Life with a Van's RV
An American small business championing the fun and friends that come with
Van's RV
aircraft ownership.
Published weekdays by
Doug Reeves.Home
of the
VAF Forums
(register).
Online since 1998.
random photo by doug
reeves (unless noted on image)
Fri 03.12.10 1323z Got in some loops and rolls
Thursday before lunch, then shot a practice (VFR) GPS 17 approach into
KDTO. Logged .4 - first flight in a good many days. Workflow
on
the 430Ws and G3X starting to come together.
Open house up at school 6:30pm later in the day, but Tate had
developed a slight fever from a bug he caught, so I rode the scooter up
to the school to get the
work he was going to show us and brought it home. When Susie got
home from the yoga class she was teaching we had our own open house
presentation there in the living room on the floor. And since this
is a hobby that revolves around family and friends with a little flying
thrown in, I thought I would offer up our son's project online for you
to enjoy.
View it HERE.
This morning he's still sick and now his ear hurts, so today it's a
doctor trip and rest. The spousal unit is doing a continuing
education thing for the next three days, so it looks like I'm gonna miss
the
RV gathering and tour Saturday out in Olney at the Air Tractor, Inc.
factory. Kids before planes. Somebody take
pictures and send me the URL please <g>.
I got to fly yesterday for a bit, so no complaints. Wishing you a happy, safe and RV-filled weekend. Doug Reeves
1)
2)
3)
1). 14 seconds from the
outer marker. GPS 17 approach into KDTO (note traffic on EFIS map
- one just taking off, one on downwind and another at my 9 o'clock).
Localizer and glideslope needles in top half of EFIS under ball and next
to altitude strip.
2). 1min 7sec from the outer marker, with the HSI screen up instead
of the map. Note 'GPS LNAV+V' in map on EFIS.
3). Part of the plate.
●
Where Did You Come Up With Your Paint Scheme? ...one good thread
started by Ed DArcy.
These custom built planes we fly interest me first in the panels
then the paint jobs. Where did yours come from? There should be some
great stories here.
●
The more things change ... ...Bob Axsom
I just finished reading "Sopwith Scout 7309" by Sir Gordon Taylor
recommended by Peter James of Australia. It is a rare book and I
searched for months before I could find a copy for less than $150
through abebooks.com. It is an autobiography written in the mid to late
1960s about his experience in this specific Sopwith Pup in WWI. It is a
very interesting book but what applies here is a quote from Page 154
about the efforts of James McCudden to improve the performance of an SE
5:
That looked like good
hunting to McCudden, as it did to me. He determined that the
Rumplers must be overtaken on our side of the lines and
destroyed.
He set out therefore to improve the performance of the SE5; to
give it extra speed, and, as it happened slightly improved
climb. First of all he raised the compression of the Hispano-Suiza
engine, polished the ports, went through all the hotting up
procedure which is today so often used to produce sports
performance from a standard motor engine.
He then carefully streamlined all protruding fittings on the
aeroplane, smoothing out the airflow on interplane strut
attachments and other sources of drag, till he had a much
cleaner aeroplane than the standard version.
Finally he put a red spinner (taken, I believe from a captured
Albatros ) on the propeller boss, suggesting a round entry in
front of the flat radiator of the SE. The results were
dramatic...
Bob Axsom
● VAF Draft For the June 12th
Pecan Plantation Fly-In ...from Dick Carmichael
A Few Good “VAF Volunteers” Are Need on June 12, 2010 at Pecan
Plantation (0TX1) for the Joint Annual Vans Air Force and EAA Chapter
983 Fly-In. Historically the EAA 983 fly-in attracts 85 to 110 aircraft.
This year’s joint fly-in with VAF is expected to attract approximately
150 aircraft. More Ground Crew Members Are Needed This Year to
accommodate the increase in RV arrivals. Doug Crumrine (RV-8 driver) and
EAA 983 Vice President needs 12 good VAF men to add to the high quality
Pecan ground handling team. We provide first class professional ground
handling for fly-in pilots and we want to add some VAF members to that
tradition, says Doug. If you are an RV pilot and would like to volunteer
please email the Fly-In’s Ground Operations Coordinator, Dick Carmichael
@Rcarmichael@charter.net. Dick will call you with more details. Dick can
also be reached at 817-999-4163. Pecan Plantation is an airpark
community located 25 miles SW of Ft. Worth, TX having approximately 100
airpark homes and approximately 120 aircraft based there.
