Tabla de contenidos para September 2024 en KITPLANES

TRUTH IS, 1984 was probably not the most significant year in Experimental aviation. Instead, you could cite 1947, when homebuilts were “legalized” by the FAA. Or you could say 1923 because that’s the year Bernie Pietenpol released his buildable design into the world. Or maybe it’s 1972 (slurring into 1974) with the first flight of the VariViggen that accompanied Burt Rutan’s move from Bede Aircraft to creating the Rutan Aircraft Factory in 1974. For sure, 1984 marked both our birth as a standalone magazine and also was among the most growth-filled and adventurous parts of homebuilt history. Van’s Aircraft was a mere 11 years old and only the year before Randy Schlitter released the first of his many (many!) RANS designs. Into this came Kitfox, which took the idea of…

This year is the 50th anniversary of the VariEze but because the VariEze changed the landscape of homebuilt aircraft, this year is what Burt Rutan likes to call the “composite canard revolution”! That’s not an unreasonable assumption considering most anything composite flying today has some connection to the VariEze. And while Rutan Aircraft has long been out of business, support and enthusiasm remains from the Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience (RAFE) and its members. RAFE’s mission statement is to “preserve and promote Burt Rutan designs.” One way to accomplish this is to display and fly RAFE’s fleet of 10 donated aircraft at airshows, fly-ins and other aviation events. The big one, of course, is AirVenture, which has already happened by the time you read this, but the lineup for the big…

OK, I’M JUST GOING to start off by quickly repeating what I’ve said a few times before. If you don’t want to spend an obscene amount of time building your Zenith airplane (or any airplane, for that matter), refrain from drifting away from their current plans and the way the demo airplanes are built. You can order practically every single part of their demo planes directly from the Zenith factory. Just build it quickly, with less hassle, and go fly it! That being said, I am still working my way through tons of self-inflicted modifications and custom-built components. It seems like almost all my recent work is going toward parts and pieces that are highly modified and will very rarely be seen. Completion of components like the exhaust system and…

OVER TIME and many landings, the Zenith nose gear bungee will weaken. It is then time to replace it. This task is made easier with a simple tool made from ¾-inch PVC pipe and a ¾-inch PVC elbow. But before we dive into replacing the bungee, let’s take a closer look at how the Zenith nose gear works and why it needs a bungee in the first place. Anatomy of the Zenith Nose Gear Action The Zenith nose gear column is free to rotate and move vertically within the top and bottom bearings. The bearings and bungee pin are fixed to the firewall. Normally, the bungee pin—and thus the firewall—are lifted by the bungee because the firewall top ends are fixed to the nose gear column. As a downward force…

AFTER YEARS OF doing first flights and post-maintenance flights, as well as hearing about failures from our customers, I thought I would share some of the more common ones along with some recommended courses of action. Some failures in flight can just be annoyances, like a USB outlet failure or a stuck vent, but some of them might require action to prevent a more serious situation from occurring. Those are the ones I want to focus on, and it may take a couple of columns to cover them. For those of you who are flying your own airplane regularly, it is easy to get complacent. After all, everything worked fine last time. Every time I get in the cockpit, my practice is to brief myself on what course of action…

PEOPLE SPEND YEARS building their airplanes. Many times the goal line appears so far ahead that it is just a fuzzy horizon, impossible to see, much less focus on. But that finish line can sometimes sneak up on them and the reality of registration, inspections and certification looms like a monster rogue wave. The truth is, registration, inspection and certification of an Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft in the U.S. is technically simple. But we, as builders, often make that process more complicated than it needs to be. The requirements for an airworthiness certificate are actually pretty simple—let’s explore the process and requirements for getting your new aerial flivver ready to legally go play among the clouds! Registration First The first step in making any aircraft legal to fly in the U.S. is…

4:55 P.M. ALMOST THERE. I stared at the clock, waiting for it to be 5:00 p.m. so work could be over. I love my job as a flight coordinator, but work has been unnecessarily stressful lately and I was eager to leave and enjoy the evening at Hangar 32. With the brake cylinders complete, brake lines and standoffs fastened and fluid pumped through the system, it was time to start looking into a new project: fuel lines! Hold up. What’s that red stuff and why is it everywhere? I had finally made it to the hangar and was excitedly looking over my recently completed brake project. Unfortunately, the brakes were leaking and hydraulic fluid was coating the floor of N2165U. There goes my fuel project. Time to troubleshoot this. I…

ROD ENDS ARE commonly used in Experimental aircraft for hinges, the most common example being in the empennage of RV-series aircraft. From a strict structural engineering perspective, this is an “off-label” use, since the rods see bending loads perpendicular to the thread axis (nominal loads are tension/compression along the axis, and that is how they are rated). However, in our applications the loads are typically small enough to be safely handled by the rod end (though for history buffs I’ll point out that the 1991 crash of the race plane Tsunami was in part attributed to a failure of a rod end loaded in bending). For example, manufacturer Aurora limits the bending loads to just 10% of the nominal load stated in the catalog. One of the advantages of using…

