---------------------------------------------------------- Zenith701801-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Fri 03/25/11: 1 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 10:17 AM - Float Update? (John Swartout) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 10:17:12 AM PST US Subject: Zenith701801-List: Float Update? From: John Swartout Dear Bill, You have some more float time on your Full Lotus floats now, and I have a few questions. I've got my new 10 ft. horizontal tail about done, and so I'm back to looking at the firewall/cabin area to make sure there will be a good strut attach arrangement before I hang the engine for (hopefully) the last time. Regarding the way the struts are attached to the floats, it looks like you attached the struts at the center stiffener tube. The CZAW plans show the Zenair floats cantilevered outboard of the strut fittings, with the float centers spaced 2.00m apart. Did you keep that same spacing between floats?, which would either splay the angle of the struts to the fuselage centerline, or require longer struts. Or did you keep the strut lengths and angles the same, thus moving the floats closer together? (I know you initially set the reference line/float top angle at around 7 degrees, which would lengthen the forward struts about 4", all else being equal.) What is the diameter of the stiffener tubes? I couldn't find it on the Full Lotus website, and don't know if it's greater than the diameter of the tubes in the 1450 or 1650 floats. A guy who has mounted over 40 airplanes on floats, including some Full Lotus installations, told me that these bigger planes on longer Full Lotus floats should really use an "M" strut pattern rather than an "N" pattern, to get the forward strut farther forward and the aft strut farther aft on the float, minimizing the unsupported fore- and aft sections of the floats and thereby minimizing flexing of the stiffener tubes. There is a picture of a Murphy Rebel using this arrangement at www.lightsportaircraft.ca/murphy-rebel-pilotreport.html. Have you found a lack of stiffness in the floats to be a problem using the "N" pattern? Finally, have you found a satisfactory fix for the forward top strut attachment issue? Thanks. John ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message zenith701801-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/Zenith701801-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/zenith701801-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/zenith701801-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.