Spent Saturday in Stillwater on a side hustle. 5 hours in the FBO watching YoutubeTV and sleeping LOL. There was a very nice RV-10 on the ramp, and after the game the owners showed up as we were waiting on our clients. Walked over and said hi. Nice folks.
5 hours of contract glamour.
Nice RV-10 on the ramp
Even nicer owner.
dr
Jonathan Needs a Hangar at 52F
pitts12driver 7A
Star Keeper
RE Upgrade to new radiator and oil cooler mounted to the lower cowl? SL-00112
…jsally
Received my radiator/oil cooler kit yesterday, and have the installation on the lower cowling pretty well competed. It’s a straightforward install, although it was necessary to do a fair amount of trimming and sanding of the openings in the cowling. I think the B kit (bracket attaches with screws and nutplates) is probably easier than using bucked rivets as in the A kit, although it does leave you with five exposed screw heads on the bottom of the cowling.
Planning to install on the plane on Monday, hopefully followed by first engine start soon after.
RE How does the 3 fly?
…J29racer
Well I thought I would check in on my progress with N40DC! I have about 10 hrs of flying now and still getting the hang of landing. I must say it flys great with no real handling problems. I am still getting use to it and have not explored high end performance but flies nicely with hands and feet off and feels balanced. I could use much help in guiding me through this process. So far I have only been flying in the mornings and just dealing with the airplane characteristics with no wind influence. I still have not got wheel landing down but close. The plane is not pretty yet but that will come. The panel is functional and everything works.
I would love some help in modifying cowling to incorporate an air-filter.
Nose Gear Update
…MacCool
So just to close the loop on my little saga...Alex came up, we weighted the tail and removed the bolt without issue. Slid out with only the gentlest of persuasion. We pulled the nose gear strut out and check that hole and the holes in the engine mount socket against the extra close-tolerance bolt that he had for his own nose gear wobble repair 24 years ago and they slid in just fine...again only gentle nudging, no hammers required. I sprayed the relevant parts with some BraKleen, scrubbed it and greased it up. We took a wooden stake and pounded a dent in the firewall at the appropriate point. The bolt slid in from the top until the threads just showed. We used two washers so as not to tighten the nut down on the shoulder, then the metal lock nut and used it to pull the bolt down to the head. Once tightened down, the end of the bolt protruded enough that it almost touched the firewall. We checked the nose gear, absolutely zero play. After putting the nose gear back on the ground, I attached the Best Tug and the arms now engage perfectly. Problem solved. The whole process took us about 45 minutes max.
As part of the post-procedure debrief, I looked at the bolt that we took out. It didn't look damaged, BUT measuring it showed it to be 1-13/16" overall length and a grip range of 1-5/16 ". That makes it an AN5-16 bolt. Van's calls for it to be a AN5-20, which would be 2-3/32" overall and 1-9/16" grip. Obviously, somebody put a bolt in this supposed double-shear application that had a length and grip range that is 1/4" too short. The forward/lower engine mount hole was hosting the threads of the bolt, not the shoulder. Anyway...problem solved, at least in the short term. I'll check it again after awhile.
Very grateful to Alex for his assistance. We had collaborated on a previous biomedical engineering/device project...still ongoing...which is how we first met years ago. I did the medical part and he did the Engineering part. I'm always fascinated (and a little intimidated) to watch the Engineering mind at work. Working with him, this time on my airplane instead of a research project, was a gratifying treat.
David Paule Build Update
….3B
I started installing these vents and now have the left one in. Riveting was fun! I haven’t done any riveting in a long while. I made it easier on myself by getting a few soft rivets, and those things are sweet. Their strength doesn’t even seem to be listed in MIL-HDBK-5, so they are not at all structural. But ten of them per vent? Probably okay.
OFF TOPIC:
Please consider donating yearly to help keep this American 1-person pirate ship afloat:
Get your VansAirForce.net Charity Cap!
Older issues of the ‘VAF News’ can be found at:
THE VAF LIST (a list of RV-related lists)
5 hours of contract glamour.
Nice RV-10 on the ramp
Even nicer owner.
dr
WDYDWYRTW? Sep 27-28, 2025
...getting this weekend's thread started. Here's the RVs flying 0900 CST Saturday. Hope you're having a good one.
vansairforce.net
Jonathan Needs a Hangar at 52F
Hangar Needed Last Minute! DFW Area
Hi all, I just got the dreaded news that the hangar my RV7 is in, is being sold. I have 30 days to find a new hangar. My plane has it's wings on but is not able to fly just yet. Currently at 52F, would love to stay on the field, but I will take anything in the DFW area at the moment. Thanks!
vansairforce.net
pitts12driver 7A
Star Keeper
Nut plates on firewall section 27
Working on the firewall section 27 of my RV10 build. It calls for 2 K1000-4 on part F1001-M which according to my inventory are in bag 1379. Bag 1379 has K1000-3 and K1000-4 neither of which fit on the nut plate spots. The hole spacing is too big. See pics attached. Am I missing something on...
vansairforce.net
RE Upgrade to new radiator and oil cooler mounted to the lower cowl? SL-00112
…jsally
Received my radiator/oil cooler kit yesterday, and have the installation on the lower cowling pretty well competed. It’s a straightforward install, although it was necessary to do a fair amount of trimming and sanding of the openings in the cowling. I think the B kit (bracket attaches with screws and nutplates) is probably easier than using bucked rivets as in the A kit, although it does leave you with five exposed screw heads on the bottom of the cowling.
