Thu 03.04.10 1221z
   Finally broke down after about a year of thinking about it and invested in a top of the line wireless mouse for my main development PC: a Logitech Performance Mouse MX.  No cord.  No mouse pad.  Can assign the button where my thumb rests naturally to be the 'Back' button in my web browser.
   Why didn't I do this a year ago?  Now I remember....it cost $99.  Expense aside...dang thing works like butta, and I'm inclined to say it's worth the expense seeing how I make my living driving a mouse...and the whole desk is now a mouse pad <g>.
    Doug Reeves

   - related: CNet review of mouse

● New RVator Online...on the mothership.  This posted in yesterday's edition, but it's such a good issue I thought I'd make it the top story again.
  

● Ed DArcy Flew His RV Up To Daytona Bikeweek ...and took some pictures.
  

Construction
● Q: Avionics mount rear support
   I'm upgrading my panel on the 8A with D10A, EMSD10, HS34, GNS430, GPSMAP496, and the Tru-Trak A/P. That, in addition to 4 3 1/8" instruments represent quite a load on the panel.
   I would appreciate any suggestions on adding a brace at the rear of the trays for added support.

   A: (Dave Buntin)  I made some upside down "L" brackets that I riveted to the brace to support the radio trays (below them). I put some intertube like membrane between the "L" and the trays and I think it's going to work great. I have two "L" brackets per tray. Hope that helps. Dave

● March Issue of the Twin Cities RV Builders Group 'RVator's Log' Now Online...(8) pages.

● New FAA Safety Briefing Now Online (March/April 2010) ...40 page PDF document.

Troubleshooting
● RV-3: F-336 “Wall Outlet” SNAFU…. ...Paul Dye
   After getting all of the skin sections (below the longerons) trimmed and clecoes in place, it’s now time to work on all the little details before getting ready to rivet. These include finalizing the forward floor ribs, figuring out some tricky rivet holes near the F-305, making some shims for a few spots with less than perfect fit, and fitting the F-336 Wall outlets at the intersection of the forward floor and side skins. These create a duct of sorts for the exhaust pipes and cooling air exits, and make the junction between side and bottom smooth and rounded.
   Unfortunately, I managed to stumble across another of those little hidden time bombs in the drawings. The parts themselves are preformed, and almost ready to use (with just a little trimming to square the ends. The inboard edges curl under to a hidden flange which is pop-riveted to the floor from the inside, and the outboard edge is captured between the lower stringer and the side skin, sharing common rivets with the side. The lower left corner of Drawing 21 shows a cross-section of the F-336 at the firewall and at the F-303 (center section), although they aren’t really labeled as such. The tricky thing is that they show the distance from the side skin to the in board edge of the walls to be 2 1/2” both front and back.
(more text and photos)
  

Miscellaneous
● Iowa pilots help others soar
By Matt Oliver
world-herald news service
   BOONE, Iowa — Three veteran pilots are helping local aviators take off by building one airplane a time.
   Keith Campbell, Kevin Horn and Bob Woolery, who teamed up to form WC Aircraft Works a few years ago, help pilots build experimental aircraft in a hanger near Boone Municipal Airport.
   “People wanted a place to do it so we took over the whole hanger — that way we could rent places out for people to build their own airplanes,” Campbell said.  (continue)

● RV-10 for X-Plane Flight Simulator ...brought to my attention by Smitty.  By comparison, here is a screen shot the flight simulator I had on my single-floppy Macintosh back at Baylor in 1985.  The mac and the software are still in a closet at my Mom's house (not that it would power up <g>).

related: The RV-10 Forum

OT:  Screenshots of all subLOGIC/Microsoft Flight Simulator versions...starting at the beginning.

Wed 03.03.10 1237z
   Voted Tuesday in the Texas Primaries and then went for a short flight around the patch at lunch to celebrate participating in the process (like we need a reason to fly!).  Eight rolls, four wingovers and three touch 'n gos crammed into 12 minutes.  Spent the afternoon and early evening on Mt. Email (made progress) and then the rest of the night with my head in an IFR prep manual with the kids watching 'The Iron Giant' on DVD.  Wifey teaching a night yoga class.  I took Audrey, who is now 14yrs old, to this movie at the theatre when she was four.  She uses the DVD now to drown out background noise while she studies Biology.  Ten years in the blink of an eye.
    Doug Reeves

● Data on Temperature -- Non-issue ...Louise Hose
   [ed. Testing on whether having a sealable tip-up instrument panel cover increases heat on the avionics. dr]
   I've flown a couple of trips now with a small indoor-outdoor thermometer to test this concerns. The "outside" probe was extended under the rip-stop cover, high in the area of concern, between the D-180 and the radio stack (which I assume would be the highest temperature area). The outside temperature has been cool down here (especially on the morning and late afternoon commute) and ranged from zero to nine degrees Celsius on these flights. In these conditions and WITHOUT the cabin heat on, the temperature behind the panel stayed within three degrees Fahrenheit of the cabin temperature on my ~45 minute commutes. In fact, on the sunny late afternoon, the behind-panel temperature was 3oF LOWER than than the cabin temperature. This morning, after landing, it was 2oF LOWER.
   I've also done some playing around and have these preliminary observations. The temperature is MUCH higher behind the panel with the cabin heat on. It rose to a toasty 86oC. Wish I could get the cabin temperature up there! I also observed that, in general, the cabin warmed and cooled faster than behind the panel with changes in outside temperature (climbs and descents), stopping cabin heat, and radiant heat (sunshine).
   Bottomline, I've seen enough to be convinced that the cover is NOT a temperature issue with my instrumentation. Of course, the academic within me says that "more research and funding is required".

image courtesy Scott Card

VAF Family
● Spotlight on RV builder Pat Hatch (a.k.a. How many burning C-130's have YOU landed?)
   There is a chance that Pat might not like all the attention, but since he has a link to his story in his forum autosignature, I'm hoping he won't mind me spotlighting his 'Fire in Flight' story....back when he was in his twenties.  Oh, and he's also built and flown (3) different RVs.
   He is 'Pat Hatch' in the forums, and my guess (and hope) is that you will read every word of this story. 

Pat at his day job....landing on fire.  June 25, 1968.

Pat these days.

   related: Pat Hatch Forum profile | Pat's Home Page

● Hat Sighting ...Dave Cook in Grandby (posted by Rod Woodard)
   Dave Cook let me tag along for his weekly breakfast with the guys up in Grandby. We were airborne from KFNL at a little before 7am and were in Grandby (KGNB) about 20-25 minutes later.
   I didn't notice until after we landed that Dave was sporting his VAF hat.
  

Tue 03.02.10 1301z
   Morning!  Our teenage daughter Audrey (the 'AR' in our family's RV N-number) and I made a grocery store run last night.  Wife back home in bed sick.  When I go on these trips I'm always catching flak from the family for buying the wrong bread, wrong chips for school lunches, wrong brand milk, etc.  Audrey rolled her eyes when I offered to go to the store, saying she wanted to go so I wouldn't mess it up too bad.
   When we got there I handed her the list and told her she'd be doing the shopping - I'd be in one of the food court tables studying IFR written test prep questions.  She did great, but I think I noticed some more expensive 'girly shampoo' in the basket that we wouldn't normally buy.  It was worth it <g>.
   The rain is gone and the weather is back to VFR...and we have the right bread and chips.  Tuesday's off to a good start.
    Doug Reeves

● First Flight: Norman Stapelberg RV-7 (South Africa)
   I have been hiding in the shadows while working on the RV, she flew today at the helm was a good friend, his sun flew chase plane also a RV. many happy building hours for you guys out there keep banging at those rivets......
  

● New RV Gold Class ...Bob Axsom
   Mike Thompson announced recently that a new Gold Class will be opened for SARL cross country air racing this year. It is for RVs powered by engines over 360 cu. in. 540s are allowed for RV-10s only in this new class. I know there are several out there with 390s etc. and of course all of the RV-10s that weren't really competitive in the Sport FX class they were forced into with the Rockets etc. I wonder though how many will actually come out to race? Oh, and racers that have 360 cu. in. engines the wish to jump up to the Gold Class may do that - yes John and Jon there is more glory in that ... I don't know what the AirVenture Cup race will do in this regard.

● RV-3 fuselage Skinning Notes ...Paul Dye
   Well, we now have a fuselage-looking-thing sitting in our hangar with all the skins (below the longerons) clecoed in place (and those aft of the cockpit actually riveted!) , and before I forget some of the little details, I thought I’d out them down in case they might help someone following in our wake….

1) As has been noted before, be very suspicious about the fit of the bulkheads. We had several that fit well, and a couple that fit poorly. Plan to adjust or re-flange as required. We didn’t feel they were all bad enough to re-flange, but some just don’t work well.

2) We decided to go with Randy Lervold’s suggestion to use -3 rivets at 1” spacing on the longerons instead of -4 at 2”. As randy pointed out, the -3 rivets are used on later RV’s, and the closer spacing will help the skins lay down better.

3) This is old news to anyone who has riveted a slow-build fuselage, but especially on the narrow -3, it was very easy to cleco on the first side and reach across the jig to buck those rivets before clecoing on the other side. This way, the Bucker only has to live inside the cave for half the time.

4) After riveting the skins aft of the F-305, we fit the cockpit floor skins, followed by the forward bottom skin, and then did the side panels. This seemed pretty efficient, and we only had to disassemble things a couple of times. We fabricated the forward floor ribs (the triangular-shaped ones that also brace the firewall in the center) and drilled them to the forward floor. Since they help to define the shape of that floor skin, I felt it would give us a truer location for the outside and aft drill holes, and that seemed to work well.

5) When fitting the forward side skins, we measured and predrilled all the rivet holes in the skeleton first (stringers, longerons, and bulkheads), then back drilled through the skins, with one person putting backing the skin from the outside with a small piece of wood, then clecoing the holes. It probably took us an hour per side – very fast.