Flyer for the
event....click to enlarge.
Technically-Oriented
Model-Specific Thread Activity Jump into specific areas:
RV-12,
10,
9/9A,
8/8A,
7/7A,
6/6A,
4,
3.
VAF Calendar 60 Days Out
Try to format subject line like this when adding
events: (ST) City: short description
Quotable...Smitty "ZEN and the art of aircraft building... Start with the
basic tools, like the tool kit, then buy the extra special tools as you
go along. THE TRICK... put the tools in your tool cabinet... stand back
and admire all your cool tools... burn the receipts... forget about the
money you spent. Be one with the RV..."
Video
●
Pete Anderson's RV-12 Taking Off ...yesterday at my airport.
Thing just leaps of the ground. Sorry about having it zoomed
too far in - set that before the takeoff roll.
Miscellaneous ● OT:
www.ThereIFixedIt.com...and I apologize in advance for all the time you'll loose on this
site <g>.
Thu 03.11.10 1237z Drove out to the airport
yesterday around lunch to do the update on my
G3X.
Went smooth. Pulled the car in the hangar just before a good sized storm passed
over (with dime size hail). Texas springtime weather is starting
to come around! Tested the EFIS afterwards by loading
the RNAV 16L approach for nearby KAFW in the 430W while parked in the
hangar. Displayed fine and nothing looked 'broken' so it looks
like we're good to go. Hoping for a lunch flight today - winds
finally light and no hail <g>. Took some pics...and yes it feels like you're cheating using this stuff.
I have this idea to video an approach in VFR conditions on autopilot,
then go missed and out to a few laps around a hold (again, on autopilot).
Then play the video back in speeded-up time with some of that
Benny Hill theme
music in the background. Mount the camera on the roll bar
behind my head so it'll get most of the panel and the view outside (in
HD). Like
this, but with about a thousand more feet of cloud base to play with
<g>.
Have a great Thursday. Doug Reeves
1
2
3
1) 430W display after loading KAFW RNAV
16L approach procedure (while parked in the hangar)
2) Vectors to final info displayed on G3X (IFR low airways map mode).
3) Approach plate next to G3X display so you can compare.
● Wayne McMaster's N767WM RV-7
and Panel ... "Just certified, and flying... about 12 hrs so far!!
Awesome airplane.... 7 years in the
making"... He says it's
better than the plane he flies at work. He is 'wmcmaster' in the
forums.
●
RV-12 N903RV Photo Shoot
...fresh out of the paint booth. And as always, you can use any
of these pictures for whatever need you have - no need to ask (a simple
photo credit would be nice, but not necessary). Viewing Tip: Click on the link, then the first image, then 'Full Screen'.
Use your left/right keyboard arrow keys to navigate.
Construction ●
Airplanes, Pickup Trucks, and Lipstick.... ...Doug Rozendaal
Should Be Red!!!
After sneaking all over America in Grey camo for over 1000 hrs, 700
of them in the last 3.5 years..., Ole '84 is ready about to step out
with a new suit.... And there will be no sneaking around any more......
The camo primer that Mark sprayed on years ago was worn thru, and
had absorbed oil and grime.. I could not get it clean and it just looked
terrible.... So the RV guys at W&C Aircraft in Boone spruced it up with
new Epoxy wing root fairings, (the originals were the prototypes and
they were Polyester), put in some tail stiffeners, overhauled the wheel
pants and gear leg fairings and I took the airplane to Air Spectrum in
Quincy IL.