Planning to install on the plane on Monday, hopefully followed by first engine start soon after.
Upgrade to new radiator and oil cooler mounted to the lower cowl? SL-00112
One question on two planes: 1) We currently have a 12iS that has the latest radiator and mounting hardware shown in SB-00088 Rev 2. Is it worth spending the money to upgrade to the new radiator and oil cooler mounted to the lower cowling? No leaks so far (knock on wood). 2) We are building a...
vansairforce.net
RE How does the 3 fly?
…J29racer
Well I thought I would check in on my progress with N40DC! I have about 10 hrs of flying now and still getting the hang of landing. I must say it flys great with no real handling problems. I am still getting use to it and have not explored high end performance but flies nicely with hands and feet off and feels balanced. I could use much help in guiding me through this process. So far I have only been flying in the mornings and just dealing with the airplane characteristics with no wind influence. I still have not got wheel landing down but close. The plane is not pretty yet but that will come. The panel is functional and everything works.
I would love some help in modifying cowling to incorporate an air-filter.
How does the 3 fly?
How's the 3 fly compared to say the 4 or the 6? Had a 6 for a long time, I've been contemplating a 4, but I rarely fly with anyone, so I've been eyeing the 3 a little bit.
vansairforce.net
Nose Gear Update
…MacCool
So just to close the loop on my little saga...Alex came up, we weighted the tail and removed the bolt without issue. Slid out with only the gentlest of persuasion. We pulled the nose gear strut out and check that hole and the holes in the engine mount socket against the extra close-tolerance bolt that he had for his own nose gear wobble repair 24 years ago and they slid in just fine...again only gentle nudging, no hammers required. I sprayed the relevant parts with some BraKleen, scrubbed it and greased it up. We took a wooden stake and pounded a dent in the firewall at the appropriate point. The bolt slid in from the top until the threads just showed. We used two washers so as not to tighten the nut down on the shoulder, then the metal lock nut and used it to pull the bolt down to the head. Once tightened down, the end of the bolt protruded enough that it almost touched the firewall. We checked the nose gear, absolutely zero play. After putting the nose gear back on the ground, I attached the Best Tug and the arms now engage perfectly. Problem solved. The whole process took us about 45 minutes max.
As part of the post-procedure debrief, I looked at the bolt that we took out. It didn't look damaged, BUT measuring it showed it to be 1-13/16" overall length and a grip range of 1-5/16 ". That makes it an AN5-16 bolt. Van's calls for it to be a AN5-20, which would be 2-3/32" overall and 1-9/16" grip. Obviously, somebody put a bolt in this supposed double-shear application that had a length and grip range that is 1/4" too short. The forward/lower engine mount hole was hosting the threads of the bolt, not the shoulder. Anyway...problem solved, at least in the short term. I'll check it again after awhile.
Very grateful to Alex for his assistance. We had collaborated on a previous biomedical engineering/device project...still ongoing...which is how we first met years ago. I did the medical part and he did the Engineering part. I'm always fascinated (and a little intimidated) to watch the Engineering mind at work. Working with him, this time on my airplane instead of a research project, was a gratifying treat.
Nose Gear Lessons Learned
IF you have gotten this far - - Here is a summary of the thread in a single downloadable document. Feel free to make improvements. I will send you the WORD file to do so. With the new VAF server it is now possible to post as a PDF. Enjoy the "Nose Gear Lessons Learned" PDF
vansairforce.net
David Paule Build Update
….3B
I started installing these vents and now have the left one in. Riveting was fun! I haven’t done any riveting in a long while. I made it easier on myself by getting a few soft rivets, and those things are sweet. Their strength doesn’t even seem to be listed in MIL-HDBK-5, so they are not at all structural. But ten of them per vent? Probably okay.
RV-3B Dave's in Colorado
After removing the RH Pmag and changing some fittings, I managed to eliminate the interference and still have one of the hoses fit. It helped to have a strong shop light oriented carefully, as well as removing some of the LH Pmag’s leads. And I did buy a specialized wrench which proved...
vansairforce.net
OFF TOPIC:
Please consider donating yearly to help keep this American 1-person pirate ship afloat:
Get your VansAirForce.net Charity Cap!
VAF Charity Cap: Help your charity and promote this site.
Get the cap all the cool kids are wearing! I don’t get a penny. It’s around $15. $5 more if you want your N-number on the back (I put 'STAFF' on the back of mine because it makes me laugh. Put STAFF on yours too if it makes you smile). And down the road $10 to the charity of your choice...
vansairforce.net
Older issues of the ‘VAF News’ can be found at:
Doug's Area ...The VAF News, About VAF, My Resume
Pushed out every now and then.
www.vansairforce.net
THE VAF LIST (a list of RV-related lists)
THE VAF LIST (a list of RV-related lists)
The VAF List ...a list of RV-related lists. RV-related things you might want to browse over (a closed post that is sticky and maintained by dr). Link to this in 'Links' in the menu. v/r,dr Small businesses that help bring you this list of RV-related lists: 360 Avionics www.360Avionics.com Ace...
vansairforce.net
