fuse in the flap circuit blew on
the first flight
without deploying any flaps. I checked it for any problems, found none
and changed it to a 15 A, never had trouble again. I think
the flight loads make a difference in the current draw of the electric
flap motor. This did not concern me at the time as a flapless
landing is quite easy at 601XL landing speeds.
Also I found that my aircraft displays neutral stability. It does not
return to level flight after being disturbed. I am contemplating
reducing the incidence of the horizontal stabilizer but will wait until
I hear the plans from Zenith on any wing mods.
The 650 model has effectively done this with the change in wing
incidence.
I found a pilot could turn on both fuel pumps at the same time which the
carburetor did not like so I changed the wiring to an either/or but
not both setup. I did this prior to the first flight.
I used some time trying to work out a solution for the Ellison
Carburetor but decided to switch to a MA3-SPA after 19 flight hours.
It was running too lean at WOT settings on my 2700cc engine. From what
I could find out on the Ellison website under the VW section was
the EFS3A likes a 3000 cc or larger engine to avoid this. A couple
things that the Ellison does better is a smoother cold winter idle warm
up and it atomizes the fuel more evenly when leaned.
At this time, I have an aircraft and engine that has been debugged which
gives me a large degree of confidence in the system when I fly. But I
still do not fly over Lake Michigan or in any weather that may put me in
a situation that is below my personal minimums. I do not fly in MVFR
conditions since that depends too much on the big sky theory of
collision avoidance and on the theory that the sky is in the same
condition everywhere. I am IFR rated but not current and my aircraft is
not setup for IFR flight. It is just good enough to safely keep the
greasy side down during any inadvertent IMC encounters until I do my 180
degree standard rate turn and exit.
Fly with prudence.
Gary Ray
----- Original Message -----
From: Ken Arnold
To: zenith-list@matronics.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 7:04 PM
Subject: Re: Zenith-List: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long
post for those not at Oshkosh
Hey Gary,
Great background. Did you join the XL601 test project?
Regards,
Ken
do not archive
How big is this manual?
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Ray
To: zenith-list@matronics.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 5:18 PM
Subject: Zenith-List: Re: WW's New Flight Operations Manual-- Long
post for those not at Oshkosh
I just finished reading William's new publication, called "Flight
Operations Manual".
This is an indispensable collection of articles for all builders.
As I was reading it I just kept saying 'EXACTLY' in my mind over and
over.
When I started my project, I was not aware of any of these ideas. I
learned most of these lessons
as I went along. That was not the fastest or the least expensive
way to learn it.
This book will help keep your mind set right, increase safety,
reduce cost,
and affect the way you build, maintain, and fly your aircraft.
Other than always having dreams of flying since I can remember, my
background is not aviation related.
I was 16 years old before I flew in an aircraft. (a Cessna 210). I
built model aircraft on a meager budget when
I was a kid. I worked my way through college doing a variety of
jobs covering the spectrum from burying
people, maintaining a freezer warehouse at 20 degrees below zero,
building homes and driving dump trucks for
the City of Grand Rapids. I consider these jobs as character
builders.
I started my flight lessons the first year out of college but put it
on hold when I learned a contract is only
as good as the word of the parties that sign it. Not wanting to
repeat this event in the
future I built and opened my own business. After 7 years it started
to make economic sense on paper so I
built another one with the same results. Anyway I was 47 before I
got back to flying.
I purchased a 1991 Grumman Tiger. It was perfect. A sports car
feel instead of the Cessna 172 stationwagon performance
that I trained in. As Rick Linstrom remarked in his article, it is
a two finger aircraft. It prepared me well for the
601XL that I would build and fly later. What the Tiger does in
knots the 601XL does in mph except at the top end
the Tiger is a little faster. But the view, light controls and
nimbleness are remarkably familiar.
I sold the Tiger because I always wanted to build an aircraft and
two aircraft at the same time might strain my marriage.
I wanted the legal freedom to do all of my own work. I realized I
was deficient in knowledge on the subject but I am trainable and eager
to learn.
