2010 April

06.04.2010: Finally some building again, after having spent another week in the US, and the Easter weekend at home without building. Last week I read an interesting article from a fellow builder in Switzerland who managed to get a higher maximum take-off weight (MTOW) approved for his plane based on an updated strength calculation, but retained the original landing weight as he did not manage to get better data for his landing gear. I did not realise that you can do that with small planes, even though it is common with airliners. We are in the same situation, as the data we received from the manufacturer on the strength of the structure would easily allow us to get a MTOW of more than the 600 kg approved (probably 660 kg according to the structures specialist from the EAS), but all attempts to get more technical information about the landing gear from its manufacturer failed. According to the European certification regulation CS-23, a landing weight can be 95% of the MTOW if fuel remains at the landing weight for 30 minutes of full power operation, so we should be able to get a MTOW of 630 kg approved through a pure paper exercise. That would be great, as I could then load myself, my wife, full fuel and approximately 30 kg of luggage (assuming the empty weight to be around 380 kg) and still be legal. I sent a corresponding mail yesterday to the EAS, to hopefully get that approved quickly.

07.04.2010: Today we spent a full day with wiring again. We managed to finish hooking up the sticks, the trim relay box, the trim indicators as well as the trim motors. I also took the relay box apart to see how it works to be sure we did not make any mistakes. Here two pictures of the interior, once I had it apart I could figure out what it does.

We tested everything by moving the wings, which are still on their wing stand, close to the fuselage and connecting the cables. After applying power the whole trim system miraculously worked as it should, we just had to turn around the trim indicators as well as to reverse one of the trim motors. Things start moving now, as we are powering up one item of the electrical system after the other.

Silvan also prepared me an official file for the technical documents, so I can get those ready too.

Finally I also made a list of all open items to be sure not to forget anything that could delay finishing the plane.

Here still two pictures I took last week on my business trip to Washington DC. We had about two hours between work and check-in for the return flight, which we of course spent at the Air & Space Museum. I never realised that most of the planes exhibited there are of the experimental category….

08.04.2010: More wiring today. We finished quite a few things, including all antenna cables with their BNC connectors, the 12 V auxiliary connector, the MP3 interface to the intercom to listen to music from an iPod during flight as well as a few other items. We also installed the propeller and filled the engine with oil. Finally I also spent quite some time on the phone with the factory, which now seems to be called PiperSportAircraft, and not anymore CzechSportAircraft, as two of our pilots and our mechanic flew today to Kunovice to pick up the factory built plane we ordered for our flying club. They should return with it tomorrow.

09.04.2010: I went to the Aero exhibition in Friedrichshafen today. I go there every time, as it only takes me 30 minutes by train, followed by 40 minutes on the ferry across Lake of Constance and then a short bus ride to reach Friedrichshafen Airport. That trip is always like going on a holiday, especially in sunny weather like today.

Here some impressions. First of all there are always a number of amphibians, and I hope one of them will one day be my next project…..

Then I noticed on many planes that the Rotax 912 engines now seem to use a different type of oil pressure sensor, made by Honeywell, as shown below. I know that the VDO sensors, of which I have one on my engine, have had a poor reliability history, I will have to look into that.

Then there were a number interesting planes. Here one with a new interpretation of the term “glass cockpit”…

…and a convenient tent for camping next to your plane, if you have a high wing plane. On the SportCruiser it would hang a bit too low however.

There is also a larger outside exhibition area, where I saw this de Havilland Turbo Otter on floats. That would be handy for camping trips, no limitations due to the MTOW.

Regarding our intention to raise the MTOW I finally managed to talk to the responsible engineer from Comlet, the manufacturer of the SportCruiser composite landing gear legs. We agreed that he will make me an offer for a new version of the legs once I tell him what weight we want. I first have to check however how the legs are attached to the fuselage, as the stronger ones would be slightly thicker.

Piper had a number of SportCruiser (sorry PiperSport) aircraft exhibited outside on the ramp…

…as well as on a booth inside one of the exhibition halls.

On request from Piper CzechSportAircraft did a number of small changes to the original SportCruiser, one being that all aircraft are now delivered with a sun shade. I think I am going to install one of them too.

I also noticed that all PiperSport aircraft have tie downs in the baggage compartment. I will probably add something similar.

Here another view of the PiperSport aircraft on the ramp, parked in the middle of the Piper stand and surrounded by all the other Piper aircraft.

Last but not least, as always in Friedrichshafen, one could take rides in the Zeppelin NT, but I had no time for that.

11.04.2010: I got the stickers today for the registration markings. One more think to tick off from the to do list. Now I just have to put them on.

I also still need the stickers for the inside lettering, including the panel, but I can’t use those supplied by the factory due to the custom made panel.