The graphics will be vinyl and mostly white. I will probably get
the spinner Higlo (chrome) plated next winter.... and I am planning on
retaining the '84 race theme with the graphics.....
Red should make it faster, don't ya think????
●
Tip: Aileron Squeezing ...Paul Dye
One of the Val’s and my little secrets is that she has always had a
slightly heavy left wing. It has never been a big deal, since it is
easily handled with the electric aileron trim, but nevertheless, it’s
just something we don’t talk about. You see, during Phase 1, the left
wing heaviness was much more pronounced – enough so that I decided to
fix it by squeezing the right aileron using the recommended techniques
and tools – a hand seamer. Well, I taped up the jaws and worked my way
down the aileron, and made the plane much more balanced – but when I
looked down the trailing edge in the right light, I could see little
dimples every five inches or so – the width of the jaws. Disgusted, I
quit before I did any more damage, sent her off to the paint shop, and
lived with the residual slight imbalance. Every time I saw that aileron
in the right light, it reminded me…..
Well, tonight I found myself sitting on a stool in the hangar,
“laying eyes” on the -3 project, trying to figure out what comes next. I
was fiddling with a couple of three foot lengths of .063 angle stock,
and for some reason, got to thinking about the Val’s ailerons. Instantly
seeing what I had been missing for years, I grabbed a handful of
C-clamps, taped the angles up to pad them and give them a little grip,
and set them up on the trailing edge of the right aileron. When
everything was snug, I gave every C-clamp a full turn. I removed it all,
centered the aileron trim, and took a turn around the patch – and she
flew hand’s off, wings level – at any speed - for the first time! I even
noticed that the trailing edge dimples from the original hand seamer
were much less noticeable.
continue
Wed 03.10.10 1244z Hump day! We're forecast to have low OVC
until 1030 and then we get 30kt crosswinds - I think that lunch flight
is going to have to wait another day <g>. Plan B...downloaded the
v2.70 update for the Garmin
G3X
in my panel and will drive out and do
the software upgrade. Image below shows the changes made from v2.50 to
v2.70. Cool. Doug Reeves
●
Airplane Factory ...it begins again.
(Future RV-10 builder Randy in Tyler, TX)
I have been gathering information off this site and individual
build logs for about 4 months and the wealth of knowledge I have
received from this resource has been invaluable. When trying to get
started on a project like this I have found that those who took the time
to list the tools and shop information to be a huge help! So I’m doing
the same. I added on to my house about 8 years ago and build a separate
garage so I would have some place to store building materials and so it
could also be used a real garage latter. Thankfully I built a 2 car 28 X
35ft garage and had planned at some point to build a shop in the rear
section. Little did I know that it would become an airplane factory!
Because it was for storage I did not finish it out so… the work began. I
first ran a 20amp 110 (for compressor) and a 30amp 220 (Heat/Air). I had
already wired for 10amp 110 for light and a separate 15amp for plugs.
Next I had to seal up the garage doors inside and out. I put sheet foam
inside the panels and then covered the doors in sanded plywood (doors
face west in Texas SUN!). I had a lot of ½ inch green sheet rock left
over from the house so it got used on the walls (bulkheads). After the
walls were finished I needed storage for all the garage junk and plane
parts so I decked the ceiling in ¾ OBS. I installed several 15amp plugs
for tools and put in 10 4th T8 florescent lights. Tools purchased: Sears: Craftsman 12 inch Drill Press, 10 inch Band Saw, Belt
Sander, Torque wrench, Screwdrivers, Box Wrenches, Rulers, Grinder
Stand, 3 Drawer Tool Box addition, Socket Wrenches and Sockets (a lot of
my tools were really old and in bad shape) Home Depot: Grinder, Oil less Compressor 30 Gallon, shop Vac,
Tape Measure and all building supplies. Harbor Fright: Air Die Grinder, Air Angle Drill, Tap and Die
Set, Tons of Clamps, Vice, Air Hose, Calipers and a cheap bench Metal
Break. Isham Tool Kit. I cannot say enough about this kit! Very
impressive! Just buy it and don’t think about it anymore.
