Glasair News Newsletter No. 28 First Quarter, 1988 ARTICLES Safety Notes We recently completed the task of compiling quite a bit of design and test documentation to supply to foreign FAA departments to gain approval for the construction of Glasair kits. (Some countries require homebuilders to perform static load tests of their completed structures and to practically certify their homebuilt per FAR part 23! They even charge the homebuilder to evaluate and approve the results of such testing. We never knew we had it so good here in the old USA!) Anyway, in the process of reviewing our volumes of design and testing information Bob Gavinsky (Chief engineer in design of the Glasairs) expressed a few concerns which we felt would be worth passing along to Glasair builders: 1. Vne & Flutter FAR Part 23 specifies a margin of safety between the published Vne of a certified airplane and its flutter speed of approximately 25%. Stoddard-Hamilton Air- craft, Inc. has performed extensive Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) and analysis through a local firm which contracts such services. The Boeing Co.'s powerful ATU\S system is used in the computer analysis which gives us a fairly accurate picture of the predicted flutter speeds of the various parts of the Glasair airf rame and flight control surfaces, in spite of its high cost, we feel this testing is very important due to the high perform- ance nature of our designs. Our design goal has always been at or above FAR Part 23 requirements in this area. This is the reason we changed the design of the Glasair III horizontal stabilizer from E-GIass to Graphite skins; the E-GIass horizontal stabilizers were roughly 5% less than the FAR 23 margin. Even though we had to recall 19 stabilizers and replace them with graphite ones and some builders had to forsake their efforts at building the first one and start in on a second, we insisted on maintaining the FAR 23 margin of safety as a minimum. Glasair '88 Soring Sale 1987 was an all time high for Glasair Kit sales, spurred on by the easier to construct Gla- sair ll's and the new Glasair III kits. To do even better in 1988, we are starting the year off by offering attractive incentives for new Glasair orders received during the months of April or May. We are offering $1,000 worth of Glasair Options purchases free with any Glasair II full kit purchase and $1,500 worth of Glasair Options purchases free with a Glasair III full kit purchase. Please note that system 4 purchases do not apply. If you know someone anxious to build and fly a Glasair, have them contact us for further details. Now that we've set the stage, here's the word from Bob: He wants to be sure all Glasair builders are aware of the capacity for slick, clean airplanes like the Glasair to pick up lots of extra speed in a hurry when you point them downhill. The margin of safety in FAR Part 23 - in regard to flutter - was written when airplanes were built with struts, door knobs, gas caps, handles, steps, anten- nas and thousands of round headed rivets protruding from the surface - all working in harmony to help slow the airplane down. It's a different flying world we are in now, Glasair Team, so be aware of this. Hypothetical situation: Glasair owner Seymour Speed is out flying one day in his Glasair III. Suddenly from out of nowhere that rascal from across the tracks is on his tail in an SX- 300. They're off to the races and naturally, they both have their noses pointed slightly downhill to gain some advantage. Seymour glances at his airspeed indicator and notes that he is past the Vne of 335 mph and is indicating 350. "I'm OK," he figures, "the air is silk smooth and I know the Glasair III must have at least a flutter speed over 400." He might have guessed right folks we don't know where the actual flutter speed of page 205
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Glasair News
Newsletter No. 28 First Quarter, 1988
ARTICLES
Safety Notes
We recently completed the task of compiling quite a bit of design and test documentation to supply to foreign FAA departments to gain approval for the construction of Glasair kits. (Some countries require homebuilders to perform static load tests of their completed structures and to practically certify their homebuilt per FAR part 23! They even charge the homebuilder to evaluate and approve the results of such testing. We never knew we had it so good here in the old USA!)
Anyway, in the process of reviewing our volumes of design and testing information Bob Gavinsky (Chief engineer in design of the Glasairs) expressed a few concerns which we felt would be worth passing along to Glasair builders:
1. Vne & Flutter FAR Part 23 specifies a margin of safety between
the published Vne of a certified airplane and its flutter speed of approximately 25%. Stoddard-Hamilton Air-craft, Inc. has performed extensive Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) and analysis through a local firm which contracts such services. The Boeing Co.'s powerful ATU\S system is used in the computer analysis which gives us a fairly accurate picture of the predicted flutter speeds of the various parts of the Glasair airf rame and flight control surfaces, in spite of its high cost, we feel this testing is very important due to the high perform-ance nature of our designs.
Our design goal has always been at or above FAR Part 23 requirements in this area. This is the reason we changed the design of the Glasair III horizontal stabilizer from E-GIass to Graphite skins; the E-GIass horizontal stabilizers were roughly 5% less than the FAR 23 margin. Even though we had to recall 19 stabilizers and replace them with graphite ones and some builders had to forsake their efforts at building the first one and start in on a second, we insisted on maintaining the FAR 23 margin of safety as a minimum.
Glasair '88 Soring Sale 1987 was an all time high for Glasair Kit
sales, spurred on by the easier to construct Gla-sair ll's and the new Glasair III kits.
To do even better in 1988, we are starting the year off by offering attractive incentives for new Glasair orders received during the months of April or May.
We are offering $1,000 worth of Glasair Options purchases free with any Glasair II full kit purchase and $1,500 worth of Glasair Options purchases free with a Glasair III full kit purchase. Please note that system 4 purchases do not apply. If you know someone anxious to build and fly a Glasair, have them contact us for further details.
Now that we've set the stage, here's the word from Bob:
He wants to be sure all Glasair builders are aware of the capacity for slick, clean airplanes like the Glasair to pick up lots of extra speed in a hurry when you point them downhill.
The margin of safety in FAR Part 23 - in regard to flutter - was written when airplanes were built with struts, door knobs, gas caps, handles, steps, anten-nas and thousands of round headed rivets protruding from the surface - all working in harmony to help slow the airplane down. It's a different flying world we are in now, Glasair Team, so be aware of this.
Hypothetical situation: Glasair owner Seymour Speed is out flying one
day in his Glasair III. Suddenly from out of nowhere that rascal from across the tracks is on his tail in an SX-300. They're off to the races and naturally, they both have their noses pointed slightly downhill to gain some advantage. Seymour glances at his airspeed indicator and notes that he is past the Vne of 335 mph and is indicating 350. "I'm OK," he figures, "the air is silk smooth and I know the Glasair III must have at least a flutter speed over 400." He might have guessed right folks we don't know where the actual flutter speed of
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the Glasair is - lest results only give an estimation, hence the margin of safety), but now ol' Seymour pulls the dumbest stunt of his life. Since he finally edged out the SX-300 (or the SX driver had better judgment and gave up), he decides that a victory roll is in order. Since he is carrying so much speed, he figures that he probably won't have to lift the nose much to initiate the roll. He rolls over and, oops, the nose falls below the horizon. It unnerves him and he decides to pull through on the stick and split-s out.
The next voice Seymour might hear is St. Peter's at the Pearly Gate because he likely only had two bleak options left: (A) He might have exceeded the airplane's structural limitations with a high "G" pull out to avoid excess airspeed or (B) He might have ex-ceeded the margin of flutter safety and encountered flutter.
(If you are an RG, FT, or TD builder simply pencil your name, aircraft N number and Vne into the article - you certainly aren't exempt from such a situation.)
We don't mean to put undue fear into your minds, rather, our intention is to have you operate your Glasairs with discretion and good judgment. We feel good about our margins of safety, and most engineers (ours especially) stack conservative figures into their calculations to be extra safe; nevertheless, it is not an excuse to be careless and carefree. It's important to realize that the situation we described above is not unrealistic. It could happen to an individual who, under normal circumstances, uses good judgment but just got caught up in the moment with the right set of circumstances.
2. Rough Field Operation We are proud of our pig farm beginnings and the
type of punishment we subjected the Glasairs to at that rough, 1800 foot airstrip. Here at Arlington we have a 1500' strip of grass on the right side of the main North-South 5000 foot runway. Whenever a customer in-quires about the rough field (non-paved) landing abil-ity of the Glasairs, we don't hesitate to take off or land from this strip of mildly bumpy grass. Check that - we haven't done it yet in the III and probably never will due to its length more so than its bumpiness. Bob "Yeager" Gavinsky admitted to landing the Glasair III at the pig farm once - which we cringed at - but were gratified to know it handled the abuse well enough.
We do not have hesitations about operating the Glasairs out of grass or gravel strips. But Bob Gavinsky's concern about margins of safety is a valid one:
Calculating the degree of drag loads for landing gear is a difficult task. How big is the hole, the rock, or the mole hill of dirt that the plane will hit. How do you calculate the force of a medium size molehill on the nose gear at a reasonable or even worst case landing speed?
The engineer picks an impact drag value or uses
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an established one and blazes on with the landing gear design.
In our "marketing enthusiasm" bragging about our pig farm days, landing on dirt and rocks and stating that the Glasairs are capable of short, rough airfield type operations, Bob cautions us to qualify what we mean. Glasair rough field operation:
Grass or gravel airstrips which you are familiar with. An airstrip of this type is one which receives regular maintenance (mowing, grading, molehill, and big rock removal) and is approved for aircraft operations.
Being familiar with an airfield means knowing if there are any rough spots, pot holes, mud and water bogs and large rocks. If you haven't been into it before, don't chance it unless it looks real nice. Gravel airstrips are easier to judge than grass or sod ones. Mowed grass can look real nice but easily hide big rocks and pot holes.
Bob mentioned that the nose gear on all these models, FT, RG and 111, are the biggest concern on non-paved runways. As is the case with all nose-gear aircraft, always use soft field landing and take-off techniques when operating on these types of strips. The technique essentially is to keep as much weight off the nose gear as safely possible during take off and landing. This can be done only with the elevator. On landing, try to "catch" the nose with the elevator to avoid slamming the nose gear into the ground. With practice, you should be able to hold the nose gear off the ground until the elevator authority is lost as the airplane slows down. This landing technique is a good standard operating procedure on paved strips as well. On take off, hold the elevator back to lighten the nose on initial roll. Once enough speed is attained to lift the nose wheel off, a bit more speed is needed before the plane is ready to fly. Once airborne, remember to release back pressure slightly to avoid stalling until a safe airspeed is reached.
Respect your limitations, the Glasairs' limitations and use good judgment in the type of airfields you operate from.