6) We fit the side skins and drilled them to the skeleton before trimming them at all (except for cutting a rectangular hole for the rear spar carry-through. We removed the false main spar stubs, cockpit floor skins (because of the overhang) and all clecos that were in the way of the skin as we drilled. We first drilled it to the longeron between the F-303 and F-305. This pretty much fixed the skin in position, and we proceeded to drill out way up the bulkheads and along the stringers. The fit was excellent.

7) Locating the aft spar hole in the side skin was easier than I had thought. I was thinking that it would be a nightmare due to nothing being square, but since we worked with the side skins when they were still rectangular, it was a very simple measurement horizontally aft from the firewall and up (in the jig) from the longerons. Took a minute, and both sides located perfectly – I am rarely that lucky!

8) After drilling the rectangular-shaped blank for the side skins and clecoing it in place, we marked it for trimming, removed it, and cut it to shape. Having traced the cut-out for the aileron pushrod hole before removing it, we cut that, then clecoed it back in place, did final trimming, and cut out the hole for the main spar using a Uni-bit to start a hole, then a nibbler to enlarge it, and finally an angle die-grinder with a sanding disc on it to make it to final size.

9) There is what we call “the really ugly joint” right where the F-305 meets the stringer coming forward, the stringer coming aft (at the top of the seat rib), and the skin. It looked like it was going to be a real nightmare, thick and full of things that didn’t stack quite right – but with the skin on, it is far better. I still haven’t figured out the rivets there, but I now at least believe there is a glimmer of hope it will work out. Building is like that – you go from “it’s impossible” to “well, maybe” to “that’s only half bad” to “it’s strong, and no one will ever notice…” in the process of fabrication!

10) I didn’t see any drawing call-outs for a line of rivets along the bottom edge of the outside seat ribs (to hold it to the skin), so I drilled 2”-spaced holes for -4 rivets. They’ll be hidden by the wing roots anyway. It really helped the final fit!

11) I had to carve away some wood off the outside of the firewall uprights on the jig to allow the skin to lie against the firewall flange. Sawdust mixed with aluminum dust – going to have to clean up the shop!

12) Since the aft side skins were already drilled and clecoed to the F-305 bulkhead flange, it was easy to match-drill this line of holes to the forward side skin. I then laid out the second column of rivets for that overlap joint based on that row. Worked really slick.

13) Next up is staring at it awhile to see where we need a few more rivets, fitting the exhaust tunnel sides, then disassembly for de-burring, dimpling, countersinking, etc. in prep for riveting. I hate taking things apart once it looks like something – but that’s the name of the game!

A few pictures :
(more pics)

● March Wallpaper Calendar Online....Lean Beef!
   Taken on the way down to Waco Saturday.  The panel's still a work in progress (of course).  162kts groundspeed at 2500' - 23"MP spinning 2490.  Fifteen minutes out of Waco.  Trivia: switch labels spelled wrong.  On some resolutions you can see my 'Lean Beef!' pencil on kneeboard.
   Click on the 1920 pixel wide version to study in greater detail, if'n you wanna.
  

Motivation
● Video of Recent RV-12 First Flight ....David Barba (Mexico)

Direct Link (embedded below)

Mon 03.01.10 1237z
   Good morning!  Saturday I flew down to Waco to help install a TV at Mom's house (birthday present from her kids).  Thirty three minutes down and thirty eight minutes back vs. two hours each way in the car.  RV wins again <g>.  Viz was unseasonably clear on the return flight - I could see Cowboys Stadium from 67.1nm out of 52F.  It *is* a pretty big building, though.
   Sunday morning was nice flying weather, so I tried to get the daughter to go fly with her Dad (couldn't....biology paper due next day).  Tate was still at a birthday party sleepover and wasn't home, so I drove out to 52F the fun way by myself for a little local work.  As I was pushing the RV out on the ramp Tommy Williams drove by.  He's looking for a RV-8 to buy and spends his days in the front of a Delta Boeing (and F-16s in the Reserves).  Offered up a ride and enjoyed talking RV stuff there on the ramp afterwards.  While hanging out, a visiting Jim Shannon (RV-8) drove up in his rental car and joined the talk.  Nice laid back morning at the airport before afternoon Mass, evening typing and early Monday rains.
  Hope you had a good weekend and that Monday goes swell.
    Doug Reeves

● Redtail Retrieved!...Pete Howell
   [ed. And how often do P-51s fly formation off RVs!!! dr]
   I got a call Thursday night from Rocket and warbird driver Doug Rozendaal in Mason City. Knowing that I like to take pictures and write stories he asked if I would like to go to Dallas on Saturday so he could pick up the P51-C for the CAF at South St. Paul. (it was wintering at the Cavanaugh Air Museum)
   My schedule was iffy for Saturday, so I told Doug I would make some calls for him and on the first call, RV-7A builder Bernie Weiss said he was game for an adventure. Bernie and Doug made plans for the trip and late on Friday, my schedule freed up. Since there were now 3 of us on the trip down, we went to the RV-Heavy (Bernie's Bonanza). It is a better photo platform, and a more comfortable travelling machine, too.
   We left early and headed to Mason City to pick up Doug. Bernie leans the big Conti as the sun rises behind him.
   continue / pictures

● RV6 sets speed Record - Old Guys ROCK!
   Local pilot Jerry Jackson, 60, recently broke the world round-trip transcontinental speed record in a plane he built in his garage. He took off from Montgomery Field on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 6:11 a.m. and arrived back in San Diego on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 6:21 a.m.
   Jerry Jackson broke the round-trip transcontinental speed record in the plane he built, the Feral Chihuahua. (Carmel Valley News)
The National Aeronautics Association, in Washington, DC, awards the record, which is for piston-engine planes.
   Jackson flew the 4,200-mile trip to Jacksonville, Fla., and back in 24 hours and 10 minutes at 174 miles an hour, including three stops for fuel. Jackson shattered the precious record of four days. (The old record was set two years ago by a plane that flew to San Diego, then waited two days for ideal weather before returning to the East Coast. Each leg set a record, but the total round trip took four days due to the two-day delay. )
continue

● TourMaker: create KML flying tours from GPX tracks
   Many GPS units can record tracks of your flights. Then various software tools let you save the tracks, and convert them to .kml format for viewing in Google Earth. But using these tracks as a tour within Google Earth doesn't recreate the flying experience very well, because the current GE touring algorithm essentially assumes that you want to follow a sequence of earthbound waypoints.
   So I wrote an tool that tries to do a little better. TourMaker takes tracks in a .gpx (GPS eXchange format) file and writes a .kml file containing tours that fly the tracks. It's not perfect... A GPS track is just a sequence of coarsely and imperfectly sampled 3D positions, and the other 3 degrees of freedom per track point needed to characterize aircraft attitude are synthesized in a simpleminded way (so the tour won't follow your RV through a vertical 8 very well ). Between track points, the tour display relies on GE's spline interpolation, which doesn't even try to model aircraft flight dynamics. GE's model of the surface of the earth will probably disagree a bit with the recorded track points (this is especially noticeable when taxiing.) Etc. But it's still kind of fun.  continue

● RV-8 N811JR Moves To The Airport ...Jimmy Risher
   I moved my plane, RV-8 N811JR, to the airport in Raymond, MS (M-16) on Saturday.  As you know, this is a long awaited step.  The move went smoothly, no problems.  Ready to finish!
  

● RV-3 Commercial...Ed Hawkins
    I get a lot of questions about the RV-3 from time to time, so thought I would do a video commercial for the plane. you can view at link below. I haven't seen the back of my head in sometime, am wondering where that extra little mouth came from? Now, I at least know where those voices are coming from now!
Ed Hawkins
N272DR

Food
● Cameron, Texas, restaurant check-out ...Louise Hose
   Tanya Card heard a couple of pilots on air-to-air mention a Mexican restaurant at Cameron, Texas, a couple of months ago and convinced Paul and me to join her and Scott on a restaurant exploration trip today. Worked out well. The restaurant is only a couple of minutes walk form the ramp at T35, the food and cost are good, and Cameron is just about as centrally located to Houston-Austin-San Antonio-DFW as you can find. I'm sure we'll return.
   pictures

VAF Family
● Katie and Her Dad ...Chris Carter
   In route to Champaign, IL to visit my youngest daughter at U of I.
  

Motivation
● The age old question (one of them)
   I just started a 9A project and am flying through a club about 3-4 hours per month. Last night we did a cross country about 80 miles west of the twin cities. It was beautiful. Crystal clear skies, full moon, CAVU. We could see Minneapolis from 70 miles away at 5500msl. As much as I love flying and as wonderful as my club is I am starting to wonder about the financial feasibility of building and flying at the same time. I am wondering how many of you gave up flying to build, or if you didn't give up flying how did you manage the costs? I can't imagine not flying, I love it to much BUT in the same breath, I do want to finish this 9A sometime in this century.

Construction
● RV-4 Status Shots...(name not given)
   I thought I’d post some new photos of the build progress on my father's RV-4. We're currently trying to complete the cockpit wiring. After seven years of fabrication we’re finally hoping for the first flight by early Summer if everything continues as planned. We just purchased a Skybolt restoration project that will fill the empty nest once the RV is moved to its new hangar at the local airport. Can’t wait!

● RV-9A Status ...Kelley Kokemiller
   Keith at WC Aircraft has started to put his magic touch on my baby. The anticipation is mounting.

Milestones
● Engine Hung! ...Jeff Bloomquist
   My flying friends Dave and Robert came over today and helped me hang my engine. I bribed them with pizza and beer, but you know what? They would have came anyway. They have both helped me so much on this dream. Thanks again guys!
  