I spent about 3 months gathering tools and finishing out the new
Airplane Factory! I have seen other post that mentions you will need to
spend around $6,500 on tools and I have found that to be a very true
statement. I have tried to gather everything I need upfront (I know I
will need more) and have found that to be an accurate cost guide.
Compressor plumbing: Because my Garage is 35ft long I decided to
run copper pipe from the compressor at the back and up to the hose reel
at the front. I also put in a connection at the tools bench and another
half way down the bay and under the reel (close to the floor) I put in a
ball valve so I can drain/bleed off the line/reel. I used an 8ft rubber
hose (with quick connect) to connect my compressor to the
manifold/plumbing system. I also installed a Miltion air separator and a
Kobalt regulator. Most of my air fittings I purchased at Lowes.
I will try to include some pics for those who are interested and I
would like to give my sincere THANKS to all who have contributed to this
forum.
●
Video of RV-12 In Flight sn: 120141 Flying ...Ben Bradley/Jim Olson
I posted a short flying video on YouTube of our RV-12 flying over
North Georgia. It flys great.... No more fuel pressure problems after
cleaning the gascolator screen.
● Aging Eyes...a $11 find
at Office Depot yesterday evening. You know that 'Computer Testing Supplement for
Instrument Rating' booklet that you use to take the IFR written with?
How it looks like a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy in the tiny
text at the bottom of the approach plates and in the weather charts?
While at Office Depot the other day buying an inkjet cartridge I
stumbled across an $11 'Dome Magnifier'. Google 'Dome
Magnifier' for lots of options.
Where has this thing been all my life?
What's the runway length of 22R?
A little better in spots with this
$11 piece of plastic.
● Almost-finished RV-12 at
Grady's
I ran out to the Tina's yesterday to get a sectional and new IFR
hood and caught site of a RV-12 out on the ramp at Grady's. They
were finishing up some fiberglass touch up so the plane wasn't all
together, but I did get one quick pic of the panel from the site before
heading back to the keyboard.
Should have the whole 'layout' here in a day or so...charging up
the good camera's battery now.
● N159SB almost an
airplane!!! ...Brian 'Brantel' Chesteen After almost 10 years since starting the project...
About 3 years and 9 months of contiguous work nights and weekends,
N159SB's inspection is scheduled for 10AM on 3/13/2010!!!!!
The emp is green because I had to primer it since it took me 10 years to
get around to needing it....
●
Wings On ...Phil Kaye
Thought I'd post this... my wings went on over the weekend. The
bolts went in fine. Yesterday it took me 4 hours to get the nuts on
those 16 bolts. The bottom ones were a pain. Getting some final
misc tasks done over the next couple of weeks and then she goes in for
paint at the beginning of April. Also going to get the paperwork into
the administrative machine while it's being painted.
Check out
my
wing attach photos.
Tue 03.09.10 1245z We have 50° crosswinds gusting to 30kts
forecast today around lunchtime in DFW. Chances of a short noon
flight are looking pretty slim. <g> Doug Reeves
●
Rear Seat Headset Hangers ...Vic Syracuse RV-10
I thought I would share an idea I came up with for hanging the
headsets in the rear seats of the RV-10. I really got tired of not
having a place to put them such that they would be out of the way when
loading and unloading passengers. And the cool thing is they didn't cost
me anything. I'm sure all of you have some of the .063 60661 T6 angle
laying around, and that's what I used. I attached them to the longerons
with a number 6 stainless screw, using a nylon washer on underneath the
screw head and between the hangar and the longeron. Tightened the screw
so there is just enough friction to keep it in place when not being
used. I wanted them to not be intrusive or sharp in case of an accident.
The way I have them mounted they swing forward out of the way when not
in use. And I just put the intercom to the "Crew" position when we don't
have passengers, and I don't get any unwanted mic noise. I actually
think the headsets and connectors will get less wear and tear as a
result.