I CAN ALWAYS give away my age by saying I remember when the biennial flight review (BFR) came about and what caterwauling there was surrounding it. It was in the 1970s and I was a real tyro, still learning the mysteries of the Cessna 150, when I overheard my instructor—also my employer and introduction to a semityrannical father figure—discussing with a veteran GA pilot the new BFR that would soon be upon us. As flying with an instructor was my norm, not to mention I was still in high school and used to the hierarchy of teachers, going an extra hour with the instructor once every two years was hardly a concern. But it sure was to the guys who had been flying awhile. “That’s ridiculous,” they grumbled. “I’ve been…

IT’S HARD TO QUESTION the success of the Van’s RV-10. Since its introduction in 2003, it has seen steady sales growth and positive builder feedback. Right now, there are more than 1000 RV-10s flying—that’s actually the fourth fewest of all the RV models, but it’s also the most expensive to build. Even so, it and the RV-14 are by far the best sellers over the last few years. While some doubted that Van’s should ever enter the four-place market, there’s no question it was a good decision, giving dedicated RV builders a choice of a family airplane and tempting a lot of pilots over from certified airplanes. Those pilots pined for quick, efficient, mainstream transportation for their families—the RV-10 provided it. And like any popular kit airplane, the RV-10 prompted…

BACK WHEN I WAS a young ’un, older pilots cautioned me that the faster reflexes of youth and my more-recent training may not provide as much benefit as I might expect. They told me, “Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.” Now that I’m hitting the big seven-zero, it’s of more than just academic interest. Are my skills slipping with age—and does my greater experience help me compensate for it? Let’s take a look. Data Sources The NTSB accident database includes the age of the pilot(s) involved in an accident. While the age of each pilot isn’t included in the FAA airman database, generic pilot age data can be found via the U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics web page (https://tinyurl.com/airmen-stats). Figure 1 shows the age distribution from the airman…

“WHISKEY OSCAR NOVEMBER, cleared to cross Runway 19.” “Cleared to cross 19, Whiskey Oscar November.” These innocent words commenced what was to be my second away-from-home maintenance event in over 35 years of flying. Halfway across the runway, the tailwheel fell off. Or, at least it felt and sounded like it. There was a sudden grinding and a vibration throughout the airplane. Directional control was unaffected and not wanting to be “that guy” blocking the runway, I kept the power up and continued across to the welcoming taxiway on the other side. As soon as the power was reduced, the airplane shuddered to a stop. “Conroe Ground, Whiskey Oscar November is disabled and immobilized. I need to shut down, get out of the airplane and see what the problem is.”…

I AM HOPING to catch some readers who are just now narrowing down their final choice for a first-time aircraft kit purchase. This is a big decision that will become a major focus of time and money for months to come. You have probably been doing lots of research to select the best kit that fits your needs. If you feel a little apprehensive, that is a good sign that you are taking this venture seriously! Having once been in this situation myself, let me shed some light on some critical issues that you might not have considered. I don’t want you to fall into an uncomfortable trap that might not be obvious at this stage of your building journey. A common problem occurs when a kit builder finds they…

SOME ISSUES BACK I wrote a riveting three-part series about AN nuts, bolts and washers. The film rights were picked up by EAA and the series was turned into a webinar called The Nuts and Bolts of Nuts and Bolts. It skipped the theaters, never came out on DVD. However, on the heels of that brush with success my reader asked me to address rod end bearings. Mom, this one’s for you. Rod end bearings are found terminating one or both ends of pushrods and, sometimes, control cables. Rod end bearings provide a self-aligning, friction-free interface between the moving parts of a control system as well as the means to adjust the functional length of a pushrod or control cable. That adjustability plays a key role in a rod end’s…

UP TO THIS POINT, we have discussed the mission capability of a new airplane design and how it will be manufactured. We now turn our attention to making sure the airplane sells. Marketability is a significant concern for an airplane designer. In order to be successful, the manufacturer must be able to sell enough airplanes to stay in business and make some money. The airplane must appeal to the target buyer community. Product differentiation can help sell airplanes. It is valuable to have your airplane be different enough from competitors to stand out. Some configuration choices are made to either provide distinctive branding or a particular look that will make the airplane appealing. Often, these design flourishes are in an area that does not affect the performance or cost of…

“DID YOU WEIGH all this stuff?” said Donna, turning to Ed. “Yes, I did,” replied Ed. “We’re going to be a little over gross, but I’m not concerned.” “OK, just checking. I’m amazed that four days of camping takes so many supplies.” Halfway down the runway Donna knew there was a problem. “Uh-oh,” she said matter-of-factly, as the airplane struggled to get airborne. With the power in and the stick all the way back, the plane lifted off at the threshold, gaining only a few feet per second. “Land straight ahead,” said Ed. “Right,” replied Donna. The field was firm and level with low-cut grass. They landed without incident. “I must have made a mistake on the weight and balance,” replied Ed. After getting the unloaded airplane back to the…