March 2012 EAA 517. PropWash

Transcription

1 March 2012 EAA 517 PropWash

2 PRESIDENT S COLUMN President s Column Matson, Duane Felstet, Mary Ellen Weyermann, Rhonda and Jerry McCarthy, and Rich Poitras, Several others brought some yummy desserts, which were also greatly appreciated. An especially big THANK YOU goes to Steve and Sherrie Knopp for coordinating this year s event. I m happy to report that the EAA 517 s Mid-Winter Chili Tasting event on February 25 was a huge success with approximately 30 people in attendance. There were ten different types of chili to sample. Each attendee was able to caste a vote for the chili they liked best. On Monday, March 19, our Chapter will join with the MPA Five Valleys Hangar for a tour of Neptune Aviation here in Missoula. We will meet in Neptune s parking lot at 5:45 PM. This has been an unusually busy year for Neptune as they put their new airtankers to work after a long approval process, so there should be plenty of activity going on in their maintenance hangar. After the tour, anyone who wants to can stop by the Rossiter hangar for some refreshments. I will send out an reminder a few days before the event. I m looking forward to the Montana Aviation Conference in Bozeman on March 1-3. The seven EAA chapters in Montana will be sharing an exhibit booth, so if you plan to attend the conference, please stop by the booth. Until next month... Sherry The grand prize, which was a $25.00 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, went to member Dan Dixon. The other pots of chili were donated by Kay Bennett, Jerry Turner, Bill and Myra Cook, Kim and Ed Lovrien, Gary and Judy March 2012 Page 2

3 THE LATEST IN GLASS COCKPITS by Sherry Rossiter In February I attended a flight instructor recertification course in Helena and one of the topics discussed was the latest in glass cockpits. One such product was a voice command system designed to adapt to the Garmin 430 s and 530 s whereas the new Garmin 650 / 750 features touch screen controls. A new type of navigation display called VistaNav features a 3-D presentation that sells for $4,400 ( Another affordable glass cockpit is called the Aspen Evolution and it is designed as a retro fit. (See picture below or go to ) You can buy one or all three displays that fit into the holes already existing in your instrument panel for the standard six pack There are plenty of new and exciting avionics and glass cockpit options available nowadays to satisfy all types of pilots and aircraft builder s needs. programs, so don t be shy about sending me an or calling with your ideas. I can be reached at or ssrossiter@aol.com Until next month...sherry We have started a new column devoted to articles by members on why they are building or have built their model of airplane. Four articles have already been published. Please submit your articles to me Lackerma@gmail.com. Your Editor, Laurens Ackerman Your EAA 517 Board is open to suggestions for future Chapter March 2012 Page 3

4 The Lorenzen Cygnet Project Don Lorenzen, EAA This is my latest project, the SF-2A Cygnet. I have built and flown two airplanes and did much work on a third; I d have to say I am addicted to building and flying. The 1988 Dragonfly was all fiberglass and VW powered. The Kitfox IV was steel tube fuselage, aluminum spar wings with wooden ribs, and Subaru powered. I bought a partial Bearhawk and worked on the controls, fuselage, gear and all metal wings for several years then stored it. It was too expensive for me to finish for the large engine & time required. In early May 2011, I purchased a partial fuselage for a Cygnet in Reno, NV, plans # 143. Special thanks to Bob & Valerie Brunson for lending me their small trailer to enable me to retrieve the project from Reno. Why the Cygnet? No one has heard of this machine! It is interesting for me to note the link between the Cygnet and the Dragonfly. In 1983, while visiting my folks in Tucson, we traveled 40 miles north to Eloy, AZ so that I could have a ride in the prototype Dragonfly. It was owned by Rex Taylor, manufacturer of the HAPI VW engine. He d bought the March 2012 Page 4