I'm sure someone will figure out a way to laser cut and market
them.
(more
pictures)
● Bill Freckman's RV-4
Fastback Fresh Out of Grady's Paintshop ...pics by Grady
● Skylor's N808SJ's Panel
Status
Here is my panel in my [long] under constructions RV-8
"Quick Build" (7 years in the making and counting...). I just
finished installing it over the weekend...
Milestones ●
RV-7A Owner Mehrdad Mehranpour Just Got His IFR Rating
Well folks, it is done and official. I had my
check ride scheduled for today and after two hours of ground and hour
and half of flying I passed the checkride with flying colors. Now
looking forward to actually put some of new skills to use, though very
slowly and cautiously.
Thanks for your support and encouragements.
__________________
Mehrdad
RV7A - IO360M1B
Miscellaneous ●
OT: UH 19XRW
Hoverwing ...gotta see it to believe it. It starts flying
around the 30 second mark.
Mon 03.08.10 1215z Saturday was a great day for flying
around here, but
the spousal unit was still coming back from a virus and our son woke up
with a
100.3° fever and mighty cough...so no flying on this day. As our 14yr
old daughter says in her best imitating-Dad voice, "Hey, you want a
family or not? Nobody said it was gonna be all unicorns and baby
farts." Smart kid <g>. Out at the airport they had a
surprise retirement party for a local in one of the hangers. His
wife invited 70, and I heard 90+ showed up. What a great problem
to have - too many flying buddies!
Sunday we woke up to rain, and it did that all day. Picked the daughter up from a weekend church retreat later
in the afternoon, and I'll get in a short lunch flight sometime in the
next few days when the weather clears up a bit. Spent the day studying
for the HAM radio and IFR tests. Got the whip antennae
for my
BigRedBee APRS 2M transmitter in the mail the other day and took an
updated pic (below), then created a section in the
Links page to list all the RVators using
APRS trackers in their planes.
Lots of RV news to report today...put your goofing-off-at-work hat
on. Hope you had a good weekend and got to spend a lot of time with your RV
plane/project. Doug Reeves
APRS whip
antenna on the BigRedBee and studying for
the test....
●
First
Flight RV-12 sn: 120141 (Jim Olson, Ben Bradley)
We made our first flight today in our RV-12, SN: 120141. Was a
little cool this am, with snow still on the mountains. My partner Ben
Bradley was at the controls and made 4 flights today. After a few hours
of flight he got a low fuel pressure warning so we checked and cleaned
the Gasolator screen. That seemed to help, but after another hour of
flight, the pressure dropped a little (still in green) so will keep an
eye on it. I flew chase plane in my Zenair 601HDS and got a few photos
and video.
● Six Thousand Reasons To
Smile
Sometime this week Ken Avery and I will hand a check for $6,000
over to the North Texas
Make-A-Wish Foundation. This represents 100% of the profits on
all the VansAirForce.net
gear since
the last donation check back in September of '08. I've never kept
a penny from any of these items sold, and never will. When you see
somebody wearing VansAirForce.net gear, you're looking at money that
went to help a sick kid smile.
I'm going to see if I can get Tate out of school for a few hours to
help us present the check - he's old enough now.
Thanks for helping us generate smiles.
●
Comparison - RV-7 vs BD5 ...Scott Stewart
I had an interesting opportunity this week to form up with my
friend David Mischke and his new BD5 for about an hour of flying. This
is David's second BD5 - his first had the modified thicker airfoil which
slows the stall down to about 75mph. This one has the original airfoil -
stalls at about 85mph.
I was flying over Skagit/Bayview KBVS just to see who was at their
hangar, when I heard David come up on CTAF announcing departure on RWY
28. We formed up in the air and flew out over the San Juan Islands. (continue)
●
Pilgrimage to Portland ...Mike and Aneta Rettig
Firstly, I'd like to apologize. This post does not have pictures of
us flying our RV-10 to Portland. That's because I haven't built it yet.
