Category: Event

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22 hours until CC#27 sign up closes.

Builders,

Here is your last official notice on CC#27. While the frequency of notices resembles a PBS fund drive, I want to say that we always have one or two people who miss the notice and sometimes the dead line. Don’t let this happen to you. If you are sitting on the fence, we are getting to the wire. The sign up for #27 has been open for 100 days: you now have less than one day left to sign up. Click on this link for more info:

50 hours until CC#27 registration closes.

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50 hours until CC#27 registration closes.

Builders:

We have a shade over 48 hours until we close the registration on CC#27 which will be held in Barnwell SC November 8-10.

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CC27 – https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-27-registration/

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The Event also has it’s own Face Book Page:

https://www.facebook.com/CorvairCollege27

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Below is a link to a story I wrote about the specific skills builders learn at colleges. Read it and decide if you would rather learn these things slowly at home, or head to the college and have me teach them to you personally in one weekend. You can do it either way, but I an assure you that it changes the way you see yourself, from mere owner to builder and master of your Corvair engine to know these skills. It is hard to make an argument against learning them sooner rather than later.

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Basic Corvair College Skills, examples of learning

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Below is a link to my story about the “Cherry Grove Trophy”, which we present to the outstanding Corvair Aviator of the year each November. In 20 days there will be a new name on the Trophy, and a fresh presentation made at Saturday night’s dinner.  In other branches of aviation, the awards often go to the guy that wrote the biggest check or had the most political influence. In the land of Corvairs, we are not polluted by corruption like that. Our Trophy goes directly to the individual that set an outstanding example and gave back to others now building. Barnwell is the setting where you can meet these builders in person and understand that your place is beside them, In the Arena. Reading a membership magazine featuring aircraft no working man can afford, written by editors who would consign and condem you to be only a spectator is the antithesis of this. Read this story, contrast it to most industry magazines, and then decide for yourself: Spectator or Man in the Arena?

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The Cherry Grove Trophy

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Blast from the past, CC#19, Barnwell, 2010.  Builder Jeff Cochran stands with his running Corvair. Today this engine is flying in his Zenith 750.  He is planning on flying it back to Barnwell for CC#27. Progress is made by deciding that the time has come to advance your own dreams. You must choose this, it doesn’t happen without your personal action. If I am ever going to write your story about flying your plane, you must take action to start this.

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” (2010)- Zenith 750 builder Jeff Cochran of Alabama supervises the run-in of his 2850cc Corvair, above.  The Zenith 750 is a large airplane capable of climbing at very low  airspeeds. This combination makes it brutally unforgiving on engines with inadequate cooling or light duty construction. The Corvair’s outstanding cooling and high quality  components make it impervious to installations that are the undoing of lighter engines.”

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11 Days left to sign up for Corvair College #27

Builders,

I actually had not watched a minute of television in a long time, none of my trucks have a radio, and the only thing I have been listening to in the shop are old Neil Young and albums and a very well worn copy of Exile on Main Street. I looked at FB today for the first time in months, and I just found out that we now have a totally non-functional government instead of the usual basically non-functional government. My apologies for not recognizing the exact transition point. If any of you are just now finding yourself disappointed in all of the elected, let me say I admire how long you have held out hope and optimism.

Although I have a degree in Political Science and a pretty sharp knowledge of American history,  I didn’t actually come up with a solution, and didn’t think any of my comments would help, so I just turned the computer off, when back to the shop, made some parts, while listening to 1969’s Everyone knows this is Nowhere. I can assure you that listening to the guitar work on Cowgirl in the Sand in a national crisis may seem irresponsible, but it actually is just as effective at finding a solution as gluing your eyes to cable TV news. (Zero % effective) with the additional benefit of far lower blood pressure and I actually got some useful work accomplished. After 6pm I put in an hour wiring our Wagabond today. If you spent an hour on TV news or talk radio today, but didn’t do anything on your plane, try reversing that tomorrow and see if you feel better when your head hits the pillow tomorrow night.