5 Dragonfly so he could market his engine product. In the corner of his hangar was another VW powered machine, [owned for the same purpose] the original SF-2 Cygnet. Thus I was introduced and intrigued by the Cygnet almost 30 years ago. It has remained in the back of my mind since then. Cygnet History: In 1973, a Minnesota EAA member, Bert Sisler, showed up at Oshkosh with the SF-2 Sisler Cygnet Whisler prototype; the same one I later saw in Eloy, AZ. It is a 2-place machine with an empty weight of approximately 600 lbs, steel tube fuselage, wooden wings and powered by a 60HP VW engine, so meets the LSA qualification. Mr. Sisler flew that, made some design changes and sold plans for the Cygnet SF- 2A in Many of the changes were minor, but did include changing the vertical stabilizer & rudder from wood lattice to steel tube. The aircraft was written about into the 1980 s, and was considered quietly underrated, and forgotten. The last article on a Cygnet in Sport Aviation was March 1990, 22 years ago. Is it any wonder most have never heard of it? My search of the FAA registry revealed 18 listed in the US, including the original SF-2, repurchased by Bert Sisler and back in Minnesota. From my research they are most popular in Europe and Australia, probably due to the ease & low cost of construction, and economical operation. Cygnet Construction: The fuselage & tail weighs about 70 lbs, and is constructed of welded steel tube sitting on tube gear w/ bungie cord suspension. The wings are unusual, constructed of wood, each uncovered panel weighs 57 lbs and has no flaps. The spar is 14 of clear spruce, the rear spar of 3/32 clear plywood with spruce top-bottoms and filled w/ spruce. The ribs are spaced 16 apart but the strength is picked up by covering it with a thin spruce lattice work, not solid plywood nor aluminum. This is then fabric covered; glued onto the lattice, without rib-stitching. Engine power can be HP. Since it was designed in the Midwest on 60HP, it was fine and economical. There is one Cygnet in Wyoming with an 80HP Rotax 912, and I spoke to the owner. He said that it operated quite well at the higher elevation and density altitude with the modest HP increase. The fuel tank design is for 15 gallons in an aluminum tank mounted behind the pilot s head. Also unusual is the noticeable mid-wing, with a 5 degree forward sweep. That was a factor that placed it in my mind to remember. Easy access through clamshell doors, and excellent visibility since you sit ahead of the wing. One can see up, down and behind, so no blind turns like high wing planes incur. Visibility down is excellent since one sits ahead of the wing, so much better than most low wing aircraft. It has a high canopy so folks up to 6 3 easily fit. Performance: As you imagine, with 60- March 2012 Page 5

6 80HP it is not a rocket machine. I plan to use an engine in the 80-90HP range. Takeoff should be in the range, with climb in the area of fpm. Cruise should be about 100mph on a burn of gph of auto fuel. It was designed for remote airstrip usage so I look forward to the outback. With its simple design and handling, my daughter has expressed interest to learn to fly in it, and I find that exciting, along with the whole concept of the Cygnet. It has been flown & favorably reviewed by noted designers such as Molt Taylor and Dick VanGrunsven. Project status: To date, I ve made modest progress on the plane, but then someone else may note it as substantial. I ve done some finish welding on the fuselage and tail. Manufactured the wing metal control components, and cut all the wooden plywood ribs. Currently I m cutting the rib attach blocks, other spar reinforcement wood, and gluing spars. Aircraft Spruce still offers the wing wood kit including shipping for about $1200. This is the 14 spruce spars, misc wood, and 256 lattice pieces, but does not include the rib plywood. That can be bought locally using clear mahogany or pine. I was fortunate to have found a builder in Minnesota who had an unused wood kit and I got it for about ½ price + $250 shipping it is after all in a 14-1/2 crate! The Reno A&P builder had made the main welded aluminum tank also, so I m lucky to skip that step. I ll have to see what volume it truly holds, 15 or 16 gallons. With the wooden lattice enclosed wings, a wing tank is not a viable option but there is a 1 gallon header tank. I will have to make the sight gauge for the tank, and plan to add in a fuel flow meter. Into the Future: I ll keep EAA Chapter 517 informed of my progress. I ve met some other builders via the internet and to date they ve been of great help. I ll host a meeting in Summer so you can see the project in person, as it s pretty chilly in the garage now! The normal question I ve heard with aircraft projects, when will it be done will receive my standard response, when it flies. I m enjoying building and sharing with the kids, so it ll be 2-3 years. March 2012 Page 6

7 Builder s Report CONTACTS Web Site President Sherry Rossiter Vice President Jim Younkin Secretary Ed Stryker Treasurer Steve Knopp Young Eagles Rish Poitras Propwash Editor Laurens Ackerman Glasair Allen Burruss - FT S-II - 100% Phase one flight test underway. Piper Exp. Brad Condra - Bushmaster 60% Fabric covering being installed. Rand Robinson Eng. Kris Leirfallon KR-2 40% Rutan Ed Lovrien - Limo-Easy - 25% Sonex Larye Parkins - Waiex 30% Van s RVs John Barba RV-6 Frank Bretz - RV-9A 90% B. Douglass - RV-10-72% The airplane is now up on its landing gear with the engine installed.. Zenith Laurens Ackerman - CH % Ray Aten - CH-601 Passed FAA inspection. Doing phase 1 testing. Terry Philips - CH-601 8% March 2012 Page 7