We're currently making preparations in our 3-car garage, I mean
"aircraft manufacturing facility", and decided to take a weekend off to
go and visit the Vans Factory to see what it's all about. I must say, we
had a blast and I would highly recommend to any builder or lurker: "Make
the Pilgrimage." Especially if you can do it in your own RV!
(continue)
●
Sunday Lunch Fly-out ...Pete
Today turned out 8/8 blue for most of England - which was great as
the RV Squadron (Vanatics in the UK) has planned a lunchtime fly out to
Turweston. First time a lot of people had got out to play this year
thanks to a very cold and wet winter - although it was still rather
nippy at 3 dec C (37F) with a wind chill of -2 (28F) in a bitter NE wind
from Scandanavia. 15 aircraft were booked in, and more than that arrived
- including the first RV-8A to fly in the UK, G-RVCH. One of the
interlopers was a (Lycoming powered) Me-108!! The amazing that this 75
year old design didn't look at all out of place.
●
Byonics MT-RTG aprs tracker review ...Sam Buchanan
Herein are my initial impressions of the Byonics MT-RTG
(Ready-to-Go) aprs tracker. Since this tracker is basically a
repackaging of proven components, I have no reason to believe the
initial tests won't be validated during longterm use.
One objection to installing an aprs tracker that is sometimes
presented by prospective users is a reluctance to delve into geekdom and
software setup. The traditional trackers are quite easy to configure,
but I guess even that degree of customization is intimidating to some.
The Byonics MT-RTG is the answer to those who express technophobia
but still wish to have the safety enhancement of an onboard tracker. The
heart of the MT-RTG is the TinyTrac3 encoder which carries well-proven
technology. This encoder is paired with a ten-watt transmitter and
regulated power supply which provides a package that is RTG (read to
go). (continue)
VAF Family ●
Intro ...Sam Staton Just wanted to introduce myself. As of
today, I have entered the ranks of the ACTUAL RV builders, instead of
merely dreaming about it. I picked up my RV7 tail kit today. Still have
some workshop issues to resolve, but I will be actually building soon.
My name is Sam Staton, and I reside in Jacksonville, FL. I am a retired
Navy Chief (bubblehead variety), and presently working as a telco
engineer.
●
New Builder here!! - Dublin, TX
Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Garrett and I will
starting a new RV7 project this May. Right now I am preparing my place
to build it along with a continuation of research on the RV's that I am
sure will continue throughout the years to come as I dive into this
adventure. I look forward to meeting people along the way and sharing
ideas, along with tips and tricks from the ones that have "Been there,
Done that" group.
Flying is a major passion of mine and I hope that the RV will
expand the rhelms of flight beyond what I can even imagine.
If your ever in the Granbury, TX area with your RV, I would sure
love to see it. Drop by KGDJ, pull up to the Sky-Tec Plant and come on
in for a tour.
Thanks for all the great information that everybody has provided!!
Motivation ● Tom Reading's RV-7
Picture of my RV 7. First flight Nov 05. Painted Nov 07. 460 fun
flying hours on her. Painted by Three in The Green. My Dad helped alot
by paying for half the expense of the paint job. Superior 0-360 Hartzel
CS prop.
Construction ●
Pete McCoy's RV-9A Panel Status
They say the “RV Grin” comes after your first flight. Well I am
sure that is true, you also have many milestone days during your build.
Today was one of those days that really put a Builders Grin on my face.
As you can see in this shot, all the elements on my panel are in place
and fitted to the plane. The GPS is live, the two EFIS screens have
paper cut outs of the EFIS display, taped over the actual units. I
finished up the switch labeling and put it all together. Like many RV
tasks, this is just a test fit. Once I took this photo it was pulled
from the plane so I can start working on the wiring runs.