Safe and enjoyable flying to you all!
RG Owners - Notes on Ground Handling Airplanes are first designed to fly and secondly
designed for ground operation. As an example: We know with confidence you can pull 6+ G's on the Glasair in flight, but don't dare try a 6+ G landing. Only the Navy insists on having their landing gear designed to handle "crash" landing (i.e. aircraft carrier operations).
The oleo struts used on the Glasair RG models have proven to be a strong, reliable design. There are a few pointers you should be aware of, though, in the normal ground operation of your RG model (Glasair I RG, Glasair II RG and Glasair Ill).
1. Sideloads The side braces are designed to handle the maximum side load as specified in FAR Part 23. Once in a while, on a gusty crosswind landing, you may not have much of a choice, and land in a crabbed angle which puts a side load on the gear. The gear components are designed for this with adequate margins of safety. Steering off of the runway at 30 mph to win a bet that you could make the first taxiway or to avoid back taxiing a long way puts an undue side load on the gear. In fact, it likely puts much more side load on the gear than a crabbed landing. To help cure you of 3 G turns on the ground, just picture all those wo/ man hours of labor, the cost of replacing your propeller and an overhaul of the engine. Come to a near full stop on landing rollout before turning onto a taxiway. While turning, if you have to lean to stay in your seat and your co-pilot is hanging onto your arm to avoid falling out of the plane, it's a good indication that you are turning too hard and fast.
Have you noticed the gear motor turn on when you make sharp turns on the ground? Here's why:
When you make a left turn on the ground, the gear on the inside of the turn is dragging which produces a pulling force on the side brace assembly. The airplane leans against the gear on the outside of the turn causing a compression force on its side brace.
An overcenter pivot is used in the side brace assembly to act as a down lock in the event of hydraulic pressure loss. A pulling force tends to open the side brace which is sensed by the microswitch which then turns the pump on. It is gratifying to know the pump is on to counteract the possible collapsing of the side brace, but it should be a warning sign that you are turning too sharp or fast and straining the system.
Emergency Procedures If you are operating a Glasair I or II RG which
uses a free fall (spring assist) gear emergency extension system, in the event of electrical failure or hydraulic pressure loss, you will want to land on a hard surface runway and roll out straight ahead. Do not turn 90° onto a taxiway because the inside brace will open up and has the possibility of collapsing when the pulling force is released.
Real Life Examples to Learn From: 1982. Flight test of factory Glasair RG prototype
N87SH. We had purchased hydraulic actuators which used glued on ends rather than the machined, screw on caps we presently manufacture ourselves. On this flight to evaluate a new propeller, our test pilot heard a loud "bang" and subsequently noticed the hydraulic pressure fall immediately to zero and the gear come down. (The cap had blown off the end of the actuator.) With three green lights indicating gear down, he landed the plane and taxied back to the hangar with not 1, or 2, but 3 turns from runway to taxiway to hangar. We were lucky but now that we know better, we wouldn't attempt such a thing. How do we now better? Flip back to pages 203-204 of Glasair News-letter 27 and re-read the Glasair III mishap. If you do, you will clearly see why the Glasair III crashed a second time as we were pulling it from the runway.
Just imagine losing your electrical system in flight, opening the emergency extension valve, extending the gear and making a nice soft landing. After patting yourself on the back you, add slight power to turn off the runway and, wham, down it goes on one wing or both causing extensive, undue damage. Don't let this happen to you.
When we publish the new Glasair II and III owner/ operator manuals, we will include emergency proce-dures which state to roll out, stop and lock the side braces with clamps before exiting the runway, or at the very least, have a wing walker looking at both side braces as you pull the plane from the runway to avoid holding up traffic in the pattern. Revisions to existing RG owners manuals will be published at the same time. In the meantime, existing fliers can make a note of it.
Its an age old saga. The RG owners laugh when they breeze past the fixed-gears owners in flight. The fixed-gear owners laugh at the complexity of retract-able landing gear. The saga will never end.
GLASAIR FACTORY NEWS
Newsletter Information In an attempt to streamline our newsgathering for
future editions of the Glasair News please put "Attention Glasair News" on all correspondence which you think is worthy of printing (we'll take anything, folks). If you are especially addressing a particular letter to someone's attention here at Stoddard-Hamilton, and it might be newsworthy (we'll take anything, folks), put Glasair News somewhere on the letter and we'll get the message. Also, if you are a Macintosh user, feel free to submit articles or letters on disk, as we are producing the Newsletter on a Mac these days. Thanks for your input!
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Left gear, viewed from front
Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft, Inc. Office Hours (Pacific Standard Time) Mon-Thurs 7 am- 1 2 noon 1pm-5pm
• Open House for sales and demonstration purposes is held on the first and third Saturday of each month, excluding holidays. We perform at many air- shows throughout the summer season, so please call to be sure the airplane you or someone wishes to see is here.
• Builder Support Hours (PST) Mon-Thurs 7 am- 12 noon 1pm-5pm - Please note that Monday is by far the busiest
day for builder support. - We receive many calls during our lunch hour,
and will attempt to handle them, however, please try to remember to call before noon or after 1 pm, Seattle time!
Glasair III Airshow Schedule 1988 (to date) SUN - N - FUN '88
Lakeland, Florida April 10,12,15 Airspace America
San Diego, CA May 14, 15, 21, 22 Merced, CA June 4, 5
Quad City Airshow Davenport, IA June 25, 26
Tacoma Narrows Airshow Tacoma, WA July 3
Commencement Bay Airshow Tacoma, WA July 4
Northwest EAA Fly-In Arlington, WA July 15,16,17
EAA Annual Convention Oshkosh, Wl July 29 - Aug 6
SUN - N - FUN '88 Lakeland. Florida Glasair Builders Banquet, Wednesday, April 13, Sweetwater Inn Sign up sheet at Sherrod Campbells Glasair (We incorrectly stated Sheraton Inn in the last newsletter)
Glasair Rap Session Questions / Answers Tuesday, April 12, 1:00 - 2:00 pm, at the Homebuilder's Corner
Reminder: Don't miss Bob Herenden performing in the airshow.
New Stuff Everyone always wants to know: "What's new?
When is the four place Glasair coming out?" Well...we don't have a four place Glasair on the boards and no current plans to start one. But we won't disappoint you - there are some very exciting things brewing. Turboprop Glasair III
One of our Glasair III builders, Vernon Carter, of Rogers, Arkansas, in joint development with Stod-dard-Hamilton Aircraft, Inc. and cooperation from Al-lison, McCauley and many other equipment manufac-turers, is in the process of constructing the sleekest, page 208
fastest and all around best performing turbine airplane in the world. Simply stated: A real "bad" airplane. Here are some of the details: Airframe: Glasair Ml (modified) Engine: Allison turbine model 250 B17D 420 hp Propeller: McCauley 3 blade with Beta reverse Save for the cost of such an airplane, we know that most of you like us, are envious of Vernon Carter so to make you turn even greener we'll add the projected specifications and performance data as well.
Projected Specifications Weight
Empty weight 1500 Ibs Gross weight 2700 Ibs Useful load 1200 Ibs Maximum fuel weight 576 Ibs
Dimensions Length 21.8ft Span 23.3 ft Height 7.25 ft Propeller diameter 6.67 ft Wing area 81.2sqft Cabin width 3.52 ft
Other Characteristics Stall speed (Gross) 61 kt Wing loading 29.63 Ibs/sq ft Power / weight ratio (Gross) 5.71 Ibs/hp Power to weight ratio (Solo) 3.94 Ibs/hp Total fuel capacity 88 gal (US) Service ceiling 37,000 ft
Speed and Range Max, speed Speed Sea level 300 kt 345 mph 10,000ft. 331 kt 381 mph 15,000ft. 329 kt 378 mph 25,000 ft. 329 kt 378 mph
Normal Cruise Range (30 min res) 10,000ft. 315 kt 362 mph 716nm 15,000 ft. 315 kt 362 mph 863 nm 25,000 ft. 318 kt 366 mpf 1200 nm
25% of Normal Cruise. 10,000ft. 227 kt 261 mph 1158 nm 15,000ft. 236 kt 271 mph 1378 nm 25,000ft. 255 kt 293 mph 1935 nm
Climb 2000 Ibs 2400 Ibs Sea level 3978 ft/min 3325 ft/min 10,000ft. 3653 ft/min 3059 ft/min 15,000 ft. 2387 ft/min 1995 ft/min Time to climb to 15,000 ft. 4.28 min 5.11 min Best rate of climb speed 128 kt
Take-Off and Landing Conditions: Dry runway, no wind, flaps as appropriate
Take-Off Ground roll @ Sea level (grass) 525 ft. Distance over 50 ft. obstacle 875 ft.
Landing Min. ground roll @ Sea level (w/reverse) 360 ft. (Fighter like thrust management control) Min. landing dist. @ Sea level (w/o reverse) 920 ft. Distance over 50 ft. obstacle 675 ft. Approach speed @ Sea level 80 kt
Other Performance Data Roll rate 170°/sec @ 170 kt Glide speed (engine out) 100kt
"Hrrmmmph.... impractical," you may say. "We can't afford one," will be the cry from many.
The development of this airplane is aimed pri-marily at seeking interest from foreign governments by offering a low cost (compared to similar aircraft) turbo-prop trainer, reconnaissance, border patrol, you-name-the-function aircraft. At the price we are project-ing for a complete ready-to-fly Turboprop Glasair, three to four Glasairs could be purchased as com-pared to one other aircraft currently available. To the military eye, it may not be designed as an ideal trainer, but for the cost savings and performance advantages we can offer, we are willing to bet our development that it will surely generate interest.
There are also some homebuilt customers who can afford such an airplane and, after further evalu-ation of the design and flight tests, we just might offer a turboprop kit.
A bit about Vernon Carter: Dr. Carter recently retired from years of practice as a dermatologist. He was apparently a very well known and successful one, since he now serves as President of the Space Der-matology Foundation. He is also a former USAF jet fighter pilot and an active and ardent supporter of general aviation. He is a gentleman's gentleman, professional, yet very down to earth and amicable.
We have made plans to have Vernon speak about the Glasair Turboprop III at our Oshkosh Forum. Don't miss the opportunity to hear more about this exciting airplane and meet Vernon Carter. We are all keeping our fingers crossed to have the airplane finished in time for an Oshkosh appearance.