We are just 11 days away from the sign up for CC#27 closing. The event is November 8-10 in Barnwell SC. I have a long standing policy on never allowing any talk about politics whatsoever at Colleges. If all of the people you know are spending their free time complaining about politics, I can’t fix it, but I can offer you a 72 hour, politics-free oasis. From what I saw in five minutes on FB, that is an oasis that is well worth heading for, even if you have to drive 1,000 miles.-ww

Above, Kevin Purtee and Shelley Tumino receiving the Cherry grove trophy at Barnwell (CC#24) last year. They hosted CC#22 in Texas in 2012, and are hosting CC#28 in February 2014 at San Marcos, TX. Don’t miss signing up for #27, it closes in another nine days, and February is a long way off.

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CC27 – https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-27-registration/

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The Event also has it’s own Face Book Page:

https://www.facebook.com/CorvairCollege27

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Predictions of “The Magnificent Stick”

Builders,

Let me introduce a mysterious character known to his friends simply as “The Magnificent Stick.” He is a very interesting combination of being outside the main stream of our industry, and yet he is totally connected by an extensively cultivated network of insider friends, contacts, paid informants, malcontents and moles. If you need to know something, just ask; but beware, information comes with a price. He may try to recruit you to his shadowy army of intelligence gathering. I share his photo below after asking his permission. He gave his ok to any photo taken before 2000, as he has since had work done that defeats facial recognition software. He changes his look often, and I have had a minute long conversation with a guy in the booth at Oshkosh only to have the person I am addressing say “William, wake up, it’s me, The Stick.”

If you are a Corvair guy, you may have met him, but probably don’t know it. If you met him twice, but a year apart, you probably didn’t understand it was the same guy. If you are reading this, and you think you may know who he is, please do not e-mail your guess, and certainly don’t write in to any website and identify yourself as potentially being able to identify him. It’s not a good idea. When you read the stuff he has given me permission to leak, you will understand why he has a long list of cranky people trying to track down a name he uses on his drivers license.  If you are good at keeping secrets, and would like a chance to meet him in person, I have word that he will be at Corvair College #27. Your only question will be which one of the other builders is he?

Here is an example of the depth of information that The Stick has in his possession: Last week, I wrote a story complaining about “J-Mac Mcllean” the editor in chief of EAA publications. Shortly afterward the shop phone rings. The caller ID has a very strange number with the prefix “868” (I later find out this is for Trinadad in the West Indies). It is the Stick calling. When I asked where he was, he just said “Pool side at the Hilton, but that isn’t important now.” He then asked if I wanted to know Mcllean’s exact salary from the EAA.

me: “Sure. “

TMS: “He is paid $170,000 annually, and has a $40,000 per year pre-approved expense account”

me: “Wow.”

TMS: “Would you like to know what AD was missed on his last annual? His tax rate? shoe size?

me: “Maybe just knowing how much he is paid to write stories about French turboprops is enough”

TMS: “OK, but have you heard that the Chinese government has been making offers on buying Piper Aircraft? Did you hear they are working on Lancair at the same time?”

me: “Really?”

TMS “Sad but true. Gotta go, my babe is here with a pitcher of martinis.”

Blast from the past, Circa 1999: The magnificent Stick stands with Grace and myself in front of our Pietenpol by our old hangar at the Spruce Creek fly-in. -ww

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SPA Panther will be at CC#27, Nov. 8-10, Barnwell SC.

Builders:

Dan and Rachel Weseman, well known to Corvair builders, have confirmed that they are bringing the Panther and their family to CC#27.  While thousands of people have seen the Panther in person on display at Sun N Fun and Oshkosh, and have the extensive films of the plane flying aerobatics on their site and you tube, I will assure you that there is nothing like seeing this plane in action, in person, right from the side of the runway. Builders attending Barnwell will be afforded this, as well as a chance to examine the plane closely, and ask Dan questions in a far more focused and productive setting than Oshkosh. Airventure is fun, but it can not hold a candle to a college when it comes to learning in depth information.