Troubleshooting
● Fuel guardian sensor leaking ! (with pictures) ...Tonny Tromp (Belgium)
   I am coming across a very strange problem. I will be painting the wings in a week or so. Because I will paint with the tanks on the wings, I removed them one at a time and put 20 ltr. of Avgas in, just to be absolutely sure that they are tight and there is no “weeping rivets”. I left the Avgas in for over a week and rotated the tank every day or so, to make sure all sides were immersed for a couple of days. Because I closed off all the connections, pressure built up inside the tanks (like what you get in jerry can). The left tank was fine. continue
  

Video
● RV Nightfighter ...Pete Howell
   More fun with the Contour over KANE....

Miscellaneous
● OT: The Known Universe by AMNH...brought to my attention by the spousal unit.

Fri 02.26.10 1256z
   Computer all day, Tate's Taekwondo class, APRS/IFR study and Olympics all night - Thursday was in the books.  Why no lunch flight yesterday?  32mph surface winds down the runway at DFW (and 40kts just above the airport).  Screen captures from noon below...  Ate lunch with the spousal unit instead. ;^)
  Mom called last night around 10pm and said she's still getting well wishing birthday emails from RV folks (spotlighted at the top of the 22nd's edition).  It really means a lot to me that folks are sending her these.  Even got a few from RV folks involved in NASCAR, and you can't imagine how much those mean to her.  Thanks gang.
  Looks like a wet(ish) Friday around these parts.  Hope VFR and dry where you are and that you have a happy, safe and RV-filled weekend!
  
    Doug Reeves

● Free Transport Crates If You're Flying Dogs for Pilots n' Paws....from a post by Bruce Sacks (RV-9)
   From: Deborah Boies [mailto: pilotsnpaws 'at' gmail 'dot' com]
   Sent: Monday, February 22, 2010 6:24 PM
   To: Sue Bruce
   Subject: Re: Can you help save some dogs?

   Thank you for helping out the pilots! Actually, it has not been officially announced as yet but Pilots N Paws is partnering with Petmate. All crates given to our pilots to use for transports will be Petmate crates. I have them here, free of charge, to ship out to the pilots - I just need a request from them regarding sizes--i.e measurement of the area they will be stowing them in.
   Please have the pilots get in touch with me and I am happy to send them crates to use, collars, leashes and harnesses.

      - related: Acts of Charity section of forums (using your RV)

● RV-10 Albuquerque / Formation Flight ...Bill Steppling (Granbury, TX)
   Formation flight to Albuquerque in our RV-10. Departed out of Pecan Plantation in Granbury TX with family and good friends. Had a great time! Enjoy the video..
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3d3pp8IqUk
   [ed. They have raised the bar on video editing with this one!!! dr]

related: RV Photo/Video URLs | RV-10 Forum

● Moved To the Airport ...Bernie Daenzer and Alex Lichtensteigger (Switzerland)
   "What a great day!  With a lot of help from several friends, we managed to move the airplane to the airfield and even start final assembly.
   Since we have a few days off, we should be able to get quite some things done.  Nice to see everything come together so well!"

● Test flew LORAN/APRS antenna today... Patch Hatch
   I mounted the new CI-122SP LORAN antenna on the belly as shown below and it ended up being about 74" from the COM 1 antenna on the left in the photo. Clearance off the ground from the tip was about 5". I ended up shortening the antenna about 3.5 inches, still might be a little long, but I don't think it's going to make any difference at 10 watts!
   Bob Mills graciously offered to monitor my flight in real time, so I called him on the phone as I was taxiing out and we were conversing for the whole flight. I was at 2,000' for most of the flight and pretty much tracked the same as I had on the first flight, which Bob had posted in the thread that preceded this one. I really can't tell any difference between this antenna and the CI-122 COM antenna that I was borrowing from my COM 2. So I guess we can pronounce the LORAN antennae a success as APRS alternatives!
   Here's my ground track:
   (continue)

● New Builder Hint From Ron Sterba ...who might have a data point on the subject.
   "NEVER change the drill bit in you air-drill with the chuck-key in place while the air is still connected!"

● Lightspeed PIREP ...Terry Kohler
   "Just had two Lightspeed QFR headsets rebuilt. New ear seals, new wires, and one even had the entire switch module replaced. When I first called Lightspeed and requested an overhaul, they informed me that they didn't do such work - just tell them the problems and send the sets in. How much? It's covered under warranty. Just $20/set (I believe that also covered shipping). But the headsets are over 5 years old. No problem, still covered by warranty. WOW!
Guess what brand I'm going to buy when I upgrade.
Terry, CFI
RV-9A N323TP"
   fmi: www.anrheadsets.com

● CBP sticker location    I just spent my $27.50 plus shipping and have a brand new CBP decal so I can get back into the US from "overseas." Instructions say "Place decal on outside of the conveyance within 18 inches of the normal boarding area where it is visible when the doors/hatches are open." Where are folks putting these little stickers so they don't mar the paint job, either visually or from the sticky glue? And, preferably where they won't add much drag . Maybe on the plexi?
	Some Replies: (Martin Sutter) I placed mine on the left side of the plane (RV7A tip-up), just aft of the roll bar on the lower forward corner of the rear window. it was easy to remove when it expired and the customs guys were happy with it.
	(Rosie)  I've cleared Customs from the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada and have both hand-carried my decal into the Customs office and now have it attached to the baggage bulkhead. Never has an Officer complained about it either way. You just GOTTA HAVE IT
	(Ryan Dean) Per the CBP website:  Placement of Decals – Private Aircraft or Private Vessels The User Fee decal for private aircraft and private vessels is to be affixed on the outside of the conveyance within 18 inches of the normal boarding area, where it is visible when doors/hatches are open.    For those of you that do some border hopping, do you really have to place this sticker on the outside of the plane? Has anyone not followed the placement instructions and been harassed about it? These stickers are good for 12 months, and I don't want to have the stupid thing on there all year.

Motivation
● The RV-12 Group Are One Very Active Online Bunch ....look at the activity in the past few hours!

Safety
● 2009 Joseph T. Nall Report Now Online (aopa)   
   The number of non-commercial fixed-wing general aviation accidents decreased 5.3% from 2007 to 2008 (from 1,324 to 1,254), but this reflected a decrease in flight activity as well as a slight reduction in the accident rate. The 236 fatal accidents and 433 individual deaths were the lowest on record, but the fatal accident rate remained close to its historic average. The number of accidents caused by fuel mismanagement continues to decrease, down 54% from 1999. The commercial fixed-wing GA accident rate jumped to its highest level in five years but was still almost one-third lower than the non-commercial rate, while the safety record of both commercial and non-commercial helicopter flights have shown impressive improvements since 2003.

Advertiser's Corner...sent in by the advertisers of this site.
● Some Recent SteinAir Panels
   Here are two NON RV panels…just to show people we do stuff other than RV’s.  We’ve been on a Rans/Sonex/Glasair spree lately, and below are two of the more unique panels we’ve done.  We even did a full steam gauge very low cost panel recently!
   The AirCam panel is full IFR, with a certified ASPEN PROP EFIS, GNS-530W + GDL69A XM music/weather receiver, heated pitot, GTX-330 mode S transponder with traffic, 2nd COMM radio, GMA-240 audio panel, twin turbocharged rotax 914 engines with 3 alternators, controllable props, etc.. Quite a decked out machine!  There are two side panel/armrests that are not shown in the picture that are also full of equipment/switches.
   The Sonex panel is also full IFR, GNS-430W, AF-4500 Advanced Flight Deck EFIS, 2nd Becker radio, Microair transponder, backup ADI, smoke system, alternate static, Trio ProPilot, and PS engineering audio panel.
Cheers,
Stein Bruch (www.SteinAir.com)
  

Thu 02.25.10 1300z
● Tracking Gizmos Part Deux
   I'm in the process of installing a BigLine APRS tracker in my RV-6, basically because that stuff is off the cool scale and it provides a much higher number of tracking returns vs the SPOT unit I've used in the past (what is APRS).  Besides the obvious uses of APRS, I'm gonna use it to archive the data from flights while completing the IFR rating.  How ugly the holds were....that sort of stuff.
   For real emergencies, I got a box from the mailman yesterday with an ACR Electronics SARLink PLB in it (video of product).  Note:  You can't send unlimited 'I'm OK' messages with the PLB like you can on the SPOT.  You can send a few, though.
  The plan now is to have APRS tracking for storytelling, family/friend online position monitoring and general gee-whizitry...
  
   ...and compliment that unit with an honest to goodness 406MHz COSPAS-SARSAT-approved PLB that talks straight with Search and Rescue.
  
   These two units combined should give me two features that I wanted in SPOT - 1) more hits on the map (SPOT reports every ten minutes while APRS can do it every 30 seconds) and 2) no middleman between me and SAR if I have to press the HELP button.
   I'll keep you in the loop.

   related:  PLBs vs SPOT (Differences)

● Preserving Headroom... Seat Mods... and headroom happiness!  ...Stephen (RV-7)
   I have worked with Luke at classic aero designs to get acceptable headroom and can proclaim headroom happiness!
   I am a bit over 6'4" with a 34" inseam for general reference. without any seat cushion or back i had about 2-1/2" of headroom.
   My order from cad included an ultra light sportsman seat bottom for the pilot side fabricated with confor foam that maintains great support while minimizing the overall thickness. with the seat bottom my headroom is reduced to about 1-1/4". the standard sportsman seat back that i initially ordered includes a moveable lumbar support, a significant amount of side bolster, and core padding that pushed me forward and up right into the canopy... completely unacceptable.
   Together with Luke and Jeremiah from cad we discussed potential solutions to restore adequate headroom. they had me fit 1/2" rigid insulation to the seat back in increments to gauge the impact on headroom and we discovered that there was a dramatic reduction in headroom from the seat back thickness. with just 1/2" added my 1-1/4" of clear is reduced to 5/8"... with an inch it is down to a marginally tolerable 1/4". after discussions the seat back was modified to reduce the overall thickness of the bolsters, eliminate the lumbar support entirely, reduce the core insert to a minimum thickness, and change the foam to confor.
   (continue)

● Biggest RV Grin ...courtesy Rudi Greyling.
   Took a youngster up for his first RV flight on Sunday. Man this must be the biggest RV grin I have ever seen...
  