Also on the subject of new stuff...we keep hear-ing rumors of Glasairs with automotive engines in them. Where are you guys? Is it top secret? How about some information for the June issue of Glasair News.
Porsche Engine Survey If you are a Glasair III builder you recently re-
ceived a questionnaire regarding how many people would be interested in a turbocharged engine option.
In spite of the attractiveness of the Porsche engine with its single lever control, smoothness, qui-etness and modern technological improvements, most III builders surveyed indicated an interest in turbocharging an overhauled Lycoming engine.
Comparing apples to apples - the installation price of a turbocharged Porsche engine and a new turbocharged Lycoming are nearly even. It seems, however, that the price difference between an over-hauled or slightly used Lycoming and a new Porsche powerplant is too big an obstacle to overcome, for most.
We have decided, therefore, not to pursue devel-opment of the turbocharged PFM 3200 T03 Porsche engine at this time. We will investigate the feasibility of offering a turbocharged Lycoming option - but please don't hold your breath - it will likely be some time before anything of this sort would be available.
Fifth Annual Glasair Picnic SATURDAY JULY 16 is the day to plan on
attending this year's picnic/barbeque. Last year we served a chicken and salmon barbeque dinner to nearly 275 Glasair builders and guests and we hope this year's event will be bigger and better than ever.
Just like last year, the picnic takes place during the Arlington '88 Northwest EAA Fly-In (July 15, 16, 17). Come and enjoy the beauty of Puget Sound, the Cascade mountains, and eat barbequed salmon, chicken and sweet fresh corn to your heart's (or stomach's) content. You'll have a ringside seat for the airshow activities and meet many new Glasair builders and renew acquaintances with others.
We again plan to reserve space at the Smokey Point Motor Inn for Friday and Saturday night (July 15, 16). Call them at (206) 659-8561 to make your reser-vations and be sure to let them know you are with Stoddard-Hamilton. We will need confirmation that you will be attending the barbeque by June 30,1988. The cost will be $15.00 per person which includes dinner and a 1988 Glasair Picnic T-shirt.
Last year's event was a lot of fun with many things to do in conjunction with the Arlington Fly-In. We hope to see you here on July 16th!
Glasair Builders Banquet Qshkosh '88 Where: Pioneer Inn, Oshkosh When: Monday, August 1, 6:30 pm Cost: $15.00 per person
Last year's banquet was a great time to gather together a good sized portion of the Glasair Family and renew old friendships and make new ones. Our guest speaker, Bud Davisson, was very enlightening and great entertainment. We will try to find an equally entertaining guest speaker for this year's event (If you have any suggestions, please contact Roy Matson).
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Attention please: In past years we have had a sign up sheet at the booth so we could tell the restau-rant how many are coming. You paid for dinner when you arrived at the restaurant. We've either had too few seats or too many empty plates - the first of which ends in overcrowding and chaos and the latter which gets expensive for Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft since we pay the overbooking. So - this year we will be taking pre-registration and payments at Stoddard-Hamil-lon prior to July 25 or during Oshkosh at our booth in the North Exhibition building through Sunday after-noon, July 31st. There may be a few unhappy last minute people who might get left out if they don't plan ahead, but it seems to be the only sensible way for us to arrange a banquet of this size.
We hope to see you all back again this year and many new faces as well.
Louisiana EAA Sport Aviation Association Februarys, 1988 Dear Friend of Sport Aviation,
The Louisiana EAA Sport Aviation Association (the Louisiana State Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association - EAA) is planning to continue the LOUISIANA CHAMPIONSHIP FLY-IN SERIES for a second year. I'm sure you are aware of the "points series" concept in other sports. This series extends this concept into sport aviation. Our first year was extremely successful with approximately 90 aircraft from 8 states participating. The competition was very close because of the high quality of participating aircraft. The events also drew several thousand spec-tators and pilots. We have proven the concept in our first year and are now ready to build on that successful foundation. To our knowledge, we are the first state organization in the EAA to do this.
Aircraft will be judged in the following categories at each event: Plans Built Kit Built Classic Warbird Custom Classic Production Antique Points will be awarded to each aircraft based on judging and attendance. At our final event, Louisiana Grand Champion trophies will be awarded to the points leaders in each category.
The 1988 events have not been finalized at this time. We expect to hold four events throughout Louisi-ana. The tentative locations are:
May 21 -22 Louisiana Balloon Festival Hammond Airport
June 11-12 Northwest Louisiana Fly-In Mansfield Airport
September Southwest Louisiana Fly-In Jennings Airport
Oct. 1-2 Louisiana EAA Convention Esler Regional Airport
Sincerely, Jim Riviere
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Interested Glasair builders/owners may contact the L E. A. A. S. A. A , at
604 Chamberlain Dr. Kenner, LA 70065 (504) 467-1505
1988C. A. F. E.400 This year's Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency
event will be held on June 25, 26 at Sonoma County Airport, Santa Rosa, Ca.
Unfortunately, we are not planning to enter a factory Glasair in this year's event due to prior airshow commitments.
Bill Russell of La Jolla, CA has informed us that he plans to fly his TD in this year's event. Lyle Powell of Walnut Creek, CA has entered the contest each year since the first event (C. A. F. E. 250) and will likely be there again this year.
Plan on attending; it's not only a fun social event, but will be great competition pitting wits and strategies against other Glasairs to see who can operate most efficiently. Race entry is limited. For information and rules contact: C. A. F. E. Inc.
16466 Willow Creek Rd. Occidental, CA 95465 (707) 874-3078
Project Schoolflight Iowa State University Project Schoolflight has a
Glasair II RG sponsor for this year's class, June 13 -July 8. They currently have 8 class members signed up and are seeking a class size of 20-22 people. Many past "graduates" have benefited from getting a sneak preview of Glasair construction and have learned valuable tips and techniques to aid them in the con-struction of their own Glasair.
For more information contact Dr. John Riley (515) 294-5171.
Schoolflight Project Wants Glasair Morning Side School of Sioux City, Iowa is look-
ing for a Glasair Kit to purchase or to receive as a donation to use in a Project Schoolflight program.
If you have a partially completed Glasair kit sitting around collecting dust and need a tax write-off, you might consider a tax deductible contribution to the school.
If interested, contact: Jim Smith (402) 494-5173 Morning Side School 6100 Morning Side Ave. Sioux City, IA55106
Heat Distortion Temperature We want to caution all Glasair II and III builders
in regard to exposure to direct sunlight on their Glasair parts whether in pieces or completed. The dark grey primered surfaces on all Glasair parts when exposed
So direct sunlight on a warm day can produce skin surface temperatures up to 200° F.
The HDTof Dow 411-45 Vinylester resin is listed at 212-215° F (The boiling point of water is an easy way to remember this). The HOT of the Clark polyure-thanefoam is 165° F.
We are in the process of conducting elevated temperature tests of sample composite panels with vinylester skins and Clark polyurethane foam cores. At press time, we had tested samples at 180° F for a 7 day soak time with no discernable deformation or defect. We plan to conduct further tests at higher tempera-tures.
We recommend that your Glasair I! or III be painted white prior to conducting test flights especially if you live in the warmer states. Once a white surface finish has been applied, the skin surface temperatures will remain near ambient air temperature and will be safely below heat distortion temperatures.
We mix 1 -2% carbon black into our primer before it is sprayed into the molds. The carbon black gives ultraviolet protection and darkens the primer consid-erably. For those builders who are forced to test fly prior to a final paint job, you may want to consider spraying a layer of light colored primer on top of the existing primer (In the next issue of Glasair News we will discuss procedureres and tips for obtaining the best paint job for your Glasairs).
On the same subject of heat, remove all uncured resin cups on your aircraft surfaces each time you are finished laminating. In fact, unused resin curing in cups should be placed on a cement floor away from all flammable materials. The heat produced from the exothermic reaction can damage skins or, even worse, start afire.
Gas Springs The shelf life of the gas springs supplied in the
Glasair kits for canopies, gear doors, etc, can be as low as 2 years if they remain motionless. If cycled at least once a month, they should last up to 10 years. Appar-ently the seals dry up and go bad when not used. Perhaps you could mount them to your refrigerator door until they're needed on the Glasair; they'll get plenty of motion.
Fabrication of Aeroquip Fuel and Hydraulic Lines
As reported in Glasair News 23 and 24, it is very important to use a mandrel and carefully follow the proper instructions in fabricating these lines.
As another point-in-fact, refer to the article sub-mitted by the Baracuda pilot in the March issue of Sport Aviation magazine. He states that if a mandrel is not used, you will definitely have large chunks of rubber in the lines. It's only a matter of when they break loose and cause big problems.
On the same subject, carefully inspect the flares
of all aluminum fuel and hydraulic lines for cracks during fabrication. Don't be too proud to start over and re-fabricate suspicious looking lines. Don't sacrifice all your efforts and the value of your airplane investment by not spending the time and money to rework a few parts.
Glasair III Vacuum Pumps
As illustrated above, vacuum pumps with inlet and exhaust ports arranged in a fore and aft configuration will interfere with the Glasair 111 engine mount. Vacuum pumps are available with ports lined up side-to-side (Perpendicular to the thrust line of the A/C). Be sure to specify this when ordering one. No problems on Gla-sair I and ll's.
Shimmy Damper Installation We investigated the problems Jerry Gruber expe-
rienced in installing the new shimmy damper assembly (Glasair News 27, p. 195).
1. Found not to be necessary on most aircraft. 2. and 3. These may or may not be a problem
depending on each installation. Our factory 180 hp RG model did not require these. 4. Foam on the nose geardoors must be relieved
to accommodate the wider scissors. Our nose gear doors required relieving of inner skin and foam in
a small area. 51 note: Every time we think we have a problem licked, somebody adds a different twist, usually due to the variation from one installation to the next. As long as builders like Jerry are willing to work through problems encountered and share them with us, we can hopefully notify others through our builder support and publica-tions to avoid further frustration to others.
Cole Hersev Solenoids A problem exists with contactor alignment and
poor electrical contact for starting if studs are allowed to rotate when wire is installed. When installing and tightening the wires to the studs of Cole Hersey sole-noids (the type supplied in our Glasair kits) be extra
page 211
extra careful not to allow the studs to rotate as you tighten the keeper nut in place. It's best to hold a wrench firmly on the base nut as you tighten the keeper nut down onto the wire lug.