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They will also be at the College in their traditional role supporting Corvair engine building. They offer the new Billet Cranks #1001B, as well as the full processing on GM 8409 cranks, The group #2950 rear alternator and the #3000 Weseman bearings. Contact Rachel for more availability information on these items, especially if you are heading to the College.

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We have several Panther builders already signed up for CC#27 who are coming to work on the Corvairs that will power their Panthers. These guys are planning on being there for the full event and getting the most out of it. In addition to these builders, Rachel has arranged with PF Beck, our local host, to have potential Panther builders stop by and get a look at the plane in person when it is in their neighborhood.  To my mind, these same people will be able to a look at a first class Corvair College in action, and we have a very good chance of welcoming them aboard as fellow Corvair builders at the next College. If you know someone interested in getting a look at the Panther encourage them to check out this link to The panther page:

http://flypanther.net/

For Builders who would like to read more on the plane, the main page is:

http://flywithspa.com/panther.html

Above, Paul Dye, Editor in Chief of Kitplanes magazine, made the pilgrimage to Florida for a test fight in the Panther. He was totally impressed. He gave the plane a full check out, which will appear in a future issue of his magazine. Grace and I also had a chance to spend some time with him, and I found him to be a real homebuilder, and a surprisingly knowledgeable guy on many facets of our branch of aviation, very interested in getting to meet homebuilders in the field . He had nothing but positive things to say about his first experience flying behind a Corvair.

Having Paul Dye as the Editor of Kitplanes is very encouraging in an era where the Editor of EAA publications is more interested in the multi-million dollar French TBM-850 turboprop than any new homebuilt. Like most homebuilders, I have traditionally found the EAA’s publications as my primary source of printed information. Thirty minutes with an editor who came across the country to personally fly a real homebuilt design with an affordable engine was all it took for me to understand that we are far more likely to find our kind of information in Kitplanes these days.-ww.

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Bearhawk LSA, Corvair motor mount in development

Builders,

I will be out of the shop Monday and part of Tuesday. I am headed to North East Georgia where Bob Barrows and I are meeting at the shop of one of his Bearhawk LSA builders. I am bringing up a Complete dressed out Corvair engine and enough equipment to develop a Corvair/Bearhawk LSA mount.  While theoretically this could be done other ways, Bob is old school, and there is nothing like having all the elements in one place, even if the logistics require a little work.  It is a 6 hour drive for me to get there, and Bob is flying the LSA prototype down from his airfield in Virginia, about 3.5 hours airborne.  His plane has 30 gallon tanks, and his trip will be non stop on less than half of that.

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Above, a small photo of the Bearkawk LSA. At a glance, it looks like many traditional aircraft, but in person it is easy to see that it is nearly 10″ wider than a J-3 and has all metal wings with a modern airfoil and single strut bracing. Bob is bringing this aircraft to display at CC#27 at Barnwell SC in November.

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I will have pictures and more stories upon my return.  I will be back to cover email on Tuesday night, and will be back in the shop and at the regular phone on Wednesday.-ww

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College engine build options for closing the case

Builders:

Back in January I wrote a 20 part series on getting started in engine building. The first milestone that builders are working for is closing the case. In the new numbering system, this covers groups 1000, 1100, and 1200. In these stories, we are also looking at 5th bearing options, so we are also looking at groups 3000 and in the case of the Eddie Easy engine, Roy’s bearing, which is group 3100.  I named each of the engines in alphabetical order, in the older, pre-NATO code.

Notes:

1) I later changed the numbering system slightly after these stories were written. For example, a crank is now part #1001, not 1000 as written in these stories. Small change, but I wanted no part to have the same number as the group it was in. Almost nothing else is changed, but as you are planning the details of your build, look for this number shift. The price sheet on our main products page has the final correct number system.

2) If you are going to build a 3,000 cc Corvair, the cases have to be bored out to accept the larger cylinders. If you would like to build your case at #27 as a 3,000 case, you need to mail your cases to me in advance of the college, (say by October 12 or 15th) and we will bore them out for $200. When you later purchase the piston/rod/cylinder kit, we will deduct this from the total kit price.