● Q: Does this sound right:  $30 for the front half of an RV-10 Wheel Pant?
   Last summer I banged up one of the wheel pants on my RV-10.  I finally got around to calling Van's to order the parts to fix it. I didn't have the plans handy so I explained that I wanted just the front half of the pant. Ken in tech support supplied the number as U1013A. I then talked to one of the girls in the parts department and she gave me a price of $30. I was completely flabbergasted! I am so used to paying outrageous prices for airplane parts (see my thread on the $22 light bulb). I asked her to confirm that I had the right price and part number. After she did, I went ahead and placed an order. I still have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to get something other than the front half of the wheel pant for an RV-10.
   Can anyone confirm that the correct part number is U1013A and or that the price should be about $30?
Thanks,
Bruce

   A: Yep.
       U-1013A   WHL.FAIR.NOSE FRONT    $30.60..  from the parts list (and the rear half is $128.70)

● Tip: Canopy Prep..BIG SPLIT & Beyond ...Rick Galati
   Splitting the canopy into two pieces is something of a milestone. Although it may not be immediately obvious, it is vital to secure the Plexiglas canopy so that as the big cut proceeds, the canopy remain perfectly immobile. If not adequately secured, each large piece becomes very flexible. If not supported, uneven stresses can be generated on the Plexiglas and as the big cut proceeds those stresses will load up and concentrate at the edge of the cut. At some point those stresses become unbearable and that canopy can crack in an instant. That very thing has happened to more than a few builders.
   There are any number of ways to secure the canopy prior to making the big cut. How you secure the canopy is not as important as securing it adequately. Some people have stuffed a number of pillows, foam or strategically fixed blocks of wood inside and out to support the canopy during the cut. Others have used duct tape. Some do it right on the airplane. As I considered the problem back in 2001, I developed a technique using kite string. It seemed to work perfectly on the two canopies I have split to date. When the two pieces finally separated on the work bench, each large piece continued to remain relatively immobile, separated only by the kerf width of the fiber cutting disk.

   It occurred to me that according to a recent VAF poll, 1/3 of RV builders who participated reported a canopy crack developing at some point. By any measure, that is an awful failure rate. Many new builders are completely unfamiliar with Plexiglas and could become better acquainted with its special properties by simply becoming more familiar with it. That is easy. It starts by removing a good sized chunk of the canopy waste flange and practicing technique on it. As you can see, the four corners of this -8 canopy had large amounts of waste material that needed to be removed. Once removed, drill and countersink the waste 'glass with free and reckless abandon. Try different things, test it to destruction. Drill holes up to full size and experiment using different countersinking techniques. Personally, I use a zero flute countersink bit that produces a high quality countersink with no chance of cracking the glass. The builders manual suggests and most builders end up using a standard piloted countersinking bit. As a review of the archives may reveal, this practice seems to be a common cause of canopy cracks. Is this suggestion by Van's driven in part by an economic pragmatism given that builders already have piloted countersink bits in possession? Tell you what. While practicing countersinking technique on a simulated full size hole drilled through Plexiglas waste material, intentionally place a side load on that standard piloted countersinking bit and see what happens. Chances are excellent the Plexiglas will crack. Keep in mind that on the real thing, a crack generated while countersinking can occur following the slightest moment of inattention. Classic local stress. Don't take it lightly. These and other exercises may help the new builder to develop a realistic *feel* that may serve later when the builder must drill and countersink holes in that very expensive canopy, a time when the builder has only one chance to get it right. No secret here. Care and attention to detail here means increasing your chance of joining the 2/3 of RV builders who have not experienced the frustration and displeasure of a cracked canopy.

● New Forums Section: Fiberglass
   This has been needed for some time.  There are some pretty amazing fiberglass skills floating around in this group and it's time to have a dedicated space for them.  I'd ask the moderators that as they come across threads that would better fit in here to please move 'em over, if the mood strikes.

Troubleshooting
● SilverHawk Sticky Mixture Control
   My SilverHawk Servo, 285 hours, mixture control has gotten a little sticky. When the engine is running it works fine. It works well when the air is warm.  When cold, it actually makes a little squeaky noise like something needs some lube.  Is there any routine maintenance or lubrication necessary on the SilverHawk Servo that I might be missing?
RV6 - Builder/Flying
Bucker Jungmann

Construction
● Brian's Panel Status ...hydroguy2 in the forums.
   Still a long way to go, but got my panel labeled today. I used color coding for the different Busses.
  

● Jon Clements Paint Status (Melbourne Australia)
   I'm painting and the sense of excitement is finally back.  A week in time should see the paint finished. Hope to be flying in a couple of months.....there is light!
   Jon Clements, Melbourne Australia.
   VH-JWC. RV-7 (finishing). ASP IO-360-M. Elec Ign. Inv Oil. Hartzell CS Blended Airfoil. Dual GRT HX and other electric stuff.
  

Advertiser's Corner...sent in by the advertisers of this site.
● SteinAir Stuff For Sale
   Again I have some extra/surplus goodies to sell. The items below are new never flown, but have been installed into a panel we built that the customer made drastic changes/upgrades to before we finished, so they are now for sale to VAF members at a discount. A few of the others on the list below are just surplus (again, have been installed to a panel but never flown). They will come in original packaging with new connector kits, and full warranties, but are several months old in reality. I have put a few hours on the 696 so technically it's no longer new, but almost new. Here's what we've got:

     Dynon EMS-D120 engine montor: $1800
     Garmin GTX-327 Transponder: $1550
     Garmin SL-30 Nav/Comm: $3350
     Garmin GPS-696: $2675
     Garmin GMA-240 Audio Panel: $750
     PMA-8000B Audio Panel: $1525
     1 x Ameriking AK-450 ELT new in box, missing the remote switch (available new from Spruce): $100

   We also have some TCW Safety Trim systems left over from the Group buy last year for sale at a discount as well.

     6ea ST-1-12V-2SP (12V, single axis 2 speed) $160
     3ea ST-2-12V-2SP (12V, 2 axis, 2 speed) $245

   Harnesses for any of the above items are optional but not included. Cash/Check only, price does not include shipping. Contact me off list or email me, as usual first come first serve!

Cheers,
Stein

Miscellaneous
● OT:  Thirteen episodes of 'Ice Pilots' you can watch online today ....instead of working.  'Deadliest Catch' and 'American Chopper' meets Orville and Wilber kind of thing.  Links to episodes 2-13 just under the area of the screen where you watch the first one.
   Brought to my attention by Ed Darcy.
  

● OT: A Day in the Life of ATC Over the USA
   This made it's way to my inbox again (pops up every few months), but it's way cool and should be spotlighted every so often.  Embedded below so the folks who have YouTube blocked at work can still see it.  Use the button to make it full screen.

Wed 02.24.10 1307z
   Hump day!  Spent all of Tuesday ensconced in the upstairs office trying to ascend Mt. Email a little.  Planned on using the Central North Face Direct route, but ended up taking South-East Ridge Standard, and even then only got a smidgen of the way up (huh?).   I get more than a few emails, and I need to occasionally apologize for not getting back to you sooner if you're waiting - it's not intentional.  One hundred thirteen unread in the inbox right now and another 500+ I've glanced at but haven't responded to (none of which spam).  Trying to strike the optimum balance between replying to as many as possible and jamming a survival knife through the monitor.
   If you're an advertiser you'll get a reply as fast as a duck on a June bug.  If you're a potential advertiser, I'll get back to you very shortly.  But, if you're emailing about the type of camera I use (Canon EOS-1 D Mark II N), or what kind of PC to buy (cheapest), or if you can use a picture of mine somewhere (absolutely)....there is a real chance you won't see a reply.  Again it's not personal, just the laws of physics.
   The plan is to reach TBO on my fingertips and wrists several decades from now.  There was a great quote I read somewhere regarding too much typing and letting it consume your life:

"The plight at the end of the carpal tunnel may be an oncoming strain."

  Isn't that a great line!  Well, back to the climb.
  Hoping Wednesday's CAVU and flyable for you. 

● Pics Now Online of CC-PXG's Recent First Flight ...Fernando Abasolo (Santiago, Chile)

● Teen Flight Blog Brought Up To Date ...Scott McDaniels
   (Feb 20th entry)  This week we had nine of our team members in attendance.
   The two teams working on the wings got them completed this week and they are now in a storage rack for safe keeping until we need them for the fit check to the fuselage. They then started working on two of the sub assembly portions of the forward fuselage.
   Another one of our four teams completed the construction of the two seat backs; and the last team made more progress on the mid fuselage section.
   Starting with next week's session, we will have all four teams working on the forward fuselage. We expect to begin on portions of the finish kit in just a couple of weeks.

●  Final Paint of N128MS is Complete ...Marty Santic RV-12
      - pics and text.

● Five Prop Offer:  $1850 Sensenich Props (5 of them reconditioned - from the factory)
   "Just wanted to touch base with you and see if you had any interest in listing some reconditioned stock I have. Price would be $1850.00 each, and that includes the spacer and bolts. Here’s what I have available, first come first serve:

   (1) 72FM8S9-1-86 (O-360)
   (1) 72FM8S9-1-85 (O-360)
   (2) 70CM6S9-0-79 (O-320 with 3/8” bolts and 2.25” spacer)
   (1) 70CM7S16-0-80 (O-320 with 7/16” bolts and 4” spacer)

   Also, I can only ship these units within the USA, I can not ship them overseas. To do so, I need to get a DAR to come in and do certs on them, and that is a major hassle.