I knew from the start that in my family, I am an aberration, the
only one that possessed the flight gene. I was not going to get
any help during the construction. I knew this from previous testing
on my two children. I offered flight lessons in the Tiger if
they wanted to learn to fly and got a clear 'negative' response from
both of them. I expected the same response for the building process
and was not surprised. This meant that I would have to choose an
aircraft project that I could complete by myself.
I had plans for the Sonex and went to the builders workshop. They
are a very professional family run organization as is Zenith. When
looking
for suitable engines I came across a link to William's FlyCorvair
Web site. After I read the information on his website and the Corvair
Construction Manual I knew which engine I was going to use. The manual
was packed with practical information and the rational for why it should
be done a certain way. It was refreshing and a major step in the right
direction. The Sonex had a limitation of 200 lbs for the FWF
installation where the Zenith 601XL would accept a 300 lb
installation. So my decision suddenly became much easier.
William chose the 601XL as a test bed about the same time. I don't
recall which came first but it was welcome news to me.
My kit arrived in mid-March 2004 within a couple days of my
birthday. What a present! I rented a trailer large enough to pick it
up at the freight depot, unpacked and inventoried everything for the
next two days and safely stored it in the basement of my Veterinary
Clinic which I designed 17 years earlier
to provide an access to the basement that would be able to handle
this future event. In the next 9 weeks, I completed both wings and the
tail section in my personal business office, a 10 x 18 foot space.
I did this between client appointments and before and after work.
It's amazing how much wasted time is in an ordinary business day. I
averaged about 2.5 - 3 hours/day.
The airframe was completed in 10 months. I had never built anything
with metal prior to this. It took a little over 1-1/2 years to complete
the electrical, and Firewall Forward items. Much of this time I
waited for William to complete the production and testing of the
recommended
systems and parts. When it came to the engine and FWF package, I
wanted it to be strictly setup as designed by William Wynne.
In spite of this criteria, I still unknowingly took a few expensive
missteps which William corrected before I wrecked my project.
What local shops said they could do was not good enough for a flight
engine. Their work became money down the drain. On the other hand
everything I ever purchased from William has worked as he said it
would.
The electrical and avionics took more time than I expected and
helped keep me busy.
During the construction time, I read more than I did in the first
four years of college. I studied the plans before I moved on to the
next section. I read and planned the electrical system with the help of
Bob Nuckoll's Book @ aeroelectric.com and I looked for avionics
solutions and parts.
For those of you that are new builders, it is much easier now. The
systems are worked out, and the parts are beautiful CNC pieces off the
shelf with proven track records and many flight hours of success. You
have access to professionally built engines and FWF parts from William
Wynne @ www.flycorvair.com , Falcon Heads, and 5th bearings, not to
mention the advances in light weight avionics at very reasonable prices
and CNC pre-punched parts as standard items in the kits offered by
Zenith.
Just a few years ago, this was not the case.
Your project can be built better and quicker because of these
advances.
Still, a project of this size is composed of solving thousands of
smaller problems, each one brings you a sense of satisfaction when you
know you have it right and it gets you that much closer to flying your
creation. With this transition to flight, you begin on a entirely new
adventure, new problems, and a new sense of accomplishment.
Looking back, this has completed a life ambition, it has been and
still is a work of art, it is an intellectual mind saver, and a
wonderful escape from the day-to-day hum-drum where 95 percent of daily
events are repetitious. Part of the reason I do this is because it is
hard to do it right. I have to work at it, but that is also why I feel
such a sense of accomplishment. It might be that I just like to see the
world from a higher perspective that only pilots ever get to experience.
The best part for me is the second that my wheels leave the ground
followed shortly by a climbing turn onto my selected course as I watch
the earth drop away.
As the Stock Trading Baby commercial says, Burrrrrrrp.....if I can
do it, anybody can.
Gary Ray, 601XL, WW Corvair Engine, 0.060 over, Falcon Heads, Roy
Szarafinski's 5th bearing, 105 hours TT
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