3) the most common short block that builders close at the college is a Gen 2 Dan bearing/ 2700 or 3,000 on a GM 8409 crank. Both reground and stock cams are common. Today builders interchangeably use OT-10 cams from Clarks Corvairs or CC-10 cams from California Corvairs. They both work.

4) I prefer that the cam gear clamp the thrust washer tight against the cam. A long time ago, Clark’s had a batch of thrust washers made that had no inner chamfer, which meant that if you pressed the cam gear tight, you would invariably introduce run out in the gears. I ruined  4 gears in the old Edgewater hangar in a single night working with Kevin before we spotted that the washers didn’t have a chamfer. A later inspection of Clarks installed gears showed that they had compensated by not putting the gear tight to the thrust washer. The correct fix, only took 60 seconds per washer….I put them in the lathe and cut the chamfer. After I told Clarks of the issue, they stuck to the story that they intentionally wanted the washer loose, but did later send out the washers in a revised form with the chamfer. Which is a long and old story that leads us to…….CC#26 where I ordered several washers from Clarks, and promptly got ones without the chamfer, and at the event I saw a Clarks installed gear with a loose thrust washer again. Since they didn’t really see this as a problem last time, perhaps the best solution is letting us put the cam gear on for you.

5) The California Corvairs and LS billet gears are made in the USA. A number of parts sold by Clarks are “GN brand” which is Chinese. This includes the stock gear. They switched them over years ago. The first ones they got were trash. Since then, I am forced to admit that these gears do work. The CC billet gear is very tight going on a cam, you must watch how far your key is sticking up, it can drag on the top of the keyway in the gear. I talk about avoiding Chinese parts, but I suspect that very few people really care. I recently got an EAA hat with the “heritage” logo on it. Yes you guessed it, made in China, sold by the EAA for $18.99. I was going to write something about it, how it told me that the EAA was interested in maximizing profit instead of exercising values, but I have been speaking of this stuff for years, and lets face it, very few people care. A friend just pointed out that the Chinese government is now a major shareholder in ICON aircraft. Read the press release that says they are going to be built by Cirrus, which itself is owned by the Chinese government….Yesterday brought news that Continental, owned by the Chinese government, was pressuring the FAA to issue a killer AD against their major competitor, the US founded and owned ECI. by my guess, less than 5% of the people in aviation care that this stuff is going on, so to whom am I speaking to anyway? I am convinced that 50% of Americans would see nothing wrong with buying a Chinese sewn American flag from Wal-Mart, just as long as it was a buck cheaper. I am happier when I don’t think about such things.

Below are the example short blocks. You can click on the links to the stories just below each listing. Write in with any question you may have, I am going pack to putting up all the mail sack comments in the next day or so.-ww

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Engine options with 5th bearings:

Allan Able = $2,062

(See part #5)

Getting
Started in 2013, Part #5, ‘Allan Able’ short block.

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Bob Baker = $2,516

(See part #6)

Getting
Started in 2013, Part #6, ‘Bob Baker’ short block

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Chas, Charlie = $2,770

(See part #7)

Getting Started in 2013, Part #7, ‘Chas. Charlie’ Short Block

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Davie Dog = $4,270

(See part #8)

Getting
Started in 2013, Part #8, ‘Davie Dog’ Short Block

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Eddie Easy = $3,157

(See part #9)

Getting
Started in 2013, Part #9, ‘Eddie Easy’ short block.

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Bob Barrows to Fly LSA Bearhawk to CC #27, Barnwell, S.C., Nov. 2013

Builders:

Bob Barrows, noted designer of the Bearhawk series of aircraft, is planning on attending CC #27 on Veteran’s Day Weekend in November 2013 in Barnwell, S.C. I spoke with Bob on the phone several times in the past few days. On Monday we are meeting in Georgia at the hangar of one of his LSA Bearhawk Patrol builders. Bob and I are going to use the builder’s fuselage to design and mock-up a Corvair/LSA Motor Mount to have these available for his builders in the future. Bob is well known throughout homebuilding as a conservative, traditional, old-school designer and craftsman. I take it as a great compliment that our efforts with the Corvair have earned his respect.