The reason for this is that the inside contactor is
simply the base of the stud machined round as shown. If the stud is allowed to rotate, the contactor will be misaligned giving poor electrical contact and possible solenoid failure.
We advise all builders to file or scratch a vertical alignment mark on the end of the stud prior to installing the solenoids, so that in the event the stud is rotated, it can be realigned.
Sliding Canopies We have an overabundance of sliding canopy
installations for earlier model Glasairs that we would like to offer at a reduced rate. Pick up a set of spares for your Glasair. These packages retail for $197.80 and we will discount them to $145 for this one time sale. Sale price is subject to quantities in stock and good through April 28th. Part Number 201 -0150-501.
i
Glasair I Manuals Do your original manuals look used and abused,
possibly missing sections, or have globs of Q-cell stuck on the pages? Stoddard-Hamilton has a certain number of Glasair I TD and RG manuals on our shelves which we will offer for sale (less full size templates) for $50. Don't miss this opportunity to pick up a spare set of manuals at this reduced rate (Stan-dard price $200).
We also have a few binders for those who just want to spruce up the outside , available for $5 each. Offer good through June 1988.
Glasair III Engine Baffling We will soon be offering prefabricated, engine
baffling kits for Lycoming 300 hp engines. Our Glasair III prototype N540RG is currently being fit up with the first article production parts. Cost: $529.00. page 212
Availability: First 10 kits available on 4/15/88 (300 hp only).
Contact our shipping department for further de-tails.
Fabricated from .032 6061 T-4 aluminum, these beautiful baffling kits are clear anodized and ready to install. The value of these baffling kits is in the time they save and the quality of their construction. The complete kit includes a 3" oil cooler duct flange, rubberized fabric cowling seal and all necessary in-stallation hardware.
We plan to make engine baffling kits available for the 260 hp engine as well, once the tooling and patterns have been produced.
Narco Avionics! Over 40 years have passed since Narco Avionics
first introduced their MB-1 Marker Beacon Receiver. Through the years Narco has progressed to be one of the industry's leading manufacturers of quality gen-eral aviation equipment.
Stoddard-Hamilton has flown with Narco since our humble beginnings back in 1977. Their systems have proven to be reliable and their support has been invaluable. The peace of mind that Narco has given us due to the quality of their products has allowed us to focus our thoughts on the performance envelope of the aircraft rather than worrying about the accuracy of our navigation and communication equipment.
The problem has been how to offer you the same quality Narco equipment with their outstanding war-ranty and support program without mandating that installation be done by an authorized Narco dealer. Through many hours of head scratching, Narco Avion-ics and Stoddard-Hamilton have put together a plan that is truly exciting! Here's how it works: - Listed below you will find pricing for a variety of Narco packages and individual products. Under the retail heading there are two prices listed for each item.
1. The first retail price includes a Stoddard- Hamilton one year limited warranty from the purchase date of the equipment.
2. The second retail price includes a Narco factory 3 Year Warranty Protection Plan. You will receive the unit or package with a "green tag" for each item. After you have installed the equipment in your aircraft, you then fly your Glasair to your nearest Narco Authorized Dealer and hand over your green tags. The dealer will inspect your installation and , once ap- proved, will fill out and send your warranty paperwork directly to Narco. In a few weeks you will receive back an identification card. This card (similar to a credit card) can be presented to any Narco Authorized Service Center for on the spot warranty coverage.
We are sure you will agree that this program is well worth the additional cost. Not only will you have peace of mind that your installation has been in-spected and approved, but you'll also have the added
benefit of going to spy dealer and having warranty work done. "Plane" fantastic, isn't it? (If only one retail price is listed it means that the selection is not covered by the extended Narco warranty. It does
however carry the Stoddard-Hamilton one year warranty.) We encourage you to comparison shop, but make sure that you keep these three things in mind: *
All packages individual units come complete with installation kit, mounting tray and antennas (where n * Outstanding warranty and support package. * All items are sold factory new - no surplus or overhauled units! The following list is by no means a complete index of available Narco products. We have full color Narco technical brochures available upon request for the equipment of your choice. Call our Sales/Shipping department today.
* Available for extended 3 year factory warranty program. ** Not available for extended warranty. Product carries Stoddard-Hamilton 1 year warranty.
Model NAV/COM/ID Pak I
5-H Part # 120-4007-307 120-4007-308
Description List MK12D 2180.00 w/oGSID824-14V 23 V same prices
S-H Retail 1680.00 *1787.25
NAV/COM/ID Pak II 120-4007-309
MK 12 0 2590.00 with GS ID 825-14 V 28 V same orices
1975.85 •2099.85
NAV/COM/IDME Pak III 120-4007-311
120 4007 312
MK12D 3610.00 withGS IDME 891 -14V 28 V same prices
2750.00 '2877.00
NAV/COM/IDME Pak IV 120-4007-313
NAV 825, COM 810 3985.00 with IDME 891-14 V 28 V same prices
3039.50 *3165.00
NAV/COM/RNAV /DME/ID PakV 120-4007-315
120 4007 316
COM 810, NS 800 5030.00 with ID 825 28 V same prices
3835.50 •4025.00
NAV/COM/RNAV /ID Pak VI 120-4007-317
120 4007 318
COM 810, NS801 4250.00 with ID 825-1 4V 28 V same prices
3245.00 "3430.00
NAV/COM/RNAV /DME/iD Pak VII 120-4007-319
COM 810, NS801 4985.00 IDME 891 -14V 28 V same prices
3805.00 •3990.00
Individual Prlcina and Description. Breakdown
Model MK12DTSO
Part? 120-3118-301
Description List Digital Nav/Com/GS 3260.00 14 V. VOR/LOC Converter 40 channel glideslope receiver and 2x5 DME channelling. Use with ID 825, IDME 891.
Retail "1875.00
MK12DTSO 120-3118-302 same as above except 3260.00 28V
"1875.00
COM120TSO 120-3218-300 Com Transceiver 14 V, 2475.00 1 0 watt transmitter, 720 channels, mechanical display
1425.00 '1549.00
COM 1 20/20 TSO 120-3222-300 Com Transceiver 1 4 V, 2575.00 20 watt transmitter, 720 channels, mechanical display
1485.00 •1610.00
CP 136 TSO 120-3740-303 Audio Panel 1 1 -32 VDC 945.00 Push button controls, independent phone & speaker amplifiers
550.00 '595.00
CP136MTSO 120-3740-302 Audio panel with MKR 1040.00 11-32 VDC 3 light Marker receiver & lights. Independent £hone & speaker amplifiers
"598.00
AT 150 TSO 120-3606-300 Transponder 14V 1045.00 250 watts (antenna included)
625.00 •680.00
page 213
NS 800 ISO 120-3751-300 NS 801
ISO 120-3752-302 | N S 801 ISO 120-3752-303 I I
RNAV System 8 4600.00 Waypoint 1 1 -33 VDC 200 channel Nav & 40 channel glideslope receiver & 100 watt DME. Uses ID 825 (antenna included) RNAV System 8 3265.00 Waypoint 11 -33 VDC Digital bearing & distance to waypoint, auto load of present position into a waypoint & digital bearing & distance to Vortac Works with DME 890 & IDME E91 directly. Same as above except 3565.00 modified to interface with KN62 A, KN63 and KN64
2750.00 '2950.00 1960.00 '2150.00 2135.00 '2330.00
I COM 810 ISO 120-3114-300 Com Transceiver 1 4 VDC 2375.00 Gas discharge display with active & standby frequencies, 10 watt transmitter
1365.00 •1495.00
COM 811 ISO 120-3114-301 same as above except 2375.00 28V
1365.00 *1495.00
N AV 824 ISO 1 20-31 1 5-300 VOR/LOC receiver 1 1 -32 2070.00 VDC VOR/LOC converter & 2 x 5 DME channelling. Use with ID 824
1190.00 '1315.00
i IDE 324 ISO 120-3749-300 VOR/LOC Indicator 14 V 750.00 or 28 V rectilinear meter for use with NAV 824 of MK 12 D w/o glideslope
"448.00
NAV825TSO 120-3115-301 VOR/LOC/GS Receiver 2575.00 11-32 VDC. Includes VOR/LOC*1 605.00 converter, 40 channel glideslope receiver and 2x5 DME channelling. Use with ID 825.
1480.00
ID 825 ISO 120-3749-301 VOR/LOC/GS Indicator 850.00 14 V or 28 V rectilinear VOR & glideslope meters for use with NAV 825 or MK 12 D with qlideslope.
"510.00
HT830 120-3117-300 Handheld NAV/COM 427.00 Transceiver 108.00 to 135.975 LCD display with digital presentation of the radial from VOR station.
"410.00
ADF841TSO 120-3410-301 h Digital ADF System 2795.00
11 -32 VDC Indicator, combined loop/sense antenna, internal elapses & flight timers
1610.00 •1732.00
AR850TSO 120-3753-302 Remote Altitude Encoder 380.00 25.000 ft 11 -32 VDC
310.00 *340.00
DME 890 120-3314-300 Digital DME 11 -33 1855.00 VDC DIST-GS-TTS and 2x5 remote channelling (antenna included)
1095.00 •1225.00
JDME891 120-3315-300 Digital DME w/DIST-GS 2340.00 VOR-ILS Indicator w/MKR lights. Mounts in 3" instrument hole. Works with MK 12 D or NAV 825. MK D lights require CP 136M (antenna included)
1375.00 •1475.00
page 214
Vision Micro Systems The response has been fantastic for Vision
Micro Systems high tech instrumentation. We show-cased their products in our last newsletter and re-ceived over 35 complete system orders! Lance Turk, Glasair builder and founder of Vision Micro Systems, is busy making sure all orders are processed and shipped as efficiently as possible.
If you also are interested, drop a line or give us a call so we can forward to you a nine page systems brochure that explains the specifications and func-tions of each instrument.