I continued wiring the panel, today I did the ignition switch as well as the PTT switches on the sticks to the intercom. Things definitely start looking tidier. In a day or two I can probably power up the whole panel.

I also noted a silly error I made when ordering the stickers with the registration. I thought they have to be 30 cm tall on the fuselage, but for smaller planes you only need 20 cm. The 30 cm ones look fine on a thick fuselage like on the Bücker Jungmann on the picture below, or on our Archer II, but they look a bit heavy on the SportCruiser. I will have to ask the Factory or Silvan to have new ones made, but that should not take too long. I can at least use the really big one for the underside of the wing, which has to be 50 cm as ordered.

I also had a look at the gear attachment to see whether gear legs that are 1.5 mm thicker would fit. From what I could see they would, but I have to check the plans to be sure. I might even take a gear leg off, as long as I don’t have to disconnect the brake line.

I will be off now for three weeks to the US again, but that will give me time to finish all the paperwork. I will also be able to attend the Sun & Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida, as it takes place next weekend and Lakeland is only about three hours by car from where I work. After that I hope that I can finish the plane in May, as the flying season is starting.

I learned from Sandro, the other Swiss SportCruiser builder, that he passed the final check by the Swiss CAA without any problems and expects to receive his Permit to Fly any day now, so before I am back in Switzerland he might already be flying. Cool…

17.04.2010: I just got an email from Sandro, he did his first flight yesterday! Here some impressions he sent to me:

And it flies!

The little speck is the SportCruiser. Sandro flew his first flight from Locarno Aerodrome, where the aerodrome is at 650 feet, circuit height is 1600 feet and the mountains around the airport something like 8’000 feet. What a great setting for a first flight.

And here the visibly proud pilot after the first flight!

That clearly puts some pressure on me to finish my plane too…

17/18.04.2010: I spent the last two days at Sun & Fun in Lakeland, Florida. I am currently working in Jacksonville, Florida, and that’s just three hours by car to Lakeland, so it was quite obvious what I would be doing over the weekend.

The first plane I saw was the only ever built jet fighter designed to take off from water. Now that would be a project.

They also hat one of these fighters that took off vertically, sitting on their tail. The gear shown was just added for testing. That would make a cool project too.

There was a large exhibition, with everything from old junk (second hand spare parts of dubious origin) to new engine developments. I liked the one below, a small (30 cm diameter) jet engine with around 350 lbs of thrust.

I also saw the seaplane below…

…with a truly “EXPERIMENTAL” cockpit (note the plastic chair for the pilot).

There were quite many kitplanes taking part in the fly in, some of them more from the high end side of the spectrum.

Piper exhibited the PiperSport more prominently than any other of their planes, they had five of them at different locations around the site. This one was even on a turntable, the only plane in the whole Sun & Fun to have that honour.

There was of course also the usual array of warbirds.

At the US Air Force stand they had a model of the F-22 Raptor. I did not dare asking whether this is one of the cost cutting measures, or whether the F-22 is now available in kit form….

And then there were of course the US Air Force Thunderbirds, which did an impressive demonstration.

As usual at these events there is a mix of big and small, old and new, expensive and cheap.

I liked the gyros…

…as well as some of the helicopter kits. Why not going vertical one day.

The F/A-18 F (the bigger version of the one flown by the Swiss Air Force) did an impressive demonstration of what excessive power is. That picture was taken just after take off, the pilot just rotated to vertical and accelerated away into the clouds (with a noise one could not miss….).

I liked the aerobatics demonstration with a standard Beechcraft Bonanza, much more elegant than the hectic ones performed with Extras, Pitts and the like.

When my daughter at an age 8 or 9 years first saw a wing walker she decided she would one day become one too, I just have to figure out how to climb out of the SportCruiser during flight.

They also did an impressive formation flight between the worlds last flying De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou and the C-17. Both probably had to struggle to keep a compatible speed (max level speed of DHC-4 at altitude 188 knots, min speed of C-17 probably above 100 knots).

On the second day it was raining (yes that’s possible in Florida), so I mostly had a look at the exhibits. My conclusion: glass cockpits have definitely replaced steam gauges. Here an example based on the newest offerings from Garmin….

…and here one based on the new Dynon displays (and a Garmin GPS). I was impressed to see how little it takes in the US to have a plane certificated for IFR, I could probably do it with mine. Nothing compared to the crazy requirements in Europe, where equipment has to be installed that nobody ever uses (e.g. ADF) and everything double, of course.

Another future option would be do go twin…

I left shortly before the air display was scheduled to start, as all the exhibitors started to pack up and I had seen the display the day before. People still kept coming however, regardless of the rain.

17/18.04.2010: I am still in Florida, so today I visited the Kennedy Space Center. That is all “Experimental” stuff too. That gave me a lot if idea for the next project…

Here a few impression:

The Space Shuttle Launch Simulator (cool),…