Bill,
Yes, I am always surprised when they turn out OK. I also used the dowels which are a new trick to some of the "old hands" around here. I've never tried a bend without a dowel so I am curious about what it is supposed to do.
Cheers, Pete

Yes, I do know Colin. We used to fly together on the C-130, moving oil rigs around the Arctic. I haven't talked to him for a little while and I have a call on his answering machine. His "8" must be getting close!
Cheers, Pete

Tom, Thank you very much for the report. My mail service just called today with news of a parcel, and so I will be picking up my autopilot tomorrow. I just got my Lowrance 2000c today which I plan to use as a driver for the EZPilot. I can't wait to get this bird flying to try all these cool widgets!...

While I was down at Vans yesterday, I heard that Van is trying out a set of elevators made like the "9"'s, but for the RV-8. He wants to try a set on "Dilbert" the test mule RV-8. Evidently, he is interested to see if stick forces will be increased with those sharp, clean trailing edges. I always th...

Guys and Gals, We took delivery of our QB Wings and Fuselage yesterday from Van's. My partner had not yet flown in an RV, so He got a ride that knocked his socks off. I think he was a bit surprised at how fast the darn things go. He seemed a bit shell-shocked when he climbed out of the cockpit. Whil...

I would use a capfull or two of Mothers car wash soap in a bucket of warm water. This is a gentle solution that will not harm the metal if flushed off with clean, clear water afterwards. Blow dry the parts with compressed air. I would avoid the acid etch. Imagine any acid trapped between parts! It c...

Bill, You put a fairly big wad on the stiffeners where they get close to each other at the trailing edge. You want to bridge the gap between the flanges of the opposing stiffeners. This acts as a small riblet in this area which stops the trailing edge from oilcanning or vibrating in and out slightly...

Dean, I've just finished my servo installation in my elevator. What I like about it is that it is ROCK SOLID! Not even a smidge of slop anywhere. It is hard to beart that straight pushrod from servo to tab horn for the best push/pull. Yes, I will probably need a little lead, but that's not the end o...

Tom,
I've just ordered the EZPilot and would like some feedback from someone using it. Do you have one? If so, could we have a report on it's performance please?

Thank you in advance,
Pete

Yes, I have been doing a lot of homework lately on this. Also, I have considerable experience with glass having the 747-400 and 767-300 on my licence. MFD's are screens that not only can be overlayed with radar and TCAS information ontop of your moving map display, but they can be used as the PFD or...

Yes, the Arlington RV-4 with retracts was built by Brian Carr of Langley B.C. who is now painting an RV-9, his eighth. Brian is a small human dynamo who never stops. A couple of days ago, he took time out from his painting to help me bend my elevator leading edges. His comments about the retractable...

I intend to wear my full racing gear when I test fly my RV-8. That includes my nomex racing suit, socks, shoes, gloves headsock, and helmet with mike and earphones. I already have all this stuff to rally my Mustang in the desert where you must wear it all in order to participate. I figure, if it is ...

Spike, I noticed the same thing when I built mine. The holes on the brace were a little close to the edge. I did trim the piece properly so I was a bit disappointed. However, I riveted them in place and carried on. The inspector looked closely at the parts but did not mention anything wrong. I looke...

You should blank off the fiberglass cavities in the tips of the stabs and the vertical as well. It tells you a couple of options in the instruction pack from Van's. Do it one way or the other. When you originally asked the question, I thought you meant the inner rib cavities behind the counterweight...

I liken flying taildraggers to pushing a grocery cart backwards. Go to your local supermarket, find a good running grocery cart with the swivelling (castering) wheels in front. Now reverse where you push it from. That's right, push it from the front of the cart, and push it backwards, with the caste...

Let it breathe.

Encapsulated areas are a greenhouse for corrosion.
Cheers, pete

I dunno, something doesn't look right here on the row running down the center spar line. Are you sure you have used the correct matching dimple dies??? It looks like there was no female bottom die?? You should be using the male die on top with the female on the bottom. Ensure the dies are a matched ...

The only thing that the self etching primer does is to provide a tooth for a nonpermeable membrane to be applied over it. By itself, the etch does little for anti-corrosion, which is the reason the directions recommend priming. So, if you are going to prime the non-alclad parts with the etch primer,...

Dave,
We are currently looking at the 151 for our "eight" also. I have been talking to a couple of guys about them and so far, not too many drawbacks. I will continue to research this series of propellors. Have you thought about the RV prop.

Cheers, Pete

John, I asked my experienced friend about this the other day and he said, "I'm still using the hinges and pins, they work fine and are clean and light, what else do you need?" End of story. There was his new "Nine" in front of us with hinge pinned cowlings. And a pure glass cockpit. (Three screens i...