Vision Micro Systems EPI 800 Prices
Effective 3/1/88
Suggested S-H Description Retail Prices DPU $508 $482 Tach System 248 240 Manifold System 238 230 Fuel System 596 560 Oil System 357 345 Air System 257 250 Electrical System 208 199 4 Cylinder EGT/CHT System 665 630 6 Cylinder EGT/CHT System 919 860 Chromometer 213 200 Full 4 Cylinder System 3095 2825
($270 Savings) Full 6 Cylinder System 3295 2998
($297 Savings)
Familiarization / Flight Instruction We received a call from Glasair builder / pilot
Bob Steil in regard to flight instruction and familiariza-tion he is willing to offer in his Glasair RG.
Bob is a C.F.I, and lives in Picayune, Mississippi (near New Orleans). Bob reports that he has worked at training two fellow Glasair builders so far and enjoyed it so much that he would like to call some attention to his willingness to continue offering such a service.
We offer familiarization rides here at the factory, but since none of us holds a C.F.I, rating, it might be more advantageous for some of you to have a bona fide CFI brush you up on your flying procedures and get rid of your bad habits. This gives an opportunity for Midwest and Eastern builders to have an alternative to traveling here to Washington.
Bob related that his time instructing is not for free, but we - and many other Glasair pilots - will agree that such a service can be worth the value of your Glasair - and more.
Bob may be contacted at (601) 798-3484.
Control System Rust We have received reports from several builders
who have found minor rust occurring on the inside of some of their control system parts. These parts are painted externally, but do not have a corrosion resis-tant coating internally.
Unless exposed to a lot of moisture, we do not see this as an immediate concern to Glasair builders, but something to investigate during your next condi-tion inspection (annual). Since rust or corrosion any-where on an airplane is of concern, we would suggest the following to Glasair builders:
Prior to assembly of the control stick assembly, flap assembly and rudder pedal assembly, spray all parts internally with L.P.S. oil or flush the inside of these assemblies with hot linseed oil. (Hot oil is used in order for most of the oil to get back out of the part, leaving a thin film.)
If you have gun cleaning equipment handy, the rods and swabs to clean a shotgun barrel may be about the correct size to wipe the inside of these parts with.
For those of you with completed airplanes, you should write yourself a reminder to check for this corrosion on your next condition inspection.
Notice to Glasair RG & III Builders At one point we changed all locking nuts located
in the engine compartment to the AN 363 style rather than the AN 364 fiber lock nuts, due to the possibility of heat affecting the fiber locking qualities.
We've since learned that an AN 363 nut used on the nose gear axle is too thick. The use of an AN 364 fiber lock nut is OK for this application since the heat is not as extreme in the nose gear wheel well.
Header Tank Sight Gauge Arguments for: Direct fuel quantity reading. No mistaking fuel
quantity. Arguments against: Difficult to install. Possibility of fuel spillage
inside the cabin in case of accident. The alternative is to install an electric fuel gauge
and sending unit. If you install a flop tube fuel pickup assembly into the header tank, it may interfere with an electric fuel sending unit, unless the float is somehow caged or protected.
The argument of a fuel spill in the cockpit would have to include the possibility of fuel spilled from a ruptured header tank itself or the wing tank, however, the fuel lines to the sight gauge would perhaps be the first to come apart during a serious accident.
The Glasair Instruction Manuals call for a sight gauge, but builders should keep in mind the alterna-tive of an electric gauge and sending unit if they would prefer such an installation.
Most manufacturers and suppliers of fuel gauge
page 215
instrumentation list the style of sending unit to fit the depth of a fuel tank, and most sending units are adjustable.
We would like to get a better feel for the issue of sight gauge vs. electric gauge and welcome your comments or practical experiences with either. Send your response to Glasair Newsletter or call and ask for Chris Klix at our factory.
RG Nose Gear Shimmy The new machined shimmy damper collars and
clamps have eliminated 90% of ail reported shimmy cases on Glasair RG models, but there have been a few persistent cases we are continuing to troubleshoot with Glasair owners.
We mention this as a precaution to those of you who have not flown yet.
Proper installation of the machined collars and teflon wear rings is an important factor. Be sure to chamfer the wear rings if they don't fit well and interfere with the weld radius around the strut.
The clamps should be tightened to give adequate resistance with smooth rotation (without the hyd. damper attached), to prevent shimmy. The rub-ber spacers under the heads of the clamp half bolts, which provide tension on the friction material, may also be a culprit in some cases. The nylon friction material will have very little wear and therefore, re-moval of the rubber spacers is acceptable if the nose gear resistance to rotation was checked frequently. The hydraulic damper is meant to be simply a back-up system to prevent serious damage should shimmy occur.
The nose gear on the RG models has a slight tendency to slap down on landing especially with the heavier 180 hp engine with constant speed propellers. Pilot technique to unload the nose gear on takeoff and avoid premature slapdown on landing are important factors in avoiding shimmy problems.
We will report on solutions found for these shimmy cases in future newsletters.
Safety Alert Glasair III aircraft use a fuel vent check valve
which is fastened to the end of the wing tip vent line that permits the free flow of air into the fuel tank. A #60 hole is drilled through the check valve to allow for fuel expansion with temperature and pressure changes. The hole provides enough relief for pressure compen-sation while still preventing large losses of fuel through the vent lines when the airplane is parked on uneven ground.
We have sold several of these check valves to existing Glasair I builders and know that others have installed similar devices. We want to stress that unless small relief holes are drilled into the valves, fuel and air expansion can be great enough to cause structural damage or fuel leaks to the wing.
page 216
1 .Disassemble the fuel vent valve cap and body. 2.File a bevel into the housing as shown to allow
for a surface to drill from. 3. Drill a #60 hole from the bevel face into the bore
of the housing. 4.Deburrthe hole, clean the assembly, removing all
metal shavings and reassemble.
Know your materials! (Ask if in doubt) Be sure not to confuse Fiberfrax with Rohacell
foam when constructing your Glasair firewall. Both are 1/2 inch thick and white, but that's where
the similarities end. Rohacell is a foam and very difficult to crush between your fingertips. It is used as the core material when laminating the firewall bulk-head. Fiberfrax is a fibrous-like material and will flake apart with abrasion and can be noticeably squeezed with fingertip pressure. It is used on the front side of the firewall bulkhead as a heat and flame barrier.
Hydraulic pressure aauae shuttle valve Application: All Glasair retractable gear aircraft Reference: Service Bulletin 40 Service Bulletin 40 specifies changing the
plumbing to the hydraulic pressure gauge so that pressure is monitored on the down side rather than the up side.
Glasair builder Daryl Rosinbaum has come up with an improvement which allows pressure to be monitored on both the up side and the down side of the system.
He installed a simple shuttle valve which hooks up between the up side and down side nose gear hydraulic lines on the nose wheel well. Daryl attached the shuttle valve directly to the hydraulic pressure gauge and plumbed two lines down to the nose wheel well area. On our Glasair III prototype, we installed the shuttle valve with T" fittings between the hydraulic lines on the nose gear box and then plumbed a single line from the valve to the hydraulic pressure gauge. Both methods are acceptable, but the latter provides better service access to the valve.
We have put together a shuttle valve kit consist-
Instructions for drilling these relief holes are in-cluded in the final assembly sections of the Glasair 111 manuals. Listed below are simple instructions for drilling the relief hole.
ing of valve and all necessary installation hardware and instructions for $98.00 (These valves aren't cheap, but after some investigation, we did find one more reasonably priced than the others).
Hvd. Shuttle valve kit Availability: April 30, 1988 $98.00 Thanks to
Daryl for a nice improvement idea.
Glasair II. Ill wrap up and options development
We are on the verge of finishing the final assem-bly sections of the Glasair II and III Instruction Manu-als.
All backordered parts are in production and will be delivered shortly to Glasair II and II! customers who have been anxiously waiting for them. We sincerely apologize for any delays in construction these backor-dered parts have caused our Glasair II and III custom-ers.
Our commitment now is to serve you with techni-cal support and options development for improved construction and performance of your Glasair aircraft.
In the March issue of Sport Aviation. Ed Swearin-gen announced (aside from his very impressive world record achievement) that he was getting out of the kit aircraft business. Although for us this may seem like good news, it can be bad news if it sparks fear into the minds of customers about the stability of kit plane businesses in general.
In light of this announcement, we wish to reassure our current customers and potential customers that Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft, Inc. is fully committed to the kit plane business. We will be here to provide you with safety bulletins, manual revisions, technical support, spare parts, familiarization rides, new op-tions and improvements, newsletters and encourage-ment.
We are a solid, hard working company, aggres-sive, and firmly committed to this business because our careers depend upon it. And, we feel a strong commit-ment to each Glasair customer who has supported us with their business. Let's look ahead:
We are poised to spring into new options develop-ment. By the next issue of Glasair News we hope to be able to offer a selection of flight instruments in addition to the engine instruments and Narco avionics we are currently offering.
We are planning to develop speed brakes particu-larly for Glasair III and I & II RG aircraft.
Other items we have tentative plans to investigate in 1988:
Glasair III mufflers Glasair III cabin heat Glasair I, II and III removable glare shield to
provide ease of instrument access
Aerobatic accessories: flop tubes, inverted oil systems, smoke systems, etc. Throttle, prop
and mixture linkage cables Elevator trim system retrofits for Glasair 1 kits Electric flap systems Electric trim systems Heated pitot installation Turbo charged installations Improved leverage (Glasair II style) manual flap
retrofits for Glasair I kits Filtered air induction systems for Glasair I & II
aircraft 90° elbows for injected engines (Glasair I & Il)
Please keep in mind, we are offering this list only for you to consider potential applications for your Glasairs. We will keep you abreast of our options development progress in future editions of Glasair News.
| BUILDER HINTS
Dear Ted, You really did yourself proud with that Fourth
Quarter 1987 newsletter! It was so interesting and informative that it inspired me to write about several things that have been on my mind for a while. First, you might like to know that N28CM, serial #408, a tail-dragger, has just finished three years of virtually trouble-free operation. During that time I have logged 601.2 hours, burned 1502 gallons of avgas, 3406 gallons of 92 octane auto gas (160 hp Lycoming engine), at an average cost of $29.80 per hour includ-ing gas, storage, insurance, runout allowance for engine/prop, charts, radio repairs, etc. I averaged 8.2 gallons per hour mostly around 8,000 ft. and with the engine set at 25 "square" for an honest 170 knots TAS.