LRI, TruTrak EFIS with Auto Pilot III, Garmin 696, PS Engineering
PMA9000EX, Garmin SL30, iCom A210, Garmin 330 Transponder with TIS fish
finder display to the 696, TruTrak EFIS Bup for passenger side
● Bruce Hill's -9A Status....and
he wins the 'cartoon avatar looks most like himself' image award <g>.
Milestones ●
Well I caved to internal pressure ...Greg in Ohio
And it looks like I'll be building an RV-7!
A couple weekends ago I met with RV6Rick down in Parkersburg to
check out his planes. I ended up getting a flight in one of his bud's
RV6's. Wow, that was an experience! I got to take the controls for a
little bit, and the co-owner even let me do a stall. I got the bug,
seriously, after that.
The next day I went and ordered the preview plans and the practice
set. Today I started work on clearing my workspace (a 1 car garage sized
workshop, this'll be interesting to say the least!) and I ordered the
Cleaveland total airframe kit. Empennage to be ordered when I get my tax
return check. This weekend I'm planning on building an EAA workbench.
(continue)
Miscellaneous ● 275 New Posts a Day
on Average
While pruning out classified posts over 30 days old and anything in
the 'Test/Misc' section over 14 days old the other night, I clicked on
some of the stats available in the admin software for the forums.
Never done that before. Turns out there is some pretty 'wow' info
in there I didn't know existed.
Example (below)....this shows the number of posts daily (replies and new
threads) on a daily basis for the past month. I didn't know we
were averaging 275 posts per day in here. Cool!
Fri 03.05.10 1304z TGIF!!! Yesterday spent most of
the day taking care of the spousal unit (got a bug of some kind).
So, in between stabs at email and phone calls were trips to the doctor,
pharmacy and various other kid-related choir, drama and Taekwondo
activities. Kind of a thin news edition today, and that's why.
She's feeling better...meds working. Have a happy, safe and RV-filled weekend. Doug Reeves
●
Back
to Daytona Main St ...Ed DArcy update.
I was able to fly into Spruce Creek and borrow a car to get to Main
St. (Daytona Bike Week)...videos and more pics.
●
iPhone APRS (kinda) ...posted by Gary Wilcox. Uploads to
aprs.fi
(from the site) iBCNU is an APRS GPS position reporting and
text-messaging application for the Apple iPhone. When position reporting
is enabled, the application will periodically send out location of your
iPhone using either 3G or WiFi network and iPhone's built in GPS
receiver. The rate at which position reports are sent out is adjustable.
Once the GPS information is in the APRS-IS system, it is shared between
all users and you can track yourself or track your friends using this or
one of the many APRS mapping sites. When used as a text-messaging tool,
iBCNU will let you send and receive messages using the APRS-IS system.
You can send short (approximately 512 character) messages to your ham
friends for free.
●
Flying Into Haiti (aopa)
Ahead of us lay the Bahamas island chain, stretching 435 miles to
our destination on the north coast of Haiti. Behind us, filling the
Baron’s cabin, was precious cargo that could help to heal the injured,
and save lives. It was Friday—just the third day after the magnitude 7.0
earthquake, centered about 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, rocked
the island of Haiti on January 12—and we carried a doctor and a nurse
who had volunteered to travel into the heart of the quake zone.
more
● A shot from
DanH's
RV-8QB Project ...4-in-one exhaust and polished ramp.
As you can tell, Dan does pretty shoddy work
.
1) You can add RV gatherings and
breakfast/lunch fly-outs to the calendar.
2) '60 days out' in the calendar
appears here on the front page M-F. Over 10,000 people will see it
daily, and more RVators will find out about your RV shindig.
Tip: Put the
location somewhere in the subject line.
Building Tips / Techniques/ Mods ● Ever See An Open
Cockpit RV-4?...picture fwd'd to me by Gary Sobek.
Photographer unknown.
Safety ●
ACR Survivor Stories ...my ACR PLB is visible in this month's
wallpaper calendar (in the tray under the transponder - soon to be
mounted to the panel over on the far left side)