Denise Metz
Accounting Administrator
Sensenich Propeller Mfg. Co., Inc
14 Citation Lane
Lititz, PA 17543
(717) 569-0435

● Jim Gray - Last flight for Delta (now full time RV pilot)
   After 27 years, 19,000 hours, 4800 landings, 3500 nights in a hotel, and hundreds of all night ocean crossings, RV-8 pilot Jim Gray just took an early retirement from Northwest (now Delta) Airlines, having been lucky enough to fly captain on the B-727, B-757, and B747-400.
   The plan now is to concentrate on what is really fun, flying the RV, especially formation flying with good friends.
   (n747JG 'at' earthlink 'dot' net)
   

● Help me fix my cowling issue
   A little background: I didn't build this plane (or any others) and I'm not real familiar with airplane construction. I have attended the RV SportAir workshop, and should be able to drill a few holes and squeeze a decent rivet - I'm not completely helpless.
   Problem: There are two screws in each of my cowl inlets that help hold the top and bottom halves of the cowling together. I think the edge distance must be too close and/or the aluminum backing plate is too thin, as the screws are elongating the holes in the top half of the cowl (the nutplates are attached to the bottom half.) In this picture, you can see the worst hole, which has nearly worn through.
    (more pictures)

VAF Family
● Paul Nelson Takes The Plunge ...Mundelein, IL
   Sure, we've all seen it before, but this is my empennage kit! Very very stoked- wish me luck!...

● Post # 1 :  Welcome Bret Parker of Nevada

Construction
● RV-10 QB: Gretz GA1000 Pitot install
   Q: Just got my Pitot system (GA 1000) and wonder if anyone has experience installing on an RV 10 QB ? Thanks Bob

Safety
● NOAA's CWSU National Map link added to the bottom of the 'Current Analysis' section of the Wx section...brought to my attention by David Heal.  Mouse-over the dots and get the current conditions.

Building Tips / Techniques/ Mods
● DIY Air Compressor Muffler - Cuts Noise by 80% ...Paul Gardetto
I'm tired of buying Motrin, so I built a DIY compressor muffler/silencer.  Iphone decibel app shows 98db stock and 90db with the muffler, plus I get filtered air entering the system.  Cost $23.50 (2 Bottles of Motrin)  Lowes: 1 gal empty paint can, 3/4" PVC connectors, 3/4" hose.  Fabric store: loose polyster pillow fill $3.50 (more pics)

Ongoing Maintenance Issues
● Conditional Inspection and Professional Help ...JonJay
   Since the birth of my 6 I have held the Repairmans Certificate and have done the first three years of CI's. I am lucky having a good number of RV friends and "part time" AP's on the field to give my machine a once over at annual time. However, this year I hired a professional full time AP/AI to go over the FFW with me.
   Although we found no sqwacks or anything that would threaten my life, I learned a great deal of "little" things that a pro does that I had never seen or been taught. These items have now become part of my CI check list.
   I believe there are many people out there like me. I have done my own maintenance for years, under supervision, learned a great deal and had the confidence to get my Repairmans Certificate to continue to maintain this machine. However, I am not a professional and having someone with years of experience, someone I trust, look at the machine with a new eye and teach me a couple new tricks was invaluable. Total cost = $200.
   I would highly encourage others to do the same.
[ed. I'm with Jon on this. dr]

Miscellaneous
● Wanna Be In The New RV Marketing Video?...from Ken Scott at Van's
   Hey, Dougie...
   I need a couple of RV builders, far enough along to have recognizable airplane parts, to volunteer to let a film crew video their project.  We're upgrading the RV Story video and need some hands-on builder's shots within fifteen or twenty miles of Aurora.  I'd like to get this done in the next few days.
   Of course, if any RV builder elsewhere wants to send us footage (HD) of work happening, we'd be glad to archive it and use it where we can.
   Prospective movie stars can call me at Van's.  (503) 678-6545 8:00a-4:30p pacific time
Thanks,
Ken

Tue 02.23.10 1242z
   Hard to believe, but it's snowing again in Dallas, TX <g>.  Incredible!
    Doug Reeves

● CC-PXG flew today for the first time at Chilean Sky
   My 8 flew today at Chilean Sky, everything went perfect. 34 minutes Flight. I made a perfect 3 point landing.  Thanks to all of you for answering my questions. Thanks to my friend Edmundo, Ivan, Erik, Ariel, Sebastian, Ricardo, Wilfredo and Claudio for help me building. Thanks to my Mother and Special Thanks to my wife Macarena Tasville for her support.
   Ok, now I am going to fly again and post pictures and video tonight.
   I am happy with a big RV grin.
__________________
Fernando Abasolo
Santiago Chile
Finishing RV-8 (SCTB)
Serial Number 82727, Tail Number CC-PXG
Lyc. IO-360, Hartzell Prop
VAF #2056
EAA Member 774981
picasaweb.google.com/fabasolo

● Pics of Mike Skoczen RV-3 ...first flight just a couple days ago.
  

● The Value of Inspections  ...Rob Prior
   Yesterday I had the Import Inspection done on the RV-6 I imported to Canada from Idaho. The inspector essentially did a "Final" inspection, as if I had built the plane myself. He was very thorough, looked in all the nooks and crannies, and asked all the right questions of me about the plane and how it performed, what snags I had already fixed, etc.
   In the end, everything looked good, except for one thing: The overhead pedals don't have the reinforcing gussets, so he took a look at the locations where failures are likely. He thought he could see a small line at one of the welds, so he told me to take a look and see what I thought.
   Sure enough, once I managed to get the right combination of light position, body position, and mirror position, I could clearly see that the paint was cracked at the join. For reference, the location is the Pilot's right foot pedal, at the join to the horizontal torque tube, on the forward (firewall) side of the tube...........
   So, after putting all the inspection covers and cowlings back on, I set about removing the pedals. It turned out to not be that difficult, just a bunch of careful maneuvering until I could get the delrin blocks off the ends (i'll split them before putting them back). It was made a little more difficult because the throttle/mixture/carb heat cables all run below the bars, sort of "trapping" the pedals in place.
   I took the offending bar to a friend with a sandblaster and an oxy-acetylene setup so we could fabricate some gussets and weld them in. After sandblasting, we found that the passenger side pedal on the same bar was also cracked, but on the rear side (passenger side) of the pedals. This fits with the failure mode that Van mentions in the Service Bulletin (failure on the compression side), but the Service Bulletin doesn't mention anything about putting gussets on the *front* of the tubes, just the back.
   Still, three cracks later I'm wondering if it would be better to just buy new pedals pre-welded (and powdercoated?) from Van with the gussets in place, rather than impose on the already over-abused-hospitality of the local community to weld in new gussets... Any other opinions?
   Oh, and I should add that I think my inspector earned every penny of his fee with this inspection. Looking at the pedals end on, it looks like the pedal had already started to fail, as the two right-foot pedals are about 3-5 degrees out of alignment. The words "imminent failure" come to mind, not something I'd like to have happen.
__________________
Rob Prior
1996 RV-6 C-FRBP (formerly N196RV)

● Wilksch Diesel Powered RV ...there was a post in the forums about this engine yesterday, and later in the evening I got an email from Marc Cook at Kitplanes asking if I could spotlight the ten page article on VAF.  Sure!...and here it is (click on the the mag cover).  Written by Ken Krueger and Marc Cook.

● Updated the VAF USA Weather Page a Bit ...added lowest freezing levels and several layout changes.  Pretty much requires you access via high-speed (has 42 maps I think).

Motivation
● Tower Dialogue I love to hear ...a great thread gets some new additions.

● VFR / IFR shots ...Ed DArcy
  

Construction
● RV-8 panel progress...Jesse Bentley (Muskego, WI)

Video
● Contour over STP ...Pete Howell
   We wired up Pj's Contour 1080i for sound.....Then I mounted it to the dash of the -9A. Watch me cheat death over the skies of St. Paul. No loops, no rolls, no high speed passes.......
   See how a slip can be used in lieu of flaps, see crazy fishermen on the semi frozen Mississippi.  See Pete play with youtube annotations.  See if you can make it thru the whole thing without dozing off.........
   Enjoy....well maybe "endure" would be more appropriate!
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2oomeYXo4k

Troubleshooting
● Q: RV-10 Brake Conditioning / Break In? ...from the RV-10 forum.
   Is there a pad break-in or conditioning procedure for the brakes/pads that Van's ships with the RV-10 kit? I think I recall a conditioning procedure for my RV-6 brakes from a decade ago, but I don't recall seeing any requirement for the pads on the RV-10.
__________________
Tim Lewis
RV-6A N47TD - 1070 hrs    RV-10 N31TD - Engine run successful, prepping for first flight

Safety
● Control Tower Confusion ...Don Alexander
   Recently, I flew my -8 into a class C airport in order to refresh my radio and procedure skills. It had been 18 years since my last controlled airspace encounter, so I was working hard to get it right. The inbound leg was uneventful. I taxied over to the GA area and shut down long enough to gather my wits and to prepare for the departure process. After talking with Clearance Delivery and Ground, I was taxied to an intersection and instructed to hold short of the runway. There was a LONG line of arrivals and after almost 15 minutes of holding, I was asked by Tower if I could execute an expedited departure. I replied that I could…and just sat there waiting on the magic words which never came. Finally, I asked Tower if they actually wanted me to go, and they said yes. I am still waiting on the magic words…nothing…
   I then ask Tower “Is 451BZ cleared for takeoff on runway xx?”. Tower came back with the magic words- “451BZ cleared for takeoff on xx.” which I read back, then took the runway and scooted on out of there.
   The point of the post is to remind everyone, if in doubt, ask. I didn’t think that I had been given permission to enter the runway and it took two questions from me to get what I wanted to hear from Tower before I felt that I was actually cleared onto the runway. It just didn’t feel right.
__________________
Don Alexander
RV-8 Finished After 8 1/2 Years (2496 hours) of Loving Labor
Summerville, SC

Review
● Shout out for Partain Trading Company ...John
   So my RV-10 fuselage kit finally arrived Wed. of this week after some Vans delays and shipping delays. Tony is not the best communicator out there, but his driver Michael was very good at giving updates while on the road. With all the snow we have gotten on the east coast lately I was unsure if he could even make it in to my neighborhood. Once the truck got in to the neighborhood he quickly realized he would not make it to my house so we had to unload the plane down the street. The first step was to remove a 9A quick-build from on top of my crate.
   continue

Miscellaneous
● Protecting your freedom to fly in wake of Austin crash (aopa) ...what, when and how.