With regard to the problem of the upper landing gear attach bolts cracking, I replaced mine at 300 and 550 hours and found no evidence of cracking. The second time, I replaced the 5/16 inch bolts with 3/8 inch bolts to eliminate the need to periodically replace the 5/ 16 inch original bolts. My reasoning was that the larger bolts were much stronger and the larger head would make it more difficult to pull the head through the dense foam of the sidewall. To take the tension off the gear leg for replacement of the bolts, I placed a box under the tail to raise it to near level flight position. Next I used an 18 inch piece of 2 x 4 under the wing spar to raise the wing with a scissors jack. The bolt is then easy to remove, and it is a simple matter to enlarge the hole and put in the larger bolt.
As you will note above, I have burned several thousand gallons of auto gas over the last three years. I solved the problem of getting the gas to the plane by building a 20 gallon tank from scraps of 1/2 inch and 1/ 4 inch foam and two layers of leftover fiberglass cloth
page 217
in the same manner as the header tank. To pump the gas from the tank in the back of my station wagon into the Glasair, I considered several very expensive UL approved pumps designed to handle gasoline. After some thought, I discovered a less expensive and less dangerous way of moving the gas. I found an airtight gas tank neck and cap in an auto junk yard and glassed it into the top of the lank. Then I installed a schrader valve (from an old inner tube) in the top of the tank. Next, a 3/4 inch pipe is installed in the top of the tank extending to the bottom with arches cut out of the bottom end to allow the gas to flow. A $15.00 12 volt tire pump plugged into the cigarette lighter socket pushes the gas out of the tank through a hose and filter and into the wing. It takes about 4 minutes to empty the tank while I am doing my preflight inspection. A grounding strap between the neck of the tank and the wing gas cover ring completes the operation.
Dick Kreidel's hair raising experience with light-ning has reinforced my determination to install a Stormscope on my panel. Since my plans call for moving to Florida, I should get quite a bit of use out of it during the thunderstorm season. It seems to me that using the Stormscope to avoid areas of electrical activity, staying away from the freezing level and using some good horse sense might allow some relatively safe IFR operations.
After replacing the exhaust pipe hangar springs several times, I figured there must be a way to solve the problem once and for all. I took a piece of heavy rubber impregnated fabric used in automobile exhaust pipe hangars and cut two pieces in such a way as to replace the springs and support the exhaust pipe. With about 400 hours accumulated on the rubber hangars they are still hanging in there.
For tail dragger pilots who are concerned that their main landing gear legs will take a permanent set as a result of taxiing in with a load and then parking with the legs spread, I simply kneel under the wing, place my back against the underside and lift with my legs. The wheel will lift off the ground and move inward. It really is easier than it may sound and since I'm no spring chicken (59), I expect most flyers will be strong enough to do the job.
Most of us have found that the belly panel will not fit easily after the engine has been hung and the extra weight has closed the opening enough to jam the removable panel. I solved the problem by placing the belly panel upside down on two saw horses and removing the rear hinge-half by drilling out the rivets. A brand new drill bit will make the job infinitely easier and neater. Next, rivet on a new hinge-half slightly forward of the original position using the original holes in the panel. The holes in the hinge half will be a little closer to the hinge pin than they were in the original hinge, but that little difference will allow the belly panel to fit easily. To facilitate inserting and removing the pins I cut them in half and installed them from opposite
page 218
sides. For really tight pins use a little grease and chuck the pins in an electric drill for insertion. By the way, all the hinge pins tend to loosen a bit with flying time so don't be too concerned with tight fitting pins.
Keep up the good work on the newsletter and we look forward to seeing you at Sun 'n Fun in April.
Sincerely, Chuck Mason Ed. note: Several other Glasair builders have made mention to us of their experience with the use or a Stormscope, and its ability to detect electrically active areas.
Dear Ted, Your newsletter No. 27, page 198 requested field
solutions for cabin heat box replacement. As you can see from our photos, we mounted our
heat box on the engine side of the firewall and fabri-cated the box from .025 sheet stainless steel.
I have also included a sketch with notes. Hope this may be of some interest to you.
Also thanks for our first flight coverage on page 201. We were listed as "Day Associates." Actually we are "Dag Associates." However, "Day" might have been better as we expect we will be a day operation.
We enjoy your newsletters and many thanks to you and your staff and to Roy for his great service; best wishes for the New Year. Regards, Geo. Jacoban
Dear Ted - Just got the 4th Quarter 1987 Newsletter and I
have three inputs: 1. The Mac Tin Servo from Menzimer Aircraft
Components Inc., 1537 Foothill Drive, Vista CA 92084, (619) 724-4557, is a rni3 lor a side by side Glasair for lateral trim. Mine is completely enclosed within the Bill Stamm right wing tip and drives a trimmer about 2" x 5". Max. deflection for asymmetric loading is about 1/2" + or -. Quality is first class!
2. Didn't realize that you were still having prob lems with the exhaust collector retaining springs. I solved the problem very simply using the old type conventional (not flat) springs by mounting the upper ends to the lower fuselage with rubber washers (actu ally a washer cut from the baffle material supplied with the kit). After 400 hours i have yet to break a spring.
3. I relocated my static source pick-up from the sides of the wingtip static/impact probe, to the sides of the fuselage about 2/3rds of the way back between the trailing edge at the wing and the leading edge of the horizontal stab. Initially it was even worse (too high static source pressure). I rectified the problem by gluing a segment of a sphere of about 4" in diameter in place as follows:
Sincerely, Bill Russell, La Jolla, California
Ed. note: We receive many questions in regard to a location for an accurate, repeatable static source on the Glasair. We know that more of you currently flying Glasairs can lend more information in this regard. Please send us your information whether it was suc-cessful or not.
Avionics Cooling Sirs:
I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but I needed cooling air on my Northstar Loran, so rather than pump my vacuum air from my vacuum pump overboard, I brought the vacuum exhaust through the firewall and used it as cooling air on my radio rack. Works great. From, R. H. Gettings
Ed. note: You are recirculating air from the location of the instrument filter, probably warming it slightly as it briefly passes through the engine compartment, and then directing it onto the radio rack. An outside air source would be cooler, however, since the displace-ment of the hot air in the radio racks is the most important consideration, your idea probably works just as well.
To minimize the number of holes passing through the firewall, Glasair II and III builders may want to consider pulling avionics cooling air from the back side of the cabin fresh air NACA ducts. A small 1/2" plastic line would probably be adequate which could be branched to several locations.
Comfort tip: If you are a Glasair I builder you should strongly consider the NACA vents for cabin fresh air. They provide a very generous supply of outside fresh air.
page 219
RG Shimmy Damper Clamp -Installation Problem/Tip (Glasair I RG's) Dear Lewis (S-H Builder Support),
During my phone conversation with you yester-day I reported that I had installed the complete new shimmy damper assembly with scissors on my RG. On the first test flight the shimmy was severe on landing and I found the "donut" had swallowed the nut and washer on the RH side. I installed larger OD washers and flew it again. This time on landing the shimmy was extreme, causing me great concern about an NG failure, i discovered the ear on the clamp where the hyd cyl attaches was broken off.
As you suggested, I checked the clamp assem-bly this morning and found that I had the problem you suggested. The clamp was not bottoming on the strut, but rather was hung up on the upper and lower teflon rings. I had extreme difficulty installing these rings and a close examination shows that the upper one did not have enough room between the weld and the grooved shoulder on the clamp. The lower one suffered the same problem as there was not enough room between the outer OD of the teflon "packing" and the same grooved shoulder on the clamp. I cut those two rings about half to increase the ID about 3/16". At the same time I cut the packing to allow the ring to seat up against the strut instead of the packing. It was still very hard to install all this stuff, but I managed to do so and noted immediately that the gaps on the two piece clamp are nearly closed now, whereas before I had about 1/8" each. I removed those donuts and installed a solid bolt on one side and a very heavy 1/2 inch long spring on the other bolt.
I now feel confident that I can get the proper torque set for damping purposes. The hyd cyl you sent appears to be of exceptionally high quality, however that one inch standoff at the cfamp would appear to defeat the purpose as there is such a bending load at that point that it bent the bolt, the end of the cyl piston and broke the ear on the clamp. I know it would be a bigger job, but we need more surface for those two rings to seat on, it's a bear to get those rings installed properly. Secondly, that cyl needs to have a straight shot at damping the shimmy. My last suggestion is to warn the installer about the clamp clearance that proves whether or not the clamp is seated on the packing material and not being hindered by the rings. This appears to be in the neighborhood of a total of 1/ 16". Many thanks for your help with this problem. Best regards, Cy Mehling
Ed. note: The collars themselves, if installed and adjusted
properly, are intended to dampen nose gear shimmy. The hydraulic damper is used as a back-up in the event of severe shimmy. On subsequent production runs we've changed the collar material from 6061 to 2024.
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Dear Ted, In a recent telephone conversation with your
builder support folks, it was suggested I send informa-tion for your review and possible inclusion in the newsletter. The problem I was interested in avoiding is an aft tank leak, or the discovery o? same after closing the wing on the Glasair III. There are some areas that would be inaccessible should a pin hole leak occur in the construction process. At any rate I decide ? close the aft tank prior to closing the wing. As it turned out there was a small pin hole leak (one hour balloon deflation) at the right tunnel where it passes through the main spar. This would have been impossible to correct after closing. The procedure I used is as follows:
1. After the aft cap laminates are in place around the aft tank, use the upper wing as a mold to construct a top for the aft tank.
a. Cover the upper wing panel in the area of the aft tank with pofypropolene tape. Lay up a two layer laminate in this area.
b. Cut triangular shaped stiffeners out of 1 /4 inch foam. Stick in place with thick Qcell. Cover the foam with Qcell to seal.
c. Lay up a single layer bidirectional cloth over the foam stiffeners. Be sure to leave room on the sides of this top for mating with shelf to be built later.
d. Lay up two inch, two layer bidirectional cloth strips the same lengths as the cap strips. These can be prepared on a flat surface. These will form the shelf for the top.
e. Trim the shelf strips to fit under the aft tank spar caps. Using 1 x 2's and clamps, stick the shelf up with cabosil mixture.
f. After the cabosil has cured, place a one layer laminate under the shelf and onto the cap and rib.
g. Remove the cover from the upper wing. It should retain the general shape of the wing surface. Trim this top to fit on the shelf and butt to the aft tank cap laminates.
h. Use a cabosil mixture to secure the to. Weight equally all around the top. Make sure the top is the same height as the cap laminates. Let cure.
