Sonex 815 - Continuing the Kitlog - 6

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4/19/10 Flight 129

0.4 flight time, 6 ldg. 2 power on, 4 power off. Wind light and variable. Started with crosswind, then tailwind (under 3 kts). First power off was long. Not judging the descent rate and flying it too fast. Need to work on slow flight, lower speed glides and turns. Overcast. ~7gal start, ~6gal end.

4/25/10 Flight 130

0.4 flight time, 1 ldg. Brought the family out to the airport for something to do, as the Collings Fdn B-17, B-24, and P-51 were on the field today. Rolled out my plane to do a few passes. In the meantime, they got to see the P-51 do a low pass then a landing, an L-39 took off, and a Mig 17 (!) took off right in front of me. I went around & made 2 low passes then a landing. Was tight to get all that in with all the other traffic. The kids seemed to really enjoy seeing all the planes going around. Then we went to lunch at the on-field restaurant, where they saw even more airplanes everywhere - mostly pictures & paintings on the walls.

Traffic on departure, Mig 17!

The B17 and B24, view from my hangar.

Low pass over the runway, B17 and B24.

Cropped in on my plane. Tailcone skins sucked in.

Taxiing in upon return.

Shutdown. Yes, the prop usually stops right there.

P51-C Razorback, from a long way across the ramp.

P51-C, front view.

5/4/10 Flight 131

0.3 flight time, 1 ldg. Added 10 gallons after the flight. Took off with ~5.5 gallons, ~4 gallons after the flight. Purpose was to try full throttle at 65 mph to check fuel flow, in response to a question on the news group where someone was feeling like they might have fuel delivery issues with an Aerovee at full throttle, 65 mph, and 7 gallons on board. Not an issue at all. Then did 1 roll to the left and returned for landing.

5/7/10 - Updating the list

List remains exactly the same as last month:

1. Make seal for fuel tank cap.

2. Finish rearview mirror bracket.

3. Replace nut on ignition cooling tube w/ metal self-locker.

4. Wiring supports (clickbond cable tie anchors).

5. Install flap gap seal angles to fuselage.

6. Finish the doors in wheel pants (well underway).

7. Stick boots.

8. Fix PTT lead on passenger's stick.

9. Stop drill canopy cracks.

10. Look into having the fiberglass parts painted.

5/8/10 Flight 132

1.0 flight time, 3 ldg. KAVQ to the I-10 project, to Coolidge, to Eloy and return. Jumpers at Coolidge. I was set up for straight in on 20, but the jump plane called taxiing out to 2, so I switched to "midfield downwind for 2", then called the jump plane to tell them to depart before me. I wanted to run the plane for a solid hour to check for anything overheating. EGT still seems to SLOWLY increase with time, but never got to an out-of-control level. Mid 1300's (F).

Looking SW.

Looking SW.

Looking NW.

Looking N.

Looking NE.

Picacho Peak, looking NW, from 6000' MSL.

5/14/10 Flight 133

0.4 flight time, 7 landings. Very quick/small patterns. 6 power off, 1 power on. Fit in some other traffic near the end. Did pretty well with hitting the aim point. May want to re-do this with passenger (or ballast) and also try re-doing w/o using flaps to stretch the glide. Indicating ~11 gallons on board at end of flight.

5/14/10 Landing Gear - Wheel Pant Access Doors

Spending way too much time on this - developing a hidden hinge geometry (ok, copying what I've seen elsewhere). This will bury the hinge inside the wheel pant while opening the door more than 90 degrees. Made the hinge pieces 4 times - first was from .013" Al for easy bending to work out the geometry. Second was from an ancient piece of aileron skin with the white plastic "protective" coating - it protects it all right - nearly impossible to remove. Third try things seemed to be going well, but after putting the bends on them in the brake, I realized they needed to form a "Z" and I had made a "U". 4th try, so far so good, but I have to rivet the hinge before making the large radius curved bend in the middle of the Z, so we'll see how that goes.