● OT: Camera Peregrine Falcon and a Goshowk

Direct link

● OT: Flash Animation of the Assembly of the ISS

Mon 02.22.10 1300z
   Morning!  If you enjoy this site on a daily basis, don't thank me.  Thank my Mom, whose birthday is today, for bringing me into this world a few decades back.  She's both NASCAR's and my #1 fan, and if you feel so inclined to wish her a good one she can be reached at (mom 'at' vansairforce 'dot' net).  She would especially like to hear from you if you're into NASCAR - specifically Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
   Got an iPhone and want an RV ringtone?  You're in luck.  You can download the two I created yesterday, or make one yourself using the free program iRinger.  Clicking on the links below will launch iTunes on your local PC (right-clicking on the link and choosing 'Save Target As' will allow you to save it to your hard drive).  The sounds were recorded as part of some video I shot with my camera.  Then I imported that into MS Movie Maker (free) and exported it to my hard drive as an .avi file.  iRinger (free) will import the sound from an .avi file and convert it to a ringtone.  That iRinger software was pretty painless to use.  It took about sixty seconds to turn Ron Wood's guitar intro from Faces'  Stay With Me into a ringtone for when my guitar-crazy friends call.

    Free RV iPhone Ringtones (added to downloads page):
    1. FlashInFlight.m4r  My RV-6 in cruise - 25/25.
    2. JerryFlyBy.m4r     Jerry Lawlor overhead break.

   My prediction is that you're gonna goof off a lot at work today reading the new trip write-ups by Scott Schmidt and Scott/Deb.  They are certainly enjoying their RVs!
   We've got snow in the forecast (mouse up/down the am/pm column) here in DFW again for late tonight/tomorrow.  Weather folks said that if it snows 3" it'll be the snowiest winter on record for our area.  Incredible.
   Congrats to NASA and the crew of Endeavour on a great mission!
    Doug Reeves

● First flight today ! ...Mike Skoczen's RV-3
   Hello all,
   Flew it today ! No wind, blue sky and about 0 degrees celcius.  Needed some right rudder but was able to tweak the rudder trailing edge by hand enough to make it right for the second flight.  I used a small oil cooler and have it 1/2 blocked and got 175 deg. oil temp.  The aileron feel is VERY nice, elevator is heavier and rudder feels normal.
   No wheel pants because of snow on the runway, but indicating 175mph @2500rpm (Catto 76" pitch).
   Have bad static/crackle in the radio with the engine running. Headset volume will raise or lower the crackle volume while the radio volume doesn't (Microair M760), boost pump, alternator(SD-8) on/off, varying rpm makes no difference. I've posted in the COMM section of the forum but if anyone has seen this before please let me know.
   Really a nice handling airplane and probably one of the easiest taildraggers to land.
   Thanks to Randy, Rob H, Tony and Fred for their websites.
Mike

● Kit 120113 Flies. ...Bruce Russell
   Kit 120113 became N813RV this afternoon in Macon, Ga. The aircraft flew as advertised.
  

● RV-10 Adventure: Baja Flying and Whales - February 2010 ...Scott Schmidt
   WOW, When can I do that again?  That is what I said after I landed back home after a great 5 day trip to the Baja with friends.
Two week previous to this trip I heard about a group going down to the Baja and they asked if I wanted to go.

   Let's see, what would I need?
   Passport: Expired
   Customs Sticker: Expired
   eAPIS: Never Used It
   Procedures: No Idea
   Yup, I'm in.

   This was a guys trip so I called a couple of friends and they both said yes before I asked the question.
Our plan was to go and see the gray whales at San Ignacio Lagoon and stay two nights at Alfonsinas and two nights at Mulege.
I expedited the renewal of my passport and had that back in four days, my customs sticker came the next day and I did the AOPA online eAPIS training to become familiar with it. I was starting to feel more ready for this trip.

   The preparation of this this trip was actually quite easy, there are many good resources out there.  The one area I had some confusion on was the insurance. I understand that you used to have to buy insurance from a company located in Mexico but that changed a couple of years ago to read that your insurance only needs to cover you in Mexico. But there are some people in Mexico that do not interpret it that way. You can purchase insurance for around $60 for a trip to Mexico which is what I did just to be safe.

   I filed both flight plans (down and back) through eAPIS a couple of days before and really had no problems with that.  I made sure I had my pilots license, registration, medical, insurance, passport and if your plane is registered to a corporation you need to have a notarized letter authorizing you to use the plane.

   For the plane I purchased a prop lock, brought my tie-downs, cover, 2 quarts of oil and put together a small tool kit.  Since I have no locks on my plane I installed my stock handles which easily remove with one bolt.

   About two years ago I purchased the book Air Baja.  It was a great resource for the trip. I was able to program all the airports into my Cheltons, G-430 and 396. I also purchased a new WAC-22 chart before leaving even though I had an older laminated one that came with my Air Baja book.

   I shot both pictures and video (for the first time) on this trip. I used a FLIP HD camera and bought a Panasonic LX3 that has HD video built in. The problem I have with the FLIP is the prop causing lines. The Panasonic did not have the lines so once I figured that out I tried to shoot more with the Panasonic.

Day 1:
   We left on Wednesday February 10th from Salt Lake and had a beautiful flight down. We picked up a little rain about 20 miles out of Mexicali but it was very easy to get under. The day before two C-185's flew down and I went with a couple of friends that own a 1963 C-210. We had a 10 knot tail wind and I ran LOP. Our first stop was Mexicali to check into the country. Flying with the C-210 allowed me to pull the throttle back more than I ever have before. The flight took about 3 hours and 40 minutes and I burned 31 gallons of gas, which cost me $112 dollars in Mexicali. We were pretty happy about the first fuel stop.  (continue)

● Scott & Deb's EXcellent Weekend Excursions: Movie in the Mojave
   Most flying enthusiasts have spent their fair share of time and money in pursuit of the infamous $100-hamburger. Well slide over Mr. All-Beef Patty and make room for the $600 movie!
   Our SoCal friends Paul & Victoria Rosales have been hosting movie nights at their spacious hangar in Rosamond Skypark since June of 2007. Once or twice a month, throughout the summer, they roll out the red carpet for friends and neighbors to watch a movie under the stars of the Mojave Desert. In case you’re wondering exactly where the Mojave is, the image below (compliments of the USGS) shows it outlined in red
   (continue)

● Houston RV builder gathering photos...Louise Hose
   Thanks to everyone for coming over and letting us show off our project and airplanes. It was a really fun afternoon. Neither of us made any sort of count but we're thinking about 30-35 folks showed up (including 4 or 5 neighbors). Thanks, also, to Kevin for arranging shuttles from Pearland Regional.

Milestones
● First Engine Start ...Jerry Cummings (RV-9)
   Well, my RV friends, I have crossed the ever elusive threshold called "the first engine start." After one full rotation of the 3-bladed Catto prop, the Lightspeed Ignition System brought the engine to life. Diggin that electronic ignition already! She purred like a kitten as I throttled through a few RPM settings. No leaks or squawks noted, post-run. Still have to secure a few items, i.e. the cabin heat hose hanging out there. A little fiberglass work left to do on the plenum and cowling. Hoping to git'r in the air sometime in March/April, if the Air Force Reserve can keep me home long enough.

Construction
● Warning Bells….. ...Paul Dye (RV-3B building / RV-8 flying)

I have mentioned before that one of the interesting things about building the RV-3 is the fact that you really, really, REALLY have to know how to read the drawings and cross-check the information between the various sheets. It is simply not enough to find a part (or an assembly) on a single drawing and figure that you know enough about how to make it. Frequently, the information is all there, but simply doesn’t register until you see a different view of the same area (or a related area) on another drawing that makes a light bulb go off in your head. Sometimes, that light bulb is a little slow to go on….and sometimes, it is surprising to find that little warning bells have been going off along the way, but it takes a few chimes before we put the pieces together and recognize our mistakes.

Today, for instance, I felt the “click” as the bulb came on for something that I did over a month ago! Fortunately, I have adopted a policy of healthy suspicion on just about everything we do, never calling anything “complete” or “final” until we have no other choice than to drill, rivet, or close it up. Frequently, we’ll do a job, and as we move on to other things, I’ll be perusing the drawings and learning a little more about the overall assembly when those little bells start ringing. The problem part today was the lower forward stringers in the fuselage – they form the lower corners of the fuselage from the center section to the firewall, and set the geometry of this critical relationship, as well as providing a strong structure to transmit engine loads to the wing.

I had framed this portion of the skeleton up awhile back, using the side view drawing of the forward fuselage. Looking at this area, you see the longerons, the lower stringer, and a diagonal brace stringer, all of which look alike in side view. The longerons are ¾” x ¾” heavy angle, as is the diagonal brace. And, if you look at the lines on the drawing, this appears to be the case with the lower stringer as well, so that was how I built it. All looked just fine, and since the longerons matched the lower corners, it seemed to make sense.

But then a few days ago, I started to install the lower forward floor skin. There is a cross-section drawing a few pages back that show the details of this and the two triangular ribs that help to support the firewall where the engine mount intermediate pads bolt on. This area also has some angles to support the rudder pedals, and says that you might have to put those angles up on to the “1” x 1” angles…”. Hmmm, what 1” angles are they talking about? I looked closely, and the cross-section showed the corner angles with the rudder pedal support angle sitting on top. Well heck, those corner angels are 3/4”….couldn’t be talking about those! (Warning bell!!!) I went on to something else, but came back to this drawing for another detail later on. Sure enough, it still said the same thing – the rudder angle might have to go up on top of the 1” angle.