1. Laminate a one layer strip at the seam of the top and cap. This laminate should only lap overthe cap 3/8 inch to insure adequate room for the mat cloth at closing.
j. Seal the front of the pass through tunnel with a two layer laminate lapping onto the forward surface of the main spar.
2. Place a balloon over a piece of plastic hose that will fit the 3/8" vent tube tightly. Blow up the balloon, slip the tube over the aft tank vent and------ PRAY!!!
3. If the tank checks out, you may either remove the aft tank cover or close the wing with the cover on. Should you choose the latter, place some mat cloth and resin on the tank cover in several places so it will stick to the wing and prevent chafing.
4. BE SURE TO OPEN THE PASS THROUGH TUNNEL PRIOR TO CLOSING THE WING!!!
My drawings are crude, so if you use this, a little assistance in the art department will be helpful. Sincerely, Sloan Brooks
Stoddard-Hamilton: This is to inform you that Serial # 584 took to the air on 2/13/88 for a 45 minute flight. Everything went well; however, in your manual on page E-20 and figure E-15A you recommend a 15° bend in the rudder trim lab. This bend along with the "P" factor presents a very strong pull to the left. A lot of rudder and brakes (right side) is needed to overcome this. The other TD builder in the area said he had the same difficulty. We both ended up with 0° in the trim. I would recommend that the trim be left straight when installed, then bent as needed. Thanking you, I am, A. H. Gettings
Correction: Glasair Newsletter Staff:
Thanks for the effort in producing another helpful issue. The unclear sentence in the sheet plastic article (Glasair Newsletter 27, p. 198) was caused by a missed line. I imagine you receive all types/forms of copy. You may want to request, in a future newsletter, that articles be submitted double space typed. Sorry for the difficult to follow "single-spaced" original. For The Cutting Table. line 21 should read: The largest poly-u available from most suppliers is 48" x 48". Bond poly-u to itself and other plastics and/or the worktable with 3M #3549 2-part adhesive....
Cowling Hinge Pin Forward Hole Location: After installing the hinges to the cowling an easy
way to find the hole placement for the hinge pin installation is to assemble your cowl off the engine. Sharpen one end of the hinge pin, insert this end into the hinge from the back, hook up a drill to the other end, then drill the hinge pin through the hinge end and through the cowling frontal area. From Don Fleming
FIRST FLIGHTS
Ed note: Another Glasair III builder showed us how he cut inspection holes through the upper wing _skins in the aft fuel bay then permanently bonded the Inspection plug back in place. The ultimate wing strength is designed around the spars alone, so, in theory, cutting another inspection hole shouldn't have negative consequences. In order to keep wing strength to its maximum and cosmetic work to a minimum, it seems this procedure could be reserved to only when a leak is found. The difficult task of locating the source of the leak still remains.
Hey kids: Well it is finally done! In just a few short years
(3.5 years) 88JL is finished. Ted, you were not kidding when you said that it would be a lot of work. The weekend Walter Mittys show up and ask how many hours I have invested and my answer is, "Baby, we're talking years here, not hours, to describe this little project! This ain’t no ultralight weekend warrior kit! The cost? Let's put it this way. Heroin addiction would be about half the price. Personal satisfaction? The ulti-mate! Indescribable! fantastic!"
Most people spend their lives building a busi-ness. After about a year they take home $250.00 a week draw. The next year they go to Hawaii. The next a Mercedes Benz. Success takes a while. The prob-lem with this is the instant gratification. 3.5 years and
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you put the coals to this little beauty and it is all over in a second. 220 knots at 10.5 gph. I was talking to LA Center the other day and asked for my ground speed. 180 knots Julie Lima. I requested a descent and initiated 100 fpm descent.
Center came back on, "Julie Lima, are you a twin?"
"Negative, single engine homebuilt." "I was just wondering, because you are now
painting 220 kts." Not bad at 9.5 gph. ROGER THAT!
I would like to thank everyone up there for the support. Especially Uncle Roy for the great service. Ted for all the personal help with the infamous gear. Tom for designing a great airplane, and Bob. See ya all in the spring, and tell Stamm I want to race him for pink slips.
Frequency change is approved, John C. Levy, jr.
Ed. note: Pictured below is John C. Levy jr.'s Glasair RG. The reason for his 3.5 years' work is that he has likely built a Grand Champion candidate judging from the looks of this beauty. Congratulations, John.
Terry Nichols 2/27/88 TD, Shell Knob, MO
Tom Berkley 2/27/88 FT, Sumter, SC
Dave Morgan 2/28/88 Glasair 111, Snohomish, WA
'Sorry we missed you in the last newt
Dave Morgan's Glasair III is the first kit lll to fly! It has a 260 hp engine which was overhauled to produce close to 290 hp. Some real good news to Glasair III builders is that Dave's III tipped the scales at only 1548 Ibs. with a full IFR panel. An interior is missing and will add another 25-30 Ibs (Our factory prototype III weighs over 1700 Ibs). The engine is close to 40 Ibs. less than the 300 hp engine, but it still means that most builders with 300 hp engines should be in the 1600 Ib. range.
An explanation is in order for many III customers who have been waiting on parts and instructions: Djon Morgan has worked very closely with us in using rough draft instructions as a final proof before they are published. He has also used many prototype and first article parts in his aircraft to serve as a proof of fit and function. In addition, Dave constructed his own induction system and other bits and pieces which were not fully developed.
If you are a Glasair EH builder and get a chance to meet Dave someday, please give him a big pat on the back because he was blazing the trail with a lot of extra work and frustration to smooth things out lor both factory and builders alike.
LETTERS
Also congratulations to the following for their first flights:
*Dean Hollenbaugh 5/5/87 TD, Jamestown, CO
*Cormie MacArthur 9/16/87 TD, Alberta, Canada
*Jerry Waggoner 9/29/87 TD, Fruitland, ID
John C. Levy, jr. 11/21/87 RG, Carlsbad, CA
Ernie Gdisis 12713/87 RG, Racine, Wl
Al Gettings 2/13/88 TD, Raytown, MO
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Dear Sirs: I would like to relate to you an experience I had
with my TD on February 22,1988 on a trip back from Jackpot, Nevada. We had stayed overnight at Dillon, Montana because of high winds and after checking the station actuals decided to go to Lethbridge, Alberta using the passes instead of going direct. From Dillon to Whitehall and through to Helena, Montana was not too bad, we had to go around a few snow showers and fog, but after Helena it was a different story, and we were eventually down to 8-900 ft in fog and light snow showers.
Our flight from Helena to Choteau, Montana was approximately half an hour, and about 15 minutes before Choteau I started to experience small shocks whenever I placed my right hand on any metal item, mainly the flap handle and throttle. The closer we got to Choteau the stronger the shocks got. By this time the shocks were quite sharp, enough to make me jump every time they grounded! After I had grounded my-
seif, I could feel the static going round and round the muffs on my headsets, and as soon as I let go of any metal it would stop. I unplugged my two headsets and tried all possible combinations of plugging them back in, which made no difference. I thought that I had a short in my intercom and this was giving me the shocks. After no luck with the headsets, I turned off all the electrics and this made no difference either, so 1 then cycled the master and it made no difference. By this time I had eliminated all possibilities other than static buildup.
About this time we were over Choteau and the weather cleared up a little, so I circled for about 10 minutes deciding what to do, as I was afraid of a static shock on landing when I placed my foot on the ground. After circling for about 10 minutes the shocks got quite a bit weaker, and the weather seemed a lot better ahead, so we carried on toward Cut Bank. About 25 miles out of Choteau it started all over again as we were back into the fog and snow showers. The buildup of static was not as bad as before. When we got to Cut Bank the skies had cleared and it was beautiful. I could not raise Cut Bank on the radio until I was 3 miles away. Also please note that before Choteau when the static buildup was at its greatest, my radio (Terra TXN 920) was useless. I couldn't reach the two other aircraft (metal) that were flying with me even though they were within 30 miles.
After Cut Bank the weather was clear all the way to Lethbridge, ALberta, and by the time I called into Lethbridge tower 25 nm out, ail the static seemed to have dissipated and the radio worked fine.
I live just north of Calgary and we have the most changeable weather in North America. I have flown in weather as described before, though not for the length of time as we did on February 22, and I have never had any problems with static before. I've been flying my TD for 1.5 years and have about 145 hours in it.
Please note that the static buildup took quite awhile to build up and after we flew into clear air the static charge dissipated within about half an hour, and there were no adverse effects on my radio or instru-ments.
Would you please put my experience in the newsletter for others to read and avoid the same problem I had. Also please send me another year's subscription to the newsletter.
Yours truly, Phil Stevens, Didsbury, Alberta
Ed._note: This is the third time we have had Glasair builders report this phenomenon to us, although Phil was the first to put his in writing (thank you).
We do not have any information regarding the effectiveness of static wicks on fiberglass airplanes. We would appreciate any information we can gather in this regard.
Dear Sirs: I received the latest Glasair newsletter today
and this has prompted me to write to you without further delay. I have intended to write for some months.
My Glasair I TD was finished last September and test flown on the 16th of that month. I now have 40 hours on it and am very happy with its performance and handling characteristics.
The only disappointment that I had upon com-pletion was that Teamsport Canada reduced the al-lowable gross weight to 1444 IDS. With an empty weight of 1070 Ibs., it leaves little for fuel and people. The M.G.W. reduction was due to their concern over wing loading and apparently this restriction will apply to all future high wing loaded homebuilts in Canada. I am trying to elicit the help of the Canadian EAAC to argue the case with T.C. Has this problem been identified by any other Canadian homebuilders?
I also intend to modify the upper gear leg attach points. I do not have the room for a compression strut and your factory modification is quite elaborate and would be difficult to install in my configuration. Do you think the installation of a slightly larger hexagon head bolt would provide an adequate safety margin? The head would of course protrude through the outside skin but could be faired in.