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Above, Bob Grace and myself in our tent at Oshkosh 2013. Bob holds the distinction of having flown to every single Oshkosh, all 44 of them. All of his designs have been Continental or Lycoming powered. Opening the option for Corvair power to his LSA builders is a milestone in the Corvair movement.

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In speaking with Bob, I suggested he fly his LSA demo plane over to Barnwell for CC #27. He liked the idea and plans to be on hand. His plane is powered by one of Bob’s hot rod small Continentals. Grace and I have been friends with Bob for a number of years. As impressive as his designs are, spending time with the man himself is even better than studying his work. In person he is a wealth of aviation knowledge and perspective, in a very down to earth delivery. In an era of consumer-spectacle, flashy marketing in experimental aviation, Bob is a great reality check, and Grace and Scoob E and I are looking forward to having him at the College.  -ww

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Last call on crank processing before CC#27.

Builders;

I spoke with Dan and Rachel tonight, and they pointed out that this next week is the cut off for getting your core crank to them so they can process it before CC#27. I picked up several at CC#26, They already have several to batch with them, and they are only going to hold this until Thursday of next week, If you are planning on heading to the college, and you would like to make some serious progress like closing your case, it starts with getting your crank processed. I wrote a very good overview of the process in January, it is at this link:

Getting
Started in 2013, part #1, Crankshaft process options.

You have time to get your core apart over the next few days, get it wrapped up and on its way to their shop.  If you know that you are going to do this now or later, just decide right now that you are going to get this launched now, so that you don’t find yourself as an observer at the college when everyone else is putting their engine case together.-ww

Above is a close up of a 2nd Gen Dan bearing journal on a re worked GM crank. This is a 2700/2850 ready case we put together and sold to Irv Russel at CC#24.

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26 Days until Corvair College #27’s registration closes.

Builders,

Before we get into the coverage of CC#26, I need to point out that we are just 26 days away from the closing of Corvair College #27 registration. The link for signing up is below. If you know you would like to go, there is no point in putting of signing up. Keep in mind that the sign up has been open since before Oshkosh: it is half full already.

Above, our local host for corvair Collge #27 is P F Beck, seen above in his Pietenpol, in a shot taken by Grace in the front seat. This was at CC#19, the first of what is now four colleges held at Barnwell. We awarded PF the cherry Grove trophy as Corvair aviator of the year two years ago. The trophy will be awarded for the 6th time at this years event. While all the colleges are very good events with a strong emphasis on good times shared with friends, the Barnwell events have the strongest social side, the most planes on hand, and function as the reflective event looking back on the years progress.

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For #26, I set the limit at 60 builders, but bumped this to 76 in the last week. I did this because I saw that half the people signed up were coming to observe and take notes, combined with 11 of the people attending being returning volunteers. I decided that table space and supervision, the limiting agents at #26 could withstand another 16 people. It was a good call, and worked out well. This said, let me caution procrastinators that this isn’t going to happen at Barnwell.  At #27, we are going to have a very high percentage of builders aiming to run engines, and builders at Barnwell have a fee to cover food and drinks that must be in place in advance. These two factors preclude me from making a command decision to increase registration numbers. This is why we say Barnwell has a ‘hard’ limit and closing date. Don’t miss out.  In speaking with 601/Corvair builder Ken Pavlou, (who handles all of the on-line registrations from an undisclosed location in CT.), we have decided to cut off the #27 sign up at midnight on October 20th, or when we reach 100 builders, which ever comes first.  If you are planning on attending #27, please let me encourage you to sign up for it early, and not to assume that we will have the sign up active until the last week as we have done in earlier years. The link is listed below:

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CC27 – https://corvaircollege.wufoo.com/forms/corvair-college-27-registration/

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The Event also has it’s own Face Book Page:

https://www.facebook.com/CorvairCollege27

-ww