Well, we spent a couple of days doing some skin riveting on the aft fuselage, but I kept thinking about this little incongruity. Any time I get different answers to the same question, I get suspicious – and the warning bells keep going off. Sure enough – today, I put the pieces together – if only due to an unlikely circumstance! We were cleaning up the hangar for an RV gathering, and as part of the clean-up, I was putting away some long angle stock that had been lying on the office floor. And…I came across this five foot length of 1” x 1”x 0.125” angle stock. Well, we’ve used up most of the big angle stock by this time….what the heck could this be for? And suddenly, the alarm bell went off loud and clear – along with the brilliant light bulb of illumination!

I pulled out the drawings again, and sure enough, there on the original side view was the thing I’d missed. While the three angle piece were all DRAWN to the same width, the note pointing at the lower one said 1” x 1” x 0.125” angle stock, whereas the top and diagonals were shown to be ¾”x ¾”…..Fooled by the drawing! I expected that since the three looked to be the same size, they must be the same size – and missed the note.

Fortunately, it was a very simple fix to remove the floor skin and the two incorrect angles. It only took about an hour to fabricate and match-drill the two new pieces. And I was right back where I was, ready to proceed with skinning the forward fuselage. But once again, I learned to read the drawings with just a touch of suspicion, to look deeper for what they are trying to tell me – and to listen to those little warning bells that are telling me that something just doesn’t add up….

Paul

Safety
● Hypoxia Incident Today
   I am currently flying King-Air 200's at work. We had a post maintenance flight today that really got my attention.
   After doing our ground checks we took off and started a climb to 10,000. All of our tests were per the check-list and returned normal outcomes. We then started a climb to 16,500 to do some engine checks and complete the final checks on the pressurization system. Everything was normal. The final check includes "Dumping" the cabin to check the warning lights and ensure the O2 mask fall when the cabin altitude goes above 12,500. So everything worked as advertised and we leveled at 16,500 and started the engine checks. After a few minutes I started feeling euphoric. (I mean other than the usual euphoria that comes along with getting to fly for a living.) It took about 5 seconds for me to realize that I was hypoxic. I checked the cabin altitude and sure enough it was at 16,500. The warning light was still on. I announced the problem and that I was descending. My Co-Pilot called center and we returned home.
   I am thankful that I have had Altitude Chamber training and knew instantly what was wrong with me. I just wanted to share this story.
Terry H.
RV-7 Preview Plans
Gathering tools....

Fri 02.19.10 1248z
   Friday!  Good turnout yesterday for lunch with Tobin (off to Afghanistan in the not too distant future and pickling his RV-7 right now).  Yet another reason Texas is such a fine place to keep your RV - in February you get some good weather between fronts, and yesterday was 60°F and CAVU.  Had a whole glob of white traffic diamonds on the screen converging on KSEP, like spokes on a wheel.  On the ramp around 1115 it looked like a fly-in for a few minutes.  Had a great time seeing and catching up with Martin, Tom, Bonnie, Jay, Carol, Jarhead and all the others that showed.  Didn't get a plane or head count, but it was probably around ten or eleven planes.  Joe 'Dino' Ferraro (8A fuse) got in some RV stick time as my pax.  Good times and good food.  Ate myself stupid(er).
  Spent the whole evening on the keyboard playing catch up (but it was worth it seeing Tobin).
  Wishing you a happy, safe, VFR and RV-filled weekend.  
    Doug Reeves

   (Tobin chimes in...)
   Thanks to all that showed up. I think there were about 14 at our table. Big thanks for setting that up although it was completely unnecessary. It's been my sincere pleasure to serve and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I'm also very fortunate to have the friends in the RV community that I have and I do appreciate the gesture. BTW, although Jayne and I are moving in a week from Corpus Christi to Norfolk, I won't actually deploy to Afghanistan until the end of October. I have to go through four months of language school in DC and three months of training with the Army (I'm in the Navy) in Indiana before I deploy. I've moved the plane to Hicks field where it'll sit until I get back.
__________________
Tobin & Jayne
Corpus Christi
RV-7 Flying (pickled)

● February Houston RV Builders Get Together This Saturday ...call or email if showing.  Read PDF doc if flying.

● Banyan FBO (Ft. Lauderdale) Hosts Bahamas Day Feb. 20
   "This event is for private pilots who desire to fly to the Bahamas in their own aircraft ..."

● Van's History Of Tee Shirts ...started by Ed DArcy
  

● Update on Pushrod Rubbing ...Bruce Swayze
   "...I got 'er fixed. I had also written to Vans. I got a nice reply from Ken Scott. He said to go ahead as many of you have said, as long as it's no more than 1/8" of material to give the necessary clearance, making sure to radius and smooth the work.
   Here's a shot of my work. It took less than 1/16" to give me all the clearance I need. I used my dremmel and a sanding drum, and my die grinder with a fine scotchbrite wheel to polish it up."  pictures/more
  

● RV-10 access plate in floor for step ...from the RV-10 forum.
   Has anyone cut out an access hole in the floor to the step mounting location? I am going to install bushings in the step to prevent the step from moving back and forth.

● RV-10 Subpanel Mental Block Help ...from the RV-10 forum.
   Builders, I need some help getting over this major mental block that I seem to have regarding mounting the various misc subpanel black boxes like: manifold pressure sensor, fuse blocks, lightspeed module (future), and engine monitoring box, etc.
   Because the entire subpanel structure is riveted in place and will basically never ever get replaced easily due to being riveted in and the windshield right above, I am having a hard timing just drilling mount holes in fwd fuse ribs and such to mount black boxes directly. I keep wanting to come up with a better method for future access, as well as changes. Maybe use a platform sistered to a rib with standoffs? Maybe use standoffs instead of just mounting direct to rib?
   On the other hand, this is my 5th year, so once again, I feel like I am needlessly prolonging the build by debating over these "mundane" issues for most others.
   I am writing, because maybe all I need is a pat on the back and a kick in the butt to just do it?  IE just go ahead and mount everything directly. Odds are, you will never ever see these areas again. PS. Yes, I have been told I have commitment issues <g>.
   Thanks for any insights!
   Jae

Motivation
● Recent First Flights Reported On The Mothership

● RVs from Pecan Plantation ...Tom Lewis
   Yesterday several RVs from Pecan flyout for lunch and the following picture was taken by Bonnie while we were flying lead for the group.  Keep pounding those rivests!!

Advertiser's Corner...sent in by the advertisers of this site.
● Flight Data Systems Sale

   EAA Members Save on All Flight Data Systems Products!  As an EAA member, you can receive rebates on all Flight Data Systems Products until 3/18/09.

Item Rebate Price
AP-60 Audio Panel $10 $89
LC-40e Light Dimmer $10 $119
GT-50 Accelerometer $20 $169
T-30 Tachometer $20 $169
LC-50 Light Dimmer $20 $179
FC-10 Fuel Computer $30 $359
AN-21 Annunciator $30 $309
AFP-30 Air Data System $50 $709

   To receive your rebate, mail a copy of your receipt and your EAA number to:

Flight Data Systems
346 Keokuk Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
Phone: 831-325-3131

   or FAX them to 707-769-2732. Submit receipts by April 18th and allow four weeks for processing.

Charles Newman
Flight Data Systems
346 Keokuk Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
831-325-3131
www.fdatasystems.com

Thu 02.18.10 1247z
   Well, Lent is here.  Decided to give up bad landings for the next six weeks...that and Dr. Pepper.  One day down...
    Doug Reeves

● Tobin Basford BBQ Lunch Today (Stephenville, TX)
   (from Scorch)  "Our friend Lieutenant Commander Tobin Basford, US Navy, RV-7 driver, is shipping out in just a FEW DAYS to serve his country in Afghanistan.  He is in town and part of his last hurrah will be lunch today, Thursday, at the Hard Eight BBQ in KSEP, 1130 on the ramp.  We're hoping as many RVers as possible can join us for lunch and to give Tobin a send-off."
   (thread)

● Pure Fabrication… ...Paul Dye
   Building an RV-3 is not for the faint of heart, yet it can probably be more rewarding (to those who love building) than any of the RV line. If what you like is to follow step by step instructions, this kit is not for you – but for those who like to solve puzzles, follow clues, and create things from raw stock using accumulated knowledge from your own background and lots of research, then you’ll be in hog heaven! A lot of it is pure fabrication….Take for instance, the long fuselage side skins – the ones from the cockpit to the tail.
   We riveted on the port side skin Monday. All went very well, and as we were wrapping up for the day, we thought we’d cleco on the starboard skin to get ready for another round of rivets. Then I remembered that it’s a very good idea to look at the drawings now and again (the instructions for this part of the kit are only about half a page long – not much use in looking for details there…), and sure enough, I needed to put in the access plate and cover for the elevator horn/pushrod interface. Whew – glad I looked! While it could be added later, it sure would be a lot easier to add to the skin now. So, off I went on a drawing hunt, looking for details.
   Hmm…here on the drawing it shows the center of a four-inch, round inspection cover to be located at a specific location relative to the aft bulkhead and longerons. And it says to look at Drawing 36 for the details. Well, I don’t know where Drawing 36 is right now – not in my fuselage bundle, so I’ll go check the reduced drawings in the preview plans. Sure enough – a side view showing a 1” wide flange of 0.040”, with K-1000-8 nutplates, and a 3/8” lip for the cover. It clearly says a 4” cover – but also a 4” inspection hole. Well, if the cover is 4”, and you need a 3/8” lip, then the resulting “hole” to put your hand through is going to be less than 4”….but let’s not quibble. That’s it, all the information that Van supplies! Time to create…. continue

● Do utility companies ever bury powerlines... ...for your dream grass runway
   I found a piece of land that I'm interested in purchasing. I would want to build a grass runway on one edge of the property, but there is a dang powerline running along the road at one end of my prospective runway. Do utility companies ever respond favorably to requests to bury short portions of powerline in order to create a safe environment for private runways? I don't know what all is involved in doing something like this, but even just a 100 foot section between poles would suffice for me. Does anyone have any experience with this?
   Thanks

● RV-12 Revision/Change...posted on the Mothership.