Yours truly, Cormie MacArthur, Carvel, Alberta
Ed, note.; Canadian homebuitder Lowell Binder in-formed us that Canadian regulations limit homebuilts to a maximum wing loading of 20.4 Ibs./square foot and a maximum stall speed of 69 mph. (We put Lowell in touch with Cormie. He suspects that the inspector miscalculated since the TD gross weight of 1600 Ibs. +81.3 square feet of wing area = 19.7 Ibs ./square foot.
Lowell has built a TD and is currently construct-ing a III. He is planning to to install the wing tip extensions plus adding onto the wing span in order to meet the wing loading requirements for the III. He reports that he has made the EAAC very aware of the limitations it places on homebuiiders and that there is some hope that they may someday be changed.
High wingloading is a positive attribute for fast airplanes as long as the stall speeds are within reason.
Your idea of a hex bolt in place of the counter-sunk one is fine. Use a large washer under the bolt and make a small fiberglass dish to cover the bolt head with. Silicone caulk will hold the dish in place fine.
Fairing dish
page 223
Dear Joyce, A happy year to you all. 1 was delighted to see mention in the newsletter
of the video and posters. Will you please send me 3 posters (I'll put one up in a local flying club and keep a spare to hand out once people call to see my aircraft coming together; the other goes on the workshop wall for motivation.)
In these days of electric starts, it was nice to see the article about hand swinging. May I add a couple of observations:
Most of my "light" flying is on Tiger Moths and of course there are no starters on those (nor any brakes!). The name of the game is to let the person doing the swinging be the boss. I usually do the swinging and I put another pilot in the cockpit to work the switches. We also chock the wheels. Even with a parking brake I recommend using chocks because you know the aircraft won't follow you then.
The ignition switches on the Tiger Moth are outside the fuselage where the swinger can see them. So if you are swinging a Glasair or other "modern" aircraft with switches inside the cockpit then the pilot's hands (both of them) should be up on the top of the windscreen where the swinger can see them, when the switches are off (RAF ground crew won't touch a propeller if they can't see the pilot's hands...4 for 2 piiotsl). If you follow the above you can always start up at strange airfields when there are no handswingers around.
Finally, if you plan to handswing your aircraft, then buy a wooden propeller, not a metal one; wooden ones are much more pleasant to swing!
Best regards, Ken Whitehead, Berkshire, U.K.
Dear Stoddard-Hamilton, Thought you might be interested to know that on
December 17,1987, in recognition of the 84th anniver-sary of the Wright brothers first flight, I established a new world speed record of 198.87 mph between Richmond, Virginia and First Flight, North Carolina for class C 1 B, Group 1 airplanes.
The speed would have been higher except for head winds encountered on one leg of the 400+k trip. Regards, Ed Covington
Dear Joyce, My compliments on the latest newsletter (No.
27), it really is a fine testimonial to the ongoing support that Stoddard-Hamilton offers its builders. I have en-closed a check for my 1988 subscription.
Now that winter has forced me into becoming a couch potato, I am able to uplift my aspirations of continued kit building activities in the spring, which arrives in Texas in March, by reading back issues of the newsletter and by watching the Glasair video that I ordered back in December. I am continually impressed by the fine job that was done on the video; I think that all kit builders and those wanting to build a kit should see it. Even my earthbound friends are impressed by the scenery and the "gracefullness" of the Glasair.
Sincerely, John R. McAinsh, Stafford, Texas
Dear Mr. Klix, I am writing to you to tell you about one of your
men who has been so kind to me in the building of my kit Glasair 514R.
With probably the earlier models I have much work to do, more than is generally required of the present kits.
Mr. Lewis Kitz has been more than helpful. As a matter of fact, today I'm going to call him for added information! I have had also Frank Miller who was also quite helpful.
So few times you must get letters of critic ism; this one is of appreciation. I would appreciate it if you told Mr. Kitz of my appreciation.
Many thanks, Dr. T. Zimny, Newport, New Hampshire PS. I'm on the controls of my retractable mechanism Glasair. For a one time hit - parts are hard to under-stand but for the help of someone like Lewis Kitz.
Ed note; Lewis' head swelled so big when he read your letter, he broke his favorite hat. Thanks for the comments.
Ed note: Congratulations to Ed Covington! Pictured below is Ed trying to convince the F-15 pilot that he can smoke him in his new Glasair RG.
Dear Ted, First let me congratulate you on the expanded
and improved newsletter. It is excellent! In the last issue Bill Russell was kind enough to
share with us the results of some cruise tests he conducted recently on his tail dragger. It's always fun to take your airplane up and see how you compare with someone else's, but too few people take the trouble to publish the data.
I am curious about two items published in his report.
1. Did the removal of the cusps in the flaps and ailerons change the aileron sensitivity or stick feel?
2. Was he successful in finding a static port location on the fuselage which would produce an
accurate airspeed indication at low airspeeds? My experience is that the higher ambient pres-
sures within 5 inches of the lower wing surface near the outer inspection panel (recommended Pilot loca-tion) at the higher angles of attack, which are encoun-tered in the low airspeeds, make it necessary to locate the static port with the Pilot on the same mast. A friend used the aft fuselage location for Static, and while it was OK at 140 mph IAS and above, he found the airplane stalling at 90 mph IAS, which made for some interesting landings in the early flights. We tried extending the Pilot tube down and forward to an almost ridiculous point, without success. The influ-ence of the wing at higher angles of attack extends much further than you might expect.
The effect of the higher ambient is added to the total head pressure to cause a + error in the IAS.
Incidentally, Bill might consider trying a propel-ler with a 76 inch pitch. His RPM figures suggest that he isn't getting full rated power out of his engine at cruise with full throttle. I got 2700 RPM full throttle and a little higher TAS {187 kt) with mine, however the OAT was 10 Cat 7000 MSL.
Sincerely, Al Sibley, Santa Cruz, California
Ed. note: We removed the cusps from the flaps and ailerons on the Glasair I! and III models.
Our Glasair III ailerons do not seem to get as heavy at the higher speeds as do the earlier Glasair I ailerons. This could be due, in part, to the cusp removal as well as the Hoerner style wing tips.
We contacted Bill Russell and he estimates a 25% reduction in control stick aileron and flap forces due to the cusp removal. He mentioned that his flaps were a 2 handed operation at 80 kts prior to the mod, and are now easily a one handed operation.
In regard to Item 2, he concedes that the accu-racy of the airspeed indication at the lower airspeeds is lower than what he is actually doing, A more opti-mum location could possibly be found.
ACCIDENT BRIEFS
January 19, 1988 Dear Sirs:
This letter is to inform you if the demise of my Glasair TD, N 512FC. The aircraft was enroute to Birmingham, Alabama, at 5500 feet MSL when the wood propeller separated, striking the left wing. The leading edge was severely damaged and all fuel in the wing was lost. The engine was shut down. Roll stability became critical and the aircraft tried to roil inverted several times. A high speed descent was maintained and the aircraft struck the ground at about 100 knots. Impact was softened by striking a three strand clothes line in the backyard of a house. The main landing gear collapsed and the tailwheel was broken from the fuselage on impact. The two attach bolts pulled through the fuselage sidewall, stripping the heads off in the process.
As the aircraft skidded forward the right wing struck a small tree at the base, rupturing the leading edge. This further slowed the aircraft and caused it to spin in a clockwise rotation 270 degrees and stopped upright, with a forward motion after impact of less than 50 yards. The right main wing attach point was sheared and the left main attach point bracket was broken, as was the right rear attach point bracket. Only the left rear bracket and the belly pan brackets held the wing to the fuselage. The left side of the fuselage split from the gull wing opening to the wing surface.
The landing gear was not damaged, but was splayed outward causing some damage to the under-side of the wing. The windshield was broken and the left gullwing departed the aircraft when the aircraft struck the tree. Since the aircraft struck the ground in the pancake attitude the engine cowling was not severely damaged, and the engine suffered no damage. The empenage was completely intact and was unmarked. The engine mount and fuselage attach points were undamaged. The aircraft was salvaged on site by removing the engine, landing gear, wing and control cables and pushrods, then using a chainsaw to cut the wing and fuselage into pieces small enough to load on a trailer.
The pilot, an Air Force fighter pilot (my son) was not injured except for a small cut on his right arm.
The propeller has not been recovered, and may never be found due to the nature of the terrain, which was hilly, wooded coal mining country west of Birming-ham, Alabama. The reason for propeller separation has not been determined, but some fretting was ap-parent from observation of the propeller extension which was still intact.
This letter is meant to be informative only, and is not an attempt to pinpoint blame for the accident. The propeller has performed flawlessly for 250 hours, appeared ideally suited to the Lycoming 0-320 E3D
page 225
engine, providing a cruise speed of 200 mph at 75% power, and a top speed of 225 mph at full power. The propeller had been installed with approved bolts, properly torqued, and had been inspected and re-torqued regularly. Preflight checks on the day of the terminal flight had been properly made as always. Perhaps a more strict maintenance schedule would have indicated some flaw.
The aircraft has been totally salvaged. No hard-ware appears damaged, nor were the flaps, ailerons, elevator or rudder. All avionics appear to be undam-aged. Obviously there are a lot of parts usable and they are available to those builders who may need them.
Publish this in your newsletter if you wish. Per-haps it will encourage others to inspect their propeller installation more frequently.
Sincerely yours, Fred E. Crump, Sr.
Ed. note: We contacted Fred in regard to this accident. He mentioned that the propeller impact to the left wing caused a gaping hole with part of the skins acting as a speed brake and spoiler, hence, the tendency to roll inverted. Maintaining a higher rate of descent was the only way to maintain control of the airplane.
He highly commended his son's ability to remain cool, react properly and force land the airplane in the only available small patch of cleared ground in someone's back yard. His son felt the airframe sur-
vived well from a crashworthiness point of view con-sidering he had to stuff it in at a speed of 100 knots.
We want to thank Fred for sharing this informa-tion with his fellow Glasair builders. We can all relate to the unfortunate loss of Fred's Glasair, but also share in his thankfulness that no one was seriously injured.
If you are using a wood propeller, we would suggest that you contact your prop manufacturer for proper bolt torque and service instructions. We pub-lished a short discussion on wood propellers in Glasair Newsletter No. 12 on page 74.
STODDARD-HAMILTON AIRCRAFT, INC. 18701 58TH
AVE. N.E. ARLINGTON, WA 98223
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