● Test Soon... ...smaller wingtips for speed.
   The closure webs adjacent to the ailerons on these tips are fiberglass where the 3" streamlined racing tip closure webs are 0.016" aluminum. The tips are basically done except fo some final fit sanding (a few minutes work at the hangar) and roughly 100 flathead screw installations. I should be able to test fly tomorrow (2-18-10) or Friday. I have some schedule problems but the weather looks OK.
Bob Axsom

● Heater cable (7A) ...Bob Collis
   I have the Avery heater box with the control arm inside the cabin. I bought the heater control cable from Van's . It's long. Very long. I'd like to see some images of how people are routing this cable since the OP drawing from van's does not do a very good job of explaining it. It also appears to secure the cable to the firewall but does not indicate how... and does not indicate a route back to the panel (or thereabouts); it only shows it as far as it going through the firewall angle via a #10 hole.
   Post your pictures, please. and thanks.

   ...Ward Morris (7A) chimes in

Motivation
● A video for all the -4 builders, to keep up the enthusiasm ...Steve Sampson (N. Yorkshire, England)
   Off an on we have talked about runway length. I set out to make a camera mount so I could take a little picture of the approach into my 1020' strip. With little flying recently my progress has been slow, and this first attempt the SD card became full in the circuit, so I will re post when I get another chance.
   However, its a nice sunny little video of a blast around the Yorkshire Dales, so I thought I would put it here to help the builders who are still struggling with the rivets. I hope it helps.

Either, via my blog.

or direct to youtube

   It starts into sun but please be patient, it improves, but I am not Sam Peckinpah!

Safety
● New Flying Magazine Article

Building Tips / Techniques/ Mods
● Alf Olav Frog's Instrument Cover (Norway

Related:  Louise Hose's RV-6 instrument cover

Miscellaneous
● The ultimate folding bike...from N.Z.
   -Discovery channel video - 21lbs.  -10km on one charge -very pricey

more pics and videos

Wed 02.17.10 1212z
   Hump day!  Tuesday started with the normal 0500 wakeup and groggy crawl upstairs to the keyboard to push out the daily edition, then around 0630 got the kids up, fed, clothed and off to school.  Post-oatmeal 0830, and while letting the dog empty his tanks, I looked up and noticed the absence of snow, wind and clouds.  Email could wait...here's my chance, before the forecast winds make their way down to the surface.
  Around 0900 I drove out to 52F and took the RV up for a short flight for the first time in almost a week.  The viz was good and sharp all the way to the horizon, and the 38°F air made for a low density altitude - the plane would perform outstandingly.  Out about 20 miles NW of the field to an unpopulated area, some clearing turns, boost pump ON and now it's time to put the floor on the ceiling for a few minutes!  Mental gyros all re-aligned.
  There were hardly any traces of the 12.5" of snow we got a few days back.  Nothing more than a little fluff in the shade on the north side of a creek bend.  It's going to be 60°F today.
  On the 45° entry to downwind for runway 35 I had the field between me and the sun, making all the water in the fields light up (pic below).  The EFIS was showing 25kts from 350 a few hundred feet above the field (not down to the surface yet), so I did a touch n' go, held the airspeed on 85kts on the climbout and pointed it up.  Back to pattern altitude before the end of the runway.  What a sweet plane.  When there has been rain/snow and the wind is from the north, there are two little trickles about five feet wide that make their way across our runway - one just at the displaced threshold and another right at the bravo turnoff.  Makes a good reduced-length runway practice area of about 900' in length.  Plenty for an RV.
  Pulled back into the driveway about 1030, where email and a list of numbers to call awaited.  Susie taught class late into the evening and I was on Mr. Mom detail, but no complaints.  I got to go fly earlier <g>.
  
    Doug Reeves

● First flights being reported on the mothership

● Virtual Hangar Entry: RV-8 N189DK Doug Knab & Jerry Farek

(about the Virtual Hangar project)

● Grass Runway Improvement Update ...David Domeier (Troy, Missouri)
   Our 4 man committee submitted a report to the trustees of our air park last Sunday. The proposal is out of our hands and now in theirs.
   This season has been very no good for flying off of turf and everyone around here is aware of it. I managed to get air borne 4 times this month but should not have been doing it as the surface was partially frozen and quite slippery. That's the problem, guys with very expensive 4 seat airplanes can not fly for weeks and the way the weather is treating us, it will be well into April until all frost is gone and moisture content down. The big, big problem here is soil content, it is clay, the worst for moisture absorption.
   Anyway, we came up with a plan to have a parallel asphalt surface 2100'x25' and will preserve as much of the grass as possible for those who prefer flying off of it during the summer months. We also propose that the grass area be completely reworked with a road trimmer and reseeded as long as the equipment is on the property. The airport continental divide will be where the asphalt meets the turf so there will be a 1% slope each way for water run off. The transition from turf to grass will be as smooth as possible.
   So far, there is positive feed back from property owners. We hope to have a public hearing on the improvement in April and will see where it goes from there. The contractor we recommend is A+ with the BBB. They build roads normally, so this will be a piece of cake for them. They have the equipment and know how to use it. There will be 8" of base over a fabric stabilizing material and 3" of surface after rolling.
   For those considering such an improvement - total cost will be about $145,000 including the grass rework. We think it will enhance property value, improve safety and provide for more regular flight operations. <g>

● RV Fly In at Air Tractor, Inc. (Olney, TX)

Air Tractor, Inc.
and the
Springcreek Aero Club of Olney, TX are hosting an

“RV Fly-In”
on Saturday, March 13th, 2010
(raindate: Saturday, March 20th)

at the Olney Municipal Airport (KONY)

   All area pilots and other airplane types are certainly welcome, but this event is geared toward our North Texas / DFW area RV buddies and is only being posted on VAF.

Air Tractor factory tour – 11:00 am
Burgers and dogs off the grill – 12:00 noon
FREE DYNAMIC PROP BALANCING!!! (for the first 10 airplanes) after lunch.
(Pilots who want to take advantage of the free prop balancing should bring their own tools
and be prepared to remove their own cowlings/spinners as required.)

Please RSVP by posting in this thread so we’ll have a good idea of how many burgers to buy.

Questions: kschroeder(at)airtractor(dot)com or mrhodes(at)airtractor(dot)com

...from Kyle Schroeder
   For those of you who have never been to the Air Tractor factory before, this will be worth the trip. We've got a factory that employs over 200 employees to build around 100~120 airplanes a year. All of our manufacturing happens at this facility, so you'll have a chance to see how a production aircraft is manufactured from start to finish.
   Who knows, you might be able to convince our test pilot to put on an ag-spraying demo or a firefighting demo.
   With a recent thread about people paying $150-$300 for a dynamic prop balancing, we decided to throw this in as a FREE service for the 1st 10 airplanes to show up and ask for it. That's a pretty good deal, if you ask me.
   Just let us know if you think you can make it so we make sure and have enough FREE food. Get your picture taken in our new prototype firefighting plane (20,000 lb gross weight) that can drop 1,000 gallons of water.

● BBQ Snapshot ...from this thread
  

● Oil Analysis history report ...Ed DArcy
   I got back my spectrum oil report today. This is the back side with the past history which is very useful. every 30 hrs i am either cutting open the oil filter or doing oil testing.

VAF Family
● Possibly Matt Sturgis' Christmas Card <g>
  

● How Not To Get A Callsign ...and oldie but a goody (that's getting some new entries here lately).

Milestones
● Painted pics of Marty Santic's RV-12

Troubleshooting
● Vent Icing Thoughts ...Kahuna
   The standard RV vent system install per plans has high and low points. Opportunity to trap moisture. Moisture contamination into the vent system can happen in a variety of ways. The large temperature variation of the vent pathway does not help the situation.
   In my specific documented case (I wrote an article on this somewhere), I was flying in high moisture content air. Hard blowing snow IMC goo. Engine failure from fuel starvation. Took ~7 minutes for the engine to lean to the point that the mixture was full rich and the engine finally quit. All airports around me were below minimums. It was not a pleasant time.
   Once on the ground and parked, I popped the fuel cap and the tank vented measured only by my ear and the suction sound. Next I blew in the fuel cap into the tank, no air out the vent. The tank held my lung pressure for about 5 seconds. Next I pushed the plane into my warm hanger. 10 minutes later I blew again into the fuel cap and my partner caught the liquid coming out of the vent in hand. Was just a couple drops. Enough to display moisture in the palm of the hand. Tried to light it with a lighter, it was not flammable at that moment. I did not test it in a lab to see if it was water I can only make an educated guess based on other factors.
   While I did not see the snow/moisture enter the vent system, my personal investigation led me to the following conclusion.

1. Moisture entered the vent system through the pickup.
2. The moisture made it way through the system to a location where it froze. OAT was ~25f as I recall at the time of engine failure but I had descended out of a temperature that was probably mid teens.
3. The rest is self explanatory

   There are quite a few methods for moisture to contaminate the fuel vent system I can think of. Rain, snow, plane washing, condensation, etc. Visible airframe icing is not required. The fact that your vent runs along a section that is 100F changes nothing. If that moisture makes its way to a place where it can freeze, like up into your cold tank area, then freeze it will.
   Anyway, that is the short version. I have not had the opportunity to validate my theory or this particular set of circumstances, but it would not be very hard this time of year to do it.

I would argue this.
1. Getting moisture into the vent system is easy
2. Getting that moisture to freeze in the vent systems in an RV is also easy
3. Neither #1 or #2 requires you to be IMC in the goo.

Miscellaneous
● Forums Update
   Did a patch install and reboot yesterday around 5:15p Dallas time on the forums server.  Things went smoothly.  Making some tweaks to improve performance (which I can already see is working). 

● OT But Cool:  Bugattii Model 100 Racer Project Update